Feeding monkeys, watching movies with cats, playing video games – sounds like a nice day off, right? If you’re a neuroscientist, though, it sounds a lot like the last half-century of research into connecting human brains to computers. Elon Musk’s Neuralink, impressive as it is, has only been in the game since 2016, and it’s just part of an ever-building wave of neuroscientific accomplishments. Those monkeys? They’re feeding themselves with robot arms connected to their brains. The cats are watching videos, and we’re translating the resulting brain activity back into images. And the video games? You can play them with… Read more
CROWDFUNDING NEWS – The ZeroLemon Charging Station from Lauco is a small charging station that can simultaneously charge two USB-C devices and two USB-A devices while wirelessly charging a phone that supports the Qi wireless-charging standard and an Apple Watch. It has a 130 W for full-speed charging for all devices, 90 W for the USB-C, 12 W for USB-A, 10 W for the Qi wireless charger, and 3 W for the Apple Watch. It comes in a nicely-packaged black box and includes a power cord and a padded bag for transporting it.
The top of the station has the Qi charger on the left and the Apple Watch charger on the right. The front of the station has two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and a power button.
Charging so many devices at once is bound to create some heat, so the sides and back of the station are a heatsink designed to dissipate that heat. ZeroLemon’s goal is to keep the temperature under 105.8°F, though that sounds rather hot to me.
The top and sides of the station are covered in a black, rubbery coating that does a nice job keeping phones and watches from sliding off (as well as attracting lint and dust).
I tested ZeroLemon’s charger by simultaneously charging a brand new 2019 MacBook Pro (via USB-C), a 9.7 inch iPad and a GoPro camera (via USB-A), and an iPhone 8 (via Qi). Though I left them all charging for 20 minutes, the charger was barely even warm to the touch.
Why do I like it?
I’m a big fan of decluttering the house. Currently, I have separate chargers for my USB devices and my iPhone, so I like that I can combine these into one gadget. I like the charger’s power that enables it to charge up to 6 devices at once. I like it’s small, compact size (5.5 x 4 x 1.5 inches); it’s smaller than a paperback book.
Where can I find more info?
The ZeroLemon campaign ends on 8/29/19 they have just started their climb to the funding goal of $5,000. You can pre-order a ZeroLemon starting at $59. After the ZeroLemon campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in October 2019. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details and Lauco’s web page.
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RetroPie is an excellent way to relive all of your video game nostalgia without having to blow into cartridges. As cool as it is to lap your friends in Super Mario Kart or beat up baddies in Streets of Rage, the default version of the RetroPie user interface is designed for functionality. Unfortunately, this means things can look a little bland. Thankfully, there are ways to customize the look of your RetroPie build to make it more pleasing to the eye. Related: A Guide to Retro Game Emulation with RetroPie 1. Change the Splash Screen The… Read more
NEWS – As a kid, one of my chores was to help weed the garden. I loathed the task with every cell in my body, so when I finally got around to it, the weeds were well established and even more difficult to remove. Now there’s a robot to do the work for people who detest weeding. Tertill is a solar-powered, weather-proof, garden weeding robot that was created by the same guy who created the Roomba, Joe Jones. This robot uses sensors to differentiate tall plants from small germinating plants. When it detects a germinating plant, it cuts it using Tertill’s weed trimmer. If you wish to protect your small germinating garden plants, you can use plant collars that the Tertill will detect and avoid.
Even though the Tertill is constantly charging using its solar panel, it uses energy more quickly than the amount gained from the sun so the robot has to stop periodically. In general, it runs for a certain period of time before stopping and recharging, after which it runs again and repeats this process indefinitely. It will charge more slowly on overcast days and run less often but it does still run. So by leaving it in your garden, it will run intermittently throughout the day searching for and cutting down germinating weeds. Tertill is also waterproof so it can stay outside when it rains. It is important to note that the Tertill needs barriers of at least two inches high to prevent the robot from wandering off. Here Tertill, Tertill, Tertill! Where are you, boy?
Now, you might be thinking, “Won’t the trimmed weeds just grow back?” The short answer is “Yes.” However, in general, when a plant first germinates, it uses the stored food in the seed to feed the plant until it can establish roots and grow leaves to produce its own food. By continually cutting the weed back, it never has a chance to establish itself and produce its own food thus, the seed eventually runs out of stored nutrients and the plant dies.
