Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Lawmaker John Manangsang, seeking to curb his province’s high-rate of HIV infections, has proposed a law where HIV/AIDS patients will be implanted with microchips to facilitate their tracking. The plan is to stay on top of their location, and “punish” them if they infect a healthy person.

How knowing someone’s location will help curb the spread of AIDs isn’t clear, unless you use that information to maintain constant surveillance, in which is very wrong. It’s easy to understand Manangsang’s reasons for pushing this program, but before we know it people could be implanted with RFID chips simply because they suffer from the common cold.

In other words, once the Indonesian province of Papua gets its way, what’s to stop the rest of the country implementing this program? With an increasingly generic set of criteria at that? And of course, who will watch the watchers and prevent abuse? Since this controversial issue has a lot to do with technology, let’s seek the advice of techie-deity Jean Luc Picard:

True isn’t it? Once the ball gets rolling…

Tags: AIDS, HIV, Indonesia, Jean Luc Picard, John Manangsang, Papua, patients, RFID chips, sufferers, tracking

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Original post by Rico

Check out these iPhone-themed cupcakes, which recently won some cupcake decorating contest. A little rough on the edges, but you can be forgiving when pastries are involved. Besides, they look so yummy, it’s to imagine competitors wishing they could eat Apple’s “significant” competition away. (laughingsquid.com)

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Original post by Rico

Goldsmiths, of the University of London, has developed a software system that translates sound into radiating concentric circles on a screen. The Lumisonic theoretically allows the deaf to “see” sounds and hopefully react and interact with them, and controls how it presents the circles based on the pitch of the input audio.

Dr. Mick Grierson explains:

“If I make a sound and lower the pitch, the rings contract,” said Dr Mick Grierson, from Goldsmiths, University of London, who developed the system.

Lumisonic can respond to computer-generated noises or those from a microphone.

To be real, converting sounds into visual stimuli isn’t exactly new. The real news is that some Scot percussionist named Evelyn Glennie can create a good beat—despite being deaf since she was young. According to various sources, that fact is nearly secondary, thanks to apparent musical ability.

Maybe researchers should concentrate on trying to understand her ability to create and feel sound, without really hearing it, and package it for other deaf people to learn? It would be more practical if deaf people can learn to feel sound, without the help of gadgets. Disclaimer: We’re not deaf, so we may have no frickin’ idea of what we’re writing about.

Tags: Evelyn Glennie, Goldsmiths, Lumisonic, Mick Grierson, University of London

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Original post by Rico

Ok, check out the video below of Obscura Digital’s VisionAire technology, which allows real-time manipulation of holograms:

But wait, wasn’t Minority Report’s slick 3D interface (which the above is very reminiscent of) listed as one of the Top 10 Movie Usability bloopers by expert Jakob Nielsen? His point was that “it’s very tiring to keep your arms in the air while using a computer”. And, as this post gets typed out, it’s easy to see that the keyboard is still the fastest way to do things. (dvice.com)

Tags: 3D interfaces., holograms, Obscura Digital, VisionAire

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Original post by Rico

Gadget blog alumnus Colbert Low features the Brando Solar Mosquito Repeller, detailing how it doesn’t work:

I’ve been using the Brando Solar Mosquito Repeller for a week and it does not work. I normally leave it in my bedroom while opening the window. I thought this will make the Mosquitoes fly out the window but it does not work. The high pitch sound it makes does not irritate the Mosquitoes and they still stay in the room.

Take that as a warning not to spend $14 on a non-functional gadget folks! With all due respect, any mosquito gadget repeller should be able to work over a range of 1-2 meters, more than proposed by Mr. Low.

Tags: Brando, Colbert Low, Solar Mosquito Repeller

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Original post by Rico

Looks like The History Channel is jumping on the Batman bandwagon, coming out with a feature on batman’s gadgets tonight (July 21) at 9:00 pm. Replay available a few hours later, July 22 at 1:00 am. Mark your bat-calenders, fellow bat-lovers, and get ready with your bat-criticisms or -praises if the THC gets things wrong/right.

