Archive for 'Geek News'

Many are still hesitant to upgrade to the new Windows Vista, perhaps the negative buzz and the massive system requirements have made Vista less desirable than Microsoft had hoped. Vista promised to integrate not only a 3D-interface or other exciting technologies but also a new file system, called WinFS, as well as the communication subsystem Indigo. Unfortunately the release of the WinFS File system has been postponed and Indigo is now available for Windows XP, so some may be asking why they would want to upgrade to Vista at all? Well, Microsoft has promised that there will be huge steps toward a secure environment which is virtually impossible to integrate into today’s Windows XP.

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Electronic Paper Display is due to shape the future of how we display text and graphics. The new display technology is designed to mimic the appearance of ordinary ink on paper and possess a high contrast appearance, ultra-low power consumption, and a thin, light form.

The EPD reflects light like ordinary paper and is capable of holding text and images indefinitely without drawing electricity, while allowing the image to be changed later. The images are displayed in black on a whitish-gray background with a resolution similar to that of a typical laptop computer screen.

Check out this video of a new prototype PDA from Phillips that incorporates the new E-paper.

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Click To Enlarge HP Ad

I really like this creative ad, but I am not sure about the placement. Probably where we would focus the most attention on mirror, but it seems like the bathroom does not have th most color. Outside would have been better, but I am not sure how many people would have noticed it.

Agency: Publicis, Indonesia
Creative Group Head: Afianto
Art Director: Arius
Copywriter: Roy Sagala
Graphic Designers: Iswanda Mardio, Dimaz Muktiarto
Production: Pangudi, Teguh Yuswanto

The performance of your WiFi home network is highly dependent on the signal strength of the router or the wireless access point (base station). This signal is greatly affected by distance, obstructions and interference.

There are several ways to boost your range and signal strength. There is a selection of different antenna enhancers available on the consumer market as well as some DIY hacks to create your own expander.

D.I.Y Boosters

You can boost your WiFi signal considerably well using kitchenware or even old cans.

Check out this video on how to create your own wireless enhancer.

You can also use a sheet of manila folder and aluminum foil to create the parabola reflector:

1. Download and Print out a template of a parabola
2. Use it to score an outline onto a manila folder with a pen or pencil
3. Apply glue to the side of the folder that is not scored for the reflector (with the slots)
4. Apply aluminum foil with dull side down onto the glue
5. Don’t apply foil to the support part (with the tabs)
6. Turn the manila folder over and cut out the shiny new parabolic
7. reflector
8. Cut out the reflector part (with the slots) and the support part (with the tabs)
9. Bend the reflector - with the foil in back - and insert the tabs of the support part
10. Apply tape to keep two parts together
11. Poke the antenna through hole (about 1/2 way down pole) and pivot the reflector to point in desired direction

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This 360-degree ultra-high-definition military simulator allows you to drive a Humvee and fire real weapons including machine guns and rocket launchers, anywhere you want, with absolute precision.

The 10-projector system achieves a seamless panorama thanks to Mersive’s Sol system; a calibration, warping and sub-pixel image blending technology that may soon be adapted from military sims to your living room gaming.

Watch The Video and check the Halo 3-like scenario

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Projectors are becoming more popular and reasonably affordable, however, it is still a significant investment and nobody wants to waste their hard earned cash on the wrong buy. We have rounded up 5 important points to consider when buying a projector that can help you decide what projector is best for you.
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New high speed digital video camcorders are capturing speed and giving scientist a new perspective in time, speed and motion.

With the rapid growth in small electronic devices such as mobile phones that are required to work both indoors and outdoors, the risk of water ingress and damage to these high value items has grown enormously. Now a new military technology may be able to protect these valuable electronics from the risk of water damage.

Ion-mask, as the product is known is being developed by a company called Hi Tec and is able to modify the surface of virtually any material, applying a protective layer, just nanometers thick, over the surface of the object by means of an ionized gas or “plasma”.Ion-Mask works at a molecular level, binding invisibly to the surfaces of products, giving them an extraordinary ability to repel most liquids. Ion-Mask is transparent and invisible to the naked eye and the treatment not only coats the external surfaces but also the inside without damaging precision circuitry.

The technology was originally developed to protect soldiers from chemical attacks but is beginning to show its many uses. Apart from increasing the protection of smaller items, ion-mask can also be used to ensure that larger, more complex items are given an additional level of protection.

San Francisco Intel and other companies including Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Texas Instruments, NEC and NXP Semiconductors, have formed a group to help produce, test and promote the new USB 3.0.

The third-generation Universal Serial Bus interconnect will transfer data at speeds up to 4.8Gbit/s, ten times faster than the previous USB 2.0’s which transfers at just 480MBit/s.

Jeff Ravencraft, Intel’s technology strategist, said,

“The digital era requires high-speed performance and reliable connectivity to move the enormous amounts of digital content now present in everyday life. USB 3.0 will meet this challenge while maintaining (USB 2.0’s) ease-of-use experience.”

USB 3.0 will be optimized for low power and improved protocol efficiency. It will also be backwards-compatible with USB 2.0, which is backwards-compatible with the first USB 1.1.

The USB 3.0 ports and cabling will be designed with both copper and optical cable capabilities; this means even higher speeds will be possible in the future.

Intel also revealed a Wireless USB (WUSB) transfer format that operates at 480Mbits/s, the same speed as USB 2.0. In addition they also said they are working on the 1.1 version of the WUSB which operates at a speed of up to 1Gbits/s.

