Praise USB: Reversible Plugs Are Coming

usb

Next year will bring a solution to arguably the greatest annoyance in modern technology hardware. Yes, it’s true: the next generation of USB plugs will work either way up.

The news comes from the USB 3.0 Promoter Group, made up of major computing firms such as HP, Intel and Microsoft. It’s announced that work has begun on a new form of connector, USB Type-C, following on from the existing rectangular Type-A and square(ish) Type-B.

Type-C will be the a rectangular shape, but smaller than existing Type-A connectors. It will be roughly the size of a micro-B plug as currently used for some cellphones and devices such as the Kindle.

The most notable change is that “users will no longer need to be concerned with plug orientation/cable direction”, meaning an end to the charade of trying to get the darn thing in. Existing official advice tells users to make sure the USB logo is uppermost, which is not much use when the port is vertical or, more to the point, when you’re reaching under a desk or behind a computer.

The switch to a new connector type is a complete break from existing USB technologies. All future enhancements to the USB standard itself (meaning the way data transfer works) will be designed for Type-C connectors.

The new cable will support scalable power charging (meaning it could carry up to 100 watts safely.) The new plug design itself will also be scalable, meaning that it will be possible to make larger cables with larger plugs/sockets but in the same shape and with no need to rethink the internal engineering.

The new design will of course be incompatible with existing sockets, so there’ll also be a standard for adaptor plugs and cables.

According to the USB 3.0 Promoter Group, the changes will be open for review for the next few months, with a final standard and specifications confirmed in mid-2014. The first products using the new connector type aren’t expected until late next year.

(Image credit: 9gag.com)



SCOTCHY SCOTCH SCOTCH: Great Odin’s Raven Scotch Soon to be a Reality!

Ron Burgund Odins Raven Scotch

Ron Burgundy-approved “Great Odin’s Raven Special Reserve” is slated to hit shelves soon, although the exact date, price, and availability have yet to be announced.

“The 40% ABV Scotch is a blend of Scotch whiskies from Speyside, Highlands, and Islay and features a hearty fruit flavor,” reports Uproxx.

Which reminds me: Sex Panther, anyone?

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 [First Movie Trailer]

Ouch, have you seen how many villains are in there? Not sure how they’ll tie all of these together in a logical manner so that the movie stays… logical? :)

The Amazing Spider-Man 2: In Theaters in May 2014.

[SonyPictures]



Forging Bilbo’s Sting in Real Life [Video]

Every other Monday, master swordsmith Tony Swatton forges your favorite weapons from video games, movies, and television. This week, he tackles Bilbo’s Sting from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

[Awe Me]

Speedrun: Terminator 2 in 60 Seconds [Video]

Warning: Video contains one F-bomb

Terminator 2: Judgement day condensed in 60 seconds.

[1A4STUDIO]

A Knight, Ninjas, Iron Man, Batman and Others Crash Couple’s Wedding [Video]

A lot of people were against Adam and Michelle getting married, but no one can get between these two, no one.

[Artix Entertainment | Via Neatorama]

Android Boss Making Robots For Google

rubin

The man who oversaw the growth of Android to become one of the most used operating systems is now helping Google work towards filling the manufacturing and retail world with robots.

Former Android CEO and Google vice president Andy Rubin has been heading the project for at least six months. It appears he’s gone public now, in a New York Times interview, in an attempt to steal back some the attention that Amazon garnered by just so happening to choose “Cyber Monday” to unveil its apparent plans to use airborne delivery drones.

The Google project, which has involved buying out seven tech firms, is not based around consumers. Instead the idea seems to be to develop robot “solutions” for manufacturers, looking at all aspects of the supply chain. That could mean everything from assembly lines to packaging and distribution centers and even shipping firms.

Speaking to the Times, Rubin said the philosophy was to find more ways to use robots and other technology to carry out dull and repetitive tasks. Of course, that’s not much help if your job relies on such tasks, and robots don’t ask for the minimum wage.

Financial details of the project haven’t been made public. However, although there’s no guarantee anything will come of this, it does appear Google has made a more significant commitment to developing robots than it has to some of its other “moonshot” projects. It appears the plan is to work towards commercializing the technology much more quickly than is usually the case with Google’s more ambitious and experimental projects.

Although it’s clearly a hardware-driven project, Rubin did note that Google is working on software for robotics. That could make sense for a large corporation that wants to use robots throughout the supply chain and could have a single in-house team that could fix, upgrade and troubleshoot different models.

It’s also likely that supply chain management will be a big part of such software, with firms potentially being able to track everything from individual components waiting to be assembled, to packages on their way to customers, in the same system.

(Image credit: Yochiro Akiyama via Creative Commons license)

The World Outside My Window: A Breathtaking Time-Lapse of Earth From the ISS

Full Screen! HD! Lights off! Volume up!

This montage of time-lapse photography from the International Space Station is collected from many (photos) taken in Expeditions 29, 30 and 31.

The previous sequence, ‘All Alone In The Night’ (embedded below), highlighted night sequences and spectacular aurora light shows and intended to give a feeling of flying through space.

The goal with this sequence was to bring a bit more attention to the station itself, including the humans aboard it, particularly Don Pettit (appearing in the final shot) who took many of the sequences in this montage.

[David Peterson | Via LS]