TechNama

Leonardo Da Vinci is famous for his painting of Mona Lisa but there is a modern day artist out here who created the famous MonaLisa design motherboard. The design got so famous that Asus has put it in its Headquarters in Peitou, Taiwan. Below are some of the pictures of the Asus MonaLisa motherboard.

[via]

Oyster is the world’s first hydro-electric wave energy device that has been launched in Scotland and is stationed at the European Marine Energy Center (EMEC) Billia Croo site near Stromness. The device is officially the world first and only hydro-electric wave energy producing device which is actually installed and working.

Oyster produces power by pumping high pressure water to its onshore hydro-electric turbine which turns to produce energy to feeds into the national grid to power homes in nearby Orkney and beyond. The high pressure water in turns goes out through low pressure pipes back into the sea. The video given below shows the working of Oyster Hydro Electric Wave Energy Device.

The device Oyster is wave energy company Aquamarine Power’s first demonstration-scale wave energy device. The company believes that a farm of 20 Oysters would provide enough energy to power 9,000 three bedroom family homes. In case deployed across the North America shores, it will light up the whole America.

Oyster is designed to capture the energy found in near-shore waves in water depths between 10-16m (33-54ft). There are minimal moving parts and all electrical components are onshore, making it robust enough to withstand the rigors of Scotland’s harsh seas.  The first deployed Oyster was switched on by Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond MP, MSP.  On the occassion the Minister said:

“I’m delighted to see first-hand the full-scale Oyster now installed and operating offshore. This is a key milestone for Aquamarine Power and for Scotland’s marine renewables sector. Scotland’s potential renewables capacity is estimated to be around 60GW. Our waters hold around ten percent of Europe’s wave power potential and as much as a quarter of its tidal power potential. The EMEC provides world-leading test facilities for Aquamarine and other companies to develop the technology needed to harness this huge untapped potential. I am delighted to confirm further R&D funding of almost £1m (US$1.66 million approx.) to Aquamarine Power for the development of Oyster 2, which could be installed within two years.”

Chief Executive Officer of Aquamarine Power, Martin McAdam, said on the following on the occassion:

“This is a fantastic day for the wave energy industry and for Aquamarine Power. We have proved what we always believed – that wave energy can produce sustainable zero-emission electricity to power our homes. The UK has one of the best wave resources in the world. Now it also has the best technology. This is exactly the kind of support the industry needs. With continued support of this nature we can help decarbonise our electricity supply and build a major, world-beating industry here in the UK.”

With the results from the first deployed Oyster, the company is hoping to improve the overall processes and come out with more efficient and productive commercial product.

Let’s Strive for the Greener World.

Super Mario Fans can now eat the Super Mario Cake world! So where to start? You can start from the top and come down in phases? Check out the first picture and then decide what do you think about it? The top of the cake is the famous Super Mario castle and also feature Super Mario standing at the gate. I hope you have noticed that he ain’t alone. He is having some good time with his sweet heart.

But hold on this was just the tip of the ice berg or Mario berg! Just look at the remaining part of this Grand Super Mario Cake. Yummy and Geeky! Who ever baked this cake is surely a big time fan of Mario as he didn’t miss the smallest detail. The Goombas, Mushrooms, toad,  turtle and yushis and even the clouds have not been missed out and all connection through the Super Mario famous network of pipes. So you can not randomly start eating from the bottom as you have to come from the top the way Super Mario let you play it. Wanna give it a try? I am sure it looks delicious!

[via ThatGirlSite]

McLaren has now made public the first pictures of its much hyped McLaren MP4-12C, a car that has been dubbed as Super Car by experts and opinion makers. The pictures were first made public by Telegraph Motoring during their exclusive visit to the McLaren Automotive’s Headquarters.Telegraph team has the following to say about McLaren MP4-12C:

The 12C follows the McLaren F1 supercar, which had a top speed of 240mph in the mid-Nineties, and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, which ended production earlier this year. A McLaren spokesman said this week: “The rules in the sports car world are about to be rewritten.”

Detail Specifications of McLaren MP4-12C:

The car is a beast when it comes to the specifications. AutoCar site has given detail specs of the new McLaren super car. According to AutoCar:

Design, engineering

Your first impression of the MP4-12C is that it’s a classy car with logical proportions and a near-perfect stance, but it’s far less spectacular than some rivals. That’s the whole idea, says design director Frank Stephenson.

