The best thing going for the Nintendo DS is “Nintendogs” a game of sorts where you raise a virtual puppy. I’m slowly raising one, more about that later, but – here’s a little “News from the Future” action, you can bring your virtual doggie to a GameSpot, place it in bark mode and get a free virtual gift. Of course, I want to set up my own version and give out treats, er tricks, outside… [via] Link.
Nissan unveiled Pivo, its imaginative electric car concept, in partnership with renowned Japanese artist Takashi Murakami at the company’s Nissan Ginza Gallery in downtown Tokyo. Pivo, which will be on display at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, features an innovative cabin that revolves 360 degrees, eliminating the need to reverse. Thanks to its compact body, the car is also exceptionally easy to maneuver. Pivo is powered by Nissan’s compact, high-performance lithium-ion battery and its unique Super Motor, resulting in zero emissions. Link.
Right now, you can use an iPod nano to boot in to Linux – and more is on the way… Students at Eastside Preparatory School in Kirkland, Wash., are getting class materials in a new way this year: on a tiny flash-memory drive that plugs into a computer’s USB port. Small enough to wear on a necklace, this “digital backpack” can hold textbooks, novels, plays, study aids, the dictionary, graphing-calculator software — almost anything, really. [via] Link.
Duke University students are building and will live in a 4,500-square-foot “SMART” house. The purpose of the experimental project is to continuously invent and test home tech. For example, humming a tune will turn on the stereo and play the song you were humming. Alarm clocks initiate the process of breakfast being cooked by machines. [via]. Link.
In our quest for simplicity and low cost, we decided that eliminating the pump was a key objective. Enter the Thermosyphon. What attracted us to thermosyphons is the utter simplicity of it all – a closed system with no pump requiring no maintenance. In addition, the working fluid can be non-conductive and non-toxic, desirable characteristics for any liquid cooling electronics. [via] Link.
Nicholas and Loan Gatai used to cringe when they received power bills that routinely topped $200. Last September the Sacramento, Calif., couple moved into a new, 1,500-square-foot home in Premier Gardens, a subdivision of 95 “zero-energy homes” just outside town. Now they’re actually eager to see their electric bills. The grand total over the 10 months they’ve lived in the three-bedroom, stucco-and-stone house: $75. For the past two months they haven’t paid a cent. Link.
Like the desk in THE ISLAND…HP has created a futuristic concept coffee table that will allow you to share images and information with others from the comfort of your sofa rather like a large web tablet with legs. The large coffee table design with a touch screen has been designed to complement other media devices in the home and will allow users to view information without having to rely on the television as the main point of call. Users will be able to interact with the “Misto” table by grabbing images or content and moving them around just as you would if you were sorting papers on a table or desk. Thanks Blue! [via] Link.
