Author: Kyle VanHemert

Kickstands are enjoying something of a renaissance lately as tablets have jumped to the forefront of everyone’s attention, so it’s only natural that the HD2, the most tabletesque of smartphones, is getting a combination kickstand/battery pack of its own.

The battery definitely adds some bulk to the skinny HD2, but if you’re looking to take advantage of its 800×480 screen to do some video-watching on the go, then an extended battery and a sweet kickstand are two things that could suit you well.

Taking part in the zeitgeist will only cost you £41.11 when the battery pack is available in March. [Cool Smart Phone via Engadget]

In today’s Remainders: Fun! A whole bag of it. The iPhone becomes a digital flipbook; Google sells a $300 scarf; Ron Jeremy blames the Russians; and a Batman and Robin comic takes the words right outta your mouth.

Flip Out
Sure the iPhone is great for browsing the web, checking e-mail, playing games, making calls (not really), and all the rest, but this clever YouTuber unlocked the true potential of the iPhone by turning it into a digital flip book. Five funs out of ten. [YouTube – Thanks SewerShark]

GoogleScarf
Google already provides your search engine, your webmail, your calendar, your maps, your address book, your smartphone, your other smartphone’s operating system, your hopes, your dreams and the rest, so why not let them provide your wintertime accessories, too? The Google Store is now offering a $300 oversized scarf in Google’s signature primary colors. They also have some Google-inspired vintage t-shirts and jewelry pieces for you most dedicated Googlers. Two funs out of ten. [TechCrunch]

Rated aRrrrrrr
Ron Jeremy, Mario enthusiast and accomplished pornographer, is worried about two things: the state of the porn industry and your online safety. What’s causing him to worry? Some combination of piracy and Russians. As he explains, people who watch videos for free on sites like youporn.com don’t realize the detrimental effect it has on his industry, but “piracy is piracy, whether the film is PG, R or X.” We agree with him there. But shortly after making that reasonable point, Jeremy spiraled into a questionable rant on online scams and the nationalities that perpetrate them:

You have a checkingaccount? You’re rich? You’re still not safe. Someone asks you for the details you probably won’t give it to them but your grandparents, your grandparents might fall for that…it’s the saddest thing I ever heard…A lot of foreigners, and I won’t mention names, Russians, are coming to America and there are a lot, a lot, a lot of people who know how to use Wi-Fi, Internet, satellite to gather personal information about people and scam or steal. Russian.

Russian indeed. Six weirds out of ten. [MobileLocalSocial]

Sidekick Backhand
Go to Batmancomic.info to create your own versions of this old school Batman comic. The Gizmodo staff has been using it to make fun of people (mostly us interns) all day! Ten funs out of ten!

TechCrunch reports that Facebook is working on a full webmail system to replace their current messaging platform, including full POP and IMAP support and a customized @facebook.com e-mail address. The codename for the new system: Project Titan.

In the TechCrunch post, Arrington suggests that Facebook has been working towards a webmail service for some time, expanding their messaging platform to be searchable and allowing Facebook users to send messages directly to non-Facebook e-mail addresses. The site has also shown interest in giving its users a more accessible and more complete online identity with the recent implementation of personalized URLs and the proliferation of Facebook Connect login on third party sites.

Project Titan would take this effort a step further, giving users a personalized [email protected] e-mail address and letting them access it on Facebook itself or independently via POP and IMAP. Facebook already has 175 million people logging into their site each day, but adding a true webmail solution would be a strong step in their transformation from a centralized communications hub to a broader platform for staying connected online. [TechCrunch]

Google, who has been feeling especially touchy-feely this week, just rolled out Google Maps 3.4 which supports pinch to zoom on the Droid. The update is in the Market now so get to downloadin’ and then get to pinchin’. [Engadget]

Image: Unboxing the Verizon Droid: the Pictures, PC Mag.com

Raising questions about the definition of a vegetative state as well as what to do with people in them, a new study observed the brain of an unconscious patient responding to yes and no questions just like normal.

Of the 54 test subjects in the New England Journal of Medicine study, one man who had been diagnosed as being in a vegetative state some five years earlier accurately answered yes or no questions. The answers came by way of a brain scan conducted by an MRI machine.

As shown in the image above, answering “yes” and “no” registers activity in different parts of the brain. When the patient was asked if his father’s name was Thomas, the scan showed his brain indicating “no.” When asked if his father’s name was Alexander, the scan showed the correct answer of “yes.”

