Recent Comments:
Motorcycle engine powered cars {Hack a Day}
Jul 7th 2008 4:30AM "many other unique vehicles"
I guess it depends on what your frame of reference is on that one; I don't see a [caps]BEC[/caps] ("Bike Engined Car" for those who couldn't figure it out) as anything particularly novel any more (I own and drive one myself) as I'm part of a very large UK community where they are almost the norm. A lot of the UK kit-car industry is now based around the assumption that you use a bike engine because they work out as the best bang-for-your-buck in terms of power, weight and cost compared to a normal (car) engine. There is even a race series dedicated to them because they tend to get excluded from a lot of "normal" ones as they are too quick!
Cyclone Waste Heat Engine promises power on the cheap {Engadget}
Jun 4th 2008 9:58AM Er, actually it's a steam engine derivative, have a read of this (from their website):
http://www.cyclonepower.com/PDF/background.pdf
They call it a "Schoell cycle engine" (after the inventor) but it's a Rankine-cycle engine as there is a phase change (unlike Sterling engines).
Cyclone Waste Heat Engine promises power on the cheap {Engadget}
Jun 4th 2008 8:35AM For something called "Engineering.tv", it seemed very light on any real engineering type questions. It told you nothing useful about what they had actually demo'd. The fact that the guy kept saying that "it requires pressure" means it cannot be used on a open fire (as he also kept saying) or from a bare heat source like a real Sterling engine. Gah, quit the marketing spiel!
All I can suggest is ignore the crap spouted in the video and read the technical papers on their website. Basically they have two bits of smart: an efficient burner (the cyclone burner) which ensures every has combusted and a steam engine. Yep, that's right, they've made a modern steam-engine. That's where they get the pressure and temperature: heating water (hence their references to it being "closed loop" as well).
Why they couldn't just say that is beyond me. (Is it so bad to admit what their product actually is?)
Poll: Have Netbooks already jumped the shark? {Engadget}
Jun 3rd 2008 10:15AM I think there is a three way balance on laptops: features, cost and battery life. I'd be happy with a laptop that meets any two (three is clearly the ideal but quite a challenge). The better laptops seem to hit two.
MBA is a reasonable cost and battery life but sucks on features, Sony's ultraportables hit the features and battery life but have huge prices, even the original Eee hit (reasonable) battery and cost but clearly lacked features in an effort to cut costs.
My biggest annoyance is that these newer "netbooks" or "ultraportables" barely get one of the three areas; the new Eeees have a poor battery life and high price (but maybe more reasonable features). If I want it only for surfing the web then I don't care about features but do care about price and battery life as it is I can tick the same two boxes with more features on a slightly larger device called a "laptop".
Hrumph.
ASOCS unveils MP100 Multicomm processor -- add LTE or mobile WiMax via software update {Engadget}
May 19th 2008 6:58AM "Software upgradeable radios"
Close, try "Software Defined Radio" (SDR). Concepts and examples have been around for a while but nothing major in use within the consumer space as far as I am aware.
The biggest problem is what happens if the SDR used within a phone gets hacked: every phone has the potential to become a white noise generator and block any other mobile phone within (power) range of that hacked SDR phone!
German trucker uses mobile as "ear warmer," court believes it {Engadget}
Mar 18th 2008 11:39AM It's even easier than that: an itemised bill shows you the calls that you were *charged for* and the last time I checked, you don't get charged for *incoming* calls!
A harp made from frickin' laser beams {Engadget}
Feb 15th 2008 5:37AM All I can say is: JMJ FTW!!!111
Google attacks: Android at Mobile World Congress {Engadget}
Feb 11th 2008 9:29AM Er, you do realise that the OMAP chip running on your phone is two generations in cpus down from the OMAP 3430 (you have a lowly ARM926ejs where as this is the almighty ARM Cortex-A8).
Given that it's still the same instruction set, it should run, but might be dog slow.
Dell announces first retail deal in Europe {Engadget}
Nov 27th 2007 5:57AM Please, a bit of temper before you reply. Tom was simply reflecting the sentiment in the Dell press release - yes, it was *Dell* NOT Tom who implied that the UK was not part of Europe.
And I think you've forgotten about a number of other islands that comprise Britain (Isle of Wight, Anglesey, the Isles of Scilly, the Hebrides and the island groups of Orkney and Shetland). Or were you referring to Great Britain? or the British Isles maybe?
Followup: Soldering How-To {Hack a Day}
Oct 28th 2007 7:39PM "[Forrest M. Mims III] freaked me out a bit when he commented on the post" - You're telling me! He has a lot to answer for, as it was his books that started me off. 15+ years ago when I first read one on the 555, I'd never have thought that I would end up designing microprocessors that go into almost all mobile phones, PDAs, media players, printers... Sir I thank you and I take my hat off to the new generation that are showing their warez via Hackaday
