Christian's Corner

Robo Mower

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:29:44 -0500

Tired of mowing the lawn? Why not let your robot do it. Check this out. http://www.lawnbott.ws/index_files/overview.htm

Rush fails at Rock Band (the game)

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:53:20 -0500

The Canadian rock power trio RUSH appeared on The Colbert Report last Wednesday, performing an extended version of their hit “Tom Sawyer” that reached into the beginning Thursday’s show. Before they took the stage, Alex, Geddy, and Neil accepted our challenge to perform “Tom Sawyer” as part of the video game Rock Band. Check it out!

FUNNY NEW VIDEO SPOOF... FILL IN THE BLANKS.

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 16:56:55 -0500

Thanks to one of our camera guys... I was shocked to learn I'm a write-in for the next presidential election. Ok, It's just another one of those "fill in the blanks" internet videos... but it's pretty funny. Feel free make a custom video about a friend and send it along. Enjoy, Frankie

iPHONE'S ACHILLES HEEL FIXED?

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:50:07 -0500

Thanks to our friends in the Hacker Community iPHONE's can apparently now run flash-light... No, this isn't official or Adobe-backed in the slightest way, but rather a port of the software hacked into the iPhone OS using the two apps b.Tween and eyeGT. He only browses one site in the video, so it's hard to have too strong an opinion, but it doesn't look bad at all.

AIR HOCKEY ROBOT

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:59:37 -0500

We've all seen robots on the assembly line. Now they're hanging out in the basement, waiting to kick your butt at air hockey. It's pretty interesting to see how the folks at Nuvation Labs were able to make this work. ...and keep in mind, the robot is learning all the time, figuring out the best way to go on the offensive. I prefer to watch it after triggering the Daft Punk video below.... "Robots Rock."

NEW FRONT IN THE BROWSER WARS

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:08:08 -0500

Tired of big browser apps, slowing your internet explorer to a crawl? You may want to download the newest offering from Mozilla, Firefox 3. They just released the free download this afternoon. Firefox 3 is loaded with new safety features, protecting you from fake corporate websites, malware, and hijackers. As for speed... Specifically, it takes 60 milliseconds to change Gmail from showing one message to another with Firefox 3, compared with 413 milliseconds for IE 7 and 227 for Firefox 2. It also has better memory handling and what's known as the Awesome Bar. To test memory use, Firefox programmers loaded 500 pages from top sites on the Web then closed and opened them thousands of times. Through that process, Mozilla stamped out many memory "leaks" under which Firefox 2 wouldn't relinquish memory once it was no longer needed. Front and center is the Awesome Bar, officially called the Smart Location Bar, which lets users type real words rather than URL addresses to call up Web sites. Give it a try... http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

PERRIGO DANCE PARTY

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:17:17 -0500

"Saturday Night Fever" made it cool to wear white leisure suits. Maybe "Perrigo Dancing Scientists" will do the same for white lab coats. Allegan-based drug maker Perrigo commissioned this funny musical video. It's already got more than 7,500 hits on youtube. It was shot at a Perrigo lab and features a mix of actors and real scientists. Perrigo wants to convince job hunters that it's a hip, fun place to work. The company is counting on the video to attract scientific talent from the hubs of the pharmaceutical industry on the East and West coasts.

PET SOCIAL SITES

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:26:42 -0500

The pet industry has become a multi-billion dollar one, and pet ownership has never been higher, so it is only natural that pets have spread to the web too. We’ve collected 5 other social sites you may find informative and fun. http://www.birdcinema.com -A site for bird enthusiasts to upload and share videos, browse others. http://www.cuteoverload.com -As the name implies, nothing but cuteness resides here… endless piles of cute. http://www.funepets.com -Share photos and videos of your pets for others to enjoy. http://www.datemypet.com -Online dating site for people who want to be upfront about “date me, date my pet”. http://www.aquariphiles.com -An online meeting place for owners of all types of fish.

GREEN TRAIN

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:16:35 -0500

High Speed Trains like the Bullet Train in Japan, the Frech TGV or Germany's ICE don't produce any fumes when running, but they eat a ton of electricity. Because this power doesn't always come from the best renewable sources, some scientists at Tohoku University in Japan are trying to reduce the energy these machines need to run. They have come up with an interesting idea: using ground effect to raise the train a few inches from the ground and hece reduce all losses of power from ground friction. The train becomes then a ground version of the USSR's ekranoplan which used the same principle over water. So far, the prototype weighs 400 kg (about 900 pounds) but reaches 150 km/h (90 mph). The ground effect is produced when a vehicle, at certain speeds, creates a difference of pressure between the air that flows underneath and over the vehicle. The scientists claim that energy use with this floating style is dramatically lower than maglev trains, where a lot of power is needed to maintain the magnetic fields that sustains the train. What's even more interesting is that this prototype uses power from windmills and photovoltaic panels installed along the same track where it hovers to make it a sustainable transport method.

