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DIY nuke detector patrolling San Francisco Bay
While being in the weapons distribution biz may seem a bit dodgy, an enterprising team in San Francisco is looking to prove their device is out to protect and serve (and save a lot of money). The Department of Homeland Security is looking to add safeguards to American ports by installing a series of radiation scanners designed to detect hidden nukes (and, we hope, dirty bombs) on incoming shipments. The problem is the $1.15 billion this project is supposed to cost, not to mention the five years it'll take to get it installed, so we're still pretty much exposed for awhile. Not one to take a (potential) threat lying down, physicist / Sandia Lab weapons subcontractor Stanley Glaros is manning a team which has already built a "boat-mounted radiation detection device from off-the-shelf components." The homebrew rad sniffer gives a visual alarm via a "sodium iodide crystal" that turns blue when danger is near (remember Frodo's sword?), but the mechanics behind the lighthearted signifier is no laughing matter. An Ortec Digibase photo-multiplier picks up signals over the air, which are collected into dynodes, and then run through a multichannel analyzer to identify radiological signatures. Regardless of the means, this nuke detector has been running "successfully" for eight months, and coming in at a cool $12,000 apiece, we're all for getting the job done on the cheap (and showing up the DHS in the process).
Make's coverage of RoboGames 2006
Having already blown our entire travel budget attending CES, E3, and various other important events in sunny locations, we weren't able to scrape together the funds to hit up this year's annual RoboGames festival in San Francisco, but luckily Make magazine/blog has filled in the void by providing some excellent coverage. Formerly known as the ROBOlympics, the event has grown to over 20 categories and demonstrations, covering some of the same territory we saw at the Eastern Canadian Robot Games -- such as sumo wrestling, fire-fighting, and line-following -- but also throwing in a little RoboCup-style soccer football, a new 3-on-3 hockey tournament, and even a trio of so called Tetsujin events in which otherwise unathletic individuals sport hydraulic mech suits which enable them to perform amazing feats of speed, strength, and dexterity. Besides sponsoring a display table among the likes of Lego and NASA, Make also has its Media Maker Bre Pettis filing daily videocasts and flickr photosets from the scene, featuring such Engadget faves as Vstone's Robovie-M, Kondo's KHR-1, and HiTec's Robonova as well as several other non-competitive models like Mark Sherman's snakebot and a rig that can play and seemingly defeat children at Connect Four. You can follow the links below to get a feel for all the action, and stay tuned to Make because Day 3 coverage is only starting to trickle in.Read- RoboGames siteRead- Make @ RoboGamesRead- RoboGames Day 1Read- RoboGames Day 2
Video demonstration of anti-DRM group at SF Apple Store
One of our sister blogs, The Digital Music Weblog, dug up a video of an anti-DRM demonstration by that DefectiveByDesign crew we blogged yesterday. This demonstration was in San Francisco, and from the editing of the video, it looked pretty successful - if you count talking to roughly two people successful. Maybe the hazmat suits threw off potential anti-DRM converts, causing them to think the group was there for some kind of a real cause.Does anyone else see the irony in the use of music they have absolutely no rights to? I don't think they're helping the 'we're consumers and we deserve whatever we want to be treated fairly' cause by trampling on a band's music rights.
San Francisco selects Google/Earthlink for citywide WiFi
As we expected, the GooLink WiFi partnership between Google and Earthlink was judged by a San Francisco city panel as the best candidate to blanket SF in a free-ish, citywide WiFi service. The service, which is expected to cost at least $15-mil to build, will consist of an ad-subsidized 300kbps free service or a $20/mth ad-free 1Mbps service. Of course, the two must now enter contract negotiations with the City which Earthlink is taking the lead on before any, er, wiring can begin. MetroFi came in as first runner-up meaning they'll take the crown should any lewd photos from Larry and Sergei's Stanford days be drudged-up.
WWDC Student Scholarship Program now open
TUAW reader Nolan B noticed that ADC (Apple Developer Connection) student members can now apply for a scholarship to WWDC 2006, Apple's annual World Wide Developer Conference, being held August 7-11 this year in San Francisco. Scholarship winners receive a free ticket which includes total access to all technical sessions and special events - a $1595 USD value in all.Applications are due April 28th, so you'd better get crackin'. Check out the scholarship rules and WWDC FAQ sections for more information, and then wait patiently until June to find out if you'll be attending WWDC on Apple's dime.
Police ID woman with her iPod
Here is an odd story for your Sunday morning. A woman was out jogging in San Francisco when she was struck by a car and left unconscious by the hit-and-run driver. She had no ID on her at the time, but police did take the iPod she was using to a local Apple Store. The employees then used the iPod's "...identifying information" (serial number?) with Apple to ID the owner. All of this begs the question:Is there nothing this device can't do?!?
HDTVs in every room @ Four Seasons Silicon Valley
And a chicken in every pot, and a car in every garage. Well, at least one of those things is true. We'll be sure to have the Four Seasons Silicon Valley on our list for the next HD Beat retreat, but not because of the floor to ceiling windows with a view of the bay, rooftop pool or spa. The WiFi is nice but that's not it either. 42-inch plasma HDTVs (hopefully they really are HDTVs) in every room however, are just the right addition.
