I love it when old works are re-contextualized. Even, like in this case, when it’s for an ad. More »

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Dammit science. For all the good you do, you can be a real Debbie Downer sometimes. We like it when you cure diseases and invent awesome new materials like silicene, but when you take away the mighty roar of a jet fighter, that’s when you’ve gone too far. More »

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Tanner is a blind golden retriever whose life almost ended when his owner died. Blair is a black mutt who got shot and used to live in fear. Then they found each other, became best buddies and solved their problems together. More »

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Judge Lucy Koh, presiding over the courtroom battle ‘twixt Apple and Samsung has ordered that both companies slim down the bundle of litigation so its easy for juries to understand. The docket currently contains 16 patent violations, six trademark issues, five “trade dress” claims and an antitrust matter — which her Honor Judge Koh described as a “cruel and unusual punishment” for a jury. If both companies can’t get over a table and produce a Cliffs Notes edition of their global patent battle, then she’ll postpone the trial date until 2013.

Apple v. Samsung judge yells ‘get to the point, you two’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 10:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Land-bound robots? Been there, done that. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are taking things up a notch with a bird-style bot capable of autonomous flight. By replicating the features that enable birds to make a soft landing — including the flapping wings that help them change direction — the researchers developed the first micro aerial vehicle (MAV) capable of swooping down to perch on a human hand. The craft forgoes a vertical tail, which birds also lack, to allow for enough agility to land on a small surface. Articulated wings help the robo-bird complete the maneuver successfully, by first gliding into position and then pitching up and slowing down. Who knew perching was so complicated? Besides just providing a super-nifty party trick for these lucky researchers, the autonomous aircraft could be used in urban surveillance, where a small size would come in handy. Check out the MAV in action, along with the press release, after the break.

Continue reading A bird in the hand thanks to a robot that can perch

A bird in the hand thanks to a robot that can perch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 06:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Making the jump from point-and-shoots to an SLR can be a daunting proposition but this 8-bit explainer from Sound and Matter should help. It covers the three most fundamental elements of exposure—aperture, shutter speed, and ISO—clearly and succinctly, giving even complete photography newbies *raises hand* a quick grasp of what all those buttons and dials and fractional f’s mean. [Light and Matter via PetaPixel] More »

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Making the jump from point-and-shoots to an SLR can be a daunting proposition but this 8-bit explainer from Sound and Matter should help. It covers the three most fundamental elements of exposure—aperture, shutter speed, and ISO—clearly and succinctly, giving even complete photography newbies *raises hand* a quick grasp of what all those buttons and dials and fractional f’s mean. [Light and Matter via PetaPixel] More »

Gizmodo

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

The end of last week’s Switched On left doubt for the future of dedicated devices that tread on the turf of smartphones. After all, funding is key to every major new product initiative and, despite the vast fortunes of many Silicon Valley engineers that have been accumulated via IPOs and acquisitions, few wish to take on the risk of fronting a new consumer device themselves.(In 2007, the handheld FlipStart PC was hatched from FlipStart Labs, funded by Vulcan Ventures, the investment arm of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.)

Most venture capitalists abhor the device business; it is a rare device that makes it to the spotlight of startup debutante balls such as DEMO, TechCrunch Disrupt, or Launch. Even most of the 94 companies at CES’ Eureka Park were not developing end-user devices Where, then, can a device entrepreneur go for funding and pick up some publicity in the process?

Continue reading Switched On: Big kicks, not all for starters

Switched On: Big kicks, not all for starters originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So what do you do when you need to shoot a giant perfectly-choreographed dance troupe performing when you only have a handful of dancers? Well that’s easy. You just construct a gigantic sixty-foot tall kaleidoscope and have them perform right beneath its lens. More »

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Architizer is a blog dedicated to the past, present and future of architectural design. They scour the internet finding the best/coolest/weirdest structures people crawl around in. Today they look at floorplans which have been fashioned in the likeness of classic guns. More »

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