Engadget RSS Feed http://www.engadget.com Engadget http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif Engadget http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2013 AOL Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ <![CDATA[NASA opens up Launch Control Center for public tours]]> http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/12/nasa-launch-control-center-public-tours/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/12/nasa-launch-control-center-public-tours/ http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/12/nasa-launch-control-center-public-tours/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments NASA opens up Launch Control Center for public tours

The NASA control center, responsible for a huge chunk of space-faring history, will open its doors to tour groups for the first time in over 30 years, celebrating the Kennedy Space Center's 50th anniversary. Starting this Friday, a "limited number" of tours will take bright-eyed enthusiasts into the Launch Control Center, where all 152 launches were counted down -- visitors will even get to peer at the very same clock. NASA has also granted access to the "bubble room", which is surrounded by windows showing what went on in the firing room just below. The daily tour also throws in a drive-by viewing of one of the shuttle launch pads. The tours will run through the end of 2012 -- adults will need to fork out an extra $25, while kids will cost $19 on top of the typical entrance fee.

[Image Credit: Britannica Online, 1000 Words / Shutterstock.com]

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]]> kennedy space centerKennedySpaceCenterlaunch control centerLaunchControlCenterlaunchpadnasapublicspacetour Tue, 12 Jun 2012 10:42:00 -0400 21|20256634 <![CDATA[Facebook IPO is official: $38 per share, on sale tomorrow under ticker symbol 'FB']]> http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/facebook-ipo-is-official-38-per-share-on-sale-nasdaq-fb/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/facebook-ipo-is-official-38-per-share-on-sale-nasdaq-fb/ http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/facebook-ipo-is-official-38-per-share-on-sale-nasdaq-fb/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments facebook paid

We largely steer clear of companies going public here at Engadget, but Facebook and its zillions of users warrants an atypical tip of the hat. The outfit has announced that starting tomorrow, 421,233,615 shares of its common stock will be up for grabs at a price to the public of $38 per share. It'll trade on the NASDAQ under the symbol "FB," with the outfit offering 180,000,000 shares of Class A common stock and selling stockholders offering 241,233,615 shares of Class A common stock. Closing of the offering is expected to occur on May 22nd, subject to "customary closing conditions." And with that, we'd like to congratulate a plethora of new billionaires on... well, being billionaires. Don't work too hard, guys and girls.

Celebratory video is after the break.

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]]> breaking newsbusinesscompanyfacebookindustryipopublicsocial networksocial networkingSocialNetworkSocialNetworkingvideo Thu, 17 May 2012 16:21:00 -0400 21|20240330 <![CDATA[Vection Field controls traffic at SIGGRAPH, fictional cities from the future (video)]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/12/vection-field-controls-traffic-at-siggraph-fictional-cities-fro/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/12/vection-field-controls-traffic-at-siggraph-fictional-cities-fro/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/12/vection-field-controls-traffic-at-siggraph-fictional-cities-fro/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments So, let's set the stage. You're walking down a semi-busy street in a semi-foreign city. You're curiously hanging close to the middle of the sidewalk. You bust out your smartphone and figure out that your so-called engagement just got "Complicated." Your gait has an irregularity. You look up and spot what appears to be a local, eerily perturbed and somewhat flummoxed by your current position. You dodge left. So does he. You dodge right, knowing full well that it'll only complicate matters when he follows suit. Before long, you're tiptoeing around a stranger while a full-on traffic jam builds up behind you. You've just ruined the universe, and that's not doing anyone any good. The solution? The University of Electro-Communications's Vection Field, which hones in on large moving visual cues that "induce a sense of self-movement." Funny enough, the lenticular lenses pathway here at SIGGRAPH actually worked -- we never expected an optical illusion to solve such a monumental issue, but we'll take it. Vid's past the break, per usual.

