NASAdude

I've been pondering how to put this all together in one article, and am tired of these sitting in my writing queue. As such, this will be a pretty course overview.

Link - A fuel-cell powered three-wheel self-balancing "motorcycle". It appears this is only a concept vehicle and won't be sold any time soon. Nor does there even appear to be a prototype yet.

Link - A motorcycle with a wide two-wheel front end. Tilt-assisted steering enhances performance and safety. As-pictured, it appears to be for off-road use only. It's scheduled for release in Summer 2007.

Link - A 3-wheeled car. Non-hybrid. Tilt steering. Computer-enhanced suspension. It looks like this won't make it to market, at least in its current incarnation.

Link - A 3-wheeled scooter.

Link - A 3-wheeled motorcycle. Electric motor in the rear wheel.

Link - A 3-wheeled hybrid sports car. Over-powered gas engine, plus an electric motor in each wheel.

Link - 3-wheeled electric trike. The battery and motor are essentially invisible. Very cool design. Runs at 10mph for 4 hours.

Posted by NASAdude at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is a fun site that demonstrates the power of neural network artificial intelligence.

20Q sets you against a computer in a game of twenty questions. If you answer the questions accurately, it will probably figure out your item by the time it gets to its twentieth question.

Good luck!

Posted by NASAdude at 08:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Watch the video for a demonstration of this new killing technology. It has very good head-tracking capability, so it should be able to get clean head shots on most targets.

This is a stationary automated gun turret. All they need to do is put it on a mobile base and you'd have a movie legend (see image at right).

Oh wait, they've already done that (these auto-track targets, but require a human to issue the command to open fire).

Posted by NASAdude at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We all know that if you ask what some unknown meat is like, you'll be told that it "tastes like chicken." However, what would a cannibal say about her choice dish? "It tastes like bacon." Or at least it likely would if cured and fried.

A robot with "taste" sensors recently identified that humans taste like bacon.

It's not really a surprise since humans have many similarities with pigs.

I'm not worried about our future robot overlords eating us because we taste good. But if I get hungry, I'll be sure to keep my friends close.

Posted by NASAdude at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Does this represent the future of traffic intersection management?

This appears to be based on a research paper I reviewed more than a year ago. It's interesting to see a purely theoretical idea come one step closer to the "real world"... even if that is only in a commercial, which is still a long way from everyday implementation.

Continue reading "AI Intersections" »

Posted by NASAdude at 09:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There are lots of options out there for protecting your data against prying eyes. Recently getting news coverage is Microsoft's Private Folder application, a freeware and unsupported add-on. If you are using Windows XP Pro (not Home... sorry, MS doesn't think you need this feature) you can use the built-in encrypted folders feature. The most powerful and universal solution I've found is TrueCrypt, which is open-source freeware.

Use of data encryption is especially critical for laptops. Even if the computer is never used in public or while traveling, its mobility makes it an easy target for theft in home and business environments. Laptops sometimes grow legs and "walk off"; all of a sudden you've lost control of your trade secrets, personal information, private documents, and/or financial information. The same argument can be made for data stored on USB memory sticks and external hard drives; they are so portable that theft of the physical device cannot easily be discounted. Desktop computers aren't as easy to carry away, but one must be aware of the threat of malware that can give out your personal information or even full control of your computer.

Continue reading "Encryption on the fly" »

Posted by NASAdude at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This ranks up there on the list of the top ways to piss off your neighbors. First, it looks insane and dangerous. Second, the electrical interference on electronics is wicked. Extra points are awarded for distrupting TV, radio, cell phones, car alarms, and wireless networks. And lastly, not to be repetitive, it looks insane and dangerous.

Of course, a lot of the neighborhood nerds would love to build one of these... simply because it *does* look insane and dangerous. Ain't science cool?!

Sadly, I'm in a neighborhood that isn't very tolerant of having fun. If I built a Tesla coil like this, the cops would be called within a few minutes of the first test firing.

Intolerance is such a downer. They must be right-wing pagans who believe in creationism. (And that's the view from the Vatican!)

