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A Primitive Mind Reader

October 14th 2007 04:10
I could sure use one of these and not just because I'm into the whole 'lets read Ann Coulters mind to see if she's really human and not some alien life form in the vein of The Thing'.

This has far more interesting uses, not the least of which is it can tell you if you're having too much of any specific thing, namely work, boredom, fun etc.

"New evaluation techniques that monitor user experiences while working with computers are increasingly necessary," said Robert Jacob, computer science professor and researcher. "One moment a user may be bored, and the next moment, the same user may be overwhelmed. Measuring mental workload, frustration and distraction is typically limited to qualitatively observing computer users or to administering surveys after completion of a task, potentially missing valuable insight into the users' changing experiences."


Haha, I can see where Robert Jacob is coming from, when I'm half-way through a job I'm typically 'content', then in the last hour or so I'm overwhelmed and afterwards I'm relieved. Though I didn't need a computer to tell me that.
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What N-Gage 2 Needs

February 7th 2007 07:47
N-Gage 2 prototype
N-Gage 2 Prototype?
The original N-Gage was (is) one of the biggest flops in gaming history, basically it demonstrated why it was foolish to try to push technology further than it can go for a certain time period.


So it is a little crazy reading about rumours of an N-Gage 2, complete with a proto-type photograph. Still, if lessons are learned (N-Gage name dumped) I think the N-Gage 2 could do heaps better than the first.

What does the next-gen N-Gage need to keep it from being a poor seller and really take it up to the big guns, Nintendo and to a lesser extent Sony.

In no particular order:

Exceptional Online Connectivity: Given the N-Gage is a mobile phone it could use 3G technology to really push online gaming, unlike the Nintendo DS or PSP it would not require to be in the range of a Wi-Fi hotspot rather it could connect directly to a 3G carrier. Make it so you can download games direct from developers as well, remember, you are creating a mobile phone so the connectivity it has is an inherent advantage. My ultimate dream is for an Xbox Live type system, heck, I’d say go nuts and copy Xbox Live, put as much ‘Live’ into that little package as you possibly can.

Two Analogue Sticks: Lets face it, Nintendo got really lucky with the DS touch screen and Sony really stuffed up by only including a single analogue stick. Given that a touch screen for gaming will not help the N-Gage sell since the DS has been on market for so long it could benefit from two separate analogue sticks so that it would have a one up advantage on the PSP controls wise.

Sleeker Design: Please, no more taco’s, I know it’s asking for a lot to have two analogue sticks to be pressed against your face while still feeling comfortable and cool looking, but you are the ones trying to create a half-way decent mobile phone/portable gaming device hybrid.

Not *Too* Expensive: Don’t go the original N-Gage route by squeezing too much into a small package selling it for a fortune and expecting people to cough out.

Don’t Call it The ‘M-Gage’: Something more mainstream, don’t go for ‘N-Gage 2’ or ‘N-Gage 360’ or ‘M-Gage’, scrap that naming scheme, something more marketable.

Get Some Publisher Lov’n: Get more publishers, get companies that develop games for mobile phones to create exclusive content for the N-Gage 2.


I guess I’m basically asking for the N-Gage 2 to be nothing like the original N-Gage, at least if Nokia learned anything from the original is that they should never repeat it.
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Magic Mag-net-ic

January 6th 2007 14:02


I have no idea what practical uses this has but it does look like a bit of fun. It could be used as jewellery if magnets are a turn on for anyone. No it won’t try to attract metals so long as every magnet on that bracelet is linked up so there's no chance it could get annoying as a bracelet.

Suddenly I’m interested in magnets, heres an excerpt about them from wikipedia:

is an object that has a magnetic field. It can be in the form of a permanent magnet or an electromagnet. Permanent magnets do not rely upon outside influences to generate their field. They occur naturally in some rocks, but can also be manufactured. Electromagnets rely upon electric current to generate a magnetic field - when the current increases, so does the field.
Magnets are attracted to, or repelled by, other materials. A material that is strongly attracted to a magnet is said to have a high permeability. Examples of materials with very high permeability include iron and steel. Liquid oxygen is an example of something with a low permeability, and it is only weakly attracted to a magnetic field. Water has such a low permeability that it is actually slightly repelled by magnetic fields. Everything has a measurable permeability: people, gases, and even the vacuum of outer space.

Magnetic forces are like gravitation forces, they don’t travel, they exist. I don’t care what Einstein said about gravity travelling at the speed of light. He, quite frankly, was incorrect... goodbye.
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Flight of a Winged Robot

December 17th 2006 11:07
This is probably the first ever remote controlled robot that flies by flapping wings. Pretty cool, though as the video shows it sure doesn’t fly very well...


[ Click here to read more ]
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