Finding similarities between how penguins huddle together for warmth and humans create giant crowded cities, artist David Graas created this complex lightbulb that looks like a tiny metropolis is exploding from its glowing core. More »
Japan’s four-inch FITSAT-1 orbiters were released from Japan’s Kibo laboratory on the ISS last week to (literally) start their world tour, and astronauts aboard the station captured the wee satellites being dwarfed by giant solar arrays and our own blue rock on their way to orbit. Soon they’ll be writing “Hi this is Niwaka Japan” in Morse code using intense flashes of LED light, first to Japan and then across the globe, starting next month. To catch them floating away from the International Space Station’s cozy confines, hit the source.
Visualized: Cubesat micro-orbiters slip into space to flash Earth in Morse code originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 10:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you thought cloud writing was cool, then how about a message from space burnt into the night sky? A group of unassuming cubesats recently left the comfort of the ISS and joined Earth’s orbit — among them was FITSAT-1 (aka Niwaka), a four-inch-cubed Japanese satellite covered in high-powered LEDs. Its mission is to broadcast the message “Hi this is Niwaka
While its creator, Professor Takushi Tanaka, has said the Morse broadcast has “no practical aim,” we think it would make a good emergency beacon for natural disasters (or, more worryingly, alien invasions). FITSAT-1 will try and fulfill all requests for appearances, but it can’t control the weather, so you’d better hope for a clear night if it visits your part of the world. If you’re as excited as we are to see it in action, bookmark the source links below, which should be updated with its orbit schedule in the near future. And, even if you don’t speak Japanese, the video after the break will give you an idea of what to expect.
Continue reading Japan’s LED-stacked cubesat will burn Morse code into the heavens
Japan’s LED-stacked cubesat will burn Morse code into the heavens originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 12:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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For a different kind of light in your pocket, swap out your official Zippo for this lookalike that has the flint wheel and wick replaced with a set of ultra-bright white LEDs. It will never get even remotely hot enough to light a cigarette, but should help you find a more reliable source of fire when it’s dark out. More »
The best way to stay safe while biking is to stay visible to those you share the road with. And while concepts for laser-based systems that create a highly visible virtual lane around your bike have existed for years and years, they’re finally real (and cheap!) now. More »
Tired of accidentally knocking your bedside lamp to the ground in the middle of the night? Not only is that incredibly difficult with this heavy concrete O-Lite lamp, it also means the odds of it breaking as it hits the floor are slim to none. More »
The next time you go camping, instead of bringing batteries to keep your lantern running, you might only need to bring a salt shaker or a really sad book. Because Green House Co. Ltd., a Japanese company, has developed an LED light that runs on just salt water. More »
If you grew up in the 90s you probably spent your teen years lusting over incredibly expensive sneakers, begging your parents for a leather 8-Ball jacket, and wrapping obnoxiously patterned Slap Wrap bracelets around your wrist. It was a time of unbridled materialism that this reborn Slap Wrap watch seems to celebrate instead of condemn. More »
Without light, we’d spend 10-12 hours a day unable to function (by modern standards at least). And sure, we’ve always had fire and candles, but it wasn’t until the advent of electricity, and then the lightbulb, that man conquered the dark once and for all. More »
Acer usually graces our pages for its pico projector range, but the company’s taken a leaf out of the high-end book for its latest non-portable model, the K750 LED-laser hybrid. The world’s first combo projector spits out 1080p, just as you would expect, at a contrast ratio of up to 100,000:1. Acer claims the color brightness, saturation and fidelity are significantly better than mercury lamps, and appears to be leaning towards the business and education markets, citing the K750’s instant on / off capability to sway the productive types. If you fancy one of these in your house, however, better start saving your cash — AVForums claims it’ll be available in the UK later this month bearing a price tag of around £1,700 (approximately $2,650).
Continue reading Acer breeds LEDs with lasers, new hybrid projector is born
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Acer breeds LEDs with lasers, new hybrid projector is born originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 12:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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