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Ragnarok Online announced for DS
Better get a DS now if you don't have one, because when Ragnarok Online comes out, all DS shipments will by necessity be diverted to Korea. Ragnarok, for those of you lucky enough to avoid the onset of MMO addiction, is a hugely popular Korean MMO known for its adorable 2D sprites and mascot characters (at least, that's what we know it for.) Like Maple Story, we have no idea if this will actually be a DS version of the real game, or if it'll be a smaller-scale online game, or even online at all. In the same press release, publisher Gungho Online Entertainment announced an aquarium simulator and a flower-arranging game. That's pretty great too.[Via Famitsu]
Brando's USB-powered aquarium: for the fish owner to-be
If you've been eying one of those snazzy USB-enabled fish tanks of late, but are still a bit gun shy when it comes to taking care of a live animal, Brando's got you covered. The USB Interactive Aquarium looks to be the perfect device for the wannabe fish owner, as this completely USB-powered tank includes a pair of thoroughly fake fish that swim around using mechanical tails. The included software allows owners to feed, care for, and play with their robotic pets, and you can even get an underwater rave going by flipping the built-in LEDs off and on in rapid succession. Not a bad way to see if you're up to the real challenge, and for just $23, it's an inexpensive way to snag an office pet that's not needy on the weekends.
Joystiq hands-on: Fishing Master (Wii)
I grew up fishing and still sometimes make it out on to a lake, river, or ocean to try to hook a meal. I attended Camp Fish. I know how to cut a herring so that it rolls in tune with a salmon's appetite. And I've been waiting for a good Wii fishing simulation, an obvious game idea, given the rod-like Remote. Fishing Master is not that simulation.Instead, Fishing Master is a more casual title that glosses over many parts of real fishing technique. Real fish are attracted to different colors of bait depending on the weather conditions, but Fishing Master has seasons and no other weather patterns. Rod position plays the most important role in keeping a fish on, but like most fishing games, Fishing Master uses the reeling-too-hard-or-not-hard-enough-meter to decide if a fish gets away.But I understand these design decisions and still had fun with a recent version of the game. With its projected September U.S. release from the recent Japan-only launch, casual anglers and gamers may be hooked.
Vietnamese fishermen mistakenly swipe miles of fiber-optic wire
While this mishap may not look as if it would cost Vietnam nearly as much as the Alaskan vaporization, losing 27-miles of critical fiber-optic cabling connecting the underdeveloped nation to Thailand and Hong Kong is fairly serious (and pricey). As it turns out, hordes of Vietnamese fishermen were given permission to salvage war-era undersea copper lines to fetch whatever price they could on local markets, but things got out of hand when vital telecommunication pipelines began getting swiped instead of antiquated cabling. The country has since disallowed the removal of any underwater wire until things pan out, but it looks like Vietnam will be relying on a single cable to the outside world until it can pony up the $5.8 million in replacement costs.
Fishing: What lurks beneath? [Updated]
I had read the news that, in patch 2.1, many more fish would be added to the waters of Azeroth and Outland, so that every time you cast a line in, one of them would bite. So, as I leveled up my draenei hunter, dreaming of one day becoming great like my hero (with a Big Red Lizard or something), I thought, "I'll just wait until after patch 2.1 to start fishing! Then I'll be able to get a bite every time, and level up my fishing a lot faster!" So, soon after the patch came out, I found myself questing along the shoreline of Feralas and wishing I could fish up all those schools of valuable fish and boxes of floating treasure. "Well, self," I said to myself, "Now's the time to give fishing a try!" I was so wrong. Fishing is still astoundingly boring. After about two hours of fishing in Darnassus with lures, from a skill level of 1, I reached a mind-numbingly dull skill level 19. The abominable sense of wasting time shocked me all over again. Usually your fish will bite, only to get away! Often, your fish will bite within the last 0.2 seconds of your fishing cast time, and latency makes your click on the bait come after the cast time is finished. You actually have to click the bobbing bait thingy before you hear the splashy sound in order to have a chance at catching it. So there I was, staring like a hawk at my computer screen, ready to click in the last split seconds of the cast time, dreading another "your fish got away!" message, and thinking, "This should be better! How would I improve it?" Then, suddenly, I remembered a certain piece of Blizzard fan art I had seen (which still makes me chuckle whenever I see it) and I suddenly sensed the tremor of monstrous ideas rising up from the depths of my subconscious.Brilliant fishing improvement ideas after the jump. Don't forget to see the larger version of this art, too!
