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Joe Biden's team brings official campaign signs to 'Animal Crossing'
'Animal Crossing' players can now add official Biden-Harris campaign signs to their islands.
South Korea hopes traffic signs will cut phone distractions
Cities have tried a number of exotic solutions to get phone-toting pedestrians to focus on where they're going (or at least, out of the way). However, Seoul thinks there's a simpler answer: traffic signs. The South Korean capital is testing signs that warn smartphone owners in five accident-prone areas (such as City Hall or Gangnam Station) about the perils of distracted walking. In theory, those periodic reminders will have you looking up more often and spare you from smacking into a car.
Sydney gets world's first e-ink traffic signs
Sydney is now using the world's first outdoor e-ink traffic signs to guide motorists during special events. The city's Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) agency was apparently fed up with the constant chore of changing signs, and developed the tech with a company called Visionect. Like your Kindle, the signs are easy to read in Sydney's bright sunshine, which also powers it via solar panels. There's a light for nighttime usage, and the messages can be updated remotely via a cell connection to an "internet of things" network.
Points connected sign can show any place you need to go, what's up online (video)
Most street signs aren't especially street-savvy when they can't change with the passing weeks, let alone the moment. Breakfast NY's new Points sign is much, much smarter. As long as it has an Ethernet or WiFi connection, it can spin its arrows toward locations on demand or as they become relevant, whether it's the local bar at night or a concert stage in the afternoon. The signage is also aware of what's happening, not just where: Points can tap into Foursquare, RSS feeds, Twitter and other sources to display trending hotspots, sports scores and other live updates. The curious can experiment with internet-connected demo signs today; Breakfast NY is taking rental requests now, with expectations that Points signs can deploy from July 1st onwards. As for pricing? You'll have to get a quote. While the company tells us that a days-long rental will likely involve a lower five-digit sum, it expects each order to be at least somewhat unique.
Student's push to make Raleigh more walkable relies on homemade signs and QR codes
Walking is apparently underrated. So University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student Matt Tomasulo decided to engage in some "guerilla urbanism" in January with fellow fans of bipedal activity, posting 27 signs at three Raleigh, NC intersections as part of the "Walk Raleigh" project. The cardboard and vinyl signs contained snippets about how many minutes it would take to walk to must-see destinations like Raleigh City Cemetery, as well as QR codes for downloading directions. Like the activity it promotes, Tomasulo says the idea behind the project is simple: It's OK to walk. Apparently, Tomasulo and his buddies did such a great job with the signs that it took the sharp folks at the city government a month to catch on and take the stuff down. The city has since walked back its opposition to the signs, however, and put them back up as part of a 90-day pilot project. In the meantime, Walk Raleigh has turned into a Walk [Your City] Kickstarter campaign to put your wallet where your feet are.
GumPack wearable vitals monitor: the new MedicAlert bracelet?
It may not have the charm or good looks of, say, the uBOT-5, but a new wearable vital signs monitor could cut back on doctor's visits for the chronically ill. Produced by a Kansas State University student, the GumPack -- known as such for its size -- is a multi-sensor monitoring device that fits in the palm of your hand and relays vital stats to your doctor via the internet. Along with a built-in camera and microphone for record keeping, as well as WiFi capabilities for connectivity, the battery-powered GumPack will sport various sensors, like a reflectance pulse oximeter or a two-thumb ECG. The monitor is still in the concept stage, and will likely not be available for mass-market distribution for years -- if ever -- but with technology like this in the works, the "I've fallen and I can't get up" lady might as well start looking for a new gig.
E-paper signs being tested in Tokyo for disaster prevention
While we're still waiting for our electronic broadsheet (hell, we'll settle for a tabloid) it looks like folks in Toshima will be seeing quite a bit of the e-paper as they hit the streets of this Tokyo ward. In a test conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the signage has been installed in the proximity of the Toshima Life and Industry Plaza, where a wireless network was established to provide updates in case of an emergency. There are currently two signs: one in the lobby of the post office measures over three meters across and sports 240 x 768 resolution (the paper has 4mm pixels), and holds down power consumption at about 24W. Stationed at the Higashi-Ikebukuro bus stop, the second sign is 60 x 40 centimeters with 144 x 96 resolution, and power consumption here is about 9W. The test will run until January 29th, after which point the city will have to rely upon its usual civil defense repertoire -- which is believed to include the vigilant eye of Honda's 49-foot ASIMO.
Ultimate home theater accessories get chosen: thoughts?
