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What goes down at a Vegas drone rodeo?
The Mandalay Bay hotel and conference center sits toward the south end of the Las Vegas strip. Inside it, past all the smokey slot machines and brightly lit restaurants, you'll find sharks rubbing shoulders with Michael Jackson. It is the very essence of Vegas. It's also the pick up point for this year's drone rodeo -- a spin off event from CES proper out in the desert, away from the hustle and bustle of the show floor.
Tracing the origins of the multirotor drone, for business and pleasure
We humans have searched for ways to join our avian friends in the air for ages and while some have gone the distance, most of us will settle for the secondhand thrill of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Although full-sized military tests of propeller-laden vertical take off and landing (VTOL) crafts may have underwhelmed, a variety of scaled down multirotor drones have found their niche. Recent improvements in programming, stabilization, power and price have turned these backyard playthings into high-definition eyes in the sky -- for better or worse. This week's Rewind skims the history of these flying machines over the years as they've grown fragile buzzing toys into tools for capturing majestic scenery, inspecting machines and structures, scouting dangerous terrain and occasionally having a little fun.
inPulse and WIMM One: the tale of two smartwatches (video)
We're no strangers to watches here at Engadget, but smartwatches -- tiny wearable computers capable of running apps with SDKs to match -- are still a rare breed. The best known examples are probably Fossil's Meta Watch, Allerta's inPulse Smartwatch and WIMM Labs' WIMM One, all of which are primarily targeted at developers. We recently had the opportunity to spend some quality time with both the inPulse (over the holidays) and the WIMM One (during CES), and despite some similarities, each smartwatch takes a completely different approach to running apps on your wrist. While neither product is quite ready for prime time, both show promise as "fourth screen" devices, even for those of us who don't normally wear a watch. So go ahead -- hit the break and find out how these wearable computers stack up.
Original Apple TV repurposed as Nixie clock
When Apple went from the ginormous original Apple TV to the minuscule black plastic box that is the second model, a lot of owners of the first-generation unit were suddenly asking themselves what to do with the aluminum and plastic slab. While we've seen the original Apple TV transformed into a regular clock, designers at Atelier Kurth had a better idea: using Nixie tubes to create a "proto-digital clock." Nixie tubes were the vacuum tube equivalent of today's segmented LED displays. They were used in many early electronic devices, including calculators, to display numbers. Nixies give any electronic a certain Cold War chic, and the warm, flickering glow of the tubes is both nostalgic and disturbing in a "Brazil" way. Atelier Kurth's ATV1 clock uses six Nixies to display the time, with the first column of numbers showing the hour, the second minutes, and the third seconds. Core77's blog entry on the clock mentions that the tubes have an expected lifetime of 200,000 hours (almost 23 years) and that there are 108 connections behind the Apple faceplate. The clock falls back on the design of an earlier clock from Atelier Kurth that used a concrete block as a base. A video showing that predecessor Nixie clock is seen below.
Hacker uses Nixie Tubes to make Sudoku interesting
We are far too impatient for games like Sudoku, but we can appreciate a boss hack, such as the one that recently popped up over at Trashbear Labs. This contraption uses Nixie Tubes to solve Sudoku puzzles (with help from a modified version of code provided by Edwin Chan). By far, our favorite part of the contraption is the hardware itself: sort of looks like something from a nuclear submarine, doesn't it? Strike that: it's more like a nuclear fun-marine! (Wow, we even groaned a little there). Video after the break, and hit the source link for all the design files necessary to build your own! [Thanks, Thomas]
Nixie Concrete Clock is perfect for the bomb shelter or the bedroom
What desktop contraption could possibly be more evocative of the Cold War than a handcrafted clock made with some genuine Nixie tubes? How about a clock made with Nixie tubes and forged in concrete? While it's unfortunately just a one-off creation for now, this so-called Nixie Concrete Clock designed by Daniel Kurth is indeed fully functional (and even wall-mountable, depending on the wall), and could possibly be headed into production if Kurth can line up a few partners (and buyers). In the meantime, you can get a closer look at the clock by hitting up the read ilnk below, and contemplate the daunting task of building your own after taking a peek at the spec list (which includes 244 cable connections).[Via OhGIzmo!]
Indicator-6 Nixie clock is handsome, functional, Khruschev-approved
Hoping to relive the days of the Cold War -- you know, without the air raid drills? The handiwork of someone called Fred Niell (a character from a John le Carre' spy novel if we ever met one -- and we have), the Индикатор-6 ("indicator-6") uses gas-filled Nixie tubes to display the time. This timepiece is definitely more sane and sober in appearance than most of the clocks we see 'round here, and would look great in your study next to your cigar box and framed, autographed picture of Winston Churchill. What better way to keep track of the passing hours as you spend your twilight years writing your memoirs detailing your time in MI5? This hand-crafted chronometer sells for $275. Either hit the read link to order, or go to the safe house tonight at the stroke of midnight. You should already have the pass phrase. Video after the break.