The study brings up some sticky issues involving the ethics of treating vegetative and seemingly vegetative patients. But it also provides scientists with rare insight into the elusive nature of human consciousness itself. [Pop Sci]

In today’s Remainders: ideas! Ideas of all sorts, ranging from the very good—a ketchup package that allows for dipping—to the very bad—cutting a power cord with scissors—and including no less than two ideas somewhere in between!

Catch Up
Dave Ciesinski, vice president of Heinz, gets it: “The packet has long been the bane of our consumers.” But I’m here to tell you some very good news: our 30 year national condiment nightmare might be drawing to a close. Seen here is Heinz’s new Dip & Squeeze package, an ingenious system that combines the squeezability of the current ketchup packets with the on-the-go dippability you find in the little plastic tubs that hold Sweet and Sour and Barbecue sauce. I know! I’m very excited about all of this too. Sadly we have to wait a bit longer for full-on dipping and driving nirvana, as Heinz is only rolling out to select fast food locations this fall. But clearly once this thing does hit, every fast food restaurant under the sun is gonna want to get in on the Dip & Squeeze action. GOOD IDEA. [Washington Post]

Cut It Out
If the Dip & Squeeze ketchup packet is a very good idea, here is a very bad idea: cutting an electrical cord with scissors. I guess what’s going on here is this: some crazy guy is working late at the office, toiling away at a dead-end job where he isn’t appreciated by his boss or colleagues. He’s spent the last few hours swallowing his sadness but getting a good amount of work done in the after-hours quiet. That is, until the cleaning lady shows up. She’s just doing her job, vacuuming away, but soon our frustrated worker just….can’t….TAKEITANYMORE and loses his shit, deciding to silence her in the fastest way he can think of: snip snip snipping the vacuum cleaner’s cord. Or something like that, but in any event he’s served a nice sizzling plate of instant karma. BAD IDEA. [Live Leak]

Big Blue Ball and Chain
An analyst says there’s 75% chance that Apple will will stay with AT&T as the iPhone’s carrier. Analyzing the cellular markets is tough work, so thankfully Business Insider breaks down this particular bit of analysis for us laypeople:

[the analyst] says he “couldn’t find compelling evidence” that AT&T’s contract with Apple ends this year. He gives it a 50% chance. Additionally, there’s a 25% chance that AT&T would bid for — and win — another year of exclusivity. Add them up, you get 75%.

Hopefully that helps you get a better hold on this slippery situation. In any event we’re 100% unimpressed with this uninspired prediction-making. BORING IDEA. [Business Insider]

Protohype
Today the Seattle Times ran an article accompanied by this photo showing a messy Project Natal sensor bar lumped on top of a Gorillapod camera mount. This doesn’t tell us much of anything about Natal hardware, or Gorillapods for that matter. Pretty much the only thing it tells us is that people are starved for Natal news and will take whatever scraps they can get. INCOMPLETE IDEA. [Engadget]

“Where Is My Phone” is a clever little app designed to help you locate your misplaced iPhone simply by whistling. But I think we can agree that there are better uses for whistle-triggered sound effect playback than finding your phone.

Turning your iPhone into a remote controlled whoopee cushion is what I had in mind. Little Worlds, the makers of the app, apparently also had it in mind, including more than one variety of fart among the dozen or so sound effects included with the download.

Here’s what’s going on: “Where is my Phone” listens for your whistle and then plays the sound effect of your choice (or your own recorded soundbite) when it hears it. The makers claim it can recognize you Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah-ing from up to 30 meters away, and I had no trouble in activating sirens, explosions and the rest just by whistling on the other side of the room.

If you have any interest in whistling, pranking, farting or any combination of the thereof, I’d definitely recommend checking out this one dollar app. [Where is my Phone? via ShinyShiny]

In today’s Remainders: your noggin! It’s what chess champ Garry Kasparov used to defeat increasingly sophisticated computer opponents; it’s what the contestants on Jeopardy consult for answers (or questions); it’s the site of the next X-Prize challenge; and more.

