Interesting News & Topics. . .

*zeo · November 1, 2008

Yeah, Vista was one of Microsofts biggest blunders of all time but it seems they learnt their lessen and now are giving us a true next gen operating system and all I can say is about bloody time :mrgreen:

Now for a short break from the general news, for those living in the USA (and anyone who may be interested in US politics), it is now the weekend before the 2008 Presidential Election. So here are some non-partisan links to sites that will tell you the truth regardless of which party you are rooting for and hopefully answer any lingering questions you may have of the candidates and their policies. . .

www.factcheck.org

www.truthorfiction.com

www.taxfoundation.org

www.politifact.com

C-SPAN (Raw Political News Organization)

Now just keep in mind that no one article, from any of the listed sites, will give you the complete picture. You'll have to look at them all to get some idea and then combine that with whatever each site might miss to fill in the final gaps and then use your own judgment. Also, though these sites are non-partisan doesn't mean they are 100% correct in their analysis, after all assumptions are still involved, especially with all the unknowns about the economy, but they will give you a fair overall picture that partisan sites would never give you.

*zeo · November 4, 2008

The Deep-Water Disaster That May Kill Us All

Ultrasound Can Give You Memories of Learning Things in College

Grow Back the Missing Pieces of Your Heart

Dried Mushrooms Could Stop Global Warming, Say Scientists

A Gene That Could Turn Humans Into Vampires

Software Can Duplicate Your Keys Using a Photo Taken From 200 Feet Away

Hmm, looks like someone put a gap on how many images can be posted at once. So this will probably be the last update to this thread. Oh well...

*Jess♥ · November 4, 2008

Hmm, looks like someone put a gap on how many images can be posted at once. So this will probably be the last update to this thread. Oh well...

I don't know what you mean by this?

did you come across a problem?

I checked to see if any of teh admin had changed any setting and cannot see any evidence of any restriction being put on.

also, there doesn't seem to be any option for restriction of the img tag.

if you come acros any problems, please let one of us know so we can check it out.

*zeo · November 4, 2008

It basically wouldn't let me post more images than you see in my last post and even blocked me from posting it in a separate post, saying the combined number of images violated the restriction. Basically I can't post more than a few images at a time and can't post more till someone else makes a post first.

I figured it was a restriction on overloading posts, even though this topic thread is more of a news blog.

Since I post the same articles on my site, perhaps I should just leave a forwarding link? If it's an issue with the server for example?

*Jess♥ · November 4, 2008

hmm, ok there is a restriction of 15 images per post.

I just found that setting.

now.. I would imagine that you don't normally have that many.. but what happens is, if you post in a short amount of time after your last post, the forum merges the two posts. if your combined number of images is more than 15, thats where the problem will come in.

it is set at 2 minutes. so any post within 2 minutes will be merged.

I hope this helps.

*zeo · November 5, 2008

Medical Card-Reading Tester Can Produce Almost Instant Diagnosis

Totaled Tesla Takes the Throne For Most Wrecked Yet

Solar Panel Quantum Leap: Near-Perfect Light Absorption Possible

FCC Approves Plan for White Space Broadband

Hidden 'Aero Shake' Feature Cleans Up the Clutter in Windows 7

Comcast Tests New P2P Protocol, Nearly Doubles Download Speeds

Scientists Clone Mouse from Damaged Frozen Cells, Mammoth, Sabertooth Next In Line

Cassini Probe To Be Used to Look For Life on Saturn Moon

Nanotube Speaker Film: Transparent, Stretchy, Likes Moldovan Pop.

Rainforest Fungus Makes Biodiesel, Not Soup

A Scientific Reason Why You Can't Stop Yourself from Saying "Oh drenn!"

Which Is A Worse Death Trap: Flying Car? Or Green Buggy?

US Military Pretty Much Commissions a Real-Life Gordon Freeman Power Suit

*zeo · November 5, 2008

Scientist Designs Nanoparticle Optics That Self-Assemble

Flat Light Bulbs Are an Incandescent Innovation

NASA Nearly Bombs Australia With 1400lb Ammonia Tank

Japanese Scientists Miss The Point, Design Self-Stabilizing Electric Bike

Know-It-All LCD Panel Can Scan Fingerprints, Sense Light

Jurassic Park Creator Michael Crichton Dies Unexpectedly

British Libertarian Party Fights Surveillance with George Orwell

ESA Reveals Next-Gen Reentry Pod, Makes NASA's Plans Look Kinda Low-Tech

Paini Puts Some Flex Into Their Futuristic Faucet

JVC DLA-RS2 is 'World's First' Home 3D Projector

*Jess♥ · November 6, 2008

how can they possibly have 3d without special glasses?

