Technology
Technology: The Icon A5 Collapsible Seaplane (Video)
October 2, 2013
The Icon A5 aircraft is a collapsible seaplane straight from a James Bond movie! Intuitive design (e.g. almost anyone could learn to fly it quickly), portable (no more trouble to transport than towing a speedboat with a hitch)… can run on regular fuel… Man! Now, if they could drop that sticker price a touch. Incredible tech (and ‘big boy’ toy) right here.
READ: ICON A5 AIRCRAFT – COLLAPSIBLE SEAPLANE FOR SPORT FLYING (THRILLIST)
– @ojones1
Posted in Lifestyle, Product, Technology, Videos | 
Tags: AIRCRAFT, COLLAPSIBLE SEAPLANE, ICON A5 AIRCRAFT, Plane, RECREATIONAL AIRCRAFT | 
2 Comments »
The Gun That Aims Itself: New Smart ‘Robo-Rifle’ Technology Can Turn Anyone Into Skilled Snipers (Video)
September 25, 2013
Texas-based TrackingPoint Solutions has released the first ever precision-guided firearm (PGF) – basically a long-range, laser-guided robo-rifle. Soon beginners will be endowed with the kill-at-will skill of trained snipers (e.g. one-shot kills at extreme distances) in no time! Talk about taking gun control in a whole other direction! Well… TrackingPoint CEO Jason Schauble refers to it as a step in the evolution of firearms. Um, yeah.
Watch the video and ask yourself this question: Has killing become too easy?
READ: LONG SHOT – INSIDE THE SCOPE OF SMART WEAPONS (MOTHERBOARD)
Comedy: Justin Timberlake And Jimmy Fallon Run All The Touchdown Dance Moves (Video)
September 16, 2013
Can’t celebrate like this on the field nowadays, but there will be no flags thrown as Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon (they’re always clowning) get it in doing a medley of touchdown dances (with their own twist) in this ‘Late Night’ skit. Complete with The Roots on backup.
Posted in Comedy, Performance, Technology, Videos | Tags: Jimmy Fallon, Justin Timberlake, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Roots | No Comments »
Technology: Carbon Fiber Jet Wing Lets ‘Jetman’ Fly In Formation With a Boeing B-17 Bomber (Video)
August 16, 2013
DaVinci. The Wright Brothers. And now…‘Jetman’ Yves Rossy shows us that man was meant to fly… all it takes is a dream, the vision, relentless work at design, and awesome tech! Check out what, in effect, is one giant step closer to pure human flight. The tech is his Carbon Fiber Jet Wing; and it is AMAZING!
And if you think the view from the ground during one of Yves’ flights is impressive, think about what the guys flying the planes are witnessing (like ‘how is he doing that without a plane?’).
Check out the incredible footage above! Shout out to my cousin Joe (love you man!) for shooting me the Wired piece on this.
READ: YVES ROSSY SHOWS US HOW TO FLY (WIRED)
– @ojones1
Eminem — “Survival” featuring Liz Rodrigues (Prod. By DJ Khalil) [‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ Version]
August 16, 2013
To be played loudly up to and through the release of the new ‘Call Of Duty: Ghosts’ video game. This is Eminem’s new song “Survival” off the game’s soundtrack. Produced by DJ Khalil. Feature vocals from Liz Rodrigues. This is the version exclusively for the video game. Em will have another version for his own project.
(After the jump: Extended video game trailer for ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’)
Posted in Hip-Hop, Lifestyle, Music, Product, Technology, Videos | Tags: CALL OF DUTY, Call of Duty: Ghosts, DJ Khalil, Eminem, Ghosts, Liz Rodrigues, Survival | No Comments »
Technology: How To Build A Giant 9-Foot-5 inch Mechanized Robot (Video)
August 13, 2013
Now this is kinda cool! All too often, we see fantasy tech played out on screen with CGI, but check this real, in-person… um… in-robo tech out. The Wired Mech debuted at Comic-Con, and the people were dazed and amazed! Nowadays, the word is that the Mech is doing the morning show circuit. Nine-foot-five-inches of robo star power baby!
Check out the above clip on the Mech’s debut as the result of the work of dedicated designers, engineers, and staff… bringing unique tech experiences on (and now off) the movie screen.
