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Tech Digest are GUINNESS WORLD RECORD BREAKERS! WOO!
We've seen both Game of Thrones and Battlestar Galactica get the 16-bit RPG makeover treatment from the folks over at College Humour, but they've taken the biscuit with their latest effort.
AMC's Breaking Bad has been turned into a cute, sprite based RPG. Well, as cute as an RPG about a cancer-ridden chemistry teacher-turned meth cook ever could be.
Take a look at it in the video above, but NOTE THAT NEARLY EVERY SCENE HAS A SHOW SPOILER IN IT.
Just so you know.
As if the constantly-looming threat of death by execution and imprisonment in hard labour camps wasn't enough, North Koreans have a new strictly punishable rule that must be adhered to. Those caught using a mobile phone will now be branded a war criminal by the dictatorial state which, we'd imagine, is an offence punishable with imprisonment in a hard labour camp and/or execution too.
That's because the totalitarian government believe that all citizen's excess energies, when not working to the bone for little or no reward, should be spent mourning the late "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-il II. The no-mobiles rule is part of the 100-day state-imposed "mourning period" for the bespectacled one with a love of looking at things.
In a somewhat cruel irony, it's unlikely that the new law will affect all that many North Koreans. As The Next Web point out, less than 5% of the poverty-stricken population own a mobile phone anyway.
Via: The Telegraph
Introducing the Intelligent Cheese Counter, a new retail innovation that lets you buy cheese from an in-store seller, just by pointing at it through the display glass.
No this isn't a joke, and we're a couple of months early for April Fools' Day yet. This is a new in-store retail concept from the German Innovative Retail Laboratory, part of the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence.
Designed to make the cheese buying process a little easier (an admittedly daunting task for cheese amateurs) it negates the slightly embarrassing problem of being unable to pronounce the name of a cheese, not knowing how it my taste, and what other foods or drinks it would go well with.
Using a 3D mounted camera just above the counter, the user simply points at their desired cheese, with the camera hooked up to a computer system that can pinpoint the direction of their finger within an accuracy range of two centimetres. Using two screens (one for the store clerk and one for the customer) the seller can then easily identify which cheese the customer is inquiring about, while the customer is shown a list of details about the cheese in question.
"It's a common problem. That soft, golden-yellow stuff at the back of the cheese counter looks so delicious and inviting, but you're too scared to order some because you don't know its name. And even if you do, you may not know how to pronounce it correctly. All you can do is point and hope for the best," reads the CeBit tradeshow listing.
"The intelligent cheese counter recognizes what product the customer is pointing at and displays it on screen for the customer and sales staff to see. It even provides additional information, such as the origin of the cheese or wines that go well with it."
Due to be revealed at this year's CeBit conference, there are no images available at the time of writing, but we envision a Minority Report-style future crammed full of these things. Preferably with some sort of virtual smell-masking app built in too.
For more info, check out the Innovative Retail Laboratory website.
For blokes, toilet games of pee-pee marksmanship are as old as Thomas Crapper's throne itself. Pick your target, aim your stream and let nature take its course.
Apart perhaps from the advent of the flush, it's a pastime that hasn't ever had any meaningful technological accompaniment brought to it. It is, after all, merely a trip to the loo and one (particularly in public places) that we usually want to get over and done with as quickly as possible.
That may all be set to change though thanks to a new product from Captive Media. They've been trialling the UK's first "hands-free urinal videogame", set for installation in bars and clubs up and down the country in 2012.
Featuring a 12-inch LCD screen with an Atom-dual core microprocessor running Windows 7 embedded, Captive Media's urinal game features a patented contact-less sensor unit that tracks the heat and movement of a user's urine stream. It's a bit like a Wii motion-sensor for wee.
The gaming element comes from a user's ability to aim their stream to control onscreen action. A number of games (with wry names like "On the Piste" for a downhill skiing slalom and "Clever Dicks" for a quiz challenge) require the user to aim their urine left or right into the urinal bowl to take down targets or select answers to questions. Everything is controlled via motion; from walking up to the urinal to start the game to taking part in the challenges, it's a hands-free experience that's as sanitary as taking a whizz ever can be (providing you wash your hands, of course).