For most, acquiring some sort of HD display, multi-channel surround sound system and an HD source constitutes a full-blown home theater. For the hardcore, however, having those basic components just isn't enough -- after all, that's not really doing the term "home theater" justice, now is it? Electronic House took the initiative to hunt down the 30 (give or take) greatest HT accessories one could possibly buy, and there's some real gems packed within. We're talking signs, posters, oversized popcorn machines, elaborate seating arrangements, life-sized statues and even bona fide ticket booths. Check out the slideshow below for EH's picks, and then drop your own recommendations in comments below. C'mon, newbie home theater builders are in desperate need of ideas here!Read - Slideshow: Ultimate Home Theater AccessoriesRead - Article: Ultimate Home Theater Accessories
Flickr Find: Apple sans-serifs signs
This might be the Mac-geekiest thing I've ever seen, but this is TUAW, so here you go. Sharp-eyed reader Morgan W has a flickr pool up of signs around the Apple campus in Cupertino, and notes that three of their newest building signs (at Bandley Five, Six, and Eight) have an updated logo with no 3D effect, and use Myriad for the font instead of Garamond, which the old signs used.Will Apple's stock prices jump around at the news? Probably not. but as Morgan says, just like the missing Open Apple, it's another sign that we're moving further and further away from the "rainbow and serif Apple of yore."
A spec guide for classes that aren't yours
Nowadays, you lucky kids have the Armory, and you can, on demand, look up the point-by-point spec of any player in the game. You can see who's Fire, who's Affliction, and who's Resto at a moment's notice, and gone are the days where you had to guess what spec a player was from the spells they cast.Or are they? I'd hazard a guess that most players don't have the Armory on quick dial, and yet all players still encounter different specs of classes every single time they play. In an Arathi Basin, by the time you've looked up the other guy's spec on the Armory, the game is over.So it's still valuable to know specs just by glancing at the spells players are casting, and this is a guide to help you do that. Want to know at a glance whether your main tank laying down Mortal Strike is really specced Protection as he says, or if he's got a few extra points in Arms than he should have? Want to know if that Warlock who sent a Felguard after you in the battlegrounds is specced Demonology or Destruction?I've put together a handy guide to spotting specs of classes that aren't yours-- there are a few telltale spells in each class that will giveaway a player's spec at a glance, and save you the momentary trouble of having to punch their name into the Armory. I've also given you a short brief on what each spec can and can't do for you (so you're not asking priests in Shadowform to buff you with Divine Spirit). To check it out, hit the link below.
NEC's 20 series LCDs: perfect for digital signage
NEC's latest LCD displays have more business on a video-wall demonstration than in your living room, but who said having a tile matrix of displays in your game lounge was a bad idea? The 20 series commercial LCD lineup consists of a 40-inch MultiSync LCD4020 and 46-inch LCD4620, both of which feature NEC's newfangled CV12 pixel technology. Hailed as the first displays to pack chevron-shaped pixels into a large-format LCD, it also delivers twice the contrast of traditional PVA panels, increases brightness and viewing angles, and minimizes off-angle color shift. Each touts a 1,366 x 768 resolution, 1,200:1 contrast ratio, ten-millisecond response time, and uber-thin bezels that come in "five times thinner" than current competitors. Don't count on these niche LCDs to come cheap, though, as you'll be laying down around $4,400 for the little guy and upwards of $6,300 for the 46-incher.
UK posts signs to ignore navigation systems, avoid perils
Once upon a blue moon, we can only assume that the advent of GPS meant easier navigating for all, as humans thought less about finding a map and more about focusing on the road. Apparently, blokes (and dames) over in England need to revert back to the paper-based method, as the government has been forced to erect warning signs in specific areas in order to get folks to pay attention to their surroundings. Odd as it may sound, the "Do Not Follow SAT NAV" cautions have actually quelled accidents on a narrow road in which drivers of wide vehicles were blindly driving themselves into a literal pinch. The vivid yellow signs have been posted in Exton, near Winchester in Hampshire, and embarrassingly enough, we wouldn't doubt if more make their way around given the Brits' long history of choosing outdated GPS instructions over common sense.
Philips proposes laser-projecting lampposts to get motorists' attention
Apparently, lampposts really don't get enough credit for all they do, as not only do they provide a crucial light source for us night-owls, but we've got them to thank for WiFi hotspots, surveillance checkpoints, and if Philips has its way, on-road warning signs. The oft overlooked street lamp could be getting a bit of an upgrade according to a recent patent application from Philips, as the company envisions a "traffic information system" designed to convey messages to drivers without requiring them to look away from the road ahead. By installing a high-powered "laser" and matching it up with movable mirrors, the firm hopes to divulge pertinent information such as upcoming hazards, weather conditions, or other random tidbits of knowledge onto the pavement for drivers to view. Moreover, the units would be RF / IP controllable in order to change the messages nearly on-the-fly, giving motorists a quick heads-up about recent traffic changes or detours. Still, the premise of beaming warning signs on the road ahead sounds perfectly viable if you're on a rural two-lane at 2:00AM, but we can't imagine things being very legible when it's beaming messages onto hoods of angry commuters in your average city.[Via New Scientist]
E3 literally in the bag for Microsoft
Unlike Sony and Nintendo, Microsoft doesn't have much signage outside the LA convention center or in the lobby, choosing instead to pour their efforts into several 18-wheelers' worth of booth. However, they did sponsor the swag bags pictured above, ensuring everyone will think of the Xbox 360 when they dump their haul at the end of the day. Shrewd. Ignoring the Joystiq poll slanted by raving Nintendo fanboys, is it now safe to say MS has E3 in the bag?
