24 Fret, full size, full floating tremolo, locking neck, easy access to the top of the neck, mushroom inlays, amazing sound, and looks fantastic. Order Yours today right here.
The Mayan Calendar as a Giant Hamster Wheel
[GAS] friend Mark Day just sent me this interesting video he shot at Burning Man 2012 featuring a giant wooden human-powered hamster wheel that show the the workings on the Mayan Calendar. Useless? Maybe, but a lot of useless things passe as art, especially when it’s at Burning Man!
[Mark Day]
Real Life Roller Coaster Tycoon [Video]
Andrew jumps into a yet another real-life version of a game! This time, it’s the classic, beloved Roller Coaster Tycoon. Will he be good-spirited and give the peeps a flawless theme park? Hah. Yeah right.
Smartphone users actively avoid snooping apps
Most mobile app users have rejected an app after deciding it wanted too much personal data according to a newly published survey.
The research from the Pew Internet Project questioned the cellphone users who download apps. That’s 43 percent of all cellphone users, which translates as the vast majority of people with a smartphone.
Among this group, 54 percent have either downloaded or examined an app but decided not to install it when they found out how it would gather and use personal information. 30 percent say they’ve installed an app but later deleted it for the same reason. In total, 57 percent of people fall into one or both of these categories.
Across different demographics and user bases, the pattern was fairly consistent. There weren’t any statistically differences between iPhone and Android users. Men were slightly more likely than women to have deleted an app, while those who attended college were more likely to have chosen not to install an app in the first place than those who only went to high school. Other than this, gender, age, income or educational background made little difference.
The survey also looked at specific measures people have taken to protect privacy. Half of smartphone owners have cleared browsing or search history (which seems high given most people won’t expect others to view this information) and 30 percent have turned off location tracking. Men are more likely to clear their browsing history: we all know why, but let’s pretend it’s because they don’t want wives to see that diamond site and spoil their birthday surprise.
Other questions included those about lost phones or those accessed without permission. The most interesting finding is that BlackBerry devices are the most likely to be stolen, but the least likely to be accessed without permission. That either means BlackBerry owners are mature business people who don’t snoop on each other’s handsets for fun, or that they are much more subtle about sneaking a peek without the owner knowing.
A majority of smartphone owners back up data from their handset occasionally or frequently, though surprisingly people who’ve had a phone lost or stolen don’t seem any more likely to make back-ups as a result.
How Robot Doctors Are Revolutionizing Solar Tech [Robots!]
Solar energy gets a bad rap. It’s costly for a number of reasons, though the price of the panels themselves has dropped dramatically in recent years. The problem is that the rest of the components remain steadfastly prohibitive. And cost aside, because the planet just keeps spinning, the panels need constant adjustments to maintain maximum efficiency. Currently, these adjustments are made by a series of hundreds of (expensive) controllers that keep the panels aligned properly.
That’s where QBotix fits in.
Rather than installing and maintaining a control system that operates remotely, the company has developed the QBotix Tracking System: a pair of robots (primary and backup) that travel along tracks to make the hundreds of adjustments necessary through the course of a day. “It’s almost like a doctor going from one patient to the next,” says Wasiq Bokhari, CEO and founder of QBotix. Best of all, it works with current standard solar modules.
If you’re wondering how robots could possibly cost less than a remote control, Bokhari says it all comes down to components: “[The robot] takes away more than half the steel used in tracking systems, reduces the cost by a factor of two, and takes away hundreds of failure-prone motors.”
Just how much cheaper is QBotix’s team of doctor bots than current tracker systems? At least 20%, according to the company. Aside from savings on the tracking system itself, the robots cost just a few cents per watt, and because there’s a built-in backup system (that’s robot number two), there’s no loss in energy production in the event of a failure. (This is, of course, assuming both bots don’t crap out at the same time.) Add in increased energy production — thanks to increased efficiency— and you’re looking at a pretty sweet deal. Plus: ROBOTS.