He says in-your-face supercar styling can be “wearing and boorish” and risks becoming dated. “Great design looks relevant years later,” he says.

However, Stephenson and his team have resisted building any F1 family resemblance into the 12C. Instead, they have used the McLaren badge (team members call it “the McLaren tick”) in areas like radiator air scoops and headlight surrounds.

According to Stephenson, the 12C design has been led by a need for great aerodynamics.

The car is lower, shorter and narrower that all of its rivals, which makes it feel agile on the road and cuts its frontal area. The passengers have been moved closer together for the same purpose.

The front wings are shaped so their highest point is exactly above the contact patches of the front tyres, allowing the driver to place the car accurately on the road.

The forward screen pillars are positioned mostly for aerodynamic efficiency and good visibility, and both rear and rear three-quarter vision are much better than you might expect on a car so focused on performance.

The side-mounted radiators are placed near the engine to eliminate complex, heavy pipe arrangements and extra fluid, and to centralise their weight.

The twin exhausts run straight out through the rear body, also to save space and weight. Even the standard brakes – steel discs with forged alloy hubs – weigh around 8kg less than a 12C equipped with the optional carbon-ceramic discs that will be offered, and careful computer design of the wheels and their special Pirelli tyres has shaved another four kilos.

Chassis, suspension

The MP4-12C’s chassis is special, even among carbonfibre tubs. Unlike others, which consist of several major carbon components bonded together, the 12C’s ‘Monocell’ chassis is a hollow one-piece affair built using a new process that has taken five years to develop.

McLaren believes the Monocell process could revolutionise car design by finding its way into more mainstream cars. A 12C chassis can now be built in just four hours at less than a tenth of the cost of the McLaren F1’s chassis in 1993. It weighs a mere 80kg, yet it provides most of the car’s class-beating rigidity and does a myriad of jobs, including providing direct mounts for the steering and front suspension.

The 12C tub bolts directly to an engine/suspension cradle made of aluminium extrusions and there are crushable alloy structures at either end, beneath the SMC body panels.

Why no carbonfibre panels? Carbon would be costly and deliver no extra function; better to spend the money on fruitful refinements in other areas.

The 12C has electro-hydraulic rack and pinion steering and double wishbone/coil spring suspension at both ends. There’s the usual suite of electronic aids, including ABS, ESP, ASC traction control, electronic brake distribution and hill hold.

To that, McLaren adds something it pioneered in its F1 cars: brake steer, which applies the inside rear brake as the car corners, to aid turning.

The new McLaren also has a unique rear deck-mounted airbrake, in effect an electrically operated spoiler that can deploy much faster than usual (aided by clever use of aerodynamic forces) to improve stability under braking and increase retardation.

However, the big suspension story is the 12C’s pioneering use of electronic interconnection of all four adjustable dampers. This has allowed the engineers to ditch conventional mechanical anti-roll bars and create what they call “a unique relationship between ride and handling”.

When the car’s various wheel and motion sensors detect cornering, they increase cross-car damper rates to keep it nearly flat. But when it is travelling in a straight line they adopt more supple rates to provide something close to an executive saloon’s ride quality.

There are three different suspension modes (normal, sport, high performance) that adjust throttle curve, steering effort, ESP settings and ride parameters according to driver preference.

Powertrain

McLaren won’t say much about the MP4-12C’s engine, but the few details it is providing carry quite a punch.

It’s a British-built 90-degree V8 of 3.8 litres, rigid and compact in design, with double variable valve timing, and is force fed by twin turbochargers. This is no AMG cast-off, insists McLaren, but a compact design whose flat-plane crank and dry sump allow it to be mounted low down in the car.

Power is a class-beating 600bhp and the rev limit is 8500rpm, yet the motor also produces around 440lb ft of torque – and around 80 per cent of it is available below 2000rpm.

The gearbox is a seven-speed Graziano twin-clutch, twin-paddle affair, and there will be no classic stick-shift version. For one thing, McLaren is convinced the DSG is better; for another, providing a third pedal in its footwell would crowd its allotted shoe space. There’s enough room for drivers of all statures, engineers say.

