This and that | Ripple's Web

The Phosforce flashlight shines with 500 lumens.

(Credit:
Wicked Lasers)

Didn’t get enough of Star Wars Day on the weekend? How about dazzling Sith Lords with this lightsaber-style flashlight?

The Phosforce from Wicked Lasers turns the company’s powerful Arctic laser into a portable light that kicks out 500 lumens. It’s nowhere near as powerful as the company’s Torch flashlight — which at 4,100 lumens is apparently strong enough to ignite paper — but it’s mighty bright.

Wicked is calling the Phosforcethe world’s first laser-powered flashlight. It uses a phosphor coating to turn the Arctic’s blue laser light into white light.

The promo vid below tells users in an ominous tone, “Use Phosforce when you want to illuminate. Remove it when you want to incinerate,” referring to the Arctic’s ability to explode balloons.

The Phosforce lens is available for $79.85, and does not include the 1-watt $299.95 Spyder 3 Arctic laser, which can produce 0.25 Lux of light at distances of up to 6 miles.

Wicked is also showing off the new $99.95 Nano compact laser with up to 100 mW of power. It can also pop balloons and light matches.

Not a bad way to light candles for a geeky romantic dinner.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/3f7PzyAIgGk/

(Credit:
Video screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)

Good things happen when you don’t drink but do fire lasers.

Last time we checked in on the antics of Scott Stevenson (aka WorldScott), he was vaporizing a row of 100 balloons with a Spyder Krypton laser.

He’s been at it again, this time firing the green-light 100mW Krypton at some flash paper atop a bottle full of alcohol.

The result is spectacular, but it looks even better when the laser ignites the contents of 10 bottles in a row.

The burning flash paper sets off a jet of fire from the bottles, as well as what looks like a blue plasma bubble expanding downwards.

The fires create unusual squeaking noises that sound like vinyl records being scratched by a turntable needle.

Check out the wild video below, but don’t try this at your local bar.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/iiFJgjAmjO0/

(Credit:
Screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)

There are many ways I can think of to have fun with a laser, especially one described as “the world’s brightest laser you can legally own.” Popping balloons isn’t one of them, but YouTube tinkerer WorldScott’s stunt is interesting anyway.

In a bid for a record, he lined up 100 red balloons in front of a Spyder III Krypton and fired away.

As seen in the vid below, it took a while for the 750-1,000mW laser, fired through a focusing lens, to pop each balloon, but it eventually did the trick.

The green beam left a trail of red balloon fragments in its wake. Fortunately it wasn’t powerful enough to penetrate the far wall.

“If confirmed, this will have been the most balloons in a single-file line consecutively popped from end-on with a single fixed visible laser beam to date,” he says.

Hong Kong-based Wicked Lasers, which prompted an aborted action by Lucasfilm for its lightsaber-like Spyder III Pro Arctic Laser, supplied the Krypton for WorldScott’s feat.

In another video, he’s also used Wicked’s Arctic Spyder III lasers to pop popcorn. Natch, it also has slow-motion replays.

The Krypton is described as being strong enough to reach out beyond the planet’s atmosphere. What would you aim it at?

(Via Technabob)

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/TDUBtGL9MfY/

Special protective eyewear is required, and any actual swordplay may land you in the hospital.

(Credit:
Wicked Lasers)

The last time we caught up with Wicked Lasers, it was to check into the Spyder III Pro Arctic, a laser so powerful it requires wearing special eye protection and comes with the warning that it can blind instantly and set fire to skin.

This hilt attaches to a Spyder laser. (Click to enlarge.)

(Credit:
Wicked Lasers)

Since then, Wicked Lasers has dodged a potential Lucasfilm lawsuit and set about figuring out how to make the Spyder even more like a real-life “Star Wars” lightsaber.

The result of that effort is the $100 LaserSaber, an add-on to the $300 Spyder. It’s a 32-inch polycarbonate blade with an aircraft-grade aluminum hilt.

According to the sales pitch, the LaserSaber features “an ultrasmooth magnetic gravity system that can ‘power up’ and ‘power down’ the blade.”

This may sound like a dream come true for legions of “Star Wars” fans, but there are some big, honking caveats involved. One is the following warning, which it annoyingly does not heed in its stuntman-enacted promo video: “Do not participate in any form of fencing or swordplay. Fencing or swordplay will cause serious damage to people, pets, or property.” This means you, Wampug owners.

The Spyder warnings about protective eyewear, skin burning, and eye-searing laser madness are still in effect.

Finally, there are no sound effects. All those years of making “vhooom” noises with your mouth won’t be wasted.

