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MIT researchers cram optical circuitry on a silicon chip
It looks like MIT is raising the bar yet again, as this time it's taking a break from crafting autonomous UAVs and stackable vehicles to cram optical circuitry on your everyday silicon chip. In an effort to "integrate the optical circuitry with electronic circuitry" on the same silicon wafer, researchers have devised a method which will harness the "enormous power of light waves in networks" while offering up a way to manufacture the circuitry cheaply. The crew has reportedly already been playing around with a working prototype, and suggests that it could eventually "redefine how optical networks are built." Moreover, the development addresses the existing "signal weakening over distance" issue in fiber optic transmissions by "splitting the light beams as they pass through a circuit, rotating one of the polarized beams, and finally rejoining them on their way out of the circuit, which retains the signals' strength." While there's no projection of when this technology could actually hit the mainstream, anything that makes it less expensive to rollout FiOS (and similar networks) to more people most definitely has our vote.
Gamecube for Wii credit, and tomorrow's chaos
Perhaps some of you are reading this article via your smartphone, waiting in bitter cold weather because you're sick and tired of not having a precious Nintendo Wii. We understand. Tomorrow's deluge of Wii's, which should be occurring at many nation-wide outlets (Best Buy, Target, and Circuit City all seem to be proper candidates), may make many people quite happy. It may make many people really, really pissed off.While you might be willing to spend whatever it takes, we have a bit of thrifty advice. First off, EB Games is taking your soon-to-be-completely-worthless Gamecube as fifty dollars of trade-in credit for a Wii. Normally, they only give twenty-five. While EBG and Gamestop have not been officially confirmed as having units available for tomorrow, it's worth a phone call (why would they advertise such a deal if it were impossible to use?). Also, it seems Tower Records is having a massive sale, with 25% off of pretty much everything, including games. Pick 'em up cheap! And good luck, troopers.[Thanks, Dave and Vincent!]
Xbox, Xbox 360 taken to console heaven by water jet cutter
While there's no shortage of interesting ways to dissect (or completely obliterate) your favorite gizmo, this one came straight out of left field but still manages to impress. If you've never been around a pressure washer and had vivid thoughts of cutting up your precious Microsoft console with it, you're probably in the (vast) majority, but the zany folks over at Waterjets fulfilled their own fantasies. Offered a bunch of malfunctioning Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles, they put their laser water cutting skills to the test by making an "X" out of an original Xbox, carving out Xbox logos from the circuit boards, and creating a hole in the middle of an Xbox 360. Sure, the utility here is questionable, and the methods are most certainly unorthodox, but we can't deny the wow-factor. So if you're interested in seeing just what else happens when that oh-so-powerful jet gets fired up, be sure to hit the read link for the full rundown of slicing and dicing.[Via MAKE]
Sanyo developing earphone LSI chip that doubles as a microphone
We've got phones so tiny we can barely dial our intended contacts, Bluetooth headsets that allow calls to be placed by just lifting a hand, and now Sanyo Semiconductor is giving the couch dweller in us all another glimpse of jubilation with its latest chip. Although typical BT earpieces combine a speaker and microphone for an all-in-one conversation solution, even the tiniest of units aren't exactly discrete, and if your surroundings happen to drown out your voice, your only solution is to escape the racket or yell louder. Sanyo is hoping to ease the frustrations of current handsfree applications by creating an LSI chip that can be worn in one's ear and yet still transmit outgoing audio. The device operates by picking up the faint diaphragm movements that occur whenever you utter even a whisper, and magnifies the vibrations into spoken words that your recipient can comprehend. While the eardrum emits voice signals "at a strength of about one-30th that of the voice itself," the circuity can reportedly transform comments made under your breath into phrases heard loud and clear. The company isn't handing out release details nor giving any indications on how much these will cost, but it looks like we'll all be one step closer to double-agent status should these ever hit store shelves.