The whole system is "retrofitable" too; as the unit sits above the urinal bowl, no extra plumbing is required, and can be fitted into a bar's existing toilet area within a few hours without much disruption.
It's silly fun for toilet-bound bar customers, with online leaderboards, optional Twitter integration and the potential for promotional competitions for high scorers, but also encourages cleanliness.
"The origins you can trace back to the fly in the urinal at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam," revealed Mark Melford, Captive Media director.
"It's been there for a long time, specifically for the purpose of helping men aim, and it works. The company that make them published research stating that washrooms employing their fly-printed urinals are 85% cleaner. Our idea asks wouldn't it be even better if that fly moved around, to design a machine where you can play a game that's genuinely interactive?"
But there's also a tightly crafted business element too. According to ADMEDIA, the average male toilet break is 55 seconds, enough time for two decent-length advertisements, or (slightly worryingly) 9 months worth of adverts across the course of a man's life. Captive Media's screens are perfectly placed to capitalise on these loo breaks with advertising. And just because ladies may not have quite the same interest in the competitive possibilities of peeing, the length of time women often have to queue to use club loos makes the screen tech just as valuable to advertisers in their stalls too.
It's also good news for bar owners. A trial run in the Ta Bouche bar in Cambridge saw 45% of the venue's customers state they would definitely stay longer or return because of the system, while a Corona beer promotion advertised through the units saw sales rise 47%.
"We expect any bar that installs [the units] to re-coup their costs in less than a year of installation because they have an impact on sales," explained Melford.
"Firstly because of the promotional punch, and secondly because they cause a buzz around the bar, and improve footfall to the venue."
"We already had a huge amount of interest in the units from bars, pubs, exhibition centres and retail outlets across the country and overseas - even though we've been trying to keep a lid on it," added Captive Media co-founder Gordon MacSween.
"It's a tough time for bars and pubs currently. This product offers customers something fun, and unlike anything they've seen before. Those are two good reasons to go out for a drink at a time when so many are opting to stay in."
For more info, visit www.captive-media.co.uk.
Mrs Branson, Mrs Gates, Mrs Buffet; this Christmas Gift Guide is tailor-made for you. Christmas is just around the corner, your mega-rich spouse is expecting something extra-special, but he's already snagged that island, the custom built jet with swimming pool and solid gold golf set that you planned on getting him.
But don't despair! We've got plenty of inventive ways to spend your billions in Tech Digest's Christmas Gift Guide to "Stupidly Expensive Gifts For The Man That Has It All".
Just don't forget to slip a tenner (or ten thousand) in the post to us for all our hard work once you've browsed our suggestions.
When you're done here, be sure to check out the rest of Tech Digest's 2011 Christmas wishlists too.
Yes thats right! The South Korean government has taken control of people's online gaming by enforcing a Shutdown Law by switching off all online services from midnight to 6am for all gamers sixteen or under.
Originally only meant to affect PC gaming, Sony and Microsoft Korea have now confirmed that all accounts for under sixteens will be shut off for the night in compliance with the law. This is a very drastic measure to combat Korea's late night gaming addiction and making sure that the youth of the country get six hours of sleep a night.
Sony and Microsoft will now also not allow players under the age of sixteen to make new PSN or Xbox Live accounts. Both companies have said it will be difficult to implement the shutdown laws in such a short space of time and they are unsure when their own systems will be in place.
Microsoft are going to find this a much harder system to implement, as Xbox Live does not register age data when signing in, so Microsoft are actually considering shutting down the whole Xbox Live system for all players no matter what their age during the time period! Nintendo is yet to comment on how they will handle the situation.
However there are a few flaws to this new law we feel. For starters, this is only shutting down online capabilities, not the consoles themselves. Players could quite easily (I'm not sure about happily) switch over to single player games when the shutdown begins. Just because the PSN network has shut down doesn't mean all teenage gamers are automatically going to think, "oh well its time for bed now", and toddle off to get tucked in.
Also many critics have said that the law does little to nothing about addressing why children are staying up late to play games, and there is no concrete evidence to suggest that late night online gaming is harmful to people.