"Religion needs science to keep it away from superstition and keep it close to reality, to protect it from creationism, which at the end of the day is a kind of paganism - it's turning God into a nature god. And science needs religion in order to have a conscience, to know that, just because something is possible, it may not be a good thing to do." -- Guy Consolmagno, Vatican

Did I just go off on a tangent? *shakes head*

Posted by NASAdude at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There are a few reasons for this post:
1) It's funny
2) It's thought-provoking (ok, maybe that's a stretch)
3) It's pretty well done, if not simply evidence of people having too much free time (not only for porn)
4) It has a "let's eat babies" reference at the end. This is another phenomena I don't understand, but apparently eating babies is a popular topic these days. (Just for you, Josh!)

Posted by NASAdude at 02:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ultracell offers 1-2 day operation of a laptop computer from a battery. How? It's a fuel cell that outputs 10-25 W of power; on a single fuel cartridge it can output 20 W for 24 hours. The methanol-solution filled cartridges are hot swappable, so it's ultimately an unlimited mobile power supply. Additional details are available on the spec sheet.

Obviously this isn't just for laptop computers. Anything that requires up to 25W can be powered, so that opens up a wide range of portable electronics possibilities.

Continue reading "Portable fuel cells" »

Posted by NASAdude at 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Technology is an amazing thing. Once a need is recognized, an invention can be developed to fill the niche.

If you (or your neighbors) have outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats, you're probably familiar with the paw-prints on the hood/windshield/roof. If you're really unlucky, the cat might have walked through mud before being on your car. Or worse, the animal might have had poor traction and scratched the car's finish.

Keep reading to see the video...

Continue reading "Keep cats off your car" »

Posted by NASAdude at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

These $100 magnets should hold just about anything onto your refrigerator door. But watch out for flying knives as you do food prep!

Beware - you must think ahead when moving these magnets. If carrying one into another room, carefully plan the route you will be taking. Computers & monitors will be affected in an entire room. Loose metallic objects and other magnets may become airborne and fly considerable distances - and at great speed - to attach themselves to this magnet. If you get caught in between the two, you can get injured. Two of these magnets close together can create an almost unbelievable magnetic field that can be very dangerous. Of all the unique items we offer for sale, we consider these two items the most dangerous of all. Our normal packing & shipping personnel refuse to package these magnets - our engineers have to do it. This is no joke and we cannot stress it strongly enough - that you must be extremely careful - and know what you're doing with these magnets. Take Note: Two of the 3" x 1" disc magnets can very easily break your arm if they get out of control.

Continue reading "Super magnets" »

Posted by NASAdude at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's a geeky topic, but that's my problem.

I'm in the process of getting a high-speed connection for my home office, so I thought I'd review my prior data use. Keep in mind that all the information provided below is for a 56kbps dialup modem that's online most of the day. I usually get a 46.6 kbps connection with it, which yields a peak pre-compressed download speed of 5 kBps and upload speed of 3 kBps. In the table below, the percent-capacity values assume the data isn't compressible. Any compressible data biases the value higher. On the other hand, I manually throttle some applications so other applications (like Remote Desktop) are more responsive. That really can decrease the total and average values.

From the aspect this is an individual's usage (for the most part), I think it's impressive to be able to utilize a dialup modem so effectively. Most people won't want or need to push a dialup connection so hard, but I think this data set is useful for anyone planning on using multiple bridged and load-balanced dialup modems for a basic ISP or emergency backup network service. Using the average monthly values can help conservatively gauge the real-world capabilities of a near-fully utilized single dial-up connection. My own usage yields an approximate download compression of 3% and upload compression of 35%. These may not be realistic values for an ISP to use for projection. If web-use is heavier, the amount downloaded would be a lot higher as it's more compressible data. If P2P use is heavy, much more uploading would take place, which could impede download capabilities.

Continue reading "Net Stats" »

Posted by NASAdude at 01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I installed a new Netgear WGR614v6 wireless router in my home. Boy, they sure do dumb these things down! I'm not happy with the utter lack of flexibility in its configuration.