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]]> artconceptdemodemonstrationdesignjapanpedestrianprototypepublicsiggraphsiggraph 2011Siggraph2011traffictransitvection fieldVectionFieldvideo Fri, 12 Aug 2011 09:22:00 -0400 21|20014870 <![CDATA[Strawberry Tree brings free, solar-powered charging to Belgrade's BlackBerrys, more (video)]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/17/strawberry-tree-brings-free-solar-powered-charging-to-belgrade/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/17/strawberry-tree-brings-free-solar-powered-charging-to-belgrade/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/17/strawberry-tree-brings-free-solar-powered-charging-to-belgrade/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Dead battery in Belgrade? Head to the city's Obrenovac district, where a group of students has developed the world's first public charging station powered entirely by solar energy. Known as the Strawberry Tree, the structure's 16 ports support a variety of handhelds, allowing pedestrians to juice up their cell phones in just ten to 15 minutes, at no charge. Its built-in batteries can also store up to a month's worth of back-up energy, enabling the station to hum along at night, or even during Serbia's less sunny seasons. In the first 40 days following its November launch, the Strawberry Tree logged some 10,000 charging sessions -- or about ten charges per hour. Creator MilosĖŒ Milisavljevic was just 17 years old when he came up with the idea, and now, at the ripe old age of 22, is looking to plant new stations across other Serbian cities, through his Strawberry Energy NGO. He says these installations won't generate much revenue from consumers, but that's not really the idea:

"Energy from the sun is free, and it would be unethical to charge people to use the Strawberry Tree...We are trying to inspire young people to think about the source of the energy they use, and behave and act responsibly."

You can check out the Strawberry Tree in the video below, or find out more about Milisavljevic's ideal-driven endeavors in the full PR.

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]]> belgradecell phoneCellPhonecharging stationChargingStationenergyEUgreengreen energyGreenEnergymobilemobile chargerMobileChargerngophonepublicrenewable energyRenewableEnergyresearch in motionResearchInMotionRIMserbiasmartphonesolarsolar chargersolar powerSolarChargerSolarPowerstationstrawberrystrawberry energystrawberry treeStrawberryEnergyStrawberryTreestudentsustainable energySustainableEnergyteenvideo Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:03:00 -0400 21|19969537 <![CDATA[Visualized: Google charts the rise and fall of United States revenues]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/28/visualized-google-charts-the-rise-and-fall-of-united-states-re/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/28/visualized-google-charts-the-rise-and-fall-of-united-states-re/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/28/visualized-google-charts-the-rise-and-fall-of-united-states-re/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Where would we be without Google? Well, we wouldn't have pretty charts to gawk at, for starters! The Mountain View squad has pulled 10 years' worth of fiscal data from the US Census Bureau and compiled it into some gorgeous, infinitely sortable, and re-organizable graphs. They inspire both our admiration and apprehension, as their lines illustrate most starkly the shrinkage that replaced US economic growth over the latter half of the last decade. We've only picked out a few of the big states here, but all 50 are in Google's public database -- why not hit the source link and check up on your local governors' pecuniary (mis)management skills, eh?

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]]> budgetcensuschartsdatadebtfinancefinancesfundsgooglegovernmentgraphsinformationmoneypublicpublic dataPublicDatastatestatesstatisticsstatsunited statesUnitedStatesusUS Census BureauusaUsCensusBureauvisualized Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:17:00 -0400 21|19894327 <![CDATA[Fusion-io IPO filing discloses list of prestigious clients, led by Facebook]]> http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/10/fusion-io-files-for-ipo-discloses-list-of-prestigious-clients/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/10/fusion-io-files-for-ipo-discloses-list-of-prestigious-clients/ http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/10/fusion-io-files-for-ipo-discloses-list-of-prestigious-clients/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Before last week, we'd gone well over a year without discussing solid state storage purveyors Fusion-io -- and their extremely expensive and expeditious flash drives -- but things seem to have been ticking along just fine behind the scenes. While the company's unlikely to have sold many ioDrives to good old Joe Consumer, its upcoming IPO application features an impressive list of corporate clients, highlighted by Facebook, its biggest customer, IBM, HP, and Credit Suisse -- the latter using Fusion-io technology to speed up the mathematical alchemy of making money where there was none before. Taken together with strategic investments from Samsung and Dell, these deals paint a rosy outlook for the Woz-employing startup, however it's worth noting that profitability is still a decent way away. Fusion-io's rapid growth is costing it more than it's making at the moment, which is most likely to have catalyzed its current decision to go public and collect its biggest round of investments yet. Let's hope the investor prospectus includes a forecast for when things like the ioXtreme might actually become affordable to non-millionaires, eh?