Check out this promo video with its sweet powering-up and powering-down action and warnings that these are not toys and can have devastating consequences if used improperly. Then imagine yourself in an epic battle with Darth Maul. Vhooom! Vhooom! If you can do that, you don’t actually need a laser that has the potential to blind you instantly. Seriously, “Star Wars” fans, your plastic lightsabers are still awesome and are way safer than a LaserSaber.

(Via Gizmodo)

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/96-tMlK8wB0/

The BMW i8 Concept Spyder

(Credit:
BMW i)

While most auto manufacturers are focusing their attention on the news and new models being revealed at the New York International Auto Show this week, BMW is setting its sights on the Beijing motor show, where it will debut the latest addition to the i family of vehicles.

BMW i8 Concept Spyder (photos)

The BMW i8 Concept Spyder is a topless two-seater version of the i8 coupe, and will make its first appearance at the Beijing motor show later this month. Slightly shorter than its 2+2 sibling, the Concept Spyder makes generous use of the carbon fiber reinforced plastic used in the LifeDrive architecture, features windowless doors that swivel up and a transparent tailgate. The interior is decked out in a mixture of plastic, carbon, and leather, and features an 8.8-inch high-definition screen that displays driving information in 3D.

Powered by a combined 354-horsepower eDrive power train (131-horsepower electric motor on the front axle and a 223-horsepower turbocharged three-cylinder engine in the rear), the i8 Concept Spyder achieves a 0-60 mph time of under 5 seconds and tops out at an electronically controlled 155 mph. And yet, the roadster sips fuel to the rate of up to 94 mpg in the European test cycle.

BMW introduced the i8 and i3 electric and plug-in car concepts last year, and the i8 Concept Spyder will keep the sub-brand in the public eye until the plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles enter production some time in 2013. It’s also a way for BMW to show off its lightweight and modular LifeDrive architecture by quickly developing a new model using the same powertrain and materials.

BMW i8 (photos)

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/d7PWtZp7eAc/

Halloween is nearly upon us, sure to usher in ghoulish tricks and treats. While I cannot give you any candy, I was able to find some tasty comments for you to nibble on until the big day. I’m still deciding what I want to be for Halloween, but it’s very likely I will be Ace Ventura. How about you?

In regard to PR2 robot learns to scoop poop:

For 400,000 dollars (the cost of PR2), you could hire someone for over a decade to pick up dog poop. –by Paramorekor

In regard to AeroShot: Ditch the coffee, huff your caffeine:

I would love to see someone try to sneak something that looks like a shotgun shell through the TSA. What? This thing contains a white powder? I don’t see any issues. –by Petriedish

In regard to Don’t blink! It’s a disappearing fruit label:

Good, maybe my coworkers will stop leaving those little stickers all around the office then. Seriously, these are friggin adults here! –by H00L1GAN

In regard to A gaming simulator like no other:

This is real cool until you brag to the 12 year old who decides to start going for ball hits rather than head shots. –by spyder3kgt

In regard to HP back in the PC game. Now what?:

What opportunity? HP is like the immature husband who leaves his wife, finds out he misses her, and begs her to take him back; there is no “commitment” there. No one sane is going to pay even as much as it costs HP to manufacture a consumer PC now; $99 is reasonable for a PC without reliable support. $400 and up is not. –by dumbspammers

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/y0M380h8z4s/

Verizon may follow the Droid Bionic with the Droid RAZR.

(Credit:
This is My Next)

The hardware specifications for the rumored Droid Razr surfaced over the weekend at This is My Next, painting the image of a slightly evolved Droid Bionic.

The seemingly reliable details include a 4.3-inch display, a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB RAM, an 8-megapixel camera, and 4G LTE support. Although the processor’s manufacturer has not been identified, it’s definitely a step up from the Droid Bionic. What’s more, the Super AMOLED Plus display certainly is a departure from the PenTile matrix found in other recent Motorola smartphones.

According to This is My Next’s source, the handset had a code name of Spyder, but the name “Droid Razr” is referenced in the handet’s “About” screen. What’s more, the tipster indicates that the phone features an “HD” front-facing camera, though its resolution was not immediately known.

Comparing these new images to one that first surfaced in August, it’s highly like that this is the same phone once also known as the Droid HD. Indeed, the other details match up pretty closely with each other so I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that this phone has multiple names.

Additional details for the Droid Razr include support for Motorola’s Webtop and Lapdock accessories, Gorilla Glass, and a Kevlar casing with a splash-guard coating.

Given all of the details, I expect that the phone will be announced for Verizon Wireless in the coming weeks with a fourth quarter release. I’ll be very interested in seeing how a Droid Razr is marketed, especially after the Droid Bionic is supposed to rule all machines. The Droid that rules the Droid that rules all machines?

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/DO8rsfR7SX8/

Mini’s new Coupe only seats two, but promises a bundle of fun.

