There have been many reports recently that consumers are shifting away from conventional computers such as desktops and laptops towards tablets. The market is said to be in a steady decline. However, according to a new Digitimes report, Apple may […]
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Some players score, other set up—that’s just the way it is. This data visualization takes that idea and runs with it, churning through three seasons-worth of data to anaylze where Premier League soccer assists originate from.
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Google Maps is pretty great. So is Foursquare and Yelp and Instagram. Now imagine combining the best of all those and what you get is Citymaps. It’s a brand new type of map for iOS that lets you explore what’s around you and share it with friends.
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According to physics professors, "centrifugal force" isn’t actually a unique force at all — it’s just a different form of momentum. But centrifugal, uh, effect can lead to some pretty awesome visuals, as shown by photographer Peter Schafrick.
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I don’t know about you, but there is just something crazy about the idea of sharks carrying laser guns on their back. As though these lean and mean underwater predators are not deadly enough on their own, imagine what would happen when they are endowed with the “gift” of a laser beam which can be fired at will via attached backpacks near their fin? The thought is definitely scary, and while it might exist in some fictional worlds, Thinkgeek has decided to bring it over to this side of reality with the $14.99 Shark With Frickin’ Laser Pointer.
Good thing this shark is small enough to hold in your hand, and it has been tamed – so much so that it does not bite, but the laser bit of it is what interests us and justifies a purchase by anyone who wants to make an impression at his or her presentation, without actually looking too childish. Sporting a Class 1 laser, the Shark With Frickin’ Laser Pointer is powered not by pounds of human flesh or sea lions, but rather, a trio of 1.5v LR44 which thankfully has been included with each purchase to help you get started right out of the box.
[ Shark With Frickin’ Laser Pointer copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Would you drink your sweat? Obviously, we’d all choose to drink water if we had a choice. But if there’s no clean water, would you drink sweat instead?
The Sweat Machine was created by engineer Andreas Hammar upon the request of Unicef.
It essentially purifies human sweat to turn it into drinking water. It’s not being used as a tool to tackle water shortages, but as a means to raise awareness on the issue.
Unicef recently brought out the machine to offer a glass of fresh sweat to visitors and footballers at last week’s Gothia Cup soccer tournament.
The Sweat Machine uses water filtration technology called Membrane Distillation that was developed by HVR and The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. It uses a plastic cassette where the sweat to be filtered is heated into vapor and made to circulate between two membranes. This separates non-volatile substances effectively.
Hammar explained that a sweaty t-shirt can provide about 10ml of water, or just about a mouthful. Just think of how many sweaty shirts you’d need for a full glass of water.
[via Gizmag]
If you’re yearning for a super high res HDTV and the usual suspects’ products are just a bit too pricey, there’s a new challenger about to join: China’s TCL. Its fall lineup of televisions leads with a 50-inch 4K model (shown above) due in September priced at just $999. It joins Seiki as a Chinese manufacturer bringing budget priced Ultra HD panels to the US with this 120Hz edge lit LED model that packs 4 HDMI inputs with MHL support. If the 7E504D’s 3,840 x 2,160 resolution screen isn’t a must-have for you, it does have some more traditional HDTVs on the way in the form of its 5510 series.
They include 40-, 46- and 55-inch 1080p models, priced at $399, $499 and $799, respectively. The largest one includes built-in WiFi with Smart TV features including Netflix, YouTube and Yahoo Apps, and all go on sale in August. So far, reviews of the Seiki UHDTVs have suggested resolution isn’t everything even at these prices (and especially at this screen size) — we’ll be waiting to see if TCL’s scaling, contrast, motion processing and other qualities can match up with the big guys.
Gallery: TCL 4K TV, 5510 HDTV
Filed under: HD
Some companies have taken to using Kickstarter as almost a default step in their product pipeline, and New York’s Lomography is one of them. The photography focused company has successfully Kickstarted its film scanner for iPhone, and now it’s looking to fund a throwback portrait lens for DSLRs based on the historic “Petzval” 19th century design.
The Petzval lens was the most popular choice for photos in the 19th century, and produces a unique bokeh (background blur) effect with a very narrow depth of field. They’re pretty recognizable once you see some samples taken with them, and the effect is very impressive when paired with the sensors and imaging capabilities of modern DSLRs.
Lomography’s version would retain the signature visual style but also offer up mounts for Canon EF- and Nikon F-compatible cameras, along with a very bring f/2.2 maximum aperture, which beats the classic Petzval’s by at least a full stop. It also has terrific color saturation and high contrast, according to Lomography, and is very sharp in the in-focus area. Vignetting is also intentionally quite noticeable with the Petzval, for an art-house effect.
The Petzval is unique in its design in terms of being intentionally made to capture a super narrow depth-of-field, which is a key ingredient for portrait photos that really pop. And as an awesome bonus just from an aesthetic standpoint, the new Lomography Petzval will be crafted from brass, just like the original.
Lomography has been making lenses and throwback lo-fi cameras for over a decade now, and the Petzval is ambitious but definitely within their scope. The campaign is seeking $100,000, and has over half of that pledged already. Pre-order backer levels start at $300, though few are left at that price, and there are backer levels at $350, $400 and up after that.
The trend of companies like Lomography that are established using Kickstarter as a way to poll interest for potential products, while also creating a pre-order channel and defraying some of the risk of building something new is great for consumers, since it pairs trusted brands with an innovation platform. Kickstarter gets a lot of flack for projects that don’t deliver as promised, but it could end up being much more successful on this scale, with medium-sized companies looking for wider audiences, than as a money vacuum for early adopters who are loose with their wallets.
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