‘[T]he crew from Stan Winston School and Legacy Effects reflect on a job well done. From concept to unveiling at Comic-Con, this was a labor of love, representing 2000+ man hours of work. Rest up guys, because next year … we are bringing the Mech’s BIGGER BROTHER to the show.’
– Wired
The above clip is the final, Part 7, of a Wired series that relates the story of the Mech’s development and launch. Check out Parts 1 through 6 after the jump.
Posted in Film, Human Interest, Technology, Videos | Tags: How to Build a Giant Robot Mech, Think Big, Wired, Wired App Wired, Wired Mech | 2 Comments »
Technology: Drones Deployed Over South Africa Drop Beers Not Bombs (Video)
August 12, 2013
Not all the news on drone tech nowadays is scary. Remember that UK pizza delivery drone post on here? Well, how about beer… delivered! Hey, it’s what South African concert goers had available. A beer order is placed, a drone is loaded and deployed with beer, the drone flies over the location of the order and delivers the payload via parachute drop… and a crowd cheers. Nice!
‘At the moment it is hand guided, but it will eventually fly on a GPS grid.’
– OppiKoppi TV
According to NY Daily News, the drone already flies delivery by GPS grid. OppiKoppi came up with the concept. Darkwing Aerials took it from concept to prototype. Want to see it work? Here we go (above).
Technology: Bigelow Aerospace’s Inflatable Space Stations (Video)
August 6, 2013
Bigelow Aerospace is designing inflatable modules for space storage/work/living that will be more durable than today’s rigid modules. The company uses several layers of vectran, a material twice as strong as kevlar. In theory, (1) flexible walls of (2) stronger material should be able to sustain micrometeoroid impacts better. Ground-based testing has borne that out. Bigelow’s design will sustain impacts and other problems as much as 24 hours to remedy them before they become fatal. Better than today’s space tech. Good stuff!
Check out the vignette above. Read the article I read in Oracle | Profit at the link here.
– @ojones1
Technology: Brand New Invisible Bicycle Helmets (Video)
August 5, 2013
Cyclists wearing helmets doesn’t guarantee them 100% protection against head injury, but 88% ain’t bad. However, it’s helmets’ cumbersome, unappealing, unfashionable design (not the less than 100% effectiveness) that has a lot of folks riding helmet-free. Industrial designer Anna Haupt, who, with partner Terese Alstin, decided to tackle the dilemma of making head protection safe without sacrificing the sexy.
Check out the vignette above. Read the article I read in Oracle | Profit at the link here.
READ: FYI: GADGET – BAG YOUR HEAD
– @ojones1
Posted in Fashion, Product, Technology, Videos | Tags: Anna Haupt, BAG YOUR HEAD, FOCUS FORWARD FILMS, FYI, GADGET, GE FOCUS FORWARD, Hövding, Invisible Bike Helmet, Oracle, Profit, Terese Alstin | No Comments »
Harvard Research On Humans Controlling Animals With Their Minds (Video)
August 2, 2013
Mankind’s advances in science and technology are incredible… and kind of weird. Why would anyone want to exert psycho-kinetic control over a rat’s tail? Because that is a HUGE step in achieving telekinetic communication between humans and animals. That’s kind of cool. Like Tarzan without all that hollering and ‘un-gow-wa’ talk. BUT… science must ALWAYS be checked by intense moral consideration. We hope that insiders are talking about the morality of things like developing mind control capability… or even what we might learn if we start understanding what animals really think. Will we allow an animal to refuse to participate in further experimentation once we understand their wish to do so? Yeah. It can get deep.
Beyond hoping that science’s advances are balanced by morality, we know that we should (at least) be aware when stuff like this is on the horizon. At what point in time would you not want to know that folks are trying to gain [more] control over your mind?
Watch the demo vid above. Fair warning: It’s kind of creepy.
Posted in Science, Technology, Videos | Tags: Harvard, Human moves rat's tail with thoughts alone, mind control, telekinesis, telekinetic | No Comments »
Professor Noel Sharkey Speaks On the Advances and Ethics of Unmanned Drone Technology (Video)
July 29, 2013
Noel Sharkey, PhD is a noteworthy in the fields of psychology, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, computer science, engineering and robotics. Best known to the public as a robot expert, his current research passion is on the ethics of robot applications including care, policing, military, crime, sex, transport and medicine.
