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Researchers tout plans for moon greenhouse, Silent Running sequel
The Google Lunar X Prize obviously hasn't drawn quite the same number of competitors as some of the more Earthbound X Prizes, but it looks like things are starting to heat up a little bit, with Paragon Space Development recently teaming up with Odyssey Moon in an effort to deploy the first greenhouse on the surface of moon. Specifically, the team is hoping to grow a Brassica plant (a member of the mustard family) in a pressurized greenhouse like the one picture above, and possibly even see the plant re-seed itself within a single Lunar day (or 14 Earth days), which just so happens to coincide with the average growth period for the plant on Earth. Of course, that would only be one small part of the X Prize mission, which first and foremost requires teams to safely land a craft, send some live video back to Earth, travel at least 500 meters, send some more video, and carry a payload. So, still a little ways off, but don't let that stop you from checking out the (autoplaying) video after the break, in which Paragon's Taber MacCallum (a Biosphere veteran himself) explains the project to the folks at Engineering TV.
Green House rolls out Kana Micro digital audio player
It looks like anyone that wished their digital audio player looked more like a nondescript USB drive is now in luck, as Green House has just introduced its new Kana Micro player, which is far more likely to get lost than stolen. True to its barebones nature, it seems you'll also have to supply your own microSD card for storage with this one (up to 2GB is support), and you can apparently expect to get a whopping two hours of battery life before it needs to be recharged via the built-in USB connector. No word on a release 'round here just yet, as you might have guessed, but those in Japan can pick one up right now in their choice of seven different colors for a mere ¥1,480, or about $16.[Via Akihabara News]
Penny Arcade Adventures Ep. 2 coming to PSN Dec. 18
The PlayStation Blog gives word that the second episode of Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness will be available today on the PSN. PAA: OtR-SPoD: Ep. 2 features Trophy support and, unlike the first installment, the option to change difficulty settings. The fruit-fracking mini-RPG will cost $15 and should be available as soon as the PSN update occurs later in the day. %Gallery-30963%
Don't call 'em achievements: Greenhouse adds 'triumphs' and 'standings'
this will have triumphs </GLaDOS> Greenhouse Interactive – the digital distribution portal operated by the familiar faces at Penny Arcade and Hothead Games – announced the availability of its very own software development kit: the Nitrogen SDK. Here's the idea: the games selected to be a part of the Greenhouse service can use the SDK to enhance their games with "the social networking functionalities of 'triumphs' and 'standings'" – the Greenhouse equivalent to Achievements, Trophies, or ... Achievements. Greenhouse (and Hothead's) Vlad Ceraldi says, "In a crowded gaming world of achievements and trophies, it's inevitable that all of the good words are gone. We've just snatched the last few that make any sense ..." Say, whatever happened to entitlements?The first game to be enhanced will be, unsurprisingly, Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode Two, launching this Wednesday on Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms (plus XBLA!). And from there? Greenhouse (and Penny Arcade's) Robert Khoo says, "In fact, triumphs and standings are only the beginning. There's so much more in the works with Nitrogen that we just haven't found the vocabulary for yet." We've got an idea: Greenhousescore. Think Gamerscore, but without all the trademark liabilities!
