TribeWanted is an eco-sensitive time-share project where the members build the resort on a Fijian island. The web site is a little too slick, but the concept is definitely appealing.
Monthly Archives: June 2006
Amateur Satellites Set For Liftoff
You don’t have to be a government or a telco to launch a satellite these days. The Russians are participating in a project that allows universities and private companies to put their devices into orbit for a budget price. The ‘Cubesats’ are kit-built 10cm cubes; 14 of them are set to be launched from Baikonur on June 28th. Still not a cheap gig, though – the launch costs each satellite maker a cool $40,000.
New Processor On The Block
The big names in computer processors have remained fairly static for some time, but there could well be a new competitor moving into the spotlight. The scientific computation community is getting very excited about the Cell processor, designed for the forthcoming Playstation 3. Research seems to indicate vastly superior performance in certain configurations, compared to other architectures. There’s more info on the Cell (for serious bit-heads) at Wikipedia.
REAL CITY by Carrie Vaughn
Carrie Vaughn‘s “Real City” is a modern Hollywood fable set in a post-post-modern future.
Real City
by Carrie Vaughn
Stalking around the party without her referencing link flashing names and stats at her felt a little like being drunk. It was Cass’s way of making an adventure for herself. Off-balance, senses muffled, she indulged in self-induced paranoia. Smiling faces, links hooked to their ears, nodded in greeting as she passed. They all knew who she was, thanks to their links, and she hadn’t a damn clue about two-thirds of the people here. She was working blind and stupid, and it made her giddy, along with the glass of wine she’d had.
It seemed like most of Hollywood had shown up for the RealCity Productions launch party. Probably because they all wanted to be able to say they’d been here and known the company was doomed from the start.
Vim had said they had to have a party to manufacture hype.
“We don’t have the money for that kind of party,” she’d told him.
“Oh, but we will! We have to throw parties like this if we’re ever going to have enough money to throw parties like this!” Continue reading REAL CITY by Carrie Vaughn
Surveillance System Mimics Human Eyes
The logistics of watching a large expanse of ground with a surveillance drone are tricky; you either use many cameras (expensive) or just one (poor coverage). Or at least that was the case until an inventor filed a new patent for a way to mimic a natural human eye behaviour (‘saccade motion’) using two cameras – one to watch a broad area and the other to rapidly zoom in on any motion in that area.