Technology

Laundry-Folding Robot Learns On The Job

by Steve Levenstein

Meet 'Foldy', a laundry-folding robot designed by a team at Japan's Keio University. The small, inexpensive robot doesn't just learn how to fold laundry, it remembers its lessons in time for the next load.

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"Social Awareness" To Replace Social Networking

by Ron Callari

The Internet of Things is fast approaching and with it comes Web 3.0, where "social awareness" will replace "social networking." Soon tweets and status updates will become fully automated and generated by the world around us versus us ever having to touch a keyboard again.

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Nintendo DSi LL Supersizes Your Screen, Picks Your Pocket

by Steve Levenstein

Nintendo just can't enough of a good thing and either can buyers of its popular DS-series portable gaming consoles. The answer, in the form of the big-screen DSi LL, arrives in Japan this November 21 but Americans will have to wait until 2010.

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Retweeting In The Wild - Project Retweet Launches

by Ron Callari

November 5: Twitter rolls out Project Retweet to a limited audience. According to their recent blog post, the Twitter echelon wants to see how it will "work in the wild," before offering it up to the Twitterverse.

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Is Leapfish, Search's Missing Link?

by Ron Callari

Many have tried, but it's been over a decade and none have succeeded in out-Googlin' Google. Yet here we go again, with yet another search engine entering stage right trying to capture our "attention-deficit" attention. Repackaging online search as something new infers the Web has evolved. And while real-time and social search have certainly changed the alchemy of search, what does Leapfish know that has eluded Google et al?

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How "Mickey Mouse" Is Re-Branding?

by Ron Callari

While branding oneself takes time and effort to spin out a new product, re-branding can take several washes to redefine that same brand. Take for example the work United Airlines had to accomplish after breaking someone's guitar. Let alone the number of Twitter apologies issued forth by Chris Brown and Kanye West. But when others do it in reverse and run their good-guy image through a darkside wash cycle, the task might be a little easier. Such is the case with the re-engineering of one Mickey Mouse.

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Mrs. Brady Turns Entrepreneur With The Flo Club, Teaching Seniors About Technology

by Beth Hodgson

Computer and internet use is no longer just for the younger generations; but for those who try to get online later in life, there are greater challenges since they haven't had the lifelong exposure that many that are part of the younger demographic have. An unlikely entrepreneur has stepped forward to provide a service that helps seniors overcome their challenges when using technology, and you know her best as Mrs. Brady.

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Hold On To The Light Bulb While You Climb The Stairs

by Toby

Minimalist and eco-friendly, these cool hallway and stair lights do double-duty as hand rails, so you can see and walk at the same time!

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Even The Taliban Are Social Networking

by Ron Callari

Did the "voice of jihad" just get a little louder? Afghan tribalism has origins that date back 1400 years to the early Muslim and Islamic civilizations. With a lifestyle based on jihad and an economy that thrives on opium trade, who would have thought that these warring factions in Afghanistan and Pakistan would ever embrace social media as a means to communicate.

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New Wisk-It App Helps Clean Up Your “Dirty Laundry” On Facebook

by Alexis

The Wisk-It application for Facebook, from the makers of Wisk detergent.

Wisk laundry detergent just launched a new facebook app called WISK-IT that extends their powerful cleaning heritiage into the world of social media. Designed to make it easy to find and remove all those photos on facebook that might be embarrasing, and a general "stain" on your reputation, this is one of those apps that isn't just functional but a great marketing idea. Conceived and developed by TracyLocke, an integrated marketing agency, the WISK-IT app reminds you that "Everyone's got a photo that needs to be washed away."

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BMW Lovos Concept to be Green...Not so Simple

by George Delozier

Automotive styling has undergone some very extreme changes over the past 20 years, and mostly for the better. Sometimes however, a new concept comes along that breaks that mold and really makes us step back and stare. The BMW Lovos is a perfect example of this kind of concept.

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Glorified Bong Cleans Your Car's Air, Won't Get You A Ticket

by Steve Levenstein

The "watercourse cyclone air cleaner" from Seiwa circulates your car's smelly interior air through water to wash out unwanted impurities. It may not get you high but it WILL leave your ride as fresh as mountain air after a thunderstorm.

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"Party Of No" Amplify Their Message With New Social Media Tool

by Ron Callari

The health care reform debate this current legislative season has been more about who could shout the loudest versus who really had something to say. Earning their label as the "Party of No" the GOP's push back on health care has been perceived as protest-for-protest sake.

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Honda to Include Cylinder Deactivation on Upcoming Touring Series

by George Delozier

Honda has been working hard on the upcoming VFR1200 touring bike, with the introduction of a dual clutch gearbox into the motorcycle being among the many pieces of technology they plan on including. On top the more efficient transmission, it now appears that Honda is planning on cylinder deactivation to help keep fuel consumption down as well.

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Fictionaut Utilizes Social Media For New Self-Publishing Platform

by Ron Callari

For wordsmiths the world over, a rejection notice is the common denominator shared by the entire literary community whether you are the next Hemingway or a weekend poet. However unwelcoming, those "we regret to inform you" letters have become a right of passage for writers. On the flip side, all an author really wants to see is his or her words in print. To that end Fictionaut, an online social network for fiction writers addresses that need.

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ScamVille? A New Online Game? Who's Up For The Challenge?

by Ron Callari

Michael Arrington from Techcrunch wrote a very insightful article titled "Scamville: The Social Gaming Ecosystem of Hell," exposing Zynga and its scam-laden lead gen-type offers devised for their ever-popular Facebook games of Farmville and Mafia Wars. I challenge one of the more ethical game developers to actually use Arrington's expose to develop the real thing - an actual Facebook game called "ScamVille!"

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Top Ten Best Visualization Tools for Social Media, Blogosphere, Internet & News

by Ron Callari

Art, maps,imagery and graphs add context and a visual component to numbers, locations, and information. With as much influx of data we contend with on a daily basis, visualization tools allows our brains to take a rest while perceiving content in a different light. In essence, visualization allows us to stop and smell the pixels, in spite of the fact we might learn a few things along the way.

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Twitter Lists Inspired By Tweetdeck, Google Wave & Enterprise Microblogs

by Ron Callari

With the Holiday Season fast approaching, you might want to consider "making your list and checking it twice."Lists are the new order of business in Twitterville. Some say it will take the place of "Follow Fridays." Others think its jumping on the the Google Wave and Enterprise Microblogs' bandwagon.

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Transparent OLED Monitors Displayed in Japan

by Chris Weiss

New for this year's FPD International, two major display manufacturers are showing off new transparent OLED technology. While it probably won't help you in real life anytime soon, it certainly is impressive to look at.

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Rat Brained Robots! Rat Brained Robots! Gaaaahhhhh!!!!!!

by John P. Barker

Cyborg rats are taking over the world!

Okay, so that's a lie. But there are robots with little rat brains out there. And you'll be surprised what they're being used for.

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