Penny Arcade Adventures Ep. 2 coming Oct. 29 to XBLA, PC
The second episode of Penny Arcade Adventure: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, is coming next Wednesday, October 29, for Xbox Live Arcade, Windows, Mac and Linux. According to the press release, the PC versions will be available via Greenhouse. As previously revealed, the episode will cost $15 for all platforms. No word on the PlayStation 3 release. Episode One will finally be hitting the PS Store tomorrow, or six days before everyone else gets the sequel. %Gallery-30963%
Angel and Devil earbuds may be a little too cute for Swedish death metal fans
Something about the image above makes it seem that the folks over at Greenhouse are up to more than manufacturing electronics. The Angel & Devil earbuds (1,279 yen or $12.65) follow on the heels of the company's Pigbuds (which now that we mention it, may also have some sort of occult significance). What can we say about these things? They fit in your ear, they're available in one of five colors (the angel is always white, just like the Tom & Jerry cartoons -- the devil can be summoned in red, purple, pink, magenta or death-dealing black), they ship with a display stand and they're only available in Japan. And the struggle for your immortal soul continues...[Via Impress]
Pigbuds: 'cause your ears are purty too
Sound quality? Who cares. Thanks to Green House, pigs can finally stuff themselves into human orifices like a reverse-Appalachia. Just be prepared to kiss your ¥1,280 (about $12) goodbye with that pretty mouth of yours after the novelty of this quaint little adventure turns vile.[Via Impress]
Penny Arcade Adventures also coming to PC, Mac, Linux next week [update]
In all of the 360 excitement yesterday, the system's surly, loner uncle the PC was sort of left out in the cold. We wanted to welcome him back in to the warmth of the Joystiq bosom by letting you know that 360 isn't the only system that Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One is coming to next week. Eurogamer reports the game will also land on PCs next Wednesday through PA's Greenhouse service.What's that you say? You probably could have guessed this yourself without our help? Oh, fine, yeah, you're probably right. But look at the PC with his little mug of broth by the fire. He was freezing out there. Cut him some slack.[Via Eurogamer][Update: Oh, and also, lest we forget, Mac and Linux as well!] Gallery: Penny Arcade Adventures
Greenhouse claims its DH-SSDGD SSD drive is 'industry's fastest'
When it comes to drives, it's all about space and speed. That's why we were happy to see that Greenhouse is boasting that the DH-SSDGS series is the "industry's fastest" -- sure, we can't verify that claim, but at least they're trying to get our attention. Regardless, the new drives read at up to 130MB/s with write speeds of 67MB/s, with capacities that range from 16GB up to 128GB. Drive size is a standard 2.5-inches, with a 9.5mm height. Greenhouse says the SATA-compatible boxes will be available in late May (in Japan at least), no word on pricing.[Via Impress]
Green House USB table fan totally blows
Sorry folks, it looks like Green House's USB table fan is strictly Japanese for the time being, so you'll have to settle for something a little smaller. Not that we're terribly confident a 500mA current is really all that capable of moving a lot of air in a table fan anyway.
Penny Arcade announces 'Greenhouse' online game store
Penny Arcade and Hothead Games -- the developer behind On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness -- have just announced a joint partnership to launch Greenhouse, a brand new online game store, focused on digital distribution for independent games.Not to be mistaken for a downloadable client application (like GameTap and Steam), Greenhouse is simply a website for digital distribution, putting it in direct competition with fellow indie game portal Manifesto Games. The site, which is currently in beta, will initially be the exclusive download source for Precipice, offering the PC, Mac, and Linux versions. Later, more Hothead Games will be distributed via the service, along with other indie offerings.While the digital distribution market is getting a bit saturated as of late, let's hope Greenhouse's platform-agnostic approach to publishing keeps the service on our radar.
Greenhouse's absurd 8x optical zoom kit for cameraphones
Guess what's going to happen when you bolt Greenhouse's 8x optical zoom onto your pathetic little cameraphone lens? Right, 8 times the slop. Nevertheless, we're curious to try the kit -- which includes the tripod and universal lens mount -- ourselves. Just not ¥8,800 (about $88) curious.%Gallery-19554%[Via Akihabara News]
Greenhouse's 22-inch GH-JEF223SH-LB LCD monitor picks HDMI over DVI
Nothing too spectacular here, but Greenhouse has introduced an all new 22-inch LCD monitor over in Japan. Aside from the perfectly average WSXGA+ (1,680 x 1,050) resolution, 300 cd/m2 brightness, 1,000: contrast ratio and two-millisecond response time, the GH-JEF223SH-LB actually does away with DVI in favor of HDMI. Granted, there's still a VGA port in case you're in a pinch, but we would've preferred all three considering the somewhat steep ¥45,799 ($438) price tag.[Via AkihabaraNews]
Green House's Gaudi cam is nothing special
Nothing standout here, but that doesn't mean this little flash-based camera from Green House isn't right for someone. The Gaudi sports an SD card slot for capturing your VGA video, QVGA video and 5 megapixel stills, with a 1.7-inch screen to preview it all. Gaudi maxes out on 2GB SD cards, and there's nothing fancy happening in codec land: video is recorded in AVI. That said, this thing goes for a mere 13,800 Yen ($125 US), so if you're in Japan and need a nice "disposable" tourist-cam... well, you could probably just use your phone and save on the bulk, so forget the whole deal.
