nature
Latest
American Explorer ready to air this fall on HDNet
Ready for a new nature series coming to your HDTV? Courtesy of a specially equipped EarthRoamer expedition vehicle, Keith Neuman promises a new look at adventure travel this fall on HDNet. American Explorer has been filmed completely in 1080i, bringing to life his 60+ day, six country journey. As much as we'd enjoy setting up base camp in some jungle on the back of a Jeep, letting him take the point and then just catching the (commercial-free) show in prime time this fall was probably the best choice for all involved.
Study secretly tracked 100,000 cellphone users' locations
Ask yourself this: Are you a statistic or a specific example? That's the question being raised in the aftermath of a study in which researchers secretly tracked the locations of 100,000 people to determine their movement patterns. Such studies are considered invasions of privacy -- and illegal -- in the United States, but this one was done in an undisclosed industrialized nation. The subjects were chosen at random out of a pool of 6 million from a mystery wireless provider and tracked based on cell tower triangulation and other "tracking devices." Study co-author Cesar Hidalgo at Northeastern University promises that researchers didn't know the individuals' phone numbers or identities, and offers that the results are a major advance for science. The study found that people are homebodies -- most stay within 20 miles of their home and are rather habitual. Scientists say the findings -- to be published in Nature on Thursday -- can help improve public transit systems and even fight contagious diseases.[Thanks, Doug][Via MSNBC]
Discovery's Sunrise Earth: Seaside Collection on Blu-ray June 11th
Can't get enough Sunrise Earth? Fantastic. Discovery has just announced that it will be bringing its Sunrise Earth: Seaside Collection to both DVD and Blu-ray on June 11th, and judging by the sound of things, it looks to be a real winner for showing off the capabilities of your setup. Focusing on sunrises above crystal clear bodies of water, you'll find scenes from Maine's Acadia National Park, Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Polynesia, Costa Rica, Turkey's coastline, California's Point Reyes National Seashore, Ninagiak Island and a couple more locales for good measure. Of course, submersing yourself in such grandeur won't run you cheap, as the BD version will ring up at $59.95, while the lowly four-disc DVD set can be had for $10 less.
Hawaii volcano film to be released on Blu-ray... and HD DVD?
There's simply no question that the beauty of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (above) can only truly be appreciated after a winding drive down from Kailua Kona (or Hilo, for those who love the rain), but for folks without weeks on end to spare waiting to see lava flow from some of those majestic creations, a forthcoming film should give you the next best look. Volcanographer Mick Kalber has assembled an hour-long movie entitled Kilauea's Flow to Waikupanaha, and while we'd generally brush something like this off, a recent writeup about it most definitely caught our eye. We thought we had already seen HD DVD's last hurrah back in March, but if KHNL-8 is to be believed, the forthcoming flick will be available on Blu-ray and HD DVD. Granted, there's no release date mentioned, but given that red has been decomposing for months now, we're tempted to believe someone was simply misinformed.
PBS to bring the outdoors in with "Nature" on Blu-ray
Like peanut butter and chocolate, nature shows and HD are two great tastes that taste great together. And judging by the frequent appearance of "Planet Earth" on the VideoScan charts, the couple makes good business sense, too. As much as we love "Planet Earth," though, adding more titles to the genre is a good thing. Take heart, PBS is doing its part by bringing "Nature" to Blu-ray. With 26 seasons under its belt, it's safe to assume there's plenty of good footage; hopefully they've gathered up the best HD bits for the releases. Come May 20th, indie distributor Questar will be bringing out four titles: "Desert Lions" (originally aired 2008 in HD), "In the Valley of the Wolves" (originally aired 2007, shot in HD), "Under Antarctic Ice" and "Shark Mountain" (both originally aired 2003, fingers crossed on picture quality). Yeah, we can't guarantee those last two won't be a little "soft" looking, but we can guarantee that for your $25 retail, you can watch without any pledge drive interruptions!
Robotic cockroaches influence, exploit living clans
Strangely enough, we've seen robotic roaches in action before, but a new report focusing on nature's influence on mechanical creatures substantiates some of our worse fears. Apparently, a team of researchers led by Jose Halloy of the University Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium crafted "cockroach-sized robots that interacted with their living counterparts." The critters themselves did not actually resemble cockroaches, but they were doused with chemicals to mimic the authentic aroma; subsequently, these autonomous pests were able to persuade a clan of real roaches to choose a poor (light) shelter over a dark alternative, sparking worry that humanoids may one day use these very tactics to lead us straight to our demise. On the real, the gurus behind the research are looking at the trials to "explore decision-making mechanisms in group-living animals," which when you think about, really isn't any less frightening.[Image courtesy of ETHZ]
Leaping robots could embark on interplanetary exploration
Just as ASTRO and NextSat get ready for decommissioning, a duo of lightweight leapers are getting geared up to take the proverbial next step from testing to interplanetary exploration. Jollbot and Glumper, crafted by a group of mechanical engineers from the University of Bath, could provide solutions to "traveling across rough terrain, such as climbing stairs and jumping fences, that normally create obstacles for wheeled and walking robots." The machines utilize biologically inspired mechanisms that enable them to clear heights of up to 1.17-meters and capriole forward about two-meters at a time. Researchers are hoping to equip the devices with solar panels in order to keep them juiced up and ready to pounce at a moment's notice (you know, in case a stray asteroid comes zipping in), but there's been no plans made yet to get devices such as these launched into orbit.
