Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. 7 Review
Mad cats, cyborgs, rats, and a mouse. Wait, what?
A new mouse has hit my desk - the so-called Cyborg R.A.T. 7. It's not yet available in Australia, it's been shipped straight from Mad Catz themselves! But, they didn't do it because they love me, it's a review unit so I could analyse it. And analyse it I did!
Check out that link to the review, and leave your feedback. :)
Build the Ultimate PC – Q3 2010
Another quarter, another set of builds!
Benchmark Reviews has an article on building a bang-for-buck enthusiast PC, for Q3 2010. If you haven't already heard, I recently joined their team of contributers, and this is my first article there. Here's a short snippet.
Performance is often attributed to expensive objects of desire. In the automobile space, it's generally accepted that a higher performing vehicle will incur a significant markup over the average fuel-efficient family offerings. Computing is much the same. Retail OEM machines are pre-built at predetermined price points, often targeting the humble office/Internet-centric user. Performance isn't a primary concern for these systems, nor are upgradability or customisation. On the other hand, you have the expensive 'gamer' orientated machines which cost several thousands of dollars! This is where Benchmark Reviews steps in. We've sat down and created three enthusiast machines without the dreaded price gauge of many pre-built setups - the 'Enthusiast PC Build' for Q3 2010!
Keep in mind that prices are in USD. You can read the full article here.
Tech Netcasts!
What are your favourites?
Netcasts (also known as webcasts) are the new age talkback radio. They're an audio file - sometimes pre-recorded, other times live - which is broadcasted via the Internet. The popular 'podcasts' are a derivative of netcasts, but are typically restricted to the iTunes distribution channel. The term 'podcast' is often abused and used in place of netcasts, much like how the term 'iPod' is used in place of 'MP3 player', despite the brand. From a technical perspective, a netcast is just an ordinary audio file, typically MP3.
I've collated some of my favourite tech netcasts for you all to enjoy!
The elements of horrible tech aesthetics
Free polishing cloth with every purchase!
There's an abundance of utterly hideous equipment on the market, ranging from mobile phones to desktop computers to anything designed by a collection of stale engineers. Sometimes it's a subtle flaw, such as an upside-down logo on your laptop lid. Other times you'll come across something that's so insanely blemished, that you struggle to comprehend the fact that a living human being produced and released this device to the market - at least, not with a straight face.
Elementary, dear Watson
IBM's Watson seeks intelligence, prize money
Not to be outdone by insignificant humans, IBM's Watson supercomputer has made an appearance in a behind the scenes sneak peak video, showcasing its ability to answer complex natural language questions in real-time. Watson is one of IBM's latest projects, designed to push the boundaries of computing hardware/algorithms, and ultimately, produce convincing artificial intelligence. But, IBM aren't aiming to pass the ever conquering Turing test. Instead, they're going to compete during an episode of the American quiz show Jeopardy! using Watson as a contestant. Excited? Watch the video below and bask in its awesomeness!
Portal 2: Rise of the Spams!
Starring, everyone's favourite senator!
I'm sure you've all heard about Australian Senator Stephen Conroy's craziness during a recent press conference. The pro-filter communications minister had a few things to say about the usage of portals, and their habit of being targets of malicious spam.
Building a robot: A worklog – Part 3
Tactics!
Before delving into the software and physical development of BOB++, it's important to get a good idea of the tactics that the robot will perform. Making a sumo bot involves many behaviours which are critical when encountering a dynamic opponent. This worklog encompasses the behaviours which will eventually be implemented using LeJOS and Java Integrated Development Environment (IDE) Eclipse.
Note: You can find the previous worklog here.
Building a robot: A worklog – Part 2
Them's fighting words!
I've been busy, and a robot has emerged from the Lego filled trays that occupy my desk. Usually I'd document the building process as I go, but I decided to build the thing bit by bit between doing uni work, thus documentation was left to last. So, I'll be analysing my first finished prototype as a whole, whilst focusing on individual design choices and implementations. Here we go!
Note: You can read the previous log here.
Building a robot: A worklog – Part 1
Robotics and Lego!
The term 'robotics' brings many thoughts to mind, such as 'cool', 'awesome' and 'intricate'. A robot is often seen as an intelligent biped with humanoid characteristics, which is indeed cool, but if film has said anything to us mere mortals, it's that these things are extremely complicated machines.
Considering the public perception of robotics, if you were to ask someone to help you construct a robot, the chances of them accepting would probably be influenced by their technical enthusiasm. A layperson will likely assume it's beyond their abilities, which is not necessarily the case. This is why I've started this worklog, I want to give people a look at the development of a simple robot. If anything, it'll get more people interested in robotics. :)
Did Apple miss the boat with the iPad?
A neat little device, but has Apple lost their opportunity?
So, the long hyped Apple tablet has finally been announced. As expected, it very much resembles a larger iPod Touch. A single hardware button, minimal ports, and a screen which consumes most of the device's top surface. It's touted as a new platform, somewhere between the smartphone and the netbook, which is interesting. Of course, it's not exactly a new platform; Apple is essentially entering an existing one with their own offering. Android based tablets have been around for a while, and haven't really taken off. Regardless, there's been much excitement over this particular device for a couple of reasons. It was a long rumoured product, and it's from Apple. But will the hype pay off? Is the device compelling enough to warrant purchase? Let's find out.
Build the Ultimate PC – Q1 2010
Get the power of a custom PC build, without spending a fortune.
Another quarter, another list of parts. I've created five builds ranging from $1000 to $3000, each with high quality components and a strong focus on raw performance. Looking at gaming? No problem. Video editing and graphic design? There's a PC for you.
The online computer store PC Case Gear has been used to produce the price lists. For comparison, prices in brackets were found using an average of the top 5 StaticICE results (minus outliers). Although StaticICE results tend to be marginally cheaper, keep in mind that the cost of delivery from multiple stores may increase the total considerably. Each PC consists of the tower without external peripherals or operating system (OS).
PS3 Hypervisor Hacked
The seemingly uncrackable has been sliced, diced and dissected.
According to George "Geohot" Hoz, the man responsible for jailbreaking the iPhone, the infamous Playstation 3 Hypervisor is no longer an obstacle. His blog entitled On the PlayStation 3 suggests that his attempts at hacking the PS3 were very fruitful.
5 things that’d make Project Natal a worthy technology
What does Natal need to succeed?
Microsoft's Project Natal has been getting mixed responses lately. Some critics liken it to an elaborate Sony EyeToy, whilst others see it as a Wii-like motion control gimmick. Those who like it tend to brush it off as a child's toy. So is there any hope of making Natal an interesting method of control for gaming enthusiasts? I've created a list of the things I'd like developers to implement in their upcoming titles, bar the cliché EyeToy-like functionality.
Xbox 360 Wired PC Controller Review
A gaming PC is not complete without a good gamepad.
Website: http://www.microsoft.com/
Price: $38.74AUD + $16 postage - http://www.gizmomart.com.au/ (at time of review)
Atomic KitLog – How to Overclock Core i7 CPUs
Yes sir, very Atomic!
Not too long ago I wrote a tutorial for Australian tech magazine Atomic which delves into the process of overclocking Intel's latest high end CPU architecture - the Core i7. They've now released this article for free in their quarterly issue of Kitlog, which is an e-mag aimed at providing information regarding computer builds across different budgets/purposes. It's a great opportunity to see what Atomic is all about, and to check out some of my published works.
KitLog is a new publication which is currently at issue two. Their first issue also has one of my articles which is all about designing the perfect PC. So, if you're looking for something new to check out, head over to Atomic, indulge in their offerings, and mingle with the best tech minds on their online forum!