Tech Junkie: Festival of Speed

American TV host Jay Leno driving a 1933 Napier Rilton Special at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 2, 2011 in Chichester, England. Thousands of auto racing fans attend the annual 3 day event to see the many legends of the sport race up the famous mile-long Goodwood hill.

Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber admires a vintage car in the assembly area prior to a run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 1, 2011 in Chichester, England. Drivers compete in a variety of cars, from vintage models to modern Formula 1 cars in the annual hill climb.

Adrian Newey of Red Bull Racing drives the Red Bull F1 showcar during the Goodwood Festival of Speed at Goodwood on July 3, 2011 in Chichester, England.

Adrian Newey of Red Bull Racing drives the Red Bull F1 showcar during the Goodwood Festival of Speed at Goodwood on July 3, 2011 in Chichester, England.

An elderly Fiat car races up the hill in a cloud of smoke at the Goodwood Festival of Speed near Chichester, England, Saturday July 2, 2011. Some thousands of motor racing fans attend the three day spectacular event to see many legends of the motor sport race up the famous mile-long Goodwood hill. The theme of this year's event is Racing Revolutions - Quantum leaps that shaped motor sport.

Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain drives the Mclaren MP4/1 on the hill course during the Goodwood Festival of Speed at Goodwood on July 3, 2011 in Chichester, England.

A motocross rider is pictured during the Goodwood Festival of Speed at Goodwood on July 1, 2011 in Chichester, England.

A motorcyclist pulls a wheelie at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 2, 2011 in Chichester, England.

McLaren Formula 1 driver Jenson Button drives the new McLaren MP4-12C at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 2, 2011 in Chichester, England.

McLaren Formula 1 driver Jenson Button sitting in the new McLaren MP4-12C at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 2, 2011 in Chichester, England.

Rene Arnoux of France drives the Renault RS01 on the hill course during the Goodwood Festival of Speed at Goodwood on July 3, 2011 in Chichester, England.

Sophie Barker,right, performs on stage for the guests of the Fiat 500 By Gucci lounge at the Festival Of Speed at Goodwood on July 2, 2011 in Chichester, England.

Damon Hill of Great Britain drives the Williams FW15C on the hill course during the Goodwood Festival of Speed at Goodwood on July 3, 2011 in Chichester, England.

Tech Junkie: Batmobiles

The new Batmobile designed by Gordon Murray to be used in the live stage production of Batman Live World Arena Tour is unveiled for the first time at LH2 Studios on June 15, 2011 in London, England.

The new Batmobile designed by Gordon Murray to be used in the live stage production of Batman Live World Arena Tour is unveiled for the first time at LH2 Studios on June 15, 2011 in London, England.

The new Batmobile designed by Gordon Murray to be used in the live stage production of Batman Live.

The new Batmobile designed by Gordon Murray to be used in the live stage production of Batman Live.

Hollywood car creator George Barris arrives in the TV Batmobile for the Friars of Beverly Hills celebrity fundraiser dinner gala presenting their Life Achievement Award to Barris at the Friars of Beverly Hills on June 17, 2006 in Beverly Hills, California.

A police officer walks past an original 'Batmobile' from the 1960's television series parked at New Scotland Yard in London, Sunday Feb. 18, 2007. The car is understood to be the 6th produced, and built by Jay Orhrberg of Jay Orhrberg Star Cars in Hollywood, California, to promote the series. The car is likely to fetch in excess of 75,000 pounds , $150,000 at Coys Spring Classics sale on Feb. 27, 2007.

The Batmobile, left, and a car used in the movie "Grease", sit on display on Sunday, June 15, 2003 at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Mich., during Ford's Centennial Celebration. Ford's actual 100th birthday is Monday. Ford showcased some of it's cars that were used in movies at the celebration.

Luxury-loving millionaire socialite Bruce Wayne, known to television watchers as Batman, chose a $250,000 Lincoln and converted it into the Batmobile by installing a host of anti-crime devices. The experimental Lincoln Futura (top) was built in 1955 by Lincoln-Mercury Division to test styling and engineering innovations. With the front appearance of a menacing bat face and repainted "velvet glow bat fuzz black," the Batmobile (bottom) carries Batman and Robin off on another adventure.