Singapore aquarium tags fish with RFID chips
Keeping track of your personal pet using any means necessary is one thing, but embedding RFID chips into some 20 aquarium fishes is taking things to a whole 'nother level. Sure, we've seen RoboFish unleashed in a public aquarium and the means to care for your guppy remotely, but officials at the Underwater World in Singapore now have a much more exciting way to learn details about the animals customers see. Reportedly, the name and species (among other information) about the chipped marine animals are displayed on touchscreen displays whenever they swim by, which eliminates the old fashioned "match the picture with the fish" signs that still exist in other facilities. The project was set up over a three month period and set the venue back $19,600, but considering that the execs are thinking about risking someone's life to tag sharks in the near future, we can only assume that it's been a hit.[Thanks, Andrew B.]
Hello Kitty takes a dip in USB-powered aquarium
You might wonder why a cat would enjoy being trapped inside a container of water, but as you should already know, all rules are thrown out when it comes to Hello Kitty. The USB-powered aquarium features a couple of oh-so-cute Hello Kitty mermaids in a snow globe / fish tank fantasy land, and while we're sure the hordes of fanboys and girls just adore the idea, this one could actually satisfy those on the other end of the spectrum as well -- fess up, it's not too often that you get to satisfy your SO and take pleasure in holding your (least) favorite feline underwater for an indefinite period of time, right?
Robotic submersibles take on fish-like sensing abilities
Controlling your fish remotely is one thing, but utilizing fish sense to dictate the actions of an uncrewed submersible is an entirely different animal. Malcolm MacIver and colleagues at Northwestern University have created an "artificial electric-field sensing system that could ultimately give robotic subs the same additional sensory capabilities" as found in weakly electric fish. These particular sea-dwellers have an uncanny ability to sense electric fields, and can also generate their own to "help navigate, identify objects, and even communicate with other fish." The newfangled "electro-location" system could allow underwater bots big and small to more accurately maneuver and collect data, particularly in situations where precise movements and recognition of surroundings is important. Even the creators admit that it'll be quite some time before man made sensors can come close to mimicking those found in nature, but judging by the videos seen in the read link, they're certainly riding the right wave.[Via NewScientistTech]
USB fish bowl: placeshift feeding, settings -- but not your love
As if crafting a glitzy fish bowl in the shape of an anchor wasn't enough to catch your eye, the Comfish bowl sports the same type of user-controlled interface as various other forms of life-in-a-box, but utilizes a USB connection in favor of WiFi. The tank manages to pull off the same kind of magic as the Wi-Aquarium, as the built-in USB port allows owners to supply power to the filter and control internal conditions such as bubble production and water temperature. Interestingly, the device also seems to sport an integrated camera, which purportedly allows the owner to watch the action on screen instead of having to wheel around and actually face your ferocious fish. The Comfish bowl looks to come in a variety of colors and shapes, so just in case the 49,000KRW ($52) pricetag hasn't reeled you in just yet, be sure to check out a few more pictures of the tank / interface after the break.[Via AVing]
Autonomous glider robot safeguards whale pods
We've all heard the diehards claiming that the whales are the ones we should save, and thanks to an autonomous glider crafted by Webb Research, they're finally getting their wish. Recently, a trial was pursued in which a radio / satellite phone-equipped Slocum Glider was sent up to 200-meters beneath the depths in order to survey, pinpoint, and record location data for various whale pods swimming about. The device then surfaces and "phones home" the recently gathered information, which can then be disseminated out to ensure nearby vessels don't enter whale-packed territories. Jim Theriault of Defense Research and Development Canada, Dartmouth ran the experiment, and noted that this iteration of whale sensing and reporting improved on previous attempts by being uber-stealthy, featuring a remote data reporting system, and boasting a signal processor capable of tracking even the baleen whale's "lower-frequency call." Currently, the torpedo runs on batteries which last a month or so without needing a recharge, but future renditions are planned to scour the waters for "between five months and a year" by utilizing a special recharging gel. Look for these to hit your nearest ocean later this summer, and try not to be too alarmed when it surfaces beside your craft.[Via The Raw Feed]