I've heard of no such technology apart from holograms.

*zeo · November 6, 2008

The same way they have holographic pictures (photographic), the projector has overlaying images synced to the viewers eyes. Normally you would still need glasses for splitting the image layers between our two eyes but this is 2nd gen tech and can overlay and sync it so the glasses are no longer needed. Basically the LCD display allows the beams of light to be projected at different angles, etc and our brains do the rest.

They also got 3D television displays as well in the works, so the technology is quickly spreading and becoming more practical all the time.

*Jess♥ · November 6, 2008

ok, I understand that concept, but how on earth can they account for scattering?

I mean, you would have to have a perfectly flat surface for the light to bounce off in the right direction, right?

and actually.. if you project a stereoscopic image like that, you would simply get a double image on the screen wouldn't you?

i mean, how can this technology choose which eye sees which image? it's not like your eyes are set up according to the machines specification, you can't tell your eyes to filter out one set of images.

i understand how they would set a lcd screen to do this, that makes sense, but not with a projector?

unless you have a very special screen to project onto....

*zeo · November 6, 2008

Like audio, there would most likely have to be a sweet spot in which the images overlap. Remember though the variance only has to be very small as the images mainly just have to be perceived between the distance between our two eyes and generally screens have to be flat for the best image quality. So the image scattering would be very close.

The technology probably isn't perfect yet, like how it took years before you could look at your LCD screen at different angles and still see a good image for example. But it's good enough that if you sit in the right spot you'll get the desired effect.

There is also timing, two distinct angled images can be sent at different intervals. So long as those intervals are still rapid enough for the illusion of motion then our brains can combine the images to produce the 3D effect. Just like the newer 3D glasses worked by basically shuttering at different rates between the two eyes, the projector too could possibly use that technique to split the two images and help add to the effect. But again it probably still requires you to be in a certain spot to get the full effect.

*zeo · November 17, 2008

My Room II Is Still A Bastion of Antisocial Shut-Ins the World Over

Woman Stabs Rapist in the Neck with an iPod Charger

Just goes to show there are some down sides to being President. . .

Obama's Blackberry Could Be Banned From Oval Office

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Barack Obama Cloned By Israeli Candidate Website

, The YouTube Presidency

Now you can wear your favorite tunes. . .

Sound Sewing Machine Concept Shows You the Music

The Digital Transition is Proceeding Exactly According to Plan

Replica 4004 Calculator Features First Intel Microprocessor Used by Mankind

Stress Eliminator!

Real 19th Century Vampire Killing Kit Is a Must In Current Economic Climate

Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 Tested for XTREME Durability

*zeo · November 17, 2008

Mud-Powered 'Soil Lamp' Proves Water and Electricity Go Together Well

Swedish Nuclear Bunker Transmogrified Into Data Center Fit For Bond

Meade ETX-LS Motorized GPS Telescope Basically Does Astronomy For You

The World's Most Depressed People Watch the Most TV

Slegoon Sled Might as Well Double as a Coffin

American Airlines Brings Cellphone Boarding Passes to O'Hare

UPS Dumps Labels for Paper-Free Gauntlet-Cum-Printer

Chinese City Bakes Bad Milk Into Bricks

Hydraulic Excavator Used to Climb Column Leaves Us Completely Baffled

Book Your Posthumous Voyage to the Moon

Back-to-School Season for Your Immune Cells

Mysterious Infrared Aurora Glows at Saturn's North Pole

*Jess♥ · November 17, 2008

that website "stealing" is a pile of crap in my opinion.

the designs are not even that similar.

so many websites are using more or less th same layout these days with writing on one side, menu or other stuff on hte other side, a banner at the top with various menu items.

the only thing you can say is siilar is teh fact they have the same shade of blue with a kinda glowy effect.

*zeo · November 18, 2008

Well aside from the color the layout is an exact mirror, which goes with the language difference since hebrew is read right to left.

It makes sense they would copy him though, he's the most successful campaigner in history. Not to mention his fund raising left him with a 85 million surplus once all was said and done. Lots of politicians would want that type of success to rub off them, even if it is only superficial...