In his TED talk (above), Sharkey speaks on his lifelong love of robotics. And he brings up the ethics and realities modern society faces in deploying automated/remotely-controlled combat robots (e.g. drones) that allow us to kill from a distance; enabling so-called bloodless wars. But are “bloodless wars” really bloodless? Not for everybody; especially not for the folks who are ultimately killed by unmanned drones! What about when the “drone arms race” gets underway… and we have robot armies fighting each other? Anyone else see a HUGE risk for “collateral damage” and loss of innocent life (more so than already)?
What happens when we start using drones for civilian applications? Sharkey has predicted that – like drones programmed to make life/death decisions on the battlefield autonomously – in peacetime, drones could be carrying out tasks that include asking for ID… even tasering and arresting suspects, as well as crowd control, with no human say-so required. But do we really want that?
Technology: Thanks To Moto-Knee, Extreme Athletes Who Lose a Limb Need Not ‘Lose a Step’ (Video)
July 29, 2013
Mike Schultz, founder of Minnesota-based prosthetics company Biodapt, is a professional racer who had a need for speed… on a snow-ski. Then he lost a limb up to the knee in an accident. Then he replaced that knee with his innovation, the Moto-Knee, and kept it moving… better… stronger… faster.
(Yes! A ‘Six Million Dollar Man’ 70s TV reference! Recognize the G[eek] in me!)
Check out the demo video above to see just what a prosthesis can do (e.g. can allow an extreme athlete to do). Good tech. No down side to report on this one. Enjoy!
Posted in Human Interest, Sports, Technology, Videos | Tags: Extreme Athlete, Mike Schultz, Moto-Knee, Prosthetic Limb | No Comments »
Technology: So, Who Ordered the Pizza? Your Delivery Drone Is Here (Video)
July 26, 2013
Actually saw this coming…sort of. We posted on drones doing everything from destroying dug-in dissidents to delivering pizzas here. And here it is: Drone pizza delivery by Dominos DomiCopter.
– @ojones1
Posted in Technology, Videos | Tags: DomiCopter, Domino's tests drone pizza delivery, Dominos, Dominos DomiCopter, drone, First Drone Pizza Delivery | 1 Comment »
VICE: Israeli Killer Robots (Video)
July 25, 2013
‘Israel is the world’s biggest exporter of military drones, used around the world for everything from surveillance to precision rocket attacks on speeding cars in remote locales. Israel’s drone program hasn’t stirred as much controversy as its American counterpart, but not because their targeted killings are any less fatal. VICE sent Simon Ostrovsky to a drone testing airfield in Israel to find out what their latest eye-in-the-sky can see.’
Posted in Cover Story, Human Interest, Politics, Technology, Videos | Tags: Air Drones, drones, Israel, Israeli Killer Robots, Simon Ostrovsky, UAV, UAVs, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, VICE | No Comments »
Whose Rhymes Are The Deepest? Tahir Hemphill’s Hip-Hop Word Count Has An Answer (Video)
July 18, 2013
You’ve probably argued with folks about which emcees’ rhymes displayed lyrical skill… and whose were garbage. Ever wish you had some statistical standard by which you could settle the argument? Well… Harvard University’s WEB Du Bois Hip-Hop Archive Institute Fellow Tahir Hemphill wanted the same thing – a way to mathematically measure the educational level of Hip-Hop lyrics. The result: Hip-Hop Word Count, an online searchable database with over 40,000 rap songs from 1979 to present. The application figures word count, average syllables per word, average letters per syllable, longest polysyllabic word, and educational level needed to grasp the meaning of a song’s lyrics. Hip-Hop Word Count also counts “cleverness” (use of similes, metaphors, cultural references, and rhyme patterns). The final score is a number between 0 (illiterate) to 20 (post-graduate degree).
So, how do some of rap’s standards measure up? Rakim’s “Microphone Fiend†scores 16, as does Jay-Z’s “Dead Presidents 2.†The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Warning†gets 11, and so does Lil Wayne’s “I’m Me.†50 Cent’s “I Get Money†comes in at a 7.
The program can also find out when a particular word or phrase (like references to champagnes or the word ‘Hater’) first appeared in a rap song and how many times it has been mentioned since.
PLUS: Using Hip-Hop Word Count and its features, Hemphill makes some interesting observations about the state of Hip-Hop and society above. Bonus clip after the jump below.