Checkdisk
For many years, Garry Kasparov was better at chess than any other person in the world. But, as he explains in an article in this week’s New York Review of Books, during his tenure as world champion people were no longer the only ones playing chess. Kasparov summarizes: “it was my luck (perhaps my bad luck) to be the world chess champion during the critical years in which computers challenged, then surpassed, human chess players.” His essay, centered on a review of the new book Chess Metaphors: Artificial Intelligence and the Human Mind, is a fascinating look at how chess-playing computers differed than their human counterparts and how their influence changed the way the game is played today. [New York Review of Books]

Fox Tales II
A few days ago in Remainders we featured Fox News’ Robert Morris. Specifically, we discussed his understanding of Verizon’s relationship with the iPad and, more broadly, his track record of not exactly being correct in that understanding. Well, today Morris is again talking about what he claims to know best: possibly true backroom drama involving the Verizon and the iPad. In today’s episode, Morris alleges that Verizon was nowhere to be found at the iPad’s unveiling last Wednesday simply because they were outbid by AT&T. That may be the case! But until we get confirmation on one of these Fox Tales, Remainders they remain. [Electronista]

What is Blackberry?
Jeopardy is all about answers. Well, answers in the form of questions. Anyway, as any regular viewer can attest, the show’s producers can be sticklers when it comes to the details in those answers. It’s not uncommon for that mysterious group, always lurking in the shadows just out of frame, to put things on pause to correct an earlier error, taking away money for a mispronunciation or awarding it for an answer that they decided to accept. That attention to detail, this clip shows, is tossed right out the window when it comes to these newfangled gadgets. Basically, the show thinks that “Blackberry” is the name of the company that makes the Bold smartphone. And, as someone who holds both Jeopardy and a Blackberry Bold close to his heart, that’s a damn shame. [CrunchGear]

Brainpower
The X-Prize is a public competition based on achieving some sort of technological goal. The Ansari X-Prize, the most recent and widely publicized competition, offered ten million dollars to the first non-governmental team to successfully launch a manned spacecraft. The next X-Prize has been announced and instead of space it moves the action to a decidedly smaller frontier, though one that’s no less challenging: the brain. At a conference held recently on M.I.T.’s campus, the X-Prize Foundation declared that the next prize will go to the first team to develop a Brain Computer Interface. The foundation is still working out the details and the pot is yet to be set, but if this news gets the mad scientist in you excited, check out The Singularity Hub for more information. [H Plus Magazine]

In today’s Remainders: shouting! Fox News has been clamoring about Verizon and the iPad for a while, and today they kept on clamoring; an indie video game you control by screaming; a robot that listens for your commands; and more.

Fox Tales
Before the iPad’s launch, Fox News Channel’s Clayton Morris said that there would be two versions of Apple’s tablet: one for AT&T and one for Verizon. According to Business Insider, Morris is still sayin’ it. The information allegedly comes from a source in Verizon, and BI pretty much says that’s good enough for them. Well you know what? It’s not good enough for us. Fox News doesn’t have the best track record with Apple rumors lately, so we remain skeptical on this one. [Business Insider]

Scream
If your video game habit really gets on the nerves of the people who live with you, show them this video and say, “see, things could be much, much worse.” The game, presented recently at Sydney’s Game Jam conference, makes yelling one of the primary controls. The louder the yell, the better you fare. Sure, your roommates might not appreciate your attempts to get to the blood-curdling bonus rounds, but if your gaming is provoking a lot of frustrated screaming already, this game might be one to keep an eye on. [CruchGearoarrrrr]

Hanging Out
Sure, this messy LED circuit chandelier gives your home decor a touch of the nerdiness that defines you. Then again, this messy LED circuit chandelier gives home decor a touch of the nerdiness that defines you. [Design Boom]

Atom and Eve
Fujisoft’s Palro robot packs an Intel Atom brain, giving the little guy 1.6 GHz of processing power, Wi-Fi capabilities and a 3 megapixel on-board camera. All that hardware makes it a good worker, but it’s an even better listener. Why? Because it also packs five microphones for powerful voice recognition ability. A video clip after the jump shows the Palro reacting to a woman’s commands, though it’s unclear exactly what she’s commanding and thus unclear exactly how well it’s taking those commands. The only downside to this pint-sized conversational companion is the price tag. To make Palro your robo pal,expect to dish out over $3000 when it’s available in March. I think I’ll just play some solitaire. [SlashGear]

Sometimes, and only sometimes, a piece of geek jewelry can rise above being tacky and decidedly unwearable to become tacky and borderline unwearable. Steve Wozniak’s nixie tube watch is one such example. This ring with working microgears might be another.

