NEWS : TECH (NFPC)

Indianapolis Colts Trot Out the Tech

The Indianapolis Colts already have Luck on their side, but now they're getting a leg up on other NFL teams by making some rather tech-forward strides.

Chief among them is the franchise's decision to do away with bulky playbooks in favor of iPads. A traditional NFL playbook is a hulking binder of on-field hieroglyphics that can swell to upwards of 800 pages. Considering the average NFL team has around 50 players and 20 coaches, that's a lot of extra baggage to be carrying around.

PHOTOS: Video Game Fails

DNEWS VIDEO: SPORTS AND TECH

So the Colts decided to trim some fat. They bought 120 iPads and started using a digital playbook made by Global Apptitude. The new tablet features the ability to draw and write on the playbook. Those marks can then be shared with teammates and coaches.

Players aren't the only ones on the receiving end of these tech blitzes. Fans are too. Spectators in the stands of Wi-Fi-equipped Lucas Oil Stadium can access instant replays on their smartphones five seconds after plays take place. That's largely due to the stadiums bandwidth, which can accommodate 23,000 fans at a time.

NEWS: Football Shaped By Military

You arm-chair quarterbacks may "scream your necks off" yelling "Go Horse," so if you do, at least the stadium's techie traits are a game-winning back up.

via dvice

Credit: Tom Croke/Icon SMI/Corbis

---

Email:

---

Tech Takes Sting Out Of Swing

Two summers ago, I played on a championship slowpitch softball team. A few of my teammates were, and still are, real bat hounds. As obsessive merchants of home-run glory, they would troll bat auction sites for their white whales and spoke of their conquests like wine connoisseurs do over vintage bottles of Pinot Noir.

DNEWS VIDEO: SPORTS AND TECH

PHOTOS: How Tech Screwed Up The Olympics

If the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) ever certifies the following, I suspect it's only a matter of time before their bats are equipped with these: Dr. Daniel Russell's tunable vibration absorbers that take the sting out of the swing.

Russell, a number-crunching professor in the graduate program of acoustics at Pennsylvania State University, has calculated that vibrations between 600 and 700 hertz (Hz) cause the most pain when batters miss hitting the ball on the bat's sweet spot.

Trust me, I'm a professional shanker of easy outs off the handle or end of the bat, and doing so feels like touching an electric fence.

"Having identified that vibration I helped tune a mass spring vibration absorber" embedded in the bat's knob "that attacks that frequency," Russell told Discovery News. "We tried it out and did pre and post measurements and found that it completely removed that unwanted vibration from the bat."

Russell worked with baseball bat manufacturer Marucci Sports to incorporate the technology into their youth and senior league bats.

"I know a number of coaches with little kids who have used the bats with great success," said Russell. "Their kids aren't complaining about bad hits or that they want to quit because their hands are sore."

Much to the dismay of the softball-bat mercenaries I knew who roved the grounds of the Rainbow Softball Center in Columbia, Mo., Marucci doesn't make softball bats. Even if they did, I doubt my old teammates would purchase any.

You see, Marucci's pitch-man is former St. Louis Cardinal Albert Pujols, who left many rabid fans of Redbird Nation somewhat disgruntled when he dumped the Cards for big money in Southern California. If I know my former teammates, it'll be a cold day in hell before they step up to the plate holding anything endorsed by Pujols.

NEWS: Baseball Pitching Tricks: How They Work

But, guys, if you're listening, now might be a good time to pitch Dr. Russell your ideas for The Ultimate Softball Bat. He'll be presenting his research this Monday, October 22, at the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) conference in Kansas City.

Dudes, that's just a quick jaunt down I-70. You might have to play hooky from work, but don't worry, your secret is safe with me.

via Newswise

Photo: iStockPhoto

---

Email:

---

Felix Baumgartner Also Shattered YouTube Record

Were you one of the millions of people across the globe who tuned in to watch the live YouTube stream of daredevil Felix Baumgartner's historic leap from the edge of space? If so, you also helped break a record.

DNEWS VIDEO: JET PACK: IS IT POSSIBLE?

At its peak, there were more than 8 million concurrent live streams of the stunt, YouTube confirmed Sunday in a blog post.

