The Landmaster

LandmasterAny science fiction fan worth their salt knows what your talking about when you mention the word "Landmaster". Arguable one of the most recognized vehicle ever created for a movie (Damnation Alley), this monster of a futuristic super survival truck was built to last and actually be practical. Meaning that it’s not just for show but it actually works. The Landmasters most noticeable feature is its odd tri-star wheel arrangement. Twelve wheels, all powered but only eight are in contact with the road, are set into four triangular mounts that will rotate over large obstacles. This gives the Landmaster the ability to go through deep mud, over big rocks, and pretty deep water. Turning this beast is done with an articulated joint in the middle of the vehicle. Did I mention that it floats? Yeah, it floats. It’s amazing that such detail was given to a prop in a move. It’s a tribute to the skill of Dean Jefferies, car master and artist. He built loads of cars that appeared in films in the 60’s and 70’s like the Monkees, Logan’s Run, Green Hornet, The Great Race, and even Diamonds are Forever. In fact, if your in the Hollywood area you might see the mighty Landmaster parked next to Jefferie’s auto shop on Cahuenga boulevard. This page has loads of info and photos on the beast. I hope to see it in another film soon, it’s got a few more miles left on it for sure.

Damnation Alley Landmaster Page

Lik-Sang Out of Business Due to Sony Lawsuits

lik-sang.com Oh man, this is a definite sign of the times. Now I’m regretting not buying those maracas controllers for my Dreamcast when I had the chance. If you have ever needed an odd chunk of gaming gear for your PS1, Dreamcast, Nintendo, or just like playing Japanese games on US/European consoles you have probably visited this site. All I can hope is that someone fills in their place soon.

Lik-Sang.com, the popular gaming retailer from Hong Kong, has today announced that it is forced to close down due to multiple legal actions brought against it by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Sony claimed that Lik-Sang infringed its trade marks, copyright and registered design rights by selling Sony PSP consoles from Asia to European customers, and have recently obtained a judgment in the High Court of London (England) rendering Lik-Sang’s sales of PSP consoles unlawful.

[via boingboing] 

Important Notice: Lik-Sang.com Out of Business due to Multiple Sony Lawsuits

Robots Are Getting Smarter

s-bot swarm-bot Ok, the title is a little misleading, its not that the robots themselves are getting smarter it’s that the programming is getting better.

A "swarm" of simple-minded robots that teams up to move an object too heavy for them to manage individually has been demonstrated by robotics researchers.
The robots cannot communicate and must act only on what they can see around them. They follow simple rules to fulfil their task – mimicking the way insects work together in a swarm.

See? Nothing to worry about, no robot revolt is on the horizon. Well, the horizon is a long way off at any rate. But I will say, let me be the first to welcome our new robot masters. Let their reign be long and benevolent.

Robot swarm works together to shift heavy objects – tech – 17 October 2006 – New Scientist Tech

Swarm-bots website 

Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro

Fuji Finepix S5 ProMumm… This may make me re-think my choice of Nikon as my main camera. I love the idea that the image sensor (CCD) is split between normal imaging units and ones that are set to capture a broader range of light. This gets the medium of digital photography closer to the tonal range that chemical photography has. If your lost, this means that if your taking pictures at the beach on a sunny day you will have a better chance of getting details in the shadows then you normally would. I have some examples of high dynamic range images here if you want to take of look. The camera won’t take photos like these but you can see what you get when you have more data across the full range of light values in a photo.

Fujifilm has today announced the Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro, or at least the development of it, due to be available in ‘early 2007’. The S5 Pro features the same SuperCCD SR design sensor although now called ‘SR Pro’, it features 6.17 million ‘S photodiodes’ (normal DR) and 6.17 million ‘R photodiodes’ (highlight DR) for a total photodiode count of 12.34 million.

Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro: Digital Photography Review