GeekSugar

Sergey Brin's Wife Shows Off Baby Bump and Talks About Her Invention of the Year

GeekSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:03:11 -0800

I was just in the midst of catching up on my daily dose of Oprah on Friday, when who should appear on her Friday Live! episode, but Anne Wojcicki, the wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin. Alongside her 23andMe co-founder Linda Avey, Wojcicki talked about her Retail DNA Test Kit, which was named Time's 2008 Invention of the Year. For only $399 (a price drop from $1000), you can now purchase one of these kits that are easy to use (you spit in a tube and send it back), and it will be shipped off to a lab where 600,000 genetic markers are read. Once the results are in, you will be notified by email and then you can log in to view your very own genome.

During the show, Oprah asked Anne if she was six months along in her pregnancy, to which she replied - "I'm nine!". She also explained that after testing her and Sergey's genetics, they realized that her unborn son has a 50 percent change of inheriting a high risk for Parkinson's disease.

I Iooked at Sergey's profile and I looked at me, and we saw that the child has a 50 percent (chance of being) lactose intolerant. Because of Sergey, the child has a very, very unlikely chance of having blue eyes.

Very exciting stuff indeed -personal DNA testing, baby Brin on the way. As much as I would love to know my entire genetic makeup, I can't help but wonder what the moral implications will be. Even though on May 1, President George W. Bush signed a bill that makes it illegal for health insurers and employers to deny coverage due to a potential genetic condition, I can't help but wonder if and when this could change.

Images Courtesy of Oprah.com

Wii-diculous - Playing the Wii in a Movie Theater

GeekSugar — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 11:03:11 -0800

This group of geeky fellas deserves a medal. Lead by Jon Peck, who is a Zend Certified Engineer and Technology Support Professional at the State University of New York at Oswego, Ed Forth and Chris Van Deuson created the ultimate Wii experience: movie theater Wii sports. The group figured out how to play their Wii in a movie theater on a 344" screen using a homemade wireless sensor bar. Geek out!

For more on how they did it, just read more

Jon Peck says:

One of my friends is a manager at a local movie theater, which uses a digital projector to show advertisements between features. After seeing the It Burns When I Wii video, we figured we could one-up it with the equivalent of a 344" television screen. We wanted to use my friend's Nintendo Wii in the theater, but we didn't want to have to deal with yards of cabling. Inspired by doctabu's design, I built my own wireless sensor bar for less than $20. Doctabu left out something important; a resistor, which is needed to limit the current to the LEDs.

For more about the project, and a full list of the essential items in order to get Wii-diculous, check out John Peck's blog.

Happy 5th Birthday Nintendo DS!

GeekSugar — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:00:50 -0800

November 21 is the official anniversary of the Nintendo DS, which hit stores five years ago today.

Over the past five years, the DS has seen its fair share of changes, from the cosmetic: awesome bundles and color options (like gold, red, blue, and green) and fun cases - to the inventive: this year's DSi and subsequent accessories and larger-screen model available overseas.

I'm proud to profess my love for the DS again this year: Happy Birthday Nintendo DS!

Totally Geeky or Geek Chic? Transparent Dryer

GeekSugar — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 06:03:30 -0800

This transparent/translucent dryer that was displayed at the National Electronics' Invention Station looks like it's about ready to take off! Not only is its exterior high tech, but also its interior is as well as it uses natural dry air and therefore doesn't waste a ton of energy. Word on the street is that this dryer was for demonstration purposes only and was not an actual consumer model. What do you think? I have to admit the purplish/blue LED light is pretty hip.

Geek Out: Which Gadget or Tech Do You Wish You Invented?

GeekSugar — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 13:02:00 -0700

Al Gore wishes he invented the Internet. Most of us wish we created just about anything with a little "i" before the name. Or any of those can't-live-without-them apps. There are an infinite number of devices, operating systems and programs running, cruising and crashing the geek world at any given moment. Which do you wish had your name in the developer's spot?

Former Polaroid Employees to Invent New Instant Film

GeekSugar — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 04:00:29 -0800

Although there have been new Polaroid camera knockoffs to lessen the pain of the discontinuation of the original Polaroid camera and its instant film, we all know that the Polaroid camera is irreplaceable. Well André Bosman, former Polaroid employee, and Florian Kaps, a former manager of the Lomographic Society, feel the same way and are now in the process of collaborating with others to invent a new instant film pack.

