alternative

For months now, I've been hearing whispers that a big new alternate-reality game was on the way. I never got any details of what it was about, but when a box arrived at my desk on Friday filled with clues, I knew this was it, and it seems that it's linked to this year's summer Olympics.

If you're not familiar with these types of games, known popularly as ARGs, they tend to be mixed-media affairs that task players the world over with solving puzzles, both individually and working with others, online and in the real world, … Read more

Got $2,500? Then Tata Motors may have just the car for you.

If you live in India, that is. The tiny little bubble of a car, which made its debut Thursday at the New Delhi Auto Expo, is expected to go on sale to Indian consumers later this year, but it won't hit the export market in the next few years--and then it'll likely be to dealerships nearby in Southeast Asia and farther afield in Africa and Latin America. Too bad for a San Francisco-based colleague of mine, whose first reaction was "I want one of … Read more

We didn't think it was possible, but we've finally come across a conveyance that outdoes the "Armchair Cruiser." In the tradition of the motorized cooler, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the "Flying Barstool."

OK, so maybe "flying" is an exaggeration, but Lussorian does say it can hit a top speed of 30 mph on the asphalt. To avoid any confusion, we're talking about the new model with a 6-horsepower Suburu engine, as opposed to its 4-horsepower predecessor.

Best of all are the options, which include "rear light, front light, foot … Read more

High on my list of New Year's resolutions for 2008, no joke: e-mail friends more often. Since time is a major constraint, I want my e-mail interface easy to get around, an enabler for quick composition. Write it up, send it out. These are the greatest drawbacks to GlideFree, Glide's beta Web mail release, which has over-enthusiastically swaddled some useful and even clever functionality in unnecessary layers.

For example, GlideFree simplifies the attachment process by bringing attachable multimedia options to you in a drop-down menu, rather than making you embark on the usual hunting and pecking expedition for the files scattered all over your directory. Bravo! Then it ruins the fun by forcing the recipient to open three separate browser tabs just to view an attached video.

And why, for instance, is there no field for simply typing in a destination address? Why must you click into the address book and add even one-time recipients, and then navigate an additional drop-down menu each time you select a repeat contact? In another head-scratcher, there's a short drop-down list of symbols in the beneficial built-in word processor--math symbols. Somehow it was determined that users would favor the 'not equal' sign and Greek 'beta' to accents, tildes, and trademark symbols.… Read more

Japan's NEC has unveiled a wireless camera that can be powered by something as frugal as fluorescent light, which provides an indoor version of solar power. The magic lies in a ring-shaped component attached to the bulb, which then generates a magnetic field of power.

Tech-On reports that the wireless camera can automatically adjust its video-shooting frequency according to the power supply from the fluorescent light. It can be set to shoot images every 10 seconds and supports VGA (640x480), QVGA (320x240) and QQVGA (160x120) resolutions.

(Source: Crave Asia)

The next Tour de France winner may very well be the tech nerd from your IT department if MIT's new invention makes it to the mainstream. Taking a page out of the "GZ PC-Sport and Power Stepper" book, students modified an exercise bike so it can power your laptop.

The device works with a bicycle wheel attached to a generator, which in turn charges a conventional car battery. A 12-volt cigarette-lighter adapter is then used to hook up with your laptop. This prevents overcharge and fluctuating current damaging your PC.

This also begs the question: Does one … Read more

Fujitsu Siemens may not be a brand typically associated with LCD monitors, and its latest project is equally unusual. The companies have developed a prototype 22-inch LCD monitor that incorporates solar panels working with a capacitor and special relay to cut power usage when on standby.

In fact, according to Personal Computer World, it can operate in zero consumption mode for five days on standby and, when active, sips just 0.6-0.9W of electricity. That certainly wouldn't do much pocketbook damage when the utility bills arrive. Word is the company's also looking to use its green tech … Read more

Certain biofuels, though eco-friendly, have a reputation for gumming up engine parts, which affect vehicle performance and ultimately reduce engine life. So the idea of a bio-based motor oil makes some of us a little nervous. But one Bay Area-based company is hawking a green, biodegradable motor oil that it says will protect engines as well as name-brand, petroleum-based oil.

G-Oil, made by Green Earth Technologies, is made by converting tallow -- that's saturated cow fat to you and me -- into a high-value unsaturated oil, which is less likely to clog up engine parts. (Tallow was used historically … Read more

We hope it's clear by now that Crave is dedicated to the use of alternative energy, especially if it means an alternative to expending our own. But we feel that too much green development has been focused on terrestrial pursuits and mundane commuter topics.

Here's an example of what we'd like to see more of: a hydrogen-fuel toy rocket. All it takes, according to GadgetGrid, is some ordinary tap water to be converted into clean-burning fuel for a projectile that can reach 200 feet.

Now that's what we call a useful green technology. If we can … Read more