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High-powered lasers will allow burning dual-layer Blu-ray at 10x
Once the realm of mighty giants with huge pocketbooks, burning a dual-layer Blu-ray (or HD DVD) disc might be yours at ten times normal speed starting in 2008, when Japanese firm Nichia Corp. will start production on a higher-powered laser diode for use in recorders. The diode emits pulsed light at a higher output than current models, and is stable enough for 1,000 hours of operation, which we estimate should net you around 5,000 two-hour burns... of data, of course! It will also allow for 2x burning of up to four layers. We're still waiting for word on how fast it will burn those ten-layered discs.
Intel seeks light sensors to halt laptop scalding
Having an overheating laptop nestled on your legs isn't exactly the most comfortable way to work, but even if your Li-ion doesn't erupt on your mid-section, other forms of damage can still ruin your day life. In an effort to quell the scalding that so often occurs on today's lap-burners, Intel has issued a patent application "which uses light to sense when a computer casing is getting too hot, and automatically throttles back the power" to cool things off. Considering that hot spots emerge in various locales on the casing, a light sensor would be used to detect changes on an internal thermochromic coating, which would then relay a signal to the processor to clock down a bit in order to keep the temperatures within reason. Of course, we fully expect a taskbar icon to disable this CPU-limiting procedure for those rocking flame retardant pants, but this should work just fine for those who prefer not to dress accordingly while computing on the go.[Via NewScientistTech]
Today's hottest game video: Wii modchip
Today's most-watched YouTube game video just shows some guy inserting and mounting discs in a Spanish-language Wii. Boring? Yes. But the M. Night Shyamalan-worthy twist is that these aren't ordinary discs; they're homemade burns. And the Wii? It's been modded to play "backups" with the Wiinja chip. Are you freaked out yet? (Seriously, that idea is free, MNS.)While piracy is bad, mkay, we expect that the mod will let a Wii play games from any region, something that excites us alpha gamers.And yes, there could be a second Wii connected to the TV in the video. Why do you always have to be so cynical? (You know who you are.) Just enjoy the video after the break, and hope the chip makes it into the wild.
Play custom songs on hacked Guitar Hero II
Ever wanted to play your favorite song in Guitar Hero II? I don't mean tapping away at your keyboard on some competent PC clone, I mean actually strumming along to your favorite rock anthem on your TV with your favorite Guitar Hero controller. Apparently it's possible with a DVD burner, a modded PS2, and a handful of hacking programs as outlined on the ScoreHero.com forums. The 12-step process requires that you to handle some pretty complicated file juggling, but the end results are impressive. Keep reading for a couple of examples of some custom songs inserted into everyone's favorite Guitar game.
How would your DS fare ... in a volcano?
That's one of the many tough questions Robert Falcon asks over at modojo.com. He decided to analyze the DS and PSP's ability to survive various natural disasters, including floods, earthquakes, and blizzards. Keep in mind that if your DS Lite somehow manages to find its way into a pit of boiling lava, you need to take pictures so we can post them. Seriously, that stuff is blogging gold.On a slightly more serious tack, has anyone had a DS or DS Lite miraculously survive when it had no right doing so? Let us know![Thanks, Justin!]
This just in: Roxio charging $99 for free software
Michael posted that Roxio has released a new version of Toast, complete with a highly-anticipated bundled version of TiVoToGo for Mac OS X. While this is certainly a joyous day for those anxiously awaiting the ability to Macify their TiVo content, I can't help but have a severely bitter taste in my mouth from the fact that TiVo and Roxio are essentially charging $100 for what Windows users get to do for free. Sure, it was probably a painstaking and grueling process to build a Mac OS X client, and it's even likely that many Bothans died to bring us this software. But *bundling* it with a $100 disc burning app and no alternative for a stand-alone purchase? Even accepting the fact that they (for some odd reason) *have* to charge for a Mac client, I call foul - and so do plenty of our readers. I'm sure many of Toast's users will welcome the new 'feature' in this version upgrade, but Roxio and TiVo really need to offer a separate purchase (or free!) option for those who, like me, would rather use burning software that won't break the bank. With complaints in hand, I'll be sure to bug Roxio about this during our Macworld 07 coverage this week.
Wii hacked to play back-up games
We're having a hard time believing this, for a number of reasons, but it appears that someone has found a way to play burned games on their Wii through a combination of utilizing a SD card and a back-up of Twilight Princess on a CD-R. Now, we're no pirating experts (we like to support Nintendo, they rock), but to us it looks like this person has found a viable way to consistently play burned games. What do you, more technically savvy, readers out there in reader land have to say about this? Real deal or fake?[Thanks ZeldaX!]
Today's hottest (literally) game video: when Wii play with candles
Some geniuses read that you can replace the Wii sensor bar with candles, and proceed to set their TV on fire, making this the hottest game video by far. The real fun happens when another Einstein comes in and tries to put the flames out, resulting in some barbecue action. Check it out after the jump, and donate to the "Fire Extinguishers for the Burning Impaired" fund. Wii gaming is supposed to be hot, but not this hot. If you burn your house down, please don't blame Joystiq.
