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California Cool Cars regs put the kibosh on radio, cellphone, and GPS reception

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 13th 2009 at 3:27AM

We've seen plenty of tech over the years meant to mitigate our destruction of the environment -- from greener autos to Grateful Dead-themed cellphones -- most of which don't really ask us to tone down our consumer impulses all that much. But how about these new "Cool Cars" regulations recently adopted by the California Air Resources Board? By the year 2016, all autos sold in the state must have windows that prevent 60 percent of the sun's energy from entering the vehicle. To achieve this, windows are given a coat of glazing that contains microscopic specs of reflective metal oxide -- which will seriously hamper reception for your GPS, cellphone, and (this is of special interest to Engadget readers) white collar criminal-style work release ankle bracelet. As you can imagine, companies like Garmin are fuming -- although we suppose that if they play this right they can make a killing in the external car antenna business. It just goes to show you -- when it comes to environmental catastrophe, everyone's a victim.

[Via AutoBlog]

Video: elaborate multi-camera rig elegantly captures giant redwood tree

by Darren Murph posted Oct 2nd 2009 at 8:23AM

For anyone who's taken a cruise down the Avenue of the Giants or went looking for Stormtroopers within Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park, you're apt to feel a great deal of appreciation for the image just after the break. Michael Nichols, a National Geographic photographer, rigged up a ridiculous camera setup that was strategically lowered from the top of a 300-foot tree to the ground in order to get an astoundingly tall (and downright breathtaking) shot. Oh, and while you're gawking at the pixels down there, feel free to mash play on that video to see how it all came together.

[Via Hack A Day]

Continue reading Video: elaborate multi-camera rig elegantly captures giant redwood tree

SolarCity charging stations on Highway 101 give Tesla owners a little more time in the sun

by Tim Stevens posted Sep 25th 2009 at 12:55AM

The Tesla Roadster is by far the best-known electric car of the moment -- despite the company only having sold about 700 of the things. A high price point hasn't kept the car from capturing the minds of enviro-minded gearheads everywhere, of which there must be quite a few working at SolarCity. The California-based solar installation firm has created four Tesla charging stations along Highway 101 between Los Angeles and San Francisco, with a fifth coming online next month. The (apparently free) chargers provide a 240V charge at 70 amps, blowing away Eberhard's RFMC rapid charger and bringing the cars to full capacity in only 3.5 hours. Why, that's just enough time for a nice lunch and a bit of shopping. Sadly the plugs only work with Teslas, but will be retrofitted once some other suitable EV comes along in suitable numbers.

Nine HDTVs form 3D visualization rig, but only in the name of science

by Ross Miller posted Aug 19th 2009 at 4:39AM

If you're the kind of person who happens to have a number of LCD HDTV's lying around, we suggest you give University of California, San Diego's Calit2 Visualization Team a ring. Researchers from the group have constructed a three-column, nine-panel 3D display using flat screens from JVC, stereoscopic glasses, and "game PCs with high end NVIDIA game engines." Dubbed NexCAVE, it's a much more inexpensive version of the its projector-powered StarCAVE used for data analysis, although its range is more limited -- on the plus side, however, since this is LCD, it can be used in bright rooms. At 6,000 x 1,500 pixel, the resolution isn't as mind-blowing as we'd hope, but the team is currently building a version for Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) that's 7 columns (totaling 21 panels) and 15,000 x 1,500 resolution. If nothing else, any chance we can play Mirror's Edge on this? Video demonstration of the nine-panel rig after the break.

[Via PhysOrg]

Continue reading Nine HDTVs form 3D visualization rig, but only in the name of science

Console hacker arrested, faces up to ten years in jail

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Aug 4th 2009 at 8:32PM

Just when you thought it was safe to get out your soldering irons, Immigration and Customs Enforcement wants you to know that its agents are still out there, on the lookout for for even more mod chip-wielding nogoodniks and their non-DMCA compliant consoles. According to the AP, a 27-year-old CSU student named Matthew Crippen was recently arrested for "modifying Xbox, PlayStation and Wii consoles in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act" and released Monday on $5,000 bond. The dime was dropped on this perp by the Entertainment Software Association, and the raid conducted by Customs agents sometime in May. He will be arraigned on August 10th, and if convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison. Let this be a lesson to you: while the ICE may have its hands full with human slavery, drug trafficking, transnational gangs, and stolen artifacts, there is always time to make an example out of a man that knows his way around the inside of a Playstation.

