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OLPC gets microwaved, molded into stunning piece of art
We've seen quite a few a) laptops and b) masterpieces in our day, but it's hard to recall the last time that we saw both in the same instance. Have a look at the object above, which is undoubtedly one of the most amazing pieces of laptop art this planet has ever had the pleasure of seeing. Kenny Irwin, known for his post-microwave creations, decided to zap one of the low-cost PCs and then mold it into the OLPCSlug while things were still gooey, all in the name of good publicity and charity. You see, the buyer of this lovely piece will see 80 percent of the proceeds head straight to OLPC, and given that it will also "help keep you safe from forest beasts of unimaginable size," those currently situated in backwoods retreats have an extra reason to plunk down. The only problem? That $26,001 asking price. A can't-miss demo video is after the break.[Thanks, Robert]
Raytheon sells its first 'pain ray,' and the less lethal arms race begins
As you are no doubt aware, one of the perks of being in the corporate security field is that you get to try out things that would come across as, well, unseemly if put in the hands of the government. While there's been some controversy over the possible use of Raytheon's 10,000 pound "portable" Silent Guardian by the military, it appears that at least one private customer has no such qualms. We're not sure exactly who placed the order -- news of an "Impending Direct Commercial Sale" was just one bullet point of many at Raytheon's recent presentation at a NATO workshop on anti-pirate technologies. The company itself is being mum on the subject, saying that it would be "premature" to name names at the present time, but rest assured -- this is only the beginning. As soon as these things are small enough to fit in your briefcase or glove compartment, every nut in your neighborhood will want one. In the mean time, looks like you're stuck with the Taser. [Warning: PDF read link][Via Wired]
Army's multimode death ray knocks out IEDs, vehicles, whiners
While the US Air Force is dead set on shooting down missiles with airborne lasers, it looks like their colleagues in the Army are busy cooking up a little something called the Multimode Directed Energy Armament System (see our artist's conceptual rendering, above). According to Wired, this device uses an ultra-short pulse laser to create an ionized channel through the air, which it can use to send bursts of energy, conduct electricity, or act as a waveguide for an intense pulse of microwaves. If you're looking to knock out an IED, an oncoming vehicle, or an enemy combatant, this bad boy should do the trick just fine. The Army's Armament Research Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) plans on having a working prototype operating in a the real world sometime in 2011.[Via Wired]
Video: Fun with a microwave and PS3
While the image above may be disturbing to the PS3 faithful, the path taken to its artistic destruction is oddly intoxicating. It's the latest console mod / art piece by the microwave Intertainer going by the alias d0vetastic. The video is long, real long at 12 and half minutes -- no sound track, no voice over, just you and your computer holed-up with a coagulating 60GB PS3 console and controller. So pull up a chair, set the video to full-screen and prepare to feel the darker side of your emotional response system. Anyone can microwave popcorn -- only an artist can microwave his gaming console. Heh.
Cloaking device puts the kibosh on cellphone interference
There has been plenty of research into cloaking devices, but while scientists are still working their way towards the visible light spectrum they seem to be having the best luck with microwaves. Most recently, a new metamaterial made from over 10,000 individual pieces of fiberglass has been used to cloak a bump on a flat mirrored surface -- the material prevents microwaves from being scattered, giving the RADAR (we're guessing it's a RADAR) the impression that the surface is flat. This has many possible applications, such as cloaking sources of interference to cellular communications. Unfortunately, the implication we most desire -- rendering us invisible during high society jewel heists -- has yet to become reality.
Game Boy Microwaved is always watching you
What do you do with a broken Game Boy Advance? Artist Kenny Irwin threw his into a microwave oven, Gremlins-style, blasting the aged handheld with magnetron waves for three minutes on high. As you can see, the portable came out of the microwave a bit deformed! We're just happy that it didn't sprout legs and scamper out of the kitchen, running around the neighborhood terrorizing locals. Of course, not everything in the photo was a result of microwave experimentation -- the marshmallowy gunk is actually melted Solo cups, and Kenny brought the screen to life with some Photoshop trickery. The eyes? They blinked open as the portable was pulled out of the microwave, and they haven't stopped staring since. According to Kenny, his Game Boy Advance is now "33% beast, 42% alien, 11% radioactive, and 56% game machine, making it 100% complete for endless hours of eyetone gameplay." Creepy!
iWave Cube, the personal portable microwave
There comes the time in every young person's life where they decide to graduate from the microwave to the stove. And fail miserably. Now instead of retreating dejectedly back to the kitchen microwave, where the rest of the appliances can point and make fun, you can hide your shame with the iWave Cube. The little microwave measures one cubic foot (about the size of a Kleenex box), and weighs just 12 pounds. Unfortunately, you'll still need to plug it in, so there's a limit to how far you can run. The iWave Cube comes in black, red or silver, and retails for $130.
