A Welsh View

Video: The Shweeb - A Human-Powered Monorail

[via]

20 Scary Old School Surgical Tools

20 scary surgical tools including this artificial leech tool which looks far more scary than having real leeches.

Video: iPhone 3GS Timeplapse

An example of what can be achieved using an iPhone 3GS, some cheap software and a tripod. [via]

New iPhone Knock-Offs Are Nearly Indistinguishable From Original

This video shows an example of an 'iPhone' from China. They've done a pretty good job of copying the hardware and the software looks similar but is almost unusable. More at Wired.

Carnivorous Clock That Eats Insects

UK-based designers James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau have created a robotic clock that feeds on flies which then powers the clock. They've also created one that feast upon mice.

The New Scientist has a gallery as well as a video of the robots. [via]

Video: iPhone 3GS Survives Being Dropped In Swimming Pool

Video: Macbook Transforms into a Spaceship

I must be missing out. All my PC does is make a strange noise that I'm yet to identify.

Outlet Wall

It may be ugly, but how convenient would it be to have all those plug sockets. [via]

USB Microwave

Heinz has created a world's smallest, portable microwave that can be powered by a USB port on a computer.

The turquoise device -called the Beanzawave allows workers tied to their desks to create a warm snack, or hot drink, to see them through the day.

To date, the device, which stands just 7.4inches tall by 6.2in wide and 5.9in deep, is only a prototype.

The Daily Mail has more.

Video: Netbooks Comes To Life

[Thanks Rachael]

The Evolution of Mobile Phones

The evolution of mobile phone design between 1983 and 2009.

Video: 73 Identical Model Planes Flown At The Same Time

Ball And Chain To Force Children To Study

Parents struggling to get their kids to revise in the run-up to exams can now keep them at their desk using a ball and chain that only unlocks when they have studied for long enough.

A red digital display counts down the "Study Time Left" and the device beeps and unlocks when the time expires.

The prison-style device weighs 9.5 kg (21 pounds), making it difficult to move while wearing it.

It cannot be locked for more than four hours and comes with a safety key that allows the manacle to be opened at anytime.

The ball and chain costs £75 and is sold online at curiosite.com.

Gift Card Puzzle Vault

Never feel guilty about giving a gift card again with this puzzle from Think Geek. [via]

Dog 'O' Matic Dog Washer

Even though Time magazine says that the Dog 'O' Matic was just invented, FoxNews has a video of a similar machine from 2007. [via]

Video: Multi-Purpose Pizza Box

The Making Of: PlayStation

Edge magazine has quite an in-depth article about how the Sony Playstation was created and marketed. The article includes the different concepts for the logo and control pad. [via @iA]

Video: Man Launches 'Mini' Saturn V Rocket

You can read more about the rocket over at LiveLeak.

50+ Cool Laptop Sleeves and Bags

Very tempted to purchase one of these to replace the rather bland sleeve you get with an EeePC.

2 Seater Segway

I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable riding a 2-seater Segway. More info here.

Video: Wii Lawn Mower

Created by Kjeld Jensen, a robotics researcher at University of Southern Denmark, the Casmobot is a lawn mower that can be controlled using a Wiimote.

Tilting the Wiimote forward causes the mower to drive forwards, while tilting the Wiimote backwards puts the lawnmower in to reverse. The mowing process can even be automated. Users can guide the mower to map out the borders of a lawn, and then leave it to automatically cut the area on its own.

Video: Giant Lego Nintendo DSi Timelapse Construction Video

This giant replica of a Nintendo DSi was built from 51,324 Lego pieces, weighs 250lb and took Sean Kenney 200 hours to assemble. It's currently on display in the Nintendo World Store at the Rockefeller Center, NYC. [via]

Video: World’s Largest Model Train Railway

Japanese 'Fashion Model Robot'

Someone likes shiny metal asses.

