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Artificial Snow Falls for the First Time

November 13th, 2007 by iDunzo

November 13, 1946: Artificial snow is produced for the first time in the clouds over Mt. Greylock, Massachusetts.

While not exactly a blizzard — in fact, no snow ever hit the ground — it was the harbinger of a new industry and was an overnight sensation.

Using pellets of dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide), Vincent Schaefer, a scientist working for General Electric, seeded the clouds from an altitude of 14,000 feet. He was carrying out the first field experiment resulting from lab work in which he had successfully created precipitation by placing dry ice in a chilled chamber.

Flying over Mt. Greylock (the highest point in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts), Schaefer dropped his pellets and produced a similar effect in the clouds, which resulted in snow that fell an estimated 3,000 feet before evaporating in the dry air.

Artificial snow, like so many other scientific innovations, was born out of wartime necessity. In this case, it began during World War II and experiments with the creation of artificial fog, meant to conceal ships at sea.

Schaefer, a research associate under Nobel Prize-winner Irving Langmuir, began examining the physics of cloud formation. This work led him to his postwar experiments with cloud seeding, and the ultimate development of artificial snow.

Despite protests that artificial snow shouldn’t be used because it messed with Mother Nature’s design, it only took a few years for ski resorts to begin looking for ways to create the fake stuff for use during bad snow years.

Nowadays, artificial snow is made using a variety of machines and seeding methods. In addition to the ski industry, artificial snow is also popular on movie sets and in places where snow doesn’t normally fall.

Source: Massmoments.org and Sciencedaily.com

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2 Or 3 Android Handsets Coming From HTC In 2008

November 12th, 2007 by iDunzo

According to Digitimes, which cites the Commercial Times (a Chinese paper), High Tech Computer has said it will design and engineer two or three handsets for Google’s Android mobile platform next year.

The information comes from statements at an analyst meeting made by HTC’s CEO, Peter Chou. His remarks have led people to believe that HTC will be the first to market with an Android phone.

In fact, the comments Chou made during last week’s Android announcement implied the same.

If this is the case, it isn’t too much of a stretch to believe that T-Mobile would be the carrier offering up such a device, as HTC and T-Mobile are pretty tight these days.

Not only did Chou spill the beans about Android phones, he also said HTC is working on a new 3G solution that is not based on Qualcomm’s chipsets.

Whether it is changing suppliers to STMicro, Texas Instruments, Broadcom, Ericsson, or developing a radio solution of its own is unknown.

HTC is also working on a next-generation touch-based user interface that it says will be better than its own TouchFlo UI, which appears on several of HTC’s smartphones.

Lastly, HTC is putting together a dual-mode handset, but not the kind you might think.

Rather than marry Wi-Fi and cellular radios, which is has done with more than a few handsets, it is pairing WiMax and TD-WCDMA, which is the home-grown Chinese flavor of WCDMA. This phone would strictly be for Chinese markets.

Posted in Google + Technology + Toys & Gadgets + Wireless | Comments Off on 2 Or 3 Android Handsets Coming From HTC In 2008

World’s Most Pointless Gadget: Plug Remover

November 12th, 2007 by iDunzo

Look at the picture and be astounded that this string-and-plastic widget will cost $9.95 USD a pair.

Billed as safe and convenient, it’s probably neither. That dangling string is just one more thing to get tangled in your power strip rats-nest.

Taken from the official sites product page:

Now you can safely and easily remove electrical plugs without damaging the cord. Pull-a-Plug is especially handy when removing plugs from a tightly packed power strip.

The question I have for anyone who might want to purchase this product? How hard is it to use your fingers for the job?

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Google and I remember Veterans Day 2007

November 11th, 2007 by iDunzo

Here in America it’s Veterans Day, the day we celebrate the tens of millions of people who gave their sweat and blood, and sometimes their lives to serve our country.

I’m a proud U.S. Marines Veteran and did my duty in active duty during Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf. Today means a lot to me, my friends and family.

A little trivia, Desert Shield and Desert Storm Operations were the largest U.S. deployment of naval forces since World War II.

Today Google shows respect with a colorful home page logo:

You can read the complete History of Veterans Day on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs site.

On this Veterans Day 2007, we come together as a Nation to thank our veterans (the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard) for their service and to let them know that their service and sacrifices will never be taken for granted.

Posted in Geekipedia + Google + Memories + Technology | 1 Comment »

TiVo Lifetime Subscription: Get it While it’s Hot

November 8th, 2007 by iDunzo

TiVo is temporarily offering it’s much loved (and long dead) lifetime subscription option, the Product Lifetime Service, for the Series 3 and HD models.

It’ll cost you $400.00 USD on top of the price of the kit, but that’s it: no more monthly payments, ever.

You’ll have to be quick, though, as the offer only runs until January 2nd next year. It looks like a quick Christmas cash-in.

It also makes the $300.00 USD, three-year service TiVo Giftcard look like rather a silly Christmas present this year.

Posted in Geekery + Technology + Toys & Gadgets | 1 Comment »

Periodic Table Shower Curtain

November 7th, 2007 by iDunzo

If you don’t know your Krypton from your Kryptonite, this vinyl shower curtain is here to help.

Printed with the entire Periodic Table of Elements, peruse the atomic weight of calcium whilst simultaneously considering the limescale on the faucet.

You can purchase this geek-tastic shower curtain from Amazon.com for $30.95 USD.

As an added bonus, you can also get what looks to be the exact same shower curtain from Think Geek for $29.99 USD.

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