The Batmobile that appeared in Batman and Batman Returns.

The Batmobile that appeared in Batman and Batman Returns is displayed at the Peterson Automotive Museum auto auction June 15, 2001 in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jason Kirk/Getty Images)

The Batmobile that appeared in Batman and Batman Returns.

The "Batman Forever" Batmobile.

British F1 racing driver Damon Hill climbs out of the "Batmobile" after driving to the first day of the Harrods store sale in west London, Wednesday July 12, 1995. Hill drove "Batman Forever" film star Chris O'Donnell, who plays Robin, to the sale before going to Silverstone for the start of practice for the British Grand Prix which takes place on Sunday July 16.

The Batmobile from 'The Dark Knight.'

The Batmobile, on show to mark the release of the latest Batman movie 'The Dark Night,' is seen on the tarmac at Silverstone racetrack, England, Thursday, July 3, 2008 ahead of Sunday's Formula One Grand Prix.

The Batmobile arrives at the UK film premiere of 'The Dark Knight' at Odeon, Leicester Square on July 21, 2008 in London, England.

The new "Batmobile" motorbike is on display at the Licensing International Expo Wednesday, June 20, 2007 in New York. The annual show at the Jacob K. Javits convention center is open to the licensing industry professionals and runs June 19 through 21.

Tech Junkie:Gifts 4 Dad

The Eton Raptor is a solar powered survival multi-tool: compass, altimeter, barometer, thermometer, chronograph/alarm clock, AM/FM, shortwave, NOAA weather alert, an LED flashlight and the ever important bottle opener. Its 1800 mAh lithium ion battery can be recharged via its built-in solar panel in around 18 hours. That's cut to 4 hours when charging via AC adapter or USB. It can be used to re-charge mobile devices like smartphones using its built-in USB port. $120 at Amazon.com

The SensoGlove is designed to help golfers correct grip problems during their swing. $90 at

Have a fishhaed on your line? Rivers Edge Bass Trio Value Pack includes a can Cooler, bottle cooler, and antenna topper. $9 at SportsmansWarehouse.com

Is dad a gearhead? He might like this tire inspried bowl that has a chrome hubcap lid that snap-locks on. It measures 6" in diameter and 2 1/2" deep with rubberized tread. $18 at Perpetulkid.com

How good has dad been? Good enough for a lawn mowing robot?LawnBotts.com $The price of a used car.

Get dad a new grill. Shop around, but this modestly priced Brinkmann is a popular one. $200 Home Depo

Beer holster. $30 at RedEnvelope.com

For the joker, measuring tape toilet paper. $7 at PerpetualKid.com

Stanley's FatMax Xtreme Portable Truck Box truck box has an integrated security system with an alarm and code panel for theft prevention. The 42-gallon box has a water-resistant seal, heavy-duty wheels & base, and removable vertical storage for added organization. Stanley has other models including lower priced boxes.

Peel wants to make your iPhone a universal remote and convenient programing guide. Used with the Peel Fruit, you can control your home entertainment devices and scan what's on the tube. $100 http://bit.ly/jB2AZ4

Flash drives are commonly available and range from cheap to not so cheap. You can find some that feature unique design. 2GB LEGO Minifigure USB flash drive $25 http://bit.ly/mLYczc

Parental guidance? The TomTom XL 340S Portable GPS can be found around for about $120.

Eye-Fi SDHC card: Wirelessly transfer photos and video from a camera to a computer using Wi-Fi no router required. With an internet connection media can be uploaded to various sharing sites like Flickr, Facebook and YouTube. Prices start around $40 for the 4GB card.

Get an ice cream maker and make the the first batch while spending the day with mom. Machines can be found in many local retailers and some models are well under $50.

This product image courtesy of MusicSkins shows the KISS music skin for an iPhone. Pipe and slippers? Today's dad is more likely to be trail biking with the kids, downloading sports apps or jamming with his own weekend band. So this Father's Day, consider giving him something that honors his creative, fun-loving and adventurous spirit.

This product image courtesy of MusicSkins shows an AC/DC music skin for an iPad. So this Father's Day, consider giving him something that honors his creative, fun-loving and adventurous spirit.

