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New USB Speakers Store Unused Power to Augment Audio from Portable Amps
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:29:10 -0400
Most of us keep our music on our computers and our computers are increasingly mobile, but there’s a disconnect between the ability to store large amounts of music on a laptop and the portability of said laptop: laptop speakers aren’t worth playing music on. But a clever engineering fix by British company NXT has changed all that, conjuring big sound out of small, portable speakers powered by nothing more than a USB outlet.
Most audio amplifiers – the kind you plug into the wall – maintain a voltage of about 32 volts. That means when the music gets loud, the amp can deliver the required punch. Laptops, which must use power sparingly to preserve their portability, don’t pack nearly the wallop; a USB 2.0 port produces a maximum 5.25 volts to external devices, making it impossible to power larger, high quality speakers from a laptop.
Some engineering trickery from NXT circumvents these problems by relying on the simple premise that the USB can deliver 5.25 volts all the time, even though music is not all crescendos. During quiet passages, a pair of capacitors stores unused voltage coming from the USB. The speakers monitor the music signal a few milliseconds ahead of amplification so they can release that stored up power when the interlude is over and the heavy guitar/drum combo us unleashed.
Of course, this technology is a replacement for weaker bus-powered, desktop-style speakers; pretty much any high-quality stereo speaker has an AC adapter. And the power storage is limited; the extended version of Freebird could run the capacitors out of juice, causing the volume to fall. But NXT says they’ve tested the speakers on a variety of musical styles with consistent success. If they can get some consumer electronics firms to hear them, the technology could be on the market by next year.
[New Scientist]
Nanoresonators Form Super-High-Resolution Display, With Pixels Eight Times Finer Than iPhone's
Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:32:36 -0400
Nano-thin sheets of metal can be used to build a tiny high-definition display, according to University of Michigan researchers. They built a 9-micron-high image of their logo to prove it.
The pixels in the display are an order of magnitude smaller than those on a typical computer screen. They are roughly eight times smaller than the pixels on the iPhone 4.
The display involves sheets of metal with precisely spaced slits that act as resonators, trapping and transmitting light at different wavelengths. It consists of two metal sheets sandwiching a dialectric (non-conducting) material. This eliminates the multiple polarizers, color filters, chemicals, glass and liquid crystals required to make an LCD, according to Jay Guo, an associate electrical engineering professor at the University of Michigan.
The nano-pixels could be handy for projection displays, tiny displays and wearable, bendy displays, Guo says. They waste less light than an LCD, which could make them energy-efficient to boot.
White light can be rendered into any color in the spectrum simply by changing the space between the slits, Guo says. Red light emanates from slits set 360 nanometers apart, and green from slits about 270 nanometers apart, for instance.
Apparently, its favorite color is Big Blue.
[Linux for Devices]
Neal Stephenson's New Digital Novel Includes Social Networking Features
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:26:52 -0400
The future of reading might also be the future of writing, if author Neal Stephenson's new experiment is any indication.
Stephenson, author of the best-selling Cryptonomicon among other science fiction and historical fiction works, has unveiled a new digital-novel platform called PULP that incorporates glossaries, images, music and video into an open-source-style book. The story is written by a "cabal" of authors, and readers can contribute feedback and ideas as the story unfolds.
Stephenson's new company, Subutai, published the first chapter of its first book this week, called The Mongoliad, a medieval epic set in 1241 as Mongol invaders take over Europe.
Serialized novels can offer readers a more interactive experience than a paperback or an e-reader -- here's something special about waiting for the next installment. But this concept takes it a step further, inviting fans to contribute feedback, illustrations and even influence the progress of the story. You can pay $5.99 to become a "citizen" for six months or $9.99 for a year, and check in every week for a new chapter.
The Mongoliad features a small band of warriors who set out to infiltrate the marauding Mongol hordes making their way across Europe. The warriors, who possess a millennium-old secret tradition, are led by a heroic knight, as the story intro explains. Naturally, their guide is an "agile, elusive and sharp-witted adolescent girl."
Although the focus is still the written word, The Mongoliad turns the idea of a book on its head, offering social features like badges for activity, reader interaction, reader-created glossaries and encyclopedia entries, and more. There's not much online yet, but today alone, readers have already asked for a pronunciation guide, a simpler story-navigation mechanism (so far, you have to return to the table of contents to see what's next) and even a list of suggested further reading.
"Until now, novels have been defined by the technology of the printing press, and we don't have to use that definition anymore unless it suits us," Subutai president Jeremy Bornstein writes in the intro.
Readers can contribute original content through forums, and the authors say they are aiming to have a more integrated submission system soon. Some readers have gotten their creative juices flowing, submitting haikus in honor of one of the central characters, Haakon. Here's one:
The dirt underfoot/is tainted by sweat and death./Legends are thus made.
The novel reads like a cross between romance novels and the Lord of the Rings trilogy:
"this was no Mongol: his hair was brown, long and full, and below his sharp nose drooped a luxuriant moustache."
"Her companions would end up like hedgehogs, bristling with arrows, but she would hide among their corpses, then scurry to the woods before the sentinels caught her."
