Technology posts

Hey there. This is a photographic collection of pixels whose purpose it is to show you what the 33rd-largest computer in the world looks like. I hope it’s doing its job. Seriously, though, this thing is a beast. Made of 1760 Playstation 3s, the behemoth harnesses the power of “168 separate graphical processing units and 84 coordinating servers” to help the US Air Force perform AI research, process maps and enhance radar functionality. But even this killer rig is practically obsolete, with the Air Force’s Mark Barnell admitting that he’s “looking forward to working with the next generation of…

FFS, Apple. FFS. Just as I – and, perhaps, many of you – thought that this whole 3D ballyhoo was coming to its logical conclusion (invariable failure – one that we would fondly look back on, cheeks flushed, and equate with things like flat-top haircuts, or Pogs), it seems that Apple has decided it isn’t so, filing a new patent that would bring glasses-free 3D to… some device, or something. This isn’t your daddy’s glasses-free 3D – and by ‘daddy’, I mean ‘Sharp’. Apple’s design is space-age as tits, using all manner of techno-sorcery to fill your eyes with Z-axis. Perhaps The Register explains it…

A new survey conducted by Japanese ad agency Dentsu has revealed the ‘hit recognized products’ in Japan for 2010. And hoo boy, what a list it is. Smartphones, of course, have more or less been grouped into one category as they would dominate the entire list of separate. Twitter has come in at second place, narrowly eking out munchable chili oil for the silver. Yes, that’s right. Munchable chili oil. The top three ‘hit recognized products’ in Japan for the year two thousand and ten are, in order: smartphones, Twitter, and MUNCHABLE CHILI OIL. No iPads. No gadgetry. Munchable chili oil. Oh, Japan….

The creation of the Internet has created plenty of good in the world. People now have access to more information, tighter connections with more friends, and the ability to make a difference. But some things haven’t had an easy time making the adjustment. Here are just a handful of technologies that the Internet is transforming for better or for worse. 1. Pay TV Recent findings have revealed that the U.S. pay-TV industry has lost 119,000 subscribers in the last quarter. This has only ever happened twice, which doesn’t sound so bad until you realize that the first time was two quarters ago. So two straight…

Criticisms of online services as terrible, soul-destroying corruptions of a once pristine glorious past have become so common now, they’re essentially like people complaining about the weather. Facebook will ruin everything! Twitter is breaking our capacity to think! Like most new platforms with a lot of hype behind them, Foursquare has been subject to this ever-present criticism. A lot of people are baffled by the idea of a service that lets you ‘check in’ to places and get badges for doing so. Most people object to it as narcissistic. Some see it as pointless. Some game nerds don’t like the…

The Internet continues to grow faster and more data hungry, so broadband providers need to build the infrastructure to support our bandwidth needs. Verizon is happy to oblige, with the recent announcement of 150Mbps connections with Verizon FiOS. Verizon has already began rolling out the enhanced service, which offers 150Mbps download and 35Mbps upload, and offers speeds three-times faster than previous offerings by the company for a price of $195 per month. While only available to a few select markets at this point in time, Verizon hopes to have the service rolled out to all FiOS customers…

Click the image above to see the full large version. Thanks to VoucherCodes.co.uk for sending this in to us….

You just hit ‘play’ on a video touting the PlayBook’s allegedly ‘faster’ and all-around more awesome browser than the iPad’s. And the proof would appear to be in the pudding – the PlayBook’s browser DOES appear to be a fair bit faster, rendering pages in a relative jiffy when put beside the iPad’s sudden plod. The video also demonstrates the iPad’s lack of Flash (again), and even shows off some fancy Java rendering. But the big question here is: who cares? That’s a stupid question. Of course people care, but jeez, RIM… is it really wise to prod Apple fanboys like that, especially when the iPad 2 is…

Because you’re awesome, have this quick video of Mehmet Akten playing with his prototype for a 3D art program for use with the newly-hacked Kinect. ‘Memo’ is short and sweet about it. The XBox Kinect is connected to my Macbook Pro, and I wrote a little demo to analyse the depth map for gestural 3D interaction. One hand to draw in 3D, two hands to rotate the view. Very rough, early prototype. Very well. But know this, Mr. Akten. You like to touch people? Well, we like to watch – and we’re going to be watching you very closely as this radness develops. You might say it… kineckts ass? No, that’s a really terrible…

This really is a real product, called the Light Touch, by Light Blue optics. Using an interactive projector, Windows CE and Adobe Flash Lite are streamed onto any surface where you want projected. Yes, that means no damaged screens when beer gets spilled on it. But wait, what can you actually expect do do on Windows CE and Adobe Flash Lite? Can you browse the web, or update your fantasy football lineup using an app? Sadly, no. The Light Touch only includes apps that read email, photo apps, and movie apps. There are a few games on it, but you won’t be finding Angry Birds. So, what exactly is this supposed…