Follow Slashdot stories on Twitter

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×

Submission + - Will Dolby's New Atmos 62.2 Format Redefine Surround Sound? (cepro.com) 2

Submitted by
CIStud
CIStud writes: "Anyone who goes to see Pixar's new animated "Brave" film might come home with their ears ringing. Why? because "Brave" is the debut of Dolby's Lab's new 62.2 surround sound format called Atmos, which adds new innovations such as developments such as pan-through array and overhead speakers. With 62 speakers and 2 subwoofers, only a handful of theaters nationwide will be able to show the film at its full throttle. Dolby has produced a new highly informative video that talks about how movie sound has progressed from mono to stereo to LCR (left/center/right) to 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound and now Atmos. The big question is will the 62.2 format system be adapted for home theaters intent on emulating the immersive movie experience?"
Toys

Submission + - Lego dart gun shoots pencils over 100 feet (blogspot.com) 1

Submitted by
DroidFreak
DroidFreak writes: "What do you do when Mylar balloons get stuck on a ceiling 20 feet out of reach? You build a Lego dart gun to get them down of course! This "weapon" has a frame made of Legos; fires darts made of pencils, tape, and Kleenex; and is powered by rubber bands. It can shoot over 100 feet angled and can punch through aluminum cans. Best of all, my blog post includes instructions on how to build this gun so you too can have the power to fell Mylar balloons 20 feet above your head!"
Space

Submission + - It's Baaack! XB-37B finally lands. (af.mil)

Submitted by ColdWetDog
ColdWetDog writes: The US Air Force / DARPA 'baby shuttle', the Boeing built XB-37B has just landed after 469 days in orbit. No official explanation of why controllers kept the mission going past the original duration of 270 days other than 'because we could'.

I, for one, welcome our long duration, unmanned orbital overlords.
China

Submission + - China to build the world's tallest building in just 90 days (cnngo.com)

Submitted by another random user
another random user writes: A construction company based in Hunan is planning to erect an 838-meter building called Sky City later this year in just 90 days — a bit faster than the 5 years it took for the Burj Kalifa in Dubai.

There's a video showing some of their earlier buildings (like a 30 story hotel in just 15 days) here: http://kottke.org/12/06/chinese-firm-to-build-worlds-tallest-building-in-only-90-days
Hardware

Submission + - New PowerVR SGX reverse engineering project (openmoko.org)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: FSF has set up a new PowerVR SGX reverse engineering project.

The goal is to write free and open replacement drivers and firmware and maybe do fancy stuff with the GPU shader cores (signal and image processing).

There isn't much more information since the project was just set up.
IMHO a good starting point with a general architectural description
of the PowerVR SGX system can be found in the DM3730 TRM [1].

Someone has found out a little [2] about the USSE instruction set,
which appears to include e.g. Multiply+Add, Fraction, Square Root,
Log, Min/Max, And, Or, Xor. I think this makes it quite useful for signal
processing. But that appears to be all what is known currently.

I encourage reverse engineering geeks to contribute to this project since it will make the GTA04 and OpenPhoenux even more useful for the FLOSS communities.

Comment Re:Engadget... (Score 0) 448

by alexbgreat (#40304929) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Best Headphones, Earbuds, Earphones?
The explanation you seek was in the my original submission:

Given that the users of Slashdot are by far some of the best-qualified most discerning opinion-givers I've ever seen, what do YOU think is the best set of head-mounted loudspeakers for the money, with a cost of less than $50?

I asked Slashdot, because Slashdot is one of the few places I've found that has an active community that obviously understands my particular...eccentricities. I don't want consistent comparisons, nor do I need a forum full of buzzwords and fanboys to sort through. I wanted the opinions of THIS diversified and experienced community, and that's precisely what I got.

At risk of my tiny bit of karma, thank you for completely avoiding my original question. /Sarcasm
Music

Submission + - Ask Slashdot : Best Headphones, Earbuds, Earphones...etc? 1

Submitted by alexbgreat
alexbgreat writes: Given that the users of Slashdot are by far some of the best-qualified most discerning opinion-givers I've ever seen, what do YOU think is the best set of head-mounted loudspeakers for the money, with a cost of less than $50? Some features of these that would be stupendous to have (descending order of importance) : Noise Isolation (Not cancellation), flat/near flat response (I need to be able to hear bass, but I don't need my eardrums blown. I'm looking at you, Beats by Dr. Dre), Long-term comfort (Earbuds usually hurt for me), Durability. Over-ear is preferred to anything on- or in-ear. Boom mics are permissible, as it could very well see time as a broadcast intercom headset.
Power

Submission + - "Tin Whiskers" Could Triple the Capacity of Lithium-Ion Batteries (gizmag.com)

Submitted by Zothecula
Zothecula writes: For over 60 years, electrical engineers have been trying to minimize the problem of tin whiskers. Growing on tin-plated electronics, the needle-like structures get up to ten millimeters long, and can cause short circuits. Instead of trying to eliminate them, however, Washington State University’s Prof. Grant Norton has been looking into ways of growing them – albeit in a controlled manner. His research has led to the creation of a tin battery anode, which he claims could triple the capacity of lithium-ion batteries.

Slashdot Top Deals

He has not acquired a fortune; the fortune has acquired him. -- Bion

Close