by Irma Arkus

New Scientist reports of a ridiculous patent: Constitution Arms in Maplewood, New Jersey, has applied for a “medical device,” which, in reality is a gun for disabled. Palm Pistol is apparently geared at people who cannot operate an actual handgun.

The audacity of the entire process undertaken by Constitution Arms is that the classification of the gun as a medical device would mean that those who purchase it would be reimbursed by the federal government.

I am literally pinching myself while writing this. And I believe that my left eye is twitching.

The best part of this (you mean there are good parts to this?!!!)is that the concept of the palm pistol has been around for over a century, as shown in photos above.

After this, Constitution Arms is reaching out to kids with “candy gun,” shaped like gummy bears, and loaded with explosive bearings. Just kidding. Or am I?

by Irma Arkus

In keeping up with the Joneses, I feel compelled to report on recent development in Ford bailout efforts. While it is clear that this auto-manufacturer has fallen way behind in innovation, partially fueled by the consistent lobbying efforts which resulted in some sort of industry protectionism directly connected to petroleum industry lobby efforts, it seems that the glove finally dropped — Ford has announced that it too will start manufacturing electric and alternate fuel vehicle solutions, but only under condition of a bailout.

Oh Catcar, where art thou? Oh, there you are (see photo of air car by MDI Industries enclosed).

See article here.

by Irma Arkus

What happens when you stick buckyballs and produce a film-like material? You apparently get something that has an appearance of a carbon paper, yet is 500 times stronger than steel when stacked, conducts electricity like copper, and disperses heat like brass. And according to PhysOrg, we can call it Buckypaper.

Amazing properties of Buckypaper are contributed to nanotubes, 1 gram of which when unrolled, can cover a field size of a stadium.

Buckypaper is still very expensive to manufacture, but represents the kind of new material that has the potential to transform automotive, aircraft, as well as electronic industry. Additional characteristic is that buckypaper acts as an electromagnetic shield.

This week we feature Brian Code from Koolu, people behind Open Moko release for developers in Canada and beyond!

We are all cranky consumers who pay through their nose to have devices that do very little. Even iPhone, the touted new messianic technology, falls short of expectations.

Open Moko, on the other hand, offers some more interesting solutions for problems that plague us. For one, as an open source software wi-fi phone, it is a far more customisable device that can be tailored to individual’s needs.

Brian tells all, so tune in. Send us questions because we want to probe his mind, like…every week.

If you are a developer, check out the Open Moko, and Koolu.
HiSciFi – OpenMoko Special with Brian Code of Koolu

by Irma Arkus

Now that Codex Sinaiticus has proven that religious scribbles are good for one thing, and one thing only – recycling – we also got this amazing report via Slashdot, of (wait for it!) paper-based transistors!

In essence, the Portugese researchers use paper as an interstrate layer, instead of commonly used silicone or glass substrate.

The technology is so successful that tests indicate “hybrid FETs’ performance outpace those of amorphous silicon TFTs, and rival with the actual state of the art of oxide thin film transistors.”

The research was conducted at CENIMAT and led by Elvira Maria Fortunato and Rodrigo Martins.

For more information, visit Roland Piquepaille’s blog.

by Irma Arkus

On the heels of announcement by Mercedes to cease manufacturing petroleum-powered cars by 2010, ITM Power, a small UK-based outfit released its first household hydrogen fueling station.

Unusual, fridge-size gadget, meant to be stored in periphery of an average domicile, is to contain an electrolyser producing hydrogen directly on the premise. The fuel can then be transferred into your vehicle at home, as well as used for alternate applications, including cooking.

Some taut the benfits of a household hydrogen-producing appliance as a solution to an existing problem with hydrogen fuel – namely, that traditional large-scale manufacturing and mass distribution processes are complex, expensive and even dangerous. Appliance such as this would introduce hydrogen-powered cars to greater number of individuals, and create accessible fueling stations.

Of course, having a fridge-size hydrogen generator is not necessarily all that great. For one, traditional pumps eliminate the need for everyone to invest in a personal appliance, instead spreading the cost across an entire region. Costs of developing fueling station technology would be directly transferred onto each and every household, and yes, it would be very expensive.

