Hasta La Gadget!

A couple of weeks ago, NASA announced that it would be conducting a live Google+ Hangout from the International Space Station today starting at 10:30 am ET. Of course, the space agency is sticking to their promise and have officially started the Hangout, which means you can watch live as astronauts answer all your hankering questions.

Astronauts Kevin Ford, Tom Marshburn, and Chris Hadfield are answering questions from now until approximately 11:30 am ET. The team is answering both pre-recorded questions sent in via YouTube, as well as live questions from social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and of course Google+. We’ve embedded the live stream below for your viewing pleasure.

The deadline for submitting video questions has already passed, but you can still submit live questions via social media sites using the #askAstro hashtag, but don’t be upset if the astronauts don’t end up getting to your question — we’re sure they have thousands of other questions to pick from.

Overall, it should be an interesting talk with the astronauts, who will mostly discuss what it’s like in space, and what it’s like to feel weightless in zero gravity. Of course, if you follow soon-to-be ISS commander Chris Hadfield on Twitter, he usually provides sneak peeks inside the ISS every once in a while.

NASA’s ISS Google+ Hangout is live right now is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Fidelity, bravery, integrity. This is the motto of the FBI, and this is the motto of the group of men and women who can’t stop using their government-issued phones to send coworkers dirty dick pics. And while it’s probably never a good idea to sext your coworkers, when you work for what is essentially a group of professional, highly trained stalkers, you’d think one would try to exercise a little restraint or, at the very least, use a phone that isn’t owned by Big Brother. More »

Treyarch and Activision’s newest Call of Duty installment is getting a big promotion this weekend on Steam. The game is on sale through Monday for only $40 ($54 for the Digital Deluxe edition). Plus, Black Ops II multiplayer will be free to play all weekend long until Sunday at 1 pm PT. Players will also receive double XP during this time.

If you’re not sure of the difference between the regular edition and the Digital Deluxe edition, the latter includes the Nuketown Zombies and Nuketown 2025 bonus maps, weapon camouflage skin, two player card backgrounds, the official soundtrack, and a free download of Call of Duty: World at War — all for only $14 more!

As for double XP and the free weekend, all platforms that the game is available on are eligible to play. It officially starts at 10 am PT, which is just in a couple of hours as of this writing. The free weekend will end on Sunday at 1 pm PT, while gamers will be eligible for double XP until Monday at 10 am PT.

This marks the first time that Call of Duty: Black Ops II has been free to play for the weekend, but it’s actually the third time that the game has seen a double XP weekend. Treyarch and Activision held the first double XP weekend back in December, and then later on just last month. So far, it looks like the companies are hosting these types of events once a month, so we may see more double XP weekends coming up throughout the rest of the spring and summer.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II on sale, double XP this weekend is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I find it interesting to peruse Kickstarter and Indiegogo and see what gets funded – or does not get funded. It sort of gives insight as to what people are interested in. Especially in the world of technology. One Swedish company – People People – just completed their second successful Kickstarter campaign. Their Memoto, wearable mini camera, raised over $500k. And yes, their second product funded there was just as creative.

Welcome to Transparent Speaker. As you can see, errrr not see, the name perfectly explains the device. Their concept was a functional sound system that really played into a user’s environment. Rather than using particleboard or even wood, People People wants the speaker to fit your world rather than making your room revolve around the speaker. What makes the Transparent Speaker unique is the construction. Two versions are offered. The $800 Transparent Speaker comes fully assembled. If you choose to be more creative try the $450 Transparent Speaker DIY Kit. All the parts are included except the 6mm material for the walls. You pick and cut your own material more local to you. As you add years to the speaker and since construction is so easy the parts are easily replaceable. So a broken speaker does not mean trash heap. Distribute your music via powered USB port (for a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi dongle), two auxiliary outs or even an Airport Express docking space. Two 3 inch drivers and a 6.5 inch sub give highs, lows and everything in between. The amp contains DSP to ensure it measures up within the category. And a basic control panel keeps bass, treble and volume accessible. Combine all these assets and you have a stylish, unique and eco-friendly solution that also performs. Obviously, People People seems to be keen on figuring out what the world wants to see – or in the case of Transparent Speaker – not see in their technology.
[ A New Approach to 2.1 Sound copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Tablets are great for slouching on the sofa and checking your Facebook, but they can also be super sleek hack-machines. Take the new Pwnie Express Pwn Pad as an example; it’s a fully-loaded hacker suite designed to puncture any network. More »