Evidence for String Theory?

Researchers at Northeastern University and the University of California, Irvine say that scientists might soon have evidence for extra dimensions and other exotic predictions of string theory. Early results from a neutrino detector at the South Pole, called AMANDA, show that ghostlike particles from space could serve as probes to a world beyond our familiar three dimensions, the research team says.

IceCube will occupy a volume of one cubic kilometer. Here we depict one of the 80 strings of opctical modules (number and size not to scale). IceTop located at the surface, comprises an array of sensors to detect air showers. It will be used to calibrate IceCube and to conduct research on high-energy cosmic rays. Author: Steve Yunck, Credit: NSF

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Researchers developing transparent OLEDs

by Marc Perton

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany are working on the next generation of OLED technology, including the ability to create displays that can become completely transparent and be turned on and off at will. Uses envisioned for the displays include OLED overlays on top of LCDs that could be used to display specific information without interfering with the main picture and automobile windshields with built-in displays that can display information as needed and turn off when not in use. Of course, what we really want is a transparent window that turns into an HD display when we flick a switch, but that may just be a little too much to ask for at this point.

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Ethanol Fuel More Advantageous Than Thought

By Bjorn Carey

Producing a gallon of ethanol gas from corn requires 95 percent less petroleum than producing a gallon from fossil fuels, a new study finds.This method might also slightly reduce the production of greenhouse gases that speed up global warming, but the results on that point are not certain.It is better to use various inputs to grow corn and make ethanol and use that in your cars than it is to use the gasoline and fossil fuels directly," said Daniel Kammen of the University of California, Berkeley.Ethanol could be even more energy efficient and 95 percent free of greenhouse gas emissions, Kammen said, if produced from woody plants instead of corn.

The study is detailed in the Jan. 27 issue of the journal Science.

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Batteries not necessary

By Clayton Collins

The moment the power goes out is no time to start pawing through drawers for batteries. One solution: flashlights that use a hand-crank generator to light the night.

Several companies carry a throwback Russian Army-style flashlight that works (noisily) with the continuous pumping of a lever. South African firm Freeplay has long sold a radio powered by a carbon-steel spring. Hand-powered cellphone chargers have been emerging.

A new player on the scene is RotoGlo (two for $20 at rotoglo.com), which resembles a "Star Trek" phaser and runs one hour for each minute the user turns its retractable crank. It's multitasking sibling RotoRadio (pictured, $20) delivers clear audio, even without antenna extension, though the signal fades with motion. (You get a half hour of both light and sound per minute of cranking.)

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oldius golf bags solar-charge cellphones, iPods

by Evan Blass

Because heaven forbid you miss a phone call during your two to four hours on the course, Soldius has introduced a line of golf bags that feature solar panels for charging cellphones and iPods. The Soldius comes with different tips for use with most popular phones, but the iPod adapter will cost you extra. Seems like the perfect addition to our game day must-haves along with the Segway GT golf cart, Quartz Gyrosensor Putter with LCD, nanomaterial golf balls, and stupid talking Hook/Slice swing meter. The Soldius bags cost from $200 for what must be little more than a paper sack to $800 for luxurious, smartphone-worthy leather.

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Stick it to the man with your very own RFID-Zapper

by Paul Miller

Look, we're not so hot about making our mula an RFID free-for-all, but that doesn't mean we're necessarily sure the little chips mark the coming of the Antichrist either. Nevertheless, it's fun to see some of the more paranoid types take matters into their own hands and kill those privacy invaders dead with the RFID-Zapper, a hacked up disposable camera that delivers an EMP of sorts to unsuspecting RFID tags, sending them to that great inventory management system in the sky. Doesn't look like the hardest DIY project, but we'll stick with our current methods of tin-foil hat wearing and off key humming -- it's gotten us this far.

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Pioneer's AS-PS55 waterproof speakers

by Ryan Block

You may have to buy a diving case for your MP3 player if you want to rock out while you rub a dub dub, but at least Pioneer's got you covered on the portable speaker part. We're not sure exactly how waterproof their AS-PS55 speakers really are, but anything that facilitates complete aqueous submersion while listening to a 10 minute Neu! sesh is fine by us.

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Amazon.com bringing video downloads in April?

by Paul Miller

It looks like Amazon.com is getting ready to jump into the video download biz, but with their own "sell more stuff" flair. The word is that they're after those plentiful DVD dollars, hoping to nab some impulse buyers with a few possible scenarios, including a free stream of a movie with a hard copy purchase, or a try before you buy option for a one time stream that acts as a credit towards a DVD purchase. However they do it, they've got a bit of heft to throw around, and they're already rumored to have two major studios signed up as content partners, with a projected launch of April. Doesn't sound like Amazon.com plans to step on Apple's TV offerings -- except, of course, for shows made available on DVD -- and they're steering clear of Google's Charlie Rose/MacGyver market domination, but hopefully they'll clear a path for those and other providers to get us more of the DVD good stuff in a timely fashion.