McLaren calls the seven-speeder its SSG (for Seamless Shift Gearbox) and provides a variety of shift modes: normal and sport, plus a launch control, a winter mode and an ‘automatic’. The gearchange paddle pivots on the steering wheel boss like a racing car, so that as you pull one paddle, the other moves out.

There’s a ‘first pressure’ setting that McLaren calls Pre-Cog, which prepares the gearbox for an imminent change by showing which way it will go.

Interior

The cabin feels snug, a little like a tailored suit, but McLaren’s designers have tried hard to keep things simple and conservative.

Still, there is a surprising amount of space for small objects (there’s a big tray behind the seats and a Volvo-like space behind the centre console).

Surprisingly for a car whose creators talk a lot about racing connections, there are no wheel-mounted switches – they’re all grouped on stalks, or logically on the centre console – and the instrument pod consists of a solitary round tacho dial with a digital readout for speed and wings on either side that provide lesser information.

Serious drivers will like it. The seats are firm and comfortable, and the dihedral doors slope up and away from the kerb as they open.

Pictures of McLaren MP4-12C

[pics via Autoblog]

I just came across these images of a laptop in an X-Ray machine and found them interesting so thought to share them with our readers.

The images was captured by Nick Veasey who uses X-Rays to capture the inner photographs of everyday objects like a city bus, an iPod, his shoes, the remote of a TV and even a full-size Boeing 777 jet. Click here to see the complete collection in a PDF file

AMD is proving the fact that it is leading the race by churning out the fastest browsers in the market. No other company is able to match its speed. According to PC World:

On the plus side, the newest version of AMD’s Phenom II processor won’t cost you a penny extra over what you’d currently pay for the company’s top-of-the-line CPU, the $245, 3.2-GHz Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition processor. Consider the company’s newest and fastest-ever CPU a free upgrade of-sorts–if you ignore the slight drop in price that will undoubtedly hit all Phenom II processors once this new Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition processor hits the market.

If you’re a little put off by the slight variance in numbers between AMD’s two top chips, that’s understandable. The two processors are nearly identical in form and function. Both CPUs contain the same amounts of cache, the same compatibility for both DDR2 and DDR3 memory types, and the same unlocked multiplier that can lead to substantial overclocks, amongst other attributes. If you’re looking to slap this processor on an AM2+ system, know that AMD has boosted the CPU’s TDP to 140 watts and that might be incompatible with your current setup.

Test systems have been able to push the new processor up to 4.6 GHz with third-party air cooling; AMD itself claims that the chip can go further, on average, than its 955-edition brother. For the general user, however, the actual benefits delivered by the extra 0.2 GHz over the 955-edition processor’s speed will remain almost imperceptible. That’s only a six percent increase in CPU frequency, after all.

PC World swapped the two processors in and out on an identical system setup and ran its WorldBench 6 suite of benchmarks. The results revealed a meager 3.5-percent increase in overall general performance. Gaming performance remained virtually unchanged on the 2560 by 1600, high-quality benchmark runs of both Unreal Tournament 3 and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. Running the titles at a resolution of 1024 by 768 delivered a difference of around four to five frames-per-second.

One can’t help but wonder if AMD is trying to nail as much performance onto its processor lineup as it can before the storm that is Intel’s Core i5 lineup hits shores. Extreme overclocking aside, the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition doesn’t reinvent the wheel–it just adds a little polish.

Riken and Toyota Motors has developed a new signal processing technology for brain machine interface (BMI). At the occasion Japan’s research laboratory Riken researcher Choi Kyuwan displays a prototype electric powered wheelchair controled by his brain-wave analysis data in Tokyo.

The technology could be ground breaking as the use of brain to control the movements could than encompass almost every mechanical or electrical device. Think about cars, jets for instance.  The new signal processing technology for brain machine interface (BMI) to command for smooth left and right turns and the forward motion of the wheelchair.

In this June 16, 2009 photo released by Riken Monday, June 29, 2009, a researcher wearing a cap trides on a wheelchair that can be steered by detecting brain waves at Riken Brain Science Institute in Wako near Tokyo, Japan. Toyota Motor Corp., says in a release Monday, June 29, 2009, it has developed a way of steering a wheelchair by just detecting brain waves, without the person having to move a muscle or voice command. Toyota’s system developed in a collaboration with researchers in the government-funded research institute Riken and others in Japan, is among the fastest in the world in analyzing brain waves, it said.

