Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Coolest Steampunk Gadgets

Steampunk is a speculative intersection of technology and romance where the future meets the past: Victorian era inventions clash with often dark alternate realities. What started as a literary genre has since evolved into an amazing urban art form which delights in making real-life inventions that are a blend of the modern and anachronistic. Meet some of the coolest steampunk gadgets we've seen!

Steampunk Headphones

A guy from Chicago who calls himself Nicrosin made this “Mechanical Aural Communication Device” as a prop with “sculpey, rubber, and… various pocket watch parts,” the earpieces have a suede lining. Unfortunatly, this awesome set of Steampunk headphones that you see pictured above is actually just a non-functional model. Pretty cool anyways.


Steampunk Toilet

Yes! A steampunk toilet, created by Patrick Brawley — the “antique toilet of the future.” Awesome! It boasts a control panel and laser pointing mechanism. The perfect throne for any steampunk king or queen.

Steampunk Vibrator

Ani Niow asked the question “What happens when you're an engineering student with a minor in sexuality and you find yourself funemployed?” The answer, makesteampunk vibrator, of course. It weights about a pound, is smooth to the touch, and, yes, it sorta works. When Ani tried it with steam, apparently it got too hot to touch, and I presume this meant too hot for the goonies. That said, it does work off of compressed air. If you happen to know of or have a more powerful boiler than a pressure cooker that is available, she would be interested.

Steampunk Copper USB Drive

This fun steampunk USB drive is handcrafted using some vintage watch gearing, copper and a few other brass parts, it comes with 2GB of storage, and even features some copper piping along the side with some brass bolts on the end. If you want one of these cool Steampunk Copper USB drives you had better be quick as there is only one available from Qacreate, priced at $50.

Steampunk R2D2

This beer-barrel R2D2 sculpture comes from Deviant Art's Amoebabloke, who's hoping to find a buyer who isn't just a rich collector.

Steampunk Mouse

How'd you like a mouse like this connected to your PC? Looking like a mix between an electric shaver and some sort of mini tank, this Steampunk pointer definitely stands out from the pack. For some reason, this thing doesn't look very ergonomically friendly, but then again, I never saw the word “comfortable” anywhere in the definition of Steampunk.

Steampunk Laptop

This may look like a Victorian music box, but inside this intricately hand-crafted wooden case lives a Hewlett-Packard ZT1000 laptop that runs both Windows XP and Ubuntu Linux. It features an elaborate display of clockworks under glass, engravedbrass accents, claw feet, an antiqued copper keyboard and mouse, leather wrist pads, and customized wireless network card. The machine turns on with an antique clock-winding key by way of a custom-built ratcheting switch made from old clock parts.

Steampunk Cake

This fun geeky cake was created by Karen from Babycakes for one of their customers who wanted a Steampunk cake. Extremely geek but looks delicious.

Steampunk iPod (by Neal Bridgens)

This handcrafted ‘steampunk mini mod' by Neal Bridgens is made from copper, brass, and wood (Oak in particular) with some valves on it. Though heavy, this steampunkish iPod is definitely worth the effort. So, if you are inclined towards products that go/look beyond the orthodox – you sure would like it!

Steampunk Jewelry

Each piece is hand made from specifically selected watch movements of the finest craftsmanship from Switzerland, France and across the globe.

Steampunk Pac-Gentleman

This custom made toy by artist/sculptor Doktor A is a wondrous tribute to the classic arcade game, Pac-Man. The one-of-a-kind sculptural toy is entitled “The Secret History of Video Games: Pac Gentleman”. It almost reads like a steampunk version of the 1980s dot-muncher, what with its crank-driven game play and wooden and metallic accents.

Steampunk Brass Switch Plates

The fabrication process of these cool switch plates involves soldering recycled brass parts on to brass switch plates, then running a blow torch over the assembled pieces, and finally, aging them by using ammonia.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

New technology developed by Microsoft for photography DNA Image

Microsoft together with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has innovated a New Image DNA Technology to fight against child abuse. Microsoft has done withe their own dedicated Microsoft Research section and Dartmouth College. This Technology is a revolutionary step in the mission of stopping child abuse.

With this Technology of Image DNA, the system fetches the images that resemble each other, no matter whether they have been edited, resized, etc. and then logs them. The images are then matched using a certain methodology. This process involves the inspection of several aspects like monochrome of the image, chopping the image into smaller bits and the intensity gradients are turned into a signature. Despite of any edition the signatures will still retain originality. Thus, facilitating the system in looking for its replicates. there may be some similarities that could do comparison of the QR codes, thereby allowing the same cells to compare their images. Hence, this process aids the system in finding the images with similar gradients and duplicates of the Image across the web world.

The ISP’s are then provided with all the signatures, data strings to map the counterparts of the Image. To take full advantage of this Technology, government needs to issue a policy so as to do the authorization of the ISPs and content providers in order to enable to use this Technique of Image DNA. Microsoft is donating this Technology to the NCMEC, that later on will be licenced to other law enforcement agencies all over the world. Besides that this methodology of Image DNA can be efficiently used in indoor, internal networks of law enforcement for identifying the same victim at multiple station, this system could even be used to

While this could well be used in closed, internal networks of law enforcement to determine the same victim across multiple situations and abusers, this system could also be enabled to disentangle the Internet and ISP networks for its replicated data. With the invention of the New Image DNA Technology, Microsoft again has led the society in mission of fighting against child abuse and harassment cases.

