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Packing peanuts are the key to fast-charging batteries
Hate buying some new gadget, only to wind up with a sea of packing peanuts that do little more than spill on to the floor? Don't be too quick to toss them out -- they may be the key to a new generation of lithium-ion batteries. Purdue University researchers have developed a heating process that converts these shipping leftovers into anodes (where lithium ions are stored during charging) made from carbon. On top of eliminating waste, this technique should lead to batteries that recharge much faster. The carbon anodes are only a tenth as thick as their commercially available counterparts, so they don't produce nearly as much electrical resistance.
The Road to Mordor: Packing for Isengard
Isengard. Isengard. ISENGARD. It's all I can think about since last week's E3 reveal, and I know I'm not the only one. For some reason, having a firm launch date for Lord of the Rings Online's third expansion feels like a starting pistol's gone off, and we're beginning the race to the expansion in earnest. Of course, we're not in that much of a hurry at this point. We still have well over three months to go, the beta has yet to begin, and something tells me that Turbine's got a few more tricks to pull out of its top hat before all is said and done. Still, I'm officially in "Go!" mode, and I bet I'm not the only one. While I can't make September 27th come any sooner, I can think of six ways that we can prepare for our upcoming journey into Dunland and beyond. Seven, if you include putting together the absolute perfect outfit to slay Saruman in, but that's a given. Hit the jump and I'll walk you through everything you should be doing this summer to get ready for Rise of Isengard!
Condiment transporting SWITL robot arm gets a gig moving meat, packing boxes (video)
Way back in March, we spotted video of the SWITL, a robotic hand with a penchant for picking up globs of condiments without changing their shape. Neat, yes, but what sort of applications might such a device have in real life, beyond rather inefficient cleanups of Burger King floors? Manufacturer Furukawa Kikou has put the electronic appendage to work, folding meat and packing boxes with bags full of sol-gel substances, without losing the shape of either material. The size of the company is prohibiting sales of SWITL machines overseas at present, but Furukawa Kikou is happy to discuss partnerships, should someone approach it for its raw meat and ketchup moving needs. Exceedingly unappetizing video after the break.
App beat: Pack like a professional with Packing Pro
If you invariably find yourself arriving at a travel destination missing one or more critical items left sitting on your desk or bed, Packing Pro from Quinnscape may be the app for you. Creating a packing list on a slip of paper is great as long as you don't leave anything off or lose the list. Most users tend to be more careful about keeping their electronic devices close at hand than they are with random lists. This universal app includes a number of handy features, including a catalog of some 800 items you might need when traveling. It also includes a variety of pre-built lists for various types of trips that you can use as a starting point. The Expert List tool lets you enter information about how many people are traveling (including how many adults and children), the length of the trip, temperature at the destination, domestic or foreign and whether you need to prepare food. The tool will then automatically populate a list which you can then customize. Version 5.1 of Packing Pro is out now in the App Store and is currently on sale for a very reasonable US$2.99. A basic version that contains fewer items in the catalog and fewer sample lists is also available for $0.99.
TSA: Netbooks, e-readers and iPads can be kept inside bags during airport checks
The American Transportation Security Administration has used its blog, of all things, to inform the good people traveling to, from, and within the USA that portable computers smaller than "the standard sized laptop" need not be removed from their bags. What is the standard sized laptop, you ask? Well, we're not exactly told, but Kindles, iPads, Sony Readers, Nooks, and "Net Books" are explicitly named as being exempt from the annoying requirement to unbag your computer for the airport's prissy X-ray scanners. There's still the disclaimer that staff might want to take a second look at anomalous-looking gear, but for the most part you'll be just fine leaving that Eee PC in your backpack while making the barefoot jaunt through security.
Gearing up for Macworld: My 5 apps & packing list
Hitting the road for a week or more can be daunting enough when packing for a regular business trip, but when the itinerary includes the hustle and flow of Macworld Expo, I start to think a bit more seriously about exactly what I'm taking and why. The good news is, of course, that a few well-chosen apps can substitute for destination guides and navigational help. The bad news... there's still a lot of stuff to bring along. Here are five-plus apps I loaded specifically for this trip, and a few hardware items that I couldn't do without. The Apps As many times as I've been to San Francisco, I still don't have a firm notion of the city's geography outside the immediate vicinity of Moscone Center (don't blame SF -- I still get lost in my own home town, too). To help me get around, I've tried iBART, BayTripper and the free, location-aware nextbus.com mobile site. Still, I come back to two tried-and-true tools every time. For public transit and walking directions, the Maps app does a great job; bus timing may not be precise, but you get where you're going. If your transit needs are a little more personal, the astonishing Taxi Magic app gets a ride to wherever you are in no time flat -- and with no additional fee, if you pay in cash. Honorable mention: the Zipcar app, if you need wheels of your own in a jiffy. Before boarding the plane to come out to the West Coast, I checked that my two favorite air travel apps were loaded and ready. The Tripit app (paired with a Tripit Pro subscription) keeps my itineraries right at my fingertips, including the ability to search for alternative flight reservations. While I'm hopping through the airports on either end, Gate Guru helps make sure I don't skip past the best place to eat while I'm meandering towards my gate.
Preparing for BlizzCon: What to pack in your suitcase
BlizzCon approaches! Preparing for BlizzCon is your regular source for tips on how best to prepare for Blizzard's gaming extravaganza. These helpful hints are particularly suited for convention rookies. But if you are a con veteran, we'd love to hear your advice and wisdom in the comments as well.If you don't travel often, packing can be rather daunting -- particularly with all of the post-9/11 air travel precautions. Because you'll probably be bringing back more than you take, I recommend checking a bag rather than trying to carry everything on the plane. Yes, the baggage claim area adds extra time, but checking your luggage will allow you to bring a larger bag and you'll avoid having to worry about 3-1-1.Though I have been humbled (and educated) by reading the exploits of a truly expert packer, I used to travel a lot for business and have several tips for the infrequent traveler heading to BlizzCon.