Also to consider is that such fueling stations would be great for home owners far removed from urban centres. Condo owners in high density areas do not have the resources or the space for individual ownership of such an appliance, quickly having to deal with a communal fueling station or a “mini-pumping station” for their hydrogen needs. If communal fueling stations would function well, then why have individual ones at all?

The questions of safety and handling procedures are aplenty. Hydrogen is considered highly flammable, and unstable. To be manufacturing hydrogen on the spot is a valid solution for a next generation of hydrogen-fueled cars. As for the individual ownership of such appliances, the costs seem high, unreasonable, and less than suitable for populations in urban areas.

by Irma Arkus

Watching Boston Dynamics’ Big Dog, a quadruped robot resembling only bottom half of a mule, as it struggles to maintain its balance (and succeds!) on an icy ground is nothing short of amazing.

Big Dog runs, walks and climbs on rough terrain, as its slender legs, similar to that of a dog or a deer (or something alive and organic) allow it to carry heavy loads while absorbing shocks. It maintains its balance in situations that not even yours truly, an average biped could.

The loads it can carry go up to 340lb, and it can succesfully climb inclined terrain of up to 35 degrees.

The really amazing part of Big Dog is its leg structure. Meant to copy what works best in nature, Big Dog’s legs combine multiplicity of joints regulated by an intricate sensor network, allowing it to maintain balance and navigate across variety of terrain including ice and rubble.

See for yourself: Big Dog walks on ice, hillside, and navigates through rubble.

by Irma Arkus

When having Mr. Gluckman a few weeks back for an appearance on HiSciFi, he suggested that military has been developing devices that would use radio frequencies to make subjects more “suggestive” than usual. Initially, I dismissed it, but as it happens, today, an announced military Medusa project was splashed all over the New Scientist pages.

Not quite same as what Gluckman suggested earlier, but nontheless, a frightening invention, use of microwaves for crowd control and manipulation seems to be growing in applications. Medusa, the newest mass weapon, uses microwave signals to produce a “noise” that reverberates through one’s head, loud enough to cause subjects incapacitation.

Medusa’s microwave frequencies can also be used to generate recognisable sounds (aka. speech patterns) in subjects, the kind that cannot be technically “blocked out” by subjects.

There is a great concern of using microwaves for purposes of crowd control, as microwaves induce great deal of damage to tissue, increasing possibility of producing a large-scale weapon rather than a crowd dispersment tool. Tissue trauma such as neural damage are a possibility, as pointed out by James Lin of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

For more information, see New Scientist article HERE.

by Irma Arkus

I too have a dream, that some day, I will not have the choice between bulky and heavy, but a lightweight mobile device that is akin to a notebook yet some 60% smaller.

Let’s face it, since the days of watching Captain Pickard in action, we’ve been dreaming of devices size of a small notebook (and no, that weighty 14″ behemoth does not count) that we can pull out in transit and really have fun with.

Introducing new Kohjinsha ATOM Powered SX and SC Series. SX features a remarkable 8.9″ screen, 1.33GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 60GB harddrive, WiFi b/g and numerous other bells and whistles. Whereas SC-Series has a 7″ touch screen, a 1.33GHz CPU, 1GB RAM, 60GB harddrive and other bells and whistles.

What are the extras? From GPS to 1.3 Mpix camera, USB, DVD and etc.

That’s something to think about.

by Irma Arkus

Unveiling of additional mobile services in Japan has brought on some Marvel superheroes onto the mini-screens opening up North American comic books to transit viewers in Japan.

Japanese market is estimated to garner up to 22 billion yen during this year, making 3G applications such as video streaming, and reading novels and comic books, a major market.

Japanese audiences already have access to multi-media content on their cell phones, but introduction of few new user-friendly services is expected to increase comic book audiences and gain a great deal of profits.

Current screens are up to 3.3″ and combined with 3G services are expected to bring on a whole new generation of comic book fans.