BBC News: China's stern warning to Google

China's top internet official warns that Google will "pay the consequences" if it does not comply with censorship laws. View the full article

Engadget: Toshiba's Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn't do burnouts (video)

Lazy humans, your dream has come true: a robot that could carry food and drink from the kitchen straight to your couch-borne position without you having to get up. It's the Toshiba Wheelie, a balancing bot that zips around on two wheels like an autonomous Segway, but with the added bonus of retractable runners on the front and back to keep it from toppling should it ever suffer an abrupt power failure. It sports stereo cameras on top and a laser range finder as well, enabling it to find its way around (or under) obstacles. The demonstration video below shows it propping a plate of steak and mixed veggies on its head before taking them for a ride around a demonstration space -- impressive, but given it lacks the arms to pick up the plate in the first place we're thinking this one's usefulness is sadly rather limited. He also can't talk, which means rhyming is right out, but he is kinda cute.

Continue reading Toshiba's Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn't do burnouts (video)

Toshiba's Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn't do burnouts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LifeHacker: Trendsmap Highlights Local Twitter Trends [Trends]

It's interesting to look at trending topics on Twitter to see what's new and has captured public interest but Twitter is a big place with millions of tweets flying around. Trendsmap drills down through the data to see local trends. More »


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Engadget: Carnegie Mellon student shows that 64 pixels is enough for Mario (video)

There are 2,073,600 pixels in a 1080p TV, yet Carnegie Mellon student Chloe Fan has blown our minds by showing that you only need 64 of them to have a little fun with Super Mario Bros. She wired an Arduino to an 8 x 8 LED matrix through a breadboard, then scaled the first level of the game down to a resolution that makes the 160 x 144 resolution Game Boy look positively high def. The controls are similarly simplified: one button to move Mario (the slightly more orange dot) right, and a second to jump. She also wired up a separate board to play the game's theme song, as you can see in the embed below, but be aware: the video ends before the theme song does, meaning you'll be humming it to yourself all day long.

Continue reading Carnegie Mellon student shows that 64 pixels is enough for Mario (video)

Carnegie Mellon student shows that 64 pixels is enough for Mario (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LifeHacker: Enable Variable Speed Playback in YouTube [YouTube]

If your browser supports HTML5 you can opt into the experimental HTML5 video playback on YouTube. Not only will you get smoother video playback—goodbye Flash!—but you'll be able to speed up and slow down your videos. More »


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