Though QBotix isn’t a household name, the company’s innovative approach to solar tech is garnering attention in Deep-Pockets Land: the company is one of very few in the solar sector to receive Series A financing–a total of $6.5 million from investors like Siemens Venture Capital and Firelake Capital. Still, sales are a bit slow-going: “Our approach is so different that people have to be educated about how our innovation works,” explains Bokhari.
[CoExist via Tecca | Solar Panel Picture by Bigstockphoto.com]
Firefly 10th Anniversary Celebration Art Print
From our friends at QMX:
To celebrate Firefly’s 10th anniversary, we’re thrilled to present an homage from graphic designer Jeff Halsey. Jeff, a die-hard Firefly fan from Fresno, California, created this design after watching the TV series for the dozenth time.
[Source: $19.95 @ QMX | Via Buzzfeed]
CruxSKUNK iPad Keyboard-Case vs. Logitech Ultrathin
Awhile ago I was looking to get a keyboard for my iPad, and I was pointed in the direction of the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard. Case and keyboard all in one, plus it’s really thin. I was a bit dubious about dishing out on such a keyboard, and I’m glad I didn’t get it because I’m actually really enjoying the on-screen keyboard.
However, were I to suddenly decide that I needed a physical keyboard, the Logitech would no longer be the one I’d go for. I have now seen the CruxSKUNK and I’m actually tempted to get one.
Firstly there’s the design – which is probably one of the main reasons anyone buys an Apple product in the first place: they “look good”. The (ridiculously named) CruxSKUNK is designed to fit with the Apple aesthetic, giving your iPad the look & feel of a Mac Air apparently.
Then there’s the thickness. Now it boasts about being “the thinnest keyboard for your iPad on the planet”. I thought, hey, well the Logitech says it’s Ultrathin – lets go find out how thin that is. I had to go find a review because apparently “specifications” on the Logitech website doesn’t seem to have any actual specifications of the product. The Ultrathin + iPad combination sits at 0.68 inches/17mm (according to this review). The CruxSKUNK + iPad combination is 0.75 inches/19mm. This doesn’t mean the CruxSKUNK is lying about being the thinnest iPad keyboard though: the CruxSKUNK base section (where the keyboard is) is only 0.24 inches/6mm thick, while the Ultrathin keyboard is actually 0.31 inches/8mm thick. This must mean that the bit around the iPad on the CruxSKUNK is quite a bit thicker…
But that’s actually a good thing, if you ask me. Those are the bits that protect your iPad itself – the ‘case’ part of keyboard case. The parts that touch the iPad contain a foam padding so that the aluminium casings don’t scratch each other and your iPad is protected. I like that and would gladly give up an extra 2mm for that protection.
Other important features are as follows:
- The CruxSKUNK has a full-size QWERTY keyboard (many iPad keyboard cases are miniaturised keyboards, though I believe the Ultrathin does also have full-sized and properly spaced keys).
- The CruxSKUNK has a 360 degree hinge so you can adjust the position of the screen itself – something that cannot be adjusted with the Ultrathin.
- Smart Cover capability (but I mean, if you didn’t have this you’re not even in the game really).
But now comes the price point: the Ultrathin is yours for $99 from Logitech (+ shipping) (or $94.73 plus free shipping from Amazon). The CruxSKUNK, while pretty and ultra cool, is still up on Kickstarter (you’ve got 30 days before it’s done) – they needed to make sure they had the funds to go through the final stages of production. They’ve achieved their goal, so backing the project now is pretty much assurance of getting the product, though that also means that the earliest you can get it is December 2012. However, you’ll have to contribute at least $155 to get the CruxSKUNK (+ shipping – which is a whopping $55 for international). You could grab a friend who wants it too and do a “Double-Up Saver Special” and get two for $310 (+ shipping). Those are limited, however, and at the time of writing there are only 67 of 100 left so you might want to get in quick.
Which would you choose? Anyone know a better, thinner, more awesome iPad keyboard case and care to share?
New Keyboard [Comic]
[Source: Unknown (If you know the source, let us know!) | Via MUO]