They used a LEGO Mindstorms kit and a cardboard box to hack their bot together. The workers rigged an automated iPad photographing ‘bot. The rig is equipped with a capacitive iPad stylus, which triggers the photo capture in the app. All that was left for them to do, was to sit back and have the ‘bot test out the app.

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The developers were keen to say that they do have an automated program to do this, but this way was much more fun. I’d have to agree with this. Nothing makes the day pass quicker than being paid for playing with LEGOs.

[via TUAW]

The clock’s battery compartment is also hard to open, so you can’t do the ol’ take out the battery trick.

Unfortunately Oliver didn’t mention any precaution against the smash the alarm clock to pieces trick.

[via Yanko Design via Dvice]

You know you are working with a bunch of geeks when their test rig is made from LEGO. If I could build a LEGO robot that would test some of the monotonous gadgets I get, I’d be knee-deep in little bricks right now. The robotic rig is actually used to automaticaaly test the ambient light sensor and the durability and accuracy of the screen with long-term usage.

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The ‘bot moves the stylus up and down on the screen to simulate a student using the Kno over and over again. Check out the video if you want to see the test rig in action. Funny thing is, I didn’t care that much about the Kno until now.

[via CNET]

Of course I took the test, and I answered the questions as best as I can, so I’m not that ashamed to post my score:

My core is well-done; not too hard but not too fluffy either. I suggest you take the test before you wail on me though. I’m not going to spoil the HGAT anymore than I already have, but let’s just say that next year the Gamespy Academy should make categorized exams, because I’m pretty sure I’d score well in the RPG department. Circa 1990 to 2010. Ready? Then get your game face on and go!

The new version of the software is designed to exercise the latest in DirectX 11 gaming technology featuring such challenges as volumetric lighting, tessellation, depth of field and lens effects in real time. From the looks of the “deep sea” demo reel below, you’ll definitely want to upgrade your video card before giving this bad boy a whirl.

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Expect 3DMark 11 to hit in Q3 2010. For more info, head on over to the Futuremark’s website.

[via CrunchGear]

I think I’m slightly ashamed to admit that I failed the test. Horribly. It has been empirically proven that I am only 30% nerd.

Do you have a Rubik’s Cube?  Can you solve it?  Without the book?  Without looking?. Take the test and let’s see if you’re nerdier than I am.

Even minors can be part of Microsoft’s program, as long as their parent or guardian consents. As is standard procedure, Microsoft didn’t say what games will be tested, but the Playtest webpage does say that there will be a variety of games on a variety of platforms. The FAQ also says that Playtesters have to arrive early so they can secure a parking space. Awesome.

No word on the “free software” though. Let’s hope it’s not MS Word. Or Vista.

[via Site of the Gaming Dead]

As TechCrunch‘s Jason Kincaid said, you’ll only need three things to run the OS in your system. First you’ll need a Google Account ID, e.g. a Gmail account. Second, you’ll need the disk image itself, which you can either download via torrent (clicking that link will download the torrent file) or at gadget site gdgt. Finally, you’ll need VirtualBox, a free cross-platform virtualization program, although I see no reason why commercial alternatives like VMWare Fusion wouldn’t work.

If you’ve tried creating virtual machines before, the steps for installing Chrome OS are pretty straightforward. Just select Linux as the operating system and Ubuntu as the version, then choose “use existing hard disk” when asked which boot hard disk to use, next, next, next… and voila! You just installed the Chrome browser the hard way. Check out the full article at TechCrunch if you want a more detailed walkthrough.

The author of the article, DisplayMate president Dr. Raymond Soneira, singled-out the lack of a respectable viewing angle on LCD TVs, as seen in the pictures below. If you think that Dr. Soneira is nitpicking, think again. He adds, “The significance of this [the narrow viewing angle] is enormous, because it means that the ’sweet spot’ for seeing an accurate picture on an LCD HDTV is only one person wide, even for these top-of-the-line models, so essentially everyone looking at an LCD HDTV will see a picture with noticeably different coloration.” Wow.

But more than praising plasma technology, Dr. Soneira criticized the “marketing gimmicks” of all TV manufacturers – hyping their TVs with “features” like Dynamic Backlight, Dynamic Contrast, Dynamic Black, Dynamic White, and Dynamic Color that do nothing but “reduce picture quality and accuracy and introduce ugly image artifacts.” Other features such as contrast ratios and brightness were either exaggerated or “misunderstood.” The sad part? Most customers don’t care. Perhaps in the HDTV market, size is all that matters for most people.

[via NY Times via tv snob]

Pac-Man pain assessment gauge, spotted on Flickr. Currently, I feel a little Woopop myself.

Rhombus’ James and Boris dress shirts are just perfect for the computer geek with fashion sense (although I’m not sure how large that intersection would look on a Venn diagram). Each one is made from 97% cotton / 3% stretch fabric – dry clean only, so be careful not to spill too much Mountain Dew on yours!

And if Binary isn’t your language, there’s another pattern that’s made from old standardized tests (No. 2 pencil not included). There’s also a traditional gingham design, but who wants that?

The dress shirts sell for $75 each, and can be found over at Rhombuswear. For you cheapskates, be sure to check out the Thomas t-shirt — it comes in the same patterns, and sells for just $20 (short-sleeve) or $30 (long-sleeve).

[via geeksugar]

The Beta will feature three maps, Valhalla, High Ground and Snowbound and all three maps will only be playable in Matchmaking mode for now. You’ll get a chance to check out new weapons, at least one new grenade type and some “hidden features” in the Beta as well.

Bungie has also posted some really nice new screen shots and a video clip of multi-player mode in action (and quite a bit of behind the scenes footage.) Although it owes quite a bit to the Unreal franchise, I love the new “Man Cannon” which replaces the transporters as a means of getting around the map quickly. You can now look forward to shooting players out of the air as they’re trying to transport.

See you on Xbox Live on May 16th!