The USB Greenhouse makes Al Gore cry
The USB Greenhouse grows plants which is good for the environment right? Oh sure, 'cept you have to keep your PC running 24/7 in order to provide the fake USB sunlight to the artificial soil. It's what life will be like when robots farm, only with Marigolds not the wee babies harvested of their electrical properties. $43 for you without a soul.
Greenhouse offers up 22-inch widescreen LCD in Japan
Though you may be apt to link Greenhouse's name with incredibly small DAPs, the firm's TIG223SDB-L proves that it understands a thing or two about displays, too. Rockin' a 22-inch widescreen format, this sleek, all-black monitor touts a 1,680 x 1,050 resolution display, HDCP-compliant DVI port, VGA connector, an anti-glare coating, five-millisecond response time, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness, integrated power supply, dual one-watt stereo speakers, and VESA mount support as well. All yours for ¥44,800, or just about $391.[Via AkihabaraNews]
Greenhouse's KanaSD gets makeover, adds SDHC support
Oh, KanaSD, how you've matured over the years in front of our very eyes. The diminutive DAP from Greenhouse has evolved from a simplistic, lackluster player to one that supported flash memory, and now provides a new level of adorableness to go along with the SDHC compatibility. The device plays nice with both MP3 and WMA formats, handles flash cards up to 8GB in size, lasts about five hours on a full charge, syncs up via USB 2.0, and comes in your choice of black or silver. As if you couldn't already guess, we've no idea how much this wee unit will cost when it hits the Japanese streets later this month, but it ought not be (too) much.[Via AkihabaraNews]
Greenbox converts carbon emissions into biofuel
A breakthrough technology developed by three engineering lads in Wales could hold the key to converting carbon emissions into beneficial substances such as biodiesel, methane gas, and fertilizer. The cleverly-dubbed Greenbox was designed to be fixed underneath one's vehicle where it could gobble up carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide until the next fill up, at which point the box would be switched out for a new one while the filled canister headed to a bioreactor for processing. Sounds complicated, we know, but strapping these bad boys beneath every gasoline-powered vehicle in a given nation could boost its biofuel production exponentially -- all without spending another penny (or pence) on research. Unsurprisingly, the trio of inventors are staying mum until they (hopefully) convince the government or a private company to grab ahold, but unless these boxes learn to swap themselves, we can't imagine too many individuals bustin' out the creeper for underbody work at each fuel stop.[Thanks, Jamie]
Big timers join up to launch Climate Savers Computing Initiative
Although a number of household name computer vendors have already inked their name on some sort of green agenda, now it looks like things are getting a bit more aspiring as Intel and Google have joined the likes of Dell, EDS, EPA, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, PG&E, and the World Wildlife Fund (among others) to launch the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. The lofty goal is to"save $5.5 billion in energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 54 million tons per year," which translates into an amount equal to removing "more than 11 million cars from the road" by 2010. Supposedly, vendors in agreement with the initiative will abide by the new 90-percent efficiency target for power supplies, which looks to be the main player in garnering such massive reductions. Feeling guilty about pulling the trigger on that 2,000-watt PSU yet?[Via ArsTechnica]
Greenhouse Kana GT DAP sports voice recorder, FM transmitter
We've watched Greenhouse's wee Kana grow up from its early Kana-SD stages and evolve into the entirely more mature Kana D, and now the next logical growth spurt is in order as the device makes the leap to include a voice recorder and FM transmitting capabilities. The Kana GT packs the same 1GB of internal memory that was seen in its predecessor, still lasts just seven hours on a full charge, handles MP3 and WMA files, and connects to your PC via USB 2.0. This iteration, however, also includes an OLED display, up to 140 hours of voice recording potential, a built-in FM tuner and FM transmitter, a dedicated antenna, and even a car cigarette USB charger to keep the music flowin' on lengthy road trips. The newest Kana will come in black, red, and silver motifs, and should land in mid-June for an estimated ¥7,980 ($66).[Via Impress]