(Credit:
Josh Miller/CNET)

The
Car Tech team has been at the 2011 International Motor Show in Frankfurt, and in our first day of coverage we’ve seen a mini electric car from Audi, a stylish SUV from Maserati, and a futuristic concept from Ford. Here’s a rundown of the big stories of the day:

Audi Urban Concept Spyder
Audi’s little electric car explores extreme ideas in future urban transportation.

Audi’s Urban Concept shows what happens when you think small.

(Credit:
Josh Miller/CNET)

Mini Cooper Coupe
Mini adds to its repertoire of fun, small cars with the smallest yet. This Coupe only has two seats.

BMW i8 plug-in hybrid concept
BMW kicks off its new i brand with a hybrid performance two-door four-seater.

2013 Lexus GS 450h
Lexus delivers a significant update to its GS sedan, a year early.

Maserati goes jumbo with its concept SUV.

(Credit:
Josh Miller/CNET)

Subaru XV
This new crossover from Subaru debuts with a Boxer turbodiesel engine.

Maserati Kubang concept
Maserati takes a stab at building an SUV, a big counterpoint to its sleek sedan, coupe, and roadster.

Ford Evos concept
Ford’s cool little concept showcases the company’s tech aspirations.

See more photos and video from the 2011 International Motor Show in Frankfurt.

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/xF9dBasdfM4/

The Audi Urban Concept Coupe and Spyder

(Credit:
Audi)

After publishing sketches and blatantly live-testing the vehicle in a crowded German square, Audi released more renderings of the Audi Urban Concept that it will unveil at the upcoming International Motor Show in Frankfurt. The biggest finding from the graphics is that the electric micro
car has a convertible twin.

Audi Urban Concept Coupe (photos)

The Audi Urban Concept is an electric two-seater that takes its styling cues and lightweight construction from sports cars. Designed for dense urban environments, the concept is powered by two electric motors.

Based on previously released information and sketches of the Coupe version of the Audi Urban Concept, the doors appear to slide back like a minivan’s. On the Spyder, which looks a little more like a 1960s Formula 1 car, they open diagonally to the top. How functional that is and exactly how they work remains to be seen. Both EVs seat two in staggered formation to maintain its narrow body design.

Perhaps the most generous thing that can be said about the renderings is that they are ambitious. Audi engineers didn’t design these concepts based on any previous or exiting platform. Rather, the concepts are an exercise in ultra-lightweight construction. The cockpit is made of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer, which integrates the undercarriage of both seats. Little information on the electric duo is available, so we’ll have wait until the Frankfurt show to see if the execution of this design is a success.

Audi Urban Concept Spyder (photos)

Article source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cnet/pRza/~3/Yty-j68CRv8/

INLSA

Gayton McKenzie. Photo: Khaya Ngwenya

Following his miraculous escape last weekend when he wrecked a R2 million supercar outside Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, controversial businessman Gayton McKenzie already has his eyes on a multimillion-rand Maybach limousine.

McKenzie, the chairman of Kenny Kunene’s growing nightclub empire ZAR, was travelling in a convoy of flashy cars on the R61 to Ngcobo when his white Audi R8 Spyder flew off the road, crashed through a fence and stopped in a field.

The vehicle knocked down an Eskom power pole, cutting electricity to parts of Ngcobo.

In the car with him was former Miss SA Teen Moloko McKenzie (not related to Gayton), who was knocked unconscious.

Gayton managed to free himself from the wreck, pulled Moloko free of the seat and carried her to safety.

Gayton, a former prisoner, his business partner Kunene and others were returning to Gauteng after attending the wedding of President Jacob Zuma’s daughter Dudu and businessman Lonwabo Sambudla at the Easter weekend.

The accident was witnessed by several people in the convoy, and Kunene was following the R8 in his Lam- borghini convertible.

“We’re all just glad that Gayton is okay. It was absolutely horrifying, but the important thing is that he is okay,” said Kunene.

“He has hurt his leg really badly and cannot drive at the moment. So, after he attends meetings he goes straight home to relax because he needs to recover,” said Kunene.

“Gayton was simply happy to be alive,” he added.

Meanwhile the Sushi King has revealed that he would be bringing popular US producer-performer Timbaland to the country to celebrate his club ZAR’s birthday at the end of May.

Kunene also revealed that several other famous singers would perform alongside Timbaland.

Celebrities Ciara, Fat Joe and Lil’ Kim are expected to join in the celebrations.

“Timbaland and the rest have been in talks with ZAR to do a four-show tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe, starting at the end of May, and have agreed to spend a week in Mzanzi,” said Kunene.

“So, instead of the usual whirlwind tour, they will be spending time with the ZAR family to get to know the country and its people and rock us all in Johannesburg, Durban, Nelspruit and Harare,” he added. – Saturday Star

Article source: http://www.iol.co.za/tycoon-writes-off-r2m-car-1.1063003