Randy Pausch was a Carnegie Mellon University professor who suffered from pancreatic cancer. He died yesterday (25th July).

He gave a famous lecture on what he would like to tell the generation of today if he was to give a last lecture (ironically- as he suffered from a terminal disease). This “Last Lecture” was a series of lectures by many notable people which also included Randy Pausch.

From wikipedia

Here is the video of that speech.

“Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”

(The video is 76min long)

I think everyone should see it. It is really inspiring.

Here is the Exun 2007 Intro Video, especially for those who haven’t seen it yet.

Cheerio!!
Srajan

While surfing, I just stumbled across this. It is quite interesting to say the least.

Researchers at Akishima Laboratories (Mitsui Zosen), working in conjunction with professor Shigeru Naito of Osaka University, have developed a device that uses waves to draw text and pictures on the surface of water.

The device, called AMOEBA (Advanced Multiple Organized Experimental Basin), consists of 50 water wave generators encircling a cylindrical tank 1.6 meters in diameter and 30 cm deep (about the size of a backyard kiddie pool). The wave generators move up and down in controlled motions to simultaneously produce a number of cylindrical waves that act as pixels. The pixels, which measure 10 cm in diameter and 4 cm in height, are combined to form lines and shapes. AMOEBA is capable of spelling out the entire roman alphabet, as well as some simple kanji characters. Each letter or picture remains on the water surface only for a moment, but they can be produced in succession on the surface every 3 seconds.

Researchers at Akishima Laboratories have developed similar devices in the past that used waves to draw pictures on the surface of water, but those devices had trouble producing letters with straight lines (such as the letter K). Additionally, it took the previous devices up to 15 minutes of data input time to produce each letter.

The newly developed technology uses improved calculation methods for controlling the wave generators, relying on formulas known as Bessel functions. In addition to being able to draw letters consisting of straight lines, the input time has been drastically reduced to between 15 and 30 seconds for each letter.

Akishima Laboratories expects the technology to be incorporated into amusement devices that combine acoustics, lighting and fountain technology, which they hope to see installed at theme parks and hotels.

Source: http://www.pinktentacle.com/2006/07/device-uses-waves-to-print-on-water-surface/

For everyone who’ has been trying to differentiate a kentsfield from a yorkfield or from a barcelona (by the way for those who dont know, they are codenames of quadcores), another milestone has arrived and that is, 8 cores. And surprisingly, it comes from a company who generally is not affected by the performance rat race, simply because it has got its share of loyal supporters.

In short, Apple has released a new Mac Pro armed with 3.0GHz, 8-core Intel Xeon processors.

The 8-core Mac Pro offers the power of two Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5300 series processors with 3.0GHz, and runs up to 2x faster than the Power Mac G5 Quad.
The 8-core Mac Pro configuration includes: two 3.0GHz quad-core Intel Xeon 5300 series processors, 8MB of L2 cache per processor (16MB), 667MHz DDR2 ECC fully buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM) memory, eight FB-DIMM slots on two memory riser cards (four slots per card) supporting up to 16GB of RAM, 256-bit-wide memory architecture, and 1.33GHz, 64-bit dual independent frontside buses.

In addition, the 8-core Mac Pros include 16-lane PCI Express graphics slot with the option to install an Nvidia GeForce 7300 GT with 256MB of GDDR2 SDRAM, one single-link DVI port, and one dual-link DVI port; an ATI Radeon X1900 XT with 512MB of GDDR3 SDRAM and two dual-link DVI ports; or an Nvidia Quadro FX 4500 with 512MB of GDDR3 SDRAM, two dual-link DVI ports, and one stereo 3D port.

Mac Pro accommodates up to four drives and 3TB of storage, and provides up to two SuperDrives. It also gives four PCI Express slots, lots of I/O options for ultimate flexibility, and direct-attach hard drive bays. The new Mac Pros also feature AirPort Extreme wireless ready and optional Bluetooth 2.0 support.

Moreover, the machines support up to eight displays, digital resolutions of up to 1920 by 1200 pixels; dual-link DVI ports with support up to 2560 by 1600 pixels; and analog resolution support up to 2048 by 1536 pixels.

The new Pros are available with build to order option. An 8-core machine from the Apple Store with high-end processor spectrum will cost about $3,997 (Rs 172,382). However, the price conscious can go in for the same Mac Pro with two 2-GHz processors for $2,200 (Rs 94,875).

All this jargon basically means that apple is using two Intel Xeon Quad cores each in a diffrent socket on the motherboard. All this is basically aimed at the the software developers and the 3d graphics industry, for development of futuristic applications and faster rendering of videos and textures. After all this, in my opinion, the new pros lack severely in the graphics department and the graphic card bundled with the machine does not do justice to this behemoth of a system.

All this translates into tremendous amount of computing power and also a big hole in the pocket.

Source:Mac Pros with 8 Cores Unleashed

We all sometimes come across or hear about some very weird gadgets. Here are some of them.

