Hasta La Gadget!

The Raspberry Pi is a small computer on a developer board that can be used for all sorts of electronic projects and devices. The little board has been around now for one year officially, and to celebrate the first anniversary of the product launch, RS Components has announced a special limited-edition Raspberry Pi. The manufacturer has produced 1000 Raspberry Pi Model B Revision 2 boards in an exclusive blue color.

Each of the limited-edition blue boards is stamped with a serial number and comes supplied in a special presentation box. The limited-edition version also ships with a special crystal blue case and a certificate of authenticity. These limited-edition boards are not being offered for general sale and are being issued by the manufacturer through a variety of channels.

Most of these boards are being donated to charitable causes associated with young people and education around the world. However, between March and June of 2013 enthusiasts around the world will have the opportunity to enter competitions to win one of the special boards. To enter for a chance to win, simply send RSElectronics a tweet with the hashtag #bluePI.

Researchers have published the most detailed brain scans in the world as part of the Human Connectome Project. The scans were taken of 68 adults who are part of the study, with the aim being to determine how an individual’s brain makes up the various parts of them – their personality, talents, behaviors. This is just the start, however, with the researchers’ ultimate goal being to scan 1,200 brains.

The information collected through the project is made available for no charge to neuroscientists in an effort to aid in the advancement of brain science. The brain scans take place over the course of four hours, during which the volunteers will perform tasks and tests, such as basic math, listening tasks, following instructions to move certain body parts, and more. This allows the researchers to see what parts of the brain are involved in different tasks.

The scans show the individual make up of each volunteer’s brain. The goal of this is to amass data on healthy brains, showing how, for example, neural pathways are involved in a person’s behavior and such. At some point, this data can be used to identify the differences between individuals, and what the differences could mean in terms of talents, thoughts, personalities, and more.

The project’s leader David Van Essen, a professor at Washington University, stated to BBC News in an interview that, “We are very optimistic that as the community delves in and begins working on these data sets, they will reveal new insights into the brain circuits of healthy adults … We have the highest quality data of the entire human brain that the world has ever seen. The question is that with more cutting edge (scanning) methods, how much can we decipher the circuits that give us our distinctive capabilities?”

[via BBC News]

Researchers publish world’s most detailed brain scans is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

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Technology in the display market is evolving all the time. One of the most interesting technologies in the market are flexible displays that allow the creation of curved signage. Those flexible displays could also eventually find their way into the smartphones and other devices that we all know and love allowing for new form factors. Plastic Logic and TOPPAN have announced they are unveiling the world’s first 42-inch flexible digital signage prototype Japan.

The 42-inch flexible display is the first large-area flexible digital signage prototype uses the Plastic Logic flexible plastic display. The digital sign is constructed of 16 of the 10.7-inch Plastic Logic monochrome flexible plastic displays. The 16 screens have been tiled together in a 4 x 4 configuration creating a 42-inch diagonal display.

The pixel pitch for the 42-inch display is 0.7 mm giving it a resolution approximately 6 times higher than existing EPD signage. A high-resolution makes the display suitable for close viewing distance applications. One of the most interesting aspects of this display is that it has bi-stability.

That means that the image on screen remains even when the power to the screen is turned off. That feature makes the plastic display similar to the E-ink displays used in some digital readers. Another beneficial feature of the screens is the fact they can be read in any lighting condition, including bright sunlight and they can be viewed from just about any angle. The display is also less than 3 mm thick and very lightweight.

[via Plastic Logic]

Plastic Logic unveils 42-inch flexible plastic signage prototype is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

I’ve always thought that the computer keyboards you can buy at most stores are pretty dull. I’m really surprised that there aren’t more really custom keyboards available given the fact that each person really has their own style. Me, I’ve always been a fan of the Art Deco styles of the 1920s through 1940s, so this keyboard is perfect for me.

The Executive Keyboard was custom made by Richard “Datamancer” Nagy, and it is quite a lovely build. It’s got a sleek black and silver theme, along with round keys reminiscent of mechanical typewriters from days gone by. Though these keys are made with modern day mechanical switches, rated for millions of presses each.

No detail was spared in the construction of this keyboard, from the black leatherette background behind the keys to the perfectly retro-styled typeface on the keys themselves.

Of course, all of these good looks and elegant craftsmanship come at a price – the Executive Keyboard sells for $750(USD) – making it truly for executive geeks only.