Microwave beam car stopper tested, fries cars in nanoseconds flat
Yeah, this idea has definitely been around the block a time or two, but Eureka Aerospace is doing a whole lot more than just envisioning yet another concept. Its 200-pound, 5-foot long prototype has recently undergone testing, and reportedly, it's been able to completely and utterly incapacitate any vehicle that dared roll in its path. The device has been used to shut down four whips thus far, each from a distance of 10 to 50-feet, and all it took was a microwave pulse lasting some 50-nanoseconds to do it. According to James Tatoian, the outfit's CEO, a version that weighs just 50-pounds and can disable rebel rides from 600-feet away is only a couple of years from reality, but it's highly doubtful that these will be available to the general public. Depressing, we know.[Via Slashgear]
RH Hall prepping bar code-scanning Maestrowave
Microwaves with built-in bar code scanners aren't exactly entirely new, but it looks like those in the foodservice industry will soon be getting a new button-less fix to call their own, this one coming from RH Hall. As with similar units, RH Hall's so-called "Maestrowave" lets you simply swipe a package of food in front of it, with then automatically setting the appropriate time and cooking power. Unfortunately, it's still in the prototype stage (which could account its current low-budget sci-fi prop look), although the company says they expect to have it ready by the first quarter of next year.
Reader WoWspace: Skyghene
Maybe it's just me, but I read Skyghene as rhyming with Hygene, and so I get a little extra chuckle when checking out this week's Reader WoWspace. I mean, it's totally cool and all to take some snapshots of your space as it exists in its regular state, unlike the cleaned and polished spaces we sometimes see here, and I'm so digging the microwave, but.. well.. maybe it's the paper towel roll that just sends me over the top and makes me laugh. I love it, and now I really want a mini fridge and a microwave in my home office. Hi, my name is Skyghene im a 65 undead rogue on Magtheridon and this is my WoWspace:- Desk- Custom built computer- Fridge under the desk for those endurance sessions- Microwave beside computer for really intense endurance sessions- brown sugar cinnamon poptarts to keep me going- Logitech g15 keyboard- My desk as it slowly bends downward from all the weight on it- Razer copperhead mouse- alot of empty cups- old plates- my cell phone- an old video camera- old packs of guitar strings- some old usb cablesShort and sweet from Skyghene, but the photos really make up for the lack of long monologue, don't they? What's the coolest non-computer item in your WoWspace? Do you have something better than a microwave or a bar fridge? Let us know here, and send in YOUR space, including photos, a list of elements, and what about it makes it special to you, and we'll feature it here in the upcoming weeks. Submit yours to "readerwowspace at gmail dot com" today!
