Daily Bits

Real Life Hoverbike

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Admit it. You’ve wanted a hoverboard forever, or anything that hovers and actually works, for that matter. The idea of having a means of going around without wheels touching the ground (without having to take an airplane, that is) is something that most every person dream about. Well, at least most every person that I know.

Thanks to Chris Malloy, a real life hoverbike just might be within our reach in the near future. The hoverbike he is making can be seen below. It has two rotor blades (made from Tasmanian Oak, with the edges being carbon fiber) at the ends, while the seat and control area are in the middle. As you can see, the bike is almost as long as a car!

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The bike has an engine packing a whopping 1170cc, with the rotors receiving 80kW each. The designer/maker thinks that the hoverbike has the ability to hover – more like fly – up to 10,000 feet (that’s 3000 meters) and go as fast as 278 kilometers per hour.

Here is how the hoverbike would look like in action.
hoverbike hovering
Thorough testing is set to begin, so that the hoverbikes can be put into production. If you want one (you know you do), you have to start saving up $40,000 as that is supposed to be the base price for the hoverbike. Malloy and his team are willing to make working prototypes for those who cannot wait, though, but I don’t know the price tag of those. Alternatively, donate to their project, and get a chance to win a working prototype.

Russian ATM That Can Detect Lies

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Russian ATMThieves who make their living out of unauthorized ATM access are soon going to have to find a different source of income. I have, fortunately, never been a victim of ATM theft, but there are countless people who have been victimized via all sorts of modus operandi.

If Russian company Speed Technology Center succeeds in its latest project, however, ATM theft may become a thing of the past – and not soon enough, in my opinion! The company is currently in the testing stage of a cutting edge ATM that adds several layers of security. Currently, we rely heavily on the Personal Identification Number (PIN) for security. Banks and security experts give out all sorts of tips on how to keep the PIN safe, but inevitably, breaches occur – resulting in unauthorized access.

With Speed Technology Center’s new machines, the dependence on the PIN will be gone. Instead, the addition of voice recognition software plus the application of lie-detector technology will make security a tough nut to crack. More than that, however, the new machines are equipped with high tech measures such as the ability to scan passports, record fingerprints, and do a 3D facial scan. Impressive, really, but I am worried that thieves might resort to cutting of their victims’ fingers!

Seriously, though, this system seems to be working, as is being observed by Sberbank, the Russian bank doing the testing. The plan is to roll out these machines across Russia, in banks and malls. I think that it is a brilliant idea and that other countries/banks should follow suit. What do you think?

Angry Birds Cookbook Coming Soon!

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Eggs
Talk about taking advantage of a brand’s popularity by expanding one’s horizons even more! This is exactly what gaming company Rovio is doing. Not content to sit on their laurels with the success of the game Angry Birds (and all its other variations), Angry Birds the movie, and a host of other branding stints, Rovio is now venturing into something totally unexpected – the kitchen!

Now one would think that the kitchen is the logical place to be for birds and pigs, the main characters in the game, but the characters are not exactly meant to be eaten, are they? Rovio’s cookbook, however, is going to focus on EGGS. Yup, the self-published cookbook is going to feature family-friendly recipes with eggs as the main ingredients.

No wonder these birds are so full of angst! First they’re pitted against pigs that are colored green – for goodness’ sake, I don’t know why they have to be green! Then they have to be put on a slingshot and hurtled through the air. The impact has to hurt – not to mention the sensation of flying unnaturally. Now, their eggs have to be the focus of a cookbook! Then again, I suppose that they can be thankful that the cookbook is not a specialty cookbook featuring poultry.

Seriously, though, Rovio seems to be spreading themselves thinly in an effort to gain more revenue. It is rather surprising as one would think that with the amount of exposure that they have, Rovio would not need much in terms of marketing services, paid search company services, and the like. However, it seems that the company is not earning as much as most people think (that includes me, I suppose) – hence the aggressiveness in branching out and identifying other sources of revenue.

