Ok, not quite. But you can control 16 gadgets with one remote, and write complicated macros of those devices. Sorry, “Get me a beer” isn’t one of them… yet. Universal Remote
Monthly Archives: August 2006
Microchipped Passports
Microchipped passports become available to American citizens today. Privacy groups aren’t crazy about this but I’m happy about anything that’ll speed up the check-in process at the airport, or get me through customs faster. http://www.wired.com/news/wireservice/0,71583-0.html?tw=rss.index
Happy 25th Birthday, PC!
The IBM 5150 PC, considered to be the “first” PC, came out 25 years ago today (on August 12, 1981). What were the specs? Weight: 21 lbs. RAM: 16KB (upgradable to 256KB) Memory: 40KB (read-only) Monitor: 11.5-inch monochrome (weighed 17 lbs., could display 25 lines of text and support both uppercase and lowercase letters) Drives:…
Empathetic art changes to suit your mood
This isn’t a new gadget per se, but it’s a neat new technology that I thought HyperGadget readers would be interested in. Here’s a bit of a Reuters article published today: British and American computer scientists have developed artwork that changes according to how the viewer feels. Special software picks up facial cues and adapts…
Female Robot Tour Guide
Chinese scientist has created a female robot in Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and they claim that she is made with cutting edge technology. The inventors hope that soon they will be able to sell her to hotels, entertainers and other hospitality arenas. The cost for one of these human-like machines is $37,000 (300,000…
The Floating Bed
Dutch architect Janjaap Ruijssenaars has created the world’s first floating bed. Seriously. Using gigantic magnets on the floor and beneath the bed itself, the two magnets repel against each other to produce a floating feel. Thin wires then hold the bed in place. Add a mattress and sheets and your all set to have a…