Waterpebble helps you conserve water by encouraging shorter showers

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The Waterpebble, designed by Paul Priestman.

The “Waterpebble” is an innovative device that keeps an eye on water consumed when you take shower in the bathroom. Designed to be fully recyclable, the smart device monitors water going down the plughole, after each shower, to compare it with earlier showers, so you could manage or reduce your shower time and thus water consumption. Featuring an automatic mechanism, the Waterpebble takes your first shower as a benchmark and gently flashes “from green through to red” to stop the shower.

Priestman says that he “wanted to design something that takes the hard work out of going green and that helps people change their behavior so that eventually they are doing it automatically.”  Something like this might just work.  A rather strange video demonstrating how it works is after the break.

[Via Waterpebble; TheDesignBlog; Gizmodo]

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Oscars: ‘The Hurt Locker’ trumps ‘Avatar’

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This year’s Academy Awards was actually quite entertaining.  Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin proved to be great hosts; the Neil Patrick Harris surprse opening number was a hit (the Paranormal Activity spoof was spot on); the horror film montage was long overdue; Ben Stiller dressed as a Nav’i blue humanoid with fishline-controlled tail was great; the Best Picture featurettes worked well; the dance routines performed for each song in the Best Original Score category was fun; the Best Actor/Actress introductions were touching; and there was even a “imma let you finish but…” moment by some strange woman.  AND the Best Director award went to a woman for the first time!  So those were the highlights; now let’s discuss the notable winners.

Let’s start with the king (or should I say queen) of the night Kathryn Bigelow and her brilliant film The Hurt Locker.  The critically acclaimed film nabbed six Oscar wins in the following categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing.  Avatar, directed by Biglow’s ex-husband James Cameron, walked away with many technical awards including: Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, and Best Art Direction.  (Side note: District 9 totally would have won all these awards if Avatar had not been competition!)  Best Actor went to Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), no surprise there; and Best Actress went to Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side).  Best Supporting Actor deservedly went to Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds); and Best Supporting Actress went to Mo’Nique (Precious), again no surprise there.  Precious also picked up Best Adapted Screenplay.

Other notable winners include: Pixar’s UP nabbed Best Animated Film and Best Score (well done, Michael Giacchino); and Star Trek won Best Makeup.  Look after the break for the full breakdown of the night’s winner and losers.  Overall, the 82nd Academy Awards show was entertaining, fun, and full of deserved wins.  Congratuations to Kathryn Bigelow & crew for The Hurt Locker.  James Cameron, go wallow in your boatloads of cash.

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FOX picks up Fringe for a third season

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What’s that you’re pointing at, Walter?  Is the parallel universe telling you something?  FOX decided to renew Fringe for a third season, huh?  YES!

Despite the recent drop in ratings due to its competitive Thursday night time slot, FOX is reassuring its rabid fans that Fringe will return next fall for a third season.  Fringe proved itself a worthy contender this season when its audience numbers were up on nights when its competition (CSI, Grey’s Anatomy) aired repeats.  Along with a good amount of DVR recordings, what this proves is that Fringe still has a strong viewership; it’s just that it isn’t priority number one against other high profile shows.  The renewal comes at a good time; Fringe is on hiatus right now, so the guarantee of another season puts the writers in a comfortable position; they can plan ahead and not worry about the fear of wrapping story lines up too quickly.

Fringe returns with all new episodes Thursday, April 1 on FOX.

[Via EW; IGN]

Microsoft Courier details surface

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Remember when Gizmodo first picked up this story back in September about a Microsoft hardware-and-software-designed booklet of sorts?  Since then I’ve been keeping my ear to the ground, picking up on anything concerning the secret device.  Today new details emerged about what’s being called the Microsoft Courier.  According to the latest sources (as relayed by Engadget) the device will be smaller than expected, not much bigger than a 5×7 photo when closed and will be under one inch thick and weigh a slightly over a pound.  The operating system will be powered by NVIDIA Tegra 2 hardware and based on the same OS as Windows Phone 7 Series and Zune HD.  The device will also include a built-in camera, headphone jack for media playback, and a stylus for writing and drawing.  The source pegs a release date of “Q3 / Q4” of this year.

