05.03.11

Australians to reap the perks of a late iPhone 4 release

As a geeky tech junkie I often feel the pain of living in a comparatively small Australian market. Our population of just over 21 million people doesn’t really cut the mustard when compared to other developed nations that have anywhere from double to 10 times the population. What this usually
Read more...


Won’t somebody please think of the movie buffs?

It wasn’t so long ago that I was lamenting over the advancements in sci-fi ‘technology’ (or lack thereof) and the effect they have on inspiring
Read more...


Moving pictures are worth more than a thousand words

We live, work and play in a world that seems to be perpetually stuck in fast-forward. Our cars are fast, our food is faster and any task that can’t be simplified to a few minutes is rated in terms of its validity of even performing in the first place. If someone is ever to invent the ability
Read more...


Your life expectancy: would you like to know more?

Today I’m going to explore the ins and outs of a question that I’m sure many of us have encountered in some form or another, be it through TV shows, movies or morbidly curious minds. The question is simple: if you could know when you were going to die, would you want to know? Personally,
Read more...


Technological advancements continue to encourage ‘irrational’ fears

You know you’re destined to spread your opinions on a larger scale than your average Joe when you find yourself capable of coming up with a darker/weirder/funnier real-life story when partaking in story swapping. I’m sure that most people can relate to having that one friend who seems to
Read more...


The blind leading those who drive but don’t see

While scouring the PopSci front page for inspiration I came across this story about the impending test-drive of a modified Ford Escape for blind drivers. While
Read more...


Kids are getting smarter, faster

Not so long ago I received an email whose intent was to garner some sort of appreciation for my parent’s generation. It contained a list of various activities that we ‘kids these days’ don’t have an appreciation for: having to post letters by way of snail mail, playing outside due to
Read more...


Seasons in review: winter bites

As I’m sure many of you are more than well aware, parts of Australia are currently suffering through some of the coldest days we’ve had in years (coldest day since 1949 here in Sydney town). While this can certainly prove difficult to motivate oneself to do much of anything during the day
Read more...


Stereoscopic 3-D TV – you’re doing it wrong

We’re over halfway through the year and many retail outlets are a-buzz with the launch of 3-D TV. Samsung was first to market, and with other major television manufacturers set to release their own 3-D TV sets before the year is out, Australia is watching to see which form of active-technology
Read more...


iPhone 4: if it’s broke, I’ll still buy it

It wasn’t so long ago that I was querying the logic behind the surge of interest in the newly released iPad. Since then, my desire to purchase Apple’s latest iGadget hasn’t increased in the
Read more...


Tunnel vision. Is the Mercedes Gullwing stunt real?

German car maker Mercedes-Benz has online car enthusiasts in a blather about whether or not a video of the new SLS Gullwing sports car looping the inside of a tunnel is real or fake. The climax of the three minute video (the tunnel stunt) by Mercedes-Benz is widely tipped to be the work of
Read more...


You built what?! A real Iron Man suit

Anthony Le, 25, has been a fan of Iron Man since he was a kid, but when he heard that the comic-book superhero was hitting the big screen in 2008, he was inspired to build his own Iron Man suit. That version was more of a costume, but his new one, finished just in time for
Read more...


Proof-of-concept carshark software hacks car computers, shutting down brakes, engines, and more

Using homemade software and a standard computer port, a team of scientists has figured out exactly how easy it is to hack into a modern car -- scary news for motorists already wary of faulty brake and accelerator systems. The research team wrote code that allows
Read more...


Perfect Timing

Build an Atomic Clock Time: 2 Hours Difficulty: Hard Buy or build a clock enclosure. Follow the schematic to build the circuitry (download it from here), and attach the
Read more...


Wii-Powered Robot Chair Lets Infants Zoom Around On Their Own

"Independent mobility is crucial in the development of typical infants," says the research A baby transporter for mobility-impaired children would ensure confidence, independence and proper cognitive development, researchers say. So they recommend babies start driving
Read more...