A working prototype of the USB 3.0 has already been presented, however there is typically a one- to two-year lag between the release of the specification and the availability of the technology, so USB 3.0 might not be available in stores until 2009 or 2010

In late September 2007, Boeing successfully tested a 1kw solid state laser weapon mounted on a converted Avenger anti aircraft vehicle in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. The Avengers laser was able to successfully destroy several unexploded mortar shells and two unmanned aerial vehicles, both of which were on the ground.

Until recently, military lasers were extremely big. Powerful lasers such as Boeing’s Airborne Laser (ABL) developed in order to destroy ballistic missiles in flight from a distance of hundreds of miles were so big they required a fully modified Boeing 747-400F to house the system. Thanks to new developments in solid state laser technology, the Avenger system is more compact than any previous military lasers.

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Buying a camcorder can be a tough decision when you take into consideration all the options; price, quality, design, features and specifications, recording format and optional extras are all key factors to compare when deciding which video camera suits your needs best.

First up is the price. This is greatly affected by the specification of the camera and generally, is relative to the video quality captured by the camera. Video cameras can range from a few hundred dollars up to 2000+; the more you pay the better quality you are likely to get.

Specifications that greatly affect video quality are the size of the image sensor (the bigger the CCD or CMOS imager, the better) and the effective video resolution. Other spec’s to note are the optical zoom range and whether or not the camera has image stabilization.

Many video cameras also produce decent digital stills. If you’re planning to use your camcorder for both filming and photography you should probably look for something with a 3-megapixel sensor (with no interpolation) and you’ll also want control over manual settings.

Many camcorders support accessories like an external flash and interchangeable lenses, if you want to be geared for professional filming, these options are a must.

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It has always been a goal to improve our military strength and skill over our soldiers. DARPA has been at the fore-front of technology that is taking this to a new level. A robotic exoskeleton that would let GIs run faster, leap further and carry more is starting to materialize and become reality. A very practical and ambitious idea that is allowing many more options for our military.

According to DARPA, the exoskeletons will be delivered for Army testing in 2008. After 14 companies and universities initially (circa 2001) came up with different designs, they have selected the firm that will build the beast: Sarcos of Salt Lake City in Utah, US.

Sarcos has come up with a system that uses just one engine instead of lots of them. The engine, and a tank containing a 24-hour supply of fuel, will be slung “beneath your rear end”, says Main. The engine (a turbine, two-stroke or four stroke - they haven’t decided yet) will then drive hydraulic fluid via high pressure lines to servo valves on each joint, amplifying the force used to move each limb when the wearer’s motion is sensed.

“It makes you feel really, really strong. You get the sensation that you have a lot of strength. I sort of felt like The Hulk and I’m a skinny guy. I wore a 100-pound weight on my back and it felt I was carrying nothing like that amount,”

In 2006, Engineers in Japan were perfecting a wearable power suit that amplifies human strength to help lift hospital patients or heavy objects. It was driven by portable batteries, micro air pumps and small body sensors that pick up even the slightest muscle twitch. Lead by project researcher Hirokazu Noborisaka, the Stand-Alone Wearable Power Assist Suit was designed to help nursing home workers lift patients of up to 180 pounds while cutting the amount of strength required in half.

However, that suit needed to be more flexible for easier movement and protective cover that shrouds the suit’s sensitive or sharp areas.

Humans have a limited capacity to remember those insignificant streams of letters and digits often used as passwords; as a result, many people choose or change their passwords so they are easier to remember.

Memorable passwords, however, can easily be hacked when faced with dictionary attacks or logical guesses. Information based on birth dates, family members or place names are an easy target for most hacking software and the time it takes for these programs to ‘guess’ your password decreases considerably if it is simple and unsecured.

A recent meeting of the Computer and Communications Security interest group of the Association for Computing Machinery saw an improved description of a password security system called ‘Draw a Secret’.

This system is based on the fact the humans excel at image recognition and memory, for this reason passwords should be designed to leverage this ability. The Draw a Secret password method incorporates a touch screen and stylus for the user to sign freeform shapes as their password. This can be anything from pictures to graffiti style tags.

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In the past these types of industrial and large format printers have mainly been reserved for businesses rarely available on the consumer market. Despite the fact that oversized prints appeal to a rather small group of target customers, HP has released their Scitex TJ8300 and TJ8500 for anyone who has the money….. And the space!

These monsters are capable of printing 140 posters 1.5m X 1.8m per hour, that’s approx 400sqm/hr at 336 dpi or 100sqm/hr in apparent 600dpi. They can print on just about anything including paper, self-adhesive vinyl, banner, canvas and paperback flag. The TJ8500 also prints on uncoated synthetic media (uncoated Yupo, Tyvekâ„¢ etc.). They print on both coated and uncoated materials up to a maximum size of 165 x 370cm (65 x 145″).The difference between the TJ8300 and the TJ8500 is the ink they use. The TJ8300 opts for high quality, solvent based inks specially formulated for high productivity and high quality printing. The TJ8500 uses environmentally friendly UV inks with an internal dryer that meets regulatory requirements. The TJ8500 also prints on uncoated specialized synthetic media (uncoated Yupo, Tyvekâ„¢ etc.) but apart from these differences the specifications of both models remain the same.

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A complete XBox 360 Package. Xbox 360 sets a new pace for digital entertainment and is regarded as a cutting-edge game system. With integrated high-definition video, DVD movie playback, digital music, photos, and online connectivity into one sleek, small tower it got only better with the release of Halo 3. Halo 3 is included, and featured on this Special Edition XBox 360.

XBox 360 Halo 3 Package Includes:

• XBox 360 Console / Halo 3 Special Edition
• Wireless Remote Controller (Halo 3 Special Edition)
• Wireless Remote Controller (White)
• Halo 3

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