The XYZBot Rubber Band Machine Gun Will Defend Your Cubicle

Sometimes, in the course of human events, it is necessary to go to war with your co-workers. And that requires rubber band guns. But some of us don’t believe in just one lone rubber band to defend us. We believe in weapons supremacy. We believe in electric motors! We will not tolerate a rubber band gap!

Needless to say, this isn’t your typical rubber band gun. And, you’ll have to be handy to get this; it doesn’t come pre-assembled and you’ll need to put it together yourself. But, however, it’s well worth it. It’s got a revolving barrel, first of all, although it’s not the only one with that advantage on the market. It uses an electric motor and batteries to spin the barrel and unload at 800 rounds per minute.
Band Of Rubber

Another nice touch is that it’s laser-cut entirely from wood and engraved with decoration as well. A handy front end handle allows you to steady it, although it’s light enough that you can go one-handed if you’re strong enough. Or, if you’re particularly bad-ass, you can get two and go guns akimbo to take out co-workers, small children, pets, and probably any hope of a career at your current place of work.
Guns Akimbo



Wooden weapons are, of course, all the rage in coworker warfare, and you probably can’t stand to have any sort of disadvantage when Bob from Accounting inevitably attempts to invade from his beachhead on the eighth floor. So, arm yourself now, and collect ammunition from the supply closet. Stand with your fellow coworkers nobly, and fill the air with whizzing rubber injury! The honor of your department demands it! Also, come on, Bob’s annoying and you totally want to bounce one off his glasses.

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Massive vending machine offers electric car for $3 an hour

The Kandi Machine -- China's Sweet Pollution Solution (by Aaron Rockett) KNDIAaron Rockett

If you find yourself in need of a ride in Hangzhou, China, you can waltz up to a multi-story garage, punch a few buttons, and have a fully charged electric vehicle deposited in front of you.

It's a new car-sharing scheme launched by Kandi Technologies that takes the hyper-successful bike-sharing model in China and puts it onto four electrically powered wheels.

For a little over $3 (£1.82) an hour, these ultra-compact, Chinese-made EVs can get about 75 miles on a charge and max out at 50 mph, and when the driver is done, they can drop off their rented ride at another Kandi station near their destination.

Since its launch last year, Kandi has two EV vending machines in Hangzhou, a city of 10 million people about an hour outside of Shanghai. The company has plans to add another 10 this year, while expanding to China's most populous cities: Beijing and Shanghai.

Of the 1.35 billion people in China, only 10 percent of the population owns a car, and that's set to massively expand in the next decade. Since it's impossible to reduce the demand for transportation, Kandi believes the key is to reduce the demand for privately owned cars. And even better, make them EVs to reduce carbon emissions.

Bike sharing has taken off in China, with 2,700 stations -- the most in the world -- sprinkled throughout the country, so people are familiar with the concept. And with the Chinese government pledging 400 billion yuan (over $66 billion (£39.9 billion)) to get two million EVs on China's roads by 2020, the Kandi Machine solves the problems of getting people into cars and keeping smog in check.

This story originally appeared on Wired.com

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Pinterest more popular than email for sharing content online

Sometimes, the tech startup world can make your brain hurt. This tends to happen, for instance, when a website where people share pictures of their favourite hairstyles, cars, and historical moments is valued at nearly $4 billion (£2.4 billion).

But this particular site, Pinterest, has become a potent force on the internet. According to a new study, it's now one of the primary ways that people share stuff online. It even tops email.

The study comes from ShareThis, makers of a ubiquitous website widget that lets you share stuff in myriad ways. The company found that in the fourth quarter of 2013, Pinterest raced past email to become the third-most popular way to share online. It was topped only by Facebook and Twitter.

"In a sign of how quickly social media has changed the digital landscape, consumers are now 'pinning' things like articles, photos and recipes to share with their friends more often than emailing links," wrote Kurt Abrahamson of ShareThis in a blog post.

Facebook remained the most popular way to share, according to ShareThis. But Pinterest's sharing stats are growing the fastest. Its popularity took a 58 percent leap, while Facebook came in just behind at 57 percent. LinkedIn's growth was 40 percent, while Twitter topped out at 15 percent. Use of email, meanwhile, declined by 11 percent.

ShareThis says that the rise of Pinterest was driven in large part by women, a trend also identified by a recent Pew survey, and by users in the Midwest. The West Coast leaned toward Facebook and Google+, while the Northeast preferred Twitter and LinkedIn.

