Turn Your iPhone Into a Movie Projector!

"BOISE, Idaho--Imagine you're on a camping trip with your family, and your kids are bored. They want to watch a movie, but you forgot your laptop at home. Hopeless? Not at all.

You pull out your fifth-generation iPhone--yes, this is a story about future technology--power it up, aim it at the wall of the tent, and start projecting their favorite film there.

This is one of the many potential promises of a new microdisplay technology from Displaytech, a recently acquired division of Boise-based Micron. Known as FLCOS, or fast liquid crystal on silicon, the technology is designed to make it possible to project from a relatively small form factor device, and with high image quality and vibrant colors, just about anything you'd want, be it a Disney flick or a complex PowerPoint presentation.

Today, the technology is still in its prototype stage, and when I visited Micron here this week as part of Road Trip 2009, I was shown a demonstration in which things like YouTube movies or ESPN clips stored on an iPhone were projected onto a screen via a small device with a tiny 3M projection engine in it.

Even that was pretty cool, because the little device probably had about the same volume as a deck of cards, and the image quality--in a very bright room--was fairly good, particularly when it came to showing text-based slides. But the most exciting thing to me about the technology is the promise that by late 2010 or early 2011, there's a good chance that the thumbnail-size chip behind the microdisplay could begin to be embedded in commercially available smartphones, like the iPhone."

Read the Full Article Here at CNET

If I was looking for a company to invest a few bucks in, these guys might be near the top of my list. The possibilities of this technology are pretty exciting. Their strategy of selling their technology to a wide range of device makers is sure to make them millions. You can bet that I'll be keeping an eye on this story as the tech hits the consumer marketplace.

It's Okay To Drink From The Toilet...

We reported this invention back in September 2007. I was doing some house cleaning on the blog and I came across this post and I found it as interesting now as it was then. This device could have a huge impact on developing nations where infrastructure is poor or non-existent.

I went to the company website to get an update and found that you can purchase one of these devices for $230. While that may sound expensive, consider the uses. It would certainly be a great addition to any emergency preparedness kit and if you're a camper or hiker, this is a no-brainer...

Russian MIG 29 Shoots Down Unmanned Drone

The Russians have shot down a Georgian unmanned recon drone that was flying in Georgian airspace. The Georgians, who are understandably mad, have offered this video as proof. This isn't the first time a MIG has shot down a drone aircraft. In 2002, an Iraqi MIG shot down one of our Predators.

Cool...Mac OSX on a Whitebox Machine!

A MAC vendor's website appears to have had their servers swamped and crashed shortly after their arrival was introduced to the blogosphere. As the news spread around the Internet that they were offering rock bottom deals on an off the shelf machine that would run the Leopard OS from Apple they suddenly disappeared. As of this writing, they seem to be back up and running. The machine they are offering more than doubles the specs of a Mac Mini at $100 less. The systems are also upgradeable. The Open Computer sports a faster processor (2.2GHz vs. 1.83GHz), double the memory (2GB vs. 1GB), three times more hard drive space (250GB vs. 80GB). The "Open Computer", as it is called, even comes with a power cable so you can start working with it out of the box.

Mac enthusiasts have been experimenting on running the new Apple operating systems on commodity PC hardware ever since the Intel-based Apple computers were introduced in early 2006. This effort came to be known as OSx86 Project. The "Open Computer" has evolved from the original OSx86 Project into a working commercial product.

Conventional wisdom will tell you that it is only a matter of time before the lawyers from Apple will have them shut down. Apple, who is notorious for heavy-handedly enforcing their intellectual property rights, is likely filing the necessary paperwork as you read this post. This may be a short lived glory for the folks at Psystar, but they have effectively uncorked the genie bottle and probably cemented themselves into Internet lore. One can assume that somewhere, Steve Jobs is having a meltdown.

Technorati Tags: apple,osx,leopard,OSx86,open computer,Psystar

Out the Window From 30 Stories Up

As I kid I always dreamed of doing this. I guess I've always been fascinated with the beauty of flight. I used to throw paper airplanes out my window on the second floor when my mother would send me to my room. I would go out later and pick them up and keep the one that flew the farthest as a "past champion" for the next time. I wish I had grown up on th 30th floor!

Enviro-Friendly Floor Coatings From Vermont

As a Vermonter I recently discovered this unique product, and now it is garnering more media attention. Kudos to this great VT company! This is yankee ingenuity at it's finest. It never ceases to amaze me the ideas Vermonters come up with. It must be the long winters....

Read More Here at Treehugger.com

A Way to Generate Your Own Power

A Lister CS (cold start) engine is a diesel engine that can deliver great power for very little cost. These engines are build to run for decades, I’ve read about some that have been running 24/7 for over 40 years! And the required maintenance is very low. These engines run at low speeds of 600 – 1000 RPM, making them less noisy than regular diesel generators.

This is an interesting read, and would seem to be a viable alternative if you have an ample supply of veggie oil... Imagine the other uses that a system like this could have?


self sufficient life » Generate your own power

Motorhead Messiah Does What Detroit Said Couldn't be Done!

“Check it out. It's actually a jet engine," says Johnathan Goodwin, with a low whistle. "This thing is gonna be even cooler than I thought." We're hunched on the floor of Goodwin's gleaming workshop in Wichita, Kansas, surrounded by the shards of a wooden packing crate. Inside the wreckage sits his latest toy--a 1985-issue turbine engine originally designed for the military. It can spin at a blistering 60,000 rpm and burn almost any fuel. And Goodwin has some startling plans for this esoteric piece of hardware: He's going to use it to create the most fuel-efficient Hummer in history.

Jonathan Goodwin is the type of person that used to be swallowed up and put on the dusty shelf by the Big Three. His ingenious inventions would never see the light of day...just like those innovations from the Tucker Automobile. Traditionally, Detroit could afford to not implement new ideas. If it cuts into the bottom line, it simply wasn't done. With the competitive nature of the auto industry, the Big Three can no longer bury their heads in the sand...Read on about Jonathan Goodwin for an incredible story about an innovative American.

Motorhead Messiah

High Tech Hooker Shoes!

These high tech shoes are GPS enabled and have a personal alarm system as well. The last line of the story was the part that got me chuckling. You know it will happen. Some enterprising young lad.....

Wired Blogs: Gadget Lab

Check this out...It's a Zorse!

I wouldn't have believed this if I hadn't seen it. It's pretty cool....I think I want one!

What the hell is a zorse?

I got on the Adam Schein video mailbag!

I had recently emailed Fox Sports NFL writer Adam Schein about the QB situation in Minnesota. Toward the end of the segment he responds to my question and gives a shout out for Vermont fans.

See the Segment Here!

VMG Spider

Apple's Prediction of Computing in 2010

I've seen this video a bunch of times over the years. It's fun to watch, but the really funny thing was some of the comments people made on the Digg for it....

Digg - Apple's prediction of computing in 2010, from 1988

Michael Jackson's Anti-Gravity Boots!

I came across this gem describing a US patent given to Michael Jackson. The invention allows MJ to give the illusion of defying gravity on stage while in the middle of his dance routine. He's so clever!
It never ceases to amaze me the amount of legal mumbo-jumbo that goes into describing something so simple.

You can find some really interesting things by searching Google Patents.

Method and means for creating anti-gravity

Save the Bunny!

I found this little gem in the Windows Secrets newsletter. A pretty good newsletter with some useful info and the occasional oddity. Usually the oddities are just that, a little odd, but this is actually kind of entertaining and amusing. The whole point is to save the poor cute bunny...and try not to laugh too hard!

http://www.10mg.nl/