Category: News (Page 11 of 130)

      Volvo’s Demonstration of Their New Automatic Braking System is a Must-See

      July 5, 2013 /

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      As a rule I like to be in control of a car completely while I’m driving, to the point where I often don’t even use cruise control. While some of that is wanting to experience the thrill of driving completely, there is a small part in the back of my mind that doesn’t trust leaving something so potentially urgent in control of a machine.

      When it comes to features like self-parking cars, or even self-driving cars, then, I tend to steer clear.

      However, looking at it practically, automated cars are the wave of the future, and will in some measure become commonplace in all models. Technicians at Volvo are working to make sure that inevitability isn’t one driven entirely by consumer curiosity and vanity, but rather filling basic needs to enhance driving for everyone.

      Specifically, they are trying to perfect an automated braking system in commercial trucks that would allow them to avoid major collisions should the driver be dozing off at the wheel, or otherwise unable to properly react in time. Unlike some other “innovations” in the field like self-parking cars, this design appears to be frighteningly effective.

      The truck in that video is moving at a steady pace of 40 MPH, and is about to hit two vehicles (one completely stopped, and the other moving much slower). In both cases though the automated braking system kicks in completely outside of the influence of the driver,once its realized the driver is not reacting, and brings the truck to a stop right before it collides with the vehicle.

      What’s really impressive, yet somewhat scary, is the reaction time of this system. Obviously not wanting to “jump the gun” so to speak on stopping a vehicle automatically, the system waits until the last possible moment to initiate braking, and as such stops the truck mere inches away from danger, making the results look like something that wouldn’t be out of place in a Hollywood driving sequence.

      While no specific plans regarding the implementation of this system in future vehicles are present as of yet, with Europe requiring similar systems to be mandatory by 2015, you can expect to hear more about this soon from Volvo and more manufacturers.

      It might be scary to essentially trust your life in the hands of a system, but if they can really get it to perform as well in real road environments as they do in these situations, this could be the start of a safer, though still almost too close for comfort, future

      News

      The Qlocktwo Aims to Make Letters the New Numbers

      July 3, 2013 /

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      Do you know what an “Oh wow, that’s really cool!” buy is?

      It’s something you buy that’s not necessarily of strong particular use, nor do you have a strong personal desire or need for it, but instead you purchase it just so when someone sees it, you get to hear them say “Oh wow, that’s really cool!” This mostly extends to home or office decoration, but many cars, clothes and other goods have been purchased with the sole intention of producing that effect.

      The Qlocktwo from German designers Biegert and Funk (which is just a fantastic 70’s soul band name) definitely accomplishes that, as evidenced by the fact that it was my exact reaction upon seeing it.

      In case it wasn’t clear from the picture, the Qlocktwo is a wall clock (with a wristwatch model available) that foregoes the old fashioned number system (which in turn replaced that weird reading shadows thing that apparently was once the rage), and instead tells you the time in a series of phrases like “Half past Two” or “Quarter to Six,” making its communication closer to the same methods we often use to relay that information amongst each other.

      Made of wood, available in several languages, and featuring a bright display visible in most any light conditions, the clock updates its message every five minutes, and comes in a variety of models including the mentioned wristwatch Qlocktwo W, an alarm clock compatible Qlocktwo Touch, and a Qlocktwo Large which is an as advertised larger version of the regular model.

      It’s a fairly reasonable way to tell the time (because really, who needs to know if its 3:33 exactly?), but this is truly meant as an eye-catching piece you’ll have around the house to show off to anyone who may come through, or in an office when trying to impress guests or just improve the décor for your employees.

      Running north of $600 depending on the model and vendor, the Qlocktwo might be expensive eye candy, but it’s some damn fine eye candy and one of the coolest clocks available.

      News

      Imgur’s New Meme Creator is Easy to Use, Comprehensive, and about to Takeover the Internet

      June 27, 2013 /

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      Memes are essentially the ultimate guilty pleasure of the internet.

      We may mock them openly, and the people who go on about them publicly, but we’re all guilty of laughing at them, or even hunting them down when no one is watching. There’s something immensely satisfying about these simple, themed photo and text combinations that keeps them alive as the dominant form of humor online.

