Make your own batarangs with the Wazer desktop water jet cutter

You’re probably familiar with laser cutters, if only because of indelible images like Sean Connery strapped to a table as a red beam slowly makes its way toward his crotch. But in practical use the fire hazard and intense power draw can keep reliable laser cutting out of the hands of most non-supervillains. The same can also be said for water jet cutting, which uses a focused stream of water to slice things up. It’s extremely effective and relatively safer — for starters, there’s no chance of setting the thing you’re cutting aflame. Unfortunately, it’s also pretty big and expensive. That is, until today, with the launch of the Wazer desktop water jet cutter. It’s small but still powerful enough to cut through a Rolex, and it hits Kickstarter today for a (relatively) affordable $2,995. Now, both makers and wannabe supervillains alike can enjoy the benefits of waterjet cutting from the convenience of their garages.

Wazer is a project from Nisan Lerea and Matthew Nowicki, two UPenn and Biolite alumni currently working out of the HAX accelerator in Shenzhen. They love building things, but noticed that cost and size keeps a lot of useful equipment out of reach of small businesses and hobbyists. Water jet machines have an advantage over other cutters because they don’t need ventilation and result in a smooth surface finish. But they usually cost over $10,000, with larger models going for as much as $100,000. And then there’s the size: They’re usually standalone units that can measure 10 feet long. So it’s unlikely that someone working out of their residence is going to buy one, much less even get it through the door. The team at Wazer worked to create something that could be built cheaper and be a lot more portable: At two feet deep and three feet wide, the Wazer cutter fits on a standard workbench or even a desk.

There is a pump that needs to be placed nearby as well, but it’s still fairly compact — about the size of a small ottoman. Obviously, you need water, so the Wazer will require access to a water source and a place to dump the liquid once it’s been spent. An industrial sink will do nicely. But overall, the Wazer is fairly easy to set up. It’s been built with some durability in mind: You still won’t want to drop it on the floor, but you can move it around a bit without putting all the parts out of whack.

On the outside the Wazer is a large, rounded gray box with a clear lid — the better to see what you’re cutting. The Wazer won’t actually start unless the lid is closed, and should stop cutting if the lid is opened, so accidents are unlikely. (While shooting our video this failsafe was turned off so the camera could get a better shot at the cutting process, but everyone was wearing goggles because safety is important, people.)

Inside the box you’ll find the nozzle for the water, connected via a hose, as well as a small vacuum tube to mix in the abrasive material. Many water jet cutters don’t just use water to cut, but rather a mixture of H2O and a sand-like material called garnet that you can buy at any industrial supplier. The mixture is forced through the nozzle, where it wears away at whatever you’re trying to cut. The cutting time varies by object; something soft like steak is no match for the Wazer, and even carbon fiber is pretty quick. Items like stone and metal will take longer: The piece of tile they cut for us took about 10 minutes, while metal items like a knife required almost two hours for all the parts.

However, it’s not just the material that affects cutting time. There’s also the shape to consider — something you design using any software that generates .svg or .dxf files, like AutoCAD, SketchUp or Adobe Illustrator. (The Wazer does not have its own custom design software.) Those designs can be some fairly simple, like a blade, or they can be something more complex, like a bicycle gear. While we there, the team cut us a Geodude out of ceramic tile (Pokémon outlines are pretty distinctive so I was able to recognize it once the nozzle started working on the right arm). The machine is also capable of fine, detailed work — on display were a series of pennies with the space around Lincoln’s head cut out.

The Wazer doesn’t draw as much power as traditional water jet cutters and definitely less than laser cutters — you can plug it into standard 110V outlets, with the pump unit drawing 1500W and the machine itself going at 250W. Two-hundred and fifty watts is about what a grow light consumes, and 1500W is equivalent to many space heaters. The circuit breaker blew a few times during our demo, but we were working with a prototype unit in a workshop with a few other machines running next to a whole office full of computers — a scenario you’re unlikely to duplicate.

