Your tech feed! [Gizmag]

Scientists create organic 'molecular computer'

Researchers from Japan and the Michigan Technological University have succeeded in building a molecular computer that, more than any previous project of its kind, can replicate the inner mechanisms of the human brain, repairing itself and mimicking the massive parallelism that allows our brains to process information like no silicon-based computer can. Read More

The Air Deck: a balcony for your private jet

BAE Systems has partnered with luxury transport design consultancy firm Design Q to develop an "Air Deck" viewing platform concept for BAE’s Avro Business Jet (ABJ). Aimed at jet setters that like heading off the beaten flight path, the Air Deck transforms the rear of the aircraft into an extended living space by way of an elevated outdoor viewing deck. Read More

Sony's 3G VAIO P: accelerometer, digital compass and stand-up controls

With so many variations of smartphones, netbooks, and tablet PCs on the market it's hard to imagine the categories of mobile tech getting more confusing - but they are. Sony has just thrown another unclassifiable beast into the mix with its new VAIO P Series. The first Type P had a sexy and ultra-portable form factor that could be stuffed into one of your larger pockets and while this new Type P might not be a game changer, it certainly has a boat-load of mobile-friendly features. Read More

Gulfstream G650 business jet hits Mach 0.925

When first announced in 2008 the Gulfstream G650 business jet promised to be the world's fastest civil aircraft and in a test flight earlier this month, it delivered. Flown by Gulfstream’s Chief Test Pilot John O’Meara and Senior Experimental Test Pilot Tom Horne, the G650 hit its top speed of Mach 0.925 while at 42,500 feet in the skies above Savannah, Georgia, on Sunday, May 2. Read More

Fancy a US$30,000 bottle of Whisky?

Whisky may not be everyone's idea of a sound financial investment, but as we have reported previously, as long as you choose wisely and resist drinking it, IT IS! With that in mind, you may wish to consider an exceptionally rare bottle of Glenfiddich coming up for auction next month. It is one of only 61 bottles produced by the distillery in 1937 and is the first to appear at auction. Having matured for 64 years it is also one of the oldest whiskies ever released and is expected to fetch between GBP15,000 - 20,000 (US$22,250 – 29,670). Read More

New metamaterial could lead to more efficient solar cells

Metamaterials are manmade substances designed to do some very weird things that natural materials don’t. The path of a beam of light through a natural material like glass is predictable, but scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have engineered an optical material that bends light in the wrong direction. This new negative-index metamaterial (NIM) could have several valuable uses including invisibility cloaking, superlensing (imaging nano-scale objects using visible light) and improved light collection in solar cells. Read More

Sleek Audio SA7 - world's fanciest set of earbuds?

Back in August 2007, we told you about Sleek Audio’s SA6 in-ear headphone system. It featured adjustable bass and treble, interchangeable ear tips, replaceable cables... oh yeah, and it cost $US250. Not exactly your $5 drug store system. Well, the SA6 is still around, but it’s about to lose its title of World’s Fanciest Earbud. Later this year, Sleek Audio will be rolling out the carbon fiber/aluminum/titanium SA7. Read More

Loftbox 101 provides office privacy... in a box

Nowadays any hip office worth its salt will eschew the traditional partitions or cubicles in favor of open plan office setups – preferably in a converted warehouse or loft. That’s great for encouraging communication (work-related of course) between employees, but what about when some privacy is required, whether it be for a meeting or just to avoid that annoying guy from accounting? Enter the Loftbox 101, a mobile rectangular box from Atelier Graff that unfolds to form a table with high backed facing chairs for private conversations. Read More

It's Tight like that: Amptweaker's TightDrive Overdrive/Tone pedal

The TightDrive from Amptweaker allows guitar and bass players to take control of that all important tone and overcome any unwanted delay that can slow down the sound as it moves through an amp's circuitry. As well as LED-lit gain, distortion, volume and Tight controls the pedal also features an effects loop where onboard effects can be moved in front of or behind the TightDrive's tone modifications. Read More

Battlefield injuries could be treated with light

There are quite a few bits of “future tech” in the various Star Trek series that are a little hard to believe, and the device their medics use for treating cuts is definitely one of them... they just shine the gizmo on a wound, and it instantly heals up. C’mon, that could never work! Or could it? The US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) is now developing technology that could treat airmen’s battlefield injuries with - you guessed it - light. What’s next, replicator-made Klingon food? Read More