Related story: Engadget

Man Builds His Own 747 Simulator

Flight enthusiast Matthew Sheil has built a 747-400 flight simulator in his Sydney warehouse that the Guinness Book of Records has called 'world's most expensive home flight simulator'. The simulator is powered by 14 different computers and requires 45 different software programs. It cost US$200,000 and allows Sheil to fly to and from 27,000 different airports around the world. [via]

Video: 24 Solid State Drives = Awesomeness

Video: The Pentaminx = The Rubik's Cube From Hell

[via]

Nokia's Boring Me

I used to a be a big fan of Nokia phones but lately each device they have been releasing has only been marginally better than a previous device. Whilst you can't have a perfect device it seems that each one released, even the top end devices, lack something (e.g. battery too small, no xenon flash, smaller screen, etc).

The N86 that was launched today has an 8MP camera and some other new features such as scratch resistant screen, wider angle lense and the capability of taking panoramic shots but it has a small battery and doesn't have a xenon flash that was present on the N82.

I'm not sure why Nokia are so late with bringing out a phone with an 8MP camera. Sony are pulling ahead with a 12MP phone and Texas Instruments has announced a new mobile platform that can support up to 20MP.

Of course, megapixels aren't everything and it has yet to be seen how the improved optics on the N86 will perform.

And something that Nokia really needs to move away from is the clunky S60 interface. It's a full featured platform but it's tired and each Feature Pack released doesn't improve the overall interface.

My contract runs out in July and I'm starting to sway towards the iPhone. It's so much easier to use than most Nokia phones and I think I could put up with the limitations.

The Touchcube - The First Touch Screen Rubik's Cube

The Touchcube from Rubik's is a purely touch screen version of the classic puzzle.

The TouchCube works just like its more antiquated brethren, but instead of grinding the actual spinning cogs (manual labor is for suckers!), a simple swipe of the finger in a straight line or an 'L' shape (for rotations) does the trick. There's an accelerometer built in that ensures only the upwards-facing surfaces respond to your touch, so you can still hold the thing.

And it wouldn't be a touchscreen Rubik's cube without a few improvements: namely, the TouchCube can solve itself as you watch, and even teach you, step by step, how to do it. So you can be one of those kids we all marveled at in school (Ben Shepple, this one's for you) who could solve a cube in a matter of seconds. Built-in memory will also save your cube's state if you need to take a break.

The Touchcube will probably retail for $150. [via]

Video: Star Wars Imperial March Played On A Hard Drive

Nerd!

Stanford Writes In World's Smallest Letters

Boffins at Stanford University has claimed the title for the world's smallest writing. The process is very complex and uses words I've never heard of so rather than trying to explain it, here's a video.

Combination Lock for USB Drives

Can't be bothered to encrypt your USB drive? Slap an old school combination lock on it. It's only three digits so it won't be the most secure. [via]

Video: Wood Chopper From Hell

The Evolution of Apple Design Between 1977-2008

This collection of Apple products has to be one of the most complete. The article shows the evolution of its computers laptops, desktop, iPods and even mice and keyboards.

Related: Wired - Jan. 22, 1984: Dawn of the Mac

9000 USB Flash Drives Left At Dry Cleaners

Pointless statistic of the day. Over the past year, 9,000 USB drives have been left at dry cleaners.

Credant Technologies surveyed 500 dry cleaners that said on average they found two USB sticks during the course of a year. Taking this figure and multiplying it by the number of dry cleaners in the UK - 4500 - got the 9000 figure.

[via]

Video: Touch Screen Coke Vending Machine

A new Coke vending machine that is expected to be launched in the US this year and the UK in 2010.

SDXC Memory Cards Promise 2TB of Storage

The SD Association, the industry group behind the Secure Digital memory card format, has announced a new version of the card that can be scaled to 2TB.

The SDXC (eXtended Capacity) specification was announce at CES and as well as offering huge amounts of storage, will also eventually boost transfer speeds 10 fold to 300MBps.

