LightBeam makes any surface a projector display, and everyday objects a remote control

Pico projectors might be able to turn any old surface into a display - with varying results of course - but can they turn any old surface into in interactive display and everyday objects into a remote control? No? Well, with LightBeam they can. Developed by a team at Germany's Technische Universität Darmstadt, LightBeam pairs a pico projector with a depth-sensing camera to provide some Kinect style interactive control to projected presentations.

The Kinect-like capabilities of the LightBeam system are no surprise when you consider that the prototype the team has come up with makes use of a Kinectsensor to provide motion tracking and depth sensing. Makeshift display surfaces - a piece of paper or a book, for example - can be manipulated within a limited 3D space and the projected image will reorient itself, even rotating when the paper is rotated. The level of detail displayed by the projector can also be altered dynamically relative to the amount of display surface available.

To negate the need to run back to a connected laptop or fiddle with a physical remote when giving a presentation, LightBeam also allows everyday objects to function as a remote control. As demonstrated in the video below, a presentation can be controlled by manipulating an object within the camera's field of vision - in this case, twisting a mug to switch between a Flickr slideshow and a Facebook page.

The team developed the prototype to examine how users would interact with physical objects using the LightBeam system. They found that study participants quickly adapted the idea of using physical objects to control the projection and liked the ability to easily switch between different levels of detail. The study participants also suggested it might be worth binding digital information to physical objects such as physical documents. The team plans to explore this in their future work.

The team will present LightBeam at the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) 2012 to be held in Austin, Texas, in May. The team's paper is available for download here (PDF).

Source: Technische Universität Darmstadt via engadget

Privacy Pop bed tent provides some seclusion in shared boudoirs

Although we're social creatures, everyone needs a bit of privacy every now and then. This is particularly true in the bedroom, but whether it's sharing with siblings growing up or co-habitation with roommates at college, unfortunately not all have us can enjoy the luxury of our own sleeping space. While not quite in the same league as your own four walls, the Privacy Pop will provide some protection from prying eyes - but you'll still want to keep the noise down - you know, when reading.






Designed as a tent that fits around a bed, the Privacy Pop includes zippered access and windows that provide extra ventilation and light when you want it. The unit also folds down like a tent to fit in a custom carrying bag, meaning it might also appeal to travelers regularly staying in hostels. And while college-goers might find it handy for warding off the morning light after a big night out or not annoying others when working late on a laptop, it's youngsters that are likely to get the most out of the Privacy Pop.

As they get older, kids love their own private space away from grown ups, be it real or imagined - just look at the continuing popularity of blanket forts. The Privacy Pop not only provides that sense of privacy, but allows parents to keep an ear out to ensure the little ones don't get up to too much trouble.

The Privacy Pop is designed to fit twin and twin XL beds and retails for US$199.95.

There’s a Simpson’s house in real life

There is a house in Clark County Nevada that is the exact replica of the house in “The Simpsons.” Built in 1997, it was the grand prize for a contest run by Pepsi and Fox.

It cost $120,000. The winner could either to decide to occupy the house or take a $75,000 cash prize.

The house exactly mirrored that in the show, down to every color! The winner of the contest decided not to live in the house, and it was remodeled and sold in 2007.

(Source)

In the Disney movie Hercules, the only character without a Greek name is Hercules.

Hercules, one of the most popular Disney movies of all time, was released in 1997. Roughly based on Greek legends, the story follows the young son of Zeus as he attempts to become a god like his father.

However, what is odd about the movie is that Hercules is the only character with a Roman name! Disney named all the main characters after their Greek counterparts from mythology, such as Zeus, Hades, and Pegasus, yet refrained from naming Hercules his Greek name, Herakles. Disney claimed the name was more recognizable among fans.

source

Students from Hongik University, Seoul win Ferrari World Design Contest

This year's Ferrari World Design Contest award has gone to three students from Hongik University in Seoul, South Korea. Students from 50 universities worldwide put pencil to paper to compete for the award, with the Korean students being chosen over close contenders from IED of Turin, Italy and London's Royal College of Arts.