Posted in Hip-Hop, Human Interest, Technology, Videos | Tags: Hip-Hop Word Count, Tahir Hemphill | 1 Comment »
PBS Digital Studios: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence (Video)
July 17, 2013
For decades, the talk researchers, writers, filmmakers, and the general public has been artificial intelligence (AI). We’re trying to create AI, but considering that humans have had countless millenia to evolve human intelligence as we know today. Recently, attempts to create AI have us looking to mimic our own brains in some way.
‘No matter how we get there, it is certain that artificial intelligence will have tremendous impact on our society and economy, and lead us down a path towards evolving our own definitions of humanity.’
– PBS OffBook
Interesting conversation starter. Check out this video.
Technology: JPEGmini Reduces Photo File Size But Not Quality (Video)
July 9, 2013
Man! Businessweek is my source for leads on good tech! Check out this memory space-saving software product from Beamr (of Tel Aviv, Israel) called JPEGmini. The video I found on it (above) demonstrates how this innovation reduces pic file size while maintaining (and potentially improving) photo quality.
– @ojones1
READ: JPEGMINI SHRINKS PHOTO FILES WITHOUT SACRIFICING QUALITY (BUSINESSWEEK)
Technology: Recyclable 3D Printed Breathable Cast… The Cool Way To Have a Broken Arm
July 3, 2013
If you have ever worn a cast (or known someone who has), then you probably know that current medical technology should have found an alternative to plaster casts long before now. Though quick to set, reasonably durable and effective at immobilizing set bones, they are somewhat sloppy to make… make bathing a challenge… and scratching an itch impossible. And once you remove that cast… that smell… it’s like hot damnation and rotten eggs!
Enter the the Cortex 3D-Printed Cast. Did you really read the title? How futuristic cool is a cast that could do all that?
3D-printed casts for fractured bones could replace the usual bulky, itchy and smelly plaster or fiberglass ones in this conceptual project by Victoria University of Wellington graduate Jake Evill.
The prototype Cortex cast is lightweight, ventilated, washable and thin enough to fit under a shirt sleeve.
– De zeen
Credit to Good.Is for this scoop! Though still at the concept stage for now, this promises to be good tech.
READ: A CUSTOM 3D-PRINTED CAST THAT LOOKS LIKE AN EXOSKELETON (GOOD.IS)
Technology: Look, Up In The Sky… It’s NOT a Plane. It’s a Super-Zeppelin! (Video)
June 26, 2013
What you’ve just watched (unless you haven’t watched the above embedded video yet) is a demo vid for the Aeroscraft — a ‘super-Zeppelin’ (blimp) developed by Worldwide Aeros. It’s a very advanced blimp that has the potential to carry cargo more efficiently than any other aircraft. Imagine that – a blimp carrying tires instead of advertising them over the stadium. This could revolutionize long-range hauling in near-future. Think trucking in the ‘skyway’ rather than the highway. Probably won’t get stuck in an air traffic jam… until the rest of us start flying like The Jetsons or something. Very innovative tech. Found a story ’bout it in Businessweek. Wanna read it? Here it go.
READ: WORLDWIDE AEROS AIMS TO TURN BLIMPS INTO CARGO CRAFT (BUSINESSWEEK)
– @ojones1
Posted in Technology, Videos | Tags: Aeroscraft, Blimp, cargo, hauling, long haul, Super-Zeppelin, transport, transportation, Worldwide Aeros, Zeppelin | No Comments »
Technology: MC10 Making Microchips To Wear On or Under the Skin (Video)
June 25, 2013
WOW… read about these ‘second skin’ wearable computer chips in Businessweek and immediately looked for video! MC10 wants to make you more superhuman with its BioStamp product. The way David Icke (company CEO) sees it, these chips could be put into clothes, worn on the skin, or be implanted just below the skin… with applications that could advance medicine or enhance physical training/monitoring for athletes or average citizens.
Incredible tech. No doubt. BUT…
Note that he didn’t offer a caution or suggest any possible ‘Big Brother’ angle. Now, knowing me (through my posts), you expect that I would launch into a tirade on the potential ills of this tech… in the hands of a radical organization, soulless corporation, or future administration (government) at this point. On another day, maybe I would. I certainly could… but I’ll leave that to you this time. Just ask yourself: Who would have the money, motive, and means to make the ‘most’ of this tech? Hmmm…
– @ojones1
