TechTalk

Thinking Materials

If your company’s mission statement talked about “radically rethinking what the modern mobile lifestyle is", It wouldn’t be such a stretch to assume that they’d have a wristphone lurking in their portfolio, as in the case of Thinking Material, a Swedish company that showcased their prototype at the “Fashion in Motion” fashion show held last year in Atlanta.

The watch comes with a wireless headset, and a keypad that is only half fixed to it’s wrist band, so that it can be lifted up for thumb-typing.

Also, the company plans to shy away from plastics. Instead, they hope to try out fabrics or color-changing textiles in order to grab the fashionistas market.

Tales from Panchatantra - version 2003

Once upon a time, there was a software engineer who used to develop programs on his Pentium machine, sitting under a tree on the banks of a river.

He used to earn his bread by selling those programs in the Sunday market.

One day, while he was working, his machine tumbled off the table and fell in the river. Encouraged by the Panchatantra story of his childhood (the woodcutter and the axe), he started praying to the
River Goddess.

The River Goddess wanted to test him and so appeared only after one month of rigorous prayers. The engineer told her that he had lost his computer in the river.

As usual, the Goddess wanted to test his honesty. She showed him a match box and asked, "Is this your computer ?" Disappointed by the Goddess' lack of computer awareness, the engineer replied, "No."

She next showed him a pocket-sized calculator and asked if t! hat was his. Annoyed, the engineer said "No, not at all!!"

Finally, she came up with his own Pentium machine and asked if it was his.

The engineer, left with no option, sighed and said "Yes."

The River Goddess was happy with his honesty. She was about to give him all three items, but before she could make the offer, the engineer asked her, "Don't you know that you're supposed to show me some better computers before bringing up my own ?"

The River Goddess, angered at this, replied, "I know that, you stupid donkey! The first two things I showed you were the Trillennium and the Billennium, the latest computers from IBM!". So saying, she disappeared with the Pentium!!

Moral: If you're not up-to-date with technology trends, it's better keep your mouth shut and let people think you're a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

Night Photography

This free lesson assumes the student has some knowledge in practical photography (equivalent to a pass level in our Basic Photography course).

If you like what you see in this lesson, but cannot understand all the information given, enroll in our Basic Photography course and get all the help and encouragement you need! All our courses enjoy tutor assisted learning so you are never left alone wondering what it all means.

Once the sun has set many photographers will pack away their cameras and go home. They are missing out capturing some of the most stunning and visually exciting images to be had (fig n-1).

Throughout our courses we emphasise the importance of light for the photographic image. This does not mean that if there is no daylight, there are no good photos to be captured.

Taking photographs at night is a lot simpler to achieve then one might think. The results can be very stunning and strange effects are easy to master. It is also possible to take top quality night images with just basic equipment.

Here we have some guidelines on the possibilities open to us with night photography.

Read

iTech XFM DAB Radio

We surely likes the iTech XFM DAB radio, a pleasant-looking mantis-headed radio with lots of features, including 10-minute live rewind and MP3 playback from SD/MMC flash memory cards. If it's got any shortcoming, it would be the 5 D-cell batteries it takes to power it off the wall—you'd be better off keeping it on mains power permanently. Otherwise, though, for £130, it sounds like a keeper.

MP3 Watch

Gadgets.co.uk is selling this MP3 playing watch to delight and entertain. The watch doesn't appear to have a name - unless you count MP3 Watch - but it's capable of playing MP3 and WMA files. With 128MB of memory you might think it's not worth it, but being able to record your voice is an added bonus and it should provide enough battery life for 6 hours music playback. We're still not convinced that we want to be seen wearing headphones plugged into our plastic watch, but for those that quite fancy the idea, this player can be had for £100.

Gadgets.co.uk

PC sofa for lovers

Fancy cuddling up to your loved one while divvying around with your expenses docs? No me neither, but for those who really can’t bear to be parted from their significant others for more than just a second, Bluebroc has announced the C-Station, a weirdo kind of sofa for PC loving couples.