Clarion's MiND finds a home in LA-area Nissan Cubes

by Darren Murph posted Jul 26th 2009 at 8:48PM

With the whole "direct to consumer" approach failing epically, Clarion has evidently resorted to pushing remaining inventory of its largely unwanted MiND mobile internet device onto Nissan dealers in Los Angeles. In all fairness, we do suspect that these are moving more briskly than, say, Celio's REDFLY, but we can count the amount of MIDs we've seen in public on two or three hands. At any rate, Nissan has signed on to offer the multifaceted Atom-powered device as an optional accessory in its Cube, but at least initially, it'll only be made available at select dealers in the LA area. For those opting to outfit their new whip with one of these, Nissan will include a dedicated docking kit harmonized to the vehicle's instrument panel, and the user interface will also be tweaked for in-car usage. Look -- this is absolutely better than those lackluster, overpriced NAV units shoved into most dashboards, but at $799 plus installation, it's not like you're getting the steal of the century here.

[Via Pocketables]

World's largest laser opens for business in California

by Laura June posted May 29th 2009 at 9:49PM

Another day, another laser... well, not so fast. This particular laser just so happens to officially carry the "world's largest title." Built at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, and housed in the National Ignition Facility -- or NIF -- it was completed at the end of March, and has just now been officially dedicated and opened for business. The laser inside the three-football field-sized building will aim to create a "star" on earth by focusing 192 beams at a pea-sized target, generating temperatures over 100 million degrees and pressure over 100 billion times the earth's atmosphere. The process will create nuclear fusion -- the reaction that powers the sun and the stars. it sounds pretty complicated, and we'd hate to be in town if something goes awry, but we're crossing our fingers for the team! Hit the read link for much, much more information about the project.

[Via Physorg]

Deep Flight Super Falcon winged submarine readies deep sea exploration in San Francisco

by Laura June posted May 14th 2009 at 1:49PM

Inventor Graham Hawkes has been building deep sea exploration vessels for about 20 years. His newest submarine -- called the Deep Flight Super Falcon -- has a set of wings with a span of 10 feet, giving the 20 foot vessel a distinctly bird-like appearance. Hawkes has been working on the Falcon for several years, and it's just now ready to make its first deep sea journey. The battery-powered vessel is twenty feet long, can carry two people, and cruise depths of up to 1,500 feet at a speed of about 7 miles per hour. The winged vessel is extremely agile because of its animal-like shape, and researchers at Farallones National Marine Sanctuary are optimistic about it potential for studying and following exotic, mysterious sea creatures such as super sharks and the ever-elusive giant squid. The Super Falcon is set to fly around Monterey Bay from June 19th to July 17th, and will be on display to the public when not in use. Check out the video of the Falcon after the break.

Continue reading Deep Flight Super Falcon winged submarine readies deep sea exploration in San Francisco

Space Observer to innocently watch you at San Jose's airport

by Darren Murph posted Apr 20th 2009 at 7:08AM

It's every child's dream to one day walk through a trio of space robot legs as entering Silicon Valley, and if a proposed art project goes through, said dream will become a reality for budding tech superstars who land in Mineta San Jose International Airport. The $300,000 initiative would see a so-called Space Observer built and showcased prominently in the venue, allowing patrons to walk underneath its two-story-tall body and emit all sorts of "oohs" and "ahhs." The monolithic space robot would sport three legs and propeller-tipped kinetic camera arms, the latter of which would collect live video to be displayed on embedded monitors within its body. San Jose Public Art Director Barbara Goldstein has already stated that "it won't follow you anywhere," but it's not like she really has the power to control what this obviously sentient creature does / doesn't do.

Vandals take down Internet, emergency, and voice services in California

by Thomas Ricker posted Apr 10th 2009 at 3:10AM

Feeling vulnerable? Maybe you should. Apparently, taking down the Internet, ATMs, and landline and wireless phone services is as easy as crawling down a few strategically located manholes and hacking through some fiber optic cables. Police in California suspect exactly that after "vandals" cut a total of 10 fiber optic cables (each containing between 48 and 360 fibers) at 4 locations on Thursday morning. The AT&T and Sprint cables knocked "tens of thousands" of San Francisco, Bay Area residents off the grid including an additional 52,000 Verizon landline and wireless customers. San Jose spokesman, Sgt. Ronnie Lopez, says that Vandals somehow managed to thwart the safeguards securing this important element of the US infrastructure. "The manhole covers are heavy," he said, "and would take quite an effort to lift, perhaps even requiring a tool." Amazing. There's been plenty of speculation that disgruntled members of the Communication Workers of America union are to blame after its contract with AT&T expired amid "strike-threatened contract negotiations" over the weekend -- something CWA officials adamantly deny. And they should... everyone knows that kidnapping corporate bosses is the hot new trend for curing the gruntles. AT&T is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the vandals.