Wi-Aquarium: the WiFi-enabled fish tank
We've seen everything from WiFi-enabled PMPs, robots, and even gardens, but a recent creation showcased at the Embedded Systems Conference in California took remote access abilities underwater. While not as profound as a bay-patrolling nuke detector, Lantronix's Wi-Aquarium was able to grab the bronze for its snazzy internet-enabled fish tank, which reportedly "allows users to remotely control and monitor their aquarium anytime from anywhere in the world." Moreover, users can login and keep an eye on the situation via webcam, and they can even dictate the water temperature, lights, and filter from afar. The standout feature, however, is the ingrained ability of the tank to send the owner emails containing status reports of several key metrics, which should certainly keep you connected to your sea-dwelling pets no matter your location. Now this is what Tamagotchi should have been from the start, eh?[Via The Raw Feed]
POPO the robotic fish / marshmallow wannabe
Look, we never claimed to be fish-ologists or anything like that, but we really don't have the foggiest idea of how this thing works. Sure, it has rechargeable batteries for up to 24 hours of swimming, and ultrasound for object avoidance, and even a cool robotic-fish sounding name: "POPO." We're just totally in the dark as to where the propulsion system is on this thing, or what portions of the bot we're supposed to hug and kiss in moments of weakness when the cute-itude sweeps over us. Apparently this is a second-gen fish bot from the ITRI Creative Laboratory's Aqua project, but words of legitimacy like that won't saw us until we've seen some solid video and / or action shots.[Via Crave]
FishCam gives anglers an edge, purists irate
No, underwater cameras used to see precisely what that about-to-be-caught bass are doing underwater aren't new, but we'd guess the argument suggesting that it ruins all fun in the sport has been going on ever since someone originally conjured the idea. Nevertheless, the FishCam does what several other devices on the market already do, and aside from giving you a proverbial cheat code to nab unlimited sea creatures, it also allows anglers to "store the images on a DVD," which should prove useful in adding a dash of truthfulness (or eliminate the fibs) to those "ones that got away" tales. As expected, traditionalists don't seem to appreciate the device all that much, and while novices could very well get a bit more line action using this device, it'll cost you a stiff £185 ($365) in order to do so.[Via Spluch, photo courtesy of Sun]
Chinese mad scientists levitate fish with sound
You can pour over that gift-guide all you want, but in the end all most of us really want for the holidays is peace on earth. Short of that, levitating fish comes always comes in as a close second in our inter-office pools, so it looks like we've got ourselves a little Festivus miracle on our hands: using merely the powers of sound waves, some crazy Chinese scientists have managed to achieve sustained levitation of small objects, with their most recent achievements being a whole collection of small insects, a tadpole, fish eggs and even a fish. Of course, in our imagination the fish always have cute little water bubbles around their heads, but in these tests the fish "did not fare as well" as its air-breathing companions, despite the scientists' attempts at injecting water into the levitation field. Sad. Apparently the real purpose of these tests is to develop a method of handling dangerous compounds without the risks introduced by using a container which could potentially corrode or react badly with the compound. We can't say as much for the industrial applications of levitating fish, but it's still pretty dang awesome.[Via Futurismic]
Welcome back, Winter Squid! (We missed you.)