Universal Earphones detect left and right ear placement

The L and R labels on your headphones serve a purpose, and it isn't just about fit. The audio source - whether it's a receiver, PC or MP3 player - sends left- and right-channel sounds to the appropriate earbud. While it might seem minor, this can be a difference between a disjointed experience listening to music, movies and other video, to a fuller experience that connects sight (in the case of video) and sound - with sound coming from the direction it's intended. There's no chance of a mix-up with the Universal Earphones being developed by Igarashi Design Interfaces Project in Tokyo - the headphones decide for themselves which ear they are in, and send sound to the each channel accordingly.

The Universal Earphones contain a microchip in the earbud that senses whether it is exposed to open air in the front of the ear, or in proximity to the back of the ear. Once the earphones determine which ear is left and right, it directs the left channel sound to the left ear, and right channel sound to the right.

The benefit of a Universal Earphone is that users don't have to stop what they're doing and look for the L and the R markings to insert the earbuds in the appropriate ears. A second benefit is that when a user shares the earphones with a friend, the Universal Earphones detect the situation and send a combined left and right signal to each earbud. This means all of the sound is transmitted equally rather than directionally. In this case the earphones detect that they are being shared by sending a low electrical current from one earbud to the other. If a single user is wearing the earphones, the connection is unbroken. When two users are sharing the earphones, the electrical current is broken and the Universal Earphones treat it as a shared mode with full sound to each side.

Additional features are in development such as a sensor that can determine when the earphones are not in the ears, which might have a command such as to pause the music or audio source and resume when earbuds are placed back in ears.

Igarashi Design Interfaces Project says the Universal Earphone design will be cheap to implement and is presenting the concept at the 2012 International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces in Lisbon, Portugal, later this month.

Source: Igarashi Design Interfaces Project via New Scientist

The following video explains everything about them.

Tiny Chameleons. Watch your step !

Photograph courtesy Frank Glaw
Match-tip tiny, Brookesia micra (juvenile pictured) is the smallest of four new chameleon species found on the African island country of Madagascar. With an average adult length of just over an inch (2.9 centimeters) from snout to tail, B. micra is among the tiniest reptiles in the world.

"In this scenario, Madagascar, as a large island, led to the evolution of theBrookesia minima group, whereas the ... islet Nosy Hara might have favored the extreme miniaturization found in Brookesia micra," the researchers write.

Scientists think the diminutive new chameleon species might represent extreme cases of island dwarfism, whereby organisms shrink in size due to limited resources on islands.

"The extreme miniaturization of these dwarf reptiles might be accompanied by numerous specializations of the body plan, and this constitutes a promising field for future research," study leader Frank Glaw of Germany's Zoological State Collection said in a statement.

 

(Watch your step ;) )

Scientists think the lizards live in leaf litter on the ground during the day but move up into the trees at night to sleep.

—Ker Than

I would love to have one of em as a pet.... :D

The animal in Firefox is not actually a fox!

It’s actually a red panda! Slightly larger than a domestic cat, the red panda is native to the Himalayas and western China. Many assume that the animal in the Firefox logo is a fox, yet Firefox is actually the nickname for the rare panda species. Eating mostly bamboo, it is currently classified as “vulnerable” by IUCN because of its dwindling population.

    

The world’s smallest guitar is the size of a red blood cell!

Developed by Cornell University researchers, this guitar is only ten micrometers long! How big is that? It would take one million micrometers to make one meter! The guitar has six strings, and each string is only about one hundred atoms thick.

Made out of crystalline silicon it demonstrates new technology for a new generation of electromechanical devices. The guitar can actually be played, but it’s so small the sounds produced would be inaudible to the human ear.

Facebook messenger for windows 7

Facebook Messenger for Windows officially released.

 

Facebook's Messenger app for Windows is now available for all to chit-chat with. Facebook has been testing the application since November as part of a private trial, butTechIT revealed the download link on Thursday. The application includes access to the chat, ticker feed and notification parts of Facebook, and only installs on Windows 7. 