The Gear Ring, designed by Kinekt Design, is made of stainless steel and is, of course, quite ugly. But seeing the gears rotate as the ring’s outer rim is spun is actually pretty cool.

Is it enough to make me consider wearing a gear ring? No. Is it enough to make someone consider wearing the gear ring? Probably.

If you’re that person, you can buy the Gear Ring from Kinekt for $165. [Kinekt Design via Technabob]

As data visualization has become more popular, bad infographics have started to crop up more and more frequently. Thankfully, we can always rely on Michael Paukner to make very, very good ones. Here he shows the satellites orbiting our planet.

Russia, as you might expect, has a whole lot of satellites that are no longer functioning. China is responsible for a surprisingly large amount of tiny space trash, though I’m not exactly clear on what that is. America, of course, is responsible for the largest amount of space trash.

Seeing how many broken satellites remain in orbit instantly reminded me of the scene in Wall-E in which the Earth of the future is seen enveloped in a layer of orbiting techno-trash. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

Michael Paukner has a lot of other awesome stuff, space-related and otherwise, so check out his Flickr if you’re interested. [Michael Paukner via We Love Dataviz]

This could very well be the world’s first Swiss Army Knife. Bearing a striking resemblance to modern multi-tools, it has at least six distinct functions and originates from the Roman Empire circa 200 A.D.

If our multi-tools today, with their screwdrivers, pliers, and the rest, center on fixing things, this Roman predecessor is more useful for enjoying the pleasures of food. The tool includes a spike which historians think was used to snag snails out of their shells. A hook-like spatula is thought to have helped coax sauce out of the bottle.

Of course, the device also includes a fork, spoon, and knife for mealtime, as well as a toothpick to clean up your grill afterward. Amazingly, all of these tools appear to fold into the handle to keep everything compact, just like Swiss Army Knives and Leatherman multi-tools we use today.

The tool was found in the Mediterranean area nearly twenty years ago, so technically it’s not Swiss at all, and it predates the modern Swiss Army Knife, invented in 1897, by nearly 1,800 years.

This very old gadget is currently being exhibited as part of a collection of Greek and Roman artifacts at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England. [Daily Mail]

If you’re serious about your music and are looking for a portable DAC that will keep your digital audio sounding crystal clear even when you’re out and about, the USB-powered DACport might be just the ticket.

Does the mere thought of listening to MP3s makes your ears hurt? But do you still like to enjoy your music on the go? Then the DACport is a combination headphone amp and digital to analog converter to check out.

It natively plays 24-bit/96 kHz, powers over USB, and is fully plug and play compatible. The $500 DACport claims that it will eliminate the cable jitter and background noise that is typical of USB DAC devices.

If you’re still with me, you can check out a thorough review at Head-Fi or check out the manufacturer’s site for more info. [CEntrance via Technabob]

I took two astronomy classes in college, and one of the few things I retained is that in space stuff just keeps floating. Thus, the Star Wars opening text, though originating galaxies away, will eventually make its way to Earth…

That catastrophic eventuality is the subject of this video, which was was filmed over a couple of hours but ultimately took weeks to complete due to all the post-production and editing. And it shows; the effects are pretty impressive throughout.

Though I guess if you’re gonna do a high concept YouTube like the Star Wars text raining down on Earth, it’s best to do it right. [Reddit]

If you’re a Palm Pre owner who’s been craving some old-school distraction, rejoice! You can now play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games on your smartphone.

Game Boy Advance games, like Mario Kart Short Circuit, aren’t quite running at full speed yet—about 60% of normal speed with sound or 90% without—but Game Boy and Game Boy Color games work just fine, and, as they say, emulators can’t be choosers.

The VisualBoyAdvance for WebOS project only started two weeks ago, so hopefully updates and improvements will be quick to follow. As shown in the video, the emulator can already switch between portrait and landscape and supports custom skinning.

Check out the project’s page on Pre Central for information on how to install. [Pre Central via Engadget]

At one time in history, even da Vinci himself had to pen a resume to explain why he was a qualified applicant. Here’s a translation of his letter to the Duke of Milan, enumerating his many talents and abilities.

Stone posted the scan of the letter along with this translation:

Most Illustrious Lord, Having now sufficiently considered the specimens of all those who proclaim themselves skilled contrivers of instruments of war, and that the invention and operation of the said instruments are nothing different from those in common use: I shall endeavor, without prejudice to any one else, to explain myself to your Excellency, showing your Lordship my secret, and then offering them to your best pleasure and approbation to work with effect at opportune moments on all those things which, in part, shall be briefly noted below.