Deal of the day: Intec safe case for $5 at Circuit City
I know some of you may be disappointed that we aren't bringing you insanely cheap deals for PSP games, but here's a nice deal for those of you who are too cheap frugal to buy a Logitech PlayGear Pocket.Circuitcity.com has the Intec safe case for only $5.Be sure to note its features: Tough aluminum body; Custom-molded interior; and PSP not included (Wow, is that really necessary?) (Via Cheapassgamer - Registration required)
Control your IR devices via SMS
As the site clearly indicates, "The purpose of this circuit is to make the human life better and easier," and we couldn't agree more. If you've got an ancient Ericsson lying around that would otherwise be ready for the recycle bin, this circuit gives your faithful friend a new lease on life as an SMS-actuated IR sender capable of controlling up to eight devices, depending on how you opt to build it. A simple 8-digit text message to the phone is all it takes to send the appropriate ON or OFF signals, and as an added bonus, the author shows you how to wire the phone directly into the circuit so a battery's no longer required. A better and easier human life, indeed.[Via Make]
RUMOR: Circuit City to sell Mitsubishi and JVC TVs
We have some unconfirmed, but yet it comes from reliable sources, that Circuit City is going to announce sometime soon that they are going to start selling Mitsubishi and JVC HDTVs. So far all we know is that The City is going to sell Mitsubishi plasmas and LCDs; hopefully, they are going to sell their DLPs too. We don't know much about their role with JVC just yet, but we are hoping that this announcement is going to made soon so we can get more info. This could give the consumers a choice for different types of DLPs rather then Samsungs in Circuit City. It seems that Circuit City is really pushing the mid to high-end home CE market. This seems to be the opposite of what Best Buy is doing with making more in-house branded products. Case in point if these TVs do develop but also, Circuit City is also going to sell Denon and Boston Acoustics products as they are pushing out Harmon Kardon and Infinity. We will keep you updated on this as it hopefully move from a rumor to news.[thanks to everyone that sent this in]
Huge summer Circuit City sale
A poster over at CAG reports of a sale going on over at Circuit City, officially starting July 4th weekend, in which a slew of PSP titles will be going on sale for $8.96 a piece. While some of the titles are best avoided, getting a copy of Exit or Darkstalkers for such a small sum is a blessing most divine. The list, unchanged from its forum post, reads: Darkstalkers Exit FIFA Soccer Gretzky NHL NBA Street Showdown Need For Speed Underground Rivals Spiderman 2 Tiger Woods PGA Tony Hawk Underground 2 Remix World Soccer Tour I know I'm picking up Tony Hawk Underground 2 Remix, Exit, and Need for Speed Underground Rivals. How about you guys? Any reports of this sale going on early? Any Circuit City employees want to verify the date the sale starts? Bueller?[Note: You must be registered for the forums in order to view the thread.]
Huge summer Circuit City sale [Update]
[Update: A commentor, and employee of Circuit City in IL, by the name of Hughes has said that his store is putting these sale items out July 3rd. Any more employees want to step forward to confirm this day?]A poster over at CAG reports of a sale going on over at Circuit City, officially starting July 4th weekend, in which a slew of Nintendo DS titles will be going on sale for $8.96 a piece. While some of the titles are best avoided, getting a copy of Advance Wars for such a small sum is a blessing most divine. The list, unchanged from its forum post, reads: Advance Wars Asphault GT (DS) - $5.96 ATV Quad Frenzy Burnout Legends Dig Dug: Digging Strike Dragonball Z Supersonic Warriors 2 FIFA Soccer 2006 Finding Nemo Goldeneye Rouge Agent Great Juju Challenge Gulty Gears Dust Strike Incredibles Rise Of The Underminer King Kong Lunar Dragon Song Madden 2005 Madden 2006 Meteos Metroid Prime Pinball Monster Truck Need For Speed Underground 2 Pac N Roll Pac Pix Pokemon Dash Polarium Scooby Doo Unmasked Spongebob Yellow Avenger Spyro Shadow Legacy Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge Of The Sith Texas Hold Em Tiger Woods 2005 Trace Memory Ultimate Spiderman Urbz: Sims In The City I know I'm picking up Advance Wars, Metroid Prime Pinball, and Lunar Dragon Song. How about you guys? Any reports of this sale going on early? Any Circuit City employees want to verify the date the sale starts? Bueller?[Note: You must be registered for the forums to see the thread.]
