chores
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Dyson's been secretly working on robots that do household chores
Dyson has revealed that it has an entire division that's secretly been developing robot prototypes that do household chores.
Breakfast Topic: What's your least favorite WoW chore?
Some players abhor farming rep. Others dislike the farming professions, and still others would rather wear whatever good-enough item comes their way than devote hours, days and weeks farming gear, mounts or other items. Then there are the players who dislike farming on an actual farm. So OK, farming -- definitely one of those things that turns certain players right off. But farming isn't anywhere near the top of the list of WoW chores I'm not fond of. Atop my list lurks a chore I dread so deeply that I will sometimes abandon (temporarily or even permanently) a character over it: updating a character after a major gameplay patch. Nothing turns me off more than having to tinker under the hood of a character I've long since come to happy terms with. Talent resets are my nemesis. The two or three characters I play the most? Sure, trying out the new stuff is kinda fun. But all those little guys who see only occasional play, the guys whose level I couldn't verify when I'm away from the keyboard and whose keybinds I forget after a day or three away? Setting them up again represents a major investment of time -- one I confess I'm not always willing to make. What's your least favorite WoW chore? Do you suffer through it to gain certain benefits, or have you sworn off ever performing that dreadful task again?
MMObility: Utilizing Windows 8 to help with MMO chores
Not so long ago, I told you about my acquisition of an Inspiron Duo netbook, a 10-inch device that was not only a small laptop but also a touchscreen tablet device. It is a very sturdy device, and the flip-around screen works well. The main problem with the device was that it came with Windows 7 while only sporting a dual core processor and two gigs of RAM. The other main issue was that the 10-inch screen has a 1366x768-pixel resolution, meaning that it was often uncomfortable to read on it or play games unless I zoomed in. Recently Microsoft released the Windows 8 public preview, so I downloaded it after reading that it was really geared for tablet or touchcreen devices. Sure enough, the same 10-inch netbook that was not getting a lot of use around here suddenly became faster and much more friendly to the eyes. It's perfect timing, as well, especially since I will be starting my "chores" experiment in which I see whether scheduling my gameplay each day will help me with an issue I have been having.
WOWee and MicroVision offer 200-inch viewing and 'booming sound' on your mobile
Despite all the product rivalry at CES, a little romance was inevitable -- and not just in the Engadget trailer. WOWee, purveyor of the ONE portable speaker, has paired up with MicroVision and its dashing PicoP laser projector technology (shown above) to create a "marriage of sight and sound." It looks like the two companies will start out by simply bundling their respective wares, which will be available together in 120 countries from this quarter, rather than rushing to announce a hybrid device straight away. A wise decision, no doubt.
Husqvarna lawnmower remote for iOS: a lot less fun than we'd hoped
Sure, we've been living in a series of safe houses and seedy motels since 1968, but that doesn't mean that you can't have nice things. A two-car garage, white picket fence, and a healthy lawn: that's the American Dream, right there. But with all that middle class comfort comes responsibility -- and how are you going to find the time to keep the grass under control when you're working three jobs to keep up with the mortgage on your McMansion? Friends, that's where Husqvarna's My Automower app comes in. That's right: rather than sending SMS messages to your GPS-enabled Automower, all of its functions (starting, stopping, tracking the thing's progress via GPS) can now be handled from the safety of your iOS device. What it will not do, however, is transform your robot lawnmower into a semi-autonomous, blade-wielding backyard defender (hopefully the company addresses that in a software update). PR after the break.
Robonaut 2 gets unboxed in space, plans for galactic domination
Remember that nondescript space shuttle that launched about a month ago -- you know, the one responsible for carrying this here nondescript humanoid robot into the outer reaches of our galaxy? Well, things went according to plan and the robot has been successfully deployed in the International Space Station, making way for the first ever robot-human space crew. R2, weighing in at 300 pounds with just a torso, head and two arms, cost NASA and GM a cool $2.5 million to build, and there's no telling what kind of handling fees were applied when shoving him into his SLEEPR crate. Because of his dexterity, the bot is up above the clouds to help out with chores and assist crew members with science experiments and handling human tools -- easy for us to say, but even easier for you to grok if you slam the play button just after the break.
Husqvarna's SMS-enabled Automower 260 ACX: ur lawnz mowed kk?
Good news for unmanned lawnmower enthusiasts (we know there are at least two of you out there). Husqvarna's latest, the Automower 260 ACX, can be programmed to send you an SMS text message if something should interrupt the mow job -- because sometimes looking outside to see if your robot is still tending to the lawn is just too much to ask. This bad boy gets an hour on a single charge -- which should be plenty of time to take down about half an acre of lawn -- and upon returning to its docking station, the battery is recharged in roughly forty minutes. Recommended retail price: €4,000 (that's over $5,200). No word yet on a stateside release.[Via News Market]
SmartMow mows the lawn but won't accept a glass of lemonade
The unmanned lawnmower is nothing new, but we still think there's something downright iffy about arming a Roomba with sharp metal blades. That said, if you've been dying to get in on the action, SmartMow might be worth checking out. Set to hit the stores in Spring '09 for $749 (much cheaper than some other robo-mowers), the thing weighs 17 pounds, features three cutting blades, will cut around a sixth of an acre on a single charge (about 2-3 hours), and is auto-docking. As far as knowing where to mow, SmartMow eschews sci-fi grass detection algorithms and rudimentary artificial intelligence in favor of the tried but true method of marking off your mowable yard with an edge wire. The best thing about the bot, however, may be its educational value -- not only will it teach your kids about robotics, it will also show them how people with money can buy their way out of doing chores. Video after the break.[Via Robot Stock News]
Breakfast Topic: Daily chores
Some people really seem to enjoy repping up with various factions. I am not one of them. I've known people who complete the maximum amount of daily quests on multiple characters. It's fantastic that Blizzard has opened up opportunities for relatively easy gold and reputation, but I wish there was a little more variety in the experience. Prior to Patch 2.4, when the limit was ten, I don't think that I ever completed more than four or five dailies per day. Now that we've been bombarded with Quel'Danas dailies and the limit is twenty-five, I do up to eight on rare occasions. I almost always complete the daily battleground quest, but that's about it most days. I know that they're an excellent source of gold, but they feel like such a chore to me. I find daily questing to be almost as much fun as washing dishes and doing laundry. If it means I never get epic flying mounts on my characters, so be it. How many dailies do you do and what keeps you motivated to do them?
