Volume Slicing Display lets users view untethered 3D imagery

If you've watched the science fiction film Avatar recently, you may have noticed one of the characters plucking a display panel from a desktop and continue using it as a standalone control screen. While we probably wouldn't witness epic wars between human colonists and sapient humanoids in the near future, the technology depicted in the science fiction film is available in our current time, albeit in its unrefined form.

At the recent computer graphics event Siggraph Asia 2009, a pair of researchers from the University of Tokyo demonstrated their Volume Slicing Display prototype. Developed for medical use, radiologists would be able to view 3D imagery from a flat X-ray plate via a calibrated projector. The technology essentially lets users experience 3D virtual objects in a physical environment. This could mean visualizing cross sections of your brain in 3D while walking around in an operating theater.

The setup apparently comprises only a plexiglass or paper, one or more projectors and ARTookit markers that can be made with off-the-shelf hardware. While this doesn't sound as exciting as what's shown in the film, at least we know we may get there in the future. 2148, perhaps?

Sunpak outs affordable LED ring light

One of the more recent additions to Sunpak's lineup of flashes is the DSLR67 LED ring light, a low-cost, easy-to-use LED ring light for macro work with cameras with hotshoes. It's simple to use: Just turn it on and shoot. Although it won't put out as much light as a traditional strobe ring light, it only costs about US$50, less than a strobe ring light. It's meant for when you need to add a little light to small subjects.

The DSLR67 fits most lenses with a filter size up to 67mm. The ring light mount slides into the hot shoe, then you adjust the flexible arm so the ring light aligns at the front of the lens. Its flexible arm allows for almost unlimited movement, even off to the side of center of the lens. It has an effective light coverage distance of 2 inches to 20 inches. The ring light takes three AAA batteries and weighs 119g without them.

There are 12 LED lights spaced out around the front of the ring light. The LED lights have a natural, daylight color, with a color temperature of 5500 to 6500 degrees Kelvin for properly balanced photos.
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Toaster looks like printer, behaves like one

Swiss designer Othmar Muehlebach conceived a toaster that not only looks like an inkjet printer, but it also toasts bread like one, too.

The gizmo has an iMac-esque stand and you can drop the bread on the tray at the top which will then feed the slices into a slot where it'll be toasted. This design has won second place at a design contest held in Switzerland but so far there's no sign of it going into production.

I wonder if there's a butter cartridge for this gizmo and does anyone knows what its tpm (toast per minute) speed?

Via Boing Boing (source: Designboom)

TV Ears let Gramps crank up the volume

There might be a solution to one of the most obnoxious linear relationships: As Grandpa gets older, the TV gets louder. TV Ears is a wireless headset that allows Grandpa (or anyone) to listen to television audio in isolation. And though its design screams "geek!" the wearer can sacrifice fashion for a peaceful household.

A small transmitter plugs into the audio-out ports located on the back of the television set, satellite box, or cable box and wirelessly transmits the television's audio to the headset. The user can adjust the volume and tone dials on the headset, while television volume can be set to any level or turned off.
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More Pine Trail Netbooks joining the fray

Asus was one of the first with the Eee PC 1005PE, but other vendors are already hot on its heels with Pine Trail Netbooks of their own. The upcoming MSI Wind U130 will sport the new N450 Atom processor and NM10 chipset, while Dell has plans to upgrade the Mini 10v to the new platform.

For now, it seems the new Pine Trail lineup consist of 10-inch Netbooks that are simply refreshed models based on existing designs. The Asus Eee PC 1005PE hails from the older Eee PC 1005HA, while MSI's U130 carries on the legacy of the original Wind U100 chassis.
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