Just like the impact 3D printing has had on industries like aerospace, medicine and fashion, a desktop water jet cutter like the Wazer could make a difference for hobbyists and small businesses. At $2,995 on Kickstarter it’s a reasonable investment for something that lets you cut your own replacement parts, craft custom blades or even make jewelry to sell on Etsy.

Spherica creates nausea-free immersive video

Typically, 360-degree VR video comes in two varieties: static, wherein the camera remains motionless while the onscreen action unfolds around it, and vomit-inducing, where the camera moves but instigates severe motion sickness in the viewer. The San Francisco-based motion picture startup, Spherica, aims to create a third option: immersive VR video that can track, tilt and pan without making the audience lose their lunch.

The company accomplishes this feat through proprietary camera stabilization — essentially the same sort of gyroscopic hardware that makes the DJI OSMO line so smooth. This allows Spherica to connect cameras to a variety of terrestrial and aerial systems including drones, helicopters, rovers and overhead cable systems, all without generating the camera shake that causes people gastric distress. You can see an example of their work in The Artist of Skid Row, which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year.

I was able to take a quick look at their video on Monday during the Techcrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco. Having grown up loving 3D FPS games like Descent, I typically don’t have much issue with nausea, though I do occasionally get wicked bad vertigo when viewing immersive video, a la the rock bridge scene in Farpoint. However, I had zero issue watching any of the demos that Spherica showed me. Even when the camera panned down on a pirate battle from above the ships’ mainsails or I quickly whipped my head around to follow the onscreen action, the video remained smooth enough that my brain could keep up with the sensory input. I could totally see this technology being adapted for professional sports like the NFL or EPL.

Exploring the world of Adult VR apps [NSFW]

How do I find the best adult VR apps?

The last couple of years have represented the time when VR became accessible to the people. From Google Cardboard to the popularity of the Samsung Gear VR just a few weeks ago, we’ve seen experiences that can take us around the world, right to the Avengers Tower. For some of us though, there has been a lingering question, is there adult content for VR floating out there on the internet?

Plenty of folks have been wondering about adult content for VR out there, and how well it was done. So I took it upon myself to hunt it down, and let everybody know whether it’s worth your time — and money.

Finding Adult Apps

I already knew about adult apps on Android, but I wasn’t sure what I was going to find for VR. After all, Cardboard is still a relatively new product. Even when you jump right onto the bandwagon, apps and experiences take time and support to develop, so I was wickedly curious about what I might find out there. While there are experiences or apps that aren’t really child-appropriate, there isn’t any strictly adult content available in the Oculus Store, and Google’s policies on adult content are fairly clear.

Instead I headed over to the Google Play Store to download Sideloader VR. This app lets you access non-Oculus apps by building custom .APKs to sideload. But Sideloader VR has its own small app store, with about a dozen apps, but this is where I managed to come across my first adult app. VRTube.xxx is a live cam app that allows you to speak to women in real time, and is the only strictly adult app available through their marketplace.

My second stop was over to Mikandi, to check out their app store. Since Mikandi already has an extremely diverse selection of adult apps, this is where I was hoping to find the first real batch of apps. There isn’t a dedicated VR section, which was expected, but searching for ‘VR’ and ‘Cardboard’ got me to the apps available right now. They come in three flavors: simulators; 360-degree photos; and video. For now there are half a dozen or so adult apps, and one of them was VRTube.xxx. A few of these apps were made with Cardboard in mind, and they have a small cardboard icon to make them easy to find.

Still, I was convinced that there was full blown explicit content out there to be found. There are a few websites that provide most of the content through downloads at their websites. Badoink has really gone all in for VR pornography, which was actually pretty exciting to see. The Adult industry is definitely excited about the possibilities that VR holds for them. There are paywalls, which is slightly less exciting, but this is a business after all, so I’m not overly surprised.

Thanks to the extensive adult marketplace available through Mikandi, I could easily find adult apps.

