Filed under: Transportation
If you're like us and haven't washed your car since, like, ever, you're probably used to the windshield getting all fogged up (not in the good, make out point way, however) and habitually swiping at the glass with your sleeve while swerving between lanes and praying that your airbag still works. Well thanks to a new coating developed by researchers at Purdue University, your dangerous driving habits may soon be a thing of the past (well, except for those occasions when you're texting your buddies while eating a cheeseburger and fiddling with the radio), as this material has the unique ability to both prevent the formation of water droplets (no more fog!) as well as cause oil-based substances to bead up for easy cleaning (no more road grime!). The science behind this breakthrough is a little boring (i.e. we don't really understand it), but it seems that by covalently bonding a DuPont substance known as Zonyl FSN-100 to ordinary glass, the component polymers are able to change shape and react differently depending on the chemicals they come into contact with. After figuring out a way to apply the coating cheaply through spray or roll-on techniques, the next step for the Boilermakers will be to coax the material into repelling other nasty substances, making it suitable for use on the gadgets and glasses we geeks hold so dear.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
(Jeremy Allison is part of the Samba project.) Ramji's approach to the connection between Microsoft and FOSS seems to by crystallized by quotes such as these:"Would I like to contribute to Samba? You bet. Am I constrained by the fact [Jeremy Allision] testified against us in the EU and the general politics between Steve [Ballmer] and Jeremy [Allison]? Yes. My hands are tied. That sucks.
So, by 2015, will FOSS have been Embraced and Extended by Microsoft?"If someone upgrades to Vista because they hear that Firefox runs better on Vista than on WinXP, I'm happy with that.
[...]
In 1995, Microsoft was the company that missed the Internet. In 2005, I don't think you could say that. [In 2005 it] was the company that missed open-source. In 2015, I don't think you're going to be able to say that.
Filed under: Media PCs
IBM looks to be trying to make multimedia content on the web slightly more accessible to the blind, developing a new browser that'll make it easier to sort out audio and video from other content, with the project itself led by a blind researcher at the company, the BBC reports. Dubbed the Accessibility Browser, or A-Browser for short, it'll apparently let users control audio and video with a few keystrokes instead of a mouse, including the the ability to slow down or speed up video, as well as access alternate audio tracks for the blind when available. It does seem to have a few drawbacks, however, with it currently compatible only with Real Player and Windows Media Player, leaving many sites nigh impenetrable. That could conceivably change though, as the company's also set to make the browser open source when it's ready, which should come sometime later this year.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
You knew the job was dangerous when you took it, Fred. -- Superchicken
