IS
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Water recycling technologies developed for space are helping a parched American west
To ensure humanity has enough to drink, some of NASA’s cutting-edge in-orbit water recycling research is coming back down to Earth.
Lexus made a working electric car out of cardboard
Suddenly, Lexus' hoverboard doesn't seem quite so impressive. The automaker has unveiled the Origami Car, a fully functional electric IS sedan whose main body, interior and wheels (!) are made out of cardboard. The designers laser-cut 1,700 pieces based on the digital model of the regular car, and stuck them all together using wood glue -- that's not exactly a quick process (it took 3 months to put everything together), but this would have been virtually inconceivable in previous decades. You're not going to see this vehicle on the streets, of course. The instrument cluster is nothing more than a bunch of drawings, and cardboard simply isn't going to be comfortable or safe. However, the Origami Car is proof that modern assembly techniques can build just about everything out of seemingly anything.
Europol pledges to take down ISIL's social media accounts within two hours
Europol has announced that it's setting up a taskforce just to deal with Islamic State's social media accounts. In an interview with The Guardian, director Rob Wainwright pledged that officers would be trying to take down each account within two hours of being discovered. ISIL is believed to control upwards of 50,000 Twitter accounts, and uses that site, as well as Facebook and YouTube, to recruit new followers. In addition, the group uses social media to spread propaganda and issue death threats -- such as the one against Twitter's leadership, including co-founder Jack Dorsey.
Canon 18-55mm lens torn open to expose visuals of Image Stabilization (video)
Hey there, snap-shooter. If you've ever used a Canon DSLR with an 18-55mm lens, you may be horrified to know that the image above is its exposed lens elements. Don't worry, though, it's for science! Recently, Preston Scott from Camera Technica used a laser to show how unsteady your hands are when taking a photograph; now he's back to detail how lenses with Image Stabilization compensate to help in achieving crisper images. IS isn't exactly new technology, but seeing how the glass' internal springs, accelerometers, and gyroscopes react to movement is mesmerizing. Not surprisingly, he also found that photos taken with IS deactivated were usually less sharp. You'll find a steady video of the action past the break, as well a detailed breakdown by hitting the source link below.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 now syncs with your Mac, updated Kies software to thank
You heard right -- Samsung's slimmest slate yet is now on speaking terms with OS X, well over a month after the first ones slipped out to developers at Google I/O. Oddly enough, it looks as if Android File Transfer is still stuck in yesteryear, with Samsung itself pushing out a revised build of Kies to enable Tab-to-Mac relations. If this discussion is relevant to your interests, the source links below will be as well.
Canon PowerShot A710 IS reviewed
Canon's newest flagship A-series model -- the A710 IS -- features numerous improvements over the A700, including a higher megapixel sensor, Canon's optical image stabilization, and the oh-so-coveted SDHC support. The crew over at DCResource took the camera deep within their testing labs, and it escaped with a good bit of praise overshadowing a few minor digs. They felt that image quality was "very good", especially considering the higher-than-desired amount of megapixels, and praised the IS system for reducing blur even at full zoom. Also noteworthy was the AF-assist lamp, which provided "excellent" low-light images, the above average VGA movie mode / continuous shooting results, and better than expected battery life. As expected, however, there were a few annoyances found; introducing redeye in nighttime shots (common in compacts), a lackluster LCD resolution, and a 1GB limit on video clips reminded reviewers they were indeed testing a "lower-end" model. Overall, the A710 IS had a lot to love, as the team described it as the "poor man's PowerShot G7," and recommended it "without hesitation." If you're looking for high-end features on a value-priced camera, the $400 A710 IS should fit the bill quite nicely.
