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| Researchers in the Netherlands develop a microfluidic chip for testing drug reactions Posted: 25 Apr 2009 09:26 AM PDT
Researchers at the University of Twente in the Netherlands have developed an extremely small microfluidic chip that simulates chemical reactions commonplace in the human body, for testing drug reactions. The device is around a thousand times smaller than the usual electrochemical cell (the volume of the chip’s main fluid channel is a mere 9.6 nanoliters) and uses electrodes to control the chemical reactions. It’s already been used to conduct tests on Amodiaquine, an anti-malarial drug, with more studies sure to follow. While this is great news for medical science, we have to wonder what the small army of slackers, malingerers, and college students are going to do when they’re no longer able to make money as human guinea pigs. Become bloggers? [Via PhysOrg] Read the original: |
| Tesla-powered Smart fortwo gives rides, ignites imaginations Posted: 25 Apr 2009 08:11 AM PDT  We already knew that Daimler was looking to Tesla for its battery know-how within the electric Smart, and evidently the two have already put together a working prototype. Our best buds over at AutoblogGreen have hosted up a video and photo gallery of a Tesla-powered Smart fortwo which was recently spotted at a heretofore unnamed automotive show. Amazingly, the vehicle was actually outfitted with the motor and gear box (version 1.0) from an original Roadster, though the incommodious nature of the show floor made it impossible to peel out and really cause a scene. Check the read link for all the multimedia goodies. Here is the original post: |
| Man Charged $62,000 for Downloading Wall-E While In Mexico [Customer Service] Posted: 25 Apr 2009 08:00 AM PDT
While on vacation in Mexico, Alberto downloaded Wall-E over his wireless carrier’s network, only to be slapped with an insane $62,000 bill. After explaining to the carrier how outrageous that is, he was made an offer: They’d knock the bill down to what it cost them in bandwidth. Unfortunately for Alberto, they claimed their cost was still $17,000. Alberto called in to one of those cable news network shows about money where the host wears headphones and yells at the viewer for half an hour and neglected to mention the carrier’s name, but we can’t see any way a 700MB file would cost $17,000 in bandwidth fees. There’s a lesson in all this: If you’re going abroad, buy a roaming plan. Or at least tell us the name of the carrier so we can complain more effectively. [CNN via Ars Technica] Read the rest here: |
| Wired looks at junk that doesn’t work Posted: 25 Apr 2009 07:53 AM PDT
Need to Ionize your water? Keep yourself safe from "raditations?" Find ghosts? Don't buy the junk Wired looked at in order to test the validity of their claims. The most interesting product, the KYK Genesis Water Ionizer, a $2,000 lump of nothing, is features a picture of Ed Begley Jr. as well as a bunch of writing in Korean. The results of the ionization experiment? A bunch of water in the kitchen.
Read the original post: |
| Ignite NYC: Learn how a samurai katana is made in 5 minutes Posted: 25 Apr 2009 07:16 AM PDT
Ignite is a series of quick "speed presentations" recorded around the world. And it's not your normal long, boring slide presentation (who hasn't experienced death by powerpoint?) because there are a few rules. 1. your total presentation can only be 5 minutes. So Jon Kahan did a really quick presentation on the katana. It's well worth your 5 minutes to watch, you might even learn something. [via Make] Original post: |
| Somniloquy Lets Your Computer Download Files In Its Sleep [Going Green] Posted: 25 Apr 2009 07:00 AM PDT
Computer scientists at UC San Diego along with Microsoft Research have developed this USB device they dub the Somniloquy, which appropriately enough means “talking in one’s sleep.” The dongle lets you keep your computer in sleep mode, which saves a ton of energy, while remaining seemingly active on the network. So your computer will be in sleep mode, but you’ll still be able to download files or receive IM or VoIP messages, and if an action that requires your computer’s full attention does occur, Somniloquy will gently rouse it from its slumber. The device is actually a very low-power computer, complete with OS and flash memory, and essentially takes over as the computer’s presence on the network while the actual computer is asleep. It consumes somewhere between 11 and 24 times less power than a full computer, which makes for some impressive energy savings. The creators are hoping the tech will be incorporated into future network cards so computers have this functionality out of the box. You know what? We’re hoping that, too. [PhysOrg via Engadget] Read more from the original source: |
| Video: surviving Pleo loses remaining autonomy, gets controlled by Wii Nunchuk Posted: 25 Apr 2009 06:14 AM PDT  Aw, how timely. Shortly after the Pleo lineage fell victim to economic pressures, an all-too-cute video has surfaced showing a remaining creature being controlled by a Wii Nunchuk. In reality, the underlying abuse here is quite sad — for those unaware, Pleo was designed to be entirely autonomous, and the first step to regaining control over it is to implement a “Pleo Stunner” in order to shock him into silence. From there, an XBee-based solution is used to tap into his control system and override every single instinct the poor sap ever had. If you’re into this type of sadistic torture (or you’re just an aspiring dictator), check the read link for all the instructions you need to fulfill your own evil desires. For those just interested in a good chuckle, the vid’s after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
View original here: |
| Somniloquy external networking card lets PCS “sleep talk” essential connectivity functions Posted: 25 Apr 2009 03:51 AM PDT  Some researchers at UC San Diego, teamed up with Microsoft Research, have a novel new method in the works to let your computer save on power in sleep mode while still keeping up with IMs and whatever other network activity you pesky folks might be up to. Dubbed “Somniloquy,” the USB dongle acts as an external networking card, and takes over most of the communication duties, with its own embedded OS and flash memory (similar to the Killer NIC). When the computer goes to sleep, Somniloquy maintains IM connections, ongoing downloads and torrents, and keeps your computer present on the local network and wireless LAN. If an activity arrives that needs the full computer, Somniloquy wakes up the computer and patches it through — going so far as to buffer downloads into flash memory, and then dump it periodically on to the hard drive. The wake-on network activity concept is nothing new, but Somniloquy really runs with it, and boasts up to 60 to 80 percent overall energy savings based on the person’s usage habits. The device is currently in prototype stage, and in the future all its functionality could be integrated into a PC’s network card — and hopefully won’t just be for the pros this time. See the original post: |
| How would you change Nokia’s 5800 XpressMusic? Posted: 25 Apr 2009 12:43 AM PDT  Nokia’s first ever full touchscreen S60 phone has had quite the bumpy ride into reality. After launching here in North America, it was on the receiving end of heavy pounding from early adopters who couldn’t adequately take advantage of 3G services. Now that those issues are ironed out (and you’ve had five minutes to cool your jets), we’re wondering how you’d tweak / change / overhaul the 5800 XpressMusic. Needless to say, our own personal list would likely span a few pages (collated, double-spaced, 1-inch margins), but this post isn’t for us. In fact, it has been specially crafted just for you, so feel free to let off some steam in comments below. Just keep it constructive, okay? Originally posted here: |
| Daily Crunch: Lines of Communication Edition Posted: 25 Apr 2009 12:00 AM PDT |
![walle Man Charged $62,000 for Downloading Wall E While In Mexico [Customer Service]](http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/04/walle.jpg "Man Charged $62,000 for Downloading Wall E While In Mexico [Customer Service]")
![1 sleeptalking Somniloquy Lets Your Computer Download Files In Its Sleep [Going Green]](http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/04/1-sleeptalking.jpg "Somniloquy Lets Your Computer Download Files In Its Sleep [Going Green]")
Usually, when us modern, sensitive, environmentally-conscious types leave the computer on all night, it’s because we’re downloading something sizable. But what if our computers could handle that task while in sleep mode, thus saving energy?
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