Thanks Phil! That’s one sweet laser.

Filed under: Meta

When Make and Engadget collide originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 23:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not that waste heat in general hasn’t been repurposed for non-wasteful activities before, but researchers at Doshisha University are now edging ever closer to making useful the previously annoying thermoacoustic phenomenon. For those not really tied into the science realm, said phenomenon is a nonlinear one in which “heated air autonomously transforms into sound when passing through small mesh holes in a wire sheet.” Gurus are now developing a cooling technology that would have heat converted to sound, where it would then be transferred through a tube and reconverted into heat; furthermore, other whiz-kids are looking to generate actual electricity from the racket. In related news, the thermoelectric conversion is being used to transform waste heat from candles into energy for LEDs, which would emit more light than the candle powering it. Pop on past the break for a demonstration of the former.

Continue reading Waste heat close to becoming useful in cooling / lighting applications

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Waste heat close to becoming useful in cooling / lighting applications originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 22:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: X3F Features

It’s the end of the year and everyone has disappeared! Richard is off with family and Dustin is plowing through marathons of Gears of War 2 and the like. Taking over for this week’s super late edition of WRUP, due to our rad FanPoll’08 end of the year fan voting feature, I’m stuck guessing what everyone is playing. And here … we … go …

Richard Mitchell (SenseiRAM): When last we spoke, Richard was addicted to Team Fortress 2 and Peggle on his Mac via CrossOver Games. According to Xbox.com the last Xbox 360 game he played was The Force Unleashed … wait, maybe he isn’t with family. Maybe playing the latest Star Wars travesty made Richard to a life of crime and now he’s on the run. Yes, it’s that bad. Well, actually Rich told me he liked it but I still think it was pretty boring. Sorry, kids.

Dustin Burg (SuperDunners): Oh yeah, this will be hard. Geometry Wars 2, Gears of War 2 and Halo 3? Sure. Let’s just go with that. Actually, for fun let’s check Xbox.com. Oh look, GeoWars2, Gears 2 and Halo 3. Wow. I should play the Lotto.

Xav de Matos (Snypz): Finishing up Fallout 3, Dead Space and Fable II. Nearly finished my personal Game of the Year selections. Picked up Halo: Combat Evolved during the deal of the week and started that up. Still really dig it years later. Other than that, I’m playing the blogging game! I’m trying to solve that game tape. Now, back to work!

Leaderboards:
Xbox 360 Fanboy Leaderboard
Xbox 360 Fanboy Leaderboard Mk. II

What were you playing? (WRUP archive)

WRUP: End of the Year Edition originally appeared on Xbox 360 Fanboy on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 21:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Can you feel it? Dell’s Adamo is just about here, and the anticipation is palpable. We already learned that the unit’s 45-watt power adapter wouldn’t be anything special, but a Google cache shot of accessories and such from Dell’s own website is giving us a presumed look at what could be announced alongside the ultraportable. For starters, we get the impression that it’ll boast DisplayPort (judging by the DisplayPort-to-HDMI / VGA / etc. adapters) and at least have an option for a 2x Blu-ray combo drive. We’re also seeing 250GB / 500GB internal / external SATA drives and an auto / air adapter for powering the machine in your vehicle / personally owned 747. Only the suits in Round Rock know if these will actually come to fruition, but honestly, why bother hosting these up on your website if they weren’t on the way?

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Laptops, Peripherals

Dell Adamo rumored to boast DisplayPort, Blu-ray drive originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Fan stuff, Polls

We’ve made it. The end of the line. 2008 is almost gone and these are the best of the best. The list is long and the choice may be hard but one thing we know for sure it has been on helluva year for gaming. Think on it, look over the list and let us know what your vote is for 2008 Game of the Year.

The X3F Staff will have their own end of the year list on December 29. Results from the FanPoll will be posted on December 30. Here are the nominees for 2008 Game of the Year.