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]]> credit suisseCreditSuissefacebookflashflash storageFlashStoragefusion-ioinitial public offeringInitialPublicOfferinginvestmentinvestorsipoMarc AndreesenMarcAndreesenpublicsecsolid state storageSolidStateStoragessdstorage Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:25:00 -0500 21|19874932 <![CDATA[Windows 7 SP1 public beta now ready for download]]> http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/14/windows-7-sp1-public-beta-now-ready-for-download/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/14/windows-7-sp1-public-beta-now-ready-for-download/ http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/14/windows-7-sp1-public-beta-now-ready-for-download/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Slightly ahead of schedule, Microsoft has dished out Service Pack numero uno for Windows 7. The hot-selling OS has been a revelation since its release and it's therefore no surprise that this update pack does nothing remarkably new or important. It collates all of Microsoft's patches since launch into a neat little (well, not really, it's 1.2GB in size) package and throws in a few other hotfixes to boot. Microsoft treats its betas rather unceremoniously, however, so don't expect any support with this thing until it goes final -- which we're hearing might not be until early 2011. We'd say that's a long way out but it's not like Windows 7 isn't treating us well enough already. Hit the source to obtain the download, if you must.

[Thanks, JagsLive]

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]]> betadownloadmicrosoftospatchpublicpublic betaPublicBetaservice packservice pack 1ServicePackServicePack1softwarewindowswindows 7Windows7 Wed, 14 Jul 2010 06:55:00 -0400 21|19553518 <![CDATA[Panasonic's CTO takes your 3D questions live via Ustream tomorrow at 3 p.m.]]> http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/29/panasonics-cto-takes-your-3d-questions-live-via-ustream-tomorro/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/29/panasonics-cto-takes-your-3d-questions-live-via-ustream-tomorro/ http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/29/panasonics-cto-takes-your-3d-questions-live-via-ustream-tomorro/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Panasonic should be living the easy life, the newest iteration of its acclaimed V-series plasma HDTVs have been touted as having the best looking 2D and 3D available, the first 24-hour US 3D channel launches this week, and there's even at least one Blu-ray 3D movie is on retail shelves. But even with all that, there's a lot of confusion and questions about whether or not 3D is a good thing and what consumers should expect, so it's taking the unusual step of putting Chief Technology Officer Eisuke Tsuyuzaki on a live Ustream webcast taking questions from you, the public. Whether you're wondering if any focus has been taken away from 2D image quality, what can be done about cross manufacturer 3D glasses compatibility or anything else, show up at 3 p.m. EST tomorrow, June 30 and see what Panasonic has to say in response. Check the read link for the Ustream channel or just pop right back here, it's embedded after the break.

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]]> 3d3dtvctoEisuke TsuyuzakiEisukeTsuyuzakihdpanasonicpublicustream Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:42:00 -0400 21|19535861 <![CDATA[Google Voice now open to the American public]]> http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/22/google-voice-now-open-to-the-public/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/22/google-voice-now-open-to-the-public/ http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/22/google-voice-now-open-to-the-public/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Tired of waiting for the invite that'll never arrive? Not so eager to snap up an Android phone just to automatically get ushered into the party? Good news: Google Voice is now open to the US public at large (sorry, everyone else!), enabling everyone who wishes to get a single number to ring all of their phones, have voicemail that acts more like email and send / receive free calls and texts within the US. Currently, Google has over a million active Voice users, and we suspect that figure will skyrocket after today. If you've been ignoring this hoopla until the invite barrier was crushed, feel free to hop on past the break for a video demonstration of what's on offer. Then hit that source link to sign up. Happy calling... callers.

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]]> betabreaking newsBreakingNewscallingcommunicationcommunicationsgoogleGoogle VoiceGoogleVoicemobilepublicsoftwaretelephonevideovoicevoicemailvoipvoip callingVoipCalling Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:31:00 -0400 21|19526469 <![CDATA[Tesla Motors IPO coming 'any day' now, says report]]> http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/21/tesla-motors-ipo-coming-any-day-now-says-report/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/21/tesla-motors-ipo-coming-any-day-now-says-report/ http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/21/tesla-motors-ipo-coming-any-day-now-says-report/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Word on the street -- and by that we mean Reuters -- is that Tesla's looking to go public with the company "any day." The luxury electric car make, whose Roadster still goes for a cool $109,000, would be the first US auto company to offer an IPO since Ford way back in 1956, says MSNBC. Quite a notable event, indeed, but earlier comments by Tesla investors (via Autoblog Green) suggest "any day now" might be any time between now and September 2010.