Taiwan's biggest media group, the United Daily News has partnered up with a revolutionary augmented browser firm called Aurasma to create the worlds first augmented national daily newspaper. Images, editorials and advertising are all interactive by simply placing your mobile device's camera over the piece.
United Daily News have around one million readers daily and all will now be able to use Aurasma to create multimedia experiences from their newspaper. Launched in July this year, Aurasma has had over two million downloads to date on both Apple devices and high-powered Android phones. The technology works by using cutting edge image and pattern recognition technology to recognise real world images and objects.
Users of the service can access interactive content such as videos and animations by simply pointing their camera towards the image. Such symbols that I have tried out so far are a Diet Coke logo, 'The Who' album cover and even a Tottenham Hotspurs football shirt.
Martina King, Managing Director of Aurasma, said, "Look at any newspaper today and chances are advertising inside will be carrying the 'A' logo - identifying to readers that it is Aurasma enabled. It is an incredible achievement just fourth months after our launch.'
The Application is available for free on both Android market and the App store as a lite version. It features different features that can be used on logos as well as global locations which include the Empire State Building and Big Ben.
This technology is really interesting and can be used as a bit of light hearted fun but it could also have a lot of real world implications. Using it in Educational purposes, for medical students, in mechanical or engineering situations. There are so many opportunities for one piece of technology.
Microsoft see their latest phone releases as something of a big deal, in the case of this video a 6 storey deal. This giant Windows phone was built in New York to advertise the release of 4 new Windows phones over the christmas period.
![screenshot-secondlife[4].jpg](http://www.techdigest.tv/screenshot-secondlife%5B4%5D.jpg)
Those of you planning to shift a massive shipment of cocaine/smack/clarkey cat through Second Life; first off, you're idiots. Secondly, think twice; the FBI have got your little virtual world on lock down.
Second Life have been added to the Federal Bureau of Intelligence's latest "National Gang Threat Assessment" list, stating that would-be crooks are using the virtual world to organise criminal activities, making Second Life a threat comparable to the Hell's Angels, Latin Kings and Los Zetas.
Head to page 41 of the report, and you'll find this excerpt on the network:
Second Life is a computer-based virtual world with a simulated environment where users inhabit and interact via avatars, or graphical representations the virtual world may depict a real world or a fantasy world. Users communicate through text-chat and real-time voice-based chat. Second Life provides versatility and anonymity and allows for covert communications. Because of its anonymity and versatility, gang members could potentially use second life to recruit, spread propaganda, commit other crimes such as drug trafficking, and receive training for real-world criminal operations.
Seriously FBI, you've excelled yourselves this year with the wierd additions to the list. As if Second Life wasn't stupid enough as it is, the FBI are also tracking Juggalos, AKA fans of the Insane Clown Posse. Fans of any (c)rap collective capable of anything as unintentionally ridiculous and hilarious as this are surely harmless, right?
F**king Magnets!
Smell-o-Vision? Remember that? The idea that you could smell what you were watching on TV? Well the concept may be set for a comeback thanks to a small French company called Olf-Action.
They're getting ready to display at the Lisbon Design Show a nostril-bothering gadget called the SMELLIT, designed to replicate the smell of certain on-screen scenarios. Though little is known about SMELLIT beyond a few nifty design renders, the company have already had one roll of the pongy dice in cinemas, bringing "Odoravision" to a few screens to accompany a few films with retro-fitted smell tracks.
Does it work? We're not sure. Do we want it? We're even less sure of that. Still, if any eventual product looks half as good as the renders displayed below, it sure beats the old Noel's House Party smelly scratchcard trick that UK readers of a certain age are certain to remember anyway.
And, looking at the "scent list" Olf Action are touting, we'd be lying if we didn't say we aren't intrigued to find out what the "smell of the good mood" is.
Scroll down for a few shots of the SMELLIT:
Who needs costly surgery when you can go from an A-cup to a double F-cup in the blink of an eye with Microsoft's Kinect motion controller?!
This latest bizarre hack from Japan (where else?) gives both male and female players jiggly, jaggy boobs that look a perfect fit for a Madonna bra circa-1990.
A broken-English description of the hack on its official site reads:
'Using Kinect, is a virtual big breasts. "Marker-less" representation "3D" Advanced "touch busty" "several people play" features and so on.'