Giving advertisers exactly what they want
Given Pinterest's apparently massive popularity, it's hard to imagine the company will have difficulty getting advertisers on board, especially because its users are so eager to share their consumer preferences.

On Facebook, you're more likely to share pictures of your kids than the next pair of shoes you want to buy. On Twitter, you're probably linking to Justin Bieber's mug shot. But Pinterest is perfectly tailored for aspirational consumerism. "I covet this" is the subtext of innumerable pins. For advertisers seeking to target a relevant audience, it looks like a pretty efficient way of spending their dollars.

The question is how Pinterest users will react to seeing ads among their pins. As with Twitter before Promoted Tweets or Facebook before Sponsored Stories, Pinterest feeds enjoy a certain commercial-free purity, even though much of what people share and see through the site amounts to free advertising for whatever is being pinned.

Pinterest must design its ad streams carefully to avoid alienating its users. So far, its design instincts have been spot on, judging from the figures from ShareThis. If it can extend this to ads, that $4 billion valuation won't make our heads hurt quite so much.

This story originally appeared on Wired.com

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World's tiniest quadcopter, the Nano Quadcopter, takes to the skies

Billed as the world's tiniest quad-copter, the nano quadcopter from Revell is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but at the same time still have a decent amount of oomph to take off and fly where you want it to.

Demoed at the London Toy Fair to Pocket-lint, we have to admit that the quadcopter was so nippy that we had trouble taking photos and video of it when it wasn't sat on our hand. That's a sure sign that it is both great fun, and will no doubt be difficult to fly for the absolute beginner without some practice.

The quadcopter will give you around 5 minutes of battery life for a 30 minute charge. While you'll need a couple of AAA batteries for the diddy remote control, the flying machine comes with a lithium rechargeable that charges off a USB socket.

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8 Ways to Use Google Glass on the Job

Google Glass isn't without its limitations -- not to mention privacy concerns -- but Google Glass 'Explorers' are finding many ways to use the device to work smarter and faster. The key to more widespread adoption, though, will be seamless integration into existing technology workflows.

CIO — Glass, Google's head-mounted, Internet-connected device, won't be available commercially until sometime in 2014. Even so, there are thousands of Glass "Explorers," or early adopters, already using the high-tech eyewear on the job. Many are discovering that, in addition to being a geeked-out plaything, Glass can in fact solve everyday business problems, help people be more productive, enhance workflows and deliver other real-world benefits.

Here's a look at some of the practical and innovative ways Explorers are using the $1,500 prototype device in their work — from automotive repair to sports reporting.
 1. Live, Remote Sales Training
Josh Cohen is CEO of TownSpot, an online video network startup. The company has no actual offices, Cohen says, with team members scattered around the country. The virtual organization structure makes it challenging to train the sales team — a problem Google Glass is helping to solve, according to Cohen.

For example, on a recent sales call to a new customer in Los Angeles, with the customer's permission, Cohen streamed video of his view in real-time via Google Glass to an Atlanta co-worker. Cohen's colleague could see the customer's reactions and hear how he delivered the sales pitch, he says, adding that this type of easily set up, live and remote training "could never have been done before."

Often, salespeople are trained by accompanying the sales leader or CEO on customer calls, Cohen notes. This usually requires flying the sales person to another location, among other costs. Glass lets Cohen virtually take multiple people on sales calls with him wherever he goes, thereby reducing travel and other training expenses.
2. Hands-free Sports Reporting

Andrew Abramson, the Miami Dolphins beat reporter for The Palm Beach Post, uses Glass on the job. He was interested in the device mainly for its video and photo capabilities.

"Video has become a huge part of sports reporting," Abramson says. "While the traditional TV reporters still enter locker rooms with their bulky cameras, other reporters are often uncomfortably holding up their cell phones and shooting their own clips."

Meanwhile, Abramson finds it much easier to wear a video camera on his face. "With Google Glass, I can shoot photos and videos simply by pressing a button or using voice commands," he says. "I can instantly upload photos and videos to the Web without using my hands."


