Australian Andrew Milner built a poker table equipped with RFID chips for every single card and HD cameras to track every movement. His setup can even tell where cards lie in a full, vertical deck.
Tiny RFID cards are attached to each card, and movements are monitored with four separate HD cameras, all running into a video encoder to create a live feed. A custom bit of software mixes the feeds with the data from the RFID chips, creating a live feed where the viewer can see exactly where each card is and what each player is doing. Even when in a full deck, the RFID chips are thin enough to stack properly, and the viewer would know when each card will be dealt.
Apparently the setup cost Milner about $7000 and three months to build, but it’s very impressive for what it is. Why anybody would want to have this sort of thing outside a television studio doesn’t make much sense to me, but Milner, a chairman of an IT company, loves the level of detail it brings to his games. [Wired]
If you’re the kind of destitute scientist who drinks Franzia but has a couple of high-powered titanium electrodes lying around, you’re in luck, because a short blast of electricity can vastly improve your swill.
Scientists and oenologists (did you know there’s a word for wine dorks? Other than wino?) have discovered that they can rapidly age and thus round out the flavor of cheap, gross wine by using powerful electrodes. This technique is mostly being applied to raw, young wines, but it very much improves the flavor and “mouthfeel” of cheap and dirty wines as well. Wine is pumped through a pipe running between two titanium electrodes, which increases the reactions between alcohols and acids. Those reactions produce esters, which contribute to fruitiness and flavor.
They also found that too much electricity can create gross new flavors from new aldehydes, rendering it worse than it began, but a few super snobs have testified that the artificial aging really does work. The efforts were begun in China by chemist Xin An Zeng, and now a number of Chinese wineries are investigating the possibilities. Personally, I’ve been waiting for electrified wine for years. [The New Scientist]
There’s nothing that screams “end of the world” quite like a 49-foot ASIMO towering over a forest, but we’d prefer to ignore inevitable doom long enough to imagine what exactly a 49-foot ASIMO would scream.
Thomas: “Dance I said! Dance!” Chris: “Hey, did we remember to fix that bug where he falls down stairs?” Joe: “Where’s Arthur Murray when we need him the most?” Darren: “Wait, Dancing With The Stars said what? No pimp canes? That’s a deal-breaker.” Paul: “In his musical debut, ‘ASIMO Takes the Stairs,’ the eponymous star provides a surprisingly self-deprecating reenactment of the moments leading up to his infamous tumble. Music by Elton John.” Nilay: “Not to be outdone, iRobot later sucked the entire city of Pasadena into a football field-sized Roomba.” Don: “After years of toiling away at two-bit trade shows, ASIMO finally realized his dream project: Mr. Peanut: The Musical.” Ross: “Having been turned down by both Ultrazoid and Voltron, the giant ASIMO checked his RAM for a dance number he could do solo.” Josh T.: “Moments later, running ASIMO’s ‘Jazz Hands’ script sent dancers flying hundreds of feet to their grizzly deaths.” Josh F.: “I’m crushing your head! I’m crushing your head!” Cesar (from Zune): “I for one welcome our inflatable robot overlords. With a dance!”
Though mobile graphics drivers have historically been available only from the laptop manufacturer, Nvidia finally posted their official drivers on their site. Say goodbye to those 3rd-party hacked and often buggy drivers!
Mobile GPU drivers were so scarce because those drivers are very customized, from hotkeys to smooth suspend and resume functions on each individual laptop. As a result, many advanced users have had to scour forums for drivers hacked together by other users, and that’s not the most reliable way to upgrade or update software. So it’s great to see Nvidia offering broad support for driver updates on their own site, especially since they say they’ve been hard at work to ensure compatibility and retention of features across all manufacturers. Hopefully these official releases will be more stable than the unofficial hacks. [Notebook Review via Engadget]
Earlier this week we showed you photos of the slick Dell Studio XPS 13, and now it’s popped up on the company’s website — sort of. It’s currently showing among its laptop lineup, but trying to get to the individual product page gives us an error screen. Starting price is $1,406, sandwiched just between the XPS M1330 and M1730. We think it’s safe to say we’ll be seeing the official launch soon.
Amazon is now listing Nokia’s BlackBerry-ish QWERTY E63 phone as available for pre-order. The unlocked 3G phone can be reserved for $500, though there’s no word on release date.
