APPLE PI: Google Reader -LG's shared items

Kids earn online points for real-world chores

via CNET News.com | Tech news blog by Stefanie Olsen on 4/3/08

(Credit: Handipoints)

For parents, enticing kids to do their chores is often about making deals--a trade of sorts, like taking out the trash for extra time watching TV.

For George Zachary and his 10-year-old stepdaughter, that real-world exchange happens online through a site called Handipoints, a digital chore-list manager for

...

HOW TO - low tech cat feeder

via MAKE Magazine by Becky Stern on 4/3/08

Instructables user labelreader made this clever kitty-powered feeder. This

automatic feeder that takes 5 minutes to make, and requires no soldering, no motors, and no batteries. Your cat's own clever paws knock just a few pellets out at a time, so this dispenser is self-regulating according to a simple algorithm: while your cat's hunger exceeds his laziness, he shakes the feeder, eats the pellets, repeats.

I'm going to try to make one of these for my little furry tubster. Via the Instructables Weekend Builder.

Related:

Automatic cat feeder and waterer
VCR Cat Feeder from MAKE 03

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Microsoft Extends XP Through 2010 for Ultra-Low-Cost Laptops

via PC World: Latest Technology News on 4/3/08

Microsoft will extend the sales of Windows XP Home to OEMs beyond the current deadline of June 30, 2008.

Is Ubuntu becoming the generic Linux distro?

via Digg on 4/3/08

Has anyone else noticed an increasing number of Linux newbies who seem to think that Ubuntu is Linux and Linux is Ubuntu? Over the past year or so I’ve noticed an increasing number of newbies interested in taking Linux for a spin - for example, the number or emails I’m getting on the subject from zero a year ago to several dozen a week.

Why are there dozens of dead animals floating in space?

via Digg on 4/3/08

Neil Armstrong may have been the first man on the moon, but he wouldn't have gotten there without fruit flies, rhesus monkeys or a dog. Who are the unsung heroes of space exploration?

Casio EX-F1 Cameracorder Shoots 1200 FPS Video

via OhGizmo! by Evan Ackerman on 4/3/08

Casio EX-F1

By Evan Ackerman

Casio’s EX-F1 is a sub-DSLR prosumer camera/camcorder hybrid with some sweet features that make it stand out from the crowd. And that’s not just PR speak, I promise. For starters, it has a not-too-shabby 12x optical zoom, a 6 megapixel sensor (2816 x 1872), and a dual integrated flash system that uses LEDs for high-speed light. Mkay. On to the stuff you care about…

At its full 6 megapixel resolution, the camera can fire off bursts at 60 frames per second (with the LED flash). Casio uses this feature to provide a sort of time shift: as you’re composing your shot, the camera will continuously buffer up to 60 full resolution frames, and save those those images just after you press the shutter. If you’re a little bit late with your trigger push, you can cycle through the previous 60 frames that the camera recorded for you, and pick out the perfect moment. But all that’s not even the exciting part… The Casio EX-F1 will take video in 1080i/720p at 30 FPS, but by trading off ~~some~~ lots of resolution, you can bump that up to a whopping 1200 (!) FPS. It’s a little bit of a gimmick, but it’s damn cool and something I would totally use. Check it out:

300 FPS @ 512 x 384:

600 FPS @ 32 x 192:

1200 FPS @ 336 x 96:

MSRP: $1000

[ Casio EX-F1 ] VIA [ Impress (Translated) ]

Photography

Pioneer Sneakers Light Your Way With Built-In Headlights [Shoes]

via Gizmodo by Kit Eaton on 4/3/08

Designers Feijun Chen & Bin Zhao clearly were reading Skymall when they dreamed up these "Pioneer" sneakers with built-in recharging headlights. They've got a battery inside which charges on each step, using some mysterious tech that doesn't look piezoelectric. Apparently this can power the LEDs in the front for a full 12 hours. So you can, you know: run in the dark down dim-lit streets, or something. Maybe they'd be handy for doggy-do detection? Just a concept, for now. [Yanko design]