Discovery
Latest
Hasbro's $30 My3D goggle accessory brings 3D to iPhone, iPod touch
Truth be told, it's exactly what the world needed. More 3D gimmickry... on the iPhone and iPod touch, no less. With over 125 million of those two devices in circulation, Hasbro's betting that a new accessory will have a greater-than-average chance at taking off next Spring, with the My3D goggles set to put the View back in ViewMaster. Purportedly, the toy firm is expected to fully reveal the device to investors later today, with it being "aimed at both children and adults" and offering a 3D viewing experience on games, virtual travel, augmented reality apps and entertainment content. The device itself resembles a set of binoculars, and just as the aforementioned ViewMaster, there's a slot where you place your iPod touch or iPhone. Users will have to browse the App Store for compatible My3D content, with some of it to be offered up gratis. We're guessing more than a few curious consumers will bite at just $30, but how hard would it have been to get this thing onto store shelves next month? A holiday opportunity missed, Hasbro. [Thanks, Bill]
Visualized: Robonaut 2 settles in for month-long shuttle delay
NASA's recent announcement of a month-long delay for the launch of the space shuttle Discovery is no doubt disappointing for everyone involved, but it's hitting our friend Robonaut 2 particularly hard. While the human astronauts are able to relax and go about their business, Robonaut is forced to stay in his custom-made SLEEPR crate for the duration of the delay, with nothing but a pair of hand koozies and some "trash foam" for comfort. In fact, the real state of affairs is even less dignified than what you see above -- head on past the break for a look at the hard life of a robot.
Sony, IMAX & Discovery's 3D channel to feature content from... Sony, IMAX & Discovery
Sony, IMAX and Discovery announced at CES this year that they would be bringing a new 3D network home next year, and now they've laid out some of the initial content that will be airing on it. No surprise, we guess, that it's a mix of their own catalogs, but we figure content starved 3DTV owners will be very happy to see this mix of documentaries and feature films including Monster House and Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. Check the pres release after the break for the full list, while they didn't put a specific launch date other than 2011 we're already thinking CES in January is as good a time as any.
Trainyard's tale on the App Store
About four days ago, I was sitting in a waiting room about to board a train. Bored, and a little restless, I pulled out my iPhone 3G to take a look at the App Store and see if there was anything new that I could download to kill some time. Recently, I'd almost given up on visiting the App Store. With the frustrating performance of my 3G, downloading apps and using them had become more of an endured task than a pleasure. But, on this particular day, I went straight to the UK free download charts hoping for a gem. My eyes immediately scouted the star ratings, and I was quickly drawn to an app that I'd never seen before called Trainyard Express. I think, at the time, the app had a four star rating, well above some of its contemporaries that were similarly placed on the chart. Skipping over the blurb and taking a quick look at the pictures, I thought, this could be a game I actually might enjoy. I like puzzles, and I like trains. So, since I was about to get on one, I downloaded the app. To say the least, I was truly surprised at what a fantastic game I had found. I was totally engrossed for the duration of my journey, not to mention repeatedly returning to the game in the coming days. I enjoyed it so much that I got my wife to download it, too. Why was I so pleased with the game? Two major things struck me. The first being that I was bowled over by how good the game actually is. To me, it's engrossing, looks great, and is a pleasure to play. And secondly, I was delighted to have downloaded a game for free that has so much to offer. That is such a rarity these days that it only reinforced my positive perception of the game. On Tuesday, Matt from Struct.ca, the developer of the game, posted the story (so far) of Trainyard. Matt explains the journey he went through in developing the game as well as the highs and lows of getting Trainyard discovered on the App Store. Since I enjoyed discovering the game for myself so much, it's particularly interesting to read Matt's story of Trainyard being discovered. So, grab a cup of coffee and take five to read the blog post here. Then, go and try the free version of Trainyard Express for yourself. If you like that, go and download the paid version at just £0.59 - I just did. You can catch a demo video after the break.