The E63, based on the E71, already dropped in Europe, so we expected it’d be making its way to North American shores at some point. In addition to the Wi-Fi, 3.5mm audio jack, and cloud storage we already knew it had, the E63 is also packing a 2 MP camera, Bluetooth, 3G, an FM radio (probably a receiver, not a transmitter, though that’s not all that common either), and a memory card slot. Amazon doesn’t provide a release date, but this is a good sign that the E63 is soon to see an American release. [Amazon, thanks Ron!]
Much like E, Poken lets you exchange contact details with someone using physical means. But unlike E, Poken is really, really cute.
The USB device comes in four styles: bee, alien, panda and flaming skeleton. Put your Poken’s hand up to your buddy’s; then when you plug yours into a USB port, your friend’s contacts will automatically sync to your Poken account (which then propogates to Facebook, MySpace and other networks). It all works fine as long as everyone you possibly want to trade details with also has a Poken. [Poken via Fire Box]
This DIY Christmas Cannon provides a solution to a problem I didn’t know existed: how to combine explosive firearms with the warmth, generosity, and joy of Christmas. Video after the jump.
This homemade PVC pneumatic cannon is loaded with seasonal sparklies like tinsel and fake snow (and what looks like a slightly forlorn little Christmas teddy bear) and pressurized with a bicycle pump. Then the Christmas spirit lets fly a shiny explosion, just like baby Jesus intended. Instructables warns that despite the festivity, this gun is sort of dangerous, and shooting a pneumatic cannon full of anything at somebody’s face may not be the best idea. Still, what a great new addition to the holy tradition. [Instructables]
Dell VP of Communities and Conversations Bob Pearson is ragging on Apple for its MacBook “Greenest Family of Notebooks” ads. In a post titled “The Real Meaning of Being Green,” Pearson accuses Apple of not discussing environmental issues, making inaccurate claims and stating no goals, while touting Dell’s energy efficient Latitude E-series and use of PVC / BFR-free components. Of course, the PC maker has had its fair share of eco-unfriendly practices over the years, including accusations from the ever-fickle Greenpeace last month that the company has withdrawn from its commitment to stop using PVC / BFR in its computers by the end of 2009 — but why let little details get in the way of a good schoolyard fight?
There’s nothing that screams “end of the world” quite like a 49-foot ASIMO towering over a forest, but we’d prefer to ignore inevitable doom long enough to imagine what exactly a 49-foot ASIMO would scream.
Thomas: “Dance I said! Dance!” Chris: “Hey, did we remember to fix that bug where he falls down stairs?” Joe: “Where’s Arthur Murray when we need him the most?” Darren: “Wait, Dancing With The Stars said what? No pimp canes? That’s a deal-breaker.” Paul: “In his musical debut, ‘ASIMO Takes the Stairs,’ the eponymous star provides a surprisingly self-deprecating reenactment of the moments leading up to his infamous tumble. Music by Elton John.” Nilay: “Not to be outdone, iRobot later sucked the entire city of Pasadena into a football field-sized Roomba.” Don: “After years of toiling away at two-bit trade shows, ASIMO finally realized his dream project: Mr. Peanut: The Musical.” Ross: “Having been turned down by both Ultrazoid and Voltron, the giant ASIMO checked his RAM for a dance number he could do solo.” Josh T.: “Moments later, running ASIMO’s ‘Jazz Hands’ script sent dancers flying hundreds of feet to their grizzly deaths.” Josh F.: “I’m crushing your head! I’m crushing your head!” Cesar (from Zune): “I for one welcome our inflatable robot overlords. With a dance!”
Australian Andrew Milner built a poker table equipped with RFID chips for every single card and HD cameras to track every movement. His setup can even tell where cards lie in a full, vertical deck.
If you’re the kind of destitute scientist who drinks Franzia but has a couple of high-powered titanium electrodes lying around, you’re in luck, because a short blast of electricity can vastly improve your swill.
Though mobile graphics drivers have historically been available only from the laptop manufacturer, Nvidia finally posted their official drivers 
Amazon is now listing Nokia’s BlackBerry-ish QWERTY E63 phone as available for pre-order. The unlocked 3G phone can be reserved for $500, though there’s no word on release date.
Much like 
This DIY Christmas Cannon provides a solution to a problem I didn’t know existed: how to combine explosive firearms with the warmth, generosity, and joy of Christmas. Video after the jump.
Entries (RSS)