In Azeroth, summer is over and winter has begun! How do I know, you ask? Because there are reports of players fishing up Winter Squid. So get out your fishing poles, folks -- because Winter Squid has returned, ousting the much less interesting Summer Bass. So what makes Winter Squid so great? Cooked, it turns into Grilled Squid, which gives one a +10 agility buff -- a much-loved buff for any melee class. And, hey, even if you aren't interested in the buff yourself, stockpile fish now and sell them in 6 months when they become rare again. So for more on how to get some of this delicacy for yourself, read on.
Terranaut II: Fish finally gets its ride pimped
Yes, we know you all weren't expecting this invention until about the year 3000 from a shifty scientist named Wernstrom, and yet here we are in -- hold on, let us check our watch -- 2006 and already the reverse wetsuit for fish has nearly been perfected. Now granted, Seth Weiner's Terranaut II rig doesn't allow its Blood Parrot fish occupant to run around like a madman on robotic legs -- in fact, the "pilot" is lucky to hit 1MPH in this wheeled contraption -- but imagine the freedom it must feel being able to navigate its once-stationary bowl throughout some of the world's finest art galleries. (Unlike us, we bet the little critter can even distinguish a Manet from a Monet). The rather simple vehicle uses a digital camera to track fishy's movements in the bowl, and propel itself in the corresponding direction -- although from the quick cuts on the sample video, it would seem that there's less forward momentum and more spinning around in circles. Still, it's nice to see someone giving these creatures a shot at mobility, and when all the radioactive waste we dump into their natural habitats eventually turns them into super-smart mutants, we hope they'll remember this small gesture before stuffing us into glass cages and feeding us processed members of our own species.[Via digg]
Shiira 2.0 Preview
Shiira has always been the browser we all have installed, play with when we're bored or need to test site compatibility, but never really use in day-to-day work. Despite the fact that the current version has essentially all the features of Safari, the interface and features always felt a bit unpolished, at least to me. Delusions of Grandeur has a preview of the next version of the open source browser, Shiira 2.0, and it looks to be a refreshing change. Sporting a newly designed interface, multiple ways of viewing tabs, full screen mode, plugin API, and so much more, Shiira 2 will be pretty, if nothing else.
Attack of the animalbots: octopus, fish inspire new robot designs
Rather than a future filled with humanoid robotic overlords as envisioned by the Terminator films, the proliferation of animal-inspired robots makes it seem much more likely that we'll be doing the bidding of a veritable zoo of snakebots, insectbots, robolobsters, mulebots, and perhaps the occasional sharkbot / attack dolphin. The latest animals to have their moves cribbed by researchers are the octopus and fish, with DARPA working on a pneumatic tentacle to replace the clumsy robotic claws of old, while students and faculty at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University have invented a robotic, propeller-less propulsion system that mimics the undulating motion of fins. DARPA's invention, called the Octarm and part of the larger Biodynotics program, was developed in collaboration with scientists at the University of North Carolina, and uses a 24-volt electro-pneumatic pressure system to control a tapered, inflatable arm that can do both fairly precise work as well as heavier lifting. NTU's project, meanwhile, employs an artificial fin attached to adjustable spokes that create a wave-like motion for propelling the bot forward in a manner very similar to a stingray's movements. Movies of both new members of the growing animalbot army, whose purposes are mostly military in nature, are available by following the "Read" links below...Read- Octarm [Via Engadget Japanese]Read- Fishbot [Via Yahoo! Asia]
Top 10 strangest Mac mods
Behold, ladies and gentlemen: the Top 10 strangest Mac mods at TechBlog. Johnathan Ive's blood would surely boil if he were to feast his eyes on such mutant Mac modifications as the NecroMac of the PowerMac G4 Aquarium!I know we've linked to a few of these in the past as we heard about them, but it's nice to see them all in one big list - and ranked.
