miniature
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Researchers grew a mini human heart to study fetal heart development
A team of scientists have grown a miniature human heart to better understand fetal heart development.
Guild Wars 2's minipets move into the wardrobe
The ever-so-popular wardrobe in Guild Wars 2 is getting several upgrades with this month's features pack. A new dev diary posted today lists the benefits coming to the fashion conscious among us, including a search feature, a separate section for outfits, and a new finishers panel that delivers previews. Probably one of the biggest changes coming to this screen is that all minipets will be moved out of the bank and into this UI. Once players select a mini from the bank or inventory, the game will destroy the item and unlock the mini for use account-wide. Players won't just select and preview minipets from the wardrobe, but they will be able to equip it in a new slot. Equipped minipets will show up automatically even after waypointing into a new map.
Beam-switching endows electron microscopes with 3D, added gross-out
Having haunted our curtailed childhoods with tiny, disgusting horrors, the scanning electron microscope is about to get a new lease of life in 3D. Researchers in Japan have figured out how to deflect the electron beam rapidly to give two slightly shifted views, so real-time 3D images can now been scoped on a monitor without even the need for eye-wear. Current gear can only muster flat images, so it's always been painfully slow for scientists to extract convexity and other details from objects. Though the 3D-version is lower-res than the old way, at least now all those slimy mandibles and egg sacs will be right there in your face. Nice.
Tiny N64 controller guaranteed to cause serious crampage
On the list of nerd pastimes, miniaturization ranks pretty high. So, we're not exactly surprised to see a tiny N64 controller, but we're kind of amazed that this rather extreme hack managed to avoid detection since January. The itty bitty controller isn't a mod, but an original construction built around a PIC microcontroller. You might notice that the yellow C buttons are absent, instead Kirren (the creator) went with a tiny four way switch, which you'll see above the blue and green A and B buttons. The design skips the L key, but you'll find R and Z on the rear face. For a short clip of it in action head on after the break and, if you want to build one yourself, hit up the source.
Star Wars Arcade gets fan-made mini-me, weeps tears of joy (video)
Arcade fan (and genius) Le Chuck got up one morning and thought "Why not build a perfect replica of Atari's Star Wars Arcade, at 1:6 scale?" The result is this amazing 12-inch cabinet with a fully working Atari-yoke, handmade from aluminum and a pair of potentiometers. Tucked inside the box is a modded Caanoo running MAME4all, which has been tweaked to boot straight into the game when activated. The whole project took him over 80 hours to put together, but we think it was time very well spent. If you want to see the thing in action (and sing along to the 8-bit version of the theme) then head on past the break.
We'd give nearly anything for this tiny Mass Effect to be real
The latest thing on our "List of Things That Don't Exist That Totally Should Exist" comes from Deviant Art user Pyroxene, whose 3D modeling skills have produced the adorable miniature Mass Effect scene seen above. It's like Jim Henson's Mass Effect Babies, or Poy Poy: Cerberus Edition, and we love it unconditionally. Pyroxene originally set out to create three characters, but apparently the fun of chibi-fying some of gaming's most beloved characters is a little hard to let go of. Hit the source link for a high-resolution shot of the scene, as well as close ups of the individual models, their wire frames and the impressively compact textures used.
JTT Chobi Cam Pro is the Napoleon of cheap miniature cameras
Unlike JTT's cutesy miniature DSLR, this new ¥6,000 ($76) Chobi Cam Pro could potentially be used for home monitoring or perhaps even wildlife photography. In addition to recording 12 megapixel stills and 720p motion JPEGs onto microSD, it also has a motion detector that can hold the camera in a state of readiness for up to two months. If nothing happens within that sort of timeframe, you probably failed to camouflage it properly.
Intel 310 mSATA SSD knows that size matters, fits 80GB into less space than a credit card
Watch out, Toshiba, your tiny SSD modules aren't the only game in town for ludicrously small flash storage anymore. Intel's just announced a new SSD 310 line that offers spectacularly minimal 51mm by 30mm by 5mm dimensions, while retaining X25-class performance (up to 200MBps read and 80MBps write speeds). To give you an idea of what those measurements mean, the industry-standard 2.5-inch form factor, an already diminutive footprint, is eight times larger than these newfangled storage chips. 40GB and 80GB variants of the SSD 310 are shipping out to OEMs already and Lenovo has confirmed it plans to roll these into its next refresh of the venerable ThinkPad laptop line. Prices are set at $99 and $179 (depending on size) when bought in batches of 1,000, though direct sales to end users are predictably off the table for now. Better start saving up for that next ultrathin laptop if you want one.
