Hasta La Gadget!

Interested in upgrading your eyeballs? Well, a team of DARPA-funded researchers led by Joseph Ford of UC San Diego recently published a proposal for a new type of telescopic contact lens in Optics Express. Designed for people with age-related macular degeneration, the lenses are only 1.17mm thick and can magnify images up to 2.8 times. Their layered construction admits light near the outer edge of the lens, bouncing it across a series of tiny aluminum mirrors before transmitting it to the back of the retina, kind of like the origami-optics lens. Telescopic sight can be toggled on and off by using a pair of 3D glasses to switch the polarization of the central part of the lens. It sounds promising, but the lenses — pictured after the break — currently have some obstacles, like gas-impermeable materials unsuitable for long-term wear and sub-par image quality. Want to read more? Pop on your glasses and check out the full paper at the source link below.

Filed under: Science, Alt

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Via: Extreme Tech

Source: Optics Express (PDF)

I have been lucky enough to travel around the world to pursue a passion of mine, giving back to people in need, but my trip to Oklahoma proves that you don’t need to go far to make an impact. Do what you can to make a difference — you don’t need to go far to do something that matters.
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Looking to capture professional-quality video on the cheap? You’ve probably considered a DSLR, but for many users, an interchangeable-lens camera might not be the best pick. Camcorders and higher-end video rigs typically offer far more powerful autofocus capabilities, and while Digital SLR footage can look great, if you’re not tweaking the lens manually, things might not go as smoothly as you’d hope. Canon’s setting out to change that, with its brilliant new EOS 70D. On the surface, this 20.2-megapixel camera doesn’t venture far from its 60D roots, but internally, it’s an entirely different ballgame.

At the core of the 70D’s modifications is what Canon’s calling Dual Pixel CMOS AF. Essentially, the sensor includes twice the number of pixels in a (very successful) attempt to improve focusing. There are 40.3 million photodiodes on the sensor, and when they’re all working together, “it’s like 20 million people tracking the focus with both eyes,” as Canon explains. The result is camcorder-like focusing for both stills and video, when you’re shooting in live view mode. During our test with a pre-production sample, the device performed phenomenally, adjusting focus instantaneously when snapping stills, and quickly but gradually when recording video. Join us after the break for a closer look.

Filed under: Cameras, Canon

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Canon has always been one step ahead of the pack when it comes to putting video in DSLRs. From the pro 5D to the beginner Rebel T’s, it’s been a leader. But the new tech in the Canon EOS 70D could change things forever once again.

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Bill O’Reilly went on a rant against the Supreme Court’s rulings on gay marriage cases Monday night on “The O’Reilly Factor,” culminating in a shouting match with two Fox analysts.

O’Reilly tied the court’s decision to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act and vacate California’s Proposition 8 with with last year’s decision to uphold President Obama’s healthcare law, claiming that both cases were evidence that “the Supreme Court has morphed into a political organization, not a body that seeks to uphold the Constitution.”

O’Reilly added that he did not aim to discriminate, but that “the gay marriage issue should be decided by each state.”

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