      And now, as the late Ned Stark alerted you in the meme above, more memes are coming.

      That is because Imgur, also known as where most of the internet’s photos stem from one way or another, has just released a meme creation tool of their own, not long after the popular program quickmeme was banned from Reddit for allegedly using bots to downvote any memes not created through them, and upvote their own.

      Reportedly though, this program has been in the works long before that, and it shows in how easily it functions, without sacrificing anything in the way of ability. You simply have to pick the background image from your favorite meme, fill in the traditional top and bottom text fields, and in under a minute you’ve got a meme of your own to troll the internet with.

      Of course, easier meme creation means both an influx of inspired memes, and even more really, really crappy ones. So if you think you’ve got some text that can make “Not Sure If Fry,” “Pepperidge Farms Remembers Guy,” or “Socially Awkward Penguin” humorous again, be sure to give Imgur’s new program a shot, and help combat the tides of people who will be filling the internet with easy bake humor soon.

      News

      Samsung’s New Tablet Hybrid May be The Most Exciting Tablet in Years

      June 22, 2013 /

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      With their Galaxy line, Samsung became one of the few, if not only, companies to truly give Apple a run for their money in terms of popularity and performance in the smartphone market.

      However, the tablet market is a different story.

      Sure, Apple’s iPad Mini might not be top of the line, but the full size tablet game still belongs to the iPad, as no company has really been able to produce a worthy technological challenger, despite some fine efforts.

      Samsung might just have thrown their hat in the ring in a big way though with their unveiling of the ATIV Q. While actually a tablet/laptop hybrid (a design with a shaky history of past successes), ignore the pull out keyboard, and you’ve got a tablet that not only sports one of the clearest screens available thanks to a 3,200 x 1,800 resolution, but also has an i5 processor under the hood that insures it backs down to no one when it comes to pure power.

      Of course since looks and ability oddly don’t mean everything when it comes to purchasing a tablet, the ATIV Q has an ace up its sleeve in the form of its dual OS capabilities.

      Running off of both Windows 8 and Android, you are able to switch between the two at will, or allow them to run at the same time since they are designed to work together and share files, information, and the general workload. The idea behind this unique approach is that the presence of both systems will turn the tablet into a true all in one machine capable of performing the best that both have to offer, while using the advantages of one to compensate for the weaknesses of the other.

      Or, most likely, a Windows laptop when you need it, and an Android tablet otherwise.

      Sadly for the moment, that is an idea not much more than hypothetical, though, as Samsung has yet to set a release date or price for this hybrid, and few have had the chance to test it extensively enough to see if it stands the test of time to emerge as a true all weather machine.

      In the meantime then we all just have to wait and see if Samsung really can breathe new life in the tablet wars.

      News

      If Inspector Gadget Was a Sloppy Drunk, This Would be His Watch

      June 19, 2013 /

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      For most, the only clear indication you’ve had too much to drink usually comes after a moment that will be known by the next day as “The Incident.”

      “The Incident” can cover any number of occurrences (usually vomit related) that would never have happened if you had simply decided to end your night of debauchery at a point when you were still functioning on a basic human level, and had yet to turn into an alcohol triggered hulk on a rampage of bad decisions.

      Instead of relying entirely on hindsight though, why not be able to see that turning point when it occurs, with the same 20/20 vision, no matter how thick a pair of drunk goggles you’re sporting at the time?

      The fine folks at Tokyoflash thought the same, and as such have created a watch that allows you take a breathalyzer test without risking “The Incident” with an officer of the law present. Simply blow into a port on the side of the watch, and shortly thereafter you get not only your current Blood-Alcohol Content level, but a handy color coordinated LED system for quick reference. Just like a traffic light, if the watch is green you’re still good to go, while yellow means to slow it down, and of course red is a sure sign that you should put that shot down and walk away.

      Not just a one trick pony though, the watch also has a built in sobriety game that sees you having to stop a moving line dead center, as well as a digital time display that is easy to read regardless of your current status.

      While probably not accurate enough to use in court (“Cmon judge, I was in the yellow!”) this is a handy little device for the drinker who occasionally tests the limit, but earns its $100 buy in price for most as a great way to start a game/conversation at any bar.

       

      News

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