< Browse > Home /

| Mobile | RSS

Listen to Isaac Asimov talk prophetically about robots for 4 minutes

There’s something reassuring about the way Asimov speaks on this topic (surely one of his favorites) — even though this clip has got to be 35 or 40 years old, it rings true now and we would do well to take his advice. And how about that transcription? Like human beens indeed. It’s an interesting topic for post-brunch rumination: what would a world built around robots be like? Probably like that nightmare Korean theme park if we’re not careful. [via Metafilter ]

[ More ] March 14th, 2010 | No Comments | Posted in Object, Robots, Videos |

New Iron Man 2 Trailer Has Enough High-Tech Gear To Make Your Head Spin [Iron Man]

At first it’s similar to the first one , but then the new Iron Man 2 trailer turns into a mess of new footage, battle suit armies, suitcase armor, and some hot chick firing a palm gun. Wowza! You can hit up the Apple link for the trailer in its full HD glory, but be sure to come back here so we can talk about how amazing Ms. Johansson and all those slick battle suits look. [ Apple via MTV ]

[ More ] March 8th, 2010 | No Comments | Posted in Apple, Object |

NewEgg sells 300 counterfeit Core i7-920 CPUs, KIRFers pump their fists

Oops. Over the weekend, it seems as if 300 or so unlucky individuals were shipped a counterfeit processor from the normally reliable warehouses at NewEgg , and Hard|OCP has the images (and video) to prove it. Vincent Waller couldn’t have possibly been more eager to receive the Core i7-920 that he had ordered, but upon unboxing it, he realized that he had received a well-disguised fake. After a fair bit of digging, it seems as if one of NewEgg’s “long time partners” (D&H Distributing) got ahold of 300 fakes in a batch of 2,000, though not everyone’s buying the “it was an honest mistake” line — especially when you consider that said company has already issued cease-and-desist letters to the sites who published the news. At any rate, NewEgg has already …

[ More ] March 7th, 2010 | No Comments | Posted in Transportation |

NVIDIA GTX 480 makes benchmarking debut, matches ATI HD 5870 performance (video)

We’re still not happy with NVIDIA’s failure to publish anything on its site alerting users about the doom that may befall them if they switched to the 196.75 drivers, but the company’s making an effort to get back into our good books with the first official video of its forthcoming GeForce GTX 480 and even a benchmark run against ATI’s flagship single-GPU card, the HD 5870 . It looks like you’ll need to jack in a pair of auxiliary power connectors — one 8-pin and one 6-pin — to power the first Fermi card, as well as plenty of clearance in your case to accommodate its full length (stop giggling!). NVIDIA’s benchmarking stressed …

[ More ] March 6th, 2010 | No Comments | Posted in Digital Cameras |

Granny DJ Spins the Internet into a Frenzy [Randomly Viral]

This little news item has yet to go totally viral, but it’s definitely on the cusp: Behold DJ Ruth Flowers, a 69-year-old world-spinner, groove-shaker, beat-maker from Paris, France. This CBS News story hit YouTube yesterday and has so far garnered nearly 10,000 views, but its burgeoning popularity on Internet video sites is sure to make it a viral sensation by the end of the weekend. Why? Well, because this story has all the makings of a viral hit: Elderly Person + Incongruous Activity + Proper British Accent = Instant Pass-along Add to that the fact that Flowers is actually a halfway decent DJ and you’ve got one enjoyable little vid. Flowers says of her …

[ More ] March 5th, 2010 | No Comments | Posted in Social Networking |

Streetfighter IV for iPhone: Capcom releases official trailer and screenshots

As reported (and following Final Fantasy I and II , which are now available), the App Store will get another hit Japanese video game this month, Streetfighter IV . It will be the first mobile version of the Arcade game that so far was only ported to PS3, XBO360 and the PC. And today maker Capcom released the official trailer and a slew of new screenshots.

[ More ] March 4th, 2010 | No Comments | Posted in Mobile |

Shavers, git-fiddles and synths, oh my

Good old Bill Ruppert sent us the video of his latest creation, a complete homage to “Welcome to the Machine” using only EHX pedals and an electric shaver. Crazy stuff. From the EHX post : In this episode we explore how to produce synthesizer sounds and effects from the classic Pink Floyd recording “Welcome To The Machine.“ The original recording from the 1975 album “Wish You Were Here” used an EMS VCS 3, ARP String Ensemble and Mini-Moog synthesizers. “It’s very much a made-up-in-the-studio thing which was all built up from a basic throbbing made on a VCS 3, with a one repeat echo used so that each ‘boom’ is…

[ More ] March 1st, 2010 | No Comments | Posted in Object |

Yoshi Akai’s Wireless Catcher senses nearby wireless waves, makes music (video)

What’s cute, cuddly, and makes all sorts of bizarro noises when it senses wireless waves? Yoshi Akai’s Wireless Catcher, of course! This analog synth contraption is simplistic in nature and complex in design, utilizing an onboard antenna to sense WiFi signals and then alter the sounds being outputted depending on signal strength and direction. It’s not exactly the symphony that Bach forgot to write, but it’s certainly beautiful in its own nerdy way. Have a look at the video past the break, won’t you? Continue reading Yoshi Akai’s Wireless Catcher senses nearby wireless waves, makes music (video) Yoshi Akai’s Wireless Catcher senses nearby wireless waves, makes music (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Feb 2010 04:39:00 EST. Please see our…

[ More ] February 28th, 2010 | No Comments | Posted in Digital Cameras |

Symbian^4 makes video debut, fails to wow

Maybe it’s the lack of a banging soundtrack , but we’re finding ourselves somewhat underwhelmed by these first video appearances by the highly anticipated Symbian^4 user interface. What we’re shown is a now familiar layout for touchscreen devices, with a trio of home screens that can be customized with widgets and live information trinkets such as a clock and a weather app. It is, as promised , very touch-centric, but it is by no means revolutionary. Both videos are titled as mere “first glimpse” offerings, however, so the eternal optimist in us likes to believe that there’ll be plenty more to get excited about as …

[ More ] February 26th, 2010 | No Comments | Posted in Cellphones |

Canon Rebel T2i / 550D demonstrates 1080p video mode, collects glowing early preview

We seriously need to open up an Austrian branch of Engadget. After treating us to a titanium iPhone , the Governator’s homeland is now playing host to the first professionally shot 1080p video with the new T2i / 550D from Canon. Nino Leitner has shot a moody short film with a pre-production unit and his conclusion has been that the video you can obtain from the latest prosumer shooter is indistinguishable from the output of the mighty Canon 7D . High praise indeed, but not altogether unexpected considering the T2i sports an all-new 18 megapixel sensor (that is “very similar” to the 7D’s) and has had its 1080p recording upgraded to …

[ More ] February 25th, 2010 | No Comments | Posted in Cellphones |