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Swissbit bumps their knives to 2GB

by Paul Miller

We've run these Swissbit Swiss Army Knife drives by you before, along with their snazzed up "Prestige" counterparts and s.beat MP3 playing friends, but Swissbit is bumping their original version up to 2GB, and the geek factor on these units is still alive and well. They're including the usual scissors, knife, nail file, and screw driver on the rubyRED and retroALOX versions, while the rubyRED version -- which is looking a tad chubby these days -- also adds a ballpoint pen and an LED light for extra geek cred. You can even pop out the drive part for flying, since the TSA isn't so hot on knives these days, or just make a run for it at the security gate and see how far you get.

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How to undervolt your laptop for longer, cooler performance

by Evan Blass

Most of the PC hacks that you come across are usually in the realm of overclocking or case modding, so it's nice to find an easily-implemented, software-based performance tweak once in awhile that delivers some real results. Well NordicHardware has an article that describes just such a procedure, where Fredrik Andersson steps you through the process of undervolting your laptop. Although as Andresson points out, the terminology is not an accurate reflection of the adjustment being performed, undervolting refers to stepping down the voltage that your CPU requires by several fractions of a volt. The end result of the tweaks that NH guides you through is up to ten minutes more running time and several degrees less heat dispersion, all without effecting the notebook's performance. As with all of the helpful hints that we pass along, this modification is done at your own risk (i.e. don't come crying to us if you break your lappie).

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Axbo alarm clock wakes you when you're ready

by Marc Perton

Remember the Sleeptracker, the digital watch that could purportedly track your sleep rhythms and wake you only when you're likely to be optimally refreshed (i.e., not when you're in the middle of a deep sleep or heavy-duty REM cycle)? Well, it's got a stylish big brother now, in the form of the aXbo, a sleek alarm clock that communicates wirelessly with a wristband that does basically the same thing as the Sleeptracker: it keeps track of your movements throughout the night, gauging how deeply you're sleeping by how much you're thrashing. You set a window during which it can wake you, and it waits for the right moment within that space. Of course, the aXbo won't help you sleep better, but it could help you wake up feeling a little more refreshed -- if you don't mind shelling out €200 ($241) for the privilege.

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Internet Explorer 7 leaks onto Internet

Microsoft had promised to go public on Internet Explorer 7 in the first quarter of this year. But as a part of Microsoft's eternally-delayed Windows Vista, one might have thought IE7 would suffer the same setbacks.

However, some Windows fans took matters into their own hands when last Friday it was revealed that a build of the new browser - version 5299 - along with numerous screenshots, was available online.

Not that Microsoft had anything to do with the leak. Its involvement was limited to taking down the link to the code where it was posted on Windows techie forum JCXP.net. But that was not before several thousand expectant fans had got their browsers pointed at it.

Of equal concern to Microsoft may be the number of times the patch, which allows the IE7 build to be installed on pirate copies of Windows, has been downloaded - currently running at more than 12,000 times.

The screenshots certainly seem to show off the many new features expected of IE 7, with items such as tabbed browsing clearly visible. Likewise a number of the under-the-bonnet changes are also shown on some screenshots, such as the ability to delete browsing history.

This, coupled with Microsoft's actions, gives credulity to the belief that the release is genuine, although Redmond has yet to officially respond to the event.

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Linksys' Power over Ethernet wireless network extenders

by Evan Blass

Linksys has released a pair of Power over Ethernet wireless network extenders that need only be tethered to a router with networking cables to receive both data and juice. While not quite as convenient as the AuraGrid that we saw at CES (which works over existing cable wiring), the WAP54GP and outdoor WAP54GPE (pictured) seem like good solutions for small offices, larger buildings, or cable-less homes with dead spots. Security is solid on these devices, with WEP, WPA, and upcoming WPA2 support via a firmware upgrade, along with MAC Address Filtering. Available immediately for what Pocket-lint claims is a pretty steep $332 for the WAP54GP and $648 for the WAP54GPE, although we saw them on Newegg for $200 and $400, respectively.

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Sanyo Virus Washer wipe bugs out of the air?

by Marc Perton

If you've already taken your flu shot and want a little extra power to keep those pesky viruses at bay, you may be tempted to check out Sanyo's Virus Washer, which the company claims kills airborne bugs via an "alpha electrolytic water disinfectant system." However, we can't help but be a little dubious of such claims. As near as we can tell, it's basically a humidifier coupled with an ionizer. Even if the device is able to kill viruses in the air over a limited space, it's still not going to stop you from getting sick via more common causes like getting sneezed on at close range or just shaking hands or touching a contaminated object. We think you'd do better following your mom's advice and washing your hands frequently and keeping them away from your face during the flu season. But we're still sure Sanyo's going to sell a lot of these; after all, Sharper Image has proven that an air-cleaning system doesn't need to be effective to be a big seller. And as much as we'd like to think otherwise, we suspect that Japanese consumers will be as gullible as their American counterparts.

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