New Nanospheres are the Stiffest Biological Materials Ever Created, Surpassing Kevlar

Protein tougher than metal could be used to print out body armor Printable body armor, better bulletproof glass, and tougher steel are just a few of the applications for a new materials technology developed by Israeli researchers. A team of scientists there have developed
Read more...


Acoustic Fingerprinting Software Turns Any Cell Phone into a Touch-Sensitive Device

Cambridge, UK, firm Input Dynamics is trying to take the bite out of iPhone envy with a new software fix that turns any "dumbphone" into a touchscreen device.
Read more...


Hacking Microsoft's Kinect: Two Weeks In, Six Amazing Projects

The most futuristic device you can have in your living room...hacked Microsoft's Kinect is amazing. The first time you try the "crank that" Soulja Boy dance on Dance Central, or slam a ping-pong ball in Kinect Sports using only your awkward, flailing arms--those are
Read more...


Long-Awaited Barefoot Running Study Finds Sneakers Are Harmful

Shoes change the human foot strike and may lead to more running injuries... All
Read more...


Planned Portuguese Eco-City Is Controlled By A Central Computer Brain

A new eco-city planned in Portugal takes a cue from biology, using a centralized computer "brain" to control functions like water use, waste processing and energy consumption. It's the biggest attempt at
Read more...


Won’t somebody please think of the movie buffs?

It wasn’t so long ago that I was lamenting over the advancements in sci-fi ‘technology’ (or lack thereof) and the effect they have on inspiring
Read more...


Australians to reap the perks of a late iPhone 4 release

As a geeky tech junkie I often feel the pain of living in a comparatively small Australian market. Our population of just over 21 million people doesn’t really cut the mustard when compared to other developed nations that have anywhere from double to 10 times the population. What this usually
Read more...


Time travel: now much safer than it used to be

If, like me, you’ve spent altogether too much time being ‘educated’ by the (questionable) logic of science fiction shows, movies, books or even some form of heated discussion among geeky interested friends, you’ve doubtlessly had the
Read more...


The dubious importance of memory

Amid the plethora of qualities I am proud to call my own—the most important of which is humility—is my memory. Because life is all about applying a ‘once burned, twice shy’ mentality, in order to be able to rack up a tally of ‘I told you so’s’ that’s longer than anyone else
Read more...


Iran's Boat-Plane-Thing Would Strike Fear Into Other Flying Military Boats if Any Existed

Iran's Sacred Week of Defense (celebrating its eight-year resistance to the Iraqi invation of the 1980s) is never without a healthy dose of pomp and ceremony, but this week Iran's defense ministry took the usual military parade to the waterfront. Yesterday Iran unveiled
Read more...


Physicists Prove Teleportation of Energy Is Possible

Over five years ago, scientists succeeded in teleporting information. Unfortunately,
Read more...


The Hummer is Dead

GM's buyout negotiations with a Chinese firm have failed, ceasing production of the storied gas-guzzler
Read more...


The Future of...the Hot Dog?

According to both common sense and the US Academy of Pediatrics, there are two truths about hot dogs which neither science nor industry can afford to ignore: kids love hot dogs, and hot dogs are the perfect size and shape for a child to choke
Read more...


Video: Apocalypse-Fearing Folk Can Seek Shelter in Futuristic US$10 Million Doomsday Bunker

A doomsday bunker envisioned by California company Vivos can offer you, your family, and 4,000 other people the chance to escape the end of the world in a network of 20 underground shelters. Surely even the sceptics can't resist the allure of scary music played over scenes of comfortable underground
Read more...


Although It's Been Said Many Times, Many Ways: The iPad is the Future

After a weekend using the iPad, I've realised I'm not interested in hedging my reaction to it with careful considerations of its lack of a USB port or webcam. It's not every day, or every year or maybe even every decade that we're able to see a piece of technology that takes a familiar human
Read more...