Tertill measures 11.7″ x 11.7″ x 7.2″, weighs 48 oz., and connects to an Android or iOS app using Bluetooth. The app informs you about the conditions in your garden and what the Tertill has been doing. When you order one, it comes with 10 sets of plant collars, 10 row collars, and five replacement wacker strings all for $299 on the Tertill website. One Tertill should be enough to cover a garden of about 100 square feet.
Want to know more? Here is an informative Kickstarter video that they used to describe the Tertill. The successful campaign ended in 2017.
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ARTICLE – Oh! What’s this? A cool little mystery box from our friends at KontrolFreek! Let’s take a peek inside and see what’s in store.
First, a greeting…
The first thing I came across was a lovely handwritten note:
Hi Jacob,
After a decade of making performance gaming gear, KontrolFreek has had many faces. The purpose of this box is to tell KontrolFreek’s story; past, present, and future. How each of these items fit that story is completely up to your interpretation.
The only thing you need to know is that as a performance gaming gear brand, we’re just getting started.
Happy interpreting,
Maron Moreau
PS. Give PolyOne some heat.
Curiouser and curiouser.
Thumb Sticks + Thumb “Wings”
I quite liked KontrolFreek’s thumbsticks when I reviewed them, and these look to be another pair of those, plus something else that I haven’t seen before. They look like a little “wing” grips that sort of cradle your thumb, rather than act as an extender, they keep your thumb from slipping off the edge of the stick. Personally, that’s something that happens a lot during those crazy quick-time events during cut scenes, like, “wiggle your thumb to escape something that’s biting at your face.”
Attached to the PS4 controller.
Black Cap
Some straight-up company swag, featuring the KontrolFreek icon itself. I like to think of that little guy as the Freek, with its gamepad/shaded face and cool, stoic demeanor. Unflappable. Ready for another round.
Performance Grips
Ah, another of their core products, Performance Controller Grips. The PS4’s DualShock 4 controllers aren’t exactly grippy. Their smooth plastic has a nice feel, but they become slippery with just a little bit of hand sweat. My hands get clammy when I’m playing for a while, or when I’m in the middle of a rare kill streak (because let’s face it, I’m traaaaash at multiplayer, but I still love it.) I’ll be happy to give these a try to see if it helps with my sweaty mitts.
PolyOne Thumbsticks
Interesting, another little handwritten note: “One of a kind.” And a small sample sheet of PolyOne thermoplastic. The material sheet feels very cool to the touch. If my guess is right, these orange mystery bits are a prototype of highly heat-resistant thumbsticks. The material is very grippy, and they fit the PS4 controller perfectly. I like the feel of that spiral pattern, they look a lot like the company’s Vortex thumbsticks. Interesting.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Performance Thumbsticks
Here’s another pair of high-rise thumbsticks, one of several branded items that KontrolFreek offers. It shows a commitment to offering products branded with popular franchises, and I imagine that will only expand. I think these will become another favorite of mine, the tops of the sticks seem very concave and grippy.
I noticed the A.D.S. acronym on the package (which stands for Aim Down Sights) and that’s a neat little addition that goes along with their brand … meaning that when you’re aiming down your sights in a shooter, you’re in control of your shots, just like using these thumbsticks helps you control your aim.
FPSFreek Epic
Here is another set of high-rise thumbsticks bearing a skull design reminiscent of the Gears of War series — that fact driven home by naming the product Epic, who developed the Gears series. These offer a concave design, but the material feels a little smoother compared to the Modern Warfare thumbsticks.
The Story
Even though I’m not extremely familiar with KontrolFreek’s history, the contents of this box feel like a virtual timeline of their products. From the thumb-wing / thumbstick combo pack, which feels like the company’s first offerings, to the officially licensed CoD:MW thumbsticks that feel custom-tuned for that style game, to the PolyOne prototype material. Past. Present. And a promise of things to come.
Each of the items in the Mystery Box felt … genuine. You know how you can sort of just tell when a company is trying to cash in on a trend? That sort of mentality is rampant these days, and feels almost like predatory marketing. Like, hey, kids these days like this Fortnite game, let’s make a Fortnite flavored thing. But these guys “get it,” making products that make sense for that type of game … making a high-rise thumbstick for quick building and easy aiming that also matches the colorful aesthetic of the graphics.
It feels like they understand what would work best rather than rushing something out the door that people might buy but ultimately be disappointed in. I appreciate that.
I’d like to thank KontrolFreek for their generosity and can’t wait to see what they come out with next.
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