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USPS will start selling James Webb Space Telescope stamps on August 8th
The US Postal Service will start selling James Webb Space Telescope stamps next month.
Google is reportedly building a Snapchat-style news system
Snapchat's Discover mode is a way for brands to create visual stories for consumption by its 158 million reported daily users. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Google is developing a very similar branded-media content feature, nicknamed "Stamp." Sources say that publishers including Vox Media, CNN, Mic, the Washington Post and Time are planning to participate. Google might announce the service as early as next week, say the sources.
USPS solar eclipse stamps use body heat to reveal the moon
The United States Postal Service is no stranger to letting its nerd flag fly with special edition stamps. The latest in its space series is a little different, though. Rather than just showing off celestial bodies or NASA spacecraft, the new stamps are a tribute to the upcoming total solar eclipse that should occur August 21st. Press your finger to the stamp and your body heat will transform its black circle centerpiece into an image of our moon. Once the heat dies down, the stamp image goes back to black. While it's not as elaborate as you might think, this is something that's sure to make philatelics smile.
Canada Post issues BlackBerry stamp, for your less urgent BBMs
The US Postal Service just honored the IBM Selectric typewriter and some other icons of American design with their own postage stamps last month, and now Canada Post has gotten in on the act to recognize four key Canadian inventions. That includes the pacemaker, the electric oven, the electric wheelchair and one that's considerably more recent: the BlackBerry. A bit of an ironic choice, perhaps, considering that it could also be seen as contributing to the decline of the postage stamp itself, but Canada Post acknowledges that the "invention freed information workers from their desks and changed the way the world communicates." The company may be facing some tough times these days, but it's hard to argue with that.
IBM Selectric Typewriter turns 50, yells at tablets to get off its lawn
Imagine all of the waiting rooms and typing classes it's seen in its half-century on earth. IBM this week is celebrating the 50th birthday of its best-selling Selectric line of office typewriters. First introduced in 1961, the line featured a rotating typeball that increased typing speed and could be changed for italics, symbols, and different fonts and languages. The typewriter also eschewed the traditional moving carriage, with the typeball and ribbon taking on the motion, reducing the unit's overall size and leaving more space on office desks for family photos and troll dolls. These innovations helped make the line nearly ubiquitous in offices spaces, and in 1964, the Selectric line offered up an early word processor capable of storing characters. IBM would go on to retire the line in 1986. Fittingly, the now defunct typewriter will be honored with its very own postage stamp.
Metamaterial printing method inches us closer to invisibility cloaks
In theory, metamaterials are all kinds of awesome -- they can boost antenna strength, focus lasers, and create invisibility cloaks. But, they've been limited to day dreams lab experiments because producing the light-interfering materials in any practical quantity has been difficult and time consuming. John Rogers, a professor at the University of Illinois has figured out a way to print a layered, nano-scale mesh that bends near-infrared light in much larger amounts than previously possible. The new method, based around a plastic stamp, has been used to create sheets of metamaterial measuring a few square inches, but Rogers is confident he can scale it up to several feet. Who knows, by the time the second installment of The Deathly Hallows hits theaters in July you could get the best Harry Potter costume -- one that lets you sneak in without shelling out $13. [Thanks, Plum G.]
Swedes to start text message-based postage system, girl with dragon tattoo reportedly pleased
The Swedish Postal Service has announced that it will soon replace traditional postage stamps with a text message-based system. The system will work pretty simply -- customers will send a text message to a particular number, and a special code will be texted back to them which they can then write on the letter. A spokesperson for Posten AB, the Swedish Postal Service, says the system will work for packages weighing up to two kilograms, and that it will be just as secure as traditional postage. That's all well and good, but how will they adorn their letters with famous Swedish crime writers?
Stamp $50 Android tablet prototype raises eyebrows in India and beyond (video)
Stamp (no relation to Terence) is an Android-powered tablet that's making waves mostly for its price: $50. AllGo Embedded Systems has been leaking information out since April, and while there's nothing incredible revolutionary here (Android 2.1, MPEG-4 / H.264 Video playback, USB mass storage support, WiFi connectivity, FM radio, NAND or SD-card boot), in light of the much-ballyhooed $35 tablet it's good to see a comparatively priced platform that you won't need to be either a student in India (or purchase a million units) to get your hands on. Of course, a lot can happen between now and... whenever the thing is released, but don't let that get you down. It looks like the age of low-powered Android tablets is coming closer every day. And that can only be a good thing, right? Video after the break.
Stamp.y Digital Camera concept doesn't look particularly pocket-friendly
We're sometimes a little sad that the joy of gathering with family and friends 'round the photo album has been reduced to the shallow act of pasting a link into a text field, so we're always intrigued when some gadget designer finds an interesting way to bring us back to something physical. The Stamp.y from designer Jinhee Kim certainly does that in an interesting way -- but perhaps not an entirely practical one. It's a digital camera with a very unusual shape and design allowing it to act as a rubber stamp. Take your picture through the proboscis-shaped lens, pop off the back, dab it on the handy ink pad, and then stamp that picture onto whatever you like. We think this would be huge in schools as a great way for kids to decorate their book covers, but physical textbooks will surely be a thing of the past before this becomes a reality.