If "Advanced Touch Busty" wasn't creepy enough, listen out for the kids TV-style soundtrack the researchers have laid over the top of the video above.
Japanese speaking Tech Digest fans can grab some more info from the website here, as well as download the hack to try out for yourselves.
We've seen some pretty outlandish tablet accessories in the form-factor's relatively short lifespan, but this surely takes the biscuit. Take a look at the 14 Bike Co Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 bike.
A "custom made road bike and top of the range tablet holder", it's the Galaxy Tab add-on that you've always wanted without ever realising. Or at least we hope so, or Samsung/ 14 Bike Co are going to have a warehouse full of bikes with a weird clip on the frame to get rid of.
"Demonstrating the Galaxy Tab 10.1's 'lighter for performance' ethos the Tab holder is designed by F1 manufacturers, is super light at 125g and is complete with a super strong premium finish," read the press release.
"Accessible from the side, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 holder allows for the device to be used easily whilst on the move. Applications such as dashboards tracking mileage, route planners and repair instructions for punctures, can be downloaded from the Android Marketplace to enhance everyday cycling routes or more adventurous trips - a handy addition for any cyclist."
Make sure you're wearing a crash helmet if you plan on peeking between your legs at your Twitter feed while speeding around the velodrome on this thing.
Click here to send 14 Bike Co an email if you're interested in more info.
What do you call a dinosaur's dog? Rex.
What do you call a blind dinosaur's dog? Doyouthinkhesaurus Rex.
Not that any of these dapper dino pooches are having any trouble spotting this season's key canine fashion trends. This year's labrador look is all about scales and tails, as dog owners deck their pets out in Cretaceous costumes.
From waif-raptor chic to plus-size Stegosaurus jackets, there's something for all breeds and sizes. There's even the odd mammal costume in their too for good measure.
Admittedly, there's only a tenuous tech link here (er...you can buy them online at www.partycity.com?). But what has been seen cannot be unseen, and I laughed so much when I saw this that I couldn't help myself but share them for some Friday fun.
Click below to see the dogs strut their stuff.
Yes you read that correctly; animal rights activists PETA are launching a .xxx porn domain in order to "draw attention to the plight of animals."
By my calculations we're a little over 7 months off of this being an April fools joke, so we're guessing the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are taking this very seriously. And from the sounds of things, it's all going to get quite saucy.
"We live in a 24 hour news cycle world, and we learn the racy things we do are sometimes the most effective way that we can reach particular individuals," said PETA rep Lindsay Rajt.
"There will be a lot of girl and boy next door content, but we haven't ruled out celebrities on the site as well. People who are extraordinarily dedicated to helping animals and who are willing to do whatever it takes to draw attention to the suffering they endure."
Titillation for a good cause? It wouldn't be the first time PETA have tried the T&A approach, with everything from public showers to banned Superbowl ads. Just check the video above to see what we mean.
Via: Gizmodo
When it comes to UFO's and little green men, the truth may well be out there, but the UK's Ministry of Defence doesn't have the dough to find out. Newly released government files concerning UFO sightings show that a lack of money and interest on behalf of the authorities is keeping alien lifeforms very much in the realms of the final frontier.
The sightings, spanning the years 1985 to 2007, include reports of "worm-shaped" UFOs "wriggling around in the sky" over East Dulwich in south-east London and a number of images of what looked like a "flying saucer" over the Retford town hall in Nottinghamshire. In all, 34 separate file cases have been released.
"The fascinating thing about these files is that they show that just as in society there's this huge debate about UFOs - is it really interesting, are we being visited by aliens - or is it all just nonsense?" said Nick Pope former MoD investigator between 1991 and 1994.
"We were having the same debates in the Ministry of Defence. Some people thought it was a waste of time and money, others thought it was of extreme defence significance."
To check the files on sightings, visit the National Archives website here.
Via: BBC
QR codes are becoming an ever more prevalent way for advertisers to offer interactive content to smartphone and tablet users. Featured alongside an advert, smartphone users with a QR reading app can be offered app downloads, video content and further info, just by simply scanning the black-and-white barcode-like squares.
So of course it was only a matter of time until a brand slapped a QR code onto a human being. But it takes some dedication to have a QR code tattooed permanently onto your skin.