The theory is that can curl up together while watching a DVD, or downloaded movie which is displayed on the LCD screen integrated into the sofa’s side. The design also incorporates space for those other little essentials like a remote control, phone and take-out Pizza.

Obviously there’s housing for your PC or Mac too. Apparently the chair came (in a vision?) to its inventor Paul Tasker as he motorcycled across Australia. ‘Sitting on the bike, I dreamt of comfort. By the time I crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge the concept for the ‘C-Station’ was formed.’ We know what you mean Paul. We have similar epiphanies while trying to get a seat on the 73 bus. There’s no word on price and availability, but you can check out the website here.

VoIP Howto

Voice Over IP is a new communication means that let you telephone with Internet at almost null cost. How this is possible, what systems are used, what is the standard, all that is covered by this Howto.

Apple gouging Europeans on the Mac mini?

nicollette sheridan

Apple’s not the only company that charges more in Europe for their products than they do in the US—obviously local market conditions, taxes, and other variations in the cost of doing business mean that different countries will have different prices for the same products—but a lot of European Apple fans are peeved that they will have to pay a lot more for the world’s “most affordable Mac” than their American counterparts (recall that Apple’s been slammed before for charging Brits more for iTunes Music Store downloads than they charge everyone else, too). For example, when it comes out, customers in the UK will have to pay £339 ($632) for the version of the Mac mini which costs $499 in the US; in Germany the cost is even higher at €489, or $636.  So have these disgruntled consumers launched a boycott or organized a sit-in at the Apple Store in London? Nah, instead they’ve chosen to employ the most effective method of protest known to man—an online petition asking them to lower their prices. Best of luck with that!angelina jolie

ReadMartin Luther King, Jr

Replica watches

Replica designer watches have become increasing popular in recent years, thanks in large part to the ease and security of buying over the Internet.

Nearly all high-end designer watches are copied by third-party companies, and it's not unusual to find fake Rolex or other watches for 10% the cost of an authentic watch. In particular, Swiss-made watch replicas are renowned for their impeccable quality, offering the precision engineering of the world's top brands for a fraction of the cost.

However, the world of replica watches is a murky one with many risks. Before buying a replica designer watch online, make sure you understand the laws involved and the retail culture of replica products. Check out the tips below the shopping links on this page:

# First of all, copying someone else's trademarked product is against the law. Makers of replica watches have found a number of ways to get around trademark protections, but consumers shouldn't forget this basic truth: the product you buy may be illegal.

# Look for disclaimers on replica products that advise you the product is NOT an authentic brand-name model. Distributors who fail to offer such disclaimers are boldly violating the law - and so will you be if you buy their products!

# Get to know the difference between knock-offs and replicas. Knock-offs are typically cheap Asian-made imitations that look somewhat like the products they are modeled after, often with the brand name slightly changed. Replicas implies the product is an exact duplicate of the original - without the royalty or licensing fees paid to the owner of the trademark.

# Laws covering shipping of counterfeit goods are different from one state to the next, and between countries. If these laws apply to your purchase, make sure to check if your online supplier will mail or ship products to your address.

# Don't expect any warranty protection from a replica, and assume that it will be difficult to exchange or return products that are defective.

# Replica watch distributors are a mixed bunch, ranging from established, dependable retailers who operate "inside" the law, to completely unscrupulous fly-by-night operators. Get to know your retailer before buying! (does Natalie Portman wear them?)

The iPod Year in Review 2004

Neither pundits nor the general population in 2003 would ever have predicted just how strong of a year 2004 would be for Apple Computer. Having sold over four times as many iPods (4.4 million) as it sold in 2003 (939,000), say nothing of iTunes music sales and accessories, Apple did well over a billion dollars in iPod-related business in 2004 alone. Sales of Apple's personal computers to PC "switchers" increased, and buoyed by strong media reports of Apple customer satisfaction and the mediocrity of its competitors, popular perception of the Apple brand decidedly shifted from "niche" to "worthwhile luxury."

This was unquestionably a great year for Apple. With an iPod-focused perspective, iPodlounge now focuses on what went right and wrong in this year - and is likely to happen in 2005.

Read(would you not like Brad Pitt to try this new iPod® shuffle)