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CrowdSolve wants to turn amateurs into true detectives
There are libraries full of stories featuring amateur detectives showing police officers how to do their job. Hell, the Serial podcast has shown what one journalist can uncover even when investigating a murder that's more than a decade old. If you've ever thought that you'd fancy joining the ranks of Sarah Koenig, Sherlock Holmes and Jessica Fletcher, then a new project is looking to recruit you.
Judge rules against NCAA in case over using athletes' likenesses
After a group of former college athletes including Ed O'Bannon, Bill Russell and Oscar Robertson sued the NCAA and EA over the uncompensated use of their likeness in videogames and other media, EA and the NCAA reached a settlement last year for about $60 million. Today, ESPN reports that a judge has ruled on the case in favor of the athletes, saying the "NCAA rules unreasonably restrain trade." In a 99-page ruling (embedded after the break), US District Judge Claudia Wilken decided the NCAA can't stop football and basketball student-athletes from being paid for the use of their name and likeness, but did allow the NCAA to set a cap on the amount the amount of compensation they can receive while in school, as long as it's now below the cost of attendance. The NCAA can also cap the amount of money schools or conferences could deposit in a licensing trust that's payable when athletes leave school or their eligibility runs out, but it would have to be at least $5,000 per year at big schools. In a statement, the NCAA said "We disagree with the Court's decision that NCAA rules violate antitrust laws" and promised further comment later.
Fan-crafted Pokemon 3D captures Oculus Rift support
Our review of Pokemon X and Y spent a lot of time gushing over the introduction of 3D to the series, but now fans have taken things one step further by dragging the pixelated world of Pokemon Gold and Silver into the stereoscopic reality of the Oculus Rift headset. The footage you see above was created by a YouTube user calling himself "Vaecon," who you may recall from his work in bringing The Legend of Zelda to the Oculus Rift. For his latest project, Vaecon modified the ongoing Pokemon 3D fan project to support the virtual reality headset. Some things don't quite work - text doesn't display properly and certain details are hard to make out - and it's apparent that the game was built for a more traditional display, but despite its flaws, the end result is a three-dimensional visit to the Johto Region. While replicating this experience for yourself at home will require you to own an Oculus Rift headset, Pokemon 3D is a free download. It's not supported by Nintendo and could be struck down by a cease and desist order from the publisher at any time, but until then, the project's creators continue their efforts to add every known Pokemon and region to the 3D remake. [Image: Kolben Games]
Hackers planning homespun anti-censorship satellite internet
SOPA is making ordinary, decent internet users mad as hell, and they're not gonna take it anymore. Hacker attendees of Berlin's Chaos Communication Congress are cooking up a plan to launch a series of homemade satellites as the backbone of an "uncensorable (sic) internet in space." Like all good ideas, there's a few hurdles to overcome first: objects in lower-Earth orbit circle the earth every 90 minutes, useless for a broadband satellite that needs to remain geostationary. Instead, a terrestrial network of base stations will have to be installed in order to remain in constant contact as it spins past, at the cost of €100 ($130) per unit. The conference also stated a desire to get an amateur astronaut onto the moon within 23 years, which we'd love to see, assuming there's still a rocket fuel store on eBay.
eRocketry successfully launches Delta II Model 7420-10 rocket, has the video to prove it
Got a hankering for homebrewed aeronautics? You might wanna reach out to the folks at eRocketry -- a self-described "Online Rocketry and Space Community." Earlier this week, at the tenth annual Plaster Blaster event in California, a group of eRocketeers made their grand debut, successfully launching a Delta II Model 7420-10 Rocket into the ether, along with an onboard camera. Constructed by space enthusiasts from Tripoli San Diego and the Diego Area Rocket Team (DART), the 1:9 scale rocket (pictured above) stands nearly 14 feet tall, with a diameter of just 10.75 inches. After eRocketry founder Philip Odegard attached a Contour HD camera to his creation, the beast triumphantly soared above the desert sky, reaching an altitude of 2,272 feet. Fortunately for all of us, the camera survived the journey, capturing some pretty cool footage along the way. Check it out for yourself after the break, or hit up the source link for more images. [Thanks, Keith]
Detroit DIYer cooks up stronger, lighter steel, shames scientists
You'd be forgiven for dismissing an amateur metallurgist if he claimed to have improved upon the presumably perfected technology of steel making. But Flash Bainite, the creation of Detroit entrepreneur Gary Cola, wowed a team of Ohio State University engineers by turning centuries of alloy processing on its head. Instead of heating the metal for hours or days, this well-equipped DIYer boosted the temperature -- quickly baking, then cooling sheets of steel that are 7-percent stronger than other forms and tougher than some titanium alloys. Flash Bainite is also more ductile than other steels, allowing it to crumple more before breaking -- perfect for absorbing impacts. Obviously this means stronger and lighter cars, laptops, and armored vehicles but, since the process takes all of about 10 seconds, it's also more energy efficient and cheaper than traditional steel making. Now, who has the number for the Nobel Prize committee?