But that's just what French tattoo enthusiast Marco has had done. Teaming up with whiskey brand Ballantine, he's had a QR code inked onto his chest, which when read by a QR reader on an iPhone, opens up a YouTube video animation that makes his tat come to life and sing.
So, if the price was right, would you get a techy advert tattooed onto your body? And if you had the chance to choose, what would your QR code activate?
Via: Cnet
We're not sure what's more creepy here; the concept of a hug-simulating robot mannequin or researcher Nobuhiro Takahashi, who demonstrates the unit a little too enthusiatically in the video above.
Called the Sense-roid, a user hugs the mannequin while wearing a specially designed vest that houses a series of air pressure valves. The mannequin has sensors which send information to the vest, which increases and decreases the pressure in the air valves to simulate the feeling of a good old hug.
Takahashi is no stranger to weird simulators; he's also the brains behind a mad kissing simulator too.
"When people frist try out Sense-Roid, they think it's creepy," said researcher Nobuhiro Takahashi. "But gradually, they start feeling safe and secure."
Why anyone would feel safe and secure in a vest taht looks more dangerous than a particularly clingy boa constrictor, I can't begin to imagine. One for the loneliest of lonely hearts only, we'd say.
Via: Kotaku
We've seen USB ports on pretty much everything by now; from desk fans to little portable vacuum cleaners. But this is definitely one of the more bizarre items to have the ubiquitous port on it.
The humble cooking pot gets a 21st century makeover, using a USB connection and a thermoelectric material developed by TES NewEnergy Corp to turn excess heat into juice for your gadgets. It's a phenomenon known as the Seebeck effect, and uses uses the difference in temperature between the heat source (~ 550 ° C) and water boiling (~ 100 ° C) to create an electrical current of around 200 ~ 250 mA.
That much power would charge a smartphone in about 4 hours though, so be prepared for some very tender stewed meat or soggy vegetables if you want your iPhone fully powered.
USB Cooking pot Hatsuden-Nabe is available in Japan now for around the $280 mark.
I have no interest whatsoever in the Royal Wedding. Fair play to the young regal lovers for tying the knot and bagging us all an extra couple of Bank Holiday days off, but the near-certain pomp and excess of Prince William and Kate Middleton's nuptials rubs me up the wrong way.
However, I would be way more interested in the Royal Wedding were the House of Windsor blowing its sizable fortune on the world's most extravagantly tech filled wedding EVER. That would be pretty awesome.
If Kate and William are looking for a geeky, techy J-Lo replacement as their wedding planner, I'm their man. To prove my credentials, read on to see how Tech Digest would organise the ultimate Geek Fantasy Tech Royal Wedding, were money no issue, cybernetic bodyguards watched our backs and supernatural eco-warriors with a penchant for plastic rings existed...
Carriage: Star Wars AT-AT
You've got the aging royals standing on the doorstep of Buckingham Palace, it's pouring rain and Prince Philip is moaning that his tails are getting wet. Time is of the essence, if the millions watching the vows on YouTube are to get timely live coverage. A horse drawn carriage simply wont do. Enter the All-Terrain Armoured-Transport, AKA the AT-AT from Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back. There will be enough room for the whole of Eton in the boot, while the Queen could even quickly take a detour past John Lydon of the Sex Pistols' house and blow it to smithereens with the head-mounted laser cannons.
Arrival: Westminster Abbey Foursquare check-in
Prince Charles climbs out of the AT-AT, pops his top hat over his ears (after several troubled attempts) and walks through the doors of Westminster Abbey. But not before checking-in to the place of worship using Foursqaure on his smartphone. Alas; no free coffee comes with today's check-in, so he quickly nips around the corner to one of about 30 Starbucks on the adjacent street and does the same thing there.
Home Video: Panasonic HDC-SDT750 3D camcorder
The whole ceremony may be being beamed live around the world to billions, but there's nothing like catching best man Prince Harry picking his nose with a cheekily zoomed home video camera. With Sky passing up the opportunity to cover the event in 3D, we'd love to see Prince Andrew rock up with a Panasonic HDC-SDT750 3D camcorder to film the day's festivities, though keeping Charlie's ears in frame might prove difficult.