Sanyo announces Enegreen microwave / IH oven hybrid
Sanyo is already pretty big on induction heating (IH), but the company seems to think it has found an even better way to speed up cook times while still producing food that's (presumably) edible, announcing what it claims to be the "world's first" microwave / IH oven hybrid. Dubbed the Enegreen, the oven doesn't simply offer two ways to cook your food, instead putting both cooking technologies to use simultaneously, with the IH component cooking food from the outside in and the microwave cooking from the inside out. Supposedly, that'll translate to about an 85% reduction in cooking times -- for instance, cooking a hamburger in just under two minutes. As its name suggests, the oven is also aiming to cut more than cooking times, promising a 37% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to other induction ovens. Not surprisingly, all that near-instant satisfaction won't come cheap, with the Enegreen oven set to demand 624,750 Yen (over $5,000) when it's released in Japan this April.[Via Far East Gizmos]
Mini-Z T-ray imaging device takes home the gold
We're all about giving golf claps where they're due, and a healthy round is certainly in order for Mr. Brian Schulkin. The doctoral student in physics developed a breakthrough terahertz imaging device, dubbed a T-ray, that has already demonstrated its ability to "detect cracks in space shuttle foam, image tumors in breast tissue, and spot counterfeit watermarks on paper currency." The Mini-Z marks the first time such a powerful device has become portable in nature, weighing just five pounds and taking up about as much space as your average laptop. Taking home the first Lemelson-Rensselaer Student Prize ($30,000), Schulkin explained that this device didn't pose the same health risks as typical X-rays, and unlike ultrasound, terahertz waves can provide images and spectroscopic information without contacting an object. As expected, the patent-pending technology is already up for licensing, and has already received quite a bit of fanfare and commercial interest from larger companies. So while you may never personally encounter Brian's earth-shattering invention, we're fairly sure this young lad's working days are already drawing nigh if he so chooses.[Via Physorg]
People ruining microwaves, creating a stink because of Reuters report
The humble microwave: source of hot cups of water, stinky popcorn, and now, apparently, sterile kitchen sponges. A Reuters article recently reported that microwaves are great tools to sterilize bacteria-laden kitchen sponges -- but unfortunately for the not-so-sharp, it turns out that Reuters didn't tell the witless that the sponges should be wet before getting their nuke on. Apparently, more than one person threw his dry sponge into the kitchen microwave only to discover that the thing melted, burnt, stunk up the joint like hot bacteria, and reeked like burnt tires. One more for the Darwin awards. So for the uninitiated: yes, you can throw your kitchen sponge in the microwave for a few minutes to sterilize it. Do make sure it's wet, though, k?
Daewoo's voice-recognizing microwave
Apparently being able to zap your meal in favor of kindling up a fire using sticks and lighter fluid just isn't efficient enough. If you'd prefer to maximize your couch time even more by not even mashing buttons on the face of your microwave, Daewoo's new device hears you loud and clear. Sporting a countertop design (as opposed to the "in-a-drawer" variety), brushed aluminum finish, and ironically enough, a full-fledged keypad, the voice recognition microwave recalls up to 40 cooking commands to get things fired up with just a shout. Niceties include its ability to react to anyone's voice (not just the programmer) as well as automatically determining the time required to properly heat / cook your food. Daewoo claims a "95 percent accuracy" rate on its automated determinations, so be sure not to scold it too fiercely when it torches your dinners the other 5 percent of the time.[Via OhGizmo]
The self-explanatory Millennia microwave in-a-drawer
If sporting a TV / microwave hybrid is too embarrassing for guests to see, or you just need one more completely extravagant household item to brag about, Dacor's got you covered. Its latest offering takes the conventional convention oven and relocates it away from the wall or countertop, and into a dwelling area most usually inhabited by silverware and Saran wrap. The Millennia microwave in-a-drawer was apparently engineered to be installed under a counter, in a kitchen island, or essentially any location where having a microwave would look thoroughly gauche. The 1.0 cubic foot cooker sports 950 watts of roasting power, defrost, reheat, and popcorn modes, 11 power levels, child lockout, automatic shutdown sensors, a timer function, and a nifty "one-touch" sliding door. While we aren't sure what this (presumably costly) device will run you, nor how much of your kitchen you'll ravage while installing it, you'll have the rest of the year to weigh your options and decide how important kitchen aesthetics really are to you.[Via Gizmag]
Researchers create microwave drill/death ray
If any of our peeps at Tel Aviv University have been noticing some suspicious holes around the campus lately, here's your culprit. It seems some researchers at the university have created a microwave drill that can easily bore holes through concrete, glass and other materials without leaving so much as a trace of dust left behind. It works by heating up the material to a toasty 2,000 degrees Celsius (over 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit), which softens the material enough for a metal rod to be pushed through it. Like any good death ray, however, the microwave drill has its weaknesses. For starters, the beam is unable to penetrate steel or sapphire, and there's also the small issue of microwave radiation, which could have some nasty consequences for the poor soul stuck operating the drill. According to the researchers, however, a simple shielding plate should be enough to protect anyone in the vicinity of the monstrosity -- maybe, but are there enough steel plates to protect us all if the device falls into the wrong hands? Like ours?[Via Core77]
