Clever: Calendar Scarf
What a great idea. Pull the thread and, as the year goes on, the dates of the Calendar Scarf disappear in a pile of yarn on your floor. Or you could hook up the other end to an automatic knitting machine and keep things tidy.
[via Swiss Miss]
View original post here:
Clever: Calendar Scarf
Apple Puts Up iPad 4.2 Update Page For You To Gaze Wistfully At
The big Apple event on Wednesday came with not one, but two updates to iOS, but unfortunately only 4.1 is actually imminent. 4.2, which will bring several new features to the iPad in particular, will be arriving in November.
The news got kind of buried in the rush, but if you’re looking for official information, Apple’s 4.2 update page should do it.
Read more:
Apple Puts Up iPad 4.2 Update Page For You To Gaze Wistfully At
Ford Going With Active Cooling For Its Focus Electric
One of the big conflicts in battery tech right now is how to keep the things at the right temperature. Nissan and Mitsubishi are going with air cooling, while Tesla, Chevy, and as of today Ford are all opting for liquid temperature regulation. Since few electrics are really on the road, it seems there isn’t sufficient data to go with one over the other.
When batteries get really cold, they can’t hold a charge, as BMW noticed with its Mini E fleet. On the other hand, if they get too hot, cracks can develop from the swelling material and cause electrodes to fail. And of course, until you get a few thousand of your vehicle out to consumers, it’s going to be hard to get the kind of large-scale testing that’s needed.
Anyway, Ford has decided to take the safe (but more expensive) route of using a liquid temperature management system in which a circulating fluid can be heated or cooled in order to keep the batteries at optimum temperature.
Maybe this will be something hashed out in the first generation of popular electric cars, or maybe it’ll just be one of those things you see on some models but not others.
See more here:
Ford Going With Active Cooling For Its Focus Electric
New Toshiba Pistol-Grip Camcorders Get Touchscreens
Toshiba has dropped a pair of new camcorders at IFA, both of the genus Pistolgrippus. The P20 is the chubbier of the two, though that’s not saying much, since the S30 is only 19mm thick. Once you’re past the point where these things slip into your jacket pocket, though, a millimeter here or there doesn’t really signify much. Good for them, though.
The P20 is the lower-end of the two, not being as thin and only shooting 5-megapixel photos, as opposed to the S30′s 8. Both, however, have 10x optical zooms packed into those tiny lenses. I believe they are also both 1080p like the more traditionally shaped H30.
Those differences don’t seem so important to me, and the fact is they’re not priced very far apart. It comes down to whether you like the form factor of the S30 more and are willing to pay a small premium for it. Right now only British pricing is available; the P20 will be £119 when it arrives in October, the S30 will be £139. That corresponds to ~$180 and ~$210, but US pricing may differ.
[via Engadget]
Is Roku Making A Client/Server Home Media Streaming Device?
So this popped up on the FCC website today, and it’s all very mysterious, but it looks like Netgear and Roku may have teamed up to make a streaming media box for the home, not unlike the HP product that was released the other day. The FCC filing shows that the device has HDMI, composite, 802.11 b/g/n, and ethernet connectivity. Of course, this could be something else entirely. Whatever it is, Roku seems to be up to something. This kind of makes me wonder who HP licensed their streaming media boxes from.
[via Wireless Goodness]
Continued here:
Is Roku Making A Client/Server Home Media Streaming Device?
Thou Shalt Not Surge
This is still just a concept, but the cruciform Power/Strip surge protector does more than keep your gadgets pious. Oversized adapters and bricks are welcome on its spreading crossbars, and a full 12 outlets means no more arguments among your disciples over who gets to charge first.
[via CNET]
Read more:
Thou Shalt Not Surge
PSA: Toshiba Recalls 41,000 Laptops For Overheating
Bad news if you own a Toshiba Satellite T130 notebook. It’s got a flaw. In fact, the CPSC (Consumer Protection Safety Comission) just issued a recall for about 41,000 notebook computers, siting a flaw in the plastic casing around the AC adapter plug. Apparently there’s a problem with the DC-in harness that can cause the plastic to melt, causing minor burns. Apparently Toshiba has worked out a way to solve this via a BIOS update, which you can download from Toshiba’s website. The recall only effects certain models, and you can view the full list at the CPSC site, as well as find instructions on how to fix the problem yourself, or have Toshiba fix it for you.
[via Circuit Breaker]
See the original post here:
PSA: Toshiba Recalls 41,000 Laptops For Overheating
Using An NES Controller With Android
So you’ve got an emulator installed on your Android device, along with a few ROM, and you think you’re pretty cool. Well, I can pretty much bet you that [Sk3tch]‘s geek-fu is better then yours. He took an NES controller, connected it to a Bluetooth module, and plays his NES on a controller, while you fumble around with your SEND and Home buttons.
[Sk3tch] took an Arduino, added a Bluetooth module, and wired an old NES controller in. He then programmed the Arduino to send the input from the controller through the bluetooth to his Android phone. [Sk3tch] calls this a work in progress, and I look forward to seeing it once it’s done and all in one neat case.
[via Hackaday]
The rest is here:
Using An NES Controller With Android
I Want A Complete Set Of These Excellent Puma Cargo Bikes
These stylish Puma Mopion bikes, designed by Biomega, are focused on on carrying capacity and lightness. The frames are aluminum and as you can see, differ from traditional and hardtail designs. Personally I like to keep my stuff in a rolltop like the Soyuz or Vandal, but to be honest, when I need to pick up a few things from the store, I’d rather pop ‘em in a basket than put them in with my laptop and books.
[via BoingBoing]
Visit link:
I Want A Complete Set Of These Excellent Puma Cargo Bikes
Avatar 3D Blu-ray Launch To Be Exclusive To Panasonic TV Buyers
Big Avatar fan? Bought a 3D-capable TV just so you could watch it again in all its glory? Well, you might want to sit down. Panasonic and 20th Century Fox have arrived at a deal whereby the upcoming 3D Blu-ray version of the film will only be sold to people buying new Panasonic displays. It’d be for a limited time, of course, but no dates were mentioned.
A spokesman for Panasonic said they were also trying to “do the right thing” and let people who had recently bought Panasonic sets to get the disc. He wouldn’t say whether the disc would be included in Blu-ray player bundles, either.
Sounds like they didn’t really think this through. Why not just say “Avatar is getting its Blu-ray release on such and such a date, but if you buy a new Panasonic TV or Blu-ray player, you get it a month early!”
See more here:
Avatar 3D Blu-ray Launch To Be Exclusive To Panasonic TV Buyers