Robonaut 2 will Tweet from Space, oust HAL as mayor
Robonaut 2, the humanoid offspring of NASA and GM, is set to blast off to the International Space Station next month. The highly dexterous anthropomorphic robot is designed to ultimately assist crews with dangerous and repetitive tasks like space walks and uh, managing the Twitter feed. R2, as it's affectionately known, is still a prototype, and will be hitching a ride aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery to test performance in microgravity. While there, R2 (or at least the team operating it) will be Tweeting live updates from the man cave via the @AstroRobonaut (hashtag #4R2) Twitter account. But please, for the love of humanity, somebody get that bot a Bumper... the last thing we need is a frustrated robot within arms' reach of 12.5 million newtons of liquid lightning.
23rd Shark Week starts Sunday, sends slow mo HD cameras into the jaws of a great white
Do you really have to check the calendar to know what time of year it is? That's right baby, it's Shark Week, and as usual, Discovery's taking a midsummer break to bring everything shark related to its prime time lineup. This year, Discovery follows up on one of the most-watched Shark Week specials of all time, Air Jaws, with Ultimate Air Jaws August 1 at 9 p.m., with 2,000 fps HD footage of great white sharks leaping out of the water to attack seals. Even if that's not enough details (and time, with one second of footage expanded to an entire minute) to count every tooth in the shark's mouth as the press release breathlessly claims, then check out Into the Shark Bite, where they inserted high speed HD cameras -- where else -- directly into a shark's jaws.%Gallery-98502%
Robonaut 2 enters final preparations before flying off into space
Tests, upgrades and final checks are being carried out on the Robonaut 2, the humanoid spacefaring robot that has been in the works since 2007. The baby of NASA and General Motors, this sack of metal and wires has already produced a catalog of 34 new patents and, according to GM, is setting the stage for new safety features in forthcoming generations of its road vehicles. Sensor technology being developed in the R2 could deliver better lane departure warning systems, adaptive cruise control, and more intelligent parking assistance. That's good news and all, but can we ship it out to the ISS already -- we'd rather it be off-world when its instruction set switches from "serve humans" to "serve human meat."
Discovery HD Theater thrills Baraka, Sunrise Earth fans with Lightscapes, Episode 1 June 21
Just when you thought we were all out of experiential TV, Discovery HD Theater has added Lightscapes, Episode One to its schedule. Claiming inspiration from Baraka and Sunrise Earth (seriously Discovery, where's that new season? Are we going to have to wake up early and go outside to see the sun come up? Don't make us do it.) it is apparently the first network TV show consisting mostly of timelapse photography shot on a Canon 5D Mark II. The gallery also shows a RED camera busy capturing 4K footage of Japanese media artist Akira Hasegawa's work, projecting large abstract images onto the 2000-year old Grand Ise Shrine. Ok, so it's not exactly 24, but it is the kind of thing we'll watch because it's in HD, so check the trailer after the break and set your DVR for June 21, 7:30 a.m. %Gallery-95013%
Will Wright to produce Science Channel programming
Following the reveal of Will Wright's reported, user-generated television venture with Current TV, the sporadic game designer has signed a deal with Science Channel, part of the Discovery network, to create original programming with interactive online elements. The Hollywood Reporter describes the partnership as encompassing series and specials for Science covering stupid fun topics like time travel, other worlds and the future. "I want to take the way he engages an audience in gaming and bring that into a show," Science Channel GM Debbie Myers said. "Gaming is a rich and compelling way to tell a great story," Wright added. "I am so excited to bring that mindset to TV projects." With that mindset could come Wright's tendency to incubate his projects for prolonged development cycles. Luckily, the proposed topics for his Science shows fit right in with this strategy. Should he ever get that time machine running, Wright could journey back to our time and tell us all about the future. We'd watch that. [Via Gamasutra]
Poll: Watching Life on Discovery tonight?