[Via SFGate]

Update: Seems that reward is now up to $250,000. Tempting, no?

San Francisco submits permit app for wave power project

by Darren Murph posted Mar 2nd 2009 at 8:43AM

San Francisco's been mulling this one over for some time now, but at long last, the city has taken a monumental step in turning nearby waves into energy. Mayor Gavin Newsom has stated that his city has just "submitted a preliminary permit application to the federal government to develop a wave power project" off of San Fran's coast. When the project is fully operational, it could generate anywhere between 10 and 100 megawatts of energy, and it has the potential to create upwards of 100 jobs. If all goes to plan, electric power would be generated from waves that are around eight miles off the west coast of SF, and the mayor also stated that he'll be making sure that the impact on marine animals, fishing, shipping and recreational uses is minimized should he get the green light.

California high-speed train system to link NorCal and SoCal at 220mph

by Darren Murph posted Nov 8th 2008 at 4:37PM

Like it or not California, it's about time you folks ponied up for a serious rail system. With the recent passage of Proposition 1A, the wheels have started to churn on a sophisticated bullet train system that will eventually link San Diego in the south with Sacramento in the north, with stops at most every major city in between (LA and San Francisco included). The 800-mile network of trains would operate at upwards of 220mph and cost around $45 billion to construct, but it'll create 320,000 permanent jobs by 2030 and reduce the state's reliance on fossil fuel by 12.7 million barrels of oil per year. Unfortunately, there's no set time frame for completion just yet, but we wouldn't be surprised to see this one finished before that Anaheim - Las Vegas maglev project even gets off the ground.

[Via BoingBoing]

Flying plasmonic lens system could lead to denser chips / disks

by Darren Murph posted Oct 27th 2008 at 4:52AM

Last we heard, IBM was busy extending optical lithography down to 30-nanometers in order to keep Moore's Law intact, and some two years later, the process is still being honed by engineers at the University of California, Berkeley. Reportedly, gurus there with IQs far greater than ours have developed a new patterning technique (plasmonic nanolithography) that could make "current microprocessors more than 10 times smaller, but far more powerful." Additionally, professor Xiang Zhang asserts that this same technology could eventually "lead to ultra-high density disks that could hold 10 to 100 times more data than disks today." The secret to the madness is a flying plasmonic head, which is compared to the arm and stylus of an LP turntable; the setup enables researchers to "create line patterns only 80-nanometers wide at speeds up to 12-meters per second, with the potential for higher resolution detail in the near future." In layman's terms? That CPU you purchased last month will, in fact, be old hat in due time.

[Via Slashdot]

Malibu Beach Inn lets you request room service via iPhone / iPod touch

by Darren Murph posted Oct 20th 2008 at 6:09PM

Take one look at the room rates at the Malibu Beach Inn, and you'll fully understand why you'll be treated to a loaner iPod touch for the duration of your stay. For those who already own an iPhone / iPod touch, they'll be given access to a web application that was built for the Safari browser to give guests all sorts of remote capabilities. For instance, ordering up room service, setting a wake up call, requesting luggage, renting a limo and flipping the door placard to "Do Not Disturb" no longer requires any strenuous work; instead, users can simply hit a few buttons and be on their way. The hotel chose a web app in order to avoid the Apple certification process and to make it available on other hot devices in the near future. But then again, if you can swing this place, you've probably got a butler handling the front-desk inquiries, anyway.

[Via Fashion Funky, thanks Daisy]

Windshield GPS mounting legalized again in California

by Darren Murph posted Sep 30th 2008 at 5:19PM

Though one may assume Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger would have, um, more pressing matters on his hands these days, the man has somehow found time to address a complaint put forth by a-many travelin' Californians. Just this week Mr. Schwarzenegger signed into law a bill that was put forth earlier this year that will legalize windshield GPS mounting once more. Granted, stipulations are present, but at least you won't be forced to point your retinas down at the cup holders in order to see your navigation system after January 1, 2009. In the new year, drivers in the Golden State will be able to suction their GPS unit in the "lower 7-inch corner farthest away from the driver or in the lower 5-inch corner closest to the driver." If you go pressing your luck and throw it smack dab in the middle, be prepared for whatever fine you're due.

[Via Gadling, image courtesy of GPS Tracklog]