Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It’s free!
Speaking of tomatoes, Australian scientist Amy Walmsley has attempted to grow tomatoes that would integrate the Avian Flu vaccine.
“We just harvest the fruit, freeze-dry it and there’s your vaccine,” Walmsley told the newspaper. “That would be a lot easier than giving injections—especially for a flock of 5,000 chickens.”
How “Star Trek” is that?
Read More 
| Physics Org
Is the AlphaGrip a controller? Nope - it’s a keyboard. The standard QWERTY keyboard layout we have today was invented in 1874, due to the high rate of mechanical failure of manual typewriters when the keyboard was laid out in a standard ABC layout. Since keyboards have become commonplace, and no longer face the same difficulty typewriters do, a number of new layouts (most notably, the Dvorak layout) have been tried, but in general, with a few exceptions, the keyboard has remained the same.
No longer! AlphaGrip has reinvented the keyboard.
The AG-5 interfaces with computers via a single removable USB cable. It uses a simple chord-like keyboarding model and an integrated trackball to provide complete keyboard and mouse functionality in a unique form factor that looks a bit like a console gaming controller.
The learning curve on this one is probably pretty steep, but with the popularity and familarity of console gaming controllers, could it be the next generation keyboard?
Read More | ArsTechnica
Advertisement
Technology Is Wonderful - When It Works
Posted by John Goulden Categories: Smartphones, Editorial, Features, Internet, Misc. Tech,
As you may or may not be aware, a severe storm ripped through the Midwest and caused an as-of-yet untotaled amount of damage, as well as personal injury and loss of life. One such city, that in the past seemed immune to tornado-generating storms, is Springfield, Illinois, the state’s capital.
A pair of tornados ripped through the city late Sunday night, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. At one point, most of the city was without power, and there are still areas where electrical service has not been restored (my house being one of those.) Initially the lack of electricity didn’t appear to be a big deal till it became obvious that it was not coming back anytime soon.
Click to continue reading Technology Is Wonderful - When It Works
Latest Gear Live Videos
While never having experienced the phenomenon myself, I hear that dogs like to get a hold of miscellaneous items with the intent to chew them to shreds. Of course, this would be particularly bad if Fido grabbed hold of an expensive gadget. Now, replace your iPod with an iPaw, and the internal squeaky toy keeps your dog at bay for hours on end (we would imagine.) The “device” features a tiny dog print where the click-wheel might be, and a gray (silver) back with a larger paw print. The iPaw is about 5-inches tall, and retails for $10.50.
Read More | Pug Cafe via popgadget
Intel Advanced Liquid Cooling
Posted by John Goulden Categories: Corporate News, Design, Misc. Tech, PC / Laptop,
Watercooling was once a niche market enjoyed only by those with a knack for tinkering, but in the last year or so has begun to invade the mainstream. Even Intel has taken notice and decided to get in on the action with their Advanced Liquid Cooling prototype. The cooler was designed by enthusiasts in Intel’s engineering department, who would like to see the company shy away from their current view toward overclocking (that it’s evil). The team wanted a watercooler that was robust, reliable and efficient enough for mainstream use and that differed from current kits on the market, which were viewed as complex and flimsy.
What they came up with was a centrifugal pump that uses a brushless DC motor, a CPU block with a copper core, and a radiator cooled by a 120mm fan. All of the items are tied together with solid metal tubing, with the pump residing on top of the CPU block. Everyone has their own opinions as to the optimal location of the pump in a watercooling loop, but apparently this design works well for Intel. Their test system, which houses a 3.8GHz EE CPU, was overclocked to 5.01GHz. Although we have no idea what the ambient temperature was during the test, the CPU remained stable at 62 degrees Celsius which is well within spec limits.
Intel is looking to have the cooler go from prototype stage to actual production, and because commonly available parts were used to build it, they expect it to sell for less than $50 USD. Watercooling enthusiasts may argue design specifics and compromises made, but watercooling for the masses is a notable goal.
Read More | Bit-Tech
The Bleeding Edge 005: TiVo KidZone, Apple’s Fun New Things, Origami Project, Xbox 360 Repair Woes
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Apple, Misc. Tech, Portable Audio / Video, Product Reviews, Video Games, Videocasts,
In this episode we talk about TiVo’s parental control initiative, Apple’s “Fun New Things,” Origami, and more - plus, we have a couple of giveaways to announce:
THE WIRE
TiVo KidZone
Wikipedia on iPod
Apple Fun New Things Announcements
OFF THE DOME
Origami
Xbox 360 Repair Experience
GIZMATIC
Eton’s American Red Cross Survival Radio
Stashcard
OHSO Marko Toothbrush
GIVEAWAYS
We mention a couple of giveaways that we will be doing on The Bleeding Edge over the next few weeks. Watch the show to find out how you can enter to win your own OHSO and Xbox 360.