1. AXbo Alarm Clock


aXbo’s Sleep Phase Alarm Clock is an alarm clock at its functional best , what its meant to do and that is it, waking you up in time. It monitors your sleep pattern and wakes you at the best moment possible. Read more about it at: www.i4u.com/article4976.html




2. Multifunctional Credit Card


Welcome to the future where gone are the days when you had to carry a mobile phone, a music player, your credit and discount cards, your apartment and your car keys with you whenever you left your house. This credit card sized device packs all that you could imagine. Read more about it at: www.yankodesign.com/product_info.php?products_id=700




3. USB Flower pot speaker


How does it feel to have a flower pot as your speaker. You may be wondering how that can be possible. So here is a flowerpot that can play songs and what not just like your regular speakers and at the same time have a flower as well. Read more about it at: i4u.com/article2509.html




4. Powerglove Mouse

Ever seen a mouse that you could possibly wear, a mouse that will move along with the movement of your hand. Well here it is. Or a mouse that you could wear on your head even when travelling on a bike. Read about it more at: www.zerosign.net/index.php/powerglove-mouse/





5. iLounge Toilet Paper Dispenser

So you are missing your dear pod when you are stuck up inside your toilet. Don’t worry; you can dock your pod right away, even in the toilet. And no need of earphones as well because this even has a speaker underneath it. Read more about it at: shinyshiny.tv/2006/01/atech_ilounge_t.html




6. Astalavista baby

Well that’s what you will be saying after owning such a unique piece of gadgetry including a gun inside a regular mobile phone. Just twist the phone and you will be ready to blast. Read more about it at: cellular.co.za/phones/gunphone/gun-phone.htm




7. The WMD

So do you like your PC to look like a nuclear bomb, ready to blast off another Hiroshima. So here it is, the WMD or weapons of mass destruction. Read more about it at:
www.bit-tech.net/modding/2005/10/19/wmd_g-gnome/1.html




8. The Tidy Tippist

Generally after usage of our keyboard for a certain period of time, it gets dirty. Well how do we clean it? Well wash it, that’s how. Still don’t get, it’s a waterproof fabric keyboard. The keyboard is hidden inside a decorative, washable tablecloth. Read more about it at: toniawelter.de/snw_en_5_tidytippist.htm




9. RC Golf Incred-a-ball

Want to try your hand and beating Tiger Woods at the PGA tournament, then what you need is this. Read more about it at: www.geekologie.com/2006/06/rc_golf_incredaball.php




10. Mental typewriter

This brain-to-computer device converts your thoughts into cursor movements on screen. 128 electrodes are placed on your scalp and software than decodes EEG-like signals into usable information. Read more about it at: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/mental-typewriter-really-159142.php

Srajan Mani

I don’t know if any of you ever stumbled upon this ever before but here is a new version of google, send with love from the hackers.

Hacker’s google

Capping literally years of speculation on perhaps the most intensely followed unconfirmed product in Apple’s history — and that’s saying a lot — the iPhone has been announced today. Yeah, we said it: “iPhone,” the name the entire free world had all but unanimously christened it from the time it’d been nothing more than a twinkle in Stevie J’s eye (comments, Cisco?). Sweet, glorious specs of the 11.6 millimeter device include a 3.5-inch 480 x 320 touchscreen display with multi-touch support and a proximity sensor to turn off the sensor when it’s close to your face, 2 megapixel cam, 4GB or 8 GB of storage, Bluetooth with EDR and A2DP, WiFi that automatically engages when in range, and quadband GSM radio with EDGE. Perhaps most amazingly, though, it somehow runs OS X with support for Widgets, Google Maps, and Safari, and iTunes (of course) with CoverFlow out of the gate. A partnership with Yahoo will allow all iPhone customers to hook up with free push IMAP email. Apple quotes 5 hours of battery life for talk or video, with a full 16 hours in music mode — no word on standby time yet. In a twisted way, this is one rumor mill we’re almost sad to see grind to a halt; after all, when is the next time we’re going to have an opportunity to run this picture? The 4GB iPhone will go out the door in the US as a Cingular exclusive for $499 on a two-year contract, 8GB for $599. Ships Stateside in June, Europe in fourth quarter, Asia in 2008 :(. So all the ipod fans, be ready for a deep hole in the pocket
Source:Engadget

Some pics:

Guess what this this picture is of? So all you quizzers give it a shot. Post your answers in the comments section..I will post the answer in a day or two.

The hip computer maker battles with another headache

Shortly following news of Apple’s stock options backdating scandal, the Associated Press is reporting that the company is now facing several lawsuits, including one alleging that Apple is monopolizing the digital music market.

The lawsuit is over Apple’s proprietary iPod and iTunes software, which is generally incompatible with non-Apple products. Media purchased on iTunes is supposed to be playable only on iPod hardware, and songs purchased on other DRM systems are not easily playable on iPods.

Apple motioned for the courts to dismiss the case, originally filed July 21, but the courts denied the motion on Dec. 20. The plaintiff seeks unspecified compensation.

Apple is also facing a lawsuit, filed on Nov. 7, over the supposed high failure rate of the logic board in the iBook G4. Another lawsuit filed by PhatRat Technology accuses Apple of patent infringement for its iPod-Nike product.

While the iPod reigns supreme in the music player market, Apple’s success has not come without a price. Last year, Creative Labs sued Apple over patent infringement of the iPod interface, which eventually lead to a countersuit. The companies eventually settled on having Apple pay Creative $100 million for use of the patented technology.

The popularity of the iPod has drawn attention from hackers discontent with the proprietary nature of the device. Jon Lech Johansen, who cracked DVD encryption, has undone Apple’s protection scheme and plans to license his work to companies interested in opening up interoperability between iPod/iTunes and non-Apple devices.

Linky