Alpine Capsule Is Probably Aliens' Favorite Refuge on Earth

Indian Lunar Probe Crashes On Moon Surface

G-Speak Minority Report Gesture UI Actually Made By Minority Report Designer

The Government Doesn't Need Telcos' Help To Spy On Your Cellphones, Thank You Very Much

Harry Potter-ish Photos With Moving Shadows Invented

Fujistu's Wraparound Exterior Car Video Gives Bird's Eye View, World's First

NASA Scales Up 1966's Moon Image to Amazing Ultra-High Resolution

Meet Veronica McGregor, Mars Phoenix Lander's Humanoid Personality Construct

Sector Compass Torch Watch For Transmitting Messages in Morse Code

The Official NASA Guide To Drinking Your Own Urine

*Jess♥ · November 18, 2008

i question your use of the word "exact"....

for a start, ther is a search box on one where thiere is none on the other. there is some buttons in the middle of where there is a big picture on hte other.

the column that obama has simply writing on it, has actually two columns with I think is some menu items or something.

and that's just going from memory. there are a lot more differences.

*V Guyver · November 18, 2008

again, some nice intresting finds. Thanks again for all the efforts in posting them.

*zeo · November 18, 2008

Thanks V Guyver, feel free to add any you find as well.

i question your use of the word "exact"....
for a start, ther is a search box on one where thiere is none on the other. there is some buttons in the middle of where there is a big picture on hte other.

the column that obama has simply writing on it, has actually two columns with I think is some menu items or something.

and that's just going from memory. there are a lot more differences.

You might try actually reading the article before making a judgement?

The colors, the fonts, the icons for donating and volunteering, the use of videos, and the social networking Facebook-type options — including Twitter, which hardly exists in Israel — all reflect a conscious effort by the Netanyahu campaign to learn from the Obama success.
“Imitation is the greatest form of flattery,” noted Ron Dermer, one of Mr. Netanyahu’s top campaign advisers. “We’re all in the same business, so we took a close look at a guy who has been the most successful and tried to learn from him. And while we will not use the word ‘change’ in the same way in our campaign, we believe Netanyahu is the real candidate of change for Israel.”

They clearly admit to the imitation! All your observation are true but is irrevelant to the theme of the site - How the information is presented and ordered, etc. You don't need to have the exact same information or details, we are comparing an Israeli politician site to an American one after all, to see that they imitated the Barack site.

*Jess♥ · November 18, 2008

You might try actually reading the article before making a judgement?
They clearly admit to the imitation! All your observation are true but is irrevelant to the theme of the site - How the information is presented and ordered, etc. You don't need to have the exact same information or details, we are comparing an Israeli politician site to an American one after all, to see that they imitated the Barack site.

oh, in that case i stand corrected. :confused:

to be honest, I don't read a lot of these articles because many of them are so badly written.

I can usually get an idea of what they are about by looking at some keywords or looking at the pictures.

that birdeye view car thing is very interesting.

I can see how it works and it is very clever.

it would certainly be confusing at first though.

*zeo · November 20, 2008

All-Electric MINI E Hits LA Auto Show Floor With "Hottest. Deputy Mayor. Ever."

found footage

Jessica Alba Gets Served... Telekinetically

How Frozen Pizzas Are Made (Singularity and One Badass Sauce Gun)

Scotsman Trufill Beverage Dispenser Shoots Out 10 Pints in 10 Seconds

Amazing Mechanical Elephant Is Not Afraid of USB Mice, Baekdal and Andrew Chase

Finally, Lasers That Heal Wounds Rather Than Creating Them

Contest: Design The Gaming Laptop of the Future and Win a Toshiba X305

You know what is better than getting a brand new Toshiba Qosmio X305 gaming laptop this holiday? How about getting one for free? Yes, that definitely would be the way to go—but there is one small catch. You have to earn it by designing your vision of the ultimate gaming laptop of the future. Just send a presentable looking mockup of your design with specs and other info to contests@gizmodo.com with the subject "X305 Contest." Hurry though, all entries must be received by December 1st to be considered.

Samsung Manufacturing 256GB SSDs, Just Like They Promised

Employees Not Getting Paid for Boot-Up Times, Sue Their Employers

A Future Where Actors are Robots

Giz Explains: Every Video Format You Need to Know

A Look at the Nokia Damage Test Labs

The BBC Tried To Ruin Doctor Who – Before It Even Began

It's Not Filk - It's Trock!

Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Classic Doctor Who Companion?

X Prize's Call for Votes in Next Big Crazy Green Idea Challenge