"beauty alone the road"
Archive for September, 2008
beauty alone the road
09
Sep
Morgan Solar Technology Saves Costs
09
Sep
Morgan Solar touts that their new technology is able to reduce costs by up to 75% when compared to traditional concentrating-solar solutions. Pretty bold claim - read on below to know how it functions.
Unlike current concentrating-solar designs which use lenses or reflectors to direct the sunlight onto solar cells, Morgan Solar’s uses what it is calling a “Light-guide Solar Optic†made of acrylic which concentrates sunlight 750 times onto multilayered solar cells at the edge of the plastic. The company says that their system eliminates the bulkiness of traditional CPV systems, is extremely low cost, uses no toxic materials and is 100% recyclable. Two triangular optics are put together in a package about the size and shape of a CD case, each drawing light to one corner of the concentrator. A panel will consist of 80 to 100 of these CD-case-like arrangements. By guiding light to the edge – not the bottom – of a panel, the concentrator releases heat instead of trapping it and doesn't overheat.
Well, I'm in full support of such advancements in green technology - hopefully Morgan Solar gets these out of the door ASAP.
Add a comment | From: Morgan Solar Technology Saves Costs | Visit Ubergizmo
Apple In-Ear Headphones
09
Sep
Apple aims to enhance your audio listening experience by releasing the Apple In-Ear Headphones that feature two separate high-performance drivers, where a woofer caters for bass needs and mid-range sounds while the tweeter handles high-frequency audio. These drivers will ensure you get accurate and detailed audio all the time, but of course, that is subjected to the quality of your MP3 encoding as well. Amazingly enough, Apple has priced this pair of headphones at just $79, making them much more affordable compared to Shures and other premium brands. Each purchase comes with three different sizes of ear tips to cater for different people, a carrying case for the said ear tips and a cable-control case for the headphones themselves.
Add a comment | From: Apple In-Ear Headphones | Visit Ubergizmo
Backlash: Anti-DRM Protesters Trash Spore’s Amazon Rating [Backlash]
09
Sep
Spore, the long awaited new game from SimCity creator Will Wright, has been critically well-received, so what's up with its Amazon.com score? As of this posting, the game, despite being #1 on Amazon, has 1,494 one star ratings from gamers who are upset about the game's DRM. Here are some excerpts from the angry reviews:
...the game incorporates a draconian DRM system that requires you to activate over the internet, and limits you to a grand total of 3 activations. If you reach that limit, then you'll have to call EA in order to add one extra activation. That's not as simple as it sounds, since when you reach that point EA will assume that you, the paying customer, are a filthy pirating thief. You will need to provide proof of purchase, reasons why the limit was reached, etc, etc (it has all happened before with another recent EA product, Mass Effect). EA, of course, is not obligated to grant you that extra activation or even provide that service. In a couple of years they might very well even shut down the general activation servers, because "it's not financially feasible" to keep them running. What you will be left with is a nice, colorful $50 coaster. And you will be required to pay for another copy/license if you want to continue playing.
And...
The DRM for the game utilizes securom which is essentially a virus that installs itself without warning when you install the game. There is no way to completely remove it without reformatting and it is constantly running in the background if not removed. Sucking up computer resources.
It also is overpriced. This is actually a RENTAL, not a bought game because it only lets you install 3 times.
And...
I logged on to buy this but now no way. I dont care if its the best game in the world, I'm not loading it onto my computer if it has DRM. No thank you, remove it and I'll buy version 2.0.
And...
I personally feel EA has crossed the line with what is considered an acceptable protection scheme. What they have done is essentially created a rental for the price of the full game, and after 3 activations you have to call up EA and beg them to reactivate the game. I for one am a computer enthusiast and format and upgrade regularly so I'd burn through the 3 install limit in about three months top and I REFUSE to have to call up any company and have to beg and prove that I rightfully am entitled to an install. As a paying customer I expect to be able to install the game infinite amounts of times on MY computer without any DRM disturbances. Whats worse is that this DRM considers any computer upgrade, BIOS update, and some patches as system change and thus requires an additional activation.
And...
Thanks to everyone who warned us about the DRM in this game. I'm interested in the game, but not interested enough to break my computer to play it.
And...
Too bad I can't play this game because of the horrible copyright protection scheme/malware called SecuROM which locks up my rig. It doesn't even keep the game from being pirated, so I don't know why EA treats its paying customers like criminals.