Here’s how to get the show:
|iTunes| - Subscribe to our iTunes video feed
|RSS| - Subscribe to our video RSS feed
|Download| - iPod-formatted H.264 (Mirror)
|Download| - XviD
|Download| - MPEG-4 (Mirror)
|Download| - PSP
Length: 30:08
IMPORTANT: We are surveying the viewers of our show to see what it is that people like, and more importantly, what they don’t like. It is anonymous, and just takes a couple of minutes. If you have the time, we would appreciate it! As always, feel free to let us know what you think in the comments.
[Download] - iPod-formatted H.264
[Download] - 1080p MP4
Does your dog or teenager
other pet constantly run away from home? Rather than keeping them permanently under lock and key, outfit them with the Global Pet Finder. The Pet Finder is a GPS device that attachs to your pet’s collar for tracking purposes. Although its described as the “Pet” Finder, the size of the unit seemingly dictates that the pet is either a medium-size or larger dog, or a mammoth cat. The device works in conjunction with the company’s website for initial setup, and your computer, mobile phone or PDA for updates on your pet’s location. Simply set a geographical boundary for your pet, and any time it crosses this imaginary line, the GPS will alert you as to your pet’s current location.
Ever mindful of your pet’s well being, the Global Pet Finder can also alert you to temperate conditions that are harmful for it. With its ability to track your pet wherever it may roam, the Global Pet Finder will help you keep tabs on your potentially wayward critter. Priced at $349.99 USD with a recurring monthly charge of $17.99 to $19.98 USD.
Read More | Global Pet Finder via Gizmodo
The Bleeding Edge 004: Wicked Lasers, Gillette Fusion, Wireless Network Music Player, Vaja PSP Case
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Features, Misc. Tech, Mods / Hacks, Product Reviews, Video Games, Videocasts,
This week we bring the pain as we set up a Wicked Laser playground (geeky Light Saber fight included!), put the Gillette Fusion against an old-school razor, show off a homebrew wireless network music player, and more:
THE WIRE
AOL Raises Broadband Pricing
MacBook Pros Finally Arriving
HEAD TO HEAD
We take the Gillette Fusion Power and put it against a traditional old-school razor to see which is truly the best.
HIGH SCORE
If you are looking for some protection for your PSP, we take a look at the Vaja i-Volution leather PSP case.
GIZMATIC
If you want to see something that is just cool, we have it. We show off a couple of Wicked Lasers, setting up a couple of different environments to display how awesome lasers can be.
Here’s how to get the show:
|iTunes| - Subscribe to our iTunes video feed
|RSS| - Subscribe to our video RSS feed
|Download| - iPod-formatted H.264 (Mirror)
|Download| - XviD
|Download| - MPEG-4 (Mirror)
|Download| - PSP
Length: 30:08
IMPORTANT: We are surveying the listeners of our podcast to see what it is that people like, and more importantly, what they don’t like. It is anonymous, and just takes a couple of minutes. If you have the time, we would appreciate it! As always, feel free to let us know what you think in the comments.
[Download] - iPod-formatted H.264
[Download] - 1080p MP4
The mood ring of the future has finally arrived, although with a slight twist. With the original mood ring, it would change colors to indicate your current emotional state (uh-huh, right). The Kotohana Flowers don’t detect your emotions, but rather the emotions of the person holding the other flower cluster. See, the flowers come as a paired set, and each cluster of three changes color based upon the emotions of the person holding it’s twin. The flowers work using an emotion recogntion engine called Sensibility Technology (ST) that recognizes emotion in speech patterns. A small microphone is hidden in the flowers to detect happiness (yellow), sadness (blue), excitement (red) and calmness (green). The technology, developed by NEC and SIG will be shown at CeBIT in Hanover, Germany.
Read More | Pink Tentacle
Laws have been passed, deadlines set (think Bill Gates), and ludicrous concepts conjured up (e-mail postage) - yet the scourge that is spam still marches on. One of the latest weapons in the war on spam is the Spam Cube. This diminutive little box provides spam protection for as many as four computers regardless of the operating system installed (although their website is a bit contradictory on the OS part). Unlike many other hardware/software solutions there’s no monthly fee for using the Spam Cube. Simply purchase one, jack it into your network per the instructions (assuming you read them), and away it goes. The company offers a virus protection service as well (Security OnDemand), and while it’s not free, it’s not terribly expensive either. Keep in mind that their virus protection only covers e-mail, so you’ll still need to retain your existing anti-virus software.
Pre-order yours now for $150 USD. An annual subscription to their Security OnDemand service is $52 USD.
Read More | Spam Cube via PR Minds
