PopScopic is an interesting mashup that uses augmented reality to enhance your shopping experience.
On PopScopic, you can print out three symbols that are linked to the top ten lists for music, movies and games. Then, just fire up your webcam and put one of those symbols in front of it, and you’ll see the cover art from the top ten list projected in front of you. You can tilt the paper to change selections, and then just tap on the $ sign to visit a page where you can buy that item.
It’s not a world changing experience by any means, but it is a peak into the future of shopping, and it’s fun and easy to play around with, so check it out!
If Microsoft’s Surface PC has you dreaming about the future of computing, but the $12,000 price tag has brought you back to reality, then check out Maximum PC’s build of a multitouch surface computer that uses just $350 in parts and a bit of creative hacking.
The whole thing achieves the Surface like interface through the use of some infrared LEDs, a PS3 Eye camera, a projector, and some acrylic, and the wood cabinet gives it some class, though that would be purely optional if you wanted to keep it geek-tastic.
The computer itself is just a common Core 2 Duo, 2 gig RAM machine, and the software is all open source, so you could technically build one of your own if you were so inclined.
Just don’t let on to the price when your friends wonder where the spare Clevelands came from.
The TASER XREP, or eXtended Range Electronic Projectile, is the future of taser technology.
Designed to stun from up to 100 feet away, the SREP is a self-contained, wireless taser that fits inside of a single 12-gauge projectile, yet delivers the same ‘bio-effect’ as the standard TASER X26 stun gun.
Features include a transparent shell for easy identification, torsion spring fins for extra rotational stability, and reflex engagement electrodes that prevent the SREP from being removed once contact has been made.
Looking at the thing would be enough to stop me in my tracks, so just hope you’re not on the business end of the XREP any time soon!
When three of the guys behind the Tesla Roadster set out to build a motorcycle, you know it’s not going to be your run of the mill bike.
And you’d be right. The Mission One from Mission Motors wants to redefine the way we think of two-wheeled transportation by creating an all-electric motorcycle that performs as good (if not better) than it looks while creating zero emissions along the way. Using a combination of lithium ion batteries, a high performance electric motor, and an onboard computer system, the Mission One is designed to go 150 miles on a single charge and top out at 150 miles per hour.
Batteries have long been the limiting factor for electric vehicles, since they’re seen as heavy, large and expensive, but with Mission One’s lithium ion batteries, the bike can be lighter, cheaper, and carry more energy, and it’ll only take 2 hours to charge between fun runs. The bike also uses a regenerative braking system to gain back some of the energy typically lost during a ride.
On the performance side of things, the electric motor means you can tap all 100 foot-pounds of torque at any time from 0-60 mph, giving you a limitless torque curve that can pull you out of any tricky turn. Ohlins forks, Ohlins shocks, Brembo brakes and Marchesini wheels round out the physical components, while a real time wireless data acquisition system ensures that the rider knows at all times exactly what’s going on at the track and on the street.
The body itself was designed by Yves Behar of Fuse Project, the man behind the Jawbone headset, so it also looks as good as it performs. With angular lines, modern materials and a sleek, futuristic silhouette, it’s like a combination of a Ducati and a KTM that work well in all the right places.
If the bike of the future is calling your name, then give Mission Motors a call, because at just $69,000 the Mission One will be going fast in more ways than one.
The Places We Live is a fascinating look at some of the poorest slums on earth.
It’s the work of Jonas Bendiksen, who traveled to Caracas, Venezuela; Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya; Dharavi, Mumbai, India; and Jakarta, Indonesia from 2005 to 2007, documenting life in these slums, and capturing images of the diversity of personal histories and outlooks [...]
This “Papervision” creature is quite possibly the most amazing thing I’ve seen in a long time. I kid you not that when I first got it to work, I felt like I was playing around in the future.
To get your own, just visit this page and download and print the required symbol. Then, point your [...]