TIME OFF... FROM TIME OFF

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:29:11 -0500

Ever need a little time-off from your time-off? That's how I feel after my long weekend (Thurs-Mon off.) It was scheduled to allow me to finish moving from Ada to downtown Grand Rapids. Instead, I found myself at work Thursday morning, reporting on the helicopter crash at the hospital. What a story! We did eventually get the truck loaded, and moved into our new digs at "The Boardwalk" the next day, just in time to meet some friends at the Van Andel for the Tom Petty show (which was fantastic.) Saturday was mostly spent unpacking boxes and making sense of the spaghetti behind my entertainment system, PC, XBOX 360, ect ect. Sunday a friend of mine, who works with Skater Power Boats in Douglas gave us an impromptu tour of the factory. What a sight, dozens of million dollar plus super-cats at every stage of construction. Hard to believe that some of the fastest and most expensive toys in the world are built right here in West Michigan. He tells me, even with gas prices, there's a 2-year waiting list and they're at full production. The weekend wrapped-up with the Van Halen concert, where I took more abuse for looking a little like Diamond David Lee Roth. That used to be a good thing in the early 80's... now, not so much. Anyway, I need a break from my break.

SNEAK PEAK AT WINDOWS 7

Wed, 28 May 2008 13:42:43 -0500

After the Vista debacle, Microsoft is anxious to give people an operating system that does more than just make life difficult. That's why they've started showing off some of the new features of Windows 7. You'll notice they've borrowed some of the interface controls from the iphone, including how you expand and contract images. Some cool features to be sure... but will it bog down computers with added security and anti-piracy locks? We should know in about a year.
Video: Multi-Touch in Windows 7

eSMOKING COMES TO AMERICA

Tue, 27 May 2008 19:50:28 -0500

Electronic cigars and cigarettes have made their way from China to the U.S., where they're being touted as a legal way to smoke in a smoke free environment. Now if their origin doesn't exactly instill confidence in their safety... keep in mind, while legal, there is little or no research into the health affects of sucking on these expensive "smoke free" smokes. Here's what the company has to say about it: http://www.ruyanamerica.com/Page.cfm?Page=Home

THE SEARCH FOR LIFE ON MARS EXPANDS

Sun, 25 May 2008 20:04:11 -0500

The search for life on Mars got a big "shot in the arm" tonight around 8pm, when the Phoenix Mars Lander successfully touched down in the polar circle. Scientists plan to use the robot to seek out and analyze water from the surface of the red planet, the most likely place to find signs of life. Check out the mission plan: http://www.nrao.edu/index.php/videos?v=http://www.nrao.edu/videos/phoenixMarsLander_med ...or up to the minute mission updates: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/main/

iPHONE FINALLY GETTING PUSHED OFF THE EDGE

Wed, 21 May 2008 16:13:58 -0500

Well folks, sounds like the wait will soon be over. The 3G iPhone will be announced June 9, the likely date of Apple CEO Steve Jobs' keynote at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference, analysts said in research notes on Thursday. The 3G iPhone will be the "first of an impressive wave of new products" from Apple, wrote Citi analysts Richard Gardner and Yeechang Lee. They also expect an updated Mac laptop and iPod lines. The Apple conference is scheduled for June 9-13 in San Francisco. In addition to a 3G iPhone release in early June, the 2.5G model could have a "minor casing change" and a price drop to between US$299 and $349, compared to the current $399, wrote Shaw Wu, an analyst with American Technology Research, in a research report.

When Anchors Ask Stupid Questions

Tue, 20 May 2008 15:56:03 -0500

On Fox 17 News at Ten we don't do a lot of "talk backs" with our live reporters in the field unless there's breaking news with facts that might not have been covered in their taped report. That's not the case at all stations. Sometimes, they like to ask questions just because they can, or to prove they're working with a national correspondent. Here is a great example of a local anchor tossing a Fox News Channel reporter under the bus with a totally unrelated question following his story. Rick Leventhal does a good job not making them look stupid, but watch his reaction after the live shot. Funny Stuff. Enjoy, Frankie