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]]> autobusinessecelectricelectric carelectric vehicleElectricCarElectricVehicleevinitial public offeringInitialPublicOfferingipopublicpublic offeringPublicOfferingroadstertelsa Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:31:00 -0500 21|19248848 <![CDATA[Blu-ray Discs sliding into public libraries -- has yours made the move?]]> http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/19/blu-ray-discs-sliding-into-public-libraries-has-yours-made-th/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/19/blu-ray-discs-sliding-into-public-libraries-has-yours-made-th/ http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/19/blu-ray-discs-sliding-into-public-libraries-has-yours-made-th/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments
We figured it would happen sooner or later, but quite honestly, we never imagined we'd see a public library stocking Blu-ray Discs this soon. A vigilant tipster has pointed out that the Washington Centerville Public Library in Ohio now has BDs for patrons to check out, though his own observances have revealed that the general public is still having a hard time understanding that these discs cannot be played back on standard DVD players. And yes, that's despite the dozen signs informing them of that little fact. In order to make them easily identifiable, all BDs in the library are kept in their iconic blue cases, and as the collection grows, guests are allowed to check out a limit of two at a time. Has your library jumped on the Blu-ray bandwagon? Give it a call and find out.

[Thanks, Ryan]

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]]> adoptionbdblu rayblu-rayblu-ray adoptionBlu-rayAdoptionblurayfilmshdlibrarymoviemoviespublicpublic libraryPublicLibrary Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:05:00 -0400 21|1492555 <![CDATA[Discovery Communications gives you a say by going public]]> http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/19/discovery-communications-gives-you-a-say-by-going-public/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/19/discovery-communications-gives-you-a-say-by-going-public/ http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/19/discovery-communications-gives-you-a-say-by-going-public/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments
Looking to chime in on what kind of programming gets placed on any of Discovery Communications' many networks? No, we mean are you really looking to make an impact? If so, you can put your money where your mouth is now that the firm is listed on the NASDAQ. Yeah, it chose an odd and arguably terrible time in our history to go public, but it also ushered in a new corporate logo and website to fall more in line with that new Discovery HD logo that was unveiled this summer. It's hard to say if going public will have any immediate (and more importantly, visible) impact on programming, but if you're interested in getting involved, all the ticker details and whatnot are listed in the read link.

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]]> businessdiscoveryDiscovery Communicationsdiscovery hdDiscoveryHdhdindustrylogopublicstockstock marketStockMarket Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:54:00 -0400 21|1318353 <![CDATA[Locals get up in arms over Charter's digital push, ignore that 2009 is almost here]]> http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/02/locals-get-up-in-arms-over-charters-digital-push-ignore-that-2/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/02/locals-get-up-in-arms-over-charters-digital-push-ignore-that-2/ http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/02/locals-get-up-in-arms-over-charters-digital-push-ignore-that-2/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments
Charter doesn't have a flawless track record when it comes to customer service, but we can't help but share a little sympathy here. Reportedly, a number of locals in Wisconsin are perturbed by the carrier's decision to push public access channels into slots that require a digital TV tuner or set-top-box. According to Mary Bennin Cardona, executive director of the Wisconsin Association of PEG Access Channels, she "thinks it's discriminatory and really harmful to our communities." Meanwhile, the February 2009 analog shutoff is drawing ever closer, meaning that these very consumers who continue to rely on analog OTA signals will soon be cut off from everything, whether they like it or not. It's reported that Charter is considering handing out STBs for free to those negatively affected, which we suppose would be the best solution here. Still, if it hasn't been made clear yet: you should probably start preparing for the DTV transition. It's coming, and it's coming fast.

[Image courtesy of SimpleSystems]

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]]> 2009argumentcablechartercutoverdigitaldigital tvDigitalTvhdpublicpublic-accessPublic-access channelsPublic-accessChannelsswitchover Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:47:00 -0400 21|1273089 <![CDATA[Panasonic reopens Plasma Concierge to the masses this holiday season]]> http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/panasonic-reopens-plasma-concierge-to-the-masses-this-holiday-se/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/panasonic-reopens-plasma-concierge-to-the-masses-this-holiday-se/ http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/panasonic-reopens-plasma-concierge-to-the-masses-this-holiday-se/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments
Read enough horror stories lately to get you all scared about diving into the world of HDTV? Fret not, as Panasonic is reopening the phone lines to its toll-free Plasma Concierge service during the holidays. Usually, this line is reserved for those who already own a Panny PDP, but starting today, absolutely anyone can ring up the help line for a little one-on-one Q&A about flat panels. Reportedly, those on the other end will be happy to field any general / technical questions you may have, and unlike last year, the service will remain open until February 3, 2008 -- a full two months longer. Hit the read link for the digits, and be sure to grab some paper and a pen before you just start rattling off inquiries.