Preparing for BlizzCon: What to pack in your backpack
BlizzCon approaches! Preparing for BlizzCon is your regular source for tips on how best to prepare for Blizzard's gaming extravaganza. These helpful hints are particularly suited for convention rookies. But if you are a con veteran, we'd love to hear your advice and wisdom in the comments as well.Backpack, messenger bag, extra large purse -- whatever you are toting into the Anaheim Convention Center should be filled with a few basic things in order to get the most from BlizzCon. The catch is that it cannot be any bigger than 10"x20" and it cannot contain any of the following: Desktop computers, laptops, electronic storage devices (unless you have a press pass) Glass bottles, cans, large containers (this limits some of your food options should you choose to carry-in) Alcohol (leave your cool flask or teeny airplane booze bottles in your hotel room) Weapons and fireworks (Captain Obvious is making giggle noises.) Join us after the break for what you can and should stuff in your BlizzCon-bag.
Pack like a pro with your iPhone
I'm never very organized when I travel. I usually pay the price too, with panicked runs to the store when I reach my destination. Toothpaste, ties, batteries, you name it, I've had to buy it on the road. I've never been one for making huge lists, but Packing Pro [App Store link] may just change that. This $3.99US app runs on the iPhone and the iPod Touch. It forces you to organize BEFORE you leave, and will certainly cut down on trip related disasters brought about by little or poor planning. The app starts you out with either a way to create your own lists, or better still, gives you some templates to add to or delete from. They are incredibly detailed, (i.e. sewing kit, set email auto-responder) and there are templates for out of country travel, or just quick trips. If you are not traveling alone, you can specify how many are going, their gender and whether they are adults or children. You can specify expected weather, to help you select clothing and accessories. The templates really reduce the typing, and the information is very, very detailed. I'd like to see some additions to this app. The free Travelocity TravelTools [App Store link] app includes flight schedules, wait times and airport delays, gate information etc. It would be great to see that all integrated into this app. And Tripit, [App Store link] which my colleague Steven Sande reviewed earlier this month is a very innovative travel organizer, but it doesn't really do the packing part. An app with all these features combined would be the ultimate travel app, but it might be pretty large. Blue sky request. Get destination weather and flight schedules, and adjust my packed items depending on weather forecasts. I know that these changes would take this app out of the 'packing' realm, but it would be a really cool app I'd want.If your packing is not so ambitious, take a look at Packing [App Store link], a cut down version of the app for $0.99US which has less depth but still lots options that will satisfy many travelers. Packing Pro fills a unique niche and it's another one of those apps that continues to make the iPhone so different from the rest. If you travel, and always wind up on a mad dash to the pharmacy, or convenience store, this app is for you.Here are some screen shots: %Gallery-51211%
TUAW Tips: Packing your gadgetry for travel to faraway lands
In case you've missed me, I've been in Africa for the last couple of weeks. On top of all the business traveling I do, I also love traveling to exotic or fun locations with my wife several times a year. One question I often hear from friends, clients, and TUAW readers is "How do you pack all of your techie gear for traveling?" The Africa trip gave me the perfect opportunity to answer that question, since I not only had to take a computer with me, but two digital cameras, two iPhones, a backup drive, a snakes nest of cables, power cables and plug converters, a handful of memory cards, an Amazon Kindle, and an HD camcorder as well. The picture at the top of this post shows you just about everything I needed to pack. Click the Read More link below for tips on how to travel with all of your stuff... without going crazy in the process.
Amazon takes a stand to eliminate wasteful, hard-to-open gadget packaging
Come on folks, say it in unison with us: "Finally!" At long last, a company with a little clout has stood up and questioned the necessity of those ridiculous hard plastic containers that hold minuscule flash cards and the like (along with plastic twist-ties), and better still, it's already doing something about it. Beginning today, consumers who are tired of borrowing the fire department's Jaws of Life to rescue their new USB drive can opt for products in Amazon's "Frustration-Free Packaging," which utilizes streamlined packaging that often includes recyclable cardboard. 19 products from the likes of Fisher-Price, Mattel, Microsoft and Transcend are currently available in the new containers, and the firm's CEO has a vision of offering its "entire catalog of products in Frustration-Free Packaging" within a few years. Hey, everyone else in the gadget world -- care to hop on a meaningful bandwagon for once?Read - Frustration-Free Packaging initiativeRead - Frustration-Free Packaging storefront
A BlizzCon packing list
Elizabeth's guide about what to bring and what not to bring onto the show floor at BlizzCon was helpful, but if you only brought what she suggested, you'd show up naked and without your ID. Those of us packing right now to travel across the country and spend the weekend in Anaheim need a little more guidance than that!And so we've put together a checklist, so you can make sure that from the second you leave your hometown to the second you return, you're well equipped for everything you need to make this BlizzCon perfect. The checklist, perfect for cutting, pasting, and printing as you pack, starts right after the jump.
Adventures in Beta: Five things to pack for TBC (and five things to leave at home)
Following Paul's excellent TBC preparation post Tuesday, I asked my fellow beta testers what things they would recommend people bring through the Dark Portal, and what they would be best off leaving behind. So here, straight from the Home Office in Thrallmar, we have ... the top five things to pack for Burning Crusade!
