Apparently some people really are into their computers. And when I say really, I mean really. Take, for instance, this one girl who decided to have the Adobe Photoshop toolbar tattooed onto her arm.
I wonder how she handles version all those frequent version upgrades (and if her tattoo artist overcharges her for them like Adobe does.) I suppose if she ever tires of it, she could always try and have it removed with the magic eraser tool.
[via UFUNK/Facebook]
Ever wonder what it would be like to shoot a gun underwater? It looks like a scene lifted straight from a Bond flick. More »
Over the years, we’ve featured some pretty incredible cakes (and cupcakes) here on Technabob, but to date, we’ve never seen one that had projected, interactive images on it. Well, Disney, being Disney, has been working on the idea for a few years now, and recently was awarded a patent for the technology.
The patent abstract reads as follows:
A method for digitally augmenting or enhancing a food product such as the surface or top of a cake or other edible object. The method includes generating an augmentation media file based on a projection surface of the food product such as a digital movie or image that is mapped to the 3D topography of projection surface and that is projected on the food product using a properly aligned projector. Interactivity is provided by having the method include determining a modification or change of the 3D topography of the projection surface and, based upon the modification, generating a modified augmentation media file and operating the projector to use the modified augmentation media file to project a modified projected image on the food product. The method further provides interactivity by detecting a user interaction with the projection surface and generating a modified augmentation media file based on this tracked interaction.
So think Microsoft Surface PixelSense, but on a cake. Here it is projecting an image of a baby, turning into a backpack-wearing kid, and then into a basketball player. Sure, why not?
The technology could work with complex topographies and interact differently depending on the section. For instance, a cake could have a river rolling through the middle of a valley, and touching the water would make it splash or change directions without affecting the hills around it.
It could even display personalized messages on slices of cake as they are removed from the main cake.
As intellectual property lawyers are known to do, this patent protects Disney in the event that someone wants to make any food that uses a projector and lets you interact with its surface. Granted, the ideas of an interactive, augmented display already have tons of prior art, but in terms of baked goods, Disney was apparently in the clear.
You can check out the full patent over at Google Patents.
[via r/gadgets]
Those who have been keeping a close eye on Google’s 7-inch, Jelly Bean-loaded Nexus 7 would know that the company kindly includes 25 bucks worth of Play credit with any purchase of said tablet. Unfortunately, as the famed cliché would tell us, all good things must come to an end — and, well, such is the case with this neat promotion, which will expire on Sunday, September 30th. Here’s the good news, however: there’s still a relatively good amount of time for folks interested to get it on the Google Play deal, so now would be the perfect moment to snag what some are calling the best $200 tablet — and who knows, this might even lead to a post-order Gangnam Style celebration of your own.
Filed under: Misc, Tablets, Google
PSA: $25 Google Play credit for Nexus 7 ends this weekend originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Before there were GIFs there were motion pictures. And before film on reels, these “movies” were made up of actual printed still images that zipped in front of your eyes in rapid succession with the help of machinery. Our friends at Oobject collected a batch of crazy zoetropes and other machines, both and new, that create moving images. No photoshop required. More »
If you’re buying an iPhone 5, you’re probably paying a lot of money for the handset. That’s especially true if you’re buying the phone directly from Apple without a two-year contract, as the cost of the 16GB model is set at $649 – and that’s the least expensive model on offer. That certainly isn’t cheap, but there’s one aspect of the iPhone 5 that isn’t expensive at all: the cost to charge it.
The folks at Opower ran some tests and determined that the iPhone 5 only costs an estimated 41 cents per year to charge. Getting a little more specific, they used the Watts Up Pro Consumption Power Meter to figure out how much electricity the iPhone 5 consumes when charging from 0% to 100%. Once they had those results, it only took a little bit of math to figure out how much it will cost consumers to charge their iPhone 5 per year.
The test assumes that these iPhone 5 users are charging their shiny new handset once per day, which isn’t unreasonable considering the iPhone 5′s beefier battery compared to past iPhones. Just for kicks, the Opower team also tested the Galaxy S III and determined that it costs 53 cents per year to charge Samsung’s flagship. Why the discrepancy between the two handsets? The Galaxy S III features a bigger battery than the iPhone 5, meaning it takes a little bit more electricity to fully charge it.
Still, the difference between the two is negligible, especially since the cost is spread out over an entire year. It’s somewhat surprising that the cost to charge a cell phone is so low, but Opower also reminds us that the power usage is actually quite significant when we take all smartphone users into account. That’s set to increase quite a bit in the near future too, as it’s estimated that by 2016, a whopping 1 billion people around the world will have smartphones. If you have a few minutes, be sure to read through Opower’s entire report, as it’s all very fascinating. What do you think of this little experiment?
iPhone 5, Galaxy S III cost less than $1 per year to charge is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
In another face of the ever turning world of patent battles, Reuters reports Microsoft has snagged a victory over Motorola as the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in its favor today. Motorola had obtained an injunction in Germany against Microsoft products — including the Xbox 360 and Windows 7 — based on its h.264 patents back in May, but today the court upheld a previous decision putting enforcement on hold because of Microsoft’s existing lawsuit against Moto for breach of contract. Microsoft’s push to leverage its patents into licensing payouts from manufacturers of Android devices have seen the two at each other’s throats since at least 2010, when the folks from Redmond lodged an ITC complaint over nine patents and followed up with another suit accusing Motorola of charging unfair license fees for its patents. Motorola fired back with its own pair of lawsuits — all of this a year before we heard it would be acquired by Google — and the battle was on. Whether or not this moves us any closer to any resolution remains to be seen, but at least Bavarian gaming consoles are safe, for now.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Google
US Appeals court rules Motorola can’t enforce injunction against Microsoft in Germany… again originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’re back again with a smorgasbord of lovely things for you to enjoy. From a sleek leaning lamp to a book shelf that doubles as a chair, these are the most beautiful items of the week. More »
Twenty-six years ago yesterday, Metallica bassist Cliff Burton died in a tour bus accident in Europe. But in his few short years with Metallica, Burton recorded some sick shreds on two of the band’s best albums, Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets. To commemorate Burton’s contribution, Metallica has posted a live recording of a show in France from November 22, 1984. More »
Ferrari has already said that it will never make an electric car — at least, not while Luca di Montezemolo is in charge — but we already know that a hybrid Ferrari is in the cards. And, this is what will hold it all together. At this year’s Paris Auto Show the company rolled out this carbon fiber cage that is the core chassis of the machine. Other than a pledge that the thing will use F1-inspired technology nobody would tell us what it would be called (possibly F70, at least internally) or just when the rest of its components will be bolted on. But, for now, enjoy this sneak peek under the skin of Ferrari’s next hypercar.
Gallery: Hybrid Ferrari carbon fiber chassis
Steve Dent contributed to this report.
Filed under: Transportation
This is the carbon fiber core of Ferrari’s first hybrid originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Sep 2012 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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