Aug 01
Supposedly finding another use for its
dependable m4 technology, Crucial has released a number of
inexpensive SSDs for those looking to bring a considerable
speed-boost to older SATA II-based computers.
Aug 01
We’re just days away from the Curiosity rover’s touchdown on the surface of Mars, and with the historic event quickly approaching, NASA has started thinking about the future. Specifically, NASA chief Charles Bolden is thinking of manned missions to the red planet, which are planned to occur sometime in the 2030s. The US has been talking about manned missions to Mars for quite some time now, but when the moment finally arrives, Bolden says that the US won’t be going it alone.
“I have no desire to do a Mars landing on our own,’ Bolden told USA Today. “The U.S. cannot always be the leader, but we can be the inspirational leader through international cooperation in space exploration.” Bolden also said that any future trips to the moon will likely be based around international cooperation as well, meaning that the US is pretty much finished making advances in space exploration on its own.
Indeed, Bolden may not have much of a choice in the matter anyway. With NASA’s funding continuously getting cut, we’ll need to rely on scientists from other nations to get the job done. Even if money wasn’t an issue, a mission to Mars is a monumental undertaking, and it would serve well to have the world’s top minds working together on the mission instead of making it a US-only party.
For now, however, the focus remains squarely on the Curiosity rover and its landing on Mars, which is set to go down on August 6. We’re less than a week away from touchdown, and thankfully, NASA isn’t keep all the excitement to itself, announcing earlier this week that it will be live streaming the entire landing. Be sure to check out our story timeline below for more information about the Curiosity rover and Mars in general!
As Curiosity rover touchdown nears, US says it won’t go to Mars alone is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Aug 01
We knew that the Oculus Rift VR headset would be popular when it hit Kickstater, but now we have a better idea of just how popular it is. The Rift has already rocketed past its Kickstarter goal of $250,000, managing to do so just a few hours after the campaign went live. This isn’t the first time this happened, with OUYA accomplishing the same thing just a few weeks back.
The amount of money being pledged to the Oculus Rift project is still rising fast, sitting at $411,303 as of this writing. This first batch of headsets is intended for developers only, with a version aimed at consumers planned for release next year. Given the Kickstarter’s meteoric rise to success, that consumer version of the Oculus Rift seems like it has an excellent shot at becoming a reality.
Most of the lower tiers get you Oculus Rift posters and t-shirts (some of the signed by the Rift team), and it isn’t until pledging $275 that you get the actual unit. The headset for the $275 tier comes unassembled, tasking developers with putting it together themselves. Pledging $300 gets you a pre-assembled unit, and all tiers featuring the Oculus Rift as a reward also come with a copy of Doom 3: BFG, the first (of what we hope is many) Rift-optimized game. Of course, with this campaign aimed squarely at developers, all of the higher tiers come with access to the SDK, so developers can start plugging away as soon as they receive their Rift.
We have to say that doing a Kickstarter for Oculus Rift developers is a pretty good idea. Not only does it allow the Oculus team to receive early feedback from those who will be working with the product the most, but it also gives developers ample time to experiment before the consumer version becomes available next year. It looks like we’re not the only ones who think that, as people continue to throw money at this Kickstarter. With 30 days left to go, Team Oculus has the potential to raise massive amounts of money, so stay tuned.
Oculus Rift surpasses Kickstarter goal in matter of hours is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Aug 01
One of the coolest things about the Raspberry Pi computer is its dirt cheap price of $35(USD). The little computer is certainly no speed demon. You won’t be playing high-end video games on it, but it is more than capable of being a very low cost and small HTPC. One of the biggest downside to the Android-powered device was that it launched with Android 2.3.
Fans of Android always want the latest operating system on their devices. Android 4.0 may not be the latest version of Google’s operating system anymore, as Jelly Bean (4.1) is now available, but Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) is a major upgrade to what the Raspberry Pi came with. Raspberry Pi has announced that an official Android 4.0 version is in the works for the little computer.
According to the blog entry, the operating system is functional on the cheap computer already and the only thing keeping it from being finished is support for AudioFlinger. Raspberry Pi also notes that it is investigating the feasibility of converging its own Android 4.0 implementation and one that is available on GitHub.
Aug 01
Tombox Speakers: The Upcycled Sound
Posted in: Today's ChiliThere’s something about old speaker housings, especially from the 60s and 70s. They are usually thick, big things that have a great look with design appeal. These speakers made from discarded old speakers that have been upgraded with new components.
Each Tombox speaker is unique, and the built-in battery will last up to two weeks before it needs a recharge. It’s maker, Diefabrik hand-selects some nicely designed old loudspeakers as suitable candidates for each upgrade. The sound varies from Tombox to Tombox, but each of the ones I’ve seen looks pretty awesome.
The compact Tombox looks like a cool way of sharing your tunes, while the bigger Tombox+ looks like a decent speaker to have at home. Diefabrik list their available Tomboxes and Tomboxes+ on their site, and you can send them an email to get yours. Prices typically range from €190 to €420 (~$233 to $515 USD).
[via NOTCOT]
Aug 01
The tiny Tailbot robot relies on a tail to control its balance. Now, the creators of the Tailbot and the RHex hexapod robot have teamed up to make the X-RHex Lite. The difference between this robot and the original Tailbot is that the XRL is about 60 times bigger, weighing 8.1 kilograms compared to the tiny Tailbot which only weighed 177 grams.