1. I have a sort of extremely light and strong bridges, adapted to be most easily carried, and with them you may pursue, and at any time flee from the enemy; and others, secure and indestructible by fire and battle, easy and convenient to lift and place. Also methods of burning and destroying those of the enemy.

2. I know how, when a place is besieged, to take the water out of the trenches, and make endless variety of bridges, and covered ways and ladders, and other machines pertaining to such expeditions.

3. If, by reason of the height of the banks, or the strength of the place and its position, it is impossible, when besieging a place, to avail oneself of the plan of bombardment, I have methods for destroying every rock or other fortress, even if it were founded on a rock, etc.

4. Again, I have kinds of mortars; most convenient and easy to carry; and with these I can fling small stones almost resembling a storm; and with the smoke of these cause great terror to the enemy, to his great detriment and confusion.

5. And if the fight should be at sea I have kinds of many machines most efficient for offense and defense; and vessels which will resist the attack of the largest guns and powder and fumes.

6. I have means by secret and tortuous mines and ways, made without noise, to reach a designated spot, even if it were needed to pass under a trench or a river.

7. I will make covered chariots, safe and unattackable, which, entering among the enemy with their artillery, there is no body of men so great but they would break them. And behind these, infantry could follow quite unhurt and without any hindrance.

8. In case of need I will make big guns, mortars, and light ordnance of fine and useful forms, out of the common type.

9. Where the operation of bombardment might fail, I would contrive catapults, mangonels, trabocchi, and other machines of marvellous efficacy and not in common use. And in short, according to the variety of cases, I can contrive various and endless means of offense and defense.

10. In times of peace I believe I can give perfect satisfaction and to the equal of any other in architecture and the composition of buildings public and private; and in guiding water from one place to another.

11. I can carry out sculpture in marble, bronze, or clay, and also I can do in painting whatever may be done, as well as any other, be he who he may.

Again, the bronze horse may be taken in hand, which is to be to the immortal glory and eternal honor of the prince your father of happy memory, and of the illustrious house of Sforza.

And if any of the above-named things seem to anyone to be impossible or not feasible, I am most ready to make the experiment in your park, or in whatever place may please your Excellency – to whom I comment myself with the utmost humility, etc.

The document, written when da Vinci was 30, is actually more of a cover letter than a resume; he leaves out many of his artistic achievements and instead focuses on what he can provide for the Duke in the way of innovative technologies of war.

I wonder if the Duke of Milan thought he was exaggerating when da Vinci claimed he could “paint…as well as any other, be he who he may.”

It’s nice to have the translation, but the full-resolution scan is worth a look, just to check out da Vinci’s handwriting up close. And obviously, as my colleague Brian Barrett suggested, to uncover the secrets of the Catholic Church hidden therein. [Stone: Leonardo da Vinci’s Resume via Kotte]

GoPro cameras are our go-to choice for filming extreme sports of any kind, but we weren’t nearly as creative as this duo who attached their GoPro to a broom handle and started winging it back and forth while skimboarding.

This short video, entitled “Skimboarding in a Storm,” is supposed to be noteworthy for its display of courageous watersporting in the face of meteorological danger. I was much more impressed by its cool camerawork.

The idea is pretty simple: attach the rugged, waterproof Go Pro camera to a stick and pass it to the skimboarder as he whizzes by so he can film himself skimming. But when they start tossing the monopod to each other in the air and catching it, the results are pretty awesome. [Neatorama]

If you want your backyard home office orb to be minimalist and clean on the inside but woodsy and natural on the outside, the Archipod is the pod for you.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting your sanctuary to take the form of a futuristic pod. But you have to be willing to find one that doesn’t disrupt your backyard’s harmony with nature. The Archipod, like a coconut, is brown and rugged on the outside but white and smooth when you open it up and look inside.

Created in the UK, the Archipod was conceived out of “frustration at the commuting lifestyle, with its attendant road congestion, air and noise pollution, road rage, running costs and time loss.”

Indeed, if you’re looking for a home office that will make you feel like you’re several light-years away from modern society and its discontents, head over to Archipod’s website and prepare to open the pod bay doors. [Archipod via Make]