FanPoll’08: Xbox 360 Game of the Year originally appeared on Xbox 360 Fanboy on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Fan stuff, Polls

These games hold the dubious honor of being the worst of the worst in 2008. From our time with them we found no enjoyment unless it was when they were ejected from the tray if we were lucky enough to have our consoles red-ring on us as we played them. By no means should you spend money on these titles. You’ve been warned! Here are the nominees for Flat-Out Worst Game of the Year.

Read more about these nominees:
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements
Frogger 2 (XBLA)
Legendary
Rock Revolution
You’re In The Movies

Voting closes at 12:01am on December 30, 2008. Results will be revealed on December 30, 2008.

FanPoll’08: Flat-Out Worst Game of the Year originally appeared on Xbox 360 Fanboy on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Supercars, Lamborghini

Click above for a gallery of the Reiter Engineering Gallardo GT3 Strada

Turning road cars into race cars and then back into road cars seems to be Reiter Engineering’s new specialty. The factory-supported Lamborghini race team, which also recently built a street-legal variant of their Murcielago R-GT that competes in the FIA GT1 and European Le Mans Series, is now offering a road version of their Gallardo GT3 racecar. Based off the standard Gallardo with the 5.0L V10, the “Strada” features carbon fiber bodywork including fenders that have been widened 60mm, a new front fascia with “shark” style air ducts, side skirts and a large carbon fiber wing at the rear. A single large center-mounted exhaust system reduces weight by nine kg and added an extra ten horsepower, while new three-piece alloy wheels are wrapped with ultra sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 2 rubber. The interior stays relatively stock, although the stock seats have been replaced with leather-covered racing units. While we wouldn’t say the result is subtle, it’s definitely one of the cleaner designs we’ve seen.

[Source: Reiter Engineering]

One more for the road: Reiter Engineering builds Gallardo GT3 for the street originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Fan stuff, Polls

Quite possibly one of the hardest lists we’ve compiled, Studio of the Year honors are hard to decide. Many teams were added, removed, added back and scrutinized before we decided on those listed below. In the end the best thing about it is there are far too many studios doing amazing work to not recognize them all but these five teams have really brought something special to the mix. Here are the nominees for Best Studio of the Year.

Read more about the nominated developers:
Bethesda Softworks
Criterion Games
EA Redwood Shores
Epic Games
Rockstar North
Ubisoft Montreal

Voting closes at 12:01am on December 30, 2008. Results will be revealed on December 30, 2008.

FanPoll’08: Studio of the Year originally appeared on Xbox 360 Fanboy on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Crossovers/CUVs, FIAT

Anything you can do, I can do better. That seems to be the strategy over at the Fiat group vis-à-vis the MINI, which the Italian automaker has attacked from two flanks with the popular little 500 and the up-market Alfa MiTo. As we’ve reported previously, Fiat is said to be preparing a whole batch of variants of the 500, including two different convertibles and a wagon. Reports now indicate that, with MINI hard at work on its crossover and the Clubman already on the market, Fiat is preparing to strike back with an all-wheel-drive version of the 500 wagon.

Tentatively known as the Giardiniera, reviving the classic nameplate of the original, the 500 wagon would likely borrow the all-wheel-drive system from the Panda 4×4 which shares the same platform as the 500. The bean-counters in Turin are still reportedly deliberating over the project, but if approved, Fiat is anticipated to produce little over 30,000 unites annually. Whether the 4WD 500 wagon would wear the same bodywork as the existing model or the front-drive wagon, however, remains to be seen.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Garden Variety: Fiat preparing 500 crossover originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1 hasn’t been the easiest handset to procure here on US soil, despite being “available” since Black Friday. Still, we know hardcore HTC / SE fanatics have figured out a way to get their palms in touch with the X1a (or X1i for international users). You already heard our spill on the handset, but now we’re interested in finding out how you’d tweak things if given the all-important keys to the design lab. Would you keep everything the same and just add Android? Would you rework the keyboard? Swap out the touchscreen with a capacitive replacement? Make it available only in turquoise and lime? It’s a pretty safe bet that this isn’t the last Xx smartphone you’ll see from SE, so your thoughts on the matter may actually prove beneficial in time. And… go!

Filed under: Cellphones

How would you change Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X1? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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