WIDE ANGLE: Red Bull Stratos Skydive

"We congratulate Felix Baumgartner and the entire Red Bull Stratos team for their successful mission, and for creating a live stream with the most concurrent views ever on YouTube," the blog post stated.

According to All Thing D, the previous record for a YouTube livestream was set during the London Olympics when 500,000 people tuned in. Baumgartner shattered that record before he even stepped out his launch pod, as 7.1 million people tuned in as he made his ascent.

But something tells me the YouTube record will remain a bit overshadowed. In case you need a refresher, here are the other records Baumgartner broke: highest jump from a platform (128,100 feet), longest freefall distance (119,846 feet) and maximum vertical velocity (833.9 mph or Mach 1.24).

PHOTOS: When Felix Jumped, The World Jumped With Him

That last record makes Baumgartner the first human to break the sound barrier outside of an aircraft. If you missed the live stream of the supersonic freefall or just want to relive the glory, check out the video below.

 

via Mashable

Credit: Red Bull Stratos

---

Email:

---

Gigantic Mouse Trap Game: Gotta-See Video

Results of art and engineering coming together are often sights to see, but in this case you've already seen the sight, only smaller.

Artist and science nerd Mark Perez created a larger-than-life Mouse Trap game. The Rube Goldberg board game is familiar to most American families and has been around since the late 1960s, but Perez turned it into a spectacle for the annual DIY Maker Faire.

The piece takes days to set up, took fifteen years to build and requires a whole truck to move. All so in the end, we can see a two-ton bank safe crush a car. When asked why he created it Perez responded, "For you!" via CNN

Want to recommend a video? Tweet it to @Discovery_News with the hashtag #GottaSeeVideos.

Don't miss today's Must-Read DNews Nuggets and you can watch Discovery Curiosity video here.

---

Email:

---

Freshwater Ecosystem Lives Off Seawater

Over half of the world's population lives and works within 120 miles from a coastline. Regardless of your views on climate change, it's safe to say that rising sea levels would present nothing short of a catastrophe. 

DNEWS VIDEO: GREEN ENERGY

In the event that the ivory towers of denial do start to surround with sea water, detractors will be happy to know that Studiomobile won't leave you high and dry.

PHOTOS: Extreme Underwater Gadgets For Fun

Billing themselves as makers of art and technology for architecture and urban research, the firm came up Networking Nature, an ecosystem that lives off seawater and produces fresh drinking water.

Glass tanks anchored near the coast would fill with seawater where a series of solar-powered stills would extract fresh water. Heat produced by small lamps would evaporate the saltwater and convert the condensed steam into fresh water. That water would then be collected in reservoirs near the coast and distributed to those who need it.

Here's how Studiomobile explains it:

However, water is not produced in isolated systems under central control. The new model provides for a large ecological infrastructure as well as small local production units connected to a network able to integrate the production of fresh water and to supply it where needed. It's a Smart Water Network controlled by sensors that read the local lack of water and, through an Arduino board, activate the pumps providing the water where there is a peak of demand. The Smart Water Network will be a layer of the ecological network as well as the Smart Power Grid and the communications network. This strategy not only gives response to the preservation of the environment, but it is also a radically new model that ensures free and democratic access to the resources to everybody.

PHOTOS: Top 5 Surprises From Climate Change

Networking Nature was created for the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale.

via Inhabitat

credit: Studiomobile

---

Email:

---

Click These Heels To Find Your Way Home

Have you ever woken up somewhere over the rainbow in a field of poppies, surrounded by a lion, a tin man and a scarecrow? Me neither. At least not yet. But it's nice to know that, when I do, as long as I'm wearing Dominic Wilcox's No Place Like Home shoes, getting my bearings straight will be as easy as clicking my heels together three times.

Wilcox, a British designer, recently showcased his latest creation: GPS shoes "that will guide you home no matter where you are in the world."