Ecolis boxart reveals WiFi and panda support
Online support seems like a prerequisite for any decent RTS release, but it's never safe to assume with DS and Wii games. Thankfully, the boxart for Ecolis indicates that the InterChannel title will make use of Nintendo's WiFi connection in addition to its "download play" features. We're not sure if that means online duels, item shops, or a near-useless messaging system, but it's something -- a quantity that's arguably better than nothing. If you haven't been properly introduced, Ecolis is a strategy title in which you command an army of woodland creatures against the pollution and deforestation taking over their homes. You'll also be tackling issues like global warming and recycling while you plant new trees to restore damaged forests. The eco-friendly message doesn't end there; as evidenced by the panda stamped on the game's packaging, a portion of Ecolis' proceeds will be donated to Japan's World Wide Fund for Nature.%Gallery-4106%[Via Ruliweb]
Games blamed for decline in national park attendance
The Christian Science Monitor along with the National Wildlife Federation reports that videogames are one of the reasons (along with cell phones, TV, and gas prices) national parks in North America have seen a sharp decline in attendance over the last few years. More kids are becoming couch potatoes and developing a "nature deficit disorder", and parks are suffering as a result. The NWF is launching programs around the country to fight the indooredness of these sun-deprived folk whose only interaction with trees is in World of Warcraft.We love gaming, but we also love nature. While you can't do both at the same time (waterfall hikes with gaming gear in tow can get messy), we can't help but feel there's a deeper reason behind the decline. Maybe Nature just needs a better marketing team to jazz things up, make it more exciting? It's time for Nature 2.0.[Via Gaming Today]
SunBriteTV's 46-inch 4600HD all-weather outdoor LCD
SunBriteTV have updated their range of weather resistant LCDs with a top end 46-inch model that brings the nature resistant features of it smaller siblings to a much larger screen area. The SunBrite 4600HD, which will debut at InfoComm in the second week of June, has a corrosion resistant enclosure that protects the internals from the elements. It has a built-in filtered fan system for particularly hot days, and a heater which allows it to work in temperatures of around -4 degrees C (24 degrees F), plus a watertight cable system for a range of sources including HDMI, component, VGA, S-video, composite, and RF. You won't want to stick a regular antenna into this TV though, as it comes with a respectable 1366 x 768 resolution at a 1600:1 contrast ratio. All this high end outdoor kit comes at a cost -- $4,995 to be precise, available from dealers this month -- but if you have a use for a HDTV in your garden, there's still the problem of figuring out how to weather-proof your HD sources. A perfect opportunity for the ever innovative console modders to get a tan, perhaps?[Via CEPro]
Compubeaver case mod: the PC-stuffed beaver
Granted, we were admittedly taken aback when an off-kilter modder shoved a PC into a cow enclosure, but cramming a full-fledged computer into an actual animal takes things to a whole 'nother level. Animal activism aside, this bizarre creation obviously utilizes a stuffed beaver in order to house the components of a fairly respectable PC, and while we can't be sure, we're guessing the 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, Panasonic DVD writer, and AOpen motherboard are all enjoying their stay in the now-empty stomach region, while the 80-millimeter Tornado fan is chillin' right on the beaver's backside (shown after the break). Of course, mere text alone can't fully describe just how freakish this thing really is, so be sure and hit the read link for a barrage of construction photos if you dare.[Via Wired]
Regenerative house to grace Greece mountainside
You've got plenty of options when it comes to healing your own body, but patching up your domicile usually requires days of back-breaking labor and gobs of cash to boot. Thankfully, that awful process could be nearing its end, as a £9.5 million ($18.64 million) European Union-funded project sets out to develop self-healing walls for your average home. The idea is to develop "special walls for the house that contain nano polymer particles, which will turn into a liquid when squeezed under pressure, flow into the cracks, and then harden to form a solid material." The technology would prove quite useful in areas where earthquakes are prominent, and in an effort to test things out before shoving it out to contractors everywhere, a swank villa is being erected on a Greece mountainside to collect information. The house's walls will be built from "novel load bearing steel frames and high-strength gypsum board," but more importantly, they will contain a smorgasbord of wireless sensors and RFID tags meant to collect, store, and disseminate critical data regarding "any stresses and vibrations, temperature, humidity, and gas levels." Now, who's the lucky lad(s) that get to call this their home research dwelling?[Via Physorg]
California scientists unveil new way to make organic transistors
Our visions of cheap electronic paper may finally come to fruition, if scientists at Stanford University and the University of California, Los Angeles have their way. A joint team from the two universities just published a paper in the journal Nature, which outlines a new technique for mass producing single-crystal organic transistors (previously, the transistors had to be made by hand). According to the researchers, they can print transistors on silicon wafers and flexible plastic, meaning that soon it may be possible to print external inexpensive sensors for commercial products like future generations of LCDs. Exciting times, people, exciting times.[Via CNET]
Sunlight: Wii's biggest foe [update 1]
Nintendo Wii's sensor bar goes awry when confronted with natural light, according to a report by a "Warpstar Knight" on the Nintendo NSIDER Forums. The impressions, from OMBRENOIR17's September 14 visit to the Nintendo World Store (soon to be posted on Nintendo Gal), reveal that Mother Nature's carcinogen forced Metroid Prime 3 kiosks under curtains and completely shut down Wii Sports Tennis and Shooting Game. The kiosks returned to normal as soon as the bright star took a few steps back.It is as of yet unclear how garlic affects Wiimote functionality or load times.[Via Engadget][Update 1: A representative for Nintendo told 1UP, "our testing thus far shows no great risk of light interference when playing a game that relies on the pointer and sensor bar."]