We all saw, and loved Planet Earth in its various forms, and now it's time for Life to air on pretty much every Discovery network at 8 p.m. (though interestingly, not HD Theater, which is fine -- we wouldn't want to miss our WRC highlights anyway.) We got an early preview of the first of two episodes that will be airing tonight and it was fantastic. It'll be hard to convince hardcore Attenborough fans to accept any substitute in narration but Oprah does a good job, and there's no doubt that the bar has been raised in the genre of watching animals do incredible things in super slow-mo HD. What was supposed to be just a few minutes preview turned into watching the entire thing, and rewinding just to watch that chameleon part once more turned into a complete second viewing. So, will you be tuning in? %Poll-43230%
Discovery's next epic series Life airs March 21 on seven networks, June 1 on Blu-ray
We've been waiting for the next Planet Earth for quite some time, and the latest contender to the throne is Life. An 11-part series devoted to exploring "the adaptability and diversity of life on Earth" each episode focuses on a different form of life, and of course, does it all in HD. The first two hours will air on Discovery Channel HD; TLC HD; Animal Planet HD; Science Channel HD; Investigation Discovery HD; and Planet Green HD, March 21 at 8 p.m., with two hour installments following each Sunday at 8 only on Discovery Channel HD. Check the video previews embedded after the break for more info on all the new camera technology used to make this series even more beautiful to look at than the last -- but hide your credit card first, the Blu-ray release June 1 is already available for preorders and imagining all that super slow-mo footage in 1080p is definitely too tantalizing for the weak-willed among us.
Crystal discovery could pave the way for new generation of computer chips
The discovery is still literally in the building blocks stage, but a team of researchers from Florida State University say that four new so-called "multiferroic" crystals they've identified could eventually lead to a "new generation" of computer chips. Those new chips would apparently not only be able to expand the capacity of storage devices by 1,000 to a million times but, since data would be written both electrically and magnetically, they'd also be far more secure. As if that wasn't enough, the researchers also say any future chips would have "far less environmental impact" than current chips, as they wouldn't rely on lead as chips now do. Of course, the researchers are quick to point out that won't happen overnight, with Sir Harold Kroto saying that this discovery is "where the transistor was when it was first invented," and adding that "it's a long, hard road before we catch up."
MIT jumps straight to wirelessly powering multiple devices
Ah, wireless power. One of those mythical mysteries that are far more likely to remain "something to strive for" rather than "the next big thing." Oh sure, we've got Palm's Touchstone and the Powermat, but until we can hang a 50-inch plasma from our bedroom ceiling and power it up without a single wire, we'll remain firmly unsatisfied. Thankfully for those of us in that camp, MIT exists, and a few of the school's best and brightest are toiling around the clock in order to develop a technology that would power not one, but multiple devices sans cabling. Thanks to the wonders of coupling resonance, we're told that the "overall power transfer efficiency of the wireless system could be increased by powering multiple devices simultaneously, rather than each device individually." In theory, the system could be implemented by "embedding a large copper coil in the wall or ceiling of a room," but there's obviously no set time frame for release. We'll be looking for you geeks at CES next year, okay?
WoW Moviewatch: Boomdeyada WoW
Irdeen Productions created Boomdyada for the Blizzard Rise to Power contest. While the contest version of the movie is a little different, this final machinima is the one that Irdeen released to the world. The song and video is obviously inspired by the Discovery.com The World is Just Awesome series. This video is just awesome. I don't have the words for how happy it makes me. In the same way that Discovery.com's original advertisements somehow instills a sense of awe and wonder in the audience, Irdeen has done exactly the same thing for Azeroth. Featuring dozens of cameos and landscapes, Irdeen has managed to convey excitement and appreciation for everything World of Warcraft. (For those with a sharp eye and ear, that is in fact an Oxhorn cameo also.) The voice actors include such well known machinima stars as Jesse Cox and Matt Geenburg. Irdeen Productions should absolutely be proud of this video. It's got to become a favorite of many WoW fans, and I hope we see more like it when Cataclysm comes around. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.
