Your Tech feed [Gizmag]

World's longest sniper kill - 2.47km twice!

The sniper is without doubt the most feared combatant in any theater of war, the best of whom have an array of skills far beyond simply being able to hit human targets at a distance. Snipers are the most cost effective way of killing the enemy. Individual snipers routinely account for more kills than entire battalions operating in the same place at the same time, hit the target almost every time, and each bullet costs around €2. An elite sniper's skills cannot be assessed with a single measurement, so the “longest confirmed kill” record stands as the pseudo world championship for military combat riflemen, and as of now there's a new outright champion - using an Accuracy International L115A3, British Corporal Craig Harrison killed two Taliban with consecutive shots at a distance of 2.47 kilometres (8120 ft) in Helmand Province, Afghanistan last November (2009). He then fired a third shot and hit the Taliban's PKM machinegun in perhaps the most prodigious feat of marksmanship in military history. Read More

NetDISK multi-function NDAS - the 'hack-proof' drive

IOCELL Networks claims its NetDISK external eSATA/USB 2.0/Ethernet combo hard drive is hack-proof because it’s embedded with revolutionary NDAS technology (Network Direct Attached Storage), which allows a direct connection to a network without the need for IP configuration, making it invisible to the outside world. Read More

The chilling power of sunlight

The sun is already being used to power air-conditioning systems so it seems a natural progression to apply it to refrigerate perishable foodstuffs - a huge consumer of fossil fuel-based energy. Scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, Germany, are taking this task to heart with two solar refrigeration trials in the Mediterranean region – one at a Tunisian winery and the other at a dairy in Morocco. Read More

Own Voice for Ovi Maps - do I really sound like that?

Custom GPS voice packs are a bit like mobile phone ring tones. They let you add a "uniquely personal touch" to your device by shelling out cash for something that will also be used by countless others who share your refined taste. Now you can get truly unique voice directions by listening to your own dulcet tones thanks to Nokia’s new Own Voice for Ovi Maps. The app lets users record their own driving instructions and share them with family, friends and soon to be former friends. Read More

Saving lives with a salad spinner

Like test tubes and Bunsen burners, the centrifuge is a standard piece of equipment in scientific and medical labs the world over. But what happens when there’s no lab to speak of? In developing and third world countries access to centrifuges, not to mention the power to drive them, can make separating blood to diagnose a range of diseases a difficult task. Now a couple of university students have come up with the ingenious idea of turning the humble salad spinner into a rudimentary centrifuge that could be used in medical clinics in developing countries around the world. Read More

Unmanned helicopter demonstrates impressive cargo airdrop

Lockheed Martin and Kaman Aerospace Corporation have transformed a 6,000lb power lifting K-MAX helicopter into an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and successfully tested airdropping cargo by parachute to simulate resupplying troops in the field. The test involved cargo airdrops from 300ft-400ft using a four-hook carousel during one flight, demonstrating how the UAV could conduct four drops in a single mission. Read More

Unlocking water fern's secrets could pave the way for more efficient ships

Ships are big polluters and one of the key reasons for this is the energy lost due to friction as they move through the water. Numerous innovations in marine paint technology have sought to address this issue and now a group of German material research scientists have unlocked a secret that could radically improve fuel consumption... and it's all down to the marvelous properties of one small plant. Read More

Paper Mate launches biodegradable pens and pencils

According to the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association (WIMA) over three billion retractable ball point pens and over 500 million mechanical pencils were shipped in the US in 2007. Many have since been lost – try looking down the back of the sofa – and will probably find their way into landfill. To address this problem Paper Mate has introduced a line of biodegradable pens and pencils that feature components that break down in soil or home compost in the space of a year. Read More

Solo Internet radio features iPhone remote app

If you like to find out what else is on radio, the Grace Digital Solo Wi-Fi Internet radio tuner could be one to add to your collection of music devices. Solo connects to practically any home stereo system or powered speaker set via its stereo RCA jacks and promises easy set up with its built-in Wi-Fi 802.11g card that connects directly to any 802.11b/g/n wireless router. There’s also an free iPhone app that turns your phone into a remote that allows you search, skip, and power the Solo anywhere within range. Read More

Barcelona Moon team enters Lunar X PRIZE

Barcelona Moon, a new Spanish team led by entrepreneur Xavier Claramunt, has officially announced its entry into the ongoing $US30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE. To win the Grand Prize, a team must soft land a privately-funded spacecraft on the moon, send a rover at least 500 meters out onto the moon’s surface, and transmit a specific set of video, images and data back to Earth. The as-yet-unnamed Spanish rover, appropriately enough, looks rather like a sombrero. Read More

Simple, effective, revolutionary: V-Lock is the perfect keyhole

Some inventions struggle because they're too complicated to explain. The V-Lock, on the other hand, is gonna do great, because it's instantly understandable even without an explanation, hugely useful and forehead-slappingly simple. Everyone who's ever unlocked a door in the dark will understand the problem and designer Junjie Zhang's clever solution in a flash. We love it and we'll take a dozen please. Read More

3D posters without glasses sure to demand attention

We’ve all seen cards with images that move or provide a 3D effect without glasses when the viewing angle is moved. Although the technology has been around since the 1940s, its limitations in viewing distance and clarity has seen it largely remain a novelty for prizes in cereal boxes, collectible cards and the occasional movie poster. Now researchers have updated the technology for the 21st Century, enabling a much clearer 3D image on posters up to five meters in size which can also be viewed from a distance. Read More

Maingear claims fastest 15″ HD gaming notebooktitle with eX-L 15

Maingear has recently unveiled what it claims to be the fastest 15" gaming laptop on the market. Offering top-of-the-line components while still allowing for several customization options, the new eX-L promises to satisfy even the most demanding of hardcore gamers. Read More

Pure Internet radio threesome head for the U.S.

British digital and internet radio enthusiasts have enjoyed the quality sound and cool styling of PURE products for a good while now. Happily, the company has just announced that three of the range first announced at CES 2010 will shortly be available to U.S. customers. The award-winning EVOKE Flow, the independence-inducing Oasis Flow and the Siesta Flow bedside companion are leading the charge, with others following a little later. Read More