STROBE
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Scientists capture 4D atomic movement in breakthrough experiment
Long-held theories about how materials melt, freeze and evaporate may need to be tweaked thanks to some breakthrough research. A UCLA-led team of scientists have captured the 4D movement of atoms through time and 3D space as they changed states, reportedly for the first time. The results were surprising and contradicted classical theories about "nucleation," when atoms start to change from one form to another. The research may prove valuable for the creation and study of new materials, chemicals and biological processes.
GM's Cruise buys LIDAR company to drastically cut self-driving costs
GM has already said it has what it takes to get a fleet of autonomous vehicles on the road before anyone else, and that timeline might've sped up further. Cruise Automation, the company GM acquired a little over a year ago, has announced it's made a purchase of its own: Strobe, which specializes in shrinking LIDAR arrays down to a single chip. The most immediate benefit here is cost. In a post on Medium, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt writes that LIDAR-on-a-chip will drop the price "by 99 percent" versus other LIDAR systems.
Strobe lighting goggles shown to improve short-term memory, all-night ravers feel validated
Those goggles you see above aren't for stylish looks while playing dodgeball -- they're the keys to a potentially important discovery about short-term memory. Duke University's Institute for Brain Sciences found that subjects playing catch with goggles simulating strobe lights were noticeably better at memorizing information during tests, even a full day after playtime was over. It's not hard to see why: with a limited amount of time to see that incoming ball, participants had to more vividly remember brief scenes to stay on top of the game. We don't yet know if there's any kind of long-term boost, so don't get your hopes up that strobe lights are the shortcuts to permanent photographic memory. Still, the findings suggest that frequent nightclubbers might be on to something... or, at least, have a better idea of where they left their keys the morning after. [Image credit: Les Todd, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences]
The DS Life: Lights, Camera, Strobist!
The DS Life is a weekly feature in which we scour the known world for narrative images of Nintendo's handheld and handheld gamers. If you have a photo and a story to match it with, send both to thedslife at dsfanboy dot com.It's easy to tell the work of an amateur photographer from a practiced shutterbug's -- shots are over- or underexposed, still objects appear blurred, and their subjects' eyes have been flashed a demonic red. Sometimes, you'll even spot a murky finger peeking into a corner, confused and out of focus.Strobist helps you avoid those clumsy mistakes and get professional results with your camera. We're sure that if you follow some of Strobist's tips, the next photos you submit to The DS Life will be picture perfect! Jump past the break and see how Strobist can help you!
US Army to arm UAVs with xenon-based paralysis inducer
While places like Australia and Raleigh might be flooding certain areas (or in the Aussie's case, the whole continent) with more energy-efficient light, the US Army is looking to counteract those uber-green intentions by busting out a 7.5-million candlepower strobe floodlight system to be used as a "non-lethal crowd-control device." The government has awards Pennsylvania-based Peak Systems a contract to fabricate a modified Maxa Beam searchlight that will be xenon-based, sport strobing capabilities, and will act as an "immobilization system /deterrent device" on large crowds. Furthermore, this behemoth of a flashlight will be flanking an unmanned aerial system, presumably to cruise over a rioting crowd (or platoon of foes) and theoretically flash bomb them until they suffer from "short-term paralysis." While the idea sounds like a logical way to slow down millions of oncoming soldiers whilst at war, what happens with those baddies come over the hill rocking welding masks or ultra-tinted Thump shades? [Via Wired]
mi Lite iPod skins
Have you ever wondered if your iPod could serve double duty as both a digital audio device and a funky portable strobe light? Me neither. But someone made it happen anyway.mi Lite, from Blue Box is a protective graphic skin that features tiny sensor switches that make your iPod light up and go blinky-blinky like a Christmas tree when you hold it in just the right spot. There's a nice selection of graphics, although the lights themselves appear to only come in blue. They'll set you back less than $20 and are available for all iPods except the iPod mini and iPod shuffle. The lights are powered by a "replaceable power source," so as not to drain power from your iPod.What ever will they think of next in the land of gratuitous iPod accessories?[via popgadget]
Wow your friends with your very own "Time Fountain"
Alright, this project isn't for the faint of heart, but nobody said stopping time would be easy. Instead of boring you with construction details that we don't really understand, we invite you to sit back and marvel at this crazy creation, inspired by such disparate elements as the artwork of Shigeko Hirakawa and the TV show Smallville. The basic principle of the "Time Fountain" involves fluorescent water for extra leet looks, and UV LED strobe lights that are timed in such a way to make the dripping water look like it's slowing down, stopping or even dripping backwards. It's probably best if we just show you the effect, so click on for the vid in glorious YouTube-vision and be amazed.[Via MAKE]
Kyocera Strobe heads to Alltel
Just when you needed one more option to consider when eyeing texting-friendly phones, Kyocera has delivered on "America's largest network". The Strobe, Alltel's latest offering, manages to stuff a full QWERTY keyboard and a second color screen inside of the candybar-styled device reminiscent of Nokia's 9000 series (or shall we say, candyclam?). As in the Switch_Back, the Strobe includes a VGA camera, Bluetooth, Axcess web, BREW, voice-activated dialing, and a built-in speakerphone. The phone should fit right in amongst teens and other SMS-addicts, and acquiring one won't be nearly as painful as you may expect; it's available now through Alltel for $49.99 with a 2-year plan.[Via Slashphone]
95-decibel ring amplifier blinds, deafens you
You might think of this as the polar opposite of the "stealth" ringtone: an e-shop is offering a $60 device for blasting you with a 95-decibel ring (the same as a subway train at 200 feet, we're told) and a flashing strobe light when you receive a call. Now, we can clearly see some valid uses for this product -- for example, in a very noisy environment, when you can't be near your phone, or perhaps for the hard of hearing. But we can definitely see some misuses, as well -- if you have any friends giving the wine glass thing a try, can we suggest a covert nighttime switcheroo?