The tail works just like it would on a cat. It lets the robot right itself when falling and flying through the air. Thus, it recovers easily from crashes that turn it over. Even when it’s dropped, the legs are springy and act like shock absorbers. All of this means that it would take quite a lot to not land upright.
And that is important because robots aren’t useful on their backs. Great for search and rescue ‘bots or any robot that does alot of jumping.
[via IEEE Spectrum via Geek]
Aug 01
Not so much little green men as no men at all: the craft that triggered 911 calls and Twitter furore after being mistaken for a UFO back in June has been put on show by the US Navy, a human-made drone rather than ET’s escape pod. The X-47B is a new, experimental unmanned aircraft the Navy has admitted, with a spokesperson telling Fox 5 that while the stealth aircraft wasn’t meant to be a secret, the team “all got a laugh” after it was confused for something extraterrestrial while being transported on a truck two months ago.
“There was nothing real secretive about it,” US Navy Test Engineer Matt Funk said of the drone, “but we didn’t go out of our way to publicize it.”
The drone itself, an X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) made by Northrop Grumman, is entirely remote instructed and the first of a new breed of air surveillance and attack systems expected to be increasingly commonplace in the coming years. Commanded remotely from a computer system – that will eventually be on an aircraft carrier, the Navy says – the UCAS can also return to base autonomously should it lose connection with its controller.
Unlike existing drones, the X-47B doesn’t require continuous controlling from a human operator, but is instead given a flight target and relied on to get itself there and back. There are “space, weight and power provisions for weapons and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensors,” Northrop says, but the current prototypes are not equipped with weaponry.
Its otherworldly looks make it a good candidate for something from outer-space. At 62.1ft wide and 38.2ft long, with distinctive kinked and truncated wings (that fold up to reduce width), the X-47B is more science-fiction at first glance than warfare-fact. Northrop Grumman says it will have a range of over 2,100nm and a maximum altitude of over 40,000ft, with “high subsonic” speed potential. It will also support in-flight refueling for continuous missions.
A 36 minute test flight at the end of July saw the X-47B fly at a maximum altitude of 7,500 feet and a maximum air speed of 180 knots. It’s worth roughly $800m, and will begin aircraft carrier testing in 2013.
Remember that “UFO” spotted in June? Well, here it is in daylight is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Aug 01
FBI files finally go digital
Posted in: Today's ChiliThe US Federal Bureau of Investigation or FBI has finally gone digital with its files, and the effort spanned 12 years. The digital system that the FBI has in place cost over $600 million and will see agents using a new computer system rather than paper files during investigations. The system the FBI has implemented is called Sentinel.
The WSJ reports that Sentinel has elements that are similar to web browsers on the market today with tabs in movable Windows. The forms the software uses are filled out in a question-and-answer format and are said to be similar to consumer tax software on the market today. The completion of Sentinel was announced this week and comes after the system was tested to work out bugs.
Sentinel has been implemented piecemeal in recent years with the final step coming recently as the FBI shut down the old system that relied heavily on paper documents. The FBI software allows agents to share files electronically, and the system can track changes made by others. The system also allows agents to set up RSS feeds to track updates made to files.
Another interesting feature that the new Sentinel system offers is the ability for agents to enter data such as phone numbers to search if the phone numbers related to any other active cases. The system is said to have a main page that looks similar to Microsoft Outlook featuring a calendar to remind the agent of deadlines on pending cases. Documents are signed electronically when the agent inserts a security badge into a card reader at the computer terminal.
FBI files finally go digital is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jul 31
If you’ve ever wanted your own little humanoid robot to do your bidding, there’s a new kid in town you might want to check out. It’s called the HOVIS Eco, and it comes from Korea’s Dongbu Robot company.
The medium-sized humanoid Eco robot measures about 16.4″ tall by about 7.6″ wide, weighs just under 4 pounds, and has 20 degrees of freedom thanks to a large number of servo actuators. Unlike some humanoid robots, Eco has a friendly, modern look about it that’s not freaky or intimidating in any way. In fact, the little robot looks like it would be at home in a science-fiction movie that doesn’t involve a dystopian future.
Under its hard and shiny shell, Eco is powered by an Atmega 128 controller, which can be programmed using using bundled graphical editing software, or via a variety of APIs, using C++, Java, Python or the Android SDK. It can also be controlled by wireless remote. It comes with distance and sound sensors, and can be upgraded with an optional gyro sensor as well. The robot even comes packaged in a handy tool case making it easy to maintain and store.
While I can’t find a video of the Hovis Eco in action, here’s some footage of the Hovis Lite, the Eco older, uglier brother pulling off some impressive moves:
Priced at $900 (USD), the Hovis Eco is no toy, but it’s a serious hobbyists robot. If you’re interested in getting your hands on one, you can find it over at RoadNarrows Robotics.
Jul 31
Here’s a fun and trippy hack made by programmer Peter Nitsch. Nitsch’s website converts feed from Google’s Street View to ASCII art in real time. You can also search for locations, just like in the vanilla web app. And yep, it has a “green mode.”
Here’s a closer look at that shot:
And here’s the Matrix mode:
You really should see it for yourself. Nitsch recommends using Chrome or Firefox 8 and above. The characters change as the view slowly pans. It’s like looking at the world from the point of view of a computer.
[via Waxy]
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