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]]> assisstancechoicechooseConciergeconfusedconfusioneducatingeducationfaqfreeguidehdhelpholidayspanasonicplasmaPlasma ConciergePlasmaConciergepublicsetup Fri, 07 Dec 2007 21:26:00 -0500 21|1057830 <![CDATA[Virgin Mobile aims for $506 million in IPO]]> http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/20/virgin-mobile-aims-for-506-million-in-ipo/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/20/virgin-mobile-aims-for-506-million-in-ipo/ http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/20/virgin-mobile-aims-for-506-million-in-ipo/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Lying in sharp contrast to Amp'd's less-than-stellar fortunes, Virgin Mobile USA -- a joint venture of Virgin and Sprint operated very differently from its European cousin -- is actually hoping to do even better than originally expected. The MVNO had said in May that it hoped to raise up to $100 million through an initial public offering of shares (stock symbol "VM" in case you're curious), but that figure has now skyrocketed up to a rather shocking figure of $508 million. Virgin Mobile hopes to use the cash to pay off a handful of debts it accrued in the process of getting its business off the ground, something Amp'd hasn't quite managed to do just yet.

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]]> ipomobilemvnospublicstockvirginvirgin mobileVirginMobile Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:40:00 -0400 21|945528 <![CDATA[NVIDIA readying three-way SLI for CeBIT?]]> http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/01/nvidia-readying-three-way-sli-for-cebit/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/01/nvidia-readying-three-way-sli-for-cebit/ http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/01/nvidia-readying-three-way-sli-for-cebit/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments Who needs two-way SLI when you've got three-way SLI, right? Reportedly, NVIDIA is readying a new three-way SLI approach that will actually hit "the mainstream," which differs somewhat from the SLI x 4 renditions that currently reside primarily in pre-fab boxes and luxury boutiques. While we've already heard that Asus' forthcoming U1F will show up at CeBIT, NVIDIA's new SLI treatment just might steal a bit of everyone's thunder by loosing it on the public with a presumably "spiffy marketing" scheme. What this means for the future of linking GPUs together to squeeze marginal benefits out of a gaming rig remains to be seen, but if this rumor proves true, we'll be getting a lot more details come month's end.

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]]> 3-waycebitgeforcenvidiapublicquad-slirumorrumorsslitriple-sli Thu, 01 Feb 2007 14:44:00 -0500 21|746667 <![CDATA[Urilift: the disappearing public urinal (and we do mean public)]]> http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/19/urilift-the-disappearing-public-urinal-and-we-do-mean-public/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/19/urilift-the-disappearing-public-urinal-and-we-do-mean-public/ http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/19/urilift-the-disappearing-public-urinal-and-we-do-mean-public/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments While there's no shortage of bathroom-based oddities floating around out there, the Urilift system definitely takes top honors. Since the presumably alcoholics anonymous-approved Wizmark urinals can't keep everyone from getting a little tipsy, officials in Victoria, British Columbia are taking a note from European countries to keep urine off the streets. Rather than leaving inebriated party-going males nowhere to relieve themselves on the streets, the government is considering installing hydraulic toilets in the roadways, which are remotely triggered at night to appear from their subterranean dwelling place. While there's no doors or privacy factor involved, those who were previously choosing to take it to the sidewalks probably won't mind all that much, and designers say the open design discouraged loitering and criminal activity anyway. Priced at $75,000 a pop, Victoria plans to become the first North American locale to try these newfangled restrooms out -- and hey, at least we know where to head for a clean(er) Spring Break now, right?

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]]> bathroombritainbritishbritish columbiaBritishColumbiadrinkerseuropeeuropeanexposedgovernmentpublictoiletukUrilifturinalvictoria Sun, 19 Nov 2006 15:55:00 -0500 21|704588