plastic

The Kid is back: Kid Icarus Uprising

As we approach the year anniversary of the 3DS, only a handful of titles jump to mind as must-haves. When Nintendo announced that the Kid Icarus franchise was being resurrected for the 3DS, we immediately thought of what the updated side-scroller would evolve into, but Kid Icarus Uprising takes the game we remember from long ago, and throws it in a completely new direction.

Jeff:You might as well forget everything you remember about the original Kid Icarus game that first debuted on the NES. In addition to making me feel old, the new Kid Icarus is an absolute deviation from its quarter-century-old predecessor, maintaining nothing more than the same main character, Pit, and few recognizable enemies and weapons. … Read more

Man turns to surgery to become Superman

Superhero fans, we give you Herbert Chavez of the Philippines.

Chavez obviously read a comic book or two during his 35 years of life on Earth because he turned to extensive surgery to transform himself into everyone's famous Son of Krypton.

According to a ABS-CBN Filipino news report, Chavez has been undergoing Superman-ish procedures for 16 years now, including chin augmentation, rhinoplasty, silicone injections to his lips, and (my favorite) thigh implants. … Read more

The 404 920: Where we're on a 7-second delay (podcast)

Wilson's out sick today so CNET Labs' Joseph Kaminski fills in with a 7-second delay, just in case.

Today we're discussing the controversial details of Steve Jobs' use of psychedelic drugs, what's being taught at Cupertino's Apple University, pre-crime becoming a reality, and this morning's speedbumps for iPhone 4S preorders.

The 404 Digest for Episode 920

Pre-crime might become a reality. Unlocked iPhone 4S coming in November. Galaxy Nexus launch delayed due to Jobs' death. Sprint to cover 120M people with 4G LTE next year (scoop). Did dropping acid make Steve Jobs more creative? Steve Jobs' virtual DNA to be fostered in Apple University. Superman fan turns to surgery to become Man of Steel. Florida school district taking attendance by scanning students' fingers. Google-designed Nikes prove Google has no taste. Fear abounds in images from Nightmares Fear Factory.

Episode 920 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

White plastic iPhone 4 pops up, possibly '4S' model

Apple may have killed off its last white plastic gadget with the recent shelving of the unibody MacBook, but an alleged iPhone prototype that's making the rounds suggests it could be making a comeback.

Macrumors today picked up on a forum post from Vietnamese site Tinhte--the same outlet that got ahold of the iPhone 4 ahead of its official announcement, and more recently a 64GB iPhone 4 model--with what it says is a new variant of the iPhone 4.

What's new? The translated forum post says the device is a little bit faster than the iPhone 4, weighs less, and is sporting plastic on the front and rear instead of glass.

That last bit is where things get interesting. Apple nearly shipped the original iPhone with a plastic screen, before changing it up to "optical-quality glass" just ahead of release for what the company said would result in a "superior level of scratch resistance and optical clarity." That Apple would be contemplating a step back to plastic based on that claim is worthy of some eyebrow raising. … Read more

Survey says fuel efficiency is a factor in new car sales and leases

This may not come as a surprise, but the American Chemistry Council on a Web site called Plastics Make It Possible has released a survey that reveals fuel efficiency is often a factor when buying or leasing a new car.

Of the 2,411 U.S. adults surveyed in an online survey by Harris Interactive, 78 percent said fuel efficiency is a key factor, while 63 percent consider safety features in their choice. "However, only 10 percent of those who know what contributes significantly to vehicle safety recognize that plastics and plastic composites contribute significantly to vehicle safety," … Read more

Agilyx attracts cash for turning plastics to oil

You've heard of turning recycled plastic bottles into floor carpeting or clothing. How about back into oil?

Tigard, Oregon-based Agilyx said that it has raised $22 million in a series B round to further develop a process for converting plastics into a synthetic oil, which can be refined for transportation fuel or used to make plastic or other oil-based goods. The round was led by Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers which joined venture capital firm Chrystalix and corporate investors Waste Management and Total Energy Ventures International.

The company has developed a multi-step process which it says can convert about … Read more

Are plastic bags actually greener than paper?

I find certainty a little dubious.

Somehow, nothing has ever seemed that certain on this earth, so when people--especially scientists or green activists--claim they know everything, my skeptical muscle goes all Cirque du Soleil.

So please raise an eyebrow with me to a stimulating article in the Independent newspaper. It reveals the existence of a report, commissioned by the U.K. government, that concludes that plastic bags are actually less harmful to the environment than either paper or cotton versions.

I know that doesn't sound right, does it? I live the merest gust of wind away from San Francisco, … Read more

Waste Management inks another trash-to-treasure deal

Waste Management seems to be on a quest to see what else it can do with all that trash and recycling it collects.

The garbage collection giant signed an agreement with biotech start-up Genomatica to develop technology that would turn syngas into commercial chemical products, both companies announced last week.

Syngas, consisting mostly of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, is what gets produced when waste materials are broken down by exposure to high heat, pressure, and bacteria.

Though the particular chemicals in mind were not mentioned, it's easy to suss out what Genomatica might develop. The company already has developed … Read more

Study: Americans sitting on $30 billion in unused gift cards

If you're a vegetarian, and someone gives you a gift card for Ruth's Chris Steak House, you might find it difficult to use. The same might be true if your dog just died and someone gifted you a $50 PetCo card.

Mismatches such as those and millions more like them have added up to $30 billion worth of unredeemed gift cards that Americans are sitting on collectively, according to a leading player in the burgeoning secondary market for the ubiquitous cards.

In a just-completed study, Plastic Jungle, which buys and sells gift cards, reported that all-told, the U.… Read more

Cheetos bags, diapers remade into trash cans

The company that turned Cheetos bags into MP3 speakers is now transforming Chester Cheetah into 32-gallon garbage cans.

New Jersey-based recycling company TerraCycle is teaming up with Pioneer Plastics USA to make heavy-duty trash cans out of recycled polypropylene that was once chip bags.

The cans are 80 percent post-consumer--most of the material is from chip bags collected by TerraCycle's Chip Bag Brigade program. About 20 percent is from scraps of rubber elastic trimming that are leftover in the production of disposable diapers.

The old Cheetos and other chip bags are first shredded, and then run through a densifying … Read more