Facebook Like button rubber-stamped into physical meme
Just like Agent Smith, Facebook is starting to escape its original programming and enter the corporeal realm. This doomsday device has been concocted by a design studio that clearly knows not the wider implications of its fanciful little rubber stamp. Ah well, you can register your interest in this harbinger of the apocalypse at the source link below.
Kaoiro emoticon stamp turns bureaucracy on its head
It's a well established norm in civilized geek society that visual representations such as "=)" can and should be used to substitute for the laborious exercise of expressing emotions through words or actions. Taking that notion to its logical extreme, the Kaoiro emoticon stamp comes with 7 rows of symbols that the hardworking digi-linguist can convert into an almost limitless variety of text-based visualizations. Just look above should you need inspiration. You'll need to pull together $51 to buy one, plus $18 for shipping (or ¥2,700 plus ¥1,700 for shipping to North America, roughly $47, directly from the manufacturer), but that's surely peanuts to pay for having the ultimate document tarnisher around.
Capcom thanks fans for buying Okami
If you've preordered Okami (from the Capcom Store, that is), Capcom has gone out of its way to reward your loyalty. You can expect some goodies in the mail soon (you lucky dogs), including a thank-you card embedded with seeds. That means you can either save the card in a shoebox full of mementos from your fondest Capcom memories (with "Mr." or "Mrs. Capcom" written on the lid), or actually plant the card and watch it grow.You will have something nice to save though -- mainly, the sweet Amaterasu postage stamp on the envelope. Lastly, the company will also be sending you a coupon code for free shipping on a future purchase. Well done, Capcom! What a great way to show appreciation for your fans.[Via Kotaku]
Cinemassively: Bobble and friends
In today's Cinemassively, Stamp answers the age old question of what would happen if your World of Warcraft characters jumped out of your computer. By the end of this video, you won't care who stole the beer, or why the door was left open a crack when you swore that you shut it. You'll be too busy oohing and aahing at how adorable the WoW avatars looked in every scene.Stamp used quite a lot of programs to achieve this effect, including WoW model viewer, Sony Vegas, Windows Movie Maker, Virtual Dub, and Particle Illusion. However, in this Machinima, they blend really well together. My only complaint is that those little jailbirds didn't invite me to the party![Via Warcraftmovies.com]
WoW Moviewatch: Bobble and friends go on a real life adventure
Bobble & friends - An IRL adventure is quite possibly the cutest WoW machinima I've seen so far. The idea of the short is to show you what happens when your characters break free into the real world. Apparently, they go straight for the TV ... That's so typical!Stamp did a great job on this video. It's creative, smart, and well put together. He used quite a bit of programs to assemble it, even adding percentages used in the credits. Warcraftmovies viewers compare it to Toy Story, so I hope that means there's a sequel in the works![Via Warcraftmovies.com]Previously on Moviewatch ...
Thank you Mario! But our postage is in another country!
The Japanese Postal Service released a set of Mario stamps last year in a nice collectible binder. Somehow, NCSX has gotten a small shipment of these stamps, which carry a postage value of 80 yen ($0.66) each. The markup for this set ($105) is pretty severe, but if you are a desperate Mario collector, this is one of the coolest things you could have. They have fewer than 50, and of course we just publicized the item, so go go go buy buy buy.We want the US Postal Service to get in on the act. We're afraid that there's a short moment before opening mail from us that someone might not be able to determine that we're huge nerds.
SolidAlliance kicks out bizarre USB thumb drive / stamp
Nah, we're not surprised in the least that the zany gurus at SolidAlliance have found a way to crank out yet another completely bizarre USB-related gizmo, and the Xstamper USB thumb drive / stamp hybrid certainly fits the atypical bill. Reportedly useful as a type of Japanese notarization device, the stamping abilities of this 256MB USB drive allow "official stamps (ahem) of approval" to be handily applied without forcing you to hunt down your dedicated depressor. Of course, the snazzy carrying tube and quarter-gigabyte of internal storage just about top off the amenities, but if you're looking to add one more off-kilter device to your keychain assortment, SolidAlliance's latest can be snapped up now for ¥3,790 (or about $32).[Via AkihabaraNews]
Have Mario send your mail (via stamps from Japan)
Sure, old Mario has been known to paint, play professional sports, and even do some actual plumbing work on occasion, but he'll soon be able to power your mail through the postal service in the Far East.10-stamp sheets of 80 Yen stamps are now available for pre-order in Japan, where gaming otakus will soon be able to adorn their snail mail with the likes of goombas, magic mushrooms, and mustachioed men. The set will be out next month.Has the government of a country like the US ever done anything this official to honor one of the icons of gaming? Perhaps when we have avid gaming advocates in Congress -- or even, dare we say, in the White House -- things will look a little different with game legislation proposals and the postage of unwanted junk mail.[Via GameBrink]See also: French stamps to feature video game icons (Super) Mario Bros. question mark and POW block speakers