In the meantime, feel free to check out The Great Batman Equipment Archive. Definitely a labor of love. Or the less-than-average rundown of PC World.

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Original post by Rico

A little bird recently told us about VoIP Now’s 25 Killer Gadgets for the VoIP Fanatics. Sounds good, but do we really need 25—or even 3—gadgets to maximize VoIP? Won’t amassing 25 gadgets for VoIP be a genuine killer for our time and budgets?

Personally, we’re still all for VoIP-ing via Skype with our laptop, or even just a simple IP phone. We’re all for the relatively barebones approach, as experience teaches that the less you use for VoIP interaction, the better. But then again, we also like adding fring into the mix—and there really are VoIP fanatics out there.

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Original post by Rico

Looks like lots of people in the biking world are going gaga over the CLIX bycycle wheel release system. Or at least, that’s what all those blurbs on the company website would have you believe. And for some reason, the company has taken an edgy and extreme approach to marketing a crucial—yet still mundane—piece of biking equipment.

In any case, there is a good reason why bikers—even the casual ones apparently—should consider the cLIX system. In terms of letting people quickly remove the wheels on their bikes, the CLIX looks like it’s easier to use and allows less room for bike-damaging mistakes.

CLIXqr.com

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Original post by Rico

So, who can list all of the black gadgets pictured above?

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Original post by Rico

Here’s a tip we recently received:

LightScribe Direct Disc Labeling announced today that LightScribe-enabled DVDs are now available worldwide in five new vivid color-background DVDs for LightScribe images: red, orange, yellow, blue and green.

With the five rich and saturated background colors, consumers can add even more individuality, creativity and flair to their customized LightScribe DVD labels, just as they have with CDs.

But, let’s be honest here…

Have any of you purchased a PC that supports LightScribe? Our experiences with this technology, which lets users “burn” the labeling on the actual disc, have been spotty at best.

Notwithstanding the current problems of the labeling fading from frequent use or exposure, and the apparent forming of white powder on Lightscribe disks, LightScribe has two more problems that may prevent it from attaining widespread acceptance.

Most prominent of this is the additional time needed to burn the labeling, and the limitations on color. Buying a CD label sticker, printing on it, and slapping it on a disc still sounds more reasonable, and allows full-color designs.

What do you think?

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Original post by Rico

I have my personal thoughts on Blu-ray, mostly concerning its viability as a successor to DVD for pre-recorded movies, especially in the face of downloads, but there’s one area where a big optical disc is still useful: backing up large chunks of data.

MCE Technologies’ new Mac specific Blu-ray burner takes care of this. Gone is the need for specific software. The Blu-ray SuperDrive behaves just like any other optical drive. Slide it into your Apple Mac Pro and you can drag, drop and burn files right from the Finder.

The 6x speed in the title refers to authoring one 25GB layer. For dual layer burning, you’ll get just 4x, and there’s a twist. The drive can also read and write CD’s and DVD’s, and burn logos into the discs with LightScribe.

The MCE 6X Blu-ray Recordable Drive plus one free 25 GB Blu-ray disc is priced at $499.00 USD.

You can also get a bundle with Roxio Toast 9 and the HD/BD plug-in is priced at 599.00 USD.

Tags: apple, Media, Technology

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Original post by Sean R.

You know, when I got a Sony laptop with an 80GB hard drive it seemed huge but after about five minutes of BitTorrent downloads, I realized that was naive of me.

I also realized that offloading files, especially music files, to an external drive is problematic. The point of a notebook is portability, and hooking up a USB drive just to listen to podcasts in the kitchen is a pain.

What I need is something like Maxtor’s Central Axis, a one Terabyte Network Attached Storage (NAS). It has a Gigabit Ethernet connection to keep speeds up near those of a local drive, and two USB ports to add further storage when you need it.

And even if you are not hooked into the network via CAT5, you can still get your media via wireless connection when whipping together a tasty late night snack (via a Wi-Fi router).

It’ll even stream movies to your Xbox or PlayStation 3 (Ṕ) without a computer in between.