BLOG: Human-Powered Helicopter Makes Record Flight

DNEWS VIDEO: GREEN ENERGY

Simply program your destination into the GPS device and the dandy leather shoes will guide the way. The GPS receiver is located in the heel of the left shoe. On the toe of the left shoe is a circle of LEDs that light up, working like a compass to point you in the direction you need to walk. On the toe of right shoe is a row of red LED lights that indicate how far you have to go. The closer you get to home, the more it lights up. Consider it the pedestrian version of the 'hot/cold' game.

"I thought about the Wizard of Oz and how Dorothy could click her shoes together to go home," Wilcox explained on his website. "After uploading your required destination to the shoes via a piece of custom made mapping software and a USB cable, the GPS, which is embedded in the heal [sic], is activated by a heal [sic] click."

NEWS: GPS Shoes For Alzheimer's Patients and Prostitutes

Fashionably speaking, these shoes are sharp. They boast fine gray leather with red stitching, red laces and on the soles are doodles of buildings and structures in Wilcox's distinct style.

The shoes were commissioned as part of the Global Footprint project, which invites artists and designers to explore the economic, cultural, social and environmental impact of the shoes and boots industy. The shoes are currently on display at KK Outlet in London until September 26th.

via Inhabitat

credit: Dominic Wilcox

---

Email:

---

iPhone 5 Live: Watch the News

Today, starting at noon Pacific Time (3 p.m. Eastern), Revision3, a video company owned by Discovery, will be on Apple's iPhone 5 press conference like white on rice.

Patrick Norton (Tekzilla) and Anthony Carboni (Rev3 Games/New Challenger) will be discussing all of the news with their colleagues Mark Watson (Soldier Knows Best), Ty Moss (Ty’s iHelp), Graham Hancock (AppJudgment) and Robert Heron (HD Nation/Tekzilla).

Click on the Youtube link below. 

Supermodels, Google's Project Glass Hit Runway

If we know anything by now about eyewear trends it's this: what was yesterday's fashion faux pas is today's must-have accessory of haute couture. Case in point: black, thick-rimmed glasses. Once the hallmark of nerds everywhere, now they're a hipster-chic trademark, worn everywhere from the streets of Williamsburg to NBA post-game interviews.

BLOG: Google Demo 'Glass' with Crazy Skydiving Stunt

Though they'll likely experience a quicker ascent to cool-kid-christened popularity, augmented-reality glasses are still stuck in the getting-beat-up-on-the-playground phase. Remember Steve Mann? He's the University of Toronto professor who was physically assualted in a Parisian McDonalds restaurant because he was wearing self-designed, augmented-reality glasses.

But bullies beware, there's a new kid on the block.

DNEWS VIDEO: IS IT FUTURE YET?

Because they were developed by celebrities of the tech world's cool, new Babylon -- Silicon Valley -- Google's Project Glass augmented-reality glasses already have a fashionable leg up on the competition. However, now that they've done their thing down the runway, they might have both legs up.

The glasses are being used to record behind-the-scenes footage of designer Diane von Furstenberg's show for New York Fashion Week. They may not be too sexy for Milan, but this marks the first time the glasses have been publicly used for anything other than an arguably less-vogue tech demo.

The culmination of this project will be "DVF through Glass," a short film offering a first-person glimspe of what it's like for designers and models to prepare and perform during fashion week. Though the video won't be released until September 13th, Furstenberg has been publishing runway photos at DVF's Google+ gallery.

NEWS: Google Glasses: Virtual Reality In Your Face?

If augmented-reality glasses and New York Fashion Week are just too funky for you, remember, you have the freedom to wear whatever you like. However, if staying ahead of the curve is the name of the game, Steve Mann might be one of the coolest guys in the world. 

Personally, I think Mann has a long way to go before he becomes a pioneer of style. For starters, when at a McDonald's in Paris, don't order a Chicken Ranch Wrap. Everyone knows the cool cats order the Royale with Cheese.

via The Verge

Credit: Aygul Zagidullina

---

Email:

---

Reagan Hologram Was Slated For RNC

If the surrealist Dada dinner theater that was Clint Eastwood's speech last night at the Republican National Convention made you think your mind was playing tricks on you, you might have really gone a little bonkers if former President Ronald Reagan rose from the dead to deliver a speech.

