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NASA challenges you to design experiments for Mars and beyond
Want to play a significant role in NASA's space exploration efforts without spending years in training? You now have a better chance of making your mark. NASA has launched Solve, a site that makes it easy to find all the agency's public competitions and crowdsourced projects. You'll mostly see previously announced efforts there right now, but the inaugural offering is definitely worth a look -- the $20,000 Mars Balance Mass Challenge asks you to design an experiment or technology payload that will double as ballast on future Martian explorers. You'll have until November 21st to submit your brainstorms, and you'll find out if your work is Mars-bound sometime in mid-January.
Robot Ruby solves Rubik's Cube in 10.69 seconds, still can't beat humans (video)
There are a few robots smart enough to solve a Rubik's Cube in seconds flat, but a group of students at Swinburne University of Technology think theirs may be the fastest on Earth. Their bot, named Ruby, recently mastered the puzzle in just 10.69 seconds, including the time spent analyzing the cube. To achieve this feat, the device scanned the toy with a webcam before its software processed the images to crank out a solution. According to the university, Ruby's 10-second mark smashes the current world robot record of 18.2 seconds, unofficially making it the fastest cube-solving machine on the planet. But Ruby still has a long way to go before it catches Feliks Zemdegs -- a 16-year-old Australian who solved a Rubik's Cube in 6.24 seconds and continues to carry the torch for all of humanity. Twist and turn your way past the break for the full PR and a video of Ruby in action, as well as a clip of Zemdegs showing us how the pros do it.
HTC Desire solves dodecahedron Rubik's Cube, will blow your mind (video)
If this image doesn't have you completely dumbfounded, scroll down and watch the video. Sufficiently awestruck? Good. Now, for a little background on exactly how someone got a pile of Legos and a smartphone to solve the devil's puzzle Megaminx. The aptly titled Megaminxer enlists the Mindstorms NXT kit to do the dirty work and an HTC Desire, running a custom Android app, as the brains of the operation. Said app uses the phone's camera to take individual images of each of the puzzle's 12 faces, then processes the information and sends a signal via Bluetooth to the NXT controller, which in turn goes to town. Unfortunately, there's no explaining how they got the Android to dance like that, but, really, why ruin the magic? [Thanks, Stuart]
5 apps for the conference-goer
Heading off to a conference? Here are five little apps you might want to consider adding to your iPhone before heading off to the airport. They all provide functionality that may come in handy when you're on the go. SpeakerClock ($0.99) provides a bright easy-to-read display showing you exactly how much time you have left to present your paper and take questions. It's a deceptively simple application full of lovely little design touches. I used it at a recent conference and found it an absolutely valuable tool to have around. This app works well both on the iPhone and the iPad -- as a conference organizer, it's really great to use the iPad's larger screen from across the room. As a speaker, the iPhone version works particularly well when placed on a small business card stand on the speaker's podium. Want to easily share your contact information? Contxts offers a simple solution. You can sign up for a free account at contxts.com, where you can enter your details. Anyone with a phone (it doesn't have to be an iPhone) and an SMS plan can text a short phrase (like "demotuaw") to 50500 and they'll receive the information you set up at their website. Their free iPhone app lets you edit that information directly. What's more, when you turn the iPhone on its side, you can display a "HELLO my name is" contact sheet that instructs people how to retrieve your contact data. What's great about Contxts is that it's a solution that works with any group of people, whether they've hopped onto the Apple iPhone train or not (of course, if they have an iPhone or an Android phone, there's always Bump).
WoW Crossword 9/7/08
Do you like puzzles, of course you do! Answers to this week's puzzle will appear next Sunday. Special thanks to Michael Gray for his guest crossword last week. We'll get his solution up as soon as possible. %Gallery-27429%
WoW Crossword 08/31/08
Do you like puzzles, of course you do! This week's puzzle focuses on the PvP areas of game -- both Battlegrounds and Arena. You can find the clues for this crossword after the break. Answers to this week's puzzle will appear next Sunday.%Gallery-27429%
WoW Crossword 08/10/08
Do you like puzzles, of course you do! You can find the clues for this crossword after the break. Answers to this week's puzzle will appear next Sunday. %Gallery-27429%
WoW Crossword 8/3/08
Do you like puzzles, of course you do! You can find the clues for this crossword after the break. Answers to this week's puzzle will appear next Sunday.%Gallery-27429%
WoW Crossword 07/27/08
Do you like puzzles, of course you do! You can find the clues for this crossword after the break. Answers to this week's puzzle will appear next Sunday.%Gallery-27429%
WoW Crossword 7/20/08
Do you like puzzles, of course you do! You can find the clues for this crossword after the break. Answers to this week's puzzle will appear next Sunday.%Gallery-27429%
WoW Crossword 7/13/08
Do you like puzzles, of course you do! You can find the clues for this crossword after the break. Answers to this week's puzzle will appear next Sunday.%Gallery-27461%
WoW Crossword 7/6/08
Do you like puzzles, of course you do! You can find the clues for this crossword after the break. Answers to this week's puzzle will appear next Sunday.%Gallery-27461%
Sony begrudgingly promises fix for PS3 720p output issues
Apparently Sony's kicking off an early Thanksgiving break tomorrow, as they seem to be exhausting themselves today in preparation. After breaking the news that PSP Spots are US bound, floating the PSP 3.0 firmware out, and probably dealing with that massive invoice they just received from Thomas Menino and friends, the company is issuing a quasi-promise that the 1080i / 720p output problems plaguing some distraught PS3 owners will be fixed. Interestingly enough, Sony places a slightly unbelievable amount of blame on "antiquated HDTVs," as if having an HDTV that supports 720p is some sort of hidden requirement to operate a PlayStation 3. While we fully understand that most HDTV sets purchased today will indeed play nice with 720p signals, where's the love for folks who snagged those first generations sets produced by yours truly? According to Sony, a fix is on the way, but it doesn't sound like you'll be getting served with a smile.
