NerdBeach

Uber Cool Blade Runner Style LED Umbrella

 

Now this is an umbrella to carry on a dark night. I don't know whether to point out that is is heavily influenced by the movie Blade Runner or call it a Light Saber Umbrella, but the cool LED glow just works for me. The umbrella is 32.5 inches long and has a 41" opened diameter. You can find it at ThinkGeek.

 

A Better Umbrella

In the US, so many umbrella-related patents are being filed that the U.S. Patent Office employs four full-time examiners to assess them. As of 2008, the office registered three thousand active patents on umbrella-related inventions. Nonetheless, Totes, the largest American umbrella producer, has stopped accepting unsolicited proposals. Its director of umbrella development was reported as saying that while umbrellas are so ordinary that everyone thinks about them, "it’s difficult to come up with an umbrella idea that hasn’t already been done."

source:wikipedia 

 

Comparing iPhone 3GS to iPhone 4S

  

Now that the iPhone 4S is officially released, I thought it would be good to look at this phone as compared to the iPhone 3Gs. Why the 3Gs and not the 4? Well, in my humble opinion, this is really the demographics for the most cost effective upgrade. If you are sporting an iPhone 4, chances are that you can comfortably stay in the current app software base, and you have a pretty decent camera to boot. But those of you with the 3GS, well, face it -that device is getting to be pretty long in the tooth about now.

Video Recording 

For instance, let’s look at video recording. The 3GS does 480p at 30 frames per second (FPS). The 4S does a very respectable HD quality 1080p at 30 fps. Add in  the video stabilization that the 4S brings to the table and it is easy to see how the 4S is a big step in video recording capabilities over the 3GS.

Cameras 

Next, let’s compare the cameras.  The 3GS has a single 3 megapixel camera on back, without a LED light source. PLus adding insult to injury, the unit’s camera is just not that light sensitive. It’s easy to find yourself in an indoor situation where the 3GS would not take a quality picture.

The 4S, on the other hand sports a 8 megapixel camera along with a five element lens,  an LED flash, a backside illumination sensor, and a much more light sensitive setup. So, even if you don’t turn on the handy LED flash, you still take much better pictures than you could with the 3GS in low light situations.

Video Calling 

Now let’s talk video calling. The 4S sports a front VGA video camera. The 3GS has none. The only way you can video chat on the 3GS is with a third party app (FaceTime is not available on the 3GS), and then the single rear located camera makes it impossible to see the party you are speaking with without being clever (like, maybe a mirror). It is just not practical.

Display 

Then there is the display itself. With the 4S you get the higher resolution retina screen introduced with the iPhone 4. With the 3GS you are stuck with 480 x 320 pixels. The result is that everything tends to look better on the newer phones. From clean text to razor sharp graphics, using the phone on a regular basis looks nicer on the retina screen. This is especially true if you like to read PDFS or other full screen images.

Talk Time 

Finally, consider the phone as a phone itself. With the 4S you get around 8 hours of talk time on 3G. With the 3GS, you are looking at 5 hours. It’s not quite twice the total talk time, but it is a healthy increase. (And if you are like me, it seems like the last 30 minutes are more important than the previous 4 hours…)


While upgrading
the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 4S might be a welcome change, the leap from 3GS to the iPhone 4S is one that you will appreciate. This is especially true considering that many of you 3GS owners are now prime in their contract for a nice upgrade.

 

Apple iPhone

The first iPhone was unveiled by Apple’s former CEO Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007,[1] and released on June 29, 2007. The 5th generation iPhone, the iPhone 4S, was announced on October 4, 2011, and released on October 14, 2011, two days after the release of iOS 5.0, the Apple operating system for handheld devices.

source:wikipedia

 

Eton Scorpion Is A Technological Survival Kit

 

Having a survival pack makes sense, especially if you are going to be out in the elements. One thing to consider packing in your kit is the Eton Scorpion. This splash proof, drop resistant unit even attaches itself with a built in aluminum carabiner.

What does the Scorpion offer? In its handy package you will find a USB charger, AM/FM/NOAA radio, and of course an LED flashlight. The Scorpion provides its power from either manual cranking or built-in solar cells. Now all you need is a cell phone and you have a powered connection back to safety.

Well, assuming that you are within reach of a tower. If not, perhaps you can at least install an ebook reader and have something to read around the campfire while the search crews are busy.

via

Constant Shaker Chair Counts Your Fidgeting Calories

So, you want to lose a few pounds, but you can't quite make it to the gym?  Maybe you can fidget your way to a new body. Fact is, as people squirm, move, shake, and fidget they burn extra calories.  While it is not many calories for a given movement, spread out over the day they can add up.  But how much of an extra burn are you sneaking in during the day?  Alice Wang may have the answer.

As part of her Chairs for the Dysfunctional exhibit, Alice has designed a work called Constant Shaker that will count those extra calories and display them on an old school LED panel on the leg of the chair itself.  While not exactly stealth in its design, it certainly would seem to get the job done.

Alice based her design on research done that supports an interesting concept – our brain triggers unconscious muscle movements for the sole purpose of burning extra calories when we're inactive.  If that is true, then maybe all those times our parents told us to "stop fidgeting" or "keep still" was actually bad advice.  Who would have known?

You can find out more about the Constant Shaker chair at Alice Wang's website.  In the meanwhile, let's get those fingers dancing and legs shaking.  And a one, two, three…  Nevermind.

via

 

Calories Math In Favor Of Losing

Fat contains about 3,500 kilocalories per pound (32 kJ/g).

  • If you eat 3,500 kcal more than your body needs, you will put on 0.3 pounds (0.14 kg) of fat (assuming 30% digestion efficiency, or less depending on food conversion inefficiency not included in the "body needs" category).
  • If you burn 3,500 kcal more than you eat, you lose about 1 pound
    (0.45 kg) of fat, assuming that only fat is burnt (this is close to
    100% since even the waste heat counts toward the 3,500 kcal). However,
    energy sources can come from catabolism of protein (muscles), and fat
    may be preferentially saved. The use of different body materials as
    available must be considered.

source: wikipedia