Amateur Copenhagen Suborbitals team about to make launch attempt (update: success)
The "amateur" team from Copenhagen Suborbitals promised that they'd launch a rocket capable of carrying a human into space, and today they're poised to do just that -- minus an actual human, of course. Update: They just had an ignition failure, but it looks like they're going to give it another go in a few minutes. Update 2: And it's away! Apart from that slight hiccup on the first attempt (and a parachute that didn't quite fully deploy), it's looking like the launch was a complete success. We're also still waiting for confirmation on exactly how high the rocket got, but the team is apparently pleased with the results regardless. Head on past the break for a video of the launch. [Thanks, Michael]
When it comes to forecasting Apple's earnings, amateurs are better than the pros
The Challenge: predict seven key metrics of Apple's fiscal success over the past quarter -- such as sales numbers, profit margins, and gross revenue -- with the highest accuracy. The Competitors: In the blue corner, a bunch of amateur finance bloggers, and in the red corner, a cabal of professional analysts making mad dough at banks and trading houses. The Conclusion: whatever you're paying for your "expert" advice on the future financial wellbeing of Apple, or any other tech stock for that matter, stop. Just... stop.
Amateur sculptor molding Illidan into shape
This is awesome -- Jason Babler (who apparently works as a Creative Director at a videogame company during the day and sculpts for Mantle Studios at night) is putting together a sculpture of everyone's second favorite baddie, Illidan (Arthas is number one, right?), and as you can see above, it's coming along nicely. He started using a material called ProClay, but found it wasn't hard enough, so he's now using a wax called FUSE. It sounds like it's been quite a journey -- he says that he's resculpted every part of the figure at least twice. That's a lot of work.But it does look good. As professional as his site looks, this is just a hobby for him, so unfortunately we probably won't get a chance to someday get a copy of this. But then again, you can really tell that Jason is doing this just because he loves it so much. The finished product will probably turn out great, but you can tell he's more interested in doing it the way he wants to rather than getting it done fast.
Ask Engadget: Best DSLR for a committed amateur?
With the holiday season fast approaching, there's nothing that warms the heart like giving a gift with no expectation of anything in return. It's with that spirit that we pass along Dylan's incredibly important question: "I've been nagging myself to get into digital photography and with Christmas coming soon I've decided to get a DSLR so I can dive in. I'm leaning heavily toward the Sony Alpha 350. I've always been a big Sony fan but I can back off of that if someone gives me good reason to try Nikon, Canon, etc. I would like to hang around the price range of the Alpha 350; ultimately, I'm looking for a good camera for a newcomer to the scene but I don't want to have to upgrade soon." We hear ya Dylan, and our dutiful readers do too. (Right? Right.) After giving this one a response, feel free to send in your own inquiry to ask at engadget dawt com.
Sony's 'Flagship' and 'Advanced Amateur' Alpha DSLRs nearly here?
If you can think back to March for a second (we know, it's a stretch), you may recall Sony's two mysterious Alpha DSLRs posing inside a restrictive glass container. The codenamed "Flagship" and "Advanced Amateur" models have since made their way onto Sony's official website, hinting that these two may be hitting shelves sooner rather than later. Of course, Sony isn't the only big gun with potential DSLR plans swirling in the backroom, so don't be surprised if these two happen to coincide with rival launches that are supposedly forthcoming. Unfortunately, details beyond face value are still unknown, but feel free to leap on through to take a peek at the Advanced Amateur Alpha on its best behavior.[Via AkihabaraNews]