Abramson has received "an overwhelmingly positive response" from Dolphins fans who follow his reports, and about half of the Dolphins' players have tried on his pair. Reaction varies, he says, from ridicule to amazement to "Where do I get my pair?"
3. Sharing Conference Sessions

"Literally every day, there are different start-up related conferences and events," Cohen says. He can't make it to them all, but with Google Glass — and the permission of conference organizers — Cohen and his team divide and conquer. Recording the events in real time "is easier and less obtrusive than using a video camera," he says, and it gives employees the convenience of watching a conference or event on their own time.
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4. Taking Notes
Evernote, the popular note-taking Web service and application, is among the few official Google Glass apps currently available — and Shazafar Khaja, integration architect for The Kroger Company, says Evernote is the most useful app thus far for Glass.


"Before I go to meetings, I email myself the minutes from previous meetings and action items. I have all of this accessible to me in the meeting at the flick of a finger, with Glass," he says. "I've also started to record (with everyone's permission) parts of brainstorming sessions where we have ideas flying around. This enables me to be involved without having to fiddle with a phone or camera."

Khaja admits he could do all of the above using traditional methods — "But with Glass, I'm less distracted and more focused on what's going on."
5. Fixing Cars

Glass Explorer Will Elias says Glass has helped him with the complexity of fixing vehicles. "With cars changing so quickly, and everything computerized, I was able to work on a vehicle with the assistance of an ASE-certified mechanic," Elias says. "He watched what I was doing (through a Glass video chat) and guided me on how to fix the vehicle correctly."
6. Showcasing Your Company

Google Glass is an ideal way to show off a company's customer service experience, notes Hilary Topper, CEO of HJMT Public Relations: "Imagine walking in and videotaping, with a first-person perspective, the way someone would be treated if they entered your restaurant, spa or bank." Topper's firm used Glass to make a reality video to both showcase the firm and show off Glass. The video, Glasslandia, has received more than 50 million social media impressions," she says.

7. Staying Up to Date While Out and About


Matt McGee is editor-in-chief of Marketing Land and also runs the popular Glass Almanac blog. "With Glass I can get RSS feeds, Tweets, emails and so forth sent right to me while I'm out and about," he says. "It's great at conferences, for example, to be able to consume this kind of information while walking the halls or expo floors. It keeps me in the know."

McGee admits that he could get these updates on his iPhone — but consuming that kind of information at a conference means stopping, find an out-of-the-way spot and reading. With Glass, on the other hand, he can keep walking and see headlines and tweets as they come to him. "I can even speak a reply," he says. "And it's all done hands-free with my head up, so I don't have to worry about walking into someone."
8. Troubleshooting a Website From a Distance

Cohen says the capability to share visual information immediately can help solve tech issues. If he encounters a bug or other technical glitch on his company's website, the Los Angeles-based Cohen can say, "OK, Glass, take a picture," and share a photo of his computer screen with his two Web developers in Virginia. The real-time sharing lets his Web developers understand the issue better and react immediately, Cohen says.

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Valve: The future of Virtual Reality is just one year away

The most exciting aspect of contemporary virtual reality is its implications. Even using Oculus VR's early duct taped-prototype, most users immediately "get it." You're transported to, say, Tuscany, or an underwater exploration vehicle, or a space fighter, and that experience is enough to trigger a flood of ideas for other potential interactions -- interactions that are dramatically heightened by employing a VR headset. How about deep-sea exploration in 4K? Or maybe Mars? And we're not talking just video games, but experiences. Valve VR lead Michael Abrash detailed that notion in a recent talk:


"Not only could VR rapidly evolve into a major platform, but it could actually tip the balance of the entire industry from traditional media toward computer entertainment."

Abrash believes that VR headsets so vastly outperform other interaction methods (TV, theaters, etc.) that how folks absorb media in general may be impacted by the coming wave of head-mounted displays. His concept of our potential future may be distant-sounding, but the beginning of consumer-grade, extremely polished VR headsets isn't far off: 2015. At least that's what Abrash and Valve are targeting as primetime for VR, and they're laying the groundwork right now.

This is a VR prototype headset from Valve

Valve's first ever game developer conference, dubbed Steam Dev Days in honor of the company's ubiquitous digital storefront/ongoing socio-economic experiment, took place this week. Abrash gave a talk titled "What VR Could, Should, and Almost Certainly Will Be Within Two Years," where he detailed the current state of VR, what challenges the technology faces going foward, and when he (and Valve) believe it'll be ready for primetime. In it, he established a baseline of standards for VR: perfect timing to lay a base given Oculus VR's own standards for VR game development going live at nearly the same time.

First, any VR headset needs to create "presence" for the person using the headset. Abrash defined presence as such:


"It's the sense of being someplace else while in virtual reality; many people feel as if they've been teleported. Presence is an incredibly powerful sensation, and it's unique to VR; there's no way to create it in any other medium."

