trashcan
Latest
The Engadget Podcast Ep 23: Leaving Las Vegas
Editor in chief Michael Gorman, executive editor Christopher Trout and managing editor Dana Wollman join host Terrence O'Brien to give you one last update from the ground in Las Vegas. They talk about the history of sex at CES, it's quiet reemergence and all the most absurd gadgets from the show floor. Plus they settle once and for all who is the Flame Wars champion, and who will have something to prove in 2017.
Simplehuman made a trashcan you can open with your voice
Simplehuman's a pretty household name in, uh, households across the country, what with its sensor mirrors, stainless steel dish racks and automatic soap dispensers. Now it's come up with yet another innovation: a trashcan you can activate with your voice. Known as the Sensor Can with Voice Control, you can open it just by saying "open can" and "open sesame."
Smart trash can helps educate reluctant recyclers
France and recycling go together like hammers and fromage frais, which is why the country has some of the worst recycling rates in Europe. Local startup Uzer is hoping to encourage better habits with Eugene, a smart trash can that'll tell users what they can recycle and track what they're consuming. Essentially, it's a pedal bin with a barcode scanner bolted onto the top, but if that's what it takes to get folks separating their cardboard and plastic, it might just be worth it.
High-tech trash can rewards cleanliness with cryptocurrency coins
If you ask us what our idea of a high-tech trash can is, we'd tell you it's one with a built-in compactor powered by solar panels. Sean Auriti from Brooklyn, however, had other ideas, which ultimately led to Ecan -- a garbage bin that earns you money (in cryptocurrency, that is) whenever you toss anything in. Unlike our rather simplistic vision of a modern trash can, Ecan requires anyone who wants to use it to identify themselves on a Raspberry Pi-powered screen that uses solar energy to run. That's not all, though: you also need to scan the barcode or anything you want to throw, unless it's anything without one, like a banana peel or a candy wrapper. In that case, you'll have to take its picture using the bin's accompanying app before it starts mining Emrals (what Auriti calls the cryptocurrency he created for this purpose) for you.
A closer look at the new trash can and dock UI in OS X Yosemite
The design shift from Mavericks to Yosemite is a lot less stark than what we saw last year with the transition from iOS 6 to iOS 7. Nonetheless, Apple with OS X Yosemite still managed to implement a number of noticeable changes to the overall look and feel of the OS, from conspicuous new icons to more subtle UI tweaks. Min Ming Long of Pixelapse last week put up a relatively comprehensive and informative post detailing a number of the new UI changes we can look forward to once OS X Yosemite breaks free from its beta designation. The entire post is worth checking out, but we'll just highlight two examples to whet your appetite. First up, we have a close-up view of OS X's new trash can. Yeah, we know that a new trash can icon is typically nothing to write home about, but given that it's a glaring design change, why not give it its due? Besides, you might recall Apple's Craig Federighi saying that Apple spent quite a bit of time on the design. And so, without further ado, here it is in all of its glory. Behold! I can't lie; it is pretty sleek. As we covered in greater detail last week, there are a number of icon changes on OS X Yosemite's dock that, on the whole, really embody thoughtful design. The new trashcan in particular marks the end to an OS X trashcan design that more or less looked like this for the last 14 years. Trashcan business aside, there are some other changes to the OS X Yosemite dock that are worth mentioning. As evidenced in the photo below, Apple has done away with the 3D shelf for icons, a dock mainstay since OS X Leopard. Also make note of new indicator dots and lighter labels for each corresponding application. Again, make sure to digest the full entry for a more complete rundown of UI changes, from new and almost-neon blue system folders to newly designed navigation elements and a whole lot more. OS X Yosemite won't be available as a final release until this fall, but until then, interested Mac users can download a beta of the upcoming OS free of charge. Lastly, make sure to check out our handy guide which lays out which Mac models will actually able to run the OS X 10.10.
Fancy ash tray rewards smokers for not littering with a song and light show
Some places impose hefty fines to prevent cigarette littering, but a group of Dutch designers believe that the answer lies in rewarding smokers for doing the right thing instead. So, the team designed a souped up trash can called Fumo that lights up like a disco ball and plays music like a jukebox when you toss in a cigarette butt. It even starts blinking the moment you step close, just so you know it's not some boring receptacle before you even get the chance to try it out -- and no, check the calendar if you must, it's not an April Fool's joke. The designers say the trash can can also be tweaked depending on the purpose: for instance, it can incorporate interactive elements for festivals or play solemn music if it's meant to be installed in front of a hospital. According to a recent research, around 4.5 trillion cigarette remnants end up as trash every year, so it really is a big issue that might only be solved by banning filters altogether. As to whether Fumo has the potential to minimize cigarette litter or if it's just a gimmicky idea whose novelty will wear off quickly, you tell us after watching it in action after the break.
Apple's new Mac Pro now on sale, will ship by December 30th
After months of waiting, Apple's new Mac Pro is now available to order through its online store. Coming just a day after the company announced the availability of the trashcan-shaped desktop, the quad-core and six-core models start at $3,000 and $4,000 respectively. Should you order today, Apple says it'll ship your new Mac Pro by December 30th. That base model will get you a 3.7GHz quad-core Xeon CPU, 12GB DRAM, two AMD FirePro D300 GPUs, and a 256GB SSD. However, if you max out every setting, you're looking at around $10,000 -- and that's without a mouse or a keyboard.
