Hasta La Gadget!

Not all that long ago, we were staring at spreadsheets, table layouts and sketch-ups, squinting our eyes and attempting to wrap our brains around all of it. On Friday, we popped by Fort Mason in San Francisco, to test drive ZBoard’s latest and greatest electric skateboard, and things were already underway, the stage was being erected and banners with our familiar logo were draped everywhere. That moment, however, had nothing on the surreality of the following morning, when, bright and early, the companies began setting up tables.

Outside, a Tesla Model S was parked for test drives, and inside were a pair of electric Toyotas, one sporting a giant, decorative plug on its roof. There were big booths from Lenovo and Nokia, an Indie Corner jam-packed with and impressive displays like the the Ekso Bionics robot exoskeleton and Da Vinci’s truly awe-inspiring surgical robot. Next to that, was Insert Coin, a gathering of all the semi-finalists for our first-ever startup competition, who had flown from all over to show off a truly diverse and impressive selection of innovation.

On stage, an equally diverse array of panelists joined us, from reps for companies like Google, Microsoft, Toyota, and OUYA, to 3D printing companies, roboticists, futurists, sci-fi writers, space explorers, indie gamers and a multimedia DJ / philosopher. Frankly, we’re exhausted. And we can’t wait to do it again. See you in New York.

Filed under: Announcements, Cellphones, Cameras, Displays, Misc, Gaming, GPS, Handhelds, Home Entertainment, Household, Laptops, Peripherals, Robots, Tablets, Transportation, Wearables, Wireless, Storage, Networking, Science, Internet, Software, HD, Mobile, Alt

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What’s a spacecraft need wings for? Packaging, of course. The James Webb Space telescope relies on a 21 foot diameter backplane mirror to steady it, but the assembly needs to fit inside of a 16.5 foot fairing to ride the rocket to the stars. A tight fit, to say the least. Fortunately, NASA technicians have just finished the mirror backplate support structure, a folding wing assembly designed with to safely collapse the beryllium mirror during flight, and expand it again in orbit. “This is another milestone that helps move Webb closer to its launch date in 2018,” remarked Geoff Yoder, the program’s director. Now that the wing assembly is finished, the team can focus on the support fixture for the instrument model, which will complete major construction and allow technicians to connect the finished pieces. We’ll miss old Hubble, sure, but we’re happy to see its successor pulling things together all the same.

Filed under: Misc, Science, Alt

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Source: PhysOrg

NASA has just finish testing and integration of its first high-data-rate laser communications system for the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE). The Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration presents a significant upgrade in existing data communications used in space — with an estimated increase of six times the throughput of the current best radio system. Unlike previous one-way demonstrations, the LCDD uses an infrared beam — in the same way that many land-based fiber networks do — that can be received on Earth by one of three telescopes located in Mexico, California or Spain. It’s not just about upping the data rate, though, as other challenges include keeping that signal good through conditions your ISP (thankfully) won’t normally have to consider, such as pin-point accuracy over 238,900 miles while moving through space. Going forward, the LLCD will play a vital part in NASA’s 2017 Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, a key test of laser-based relay comms in future missions. Back here on Earth, however, we never thought we’d get bandwidth-envy this far out in the sticks.

Filed under: Science, Alt

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Source: NASA

Yesterday’s self-congratulatory pat on the back to anyone reciting Pi to ten digits might feel a bit inadequate compared to Santa Clara University’s Ed Karrels. The researcher has broken the record for calculating Darren Aronofsky’s favorite number, taking the ratio to eight quadrillion places right of the decimal. Given the location of the University, you’ll be unsurprised to learn which hardware maker’s gear was used to break the record. Karrels will be showing off the new digits at the GPU technology conference in San Jose, demonstrating the CUDA-voodoo necessary to harness all of that Kepler-based computing power.

[Image Credit: Ed Karrels]

Filed under: Desktops, Alt, NVIDIA

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Via: NVIDIA

Source: Ed Karrels

Is the next Mos Def or Azealia Banks languishing in a region where there’s no way to get his or her talent across? The producer who’s laid down beats for those stars, ‘Apple Juice Kid’ (aka Stephen Levitin) along with fellow UNC prof Pierce Freelon aim to find out with a new PBS series called Beat Making Lab. In it, the pair take their talent, teaching skills and crates of audio gear to underserved communities in nations like Panama, Senegal and Fiji. The first episode (below the break) takes place in the Congo, where they’re shown setting up a permanent recording studio at the Yole!Africa non-profit community center, then giving a crash course in beat-making tech to six highly motivated students. The Congalese artists use that know-how to lay down tracks that reflect their unique personalities and culture, which are showcased at the culmination of the episode. The series covets more than just a nice performance, though, as one student put it: “When the instructors return to the US, it won’t be the end, but a beginning for us — because we’ll be able to teach others how to create their own beats.”

Filed under: Misc, Home Entertainment, HD, Alt

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