NerdBeach

USB Talking Globe offers up to date geography education

Geography education seems to be very weak in today's society, and given that we are more interconnected than ever before, that is probably not a good thing.  The Always Current Talking Globe may help with keeping your geographical knowledge up to date, since the educational device will plug into an USB port and update once a week.  According to the website:

30 learning activities with facts about countries geography, currency, political leaders, history, language, and population are narrated in a clear digital voice. Once a category is selected on the control panel, users place the stylus on a country to listen to up-to-date global info, or they can compare the currency, population, and travel times of two countries by moving the stylus between the two nations.

Young geographers test their knowledge in “Find” mode; the globe asks up to four players to find countries, capitals, and cities, and users race against the clock to locate the correct locations with the stylus. Simply connect the included USB cable to a PC running Windows Vista or XP and access the manufacturer’s website to download current statistics and world news; download service is free for the first year ($14.99 per year thereafter).

The Always Current Talking Globe from Hammacher Schlemmer measures 14(H) x 12(W) x 12(D) inches for $179.95.

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USB Scrolling Display Allows for Self Expression

Get the message out with this scrolling LED display, designed to hook up to a USB port for message entry.  The red display supports  8 messages with three brightness settings.  You can also 5 scrolling modes to choose from, including Left, Right, Up, Down, Freeze, and Flash.  The USB gadget even does sound effects and bitmap images.

Of course, the question comes to mind as to what kind of messages to display on its scrolling display, so as a service we present a list of messages to get you started.

  • SOS/Help Me
  • Send Pizza
  • Nobody Home
  • Serving number (insert number choice here)
  • I See Dumb People
  • This Message Will Self Destruct in 10 Seconds
  • As a matter of Fact I am a Genius/nerd/the boss/master
  • Do Not Disturb
  • School is now in session
  • Don't you just hate having to read long scrolling displays? (put this on slow scroll speed

(I know there are better messages, so I invite anyone to comment here with their own clever sayings). 

The device is compatible with XP/2000/Vista, and measures 85 x 8.3 x 55mm. The Scrolling USB LED Display will set you back $27, and you can get it from USB Geek.

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MSI Readies Wind Sub Notebook for USA Sales

msiwind

The MSI Wind will be available in the united States in a few days, and it should give some competition to the venerable Asus EEE PC and HP 2133. The 10″ sub notebook sports the following features:

  • 80GB hard drive
  • 802.11b/g WiFi
  • 1GB of RAM
  • Bluetooth
  • 3 (yes, three) USB ports
  • 3-cell battery with claimed battery life of 3-4 hours
  • 1,024 x 600 display
  • Dedicated 20% overclocking TurboDrive button
  • 4 in 1 memory card reader
  • D-Sub video Output
  • 1.3 kg

The MSI wind will ship with both XP and Linux operating systems (the Linux version being cheaper no doubt), and MSI will also be shipping a 8.9 inch display model (in the same chassis, the smaller display model will be the same physical size). Early reviews have given the Wind good reports, and it should be a unit for consideration if you are looking to check out the latest round of mini laptops.

Aloha

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Windows 7 is Very Touchy, in a Good Way

windows7

Windows 7 (the Vista successor) was recently unveiled by Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer at the All Things Digital conference. The major change so far is the inclusion of multi point touch screen, ala the Surface Tablet. The video shows this in action, with several applications exploring the capability.

 

 

Please note that these are demo applications, subject to change before Windows 7 is released in about 18 months. (It may be me, but is Microsoft rushing Operating Systems here?  And will Windows 7 stand alongside XP as a solid OS, while Vista and Windows ME will hold hands and skip off into la la land?)  See the video for more details.

Aloha

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