Ever wondered you could escpae reboots after installing those softwares that necessarily need you to restart your system? Most often we all go for “Restart Later” option but what if we are one of the developers or system administrator handling very important systems and can’t afford to restart? There was no option earlier but the award winning Ksplice now enables you to escape all the necessary reboots after installations. Isn’t that cool?

KSplice has won awards like Web/IT Track Award and the Audience Choice Award at the MIT $100K Executive Summary Contest along with being finalists at Trophées du Libre. Ksplice also won the grand prize of the MIT $100K Business Plan Contest. That means KSplice has a solid idea!

Now what exactly is the technology?
We know that every mainstream OS requires regular reboots in order to update and secure itself.But since restarts cause downtime people are forced to choose between security and convenience. Downtime or delay for important systems can be bad for example within just six days after the announcement of the Linux sys_prctl vulnerability, many servers had been compromised so we intelligently needed a technology that could be rebootless so this is what KSplice does.

Ksplice enables running systems to stay secure without the disruption of rebooting. Specifically, Ksplice creates rebootless updates that are based on traditional source code patches. These updates are as effective as traditional updates, but they can be applied seamlessly, with no downtime.

Ksplice currently supports updating the Linux kernel, but the core technology applies to any operating system or to user space applications.

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and BusinesWeek have recently revealed a list of 50 most innovative companies based on a survey done by BCG. BCG sent a questionnaire to top executives all around the world out of which 2700 responded anonymously with their opinion. They were asked to mention companies that consistently offer innovative products, customer experiences, business models, or processes. Those who mentioned their own employers were not considered. Apart from executives’ opinions financial performance of the companies was also gauged to determine the final results. Here are the first 20 finalists of most innovative companies:

[Data from BusinessWeek]

LG has unveiled a LCD TV which is thinner than a pencil, describing it as the world’s slimmest.

Features & Specs:

The panel, which can be 42 or 47 inches wide, uses an edge-lit light emitting diode (LED) backlight system that allows it to achieve a thickness of just 5.9mm (0.2 inches), LG Display said in a statement. The world’s second biggest LCD maker said the product weighs 6.1 kg (13.4 pounds) and 7.3 kg, about half as much as a conventional panel.

“The displays can reproduce a rich range of natural-looking colours with a colour saturation level of 80 percent,” it said, adding the televisions can eliminate motion blur and boast full high-definition resolution.

A model holds a coin next to an LG LCD television panel which is thinner than a pencil. The South Korean electronics firm has said it has has developed the panel, describing it as the world’s slimmest.

Executive vice president Chung In-Jae said the new products demonstrate “our leading edge-lit LED backlight technology that enables thinner designs.” LG Display and local rival Samsung Electronics have led the global flat panel screen market and are now competing to produce thinner panels for high-definition televisions.

I got this catchy start up from a sales agent for PCs – “You’ve gotten the latest PC video game and you’re looking forward to some serious action. You have all the hot keys programmed in, and your controller is set to respond to your slightest twitch while your stereo headphones are ready to wrap you in the multi-channel digital sound that will transport you into the “zone.” There’s only one thing missing – your monitor displays images in only 2 dimensions.”

Description & Specs

The IZ3D 22″ monitor is the final piece missing to truly take you into the game. Experience the true power of your favorite games’ animation and graphics as they seem to leap from the screen. Simply plug the monitor into the VGA or DVI port on your graphics card and put on the passive polarized 3D glasses and your game will be in your face.

The IZ3D monitor is compatible with many first-person and third-person games such as Half Life, Battlefront, Grand Theft Auto, Unreal Tournament, Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. It is also compatible with many strategy titles and even Guitar Hero. Without the IZ3D monitor, your gaming experience may leave you feeling flat.

Is it any good?

Pros: 3D graphics bring a whole new experience to sitting in front of your computer, comes with glasses, and plenty of connection cables, and it’s a 22″.

Cons: Does not support SLI or Crossfire configuration, does not support dual monitor configuration, does not support 64-Bit operating systems, and does not support OpenGL apps. Now, that being said, I don’t quite understand why they call it a “gaming monitor” as the latest and greatest of games require more memory than a 32-Bit OS can handle, and some even require an SLI or Crossfire setup to run at full spec.