Cliché as it is, VR headsets aim to do exactly what their name implies: simulate a new reality for the user, real enough to fool the human brain. Oculus VR CEO Brendan Iribe echoed that sentiment to us earlier this year when he said that the closer the experience is to reality, the better the experience is for the user. Sadly for us writers, "presence" -- or rather the experience of using a virtual reality headset and being convinced -- is incredibly hard to convey with just words. "Most people find it to be kind of magical, and we think that once people have experienced presence, they'll want it badly,"Abrash noted during his talk.

Moreover, Abrash thinks that the VR hardware available right now -- including the latest Oculus Crystal Cove prototype -- is still a step or two away from the specs required for true presence. He even has a list of target specs required for creating presence (which Valve has functioning in an R&D headset right now, and was shown to developers during Steam Dev Days):



The Crystal Cove prototype that Valve provided support for is "a big step in the right direction" Abrash said, but still not enough to create the sense of presence he and Valve are aiming to achieve. While Valve continues R&D on virtual reality hardware -- Abrash said "several" companies are working on VR headsets, though we only know of two officially creating consumer products (Oculus and GameFace Labs). The company's also building out Steam's VR software support to stay ahead of the curve. That's why SteamVR just went live (a VR version of Big Picture Mode) in beta; why VR games now have their own category in the Valve's store; and why the company created the SteamVR API (read: it makes games play nice with the SteamVR platform).

Valve's yet to give press a chance to try its VR hardware prototype, but developers who tried it at Steam Dev Days are responding positively thus far. It apparently has specs similar to what's detailed above, and we're not entirely clear on whether or not it uses a camera in conjunction with the headset for positional tracking (a la the latest Rift prototype). Given Valve's openness during Dev Days and Abrash's assertion that Valve is open to working with any partners to push VR forward, we're certain to hear more in the coming year(s).

source:engadget.com

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Onewheel skateboard is the self-propelled future of transport

Imagine skateboarding along without taking your feet off the board, while seemingly floating above the ground. That's what Kickstarter project Onewheel, which was launched at CES, aims to offer. And it's for everyone, including non-skaters.

Before you judge this board by its base, this thing is powerful. Onewheel is driven by a 500W direct drive brushless motor in the hub of that wheel Batman would be proud to ride. That's as much power as many electric bikes manage to eek out, all through one wheel.

So how can you move forward without controls or removing your feet? Like a Segway the Onewheel uses clever gyroscopics to detect your lean and responds by delivering power. Lean forward: go forward, simple - brilliant.

The Onewheel makers say this is easy to ride so even if you've never been on a board of any kind before you'll pick this up right away. And once you do you'll be flying along at 12mph. Thanks to the 48V lithium battery you should be able to keep going for between four and six miles depending on the terrain. Then you'll need to carry the 11kg or hope the remaining journey is downhill.

The Onewheel has already hit its Kickstarter target and sold out of the early $1200 price. There are a few left at $1300 at the time this article was published. Check back for our review once we get a unit in the UK for testing.

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Who Needs a Console – PlayStation Games Going Console-Free?

Announced at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week, Sony will soon be introducing a new approach in gaming. Beginning this year, Sony will be rolling out a method that will allow subscribers to play some of their greatest gaming hits without the use of a console. Amazing and yet disturbing news considering how many millions of people have just purchased PS4′s, outselling Microsoft Xbox One’s by a million units.

What Sony’s proposing is to being allowing their latest smart TVs, (2014 Sony Bravia), PS4′s, PS3′s and PSVita’s to stream back catalogue games through the cloud. We already know that Sony plunged heap loads of dollars, (the $380m acquisition of Gaikai in 2012) and man hours into developing their new cloud server system, we just didn’t know how vast their scope was in doing so. Now that it’s complete, Sony fully intends to take full advantage of its capabilities and plan on continuing to do so far into the future.

The initial roll out will be a US only, restricted test of the services beginning later this month with plans to begin a more expansive launch this summer. The Sony Bravia TVs will be the first devices utilizing this new service, but Sony also plans to open the market up to 3rd parties. While Sony has yet to provide many details as to what other platforms, such as smartphones, tablets, etc. will be able to access this fine new feature, Samsung, one of Sony’s chief rivals, has said that they plan on Partnering with Sony to allow their TVs to offer game access as well.

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