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Over several months, one artist put roughly 40 hours of Illustrator drawing work into a piece called "Science Machine." And over that time, he had his computer screencap the project every five seconds. The result, along with some B-roll and a soundtrack, is what you see in this video. To read the artist's thoughts on the video and his Vista machine used to make it, hit the jump.
I thought you might like a screen cast I made of me working in Vista on Adobe Illustrator on a 40-hour project. It's pretty much a music video as well. I've screwed with my install of Vista a lot, so I got some crashes and some BSODs, but obviously those were not captured. On the whole, I've been very happy with the OS, though.If I could make neat stuff out of nothing, I'd be pretty happy, too. You can purchase a print of Science Machine here.
While Alltel 
It looks like Amazon's foray into the world of gadget making is going to be a profitable one indeed: CitiGroup analyst Mark Mahaney claims that in less than two years, the e-book reader is going to pull in a whopping $750 million. For those of you keeping track at home, that's a shitload of money. 
One of Comcast's main defenses of their BitTorrent blocking is to make sure the network isn't congested for other users during peak hours. This study done by the Max Planck Institute in Germany calls BS on that excuse by pointing out the fact that Comcast blocks torrents 24 hours a day, not just during peak hours. Not only that, they block every single day of the week as well, making sure that your uploads are minimal at best, killing your ratios on torrent sites. It's definitely 
Even small BBQ grills can be awkward to lug to a tailgate, but this Notebook Portable Flat-Folding BBQ is just about as simple as carrying a meat-charring incinerator can be. Priced at around $40, the Notebook BBQ can fold up when not in use, leaving your friend who agreed to carry the charcoal SOL. Once we learned how long the grill needed to cool to a holdable temperature, we could bust this thing out on a whim to spite those damned vegetarian sunbathers. Then, once the testosterone wore off, we'd apologize for ruining their otherwise perfectly lovely afternoon. [
Oh, the irony. A wireless content distributor (Dish Network) needs somewhere between $500 million and $2 billion to support mobile (wireless) TV. Dish 
We showed you the 
We know all the toilets in Japan that have built-in bidets, but how many come with remotes? With Blooming Bidet, you activate all the functions of the toilet, even adjust the intensity of water spray or hot air aimed at your posterior, from the handset. Note the big STOP button, in case things get out of hand. And it's no accident you don't see any FLUSH button—flushing happens automatically. (The downside there is that you'd have to trick it into a mercy flush.)
If you don't mind using a phone that's been face-greased by someone else over who knows how many months, AT&T's refurb store has some pretty decent deals on iPhones. The 8GB is $249 and 16GB is $349, perfect for buying now and then regretting one month later when the 3G iPhone is available. At least you got a good deal on it, and perhaps your wife won't mind using an older model if her current phone sucks donkey anyway. [
Toothbrush-like contraptions that spray water into your teeth holes have been around for years, but Philips' new patent has several innovations that makes sure you don't blast your gums into submission. The spray head has probes that can detect how far away it is from your teeth, ensuring optimum distance.
While this might not work for cards you have to slide through a magnetic reader, the idea is definitely sound. Just take pictures of your club cards (Costco, Safeway, Blockbuster), import them into your iPhone as an album, and trim down the number of cards you have to carry in your wallet. When you need to use a card, just whip out your phone and show it to the cashier, hoping that they don't get too uppity about your cleverness. If they do, just throw your phone at their head à la Naomi Campbell. [
The Wii-volution is in full effect at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program—a perfect example is this physical virtual foosball game called Ukikit. You Velcro a pink strap to your foot, and an iSight camera tracks its movement while a sonar sensor tracks your proximity. The data translates into swivel kicks and side-to-side slides in (almost) realtime. I loved playing it with inventor Thomas Chan almost as much as I enjoyed the "Moving Parts" virtual pinball game, but as you can see in the video, both the system and I both need a little more practice before we're perfect. [
Psystar, the company that's shipping hacked versions of OS X Leopard in off-the-shelf hardware, has just updated their product to address some of the 
A newly published patent application from Nikon has revealed plans for an new viewfinder technology involving a small display screen that can be viewed within the optical viewfinder. The photographer could switch between the optical image and digital display for a number of reasons, the most notable being the ability to enable a wide viewing angle when zoomed in on a subject.
As you can see from the image at the top of the post, the digital display shows a wide angle image while a centered frame illustrates the viewing area provided by the lens. The patent also illustrates that this wide preview mode would be accessed via a button placed near the lens mount and that it will most likely show up on DSLRs—whether that means high end models only remains to be seen. However, as with all patent applications, there is no guarantee it will ever see the light of day. [
Industry numbers group NPD has just confirmed that Microsoft's Zune's sold 2 million units, just slightly under one year after it 
Bike theft is a pretty sizable problem in cities, with only the most industrial-strength locks keeping nimble-fingered thieves from taking off with your two-wheeler. This Bike Tree concept helps alleviate this problem by raising bikes up and out of reach of bike thieves. It also helps save space, allowing more bikes to be parked in a smaller area. I like it; let's see some of these installed in NYC, eh? [
One fun rumor bopping around the phone sites is that MWg, the smartphone maker previously known as O2 Asia, will be rolling out a Windows Mobile 7 phone in the fourth quarter of 2008, specifically the Flame II shown above. That's about a year earlier than 
Usually camping and showering are either/or activities, but for those of you who absolutely have to cart the body wash and loofah into the wild, the Pocket Shower from Sea to Summit could be for you. 