Pageboy: R2-D2 astromech droid
If your pageboy isn't loveable, then he aint worth the ice-cream you're paying him in. If you want a reliable, iconic alternative with a motorised heart, R2-D2 is your droid. He's got more features than a sci-fi Swiss Army Knife, and will have your diamond wedding ring popping out of his spring-loaded head before you can say "Let the Wookie win".
Bodyguards: T-800 Terminator
With high profile guests from around the world, the Royal Wedding is potentially a target for trouble makers of all descriptions. If you've got people who need protecting, there's no better bodyguard than the T-800 model Terminator. I can see the touching scene at the end of the ceremony now as Her Royal Highness bawls into The Terminator's bullet-ridden leather jacket. His words of comfort? "I know now why you cry, but it is something I can never do". Beautiful.
Vicar: I-Fairy Robot
A vicar. That is a robot. $68,000 will secure the I-Fairy robot priest to rattle off your vows with its Speak-And-Spell voice. Noticing a pattern here? Well we never said that the tech wedding would ever stretch beyond a love of automated human replacements, but considering the stock smiles and well-trained poise the majority of the royal family seems to posses, you have to wonder which guests are the ones dreaming of electric sheep...
Kate's Dress: Enlightened LED Wedding Dress
Picture the scene; hundreds of TV vans are draining Westminster Abbey's power supply to broadcast the event to the world, when disaster strikes. A power-cut occurs just before Kate hits the aisle. Think a University of Edinburgh graduate like Kate wouldn't plan for something like this? Exactly; that's why she's wearing a wedding dress lined with 300 glowing LED lights from Enlightened. Touching and tacky at the same time.
The Rings: Captain Planet Elemental Rings
I-Fairy's done its part, the vows are exchanged, time to slip on those rings. But wait! What are those lights emanating from the newlyweds fingers! GASP! They aren't wedding rings, they're PLANETEER RINGS! Wills has Earth and Kate has Fire! Who'd have thought it? Up pops Captain Planet, cleaning up the ceremony's carbon footprint in an instant while his theme tune blasts over the PA. He's a hero, and he is going to take pollution down to zero, don't you know. GO PLANET!
After The Vows: Changing Your Facebook Relationship Status with a HTC Salsa or ChaCha
You've mopped up the tears, the crowd is cheering, the royal fanfare is trumpeting out around the globe. The next step on the path to marital bliss for Wills and Kate? Changing their Facebook statuses to "Married". A HTC Salsa or ChaCha, with their one-button-touch access to the social network, will have them broadcasting the change before they've even walked back down the aisle. Compared to the other ideas, this one almost seems sensible...
It's Friday, the weekend's nearly upon us, we're all tired; the last thing we need is a good old shock. But that's what the Tech Digest team got when a link to this peculiar mobile phone turned up in our inbox. It is, without a doubt, the most terrifying communications device we've ever seen.
Introducing Elfoid, a handheld "humanoid phone" developed by NTT Docomo and Qualcomm.
20cm long, the demon-child-like device is covered in a fleshy urethane skin, with call controls embedded into its stomach. Equipped with a camera, robotic elements pick up on a caller's movements, allowing two users of Elfoid phones to have their movements and facial expressions replicated by the device. Its arms move. Its neck turns. Its hands wave. Its eyes will follow you around the room. Make it stop.
A larger version, known as the Telenoid R1 robot was launched last year, and like the more portable Elfoid, is intended to give long distance calls, particularly for elderly isolated relatives, a more human touch.
Elfoid has fallen so far down into the Uncanny Valley that it's seared onto the backs of my eyeballs for all eternity. Only a five year wait until they hit shops, and begin stealing souls.
Check out more images below, if you dare. The crucifixion pose is a particularly nice touch.
Via: Pink Tentacle
Thanks to Tech Digest reader Lotte for the tip!
APP OF THE DAY: Football Manager 2012 Handheld (iPhone/ iPad)
24-carat gold MacBook Pro may have ice, but just isn't cool
Smell-o-Vision: Whiffing its way to your nostrils soon!
Steve Jobs RIP. Pictures
From: The 101 best iPhone apps in the world today