A Mouthful of USB

Technical Barbie, White House Tweet, Tablet Talk, Jet Packs, Robot Assembly, Lego Rubix Cube solver, and tech calls.

Rubix Cube-Solving Robot May Open Wormhole

Robots are cool when they do cool things. This one solves a Rubix Cube, but it looks like it should do so much more.

Robots made using Lego Mindstorms that solve Rubix Cubes are apparently yesterday’s lunch, but The Cubestormer has a menacing aura that will make all other Rubix Cube robots toot in their trousers. This somewhat large machine will take any 3×3×3 Rubix Cube combination and wipe the floor with it in under 12 seconds.

USB Mouth Camera

わざわざ歯医者さんへ行かなくてもパソコンが1台あれば気楽に自分で口内細部のチェックを可能にしてくれるのが、この「USBデンタル・マイクロスコープ」です。本体部分はわずか35gという軽量なので、虫歯や歯石などの口内チェックはもちろん、お肌のチェック、頭髪のチェックにもご使用いただけます。これ一台で、細部のヘルスチェックを行うことができる優れたマイクロスコープです。

Introducing Computer Engineer Barbie!

“This morning Mattel unveiled Barbie’s 125th and 126th career which was decided based on votes that poured in from her fans all over the world.”

Tweeting for history - The Oval: Tracking the Obama presidency

“The lawyers have spoken: Any tweets tweeted by rookie [tweeter Robert Gibbs|http://twitter.com/whitehouse] will be archived in keeping with the Presidential Records Act of 1978.”

  • Follow the [White House|http://twitter.com/whitehouse] on twitter.
  • Follow [lyle|http://twitter.com/lyle] on twitter.
  • Follow [GeekSpeak|http://twitter.com/GeekSpeakGeeks] on twitter.

In Defense of iPad | Geek Technica

Every time Apple releases a new line of product it creates a lot of buzz, both positive and negative. So, it is no surprise that when Apple announced [iPad|http://www.apple.com/ipad/] last week the usual Apple fanboy was raving about it and Apple haters (or potential competition to iPad) was denouncing it. In the midst of all those bickering between the two groups what was missing was an objective look at both the positive and the negative sides of iPad.

Submitted by our listeners, check out [Ars Technica’s tablet comparison|http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8300945231/m/228003823041], [Apple iPad vs Amazon Kindle|http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10443186-1.html], [a comparison of e-Readers|http://lifehacker.com/5460709/current-crop-of-e+readers-compared-ipad-vs-the-rest], and [Android vs iPad|http://phandroid.com/2010/01/29/android-tablets-vs-apple-ipad-comparisonreview/] for more information on this emerging subgroup of computing.

Tablet Talk: Ave!Comics on the iPad

Another example of a tablet application

Deal paves way for jetpack factory

The Martin Aircraft Company has signed a $12 million joint-venture deal to start production of the world’s first commercially available jetpack.

The Christchurch-based company has been developing the jetpack for more than a decade but has struggled to find New Zealand funding for commercial production.

Company chief executive Richard Lauder said the joint venture would build Martin Jetpacks at an overseas factory, with the aim of making 500 units generating annual turnover of $100 million within three years.

  • [Martin Jet Pack| http://www.martinjetpack.com/]
  • [Technical Info| http://www.martinjetpack.com/technical-information.aspx]
  • [Technical Info PDF | http://www.martinjetpack.com/media/19423/brochure%20general%20for%20website.pdf]
  • 5 gallon capacity, 10 gallons per hour fuel burn = 30 minutes flight?
  • [Flying cars by 2011 | http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/flying-cars-by-2011/] ?

GM and NASA's robot assembly-line worker

They would never go on strike, take a pay cheque, or cost billions in pension funds.

A next-generation workforce of advanced, human-like robots is being co-developed by General Motors engineers and NASA scientists, to be employed on both vehicle-assembly lines and in space.

The United State’s biggest car maker and national space agency have announced they are collaborating under a new Space Act Agreement to build a “faster, more dextrous and technologically advanced robot” called Robonaut 2 (or R2).

Car companies have long used large robotic arms to manufacture vehicles, but the humanoid R2 features pivotal joints, fingers and opposable thumbs that would allow it to use tools and perform intricate work.


! Jim – Big Sur called in

! Sunil from Chicago

! Mark from Salinas

Does anyone know of a way of doing texting by voice?