Disco public beta and today-only macZOT price
Disco, the new burning app with so much buzz, has transitioned from a private beta to a public one. We've covered our fair share of Disco already, but to summarize: it has burning features that place it somewhere in between the Finder and Roxio's $99 Toast 7. One feature I didn't know about before though is Discography, a built-in search engine that lets you search through all the files you've previously burned. Users can search when the file was burned, when it was last edited, and to what disc it was burned - now that's innovation, boys and girls.However, today is the last day Disco can be had for the introductory price of $14.95. While you can purchase at this price straight from Disco's site, macZOT is running one of their zany deals where three lucky buyers will win a Lacie DL DVD Burner with LightScribe, and some sort of a bonus is included with every purchase. You'd better hurry though: as of this writing you have just under 14 hours to hop on the Disco + macZOT bandwagon, and after today, Disco's price rises to $24.95.
Disco beta is out
Disco, the new burning software that's been blazing a name for itself, has entered a more or less public beta. Those who pre-ordered through a MacZOT that was featured not long ago should be receiving ticket numbers with which they can redeem a beta download, otherwise you can email beta [at] discoapp.com to see if Jasper Hauser and crew will randomly select you for a lucky download of your own.If you're interested in seeing more of this $14.95 piece of burning shareware check out the Disco blog for more screenshots and explanations on what the developers are shooting for. It's a pretty impressive app, both from feature and UI standpoints, and definitely worth a look if the Finder's burning abilities leave you wanting, while Toast's ridiculous 'discounted' price of $80 leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth.Thanks Nik
Burn - an OSS alternative to Toast
Toast is great, and Mac OS X can handle burning a few types of CDs and disk images natively, but what if you need something in between Toast's $80 price tag and Mac OS X's basic burning abilities? Burn might just be the answer you need. This open source app can handle CDs, DVDs, VCDs, various data disk types, disk images and more. The source is readily available in case it's missing something, and both Mac OS X 10.3.9 and QuickTime 7 are required, though many features seem to be 10.4-only. Enjoy.
Today's lesson: don't mow the lawn while listening to your iPod during a lightning storm
The Denver Post is reporting that Bunch, a 17-year-old teenager in Castle Rock, CO, was struck by lightning while mowing the lawn and listening to his iPod. While scientists aren't laying any money down on how likely it is that lightning sought out the teenager's iPod, the boy and his mother suspect Apple's little white player acted as a sort of lightning rod in this most unfortunate of accidents. The strike traveled all the way down his earbuds, burning his ears and the side of his face, causing Bunch to lose some of his hearing.All things considered, Bunch and his mother are just happy that he is alive.[via iLounge]Thanks Gidge.
RITEK rolling out HD DVD-Rs next month
HD DVD-Rs are on the way, with Maxell/Hitachi and Mitsubishi/Verbatim announcing shipments to Japan in July, and September in the US, now Advanced Media, better known as RITEK or RIDATA, has announced they will ship single-layer HD DVD-Rs to the US in late July. Other than the 15GB discs next month, they will release dual-layer 30GB HD DVD-Rs and single-layer HD DVD-RWs sometime in the fourth quarter.We're still left guessing as to the burning speed supported by the discs as that is not mentioned in the press release. There is also no specific price mentioned, but we can expect HD DVD recorders to become available around the same time as the media.
SuperDrive Firmware Update v2.0 for some PowerPC-based Macs
Apple has released a firmware update for SuperDrives in a variety of PowerPC-based Macs, including: PowerBook G4 (12 -inch 1.5GHz) PowerBook G4 (15-inch 1.33GHz, 1.5GHz, or 1.67GHz) PowerBook G4 (17-inch 1.67GHz) iMac G5 (17-inch 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz) iMac G5 (20-inch 1.8GHz) Mac mini G4 The update "fixes burning speeds when writing to certain recordable DVD media". Check out Apple's support document and download page for details and instructions on installing the update.
Burn-in on plasma TVs
The burn-in issue on plasmas is something that just won't go away. Manufactures have tried hard to prevent it as much as possible but still, it is a side effect of the technology. There is a group of consumers down under (in Australia) that purchased plasmas before the holiday's and left them on for hours days causing the stations logos to be burned into the screen. Yes, we know plasma this and plasma that, but there are easy things to prevent burn-in. Burn-in is most likely when the TV is the brightest making the first 24-36 hours of life critical. Even some manufacture set-up screens can cause nasty image retention. (not burn-in but rather, ghosting for a short period of time.) Turn down the brightness past 50%. Plus, you will get a lot deeper picture. Avoid static images. This does not mean the ESPN banner or ABC logo but rather the Window's Start Bar or OS X's Dock. Use the plasma as a TV because you WILL get burn-in if used as a monitor. If you pause the Xbox, turn of the TV. Believe it or not, plasmas are not the only type of display technology that can suffer from burn-in. CRTs have always had this problem, (think old school screensavers) but so have LCDs. WHAT?!? No! But yes, LCDs can burn-in. The best proof we can give you is Apple's guide to removing burn-in. It is rare and requires the image to be static longer, but it can happen.Do not be afraid to buy a plasma because of the chance of burn-in. There are tools and techniques to remove burn-in but if you plan on using the plasma as a TV rather then a computer monitor, then you should never ever experience it.