While the GOP is quite firm in their beliefs on resurrection, the Gipper was scheduled to appear as a holographic projection similar to the Tupac Shakur recreation that dazzled audiences at the Coachella music festival in April.

BLOG: Twitter Map Shows Who's Profane and Polite

DNEWS VIDEO: CYBORGS, WIRELESS INTERNET, EXOSKELETONS, SYNTHETIC LIFE AND MORE …

The hologram was organized by Tony Reynolds, founder of crowdsourcing website A KickIn Crowd, who obtained rights to a Reagan speech where he discussed small businesses. Reynolds worked with AV Concepts, one of the companies involved with the Tupac hologram, to develop the hologram.

"It wasn't officially going to be part of the convention," Reynolds told Yahoo! News. "It was going to be outside of the convention at the Lakeland Center."

Despite this, Republican strategists quickly pulled the plug on the holographic machine, fearing that the optical illusion would upstage Mitt Romney's acceptance speech.

"At the time" Mitt Romney "hadn't chosen Paul Ryan, so I think they were a little worried about his energy," Reynolds said. "Even in a hologram form I think Reagan's going to beat a lot of people in terms of communicating."

BLOG: Romney Campaign Buys Twitter Trend

After all, Reagan was called The Great Communicator. But RNC honchos made a wise decision to keep Dutch under wraps. Getting upstaged by someone who's been dead for eight years was probably not the way the Romney campaign wanted to kick off their run for the White House.

The official unveiling of Reagan's holographic projection has been put off until later this year or early 2013. But if you're starving for some sort of reanimated puppet version of ol' Ronnie, there's always Genesis' "Land of Confusion" video.

via Yahoo! News

Credit: Ralf-Finn Hestoft/CORBIS

---

Email:

---

Romney Campaign Buys Twitter Trend

This week at the Republican National Convention the GOP trotted out their new slogan like one of Romney's pampered dressage horses: "We Built It." But I suggest the more appropriate slogan: "We Bought It" in light of the recent news that the Romney campaign purchased the right to sponsor a trending topic on Twitter.

Normally, topics being discussed on Twitter become trends when they are popularized organically by Tweeters using hashtags. For example, #NBCFail was quite popular during the Olympics. 

But as we all know, democracy can be bought. Mitt Romney's campaign proved this by buying #BelieveInAmerica and #RomneyRyan2012, which looks like any other trending topic on Twitter on the left side of the page, except that it's followed by a "promoted" icon. And if you until you place your cursor over it, reads "Paid for by Mitt Romney for President, Inc."

Twitter confirmed this will be the first time a Presidential campaign has bought a Twitter trending topic.

For a candidate who was not widely popular with his party's electorate during the primaries and for one who people still claim they don't know well, buying a little popularity can't hurt.

BLOG: Robot Prostitutes, the Future of Sex Tourism

Usually, the realm of promoted Twitter trends is reserved for commercial brands and the cost of purchase isn't cheap...unless you're flush with Bain Capital money. If that's the case, then the promoted trend's $120,000 price tag is just horse feed.

DNEWS VIDEO: CYBORGS, WIRELESS INTERNET, EXOSKELETONS, SYNTHETIC LIFE AND MORE …

Compared with other ways to spend money on Twitter,  "to trend for a day is a far more significant investment in resources," Zac Moffatt, digital director for the Romney campaign, told ClickZ.

While Moffatt said the campaign isn't shovelling out more than $120,000, he declined to say how much the campaign was spending on the trend.

While time will tell if the Democrats decide to take out their wallets and fork over any greenbacks for a Twitter trend, the Republicans can lay claim to planting their flag first.

"It's an opportunity for us to be the first Presidential campaign to use a Promoted Trend," said Moffatt.

BLOG: RNC Fortified By Behavior-Recognizing Cameras

He added: "The convention is one of those transformative moments when the entire country takes time to reflect."

Well bust my buttons, those are horsefeathers of a different color. That kind of reflection is too bright for my eyes. Better put on my black sunglasses like Patti Smith and have her ride me out of here on her Horses. They're the only ones I ride.

via ClickZ, Wall Street Journal

Credit: Rick Friedman/Corbis

---

Email:

---