Steve Jobs shrinks down to action figure size, ego remains untouched
Whether he's playing hero or villain in your personal technology drama, Apple CEO and marketer extraordinaire Steve Jobs likely has a role -- and now the dramatis persona has his very own action figure to help you act it out. For $80, Jobs comes complete with his trademark black turtleneck and rimless glasses, nicely crinkled Levi's jeans, a pair of New Balance sneakers, a miniature iPhone 4 and a truly epic beard. He's even got an Apple logo to stand on and a set of speech bubble cards, which hopefully work with a dry erase marker considering how often the man comes up with juicy new quotes. See the astounding level of detail at our source link, or even grab one for yourself.
The Road to 50: A guide to filling your Guild Wars Hall of Monuments (I)
While I was writing today's Flameseeker Chronicles, I noticed something: It was about twice as long as my normal columns, and yet I'd barely skimmed the surface. Many players in the Guild Wars community went inactive over the past few years while waiting for Guild Wars 2. Now that we know all the details of the strongest link between the two games, hundreds if not thousands of players are coming out of retirement to max out their Halls. Today's Flameseeker Chronicles was a generalized guide to reaching 30 points on the calculator. That number will get you every reward on the scale, but so many veteran players and completionists are chasing 50 points that I wanted to do something for them too. The Road to 50 is a feature that will run for five days this week, each day focusing on a different monument. I'll give tips, suggestions, and guides for obtaining a "full score" in each one. Today's focus is Miniatures, so follow along after the jump to see how to get your hands on 50 of your little friends.
LaCie MosKeyto streamlines portable storage, invites bad puns
LaCie's keeping up its eccentric branding strategy today with this pest-inspired new USB key. Measuring a mere 20mm in length and 10 grams in weight, the MosKeyto is ready to all but disappear once you plug it into your computer, and it'll outdo its physical counterpart by not only sucking data down but pushing it back out should you want it. Basically, it's yet another miniaturized USB drive and can be owned today, starting at $18 for the 4GB version. 8GB will set you back $28 and there's a 16GB variant to come as well. Got all that? Good. Now buzz off.%Gallery-101243%
Neo Geo mini-arcade consoles fit on a bookshelf, set our hearts a-flutter
We've variously lusted after a number of homebrew stand-up arcade consoles recently, but what about those of us whose free space is better measured in inches than in feet? A gentleman in Spain who calls himself Pocket Lucho has been building Neo Geo mini-consoles for a while now, and has recently demonstrated his latest creation on "the YouTubes" for our viewing pleasure. With the sort of attention to detail that makes these things as attractive as they are playable (including a coin slot and light-up marquee) the devices feature a video out and a second controller input for bringing a friend in on the action. Hit that read link for the detailed step-by-step, but not before peeping those videos after the break. [Via Hack A Day]
Video: Miniature, operational electric drill perfect for smurfing smurfs
The gang over at Make have dug up a pretty sweet electric drill that's looks to be about the right size for the Smurf in your life. Powered by a button cell battery, the inventor (a shadowy figure known only as s8) has plans to make these commercially available -- as soon as he figures out how to configure his website. Not too many details on how this was put together, but you can see several prototypes above. Video after the break.[Via Book of Joe]
LEGO iMac G4 Junior is iMac G4's smaller, friendlier sibling
We tend to go a little weak in the knees for anything in miniature, so this iMac G4 "Junior" made with a 7-inch digital photo frame and a bunch of LEGOs sent us into hysterics. DIY-er Bjarne Tveskov says the creation is inspired by the film Luxo Jr., and though it has no functional G4 innards, it does do dislay basic, totally adorable smiley faces. One more shot after the break, and hit the read link for the entire set.[Via Boing Boing]
TiltShift brings miniature faking to the iPhone
If you're looking for a quick way to add that "miniature" effect to photos from your iPhone, TiltShift is for you. While not as powerful as using desktop image editing software, it can quickly doctor your images to give them that tilt-shifty look, or just apply a dreamy vignette around the edges. TiltShift comes with a library of photos to try, but you can also use photos from your iPhone or iPod touch's camera roll. If you have an iPhone, you can take a picture directly from the app. The app works in both portrait and landscape modes, which makes it easier to transform wider photos. Rotating the screen was a little strange -- it sometimes didn't recognize when my iPod touch was rotated, and I had to sort of jiggle it to make it rotate properly. The results are pretty good: It takes a fair bit of fiddling to get it just right, and a small screen size (and no zoom support) makes very detailed manipulation difficult. On the scale of "do you want it good, or do you want it fast," TiltShift definitely leans toward "fast." Nifty, nevertheless. TiltShift is $1.99, and is available in the App Store. %Gallery-39492%
Touchgrind in the App Store
I remain a complete non-fan of "fingerboarding," or skateboarding on a miniature skateboard with your fingers, but on the other hand (so to speak), I'm a huge fan of physics, especially on a touchscreen, so I'm torn about the release of Touchgrind, which has now made its way into the App Store for $4.99. Playing with a tiny skateboard in real-life seems kind of silly. But playing with a virtual skateboard that responds realistically to your fingers flipping and tapping on a multitouch screen could be really, really awesome -- like a skating game with the best controls ever.Unfortunately, there's no free demos here -- either you jump in for $5 or you don't. But if you do, there's actually a lot on offer -- 3 game modes, 12 different boards each with their own abilities, and a set of tutorials to get you started. I'm intrigued: I'm not quite sure a mini skateboard will keep my attention for all that long, but it might be worth $5 just to see the physics in action.