But it's a neat idea that advances the concept of an electronic novel beyond the delivery system. Here's hoping for some tighter editing in chapter two...
[New York Times]
In National Parks, Technology Saves Lives, But May Also Put Them At Risk
Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:15:04 -0400
The best way to enjoy a national park, in my opinion, involves little more than a tent, hiking boots and a hydration pack — the only gadgetry I bring is a digital camera. This Luddite sensibility is not shared by many of my fellow park-goers, of course. As The New York Times reported this weekend, modern technology has gotten some national park visitors in trouble, meaning added work and added risk for rescue crews and park rangers.
With Labor Day approaching, it’s worth keeping in mind that technology, while great, cannot always save us. In national parks, it might actually make things worse.
Kyle Patterson, spokeswoman for Rocky Mountain National Park, a quick drive west of Denver, explains: “We have seen people who have solely relied on GPS technology but were not using common sense or maps and compasses, and it leads them astray.”
Rather than come prepared, inexperienced hikers plan to rely on their gadgets — GPS devices, cellphones, what have you — to save them. They know they can use a cell phone to call for help, so they may take greater risks. And when they do seek rescue, they often take it to extremes: In one example, a lost hiker in Grand Teton National Park called for help, and asked her saviors to bring hot chocolate.
The Times recounts the incredible story of a man hiking in the Grand Canyon's backcountry with two teenage sons. He pressed an emergency button on his personal GPS device, summoning a helicopter, but declined to board when it arrived because water was all he wanted — the canyon water “tasted salty,” he said.
Of course, technology can be a literal lifesaver. Three separate incidents in one park on one day this month highlight this fact. Aug. 11 was a busy day at Rocky Mountain, according to 9News in Denver:
At 9 a.m., someone used a cell phone to call for help from just below the summit of 14,255-foot Longs Peak, where a woman had injured her knee. Other climbers helped her down to the Boulder Field (around 12,760 feet), where a helicopter picked her up. Then, at noon, rangers were notified by satellite phone that a woman had fallen while hiking in the backcountry on the park’s west side. She was brought out by a horse. And finally, at 2:15, someone used a cell phone once again to call for help from a beginner-level lake trail, where a woman had fallen and broken an ankle.
Technology might have saved these hikers’ lives, or at the very least serious injury if they had been forced to hike out or spend the night in the mountains. Without cell phones, it’s likely that they would not have found help for several hours — a major problem if they were unprepared.
But that’s just it. People are increasingly relying on technology, rather than training and preparation, to cover their backs when they push themselves too far. An inexperienced hiker might be excited about his new handheld GPS, so he takes it into the backcountry, but forgets the essentials: Water, a compass and a map. (And, of course, warm clothing, food, etc.) Then what happens when his batteries run out?
Not to sound all Boy Scout-y, but it's best to be prepared for any scenario, and to avoid depending on technology. It's great that Americans are enjoying our national parks — July was a record month for visitors at Yellowstone, according to the Times — but here's hoping our gadget-loving lifestyle doesn't ruin the experience.
[ The New York Times]
This Slinky Black Dress Is Also a Cellphone
Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:59:09 -0400
Modern technology has created some thorny problems (Can a particle accelerator open up a cataclysmic black hole that will destroy the Earth? What the hell should we do with all of these nuclear weapons anyhow?), but perhaps none is so persistent as a (predominantly) female problem known as the little black dress conundrum. As in, "where will I keep my cell phone if I wear this incredibly form-fitting, irresistibly sexy but pocket-less little black dress?" High-tech high-fashion purveyors CuteCircuit have finally found the solution: a dress that IS a cell phone.
The M-dress is a wearable cell phone with a sim card and antenna integrated into the fabric, and while it's not necessarily perfect, it does make carrying a cell phone around a non-issue. But it also might turn some heads -- and not necessarily in a good way. To answer an incoming call, the wearer lifts her hand to her ear like an imaginary telephone and speaks into her imaginary receiver (we're presuming the receiver tech is actually built into the cuff).
There's no screen and no other interface of any kind, so you won't know who's calling. What's more, you don't have a way to dial out, so you can only pre-program a single number. We suggest you make that number the operator, who can patch you through to any number you like. Then you'll just need to make sure you keep your cell phone with you so you have all your contact info.
Problem solved.
[The Star via Gizmodo]
Apple's Music Devices Get Updates, While Apple TV and iTunes' Social Features Steal the Show
Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:30:00 -0400
Unless you’ve been living underneath a Zune, you’re likely aware that Steve Jobs and his Apple empire held a music-centric event in San Francisco today in which the company's best-selling line of portable musical devices received yet another refresh (the holidays are coming up, you know). And while some of the updates were the usual benign, tech trickle-down one might expect, Jobs did break some new ground with an Apple TV do-over and an iTunes update that’s more social network than music store.
First, Apple TV: It seems everyone has levied an opinion on Jobs’ move into the set-top box space, and few opinions have been laudatory (Jobs’ defense: our product hasn’t been a huge hit, but “nor has any competitive product.” Fair enough). However, this year’s “one more thing” is pretty slick.