According to The New York Times, they purchased old manufacturing equipment from a Polaroid factory and are hoping to start production as early as next year. Here's what Kaps had to say about this initiative:

This is a last chance to keep another analog iconic medium from disappearing. This is a unique medium and it deserves a second chance.

Appropriately entitled The Impossible Project, Bosman and Kaps hope to revive the popularity and love for analog photography with their new invention.

Tech News Roundup - Inventions That Never Hit Shelves

GeekSugar — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 11:34:45 -0700

Everyday we see concepts for gadgets and gizmos that never see the light of day. Sometimes it's a pity. Sometimes it's not. Inventions which never saw the light - Daily Mail
If you think LCDs are so last year you should check out the Waterproof Taka LCD TV Fit For An Aquarium - Born Rich
It's not true, but it could be someday. iTunes To Sell You Your Home Videos For $1.99 Each - The Onion
Well, it's really a jet. And, it's only a model. But the Hyfish is a model prototype for a real jet aircraft that can carry two people. Fuel cell flying car? - Crave
The question that's been keeping me up at night: Would you ever use a solar powered bikini? - Shiny Shiny
Ever feel like your toilet is lacking that electronic flare? Future Toilet solves age old problem - Techie Diva

Website of the Day: Bulbstorm

GeekSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:50:17 -0700

You've got an idea burning up your brain right now, I can feel it. If you're obsessed with shows like Shark Tank and American Inventor because you keep thinking "my idea is way better than his," then take note: Bulbstorm allows you to ease in to the product development arena by uploading your idea safely and securely to their site, and then get feedback from your friends.

After all your pals weigh in on your invention or product, you can open the door to the Bulbstorm community for their two cents, which has been known to lead to production deals, partnerships, and advice on how to polish your product before you look for financing. Not to mention giving you some street cred and serious word-of-mouth advertising. But Blubstorm isn't just a place for inventors. Find out who else can use this service when you read more.

Industry professionals and consultants can log in and give advice to new and budding inventors to help them with their product. You can also find legal advisers with profiles on Bulbstorm, looking to find new clients to take on. Just think as Blubstorm as one big Rolodex filled with contacts to help you along.

Have an interesting website you want to share? Here's how you can post your site in our Website of the Day group:

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click "New Post" under the website of the day tab at the top of the page.
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Type "Technology and Gadgets" in the Categories box
Add keyword(s) in the tag field with relevant tags (for example mine for this story was "Website of the Day").
Choose whether you want the post to be private or public.
Click "Create Post" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the GeekSugar homepage!

Website of the Day: This Day in Tech

GeekSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:30:07 -0700

If you ever want to brush up on your tech-history knowledge, I suggest adding Wired's This Day in Tech website to your RSS reader. Each day, This Day in Tech posts technological advancements that happened from the 18th century until today. From subject areas, including transportation, physics, inventions, computers and IT, engineering, communication, business, and medicine, the site is guaranteed to enlighten you on all the movers and shakers that helped shape and develop tech as we know it today.

Have an interesting website you want to share? To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click "New Post" under the website of the day tab at the top of the page.
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Type "Technology and Gadgets" in the Categories box
Add keyword(s) in the tag field with relevant tags (for example mine for this story was "Website of the Day").
Choose whether you want the post to be private or public.
Click "Create Post" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the GeekSugar homepage!

Urban Outfitters to Sell Last of Polaroid Film Starting Today

GeekSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 10:35:00 -0700

Have you been following the Impossible Project as closely as I have? The project, which consists of former Polaroid employees, is attempting to invent new instant film in the vein of the beloved camera.

Their latest coup is an amazing one: the Impossible Project acquired the last of Polaroid's instant film and camera kits and is going to sell them via Urban Outfitters, starting today. Of course, it's deadstock and very limited edition, and you'll have to go to one of the physical stores to get the film or kits.

To see the stores and dates that will have the Polaroid camera kits, just read more.

On Aug. 21, the stores in Vancouver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco will have it at 10 a.m. and at 1 p.m., Cambridge, MA, and the Broadway and 2nd Ave. NYC stores will have it. What's promising is that the graphic says these stores will have it "first," so maybe other locations will eventually get the film and kits, too.