Apple computer gets 320-fold price rise

When the iPad went on sale, a few people complained about the idea of paying several hundred dollars and then having to stump up some extra cash for a case. They should count themselves lucky.

An Italian man has just paid more than $200,000 for an Apple computer without a case. And this time we’re not talking a carry case: the machine literally had no casing.

To be fair, this wasn’t the latest MacBook Pro. Instead it was an original Apple-1, the first machine Apple ever sold and one of only 200 units ever made.

The device, which was only on sale for a year before being discontinued, originally retailed for $666.66. (Insert your own anti-Steve Jobs gag here.) Yesterday Marco Boglion paid £133.250 (approx $213,600) at a technology auction to buy an Apple-1, complete with original components, such as 8K of RAM, packaging, and a letter from Jobs.

Not only was the Apple-1 the company’s first computer, but it’s birthing process was a perfect microcosm of the company’s success over the next 23 years. Steve Wozniak came up with the idea of building the machine, while friend Steve Jobs had the idea of selling it to the public.

Ironically for the company that went on to popularize the tablet PC, the computer didn’t ship with a keyboard. Then again, it didn’t ship with a screen or a power supply either. But as the auction listing notes, it did still offer a nod towards a casual audience, albeit in a very comparative sense: “Because the motherboard was completely pre-assembled, it represented a major step forward in comparison with the competing self-assembly kits of the day.”

Among the other items on sale at the auction were an Enigma (a German encryption machine used in the second world war) and papers belonging to computer pioneer Alan Turing.


Amazing Star Trek-Like Home Computer

Youtube user klapstoelpiloot built this AMAZING Star Trek-like touchscreen computer for this home. The system’s GUI is based on the LCARS interface from Star Trek. Check it out:

Shown in the video are:

  • Agenda/Calendar
  • Shopping list (Groceries)
  • Rain radar
  • Train departure times (because the train station is nearby)
  • Library & Media player (connected to home cinema set)
  • Internet browser

[Via TDW]

A Linch Pin Droid: An Exploded View of R2-D2 [PIC]

Check out Mondo shop’s upcoming R2-D2 poster, which is set to be released on November 26th:

The 24″x 36″ illustration by Kevin Tong is titled “A Linch Pin Droid” and features glow in the dark ink for an out of this world experience when viewed in the dark.

Unfortunately, only 400 of these beauties will be made available upon release.

[Mondo Shop]

Symphony of Science – A Wave of Reason

“A Wave of Reason” is the seventh installment in the Symphony of Science music video series. It is intended to promote scientific reasoning and skepticism in the face of growing amounts of pseudoscientific pursuits, such as Astrology and Homeopathy, and also to promote the scientific worldview as equally enlightening as religion. It features Carl Sagan, Bertrand Russell, Sam Harris, Michael Shermer, Lawrence Krauss, Carolyn Porco, Richard Dawkins, Richard Feynman, Phil Plait, and James Randi.

[Via]

Neill Blomkamp’s Mysterious Teaser from Wired magazine

This mysterious video by District 9 director Neill Blomkamp was apparently discovered in the latest iPad issue of Wired magazine (issue number 18.12). Could this be for an upcoming movie by Mr. Blomkamp?

Edit: /film has uncovered some additional information about the trailer:

Here is what I’ve discovered. 18.12 is the number of the issue of WiReD that this video appears in. I did some searching and found out that a Beverly Hills-based company named Sable Productions Ltd. filed for the trademark “AGM Heartland” on October 18th 2010. The trademark use is labeled as:

Entertainment services by way of an online website with video, audio and textual content and images featuring characters and storylines about a fictional genetic engineering company that produces genetically engineered and altered organisms

The fact that it mentions only online and not theatrical or television makes me think it’s not related to a film project… but you never know. My guess is it’s for some kind of online narrative. What do you think?

[Via Buzzfeed]

Pentagon funds flying snakes

The United States Department of Defense has put money into airborne snake research. But sadly it doesn’t involve hiring Samuel L. Jackson to help train the Air Force against unexpected passengers.

Instead the funding, which comes from the DoDs Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (which is known for backing some pretty unusual research), went to Jake Socha of Virginia Tech. He’s been working on a mathematical model to explain why five different species of snakes in South Asia are able to stay airborne when leaping between treetops as far as 79 feet apart.

The snakes, from the genus Chrysopelea, are among the few (if not the only) creatures to fly without either wings or a similar body part. It turns out the answer to the puzzle is fairly simple: the entire snake’s body acts as if it were a single wing.

