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The Engadget Podcast Ep 8: He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot
On this week's episode managing editor Dana Wollman, reviews editor Cherlynn Low and senior editor Devindra Hardawar join host Terrence O'Brien to discuss Elon Musk's plans to colonize Mars, racing 3D boats in Red Hook and the over-simplification of "the cyber" at the first presidential debate.
Tips and techniques from master bass angler Bill Dance
Well known bass fisherman Bill Dance has hosted a television program for years. On the program Dance offers fishing tips and techniques to help fishermen catch more and bigger fish. Now many of those same lessons are available in this free universal app appropriately named Bill Dance. The app runs on iOS 6.1 or later. Some areas of the app are more useful than others. First let's take a look at the information included in the app that will be helpful for fishermen. The app breaks down the information into six areas: Fishing Knots, Fishing Tips, Bill's Favorites, Photo Gallery, Fishlopedia, and Boating. Each section contains a number of specific areas of coverage. For example in Fishing Knots users will find six popular knots with a narrated video and written instructions on how to tie each knot. All of these knots appear to be used for attaching your hook to your line although they will work in other instances. It would have been better to demonstrate how they could be used for different purposes. In the Fishing Tips area users will find helpful information on how to fish certain types of lures, tips for certain conditions, structures and patterns, and how to approach your fishing trip with the proper mental attitude so you can learn from mistakes and concentrate on all the conditions such as water temperature, clarity, depth, under water structures, and the condition of the bottom to make sure you have the best chance of catching fish. The other section that can be useful is Fishlopedia, which has pictures and background information on more than three dozen species of freshwater fish. This includes several kinds of bass, salmon, catfish, pickerals, and sunfish. You will find a color picture of each species along with the current World Record catch for that fish plus when and where it was caught. Additionally the Bill Dance app provides an overview of where and what type of water structure the fish can be found. Two of the other sections deal more with specific brands of products. Bill's Favorites features a variety of products. According to the app developer's site these products are all from sponsors of Dance. The Boating section features a specific boat manufacturer and different models it produces. In each segment in the section Dance introduces a video and then the video deals with areas such at engine operation, and trailering your boat. While the videos do provide good information, each of the videos is the same in all six different areas. Why are their six copies of the same video? Likely because they have six boat models to show off. Overall I found the Bill Dance app contains quite a bit of useful information and can be helpful to fishermen, especially the less experienced anglers. While a couple of the sections fall short of what you might hope, users should still gain valuable knowledge from the app.
Dark Age of Camelot trims up paths, docks, and portals with a new patch
Are you looking to take a trip to scenic Agramon in Dark Age of Camelot? Then you'll definitely want to check out the latest patch notes. Agramon has been somewhat revamped with new docks and new paths into the center of the land, both from these new docks and from the milegates of each realm. And those aren't the only dock-based changes in the patch, at that; merchant docks have been moved further inland and renamed mainland docks, center keep docks are gone, and the rules for capturing mainland docks are different. Strength Relic Towns have also seen the addition of a new portal ceremony as well as various protections to keep the towns from being too easily captured. Players can also pick up new quests from the Agramon dockmasters involving killing players within Agramon... assuming, of course, that your realm controls one of the docks in Agramon. For the full details, read up on the official patch notes.
Grand Mer releases new fishing MMO video
If you cannot afford a slick speed boat and the latest in fishing technology to help you pull a massive, scaled beast out of the local salty waters, worry no more. Grand Mer, a new fishing MMORPG, will let you live your dreams from the convenient location of your desktop. While it might sound like a far-fetched idea for an MMORPG, consider the lore. It turns out that the game is set in a semi-post-apocalyptic world of flooded lands, one that requires citizens to pursue fish as if there were only a few left in the sea. Of course, we're not sure how the hip-hop-inspired clothing options and teeny-bikinis figure into the backstory, but for some reason we just... cannot... stop... watching. (Perhaps it is the scary possibility of netting a dolphin?) Whatever you think of the concept, check out the trailer after the cut and enjoy some images from the upcoming title. Don't be surprised if you hit replay as many times as we did.
Watch knots spring to life with Animated Knots
Do you want to tie a specialized knot? There's an app for that! Animated Knots isn't particularly polished or overdesigned. Instead, it presents a list of knots that are arranged in categories, such as boating, fishing, and scouting. You tap on a knot, and you see the knot tie itself on screen using stop motion photography. I must admit, it's kind of cool. Not only do you see each stage of the knot formation, but you also get a text accompaniment (which you can pause to read) that explains exactly what you need to do at each stage in order to create the knot. This app gave me flashbacks to summer camp, where I learned to tie a bowline with my eyes closed in under 5 seconds ... and that's a good thing.
Solar boat crew heading out on a fantastic voyage around the world
A group of engineers, scientists and sailors have banded together to form a team they call Solar Planet. The group are now building a 98-foot-long solar-powered boat, for the express purpose of sailing all the way around the world using nothing but the delicious power of the sun. The $13 million dollar vessel -- which is currently in construction in Kiel, Germany -- will have 5,059 square feet of photovoltaic cells, and should be able to circumnavigate the earth in about 120 days, at a rate of about 10 knots. The project is being funded by Swiss company Rivendell Holding AG, that has committed to investing in green technology. The group hopes to set sail sometime next year from Marseilles, France, with various stops off along the way. They will undoubtedly tire of hearing that Daft Punk song long before they ever leave the shore. Check out a sweet render of the boat after the break.
Garmin introduces waterproof nuvi 500 / 550 for the argonauts
Sure, Garmin's new nüvi 500 series can get you from point A to point G on paved and well-lit highways, but that's not the (whole) point here. Instead, these rugged (and waterproof) navigators are geared up to take to the trails, waterways and sidewalks with one-touch transitions between driving, bicycling, boating and walking modes. The 500 includes road maps and topographic maps for the lower 48 US states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, while the 550 touts comprehensive street map coverage of the US and Canada. Both devices boast a 3.5-inch touchscreen, a removable, rechargeable battery, Garmin's "Where Am I?" feature and geocaching support to boot. As for USers, you'll find the 500 and 550 on sale in Q3 for $499.99, while those across the pond will see the nüvi 550 land this September for £299.[Via GPSTracklog, thanks Rich]
Solar-powered kayak attachment nixes need for paddling
Although this isn't the first time we've heard "solar-powered" and "kayak" used in the same sentence, the SPK-1 does its darnedest to make us shake our heads in disbelief. This "outrigger attachment" essentially hooks onto any medium / large-sized kayak and relies on the sun to charge up the 12V deep cycle marine battery. From there, a Minkota trolling motor provides the power your kayak needs to move about in the water, leaving you with nothing better to do than kick back, enjoy a book and keep an eye on any incoming yachts. Sure, you could consider the $1,100 adornment an exemplification of indolence, but we think it's more like training wheels... only, for your kayak.[Thanks, Rich H.]