The first batch of cards with a read/write speed of 104MBps will be released in March but it's not known in what sizes. Link

Asus Eee Keyboard

Computing has come full circle with the announcement of the Asus Eee Keyboard.

Described as a fully functional PC, the keyboard has a 5in touch screen that displays a suite of bespoke media controls or a Windows desktop.

Like Eee PCs, the keyboard is powered by Intel’s Atom processor and incorporates a selection of USB and video ports around the back as well as solid state storage and Wi-Fi connectivity.

The keyboard also has HDMI so in theory you could stream movies to a HDTV. [via]

Related: Asus Shows a Tablet-Style Eee PC

Apple's History in Patents

Technologizer.com has probably spent a lot of time presenting Apple's 31 year history by the patent's that it's filed.

Video: Waterwalkerz Let You Roll Around On Any Water Surface

These giant inflatable balls from Waterwalkerz allow you to roll around on any water surface. Looks like fun. [via]

Video: Tour of Seagate Factory

See how hard drives are manufactured in this 12 minute video from Scobleizer.tv.

Why Time Stands Still for Watchmakers

You've probably noticed that when watch and clock manufacturers advertise their products they set them to 10:10. This appears to make the watch 'happier' and also with some watches frames the manufacturer's name.

But did you know that Timex has an official time, 10:09:36, at which every watch — even digital models — is photographed for marketing purposes? They even ship many watches turned off at 10:09:36, so that all watches have the same time in store windows.

You can read more in this NY Times article which also discusses why the time on the iPhone in adverts is always 9:42am. [via]

The Lego Minifig Timeline

Gizmodo has created a timeline showing almost every Lego mini-figure ever created starting with the first in 1978.

San Francisco Artist Looks To Replace Lost Eyeball With Webcam

A San Francisco artist, who lost an eye in a 2005 car accident, wants to replace her missing eye with a Web cam, and experts think it could be possible.

"There have been all sorts of cyborgs in science fiction for a long time, and I'm sort of a sci-fi geek," said [Tanya] Vlach, 35. "With the advancement of technology, I thought, 'Why not?'"

Link

Snowball Launcher Gun

This snowball launcher gun can make make and fire snowballs up to 50'. It's a pity I wouldn't have many opportunities to use one here.

Nokia Unveils Musical Benches

As part of the Nokia Comes With Music launch - a subscription service that provides users with unlimited access to Nokia'a Music Store catalogue - they have kitted out park benches with 3 Nokia handsets and headphones.

The benches will be placed at parks and streets across the UK between now and Christmas and depending where you are the devices will have different playlists.

The benches will be accompanied by a live performer to prevent anyone from half inching the gadgets or the bench. [via]

8.1 Megapixel Casio Exilim Phone

Is it a camera or a phone? It's both and unless you live in Japan you're unlikely to see it. The Casio Exilim W63CA looks very similar to the camera line of the same name and sports an 8.1-megapixel sensor, image stabilization, 9-point autofocus, a YouTube video mode, and a wide-angle lens. It also come with a relatively big 3.1-inch 480x800 OLED screen. [via]

Vietnam Telecommunications

Image via us66bill

"World's Toughest Phone"

A website has been set up by mobile phone manufacturer Sonim to demonstrate how unbreakable their XP1 phone is. The live webcam shows a hammer periodically hitting the top of the phone. So far it has hit the phone over 40,000 times. To test that the phone is still working you can call it or send it an SMS. [via]

The Watch That Can't Be Counterfeited

Apparently this watch cannot be counterfeited.

Using security features borrowed from the printers of Swiss currency and passports, the Quai de L'Ile has secret markings using high security polymer papers and inks, and special hidden images that can been seen only by using a UV lamp. In the picture you can see a tiny UV sensitive sun image between the 1 and 2 on the dial.

Due to be launched in New York on Wednesday, the privilege of having a watch that cannot be bought for £30 in a cattle market will cost you between $29,000 and $60,000. 800 will be made each year and will can be customised 400 different ways. Link [via]