The price is not unreasonable retailing for $330.00 USD and will be available July 2008.

Source: Gizmodo

Tags: Gadgets, Storage, Technology

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Original post by Sean R.

Enjoy a new found freedom in all of your Wii games with the Kama Wireless Nunchuck from Nyko.

The Kama Wireless Nunchuk provides all the same abilities and features of the wired version, but with no cables tethered to the Nintendo Wii remote.

I actually picked up two of these controllers today from my local Game Crazy. They were a little pricey at $35.00 USD each compared to the wired Nintendo version for $19.95 USD but they are so much nicer.

The Kama Wireless Nunchuck is compatible with all Nintendo Wii software that utilizes the Nunchuk attachment and requires no additional software or modification of the Nintendo Wii hardware to work, simply plug and play.

The lightweight and compact dongle attaches to the bottom of the remote and provides a wireless range of up to 3 meters.

Two AAA batteries, which Kama includes for free, provide up to 30 hours of game play for extended gameplay sessions, however I recommend getting some rechargeable batteries to save you in the long run.

The Kama Wireless Nunchuck is the ideal solution for users demanding more flexibility and freedom while playing their favorite Nintendo Wii games.

Here are some of the features:

• No restrictive wires for complete freedom while gaming
• Compatible with all games that require the Nunchuk
• Full accelerometer support for motion based gameplay
• Ergonomic design fits comfortably in either left or right hand
• Two AAA batteries (included) provide up to 30 hours of gameplay
• Included wrist strap keeps the Kama safely secured during gameplay

Here’s the catch… a few weeks ago Nintendo decided that the Kama is too similar to the official Nunchuk, and so infringes their copyrights.

To quote Bloomberg’s original report:

The Nyko product “wholly appropriates the novel shape, design, overall appearance and even the color and materials used in the Nintendo Nunchuk controller,” Nintendo said in the federal court complaint, filed June 10 in Seattle.

I personally feel that Nintendo is suing Nyko because they had the idea to make a controller that’s 100% better than Nintendo’s official Nunchuk.

If you have the means, I highly recommend you pick up a couple of these beauties before Nintendo or the courts decide they need to be pulled from gaming store shelves… that is if they haven’t already.

Just imagine how much these controllers will be fetching on sites like eBay and Amazon.com? It will be like trying to find a Wii fit or Wii… you’ll pay top dollar for sure!

Tags: Gaming, nintendo, Wii

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Original post by Sean R.

If you were a child of the 1970’s and 1980’s like me then you probably remember the Nintendo (NES) Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo gaming systems.

I’m guessing that a lot of the Gadget Blog readers might still own fully working console systems and have a box full of dusty game cartridges like I do as well.

Well for you gamers who don’t have the original console systems anymore because your mom sold them at a garage sale or donated them to charity, this is for you:

*insert angelic music*

The Retro Duo is awesome! I have one as a back up to my original classic NES and SNES console systems.

So what is the Retro Duo gaming system? It’s basically a tiny console from Innex that accepts both NES and SNES cartridges.

As an added bonus, it’s Region Free, so you can play import games that never got released in the USA as well.

The best part about the Retro Duo? It costs less then $50.00 USD and comes with two controllers.

I love my Retro Duo. Don’t get me wrong, I play my classic systems too, but this is a great system for a small price.

If you want to order one, here’s a link the official product page.

If you don’t have any games to play, you can check your local thrift stores or neighborhood garage sales as I’m sure some mom is selling off a kids gaming collection as I type this… *sniff*

Source: Retro Duo via PlanetSean.com

Tags: Classic Gaming, nintendo

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Original post by Sean R.

Belkin’s latest power-strip adds a very smart feature for travelers: USB ports.

The strip has a couple of charge-only sockets along with the three-way mains AC extenders and even comes with a mini-USB cable, obviating the need to carry chargers for most gadgets.

The $25.00 USD box also squeezes in a surge-protector for those untrustworthy hotel power outlets.

Source: PlanetSean.com

Tags: Gadgets, Technology, USB

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Original post by Sean R.