Ref : http://blogs.zdnet.com/igeneration/?p=3655

Monday, December 14, 2009

Human and Robots: Visions of the Future


The future is not written yet and who knows weather robots are dangerous or not. What is for sure is that humans, being the curious beings, will develop new advanced generations of robots. Robots and other high-performance inventions have always been of a vast interest for humanity. A great number of scientists have spent the whole life in their laboratories with one aim – to work out innovative schemes, develop them and create some highest qualitative ranking robot. This engrossing process has reached its peak with the technical push that took place due to the endeavors of a number of brilliant and clear intellects of scientists all over the world.

The most striking fantasies in this sphere are brought successfully into reality and a great number of robots are in service of people in order to make the process of work or manufacturing automatic. It happens so that people and robots go together in this life side by side, in some spheres of life they are even interchangeable and who knows into what this opposition “Human and Robots” will translate.

There are two perceivable outcomes:

Robots and humans that live and prosper together…Or robots realize they don’t need as that much…

For now it is up to out fantasy to express what we think will happen in human-robot relations in the future. This is a collection of 3d images of various creative 3d artists that shows their vision of that future. Some of the coolest visions of our future with robots is by Franz Stainer and his Personal Robot series of works.


Personal Robot 04

Author: Franz Steiner
Software: 3ds max
Artist page


Who will win in this game of chess? When there is the opposition of the mechanical creature and the human intellect it is not easy to predict the outcome of the game. You can make books, but you will never be sure about the results, they are unpredictable.

Personal Robot 08

Author: Franz Steiner
Software: 3ds max
Artist page


In the process of the humming work robots can be of a great use for people. With them less time would be spend for the most complicated tasks and the crunch times would take place not so often. The only question that is left – to find such a robot.

MU morning

Author: David Cabrera
Software: Photoshop
Artist page


Early in the morning when you are still sleeping on foot and can not utter distinctly a word this buzzing cute little machine will treat you with strong aromatic coffee. If you only wish, it can add some spices to your taste, for example cinnamon or a peck of red pepper.

Personal Robot 07

Author: Franz Steiner
Software: 3ds max
Artist page


When you touch gently the lips of your beloved your heart begins to beat speedily, the mind is hazed with pleasant feelings and you fly away. These minutes can fly not so that you’d notice, but they are so sweet and inimitable.

Personal Robot 05

Author: Franz Steiner
Software: 3ds max
Artist page


Love is a curious thing – never knows when it happens so that you will be overtaken with this feeling and who will be the matter of your sleepless nights. It can be a bonny girl from the next door, a handsome boy from the night-club or… even a cyber creature.

I’m Robot

Author: Widyantara
Artist page


Some time ago, when I was a human being I was dreaming about the perennial youth, the thoughts that were so peculiar for every woman. My dreams turned into life immediately after my death and I have obtained the desired eternity – now I’m a robot.

Mecha

Author: tinypants
Artist page


This robot looks like the one that was made either in correspondence to the model of a human being or using the human’s corpus as the basis. A little bit creepy and at the same time intriguing. Anyway, the excellent model and the great work!

Personal Robot 02

Author: Franz Steiner
Software: 3ds max
Artist page


I’m not sure that it is more pleasant to work in the company of robots, but it definitely has certain advantages. One of the main is the high efficiency of the process of work, furthermore not a lot of time is spent for the idle talks, spreading silly rumors and gossiping.

I Repair Your Broken Cyborgs

Author: Randis Albion
Software: 3ds max, Photoshop
Artist page


Here is the workshop of a person how knows a thing about robots. When something happens with their artificial integrity or perfectly done schemes he always set for help. He is the very person who can repair each mere trifle and adjust the trouble.

Robot Girl

Author: luisramos
Software: Maya
Artist page


Here is a refreshing variation on a girl’s theme. This robot renders the girl, the cyber one. Interesting concept and well-done model. Its author should have spent not one hour to create such a good example of a robot.

Personal Robot 06

Author: Franz Steiner
Software: 3ds max
Artist page

This robot looks like a housekeeper who takes care of everything around. In its duties are household activities and it copes with all the everyday duties without any difficulties in a short time and without procrastinations.

Friday, December 11, 2009

World's Longest Keyboard


Jean Shin who design this interactive sculpture simply gave the name TEXTile. As the name suggest it's as smooth as the clothe made in Textile Mill.

The design includes more than 22,528 computers and 192 custom keycap which are attached with fabric, a custom keyboard and software assets as well as interactive video projection and painted aluminum frames. It sets out line by line transcript of the electronic communication that the artist and manufacturing in creating enabling it to sculpture in its own archives!
The sculpture was created as a comment on the extent of the impact that e-mail and other virtual communication has had on our lives I suppose if a banner saying "e-mail is a good thing" would have made the too!
The first three ranks of the civil e-mails key assets that allow visitors to type in their own messages that are projected onto the opposite end of the fabric.This amazing invention (world’s longest keypad) is placed at The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia.

Space Tourism: SpaceShipTwo by Virgin Galactic


Richard Branson from Virgin Galatic has unveiled the amazing SpaceShipTwo space tourism vehicle. SpaceShipTwo will carry 6 tourists at a time to 65 miles above the surface of the earth, beyond the Apogee of where our atmosphere ends and space begins. Passengers will experience the full weightlessness of space and unparalleled views of the Earth before returning safely to land. While SpaceShipTwo has not yet been live tested, its completion and introduction to the press is a significant step toward public space travel.

SpaceShipTwo will be carried by a mother ship, the WhiteNightTwo, to a suborbital altitude of 9.5 miles before it undocks and launches its own thrusters into pure black space. Not long after, it’s final altitude will be reached and its passengers will join the lucky few to have ever entered the expansive reaches of space. The ticket price for travel into this final frontier is suggested to run at $200,000 each for a trip that lasts roughly two-and-a-half hours. While it’ll be a few years until SpaceShipTwo’s voyage, We here at TheBlogIsMine dot Com have an opportunity to start saving money for the space travel.