And...
I will not pay EA $50 to rent a game, period. DRM is dying, and its dragging good products down with it. Get a clue EA. The music industry did, now its your turn to face the fire.
And...
I was going to buy this game today but because of the DRM and a few other issues I will skip this game altogether. It's a shame because I was really looking forward to owning this game. EA is not helping Will Wright in any way.
You get the idea. Have these reviews convinced you to skip this game?
BBC to track a shipping container around the world: The Box
09
Sep
The BBC is sticking a GPS in a shipping container and sending it around the world in order to reveal the secret lives of these giant steel packets:
The Box takes off on global journey (via Futurismic)We have painted and branded a BBC container and bolted on a GPS transmitter so you can follow its progress all year round as it criss-crosses the globe. The Box will hopefully reach the US, Asia, the Middle East , Europe and Africa and when it does BBC correspondents will be there to report on who's producing goods and who's consuming them...
Surprisingly, this project will not be costing the BBC much over and above the coverage costs for the editorial content.
Whilst we have paid a little for the branding of the box and some technical costs the fact this is a working container means it will be earning its own keep.
We are keeping our fingers crossed the Box does not fall overboard (it happens) and that it gives us a better understanding of what ties countries and continents together.
New iPod In-Ear Headphones Feature Individual Woofer and Tweeter for $79 [Appleletsrock]
09
Sep
Apple has announced a replacement for the old, crappy in-ear headphones that will feature and individual woofer and tweeter x2. That should improve the sound and at only $79, it is far cheaper than many similar products on the market. They have also announced a set of headphones with a microsized remote built in the band that allows you to control volume, forward and back, pause and play. That version will be available for only $29 starting next month.
Adjix Pays You For Your Shortlinking Performance (The Startup Review)
09
Sep
STARTUP DETAILS:
Company Name: Adjix
20-word Description: Adjix is an online ad network that pays people to shorten links.
CEO’s Pitch: Adjix is a cross between TinyURL and Google AdWords. We let people shorten URLs (called “Linkersâ€). When a person clicks on the shortened URL, we display the original content with an optional ad at the top of the page. Both the Linkers and advertisers can see detailed link data such as who clicked on their link or ad (by IP address), when, and how many times. Very shortly, we’ll also report the webpage that the link appeared on when it was clicked (referrer) and also the OS and Web browser version.
Mashable’s Take: If you take Adjix at face value, it seems an interesting concept. It is a very simple yet potentially quite lucrative model built on a premise of revenue sharing well-refined by Google. It charges advertisers fees for impressions and click-throughs, and shares the bounty with people creating links.
Yet it is not only for the potential monetary push that Adjix is so intriguing. There is a utilitarian side to the coin. Because Adjix allows users to glimpse the click rate of the links they create, they can quickly determine whether such linking is grabbing interest. For folks trying to drum up traffic, this is a tool definitely worth adding to the chest. What’s more, if you need to expand the power of the engine, Adjix lists on its homepage a section devoted to the “Adjix Open API.†Altogether, it looks like something the frequent linker would very much enjoy getting on deck.
Now, there are some points raised about the relatively unique way Adjix functions which may not suit the end users. The most pressing one being spam. The service could be conducive to abuse. Indeed, last month, Performancing’s Jeff Chandler highlighted this concern with reference to the startup’s framework. In his response, Adjix founder and president Joe Moreno explained very simply that “we’ll shut down any spammer’s links. Everyone hates spam and we intend to freeze any spammer’s accounts.â€
It’s definitely the case that Adjix has its ups and its downs. And the downs can seem a bit disconcerting, given the financial incentives involved. But so it is with various other ad engines on the Web, and Adjix appears to be one built in a fashion that could keep things aboveboard.
One thing is sure. The numbers Adjix provides are very easy to grasp. Advertisers pay $0.35 CPM for impressions, and $0.75 per valid click-through. Linkers subsequently receive $0.10 CPM, and $0.20 per valid click-through.
Editor’s Note: This post is part of an ongoing series at Mashable - The Startup Review, Sponsored by Sun Microsystems Startup Essentials. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.
Sponsored By: Sun Startup Essentials
iPod touch updated — same screen, new case, Nike+ integration
09
Sep
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
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