Trash cans tracking iPhone data in London
Just when you thought the ultimate threat to your privacy rights had been discovered -- the US government's PRISM program -- a new threat emerges from... trash cans. No, that's not a joke. At least not here in London, where high-tech trash cans (known as "rubbish bins") display ads to pedestrians via LED screens. The bins use WiFi connectivity to pull ads from the advertising agency's content management system. However, it's been discovered that the agency behind the trash cans, Renew, has also been using that WiFi to grab MAC information from people's iPhones and other smart phones. As The Guardian reports: The Renew ad firm has been using technology embedded in the receptacles to measure the WiFi signals from smartphones, and suggested that it would apply the concept of "cookies" – tracking files that follow internet users across the web – to the physical world. "We will cookie the street," its chief executive, Kaveh Memari, said in June. The City of London has now demanded that Renew cease tracking users' smartphone data when they passed by the trash cans. Renew has not publicly commented on the request yet.
Moving trash can catches your waste, annoys Larry Bird (video)
Just when you thought developments in trash can technology hadn't moved too far since the trusted b-ball backboard accessory, a Japanese genius comes along to raise the bar. Modder FRP has created the Smart Trashbox, a moving can which uses a Kinect to track airborne garbage and make sure you'll never miss another three. Impressively, it appears he designed and built every piece of the puzzle himself, from the motorized wheel base right down to the PCB. We dread to think how much coding this took, given that the Kinect monitors the entire room, calculates trash trajectory and sends the can interception orders. Apparently the accuracy stats don't demand MVP awards just yet, but check out the highlight reel (and more details of the project) after the break.
Android trash can robot begs the question: 'Why are you hitting yourself?' (video)
We've seen robots that look like they've had one too many, but we're pretty sure this little guy needs to check into rehab. Despite its absolutely adorable appearance, this Android seems hell-bent on destruction, literally beating itself up, and eventually falling on its face. Built using the requisite Arduino, a trash can, some LEDs, and a slew of other components, this little guy was apparently created in three days on a budget just barely exceeding $100. You can see a video of the waste-bin bot hitting rock bottom at the source link below, but please refrain from laughing; Android alcoholism is a serious issue.
Speech-controlled garbage can makes trash fun again
Have you ever stared at a garbage can and wished you could command it to come towards you? No? Then you may still be interested in this new speech-controlled trash can built by DIY-er Amnon, which will respond to your beck and call yet never stray beyond the safe confines of your carefully laid out tape route (sure to complement any room). Unfortunately, there isn't a step-by-step guide for building a little trash buddy of your own, but Amnon has provided a shot of the all-important underside (linked below), and a complete parts list, so it shouldn't be too hard for experienced folks to follow along. Head on past the break for the video.[Via Hack a Day]
Mac 101: Get that "stuck" disc out of your Mac
Welcome to another Mac 101 here at TUAW. Mac 101 is our recurring feature where we point out some tips and tricks for folks new to the Mac. Remember, if you're a Mac expert this post isn't for you.Have you ever tried to unmount a disc in Mac OS X, but it simply wouldn't come out of your Mac's drive? Here are three ways of removing discs from your Mac's drive. If your Mac is currently using the disc you won't be able to eject it, so make sure that isn't the case first. If the disc isn't in use and you still can't eject it, give these a try.Step 1: Drag the disc to the trash canFind the disc on the desktop and drag its icon to the Mac OS X trash can. As you start dragging it towards the trash, the icon will change to an eject button, release the mouse button when the disc's icon is directly over the eject button. Step 2: Try some command line goodnessIf you have tried to eject the disc by dragging its icon over the trash bin, then why not try a simple Terminal command to eject the disc. Open Terminal.app (found in /Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app; or use Command + Shift + U to in any Finder window to move to the Utilities folder). Once you have Terminal opened, type (or copy/paste) the following command: drutil eject Step 3: Restart your Mac while holding mouse button downIf you've tried the other steps to no avail, then why not reboot your Mac while holding down the mouse button. Upon loading the Apple boot screen, your disc should be ejected. Please note that if you have a disc that is actually physically stuck in the drive, this will not help. Stuck discs may need the assistance of an Apple Genius or certified Apple repair professional.
Flickr Find: Recreating the OS X Trash Can in real life
Drewm over at Flickr recreated the Mac OS X trash can in real life. It's an absolutely beautiful three-dimensional nod to the OS X dock. It makes you kind of wish he'd recreate the entire dock but searching his account only found 1 result matching "dock". A blue acrylic clipboard appears to have given him the inspiration. See this earlier picture of his of the same can full of coins. The photo was shot using a Canon digital camera. In terms of visual beauty, this is a big step forward from the OS sculptures Apple used to display at the Apple Campus garden in Cupertino.
Ask TUAW: Trash in the Sidebar, Mail problems, Books, and More
It's time yet again for Ask TUAW, our weekly questions and answers column. This week we'll be tackling questions from last week about putting the Trash in the Finder sidebar, problems with Mail, keeping track of Books, and more. As always, please leave your own comments, and ask more questions for next week either in the comments to this post or using the tip form. Now let's turn to this week's questions.