Since I have been known to go out and spend money on most anything Angry Birds (the last purchase being a cute bag for my nephew), I won’t be surprised if I find a copy of the new cookbook in my possession. After all, I do like my eggs!

The cookbook will be available in next few weeks in both traditional print format and app form.

Via
Photo via pietroizzo

Wearable QR Codes

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Cross-stitched QR Code
What did I say last week? QR codes are “coming of age”, and they are here to stay. Somewhere in Seattle, people are using QR codes on their tombstones and the tombstones of their loved ones so that they can preserve memories in more tangible forms. Morbid as it may seem to some, I think it’s one of the more creative and useful uses of technology.

If you disagree, then you might be more interested in another application of QR codes, which seems to be gaining traction. A project called QR-3D ((QR-3D Site)) is up and running and looking for participants. This project has a simple aim – to see if textile versions of QR codes will work.

It does not take much effort to realize that textile QR codes can take on a wide variety of forms, as there are so many ways by which you can place a design on fabric. There is screen printing. Then there’s cross-stitching (or plain old stitching). How about quilting? Knitting? The possibilities are boundless, and one can easily see how this project can open up the doors of your geeky creativeness – or creative geekiness, whichever you prefer.

The project is being curated by Sally Fort, who poses the challenge to textile artists and geeks to come up with all sorts of ways to integrate QR codes into their work. Anyone can participate in the project, and if your work is chosen, it will be included in the QR-3D exhibit at Cornerhouse, Manchester, UK. This will be held later this year, in autumn.

What makes me excited about this development is the possibility of having QR codes (with real “meanings”) on t-shirts. Everyone’s wearing quirky, geeky shirts. Bring out the next big thing – QR codes shirts that need to be deciphered! What do you think?

HP Does Good With Anti-Malaria Technology

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malaria
Electronics giant Hewlett-Packard might not be the first thing that comes to mind when the subject of mobile technology is brought up, but they are giving back to humanity using this very technology that other entities dominate. Most people in developed countries would not think twice about malaria, and maybe many even think that the disease has been wiped out. While this may be true in many countries, there are still locations where malaria is present. In some parts of the world, malaria poses a serious threat to locals. Botswana is one of these locations.

What HP is doing is working hand in hand with a health monitoring service in the African country, with the aim of tracking outbreaks of malaria and ultimately stopping the outbreaks before they reach too far.

Enter the Palm Pre 2. There was a time when there were people who thought that the Palm Pre 2 just might give the Apple iPhone a run for its money, but it didn’t really happen. And while there might not be too many people using the Palm Pre and Palm Pre 2, at least the technology is being put to good use.

The program is being conducted together with the group Positive Innovation for the Next Generation (PING), the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and Mascom (a network provider in the country). With these significant players collaborating, the people of Botswana will benefit from the program. In the future, the program is meant to be spread to other African countries, with HP continuing to help with the technological aspects. HP may not be your favorite brand, but it still is nice to hear about initiatives like this one, isn’t it?

Via Venture Beat

This Could Be the Hardest Puzzle You’ll Meet This Week

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Do you love challenges? Do you like sitting down and pitting your wits against puzzles? Well I have discovered something that you might like to spend time on when you have nothing else to do. I don’t know what it is called although the first text that you will see is “Enter the Door”.
Level One
This level’s pretty easy. Even I figured it out within a second. However, the moment I moved to the second level, I found myself embarrassingly stuck.
Level Two
The idea of the game is fairly simple. You have to move on to the next level, no matter what. You have to use everything in your power to move to the next level, and as you progress, the solution is not always obvious. You can always read the tips and hints provided with the game, but then if you consider yourself brilliant and independent, you shouldn’t need to check that document. 😉 (Also, the hints are only provided up to level 8. From level 9 to 81, your trainer wheels are taken off, and you’ll be on your own.

It’s Monday, and you may have tons of work waiting for you, but if you need a break, go check out NotPrOn. Please don’t blame me if you end up not getting any work done today. (It’s Monday anyway.)