Last time I was in a store, I was like, "Why is there no creepy animatronic sea captain here to tell me today's specials?" Apparently that's what the founders of 
Remember when it was cool to joke about how the vibrating Wii remote looked, felt and behaved pretty much like a vibrator? No? Well, too bad, because it turns out that the two were more similar than the light-hearted humor suggested. In fact, both tools of pleasure employ technology built from a patent from the same company, Immersion. 
Train operators-in-training will no longer have to deal with plain, unrealistic, standard-definition simulations thanks to a new system that uses full HD video. Jointly developed by Fujitsu and video game maker Ongakukan, the world's most advanced train simulator uses variable-speed playback technology and HD video that was shot on actual train lines.
Ultra low-cost PCs such as OLPC's XO laptop could end up bundled with copies of Windows OS after all, if Microsoft's most recent scheme to grab market share works. The company is giving computer manufacturers Windows XP Home Edition at a steep discount to put on ULPCs, in hopes of luring them away from Linux.
Japanese semiconductor maker Rohm is looking to vanquish vampire power, the energy wasted by tech on stand-by, with its new LSI circuits. The circuits consume no electricity even when in stand-by mode, allowing for a quick power up without the power drain. Considering that roughly 10% of a house's energy bill goes to these silent suckers, Rohm's circuits could save money and the planet at the same time.
By installing the vmcNetflix plug-in to a Vista Premium Media Center computer, you can watch streamed Netflix content on an Xbox 360. It's buggy, but it's a lot better than watching Netflix on a laptop screen. (Providing you have Netflix, an Xbox 360 and a Vista Media Center.) Maybe Netflix should open up streaming to lots of devices, not just windows PCs as of today. I know Mac support is coming, but combining wide support for their online services with disc delivery, it could be a pretty sweet hybrid of the old and new. Video demo post jump. [
If you came across this Nintendo DS resold by King Deco, the question isn't if you would kill it but how. My plan would involve a hazmat suit, the jaws of life and that big pool of molten steel from Terminator 2. But enough about me. How would you kill this Nintendo DS? [
It was a 
Attempts at making a glove into a communication device for the deaf have been going on for years now, but a group of undergraduate computer engineering students at Carnegie Melon have come up with what has to be the most practical design to date. The main difference being that it translates sign messages through a cellphone as opposed to a bulky computer. And the best part is that the device uses fairly inexpensive materials to work its magic.
[
One lonely Zune owner in West Hollywood is searching Craigslist high and low for one of his own—a simple lady to "rocket sweet tracks up each other's Zune slots." Isn't looking for a Zune-using soulmate the technological equivalent of being the last unicorn, fervently searching Earth for a companion, but ultimately settling on a one night stand with a horse* on its way to the glue factory? We mean, what was meant to be a one night stand. Before her kids moved in. Of course, if this is a viral ad, it's far less funny. And it probably is.
Here's an electronic plant monitor that measures pH, light and moisture for $7.50. [American Science Surplus: 
One would think that owning a normal scooter outside of Europe would be geeky enough, but the guys behind this project simply were not satisfied with a run-of-the mill vehicle. In fact, they managed to cram a PC with a 1.2 GHz Mini-ITX motherboard, 1GB of RAM, a 2GB SSD, Bluetooth, and wireless internet into the frame along with a TV and radio tuner, 8" LCD touchscreen, GPS, web cam, system status monitor, a mobile PVR and even an electric guitar PC uplink.
Good news, America! Your faithful scientific elite have isolated a brain enzyme that, when blocked, decreases appetite, promotes weight loss and improves the body's ability to handle blood sugar levels. You'll be fat and diabetic no longer!
At last the moment you've been waiting for. Microsoft wants to hit your version of Windows with an update, and this time you don't have to go 
If you have ever dealt with tech support for a computer issue, chances are you have a story or two that recounts a very frustrating experience. With much of the tech support industry working overseas and the seemingly infinite amount of things that could go wrong, it really should come as no surprise when things don't run smoothly. That having been said, which of the following computer companies has the worst tech support? Feel free to recount your experiences in the comments—and check out who Consumer Reports ranked as #1 this year.