The Courier is being dubbed a “digital journal” whose sleek user interface will revolve around pen-based interaction with the help of handwriting recognition software.  If you take a look at the latest videos (look after the break for another) and images (see below) you can tell the developers behind this device have really come a long way in the design process.  The overall UI experience looks tighter, more defined, and user friendly.  The demos feature many touch-based actions like dragging, flicking, copy & pasting, and “pocket”-ing.  At its core, Courier is an “infinite,” highly customizable journal; it’s a place to discover and collect things of interest locally and over the Internet and use them to create.  Or as Microsoft says, it’s about “bringing ideas to life.”   I smell a worthy iPad contender.  Tickle me highly intrigued.

[Via Engadget]

Continue reading Microsoft Courier details surface →

Apple iPad to launch April 3rd, pre-order on March 12th

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The Apple iPad took one step closer to the brink of reality today when Apple announced a ship date.  iPads will be available for purchase Saturday, April 3 at Apple Retail stores, online at Apple.com, and “select Apple Authorized Resellers.”  (Could that mean we’ll see iPads sold at Best Buys?  Time will tell.)   On March 12 (one week from today) you can pre-order the iPad (Wi-Fi + 3G models) at Apple.com or you can reserve the iPad (Wi-Fi model only) at an Apple Retail store and pick it up on that date.  The 3G model will be released in “late April.”  Speaking of late April, peoples of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK will get their paws on the device at this time.  Need to be reminded the prices of the models and how much poorer you will be come next month?

Fun fact: Apple’s stock hit a record high Friday afternoon, jumping to $219.70 before it slightly fell to $218.95 at closing time, up around 4%.

[Via Apple; Yahoo!]

First-gen gamers losing Xbox Live will receive consolation prizes

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You all knew it was coming: On April 15 access to Xbox Live on all original Xbox consoles and games will shut down.  That’s right, means no more Halo 2 online multiplayer.  Instead of just pulling the plug and sitting there idly, Microsoft has decided to reward all gamers who will lose their Live service.  They will get a free three month Xbox Live Gold membership card, 400 MS points, and an invite to the Halo: Reach beta.  Not too shabby if you ask me.  Those of you who stand by your original Xbox console and Live-enabled games listen here: Take the three month membership and the MS points and the beta invitation, buy yourself an Xbox 360 Arcade ($199), and bask in the world of next-gen gaming.  Halo: Reach will surely fill in the hole its extremely aged predecessor once ruled.

[Via Xbox]

NBC renews Community, The Office & 30 Rock (+ Parks & Rec cast welcomes Lowe, Scott)

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Great news for fans of NBC Thursday night comedy!  In addition to giving Parks & Rec the go-ahead for a third season, NBC has decided to renew the rest of its Thursday night lineup, including freshman comedy Community and old staples like The Office and 30 Rock.

While we’re on the subject of NBC comedies, it’s be let known that two new characters are joining the already-strong cast of Parks & Recreation.  Actor Rob Lowe will be leaving his current post at ABC’s Brothers & Sisters and will join Parks & Rec at the end of this season; series creator Michael Shur hints Lowe will be on board for “a number of episodes stretching into Season 3.”  Funnyman Adam Scott (you know him from Step Brothers; he played Brennen’s brother Derek) will also become a recurring character who will enter the scene towards this season’s end.  Lowe and Scott will likely be welcome additions to Pawnee’s colorful, hilarious cast.

[Via EW-AusielloFiles; IGN]

Single: Drake – “Over”

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He’s released mixtapes, been featured on many songs, and dropped a seven-track EP called So Far Gone and Drake still hasn’t “officially” made it to the big leagues yet with a debut album under his belt.  Time are a-changin’, and Drake is ready to start his rise to (higher) fame in the music biz.  Late last night Drake posted the first single off his debut album Thank Me Later.  It’s called “Over” and it’s quite good.  It doesn’t compare to the Wayne-Kanye-Eminem featured “Forever” behemoth of a track, but it’s definitely worth a listen (below) and a spot on your playlist (download it for free).  There’s more where this came from; Thank Me Later is due out in May.

[audio: Drake – Over.mp3]

[Via OnSmash]