Jobs' praises its small size (“You can hold it in the palm of your hand!” he exclaimed, though this seems somewhat irrelevant for a set-top box). We’re more interested in the fact that it does everything in HD when available, streams from your computer, rents commercial-free TV shows for 99 cents, streams Netflix content, displays photostreams from Flickr, and pulls content from your MobileMe account. Also sweet: you can stream stuff from your mobile devices, meaning you can start a flick on your iPhone or iPad, walk into your living room, and swap the feed over to your big screen. Nice.
As far as TV programming is concerned, ABC and FOX are currently on board. Jobs thinks the other networks will soon come around to his way of thinking, and given his track record of bending the world to his will, we would agree.
Oh, and price. It’s just $99, a refreshing break from the first-gen’s $299 price tag.
What else are we getting for early Christmas this year? A new version of iTunes that’s a hybrid music player and social network (think Last.fm meets iTunes). iTunes 10 will have a feature called "Ping" that lets you see what your friends are listening to.
This goes beyond the old shared playlist feature. Jobs played up the privacy features of course, but essentially you can share your own playlists, opinions, and recommendations with your followers (like musical Twitter) and in turn follow artists and friends to see what’s getting play out there. It’s also layered with concert info and all kinds of ancillary stuff that seems pretty useful, as long as it doesn’t result in MySpace-like sensory overload.
Along with the big platform upgrades, Apple’s music devices all received a refresh. The Shuffle got its buttons back. The Nano got a multi-touch screen (and lost its click wheel) while shedding nearly half its size and weight. Perhaps most exciting: iPod touch got the same A4 chip and Retina Display screen as iPhone 4, a 3-axis gyro like the iPhone's, a rear camera with HD video recording, and – drumroll, please – a front facing camera with FaceTime. Eight gigs start at $229.
Oh, and Chris Martin from Coldplay played. Coldplay!
Check out the live blog through the link below.
[gdgt]
Canon 60D Hands-On Preview
Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:25:27 -0400
Canon's mid-range 60D, unveiled late last night, doesn't auto focus like Nikon's also-fresh D3100. But it does represent the final step in Canon's 1080p HD video transition across its full line of DSLRs. Plus--there's a nifty fold-out LCD.
Phil Ryan from Pop Photo had a chance to take the new rig for an early spin in Yellowstone. Read all about it, and see plenty of full-res sample shots, here.
[Pop Photo]
The Ciclotte Stationary Bike Inspires You to Work Out, Pen a Sci-Fi Novel
Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:59:38 -0400
The home gym is usually something tucked away in the spare bedroom or the basement, but the Ciclotte stationary bike is that rare piece of exercise equipment one would proudly display front and center in the living room. Designed by Luca Schieppati, the futuristic exercise machine takes its form from the Ciclo, a concept bike so sweet the Milan Design Museum keeps it in its private collection.
Constructed of steel, carbon and glass fiber materials, and a magnetized main wheel, the Ciclotte uses an epicycloid crank system and a magnetic field to generate thigh-steeling resistance. Part futuristic art installation, part home gym, it can be yours for just $10,700.
[Wired via Gizmodo]
Lightweight Solar Panels That Mimic Wall-Crawling Ivy
Tue, 31 Aug 2010 11:07:49 -0400
Solar panels are a common sight on rooftops but rare on vertical walls, which, being more or less parallel to the noonday sun, get less solar energy. Hoping to take advantage of this unused space, design start-up SMIT looked at how ivy plants nonetheless thrive on the sides of buildings. The company’s upcoming solar-energy system takes inspiration from the way a vine’s many leaves individually maximize their sun exposure.
Solar Ivy consists of thousands of four-ounce photovoltaic “leaves” that can be screwed into place on a steel-mesh wall covering. Exactly where each leaf is affixed to the grid depends on a pre-installation analysis: SMIT’s custom software calculates the angle that gathers the most light—in New York City, for instance, the leaves are tilted 49 degrees and rotated south—and a pattern that prevents the leaves from shading one another.
SMIT says 4,000 leaves will cover two three-story walls and generate 10 kilowatt-hours of power a day, a third of an average home’s needs. It is taking preorders for next year and is in talks to launch a pilot this month on the even more angularly complex geodesic surface of the Montreal Biosphere.
Smit Solar Ivy
Leaf Size: 8 by 10 inches
Leaf Power: 0.5 to 2 watts
Cost: Varies depending on size of project (est.$10-$15 per leaf)
More Info: s-m-i-t.com
LEDs Dethrone Compact Fluorescents as King of Eco-Friendly Lightbulbs
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:55:49 -0400
Never mind that twisty compact fluorescent. The new energy-efficient way to light your home is with LEDs. An upcoming crop of bulbs draw 12 watts or less, edging out a typical fluorescent, and they have a more conventional shape, contain no mercury, and last at least 25,000 hours, three times as long.
They’re among the first LED bulbs as bright as a classic 60-watt incandescent (about 800 lumens), and they address past problems with LEDs, such as bluish light, overheated chips and too-concentrated beams. Launch the gallery to find out how they'll do it, all within a 130-year-old form.
Click to launch the photo gallery