Those small camera stores in NY are notoriously shady, shipping broken parts, ripping people off and being all-in-all unresponsive to complaints. What's interesting about this case of a customer being unsatisfied with their service is the fact that the company emailed the customer and offered a $75 credit in order for him to take down the negative review he posted on Amazon. "If you do decide to remove the feedback left in exchange for the refund please follow the instructions below." Stay away from Cameta Camera or any company that offers to pay to get rid of negative feedback. [
This is Jessica, a hippo that was found abandoned as a baby but is now the pet of the Joubert family in South Africa. It thinks it's people! There's no gadget connection here, but when 
[
Fresh off, uh, fresh rumors that 
Once upon a time horses were the kings of the open trail. The best horses were treated like royalty and their riders were worshiped for their skill. Unfortunately, those days are over. The Naturmobil pictured here was was built by Abdolhadi Mirhejazi of Dubai and it is powered by a single horse walking on a treadmill, encased in a plastic prison like some sort of common hamster. When the horse gets tired, a battery kicks in to power the vehicle along with the lights and the electrical system.
While yesterday's revelation at Maker Faire by MacGyver creator and real-life inspiration 
The Microsoft-sponsored Next-Gen PC Design Competition asks its contestants to design the next generation of Windows-based PCs and judges the resulting entries on innovation, user experience, aesthetics and whether it can ever be manufactured. This year's contest focused on PC designs that "help people do what they feel passionate about." Public voting is over and the winners will be announced sometime this month, but even if we can't participate in the voting process, a lot of these concepts are worth gawking at. Check out some weird and interesting prototypes after the jump.
Those 
The first "official" photos and specs for the HTC Diamond have been leaked, complete with a 2.8-inch 640 x 480 pixel screen (twice the lines of the iPhone in smaller surface,) Windows Mobile 6.1 and 3G connectivity. Could this be 
This isn't a sandbox with a marble in it. Sysyphus V, a kinetic sculpture by Bruce Shapiro looks like a Zen Garden. But instead of a buddhist monk carefully raking gravel, it's an autonomous steel sphere carefully crawling over and over, making polar geometric shapes that can best be described as iterative lilies or stars. A magnet on an arm on a two axis plotter sites underneath the half-ton set up, and Sisyphus is making its first appearance here, at Maker Faire 2008. An unrelated but cool Interview with Bruce, by 
AT&T's 
Don't ask us how we know, but you need to stay all the way until the credits are done in 
Following up 
Japanese bureaucrats apparently have the most amazing multi-tasking powers on earth. Topping the dude who 
Ultraportables or 
The Gadget: 
For those who haven't yet heard, a band of number-crunching nostalgists took the concept design for Charles Babbage's Difference Engine No. 2, and turned it into a real, fully functional machine. But what really makes the Difference Engine amazing is only noticed when you watch its thousands of moving parts in action. Upon first glance, the Difference Engine looks a bit chaotic. But upon closer inspection, it moves with the precision of a Swiss watch while maintaining the fluid motion of a wave about to break. And today, it went on display at the Computer History Museum in San Jose.
Actiga's partnering with Microsoft to make officially sponsored third-party wireless peripherals, the first of which is a skateboard controller. It's going to be compatible with the latest skating games, presumably, but there haven't been any compatibility announcements yet. What Actiga is going to follow this up with is unclear, but we'd think maybe a gun controller for all the FPS games, or a...yeah there's pretty much mostly shooter games on the 360. [
CNet's reviewed Samsung's 52-inch 650 series LCD, the LN52A650. While there is a 750 series, it's worth noting that those sets get MPEG and MP3 playback from USB drives but have the same picture. So, for this generation of Samsung LCDs, this is as good as the picture gets. In summary, David Katzmaier loved the set.
The 
Well screw us -- 
Other than taking obvious influences from the Tumbler from Batman Begins, this Israeli Guardium unmanned patrol shares more in common with the 
Are your allergies so severe that a Claritin has no effect? The Japanese have a solution, and it involves shoving round pieces of plastic up your nose to block out allergens. It may seem unorthodox, but as the lady at the clinic keeps telling me, prevention is much more effective than cures. We'll stick to pills, thanks. [
Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek put together a logical plan of action for bringing cellphone recycling to the U.S. over on his blog. However, it requires the collective effort of all of you to make this happen. The idea is this—if we lobby enough executives in companies responsible for cellphone manufacturing and distribution, asking for a plan of action, eventually some of these people will reply and will publicly pledge to consider it. As an incentive, Ferriss is giving away free stuff to the best responses posted by June 1st? Sounds good to me... but then again, I'm a 
Sources for Boy Genius are confirming an 
It's April 29, and Microsoft has to make the unfortunate decision of delaying Windows XP SP3 due to compatibility issues between it and Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System, something none of you should be familiar with unless you work in retail. If you don't, the service pack has been 
We've got the final spec sheet for Lenovo's 
Like most nerds, I am in full Iron Man mode as the movie release date draws closer. So, I couldn't help but get excited after hearing about a PC case mod based on Tony Stark's Mark 1 Iron Man suit. Is it the best case mod I have ever seen? No, not really. In fact, I would have expected a little more from the dude who brought us the 
A month after releasing its plugin that 