Even if math isn’t exactly your bailiwick, you still can appreciate the idea behind this math-inspired lamp from designer Mingyu Jeung. Until you solve a randomly generated math problem, the lamp remains unlit. So if you’re calculator-dependent, you might be in trouble if you come across this lamp in a dark hallway. Good thing Jeung includes a chalkboard on the lamp’s frame for writing out your calculations.
Forget what I said about the Vectrex, I was merely poking fun. It is a goofy looking but awesomely retro gaming console that’s easy to ridicule. If you just so happen to have one collecting dust in your attic because of an obsolete chip, In Choi writes on Programmable Logic DesignLine about emulating the chip with logic design.
Choi proves that there are practical ways to overcome chip obsolescence. Constructing a replacement chip dubbed a RLD (retro logic device), a swap for the broken chip gets the system up and running again. We’re glad he used the Vectrex to prove his point.
A relatively unknown company called Plastic Logic today unveiled it’s new technology called E-Newspaper. Designed to mimic the look but not the feel of newspaper, it’s supposed to put current versions of e-ink, such as the Kindle or eReader, to shame. The unnamed device will make it’s official debut come January 2009 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas (we’ll be there), so until then, one can only dream of both functionality and price.
Due out in either Q1 or Q2 of next year, the device is aimed at hardcore daily readers and business users who constantly use documents. No publishing companies are on board yet but that could all change next year. E-Newspaper looks to be the ultimate Kindle-killer but ultimately the price will determine that.
