madison
ie8 fix

Crave

Students blast off in egg payload rocket contest

Students blast off in egg payload rocket contest

Big rockets like the SpaceX Grasshopper and the Orbital Antares have been in the news lately, but those are a little out of reach for the average student. That's why the Aerospace Industries Association's Team America Rocketry Challenge exists. It fans the maker flames by challenging kids to design, build, and launch model rockets.

The rocket challenge finals took place over the weekend. It was a record year for the competition's turnout, with 725 teams battling through the initial rounds. The top 100 teams participated in the final fly-off in Virginia, representing 29 states with teams from schools, 4-H clubs, and even a team made up of Civil Air Patrol volunteers.

The competition was open to students in grades 7 through 12. All the teams had one goal: build the best model rocket. The challenge was to fly an egg to 750 feet up in the air, and then parachute it back to the ground with no damage. That's even harder than it sounds.… Read more

Beam your face onto a 3D-printed 'Star Trek' figurine

Beam your face onto a 3D-printed 'Star Trek' figurine

Being a fan of the Original Series, "Star Trek Into Darkness" doesn't really get my dilithium crystals humming. I'd prefer to watch "Spock's Brain," as laughable as it is.

But what I'd much rather do is slap my mug on my own "Star Trek" figurine. 3D print shop Cubify has a new "Star Trek" service that lets you upload your photos and print your own likeness on a 3-inch Enterprise crew member.

It's similar to putting your face on Star Wars Stormtrooper figurines at Walt Disney World in Florida, but smaller and cheaper. … Read more

Archos ChefPad tablet: Now you're cooking with Android

Archos ChefPad tablet: Now you're cooking with Android

My poor iPad has survived flour, oil, lemon juice, and countless other kitchen mishaps. Maybe it's time I look a little more seriously at a dedicated kitchen computer. My options have just expanded with the arrival of the Archos ChefPad, an Android tablet built to handle the rigors of the cooking life.

The ChefPad is a full-blown 10-inch Android tablet running Jelly Bean with a 1.6GHz processor and 1GB of RAM behind it. There are the usual front and back cameras, in case you want to launch your own online cooking show. What makes it kitchen-specific are the preloaded cooking apps and easy-to-clean case.… Read more

Closed-captioning glasses get big rollout to cinemas

Closed-captioning glasses get big rollout to cinemas

Google Glass isn't the only pair of high-tech specs making a splash on the personal viewing scene. Sony Entertainment Access Glasses are about to give deaf moviegoers a way to watch first-run films with closed captions at the theater.

The glasses project closed captions at the bottom of the viewer's eyesight. The text is sent via a wireless system to a receiver that feeds the data to the glasses. Regal Cinemas also is offering an audio headset option for the blind, providing descriptive audio tracks to match what's happening on screen.… Read more

Petswitch: Give a pet your own face

Petswitch: Give a pet your own face

Thanks to the power of apps, we can put someone else's face over our own faces. But what about the poor animals? Where's their face-swapping fun? Well, if you've ever looked at your adorable puppy and thought to yourself, "Hmmmm, Fido would look amazing with a human mouth," well, there's a Web app for that.

Called Petswitch, it allows you to upload a picture of yourself, and superimpose your human features over that of your animal companion. If you don't have an animal companion, you can select from one of the available animal pictures, including cats, dogs, rabbits, bears, and pigs. … Read more

PetTread treadmill: A giant hamster wheel for cats and dogs

PetTread treadmill: A giant hamster wheel for cats and dogs

America has a fat problem, and it's not just the humans. Many pets are also toting some extra poundage.

You could, of course, take your dog for more walks, or spend more time playing attack-the-fuzzy-thing with your cat. Or you could invest in a pet treadmill. Better yet, check out PetTread, a pet-treadmill design that looks like a giant hamster wheel.

PetTread is looking to raise $110,000 on Kickstarter to take a prototype version into production. Like many inventions, the PetTread came about as a result of personal experience. Creator John Gosson had an overweight cat named Noonie. Adjusting her diet didn't help much, so he used his electrical engineering background to craft a power treadmill she could safely use.… Read more

One more Google I/O rumor: A new smartwatch?

One more Google I/O rumor: A new smartwatch?

Every time one of the tech giants holds its developers conference, the blogs tend to cycle through all the rumors we've heard associated with a company, like say Google, in the immediate lead up to an event, like say Google I/O.

In the past few weeks we've been hearing about new Nexus tablets, super smartphones and of course, some major software updates. But now that it's down to the wire, it's time to get crazy. Time to dust off that Google smartwatch rumor we first heard in March and throw it against the side of the Moscone Center to see if it's still sticking around by the end of the week.… Read more

Sony unveils waterproof Xperia ZR phone

Sony unveils waterproof Xperia ZR phone

Sony is launching a new Xperia smartphone designed to be dunkable.

Announced on Monday, the Xperia ZR phone can stay under as much as five feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Using the phone's 13-megapixel camera, you can shoot underwater photos and videos in full HD. The dedicated camera key also allows you to quickly take a shot even if the phone is locked.

The camera takes advantage of Sony's Exmor RS for mobile image sensor with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for both photographs and videos. The company promises that photos and videos are automatically captured … Read more

Projector tech explainer: All your front projection questions answered

Projector tech explainer: All your front projection questions answered

For the biggest TV, movie, and gaming experience, you need a projector. On top of all the "normal" TV jargon, projectors have their own buzz words and marketing fluff that must be navigated. Then there's the additional complexity of wiring and screens. None of these things are difficult, especially if you're armed with a handy helpful guide.

Hey, this is a helpful handy guide! Behold, all your projector tech questions answered. … Read more

Nokia video teases next Lumia with eye on camera

Nokia video teases next Lumia with eye on camera

Nokia is shining a light on the camera and flash of a new Lumia smartphone.

A video posted on YouTube today takes us on a tour of the phone from the camera to the lens to the flash, promising "more than your eyes can see" and telling us that "the new Nokia Lumia is coming."

So, just which model Lumia is coming?

Nokia will hold an event in London tomorrow in which it will likely pull back the curtains on its latest Lumia phone. The company has been playing up its Lumia 928 in a series … Read more