Lacking:
- authenticated SMTP for sending log files
- NTP host/IP setting - In the manual, they say they use a variety of time servers. I looked at the binary config file; in that, there's a single IP for NTP. Liars.
- can't edit numerous settings through the web interface. Nor can you edit the exported config file. The config file has some sort of CRC signing in it, as I can't get it to accept it as a "restore from backup" after I've edited the config file with a hex-editor. This is a major drawback, making this router a royal pain for users who want more control.
- absolutely no configuration of the SPI firewall. It's either on or off.
- no configuration of what gets logged. Note that DHCP events do not get logged. I see this as a major security flaw. It means that I can't keep track of who is joining the network. I guess that limits my legal liability. "Sorry CIA/FBI/Homeland Security, I did my best to keep logs of user activity; go complain to Netgear."

Cool stuff:
- I do like the log email function, although I ran into problems w/ rules my ISP has for SMTP. This shouldn't be a problem for 99% of the other folks. Of course it's a pointless feature, since the logging on this model is so crippled that's it's utterly useless!
- DynDNS (and others) automatic updating. No need to run an updater on your PC! :) (but no value to me at this time)

Continue reading "New router" »

Posted by NASAdude at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It is expected that porn will soon take cell phones by storm, be it text, images, or streaming video. (WMDT, Technology News, Herald Tribune) Some spin the idea to say that the porn industry is seeking to market their product to the 33% of cell phone user who are teens or younger.

In Japan, parents can now filter what is viewable on their children's cell phones. France is urging wireless carriers to limit the now-available racy content to cell phone users over 18. Once they're hooked, college/teen-aged porn addicts can get treatment online and use Paypal to fund it.

These are all examples front-page-type stories available in our various news sources lately. It's reasonably covered for the most part. Porn on cell phones is going to be big business, and we want to protect our children. Most people will go with the flow on that coverage. My fear is that most people don't see laws being twisted to serve political interests.

Last month, the FBI began implementation of an anti-obscenity initiative designed to crack down on those that produce and distribute deviant pornography. According to FBI headquarters, the war against smut is "one of the top priorities" of Attorney General Gonazalez and FBI Director Robert Meuller. Although law enforcement agencies have always been aggressive when it comes to prosecuting exploitative child pornographers, this new initiative is unique in that it targets Internet pornography featuring consenting adults.

Continue reading "Porn politics" »

Posted by NASAdude at 06:00 PM | Permalink

Since I recently plugged the idea of a plug-in hybrid car,  where the environmental issue is how the electricity is produced,  I thought I'd follow up with something on the state of technology in solar energy collection/conversion.  Of course, this also would be a means of providing energy for clean and non-fossil-fuel-derived hydrogen production, if you are still cheering on that technology.

The world's largest solar collection (500-MW) facility that would cover 4500 acres will soon be built in southern California.  It's based on the expansion/contraction (and thermal transfer?) of solar-heated hydrogen.  Other large solar arrays have used sodium for heat transfer to generate steam to run generators.  Check out the Renewable Energy Access site if you want to learn more about the directions industry and research are heading.

The Stirling engine technology is being developed for smaller-scale applications, but not yet for single-home use.

The solar engine that could
Sterling Energy Systems announced an agreement with Southern California Edison on Thursday to build a solar power facility capable of generating 500 megawatts of power. It will be installed over 4,500 acres in the Mojave desert north of Los Angeles.

Continue reading "Solar energy conversion" »

Posted by NASAdude at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If you're looking to bracket (<> {} []) something using this keyboard, you'll end up drawing a blank. That is, looking at the keyboard won't help you.

Whether your goal is to improve your touch-typing skills, or you just want to impress/perplex your friends, this blank-keyed keyboard might be for you.

But selling at $80, it's more of a statement of affluence than anything else. And if that's your goal, why not get a transparent keyboard with neon lighting?

If you really want to use this method to improve your touch-typing, just buy a cheap $8 keyboard and some color-coordinated modeling paint (or nail polish) to cover up the printed keys.

