ice

During a recent interview with TechCrunch, Android's head honcho Andy Rubin let slip that the name of the next release of the mobile platform will be Ice Cream Sandwich.

Once rumored as Ice Cream, Ice Cream Sandwich will follow OS 3.0, or Honeycomb, which landed on its first device, the Motorola Xoom, last week at CES. Availablity is uncertain, but one theory suggests that Ice Cream Sandwich would arrive as OS 2.4 later this summer.

The timeline makes sense, but the version number leaves me scratching my head. As to why Google would backtrack on the number … Read more

Check it out. Nokia did something cool with a touch screen. I did not see that coming.

We're not sure why researchers from the phone maker would do what they did (other than that they were probably going stir crazy during the long Nordic winter), but they did. So this exists: possibly the world's biggest touch screen, which is made of ice.

The Fins stacked ice blocks together and fused them with a heat gun to make an ice wall. That itself isn't that awesome, but then they added a projector behind it that shot the back of the ice wall with infrared light.

When people touch the wall--which is about 6.5 feet long, 5 feet tall, and 10 inches thick--their hands reflect the infrared light back, and a sensor feeds the data into a computer, which in turns projects visible light in response to the users' touches. Thus it becomes a giant touch screen.

Right now all the chilly ice screen does is make an interactive light display, which is fun. But I want to play Angry Birds on a wall. Nokia, can we make that happen? Check out the New Scientist video below.… Read more

Much has been written about the eventual robot uprising. However, until that time comes, Earth and the sky above are the domain of humans; clearly, we should make the most of it while the time is ours. With Skynet in its incubation stage, we humans are free to toast and enjoy the fruits of our creations, with a cold drink and a cupcake, of course. Naturally, the best way to enjoy this meal would be with robot-themed accessories.

For whatever reason, finding a robot drink to toast over a robot cupcake has never been too easy. Luckily (or not), times … Read more

When it comes to kitchen appliances, bigger is not always better. What is always better--or best--is having the right appliance for not only the job, but for the space provided. While a refrigerator that features a cavernous capacity, complete with double doors and a rich feature set is surely nice for some, others may just want something that gets the job done in a small as space as possible. But back to those features: chances are some compromises will have to be made for those who consider smaller to be better. Unless an ice maker is on top of the … Read more

Turn on the TV in Japan and you're bound to see someone slicing up a tuna on a cooking show while commentators ooh and aah. It's no wonder, then, that during the current heat wave frying Tokyo, people are heading north for chills and eye candy in the form of giant fish popsicles.

The Kori no Suizokukan (Ice Aquarium) in Kesennuma, northeastern Japan, packs about 450 specimens of marine life frozen in large columns of ice bathed in blue light. Some 80 species, including saury, octopuses, crabs, and skipjack, are preserved in lifelike poses. They seem to be … Read more

WATERBURY, Vt.--You wouldn't think that half a million people a year would trek to this tiny town in the middle of the Green Mountain state, but then again, you might not know that this is mecca for ice cream fans.

This, of course, is where the original--and still operating--Ben & Jerry's production plant is located and where about 250,000 pints of the confection still come off the line every day.

Back in 1978, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield served the first scoops of their soon-to-be famous ice cream from a small shop in a gas station … Read more

Summer, fleeting as it is, is not the season to waste. Warm weather is made more enjoyable by sharing it with family and friends, and we gather together easily at the slightest hint of a backyard barbecue or pool party. It doesn't require much to get the good times going at a get-together: just a little food and some drinks will do the trick. As basic as that may be, there is still at least one other factor to consider.

Nobody wants to go on an ice run in the middle of a party. The easy-to-overlook detail, while seemingly … Read more

Ice cream fans have got it made. Just walk into any ice cream establishment and point to any one flavor that looks appealing. (Or two flavors, or three.) Among the dozens of flavors there will be (at least) one to suit every mood or craving. It's hard to think of another food item that offers so much to choose from. (That's not even considering all the other frozen delights such as yogurt or sorbet.) Though options abound for ice cream fans, sometimes the best flavor is the one you make yourself.

The Nostalgia Electrics Old Fashioned Ice Cream Maker … Read more

The process of getting a culinary treat can sometimes be almost as exciting as the treat itself. Consider going to get ice cream as a youngster: from the time the word "ice cream" is mentioned, the duration of the experience is one of increasing excitement until finally, finally, the frozen treat is safely obtained. Whether it involved choosing one of many different flavors, or sitting in a parlor trying to wait patiently for the ice cream to arrive, the fun of the wait was always rewarded.

You can't go wrong with ice cream, and with the Soft-Serve Ice Cream Maker, … Read more