Tiny Wiimote "projector" is not nearly as impressive as it sounds on paper
This image is not necessarily one we are thrilled about having projected upon our walls, but we are pretty fond of anything in miniature. This 2.25-inch Wiimote is actually a semi-ingenious mini-projector which projects an image (yes, only one) from Super Mario Kart when its button is pressed. When you order you'll get a random choice of one of the six possible images, each less exciting and more pointless than the next. They're available from ThinkGeek now for $6, which is maybe worth the roughly one minute of amusement you (or your cat) will get out of the thing.[Via Wired]
12th scale Dolls House TV actually functions, keeps Polly Pocket entertained
Generally speaking, when your good toys go bad, sitting them down within a cramped up doll house is adequate punishment. Unfortunately, said tactic is no longer valid if your kiddo's doll house is equipped with a Dolls House TV. This handcrafted 12th scale television -- which is just barely taller than a AA battery -- is built to feel right at home in Barbie's domicile, and considering that it features composite inputs, you can even watch a DVD or play Guitar Hero while trying not to squint. Granted, we can't see paying £99 ($195) for this thing, but don't believe for a second that some rug rats aren't already screaming for one.[Via NewsLite]
Enter to win one of two ships from Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Online
Yarrr, maties! Turn yer eyes up above, off starboard! Aye, there be a miniature pirate ship herself, complete with three masts and all the sails and rigging on a custom stand, packed in an official Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean Online wooden crate. Ye want her, matey? Then she's yours... if ye win!Yes, Massively is giving away not one but two of these miniature pirate ships (they stand a little over a foot tall, and a little longer across), and with them, a yearlong subscription to Disney's online Pirates of the Caribbean game, estimated retail value of a hefty $145 each. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post with your best pirate impression-- that can include some insults, a shanty of some sort, or just a good old fashioned "Yaarrrr!". Put a comment (and only one) on this post before Thursday afternoon, January 31st, at 3pm EST, and after that we'll choose not one but two winners to receive the miniature ships and a year of free PotC gameplay.There are caveats in the pirate code-- you must be 18 years of age or older, and you must be living within the United States (that's right-- due to legal regulations, pirates of the Caribbean are not actually allowed to win). Also make sure to use an email that you regularly check to enter the comment, as that's where we'll be contacting the winner. Full official rules are here.Good luck, landlubbers! And stay out of Davey Jones' locker!
Halo 3 replica mini-weapons
If you're looking for what appears to be good quality, but cheap as anything, miniature replicas of your favorite Halo weapons, then look no further than Master Replica's models. Pictured is the UNSC BR55 Battle Rifle, made of die-cast metal. The rifle is 3.3" x 6" x 2.8", perfect for a little corner of your desk. The other weapon model available is the Covenant Carbine, which is a similar size to the rifle. Currently both models are pre-order only, but who isn't used to that from their games retailer by this point? The units will be shipped sometime this fall. You could always place one of these on your Halo Xbox 360, while you wear your Master Chief suit, and drink your Master Chief Mountain Dew. Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the game is made. No word yet if they'll add more weapon models, but we're holding out for Needler bookends. [Via GamerBabble]
