News: April 2007 Archives

Internet2 smashed 2 word records for data transmission speeds within 24 hours, sending data over a distance of 20,000 miles first at 7.67Gbps (gigabits per second) using standard communications methods, then at 9.08Gbps using IPv6 protocols. Internet2 or UCAID (University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development) is an American consortium dedicated to proving really fast piracy. No indication on how long it's going to be before we hit this kind of speed on home broadband, but they do mention 'a new network with a capacity of 100Gbps.'

Evesham technology has announced the latest edition to its Alqemi range of LCD TVs with two 26-inch models.

Evesham are launching the digital ready 26VX with built-in freeview and the analogue 26V.

With support for HD resolutions (720p and1080i), both models incorporate a range of connectivity including; Twin Scart, S-Video, Component and Composite, VGA and DVI Input, and HDMI.

The whole next-generation DVD format war between Sony's Blu-ray and Toshiba's HD DVD formats is like watching a Rocky film, you know its going to go the full 15 rounds, it's a shame though the ending isn't as predictable...!

It's clear that the market isn't big enough for two formats and that one format will die, however which is going to bite the dust first is a question no one can yet answer with any degree of certainty.

So in wade the hardware manufacturers with a solution that should sway a few more of those undecided. LG have announced the first dual-format high-definition player with the Super Multi Blue otherwise known as the BH100 -- thank heaven for some common sense!

The above is a graph showing past games sales and a prediction for the future. This graph predicts that Xbox 360 game sales will increase for a few years, with sales for the Wii and PS3 staying roughly the same. The Xbox 360 is predicted to do significantly better than the other two consoles, with the PS3 behind the Wii. Around 2009, sales for all the consoles will decline.

At this time, we would expect a new generation of consoles to be born, or else we could be facing a complete crash in the gaming industry. It is a known fact that selling consoles lose a lot of money for the manufacturers (although not the Wii), and they make their money through selling accessories and licenced games. Even the games themselves don't make profits for the developers, and piracy plays a big part in that.

Do you think Microsoft/Nintendo/Sony are going to keep making consoles, and that developers are going to keep coming up with new games? Or do you think that games as we know them are just not worth making anymore, and that there's a risk that we could be without them in a few years?

Leave your comments at The GTA Place
Source: BBC

Ever wondered what a wet magnetic Christmas tree could look like? Us too. The Morpho Towers are two cones that sit in a pool of magnetic ferrofluid and vary their magnetism to the beat of music. As they spin, the metal filings in the fluid hang to the sides of the cones and produce these extraordinary patterns. The stronger the magnetism, the bigger the spikes on the side. Combined in the harmony of music, these cones can produce some amazing displays

'When there is no magnetic field, the tower appears to be a simple spiral shape. But when the magnetic field around the tower is strengthened, spikes of ferrofluid are born. At the same time, the tower’s surface dynamically morphs into a variety of textures ranging from soft fluid to minute moss, or to spiky shark’s teeth, or again to a hard iron surface. The ferrofluid, with its smooth, black surface that seems to draw people in, reaches the top of the tower, spreading like a fractal, defying gravity. The spikes of ferrofluid are made to rotate around the edge of the spiral cone, becoming large or small depending on the strength of the magnetic field. In this work the speed of this rotation can be controlled without motors or shaft mechanisms - we simply control the magnetic power.'

Read on for a video of these sculptures in action:

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The most obvious problem with touchscreens is that a sheet of glass or an LCD will get mucky after being touched repeatedly. This new touchscreen monitor from TouchKo doesn't actually have to be touched, but reads your hand gestures from up to six inches away. This allows not only for simple clicking and dragging, but for more complicated gestures to be read such as scrolling or flipping pages. Originally designed for medical use, I'm eager to see what can be done with it for consumers.