The movement is closer to gliding that full-scale flying, but combines elements of the two. Through a combination of the body flattening out and then adjusting itself to a suitable angle, the snakes are able to create a situation where the aerodynamic force is stronger than gravity, meaning the snakes actually move upwards immediately after “launch.”

This effect quickly wears off, and there’s never actually a point where the two forces are equal and the snake is gliding horizontally. Instead it quickly switches to downwards gliding which is why, over any distance of note, the “flying” has to be from a taller tree to a shorter one.

According to Socha, the scientific principle of what the snake is doing is perfectly normal: what’s unexpected is the ratio of the two forces and thus the impressive aerodynamic performance.

As for what DARPA hopes to get from the work, officials are remaining tight-lipped. One theory is that it could be used to give insight into possible designs for unmanned airborne vehicles that would require less power.

Five Extravagant Gifts for the Geek on Your List

Sure, budgeting is important. This is a touch economy. But we can dream, right? Without dreams, we just can’t get by!

So, rather than suggest all these economical options for the holiday season, I thought I’d compile a list of the kind of gifts every geek dreams of, and if given the opportunity would probably snatch up in a heart beat. You might need a crane to move some of these, but I suspect for many of you, it would be totally worth it.

Microsoft Surface – No, I haven’t turned to a total Microsoft fangirl. However, the applications for this are just mind blowing. I’m sure you’ve all seen the possibilities when it comes to D&D and gaming in general. And while the endless delight of owning such a piece of technology would be quite life-changing, keep in mind the steep price tag: over 12K, just to start, not counting shipping.

Geek Chic Tables – While not quite as expensive as the Surface, the tables from Geek Chic are the low-tech version of a geek surface dream. I was lucky enough to see these in action at PAX East last year, and let me tell you, they are beautiful. Not only are they totally handcrafted, and coupled with a marvelous steampunk aesthetic, but they are also superior multitaskers. If your house is anything like ours, flexibility of furniture is essential, and no place moreso than the kitchen or dining room table. Is it wrong that our first requirement for a table is that it can accommodate Arkham Horror? Anyway, with Geek Chic tables, you don’t have to sacrifice form for function. They’re gorgeous. And honestly, even with the $1500+ price tag (check out the Ethan Allen catalog if you think that’s high for furniture!) it’s not that bad, for the Emissary design, anyway. The Sultan (see the image below), as befitting of its name, starts at $8850. But it is heirloom quality. You know, so you can bequeath it.

Got a Tolkien geek in your midst? Have a ton of expendable income? How about a first edition hardback of The Lord of the Rings. Believe it or not, that’ll set you back five times what the Microsoft Surface costs. Currently one is listed on Alibris for $62,000. That’s a whole lot of pipeweed and mushrooms. If the books are way out of your price range, consider an official Gondorian arrow from the films. That’ll only cost you about a 800 GBP.

Antiquities. I mean, why bother with the movie stuff if you can go all-out ancient world? For a few grand you can purchase a piece of history, quite literally. The Web is filled with companies hocking wares from all around the world, and while I wouldn’t vouch that they’re all legit (you might want to steer clear of eBay…) there are some really gorgeous antiquities to be had. I inherited a little Roman statuette from my great-aunt, and it’s not only a point of conversation among our geekier guests, it’s also a neat connection from me to a much older time. Granted, I think the story goes that my great-grandfather “picked it up” “somewhere in Italy” but, hey, that’s history, right?

I’ll admit, being a relative newbie to the PC party, I’m not sure how awesome Alienware computers are. But at 4K, well, they better be pretty awesome. I mean, they should do more than play games at that price: how about fold laundry? Make dinner? Do your taxes? Clean the bathrooms? Either way, they are pretty sweet looking.

What are your geek dream gifts? If money was no limitation, what would you do? Go to space? Buy your own personal ornithopter?

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The TurBaconEpic: A bird in a bird in a bird in a bird in a bird in a pig

Our friends from Epic Meal Time are back with another crazy recipe, and this one should be just perfect for the upcoming Thanksgiving celebration! Behold the TurBaconEpic: A bird in a bird in a bird in a bird in a bird in a pig.

Can you believe that this thing amounts for 79,046 calories and 6,892g of fat? If you take into account that 1 pound of fat = 3500 calories, the TurBaconEpic should put an extra 22 pounds of fat in the bellies of these poor folks. Ouch.