Nanopool's spray-on liquid glass could keep bacteria, water off of pretty much anything
You know, we're beginning to wonder exactly what's genuine anymore. Our foods are being built in laboratories, our glass panes are being unwillingly converted to touch panels, and now, exposed objects don't even have to get grimy over the course of time. It's a travesty, we say. All disappointing rants aside, we have to confess that we're actually enthused about a newly developed spray-on silicon dioxide solution that promises to protect just about any surface from water, bacteria, dirt and UV radiation. The so-called "liquid glass" is said to be completely harmless to the environment, and creator Nanopool hopes that it can be used eventually on car coatings, clothing and even the nose cones of high-speed trains. Here's hoping it comes in a spray can -- our decade-old keyboard and mouse could probably use a coat of this. [Thanks, Pierre]
3D stole the show at CES 2010
Not sure why we've been putting this off, but we'll just come right out and say it: there's no doubt that this was the year for 3D at CES. We walked the show floor for countless hours and can tell you that just about everyone was showing something related to 3D at their booths. Most of these demos required a bit of a wait to experience them (thanks, hype), and everywhere you went people were talking about 3D. Granted, not all of that talk was positive, but it was talk nonetheless. Whether or not the technology will be seen in history as a success in the market place is obviously still up in the air, and much like a finely crafted episode of Lost, 3D at CES this year was littered with more questions than answers. %Gallery-82768%
Discovery searches for name for 3D channel, 3DNet is on the list
Oh now we just can't believe this one, do you mean to tell us that Mark Cuban had the insight to create HDNet, but didn't bother to trademark 3DNet? Apparently, because Broadcasting & Cable is reporting that on January 5th Discovery Communications trademarked the name 3DNet. As we already let you know, next year Discovery will launch a 24x7 3D network with a mixture of non-fiction, sports, films and content from the libraries of its partners, Sony and IMAX. We can't wait to hear what our old friend Mark has to say about this one, but maybe as much as he loved HD, he doesn't really get 3D yet -- yeah, we doubt it.
Sony, IMAX & Discovery bringing 24/7 3D home first in 2011
Since it was one of the first to launch 24/7 HD broadcasting with Discovery HD Theater, it only makes sense Discovery is blazing the 3D path, helped along by Sony and IMAX. The bad news? This three way venture won't be coming home until 2011, well after ESPN kicks off part time broadcasting and, in our opinion, leaving a wide window if a certain Dallas-based billionare wants to launch his own channel -- we're thinking "3DNet" could be a good name. C'mon Mark, you know you want to. Check the PR after the break for details, although there's no word on which documentaries we'll be seeing looped day after day (and, if our experience with HD Theater is any indication, will still be amazed by even the 50th time.)
Spin polarization achieved at room temperature, elusive miracles now less elusive
Spintronics -- much like Cook-Out milkshakes and cotton candy for all -- seems like a pipe dream at this point. We've been beaten over the head with theoretical miracles, but we're getting to the point where it's put up or shut up. Thankfully, a team of Dutch boffins are clearly in the same camp, and they've been toiling around the clock in order to achieve spin polarization in non-magnetic semiconductors at ambient temperature. The amazing part here is that "temperature" bit; up until this discovery, spin polarization was only possible at levels of around 150 K, or at temperatures far, far cooler than even your unheated basement. If spintronics could effectively be enacted at room temperature, all those unicorn-approved phenomena we mentioned earlier would have a much greater chance of sliding into the realm of reality. Here's hoping they get this stuff ironed out prior to 2012.
Intel and Numonyx pave the way for scalable, higher density phase change memory
Both Intel and Numonyx have been talking up phase change memory for years now, but for some reason, we're slightly more inclined to believe that the latest breakthrough is actually one that'll matter to consumers. In a joint release, the two have announced a new non-volatile memory technology that supposedly "paves the way for scalable, higher density phase change memory products." Put as simply as possible, researchers have been testing a 64Mb chip that "enables the ability to stack, or place, multiple layers of PCM arrays within a single die," and the two are calling the discovery PCMS (phase change memory and switch). We know, you're drowning in technobabble here, but if these two can really apply Moore's Law to density scaling, you'll be thanking 'em as you pick up your $50 6TB hard drive in 2014.
