Duke University physicists test first air-based acoustic invisibility cloak

Firmly departing from the Stuff Of Dreams category, Duke University physicists have successfully tested an acoustic cloaking device that fools sound waves while looking nowhere near as scifi as you’d think. Layering nothing more than a bunch of hole-punched plastic sheets — known as meta-materials, for those curious — atop a ten centimeter long block of wood, highly-directed sound in the 1 – 4kHz range bounced right off the concealed object none the wiser. The cloaking tech owes some of its origin to the math behind transformation optics — and maybe to the Duke team, too. Besides allowing defense department bunkers to erupt into silent applause, the research should prove useful in the construction of future concert halls. DIY hobbyists, let us know what you can rig up with some trash bags.

[Thanks, Drew]

Duke University physicists test first air-based acoustic invisibility cloak originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 16:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBBC News  | Email this | Comments

Apple product managers respond to Final Cut Pro X criticism

During our call to discuss Final Cut Pro X earlier this week, an Apple product manager boasted about the product’s low price, media management, and ground-up redesign. Unfortunately, when starting from scratch, developers seem to have overlooked a few features that professional users have come to depend on, prompting widespread backlash — both on internet forums and even on Apple’s own App Store, where the $300 download-only app currently has a rating of just 2.5 stars (out of five), including nearly 500 one-star ratings. (Note: you must purchase the app before submitting a rating or review.) The New York Times spoke to product managers about these issues, which include an inability to import old FCP files, no multicamera editing, no support for RED cameras, and no ability to specify QuickTime export settings, among many others. Apple says there are (pricey) workarounds available, or fixes on the way for all but the first issue, but head over to the source link for the full rundown at NYT.

Apple product managers respond to Final Cut Pro X criticism originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 14:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AppleInsider  |  sourceThe New York Times  | Email this | Comments

Fujitsu delays TH40/D release, puts slide-out tablet dreams on hold

Fujitsu delays TH40/D release, puts slide-out tablet dreams on hold

If you’ve been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the latest shape-shifting slate, it looks like you’re just going to have to wait. Fujitsu’s just announced that it will postpone the release of the convertible TH40/D tablet — the Windows 7 slide-out was originally slated for a late June debut in Japan. Unfortunately, the outfit’s being rather tight-lipped when it comes to details, saying simply that the holdup is due to “development delays.” Of course, we’ll keep you posted with details if / when Fujitsu decides to open up.

Fujitsu delays TH40/D release, puts slide-out tablet dreams on hold originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PC Watch  |  sourceFujitsu  | Email this | Comments

HP TouchPad 7-inch tablet due this August?

In just a few days, HP’s first TouchPad units will be showing off their webOS sexiness on retail shelves across the U.S. — and then heading quickly to the U.K., Ireland, France, and Germany. Canadians (yours truly included) will be able to pick up their 9.7″ slabs on July 15th. HP has done a good […]

Nokia’s Stephen Elop is still over MeeGo, even if the N9 is a hit

An awful lot has been happening in Nokialand over the past week. A few days ago, we spent our first real quality moments with the much discussed N9, and we were pretty blown away by the MeeGo smartphone. Fast forward a mere two days, and we catch wind of a pretty suspicious looking leak of “Sea Ray,” the company’s first Windows Phone handset where else but sitting firmly in the hand of CEO Stephen Elop. Just in case that brand of corporate subtlety didn’t quite drive the point home, the executive gave an interview with Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat this week, confirming the nearly universal suspicion that it will abandon the Linux-based OS. Elop told the paper that, even if the N9 proves a massive hit, Nokia is going to turn its attention to other, more Windows Mobiley things.

[Thanks, Vezance]

Nokia’s Stephen Elop is still over MeeGo, even if the N9 is a hit originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 12:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Maemo  |  sourceHelsingin Sanomat  | Email this | Comments

DIY antenna cannon was inspired by potato guns, powered by Android

One of the difficult things about being an amateur radio fan is that you generally have to procure and set up your own gear, and that includes laying your own antenna. Normally, it’s done with pressurized rifles or using a bow and arrow tied to fishing line to get the antenna uncoiled and into the […]

Active Virus Shield “Update Failed: Incorrect Signature” Fix

This article was written on September 10, 2007 by CyberNet.

Active Virus Shield - Update Failed: Incorrect Signature AOL’s decision to dump Kaspersky for McAfee was not accepted very well by the tech community. There was no official Vista-compatible version of Active Virus Shield (AVS) released before the switch had been made, but I had assumed that they would continue to provide support for at least the next few months for the XP version.

