News and other tidbits that Chad Cloman finds interesting enough to share
As of this time last year, Colorado had exactly one theater with digital projection. It must be a 2K or less projector, because I was able to see pixellation in Attack of the Clones (I was sitting in the first row of the stadium seating section). Here’s hoping digital projection comes into widespread use.
Here’s a neat gadget that will find those lost golf balls for you.
McDonalds is testing a system where drive-through orders are taken by employees in Santa Maria, California—even though the person ordering the food may be at a restaurant thousands of miles away.
This prototype engine has an additional power stroke using water as fuel. It’ll be interesting to see if something actually comes of it.
For those of us who are computer/tech literate, it’s easy to forget that most people are not. Perhaps this is why the iPod is such a success, with it’s simple, elegant interface.
This is the type of design that motivates people to become engineers: simple, elegant, and mind-boggling.
Modifying a room to block RF transmisions is fairly simple, but the difference with NaturalNano’s nanotube-based shielding paint is one of cost and ease of application. I couldn’t find a price, but it sounds like the process would be less expensive than traditional methods—perhaps even within the price range of your average conspiracy theorist. Another significant selling point is the ability to easily enable/disable RF transmissions inside a shielded room.
With all the reports about CD-Rs only lasting a few years, the disc vendors are taking note. TDK claims its discs will last 70 years, and Memorex has come out with a gold-based CD-R.
This was pretty ho-hum for me until I watched the demo video. Just plain amazing—it stops cutting in about 5 millseconds.
Sounds promising, but time will tell.
This is the somewhat long but interesting story of one man’s quest to create colored soap bubbles. The thing that makes it significant is that disappearing ink was developed as part of the process. Once the ink was created, they realized it could be used for many other applications. Expect to see it popping up in various products over the next few years.
I’ve been hearing bits and pieces about LED lights replacing various types of conventional lights, because the LEDs are cheaper to operate and last longer. This accidental invention by a student, however, may signal the death toll for standard light bulbs.
There’s also a really good slashdot discussion on the relative merits of LED vs. fluorescent vs. incandescent lights.