This product image courtesy of Bughouse shows album wall art, pigmented ink on canvas. Pipe and slippers? Today's dad is more likely to be trail biking with the kids, downloading sports apps or jamming with his own weekend band. So this Father's Day, consider giving him something that honors his creative, fun-loving and adventurous spirit.

8 design-winning ideas for computing’s future

Fujitsu, together with design site Designboom, put out a global call to designers last year for PC-related designs that bring innovations to daily life. The winners of the Fujitsu Design Award 2011 have just been announced, and their creations provide an intriguing glimpse at “a life with future computing,” the theme of this year’s contest.
The Aid


The Aid, a smart cane by Egle Ugintaite of Lithuania, netted the $42,000 grand prize. It features inward-facing sensors that measure pulse, blood pressure, and temperature, and an LCD screen on the clasp that displays health data. An SOS button, when pressed, sends the user’s current health data and location to a help center so immediate assistance can be dispatched if needed.


Crowd


A $14,000 runner-up prize in the Lifebook category went to Philipp Schaake of Germany and his Crowd concept, a PC for the consumer of many moods.
Crowd can be configured to resemble a notebook or slate, and can also be tweaked so that the screen and keyboard are separate. The PC can even be operated via the back cover when closed.
“On the one hand, ‘Crowd’ can be used like a typical laptop. On the other hand, the user can activate a new, playful, and haptic interface for surfing the Web, chatting, or mailing,” the designer says. The size of avatars on the screen, for example, indicates the frequency with which you contact a person or visit a Web site.
Submissions to the Lifebook category could appear in a notebook PC series slated for release in 2013.

Anderson


A demonstration of landscape mode (left) and portrait mode in Anderson, a next-generation convertible computing device with a compact square profile. And when we say compact, we mean compact. The gadget by Hong Kong designers Ma Yiwei and Tao Ying measures about 6.5 inches across and is just a little more than half an inch thick.
The hinged device can be used in two ways. When a user is standing or in motion, its best used in landscape mode and can be held much like a book. When there’s a surface handy, Anderson works best in portrait mode operated like a laptop.
Anderson is one of 7 entries from more than 3,000 that netted a “judge’s special award,” and about $1,400, in the Fujitsu Design Award 2011.

ecoPad


Another judge’s special award went to South Korean designers Yonggu Do, Jun-se Kim, and Eun-ha Seo, who came up with the “ecoPad.” Using the nano piezoelectricity film located below the display, the environmentally conscious computer generates electricity when the user presses the touch screen.

Total Recall Agent


If you don’t mind a curious-looking flying balloon stalking you on your next vacation, consider the Total Recall Agent by designers Shohei Nakamura, MoonHwan Lee, and YoungWook Jung of South Korea and Japan.
The balloon–another winner of a judge’s special award–records travelers’ activities, using cloud-computing technology to make sure everyone back home knows what the globe-trotters are up to. The design also includes travel guide functionality. And we thought bright-colored tracksuits made tourists stand out.

The Haunted Mountain


French designer Lou Xiaoyu imagined enhancing a PC’s capabilities by adding functions like a projector, light, aromatherapy stick, virus alerts, and audio sensor via “pin like” components attached to the lid of a laptop. When not needed, the peripherals can just be pulled out of the computer and stored separately. Xiaoyu calls the innovation The Haunted Mountain. It won a judge’s special award.

Frame Series


This Frame Series notebook by Florian Langer and Patrick Decker of Germany merges individual features of devices like smartphones and slate terminals into a single computer. The result, winner of a judge’s special awards, is an integrated PC that harnesses the strengths of multiple devices.

Flora


Want to send birthday flowers to a friend two continents away? The Flora digital flower vase by Japanese designer Yoshiki Matsuyama, a short listed entry to the contest, lets you send virtual blooms and greetings in an instant.
The sender places real flowers (or photographs of them), in one Flora vase, and a 3D scanning camera and projector snap images and sends them to the recipient’s digital vase. A personalized text or video message can be sent along with the flowers and the color of the illumination light at the device’s base can also be customized. Once linked, the recipient’s vase will regularly update the image from the sender, so the real and digital flowers will open, close, and wilt simultaneously. Think of it like social networking for roses.