That turned out to not be the case as several readers have reported to me that as of last week they were receiving an "Update failed: Incorrect signature" error (the corresponding error codes were 0x8000005C and 0x8000005A). Netster007x was the first to notify me of the issue, and after looking around I began to think that the issue lied in the update server.

I managed to find a Google Group that had several other people complaining about the same error message in Active Virus Shield. One eagle-eyed commenter noticed that you could bypass the problem by removing the two AOL entries from the list of update servers. Here’s the quick how-to on doing that:

  1. Right-click on the Active Virus Shield System Tray icon and close the program. Alternatively you could boot your computer into Safe Mode.
  2. Open this file:
    C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\AOL\AVP6\Data\aol-updcfg.xml
  3. Remove the top two lines from the file:
    <site2 url="ftp://download.newaol.com/avs/update/mirror/" diff_url="diffs" weight="10000001" region="*" />
    <site2 url="http://download.newaol.com/avs/update/mirror/" diff_url="diffs" weight="10000000" region="*" />
  4. Save the changes and restart Active Virus Shield (or restart your computer).

Now your Active Virus Shield should be back to normal, and updating regularly. Of course support for this application is extremely limited now that AOL isn’t using it anymore, but the last version is still available for download on sites like Softpedia, MajorGeeks, and CNet.

So it looks like there is a workaround for the time being, and for some of you it will be worth it since Kaspersky (which powers Active Virus Shield) is ranked as one of the best antivirus solutions. Although I prefer to just use the always free Avast! or AVG.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Canon 18-55mm lens torn open to expose visuals of Image Stabilization (video)

Canon 18-55mm lens torn open to expose visuals of Image Stabilization
Hey there, snap-shooter. If you’ve ever used a Canon DSLR with an 18-55mm lens, you may be horrified to know that the image above is its exposed lens elements. Don’t worry, though, it’s for science! Recently, Preston Scott from Camera Technica used a laser to show how unsteady your hands are when taking a photograph; now he’s back to detail how lenses with Image Stabilization compensate to help in achieving crisper images. IS isn’t exactly new technology, but seeing how the glass’ internal springs, accelerometers, and gyroscopes react to movement is mesmerizing. Not surprisingly, he also found that photos taken with IS deactivated were usually less sharp. You’ll find a steady video of the action past the break, as well a detailed breakdown by hitting the source link below.

Continue reading Canon 18-55mm lens torn open to expose visuals of Image Stabilization (video)

Canon 18-55mm lens torn open to expose visuals of Image Stabilization (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 11:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Wired  |  sourceCamera Technica  | Email this | Comments

UrtheCast to stream live HD footage of Earth from ISS, like Stickam for space

International Space Station

Space nerds, get your browsers ready — UrtheCast will soon be streaming HD video of Earth straight from the ISS. The system will actually consists of a pair of cameras, one still and one video, that will be mounted on the Russian arm of the station. The still shots will be very wide, covering about 30 miles with a resolution of 18-feet per pixel. Much more exciting will be the three feet per-pixel stream of 3.25fps video that will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You probably won’t be able to see yourself waving as the ISS passes overhead, but you should be able to spot your cardboard box fort house. The feeds won’t be your typical boring NASA fare either — you’ll be able to search, rewind, and tag objects or events, and UrtheCast is providing APIs for developers to build upon the service. The project won’t be launching until June 28th, so bide your time by checking out the video and PR after the break.

Continue reading UrtheCast to stream live HD footage of Earth from ISS, like Stickam for space

UrtheCast to stream live HD footage of Earth from ISS, like Stickam for space originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 09:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New phase-changing alloy turns waste heat into green energy, exhibits spontaneous magnetism (video)

New phase-changing alloy turns waste heat into green energy, exhibits spontaneous magnetism (video)Looks like harvesting waste heat is all the rage in 2011. Yet another team of researchers — this time at the University of Minnesota — has found a way to harness energy from our hot castoffs. The group has apparently created a brand spanking new alloy that spontaneously creates energy when its temperature is raised by a small amount. Future uses for the material, known as Ni45Co5Mn40Sn10, include charging a hybrid car’s battery with the help of waste heat from its exhaust. So what’s the trick? Well, this wonder material is a phase changer, meaning it can go from non-magnetic to magnetic in moments, when the temperature rises. When that happens, the alloy absorbs heat, and bam! You’ve got electricity. The team is also collaborating with chemical engineers to create a thin film version of the material that could be used to convert waste heat from computers. If phase changing gets you all hot and bothered, check out a video demonstration of the alloy’s sudden magnetism after the break.

Continue reading New phase-changing alloy turns waste heat into green energy, exhibits spontaneous magnetism (video)

New phase-changing alloy turns waste heat into green energy, exhibits spontaneous magnetism (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 08:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceUniversity of Minnesota  | Email this | Comments