Author: kenmay

Rare Video From Inside a 45-Story Venezuelan Slum

Torre de David is a 45-story, partially-finished office tower that houses a vibrant community of squatters in Caracas. It’s also an internationally-known symbol of Venezuela’s economic troubles, to which the The New Yorker and The New York Times have both devoted long profiles. But there hasn’t been much video documentation of life inside—until now. Read more…        

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Rare Video From Inside a 45-Story Venezuelan Slum

New Tech Could Allow Super-Speed Internet on Old Phone Lines

Gigabit internet is fast and amazing . But that “Download entire movies in mere seconds!” line gets real old if you, like the vast majority of the country, don’t have access to those lightning fast fiber lines. But thanks to a new approach from Alcatel-Lucent, your creaky old copper phone lines might be good enough. That’s a really big deal if it actually works. Read more…        

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New Tech Could Allow Super-Speed Internet on Old Phone Lines

This Helmet Gives Eurofighters X-Ray Vision

In conventional combat aircraft, the target generally needs to be in both the pilot’s field of vision and within the sights of the plane itself. That is, the plane needed to be pointed in the general direction of whatever you’re shooting at. But in the case of the new Eurofighter Typhoon, pilots can squeeze off a few Sidewinders at bogies incoming from any direction thanks to a super helmet that links their eyes to the plane’s electronic brain. Read more…        

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This Helmet Gives Eurofighters X-Ray Vision

This Electric Motorcycle Changes Everything

The Mission RS isn’t notable because it’s electric or because it’s designed and made in America. Or even because it’s really, really fast. Why you’re going to sit down and read every single word of this world-first review is simply because it’s a superior performance motorcycle to any yet made. Period. Read more…        

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This Electric Motorcycle Changes Everything

Placebo buttons do absolutely nothing, and they are everywhere

Ever stood at an intersection and prodded at, leaned on, elbowed and otherwise palm-slapped the ever-living hell out of a crosswalk button and wondered to yourself if the thing actually does anything at all, really? Well – chances are, it doesn’t. Read more…        

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Placebo buttons do absolutely nothing, and they are everywhere

Raspberry Pi and Arduino to get cellular access with SIM card add-on

SparqEE A new Kickstarter project aims to give Raspberry Pi and Arduino boards Internet access throughout the world with an add-on that allows integration with a SIM card. SparqEE Cellv1.0 would need to raise $70, 000 to get the technology to backers, with donors pledging at least $69 to get the device. SparqEE CEO Christopher Higgins, an engineer, said he plans to take the Kickstarter page live on August 20. For now, it’s viewable in a draft form so that people can provide feedback. Cellv1.0 consists of a board with a cellular chip, a power supply, and a SIM holder, as well as a “jumper board” that “includes level shifters for whatever voltage levels you’re using (ex. 3.3V, 5V, or other).” Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments        

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Raspberry Pi and Arduino to get cellular access with SIM card add-on

Build Your Own GameBoy-Sized Handheld with a BeagleBone

The GameBoy is a classic piece of equipment, and if you want to live those glory days with a bit more power, blogger Max Thrun shows off how to turn a BeagleBone Black into a handheld device that can play a wide range of games. Read more…        

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Build Your Own GameBoy-Sized Handheld with a BeagleBone

Rich People Are Full of Different Chemicals Than Poor People

This may not come as a huge surprise, but life is different for the rich and the poor. Rich people relax by eating oysters. Poor people relax by smoking cigarettes. At least that’s what we’re led to believe based on a new study about how the presence of certain chemicals can indicate how rich or poor a person is. Read more…        

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Rich People Are Full of Different Chemicals Than Poor People

USB alliance finalizes 10Gbps specification as USB 3.1

The USB 3.0 Promoter Group teased us with the prospect of a 10Gbps USB standard back in January, and it now has something to show for its work: the alliance has finalized its specification under the USB 3.1 name. While little has changed with the port format in half a year’s time, its completion lets AMD, Intel and others start work on chipsets that offer twice the bandwidth of USB 3.0 while preserving support for USB 2.0. There’s no public roadmap for the first USB 3.1 devices, although the first related developer sessions will begin on August 21st. Not that the Promoter Group is necessarily in a rush — while Intel’s Thunderbolt 2 will hit an even quicker 20Gbps this year, the new USB format is more likely to receive broad support. Filed under: Peripherals , AMD , Intel Comments Via: The Register Source: USB Implementers Forum (PDF)

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USB alliance finalizes 10Gbps specification as USB 3.1