So, what does this application require to keep you updated? First and foremost, you must be logged into Facebook. After you click on the blue “Log In” button pictured above, you will redirected to the facebook.com/desktop/login webpage where Facebook explains that Messenger for Windows requires you stay logged in so that it can deliver chat and notification messages to your desktop. This means you will stay logged into Facebook even after you close your browser. To log out of Facebook, you’ll need to actually do so from Facebook Messenger for Windows.



Facebook believes users want to use the social network’s real-time features without having to keep a browser window open. The social networking giant is clearly hoping that users will leave Messenger for Windows on throughout the day, probably since most Facebook addicts already do so with a browser tab. In addition to being a standalone application, Facebook Messenger for Windows can be snapped to the side of the screen; that’s probably why it only works for Windows 7.

The application was developed entirely by Facebook and does not constitute a new partnership with Microsoft, which is a big investor in Facebook. It’s not clear if Facebook will offer support for anything before Windows 7, or if it will simply move on towards Windows 8. Clients for Mac and Linux will likely only be released if the Windows 7 version proves popular.

Click on the image below to download it. Have fun. So far i'm enjoying it pretty well.

Click Here :D

Lit Motors' C-1 electric motorcycle will stand up for itself

 It's a proposed fully-enclosed two-passenger electric motorbike that uses an electronically-controlled gyroscopic stabilizing system to stay upright when stopped, or even when struck from the side in an accident.




So far, Kim and his team have developed an operating model of the C-1's flywheel-based stabilization system, along with a full-scale fiberglass mock-up of the vehicle itself. They are now working on a hand-built steel uni-bodied working prototype, which should reportedly be complete within about three months. Plans call for an initial run of production vehicles to be available at a price of about US$24,000 by late 2013, with that price going down to $16,000 once full production gets under way in 2014.











[click on an image if you want it BIG ;) ]]

All-electric Tron Lightcycle hits the streets

Practicality tends to take a back seat when you combine sci-fi cult status with custom chopper building - and there's no room for a pillion passenger on the Lightcycle. We first spied Parker Brothers ChoppersLightcycle project last year when it surfaced in gas-powered form, now the company has released video of a fully-electric version of the neon-packing two-wheeler in action. The electric motor may be quieter, but this one's still guaranteed to turn heads.









You can actually buy one of these for 55000 $ (around 600000 Rs. ) it seems.

The Philippines has an island situated in a lake within an island within a lake within an island.

Vulcan Point is a place in the Philippines that is in Main Crater Lake, which is within Volcano Island, which is within Lake Taal, which is within the island of Luzon. It's all part of the complex volcanic system of the Taal Volcano.

The volcano was formed due to massive prehistoric eruptions, and is still active today. It's a popular tourist destination not just due to the uniqueness of the Inception-esque island formation, but also because it offers pretty nice views of the island in general.

Read more about it here.

Underwater hotel room has guests sleeping with the sharks

We were intrigued by the Amphibious 1000's proposed floating suites and private underwater lounges, however The Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Resort hosts the real deal! Situated in the tropical gardens on Rangalifinolhu Island, access to the resort is only by seaplane and while it may sound like any other exclusive get away, the Conrad Rangali will have you dining with stingrays and on special occasions, sleeping with the sharks.



Opening its doors a little over five years ago, the resort features the world's first all-glass, under-the-sea restaurant. Guests are offered the experience of dining 16 feet (4.9 m) below sea level with 180-degree views of the reef and marine life. The resort has also been known to transform the underwater dining room into a private bedroom suite for two on special occasions.



The Conrad Rangali has all the luxury resort trappings with ocean view baths, Philippe Starck fittings, private sun decks, espresso machines and Bulgari bathroom goodies. It's also definitely at the higher end of the market with guest rooms starting at US$815 per night, per couple. The underwater restaurant only seats 12 and guests are advised to book well in advance.