Other Thoughts: For the price, I don’t think it’s worth it if you’re looking for a gaming monitor. With the right programs (WMP or iTunes visualizations for example), the 3D feature w/glasses is very cool. Its currently priced at $310.

Source : New Egg

For Detail Specification : Click Here

Detailed Review: Extreme Tech

For long we have been hearing about he Nokia Nanotech Morph concept phones, its time we get zoom in on this technology. For starters here is the press release

Launched alongside The Museum of Modern Art “Design and The Elastic Mind” exhibition, the Morph concept device is a bridge between highly advanced technologies and their potential benefits to end-users. This device concept showcases some revolutionary leaps being explored by Nokia Research Center (NRC) in collaboration with the Cambridge Nanoscience Centre (United Kingdom) – nanoscale technologies that will potentially create a world of radically different devices that open up an entirely new spectrum of possibilities.

SPECS & FEATURES:

Morph concept technologies might create fantastic opportunities for mobile devices:

• Newly-enabled flexible and transparent materials blend more seamlessly with the way we live
• Devices become self-cleaning and self-preserving
• Transparent electronics offering an entirely new aesthetic dimension
• Built-in solar absorption might charge a device, whilst batteries become smaller, longer lasting and faster to charge
• Integrated sensors might allow us to learn more about the environment around us, empowering us to make better choices

In addition to the advances above, te integrated electronics shown in the Morph concept could cost less and include more functionality in a much smaller space, even as interfaces are simplified and usability is enhanced. All of these new capabilities will unleash new applications and services that will allow us to communicate and interact in unprecedented ways.

Design:

Nanotechnology enables materials and components that are flexible, stretchable, transparent and remarkably strong. Fibril proteins are woven into a three dimensional mesh that reinforces thin elastic structures. Using the same principle behind spider silk, this elasticity enables the device to literally change shapes and configure itself to adapt to the task at hand.

A folded design would fit easily in a pocket and could lend itself ergonomically to being used as a traditional handset. An unfolded larger design could display more detailed information, and incorporate input devices such as keyboards and touch pads.

Even integrated electronics, from interconnects to sensors, could share these flexible properties. Further, utilization of biodegradable materials might make production and recycling of devices easier and ecologically friendly.

Power Source & Environment:

Nanotechnology holds out the possibility that the surface of a device will become a natural source of energy via a covering of “Nanograss” structures that harvest solar power. At the same time new high energy density storage materials allow batteries to become smaller and thinner, while also quicker to recharge and able to endure more charging cycles.

Nanosensors would empower users to examine the environment around them in completely new ways, from analyzing air pollution, to gaining insight into bio-chemical traces and processes. New capabilities might be as complex as helping us monitor evolving conditions in the quality of our surroundings, or as simple as knowing if the fruit we are about to enjoy should be washed before we eat it. Our ability to tune into our environment in these ways can help us make key decisions that guide our daily actions and ultimately can enhance our health.

Its so much in the early stages that gauging the retail price or availability in the market. Here are some snaps of the future designs of the morphe concept phones.

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Source : Nokia

Here are the 10 worst tech predictions of all time that. Although we seldom have interest in what people said in 1800s and 1900s but it some times provide a point to laugh.

1.  Next Christmas, the iPod will be dead, finished, gone, kaput.  Sir Allan Sugar, 2005.
2.  No need for a computer at home.  Ken Olsen, founder of Digital Equipment, 1977.
3.  Nuclear-powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality within 10 years.  Alex Lewyt, 1955.
4.  TV won’t last because people will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night. Darryl Zanuck, 1946.
5.  There will never be a bigger plane built. Boeing engineer, 1933, after first flight of 10 seater boeing 247.
6.  We stand on the threshold of rocket mail. Arthur Summerfield, US postmaster general, 1959.
7.  Nobody would ever need more than 640 kilobytes of memory on their personal computer. Bill Gates, allegedly in  1981
8.  The Americans have need of the telephone, but we do not. We have plenty of messenger boys. Sir William Preece, Chief engineer of the British Post Office, 1874.
9.  Spam will be solved. Bill Gates, 2004.
10. X-rays will prove to be a hoax.  Lord Kelvin, president of the UK’s Royal Society, 1883.

Which one you felt was funny. Share your comments!

Source: Reader’s Digest, May 2009.