Source

Posted by NASAdude at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Isn't it grand to be a cat? Now kids can compete to make the cat purr the most/longest/etc. Happy, happy cats.

Now only if we could make a collar like that for humans. It could be set to be triggered by all sorts of things.

A lie detector would be great for improving society. I'm tired of all the lies.

It could be extrapolated to detect when a woman fakes an orgasm. I'm tired of... *Sigh* I guess that's not really a problem for me. If only this could be a point of personal pride.

A California company has developed a cat collar that glows whenever the cat purrs.

In addition to providing family fun, the Purr Detector can also flash when the cat is outside at night, for improved safety and visibility.

"Kids love the Purr Detector," says Vickers, "and cats love the extra attention. In addition, the nighttime flashing feature protects cats by making them more visible to cars."

Source

Posted by NASAdude at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's someone heading in a reasonable direction.  All too often the glorious benefits of hydrogen-powered fuel cells for cars are touted as a way to run a car on water.  Yes, when you burn hydrogen the result is energy and water, but that oversimplification neglects 1) how much energy is used  to produce hydrogen, 2) how much energy is used to compress the hydrogen for use in a car, and 3) where all that energy would come from to support a large infrastructure (fossil fuels).  Hybrid cars still use fossil fuels (item 3 above) in the form of gasoline or household electricity, but they don't have all the inefficiencies inherent to the hydrogen production cycle.

The biggest criticism to this type of vehicle is range. Keep in mind that it also runs off gasoline, so it does have unlimited range with a lower MPG. But as with most "I need more..." arguements, the simplest answer is using rentals. This solution is useful when hauling/passenger/towing capacity is not provided by the more efficient vehicle. You don't use a large panel truck for every day driving; you rent one when you need to move. Likewise, it's not reasonable to drive a 15-passenger van every day for your solo-commute to work. That scales down to the idea that it's unreasonable to have any vehicle capability that affects mileage/efficiency if it's not used at least 2-3 times per month (ie: towing, hauling, or more than four passengers). If not, a rental vehicle fits the bill. It's actually more economical for you, and it produces less carbon dioxide.

Experimental Hybrid Cars Get Up to 250 Mpg

Politicians and automakers say a car that can both reduce greenhouse gases and free America from its reliance on foreign oil is years or even decades away. Ron Gremban says such a car is parked in his garage.

It looks like a typical Toyota Prius hybrid, but in the trunk sits an 80-miles-per-gallon secret _ a stack of 18 brick-sized batteries that boosts the car's high mileage with an extra electrical charge so it can burn even less fuel.

Like all hybrids, his Prius increases fuel efficiency by harnessing small amounts of electricity generated during braking and coasting. The extra batteries let him store extra power by plugging the car into a wall outlet at his home in this San Francisco suburb, all for about a quarter.

He's part of a small but growing movement. "Plug-in" hybrids aren't yet cost-efficient, but some of the dozen known experimental models have gotten up to 250 mpg.

Continue reading "Plug-In Cars" »

Posted by NASAdude at 08:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm sure you've all heard of them before. I saw my first one in person this past weekend... the LED belt buckle that scrolls messages.

Available in red or blue LEDs at ThinkGeek for $35 + s/h.

You can find them for a little cheaper (~$20 total) at sites like ebay and ioffer, but then you risk dealing with an unknown person selling from their home.

This fad reminds me of the shirts that some women wear with messages written across their breasts, or messages across the back of their shorts.

So what message would you display to the world right above your crotch? (limit 256 characters) Be creative. Be outgoing. Be realistic.

In any case, have fun.

Posted by NASAdude at 08:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I wondered how long it would take for a spider to find my blog. I have heard about the problem of comment-spamming on blogs, but seeing is believing.

I got back from Open Door and Praise and Worship practices to discover that this blog was spammed with comments. I'm glad I have comment moderation turned on.

There were four IPs in different subnets that posted twenty comments over a two minute window. That's probably as fast as they could do it over my dialup. ;)

Posted by NASAdude at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)