Finding adult VR apps was for the most part pretty simple. Having an app like Sideloader VR is an invaluable tool in making sure that the content you want to watch or interact with, is saved properly. Thanks to the extensive adult marketplace available through Mikandi I could easily find adult apps, and I know where to look first in the future. While I did have to do a little bit more hunting for adult VR video, it wasn’t hidden too deep either. Finding the content you want is as simple as a google search.

The absolute best app for adult content in VR is Sex like Real. It offers tons of options for videos, and provides a superior user experience to any other website or app out there. It works across all three of the big VR units, and lets you easily see the content that you want to access without dozens of hoops to jump through in the process.

Using Adult VR Apps

After you’ve found the Adult apps, the next step is of course to give them a whirl. Each experience is a bit different, which is to expected considering each one is coming from a different developer. While some of them seemed really exciting at first prospect, issues getting the videos to load correctly often crop up. For the most part, using these adult apps isn’t difficult, though.

So for the time being there are three basic categories of apps available: video of real people; simulators; and still photos. Mikandi only has one live feed, one app for 360-degree photos, and two for simulation apps. That’s it. I hope we’ll start seeing a lot more content soon.

The other thing to remember is that just because you are using an adult app, it doesn’t mean you’re going to see the same degree of explicit content. For example, two of the simulation apps I used had hentai girls that danced around and stripped for you. You’ll see them naked, and be able to look as you please, but it doesn’t go any further than that. The other simulator was a full blown sex simulator that put you in the first person, experiencing sex through the app as the man involved. It was definitely an interesting experience, though I’ll be avoiding the full blown sex simulators in the future.

It’s easy to see the thought and planning that each developer has put into their project

Simulated experiences definitely appear to be a more popular category of Adult VR apps, with more simulators available than other adult apps. It makes sense, allowing you an immersive experience that you wouldn’t be able to have without this technology. For now we’re only seeing a narrow type of simulator, but hopefully we’ll see more variety as time goes on. Considering how popular dating sims on mobile phones can be, it’s easy to see why adult simulators are popular. For me, the idea of being able to explore something different from my own experience in a fully immersive environment is an exciting prospect, so I’ll be keeping an eye on adult simulations to see what becomes available.

The other popular area for adult VR content is for video. This seems to be coming in one of two formats: live chats with women; and full blown pornographic video. The live chats are available through VRTube.xxx and are definitely interesting. There is a beautiful virtual landscape of a garden, with the video screen laid atop it. I’m pointing this out because it’s easy to see the thought and planning that each different developer has put into their product, and in this one, as much thought was put into the background as was put into where the stars of the show would be shown. While VRtube.xxx looked a little strange in terms of how close the video was, I really was stunned by the gorgeous virtual landscape I found myself in and initially I spent more time looking around and noting the little details than I did watching the women who were there to give a show.

More: How to watch porn on Oculus Rift

As far as I was able to tell, VR Pornography is only available through one app. Instead you’ll need to go to a website hosting the content you want, and download it direct from the website to your phone. It’s places like this that the Sideloader VR comes in handy, making sure that the videos you want to watch are saved in the right format, so you actually can watch them. When it comes to VR porn, the leader of the pack here is BadoinkVR. They’ve already got dozens of different videos available for download, and although there is a paywall, it’s clear that these are currently the best done VR pornography. If you check out the main Badoink website, you’ll see they’ve really gone all in when it comes to VR.

More: The best accessories for porn in VR

Badoink isn’t the only porn company that has jumped onto the VR bandwagon, but they are the ones currently doing the best job. Sex like Real is starting to give them a serious run for their money though and is probably going to pull into first place here soon. It offers a superior UI and actually works like a real app, instead of a website. There are plenty of videos for you to peruse, and on top of that, they pull from multiple different websites. This lets you use the app as a hub for your adult entertainment needs, and hopefully it’s indicative that producers have started to realize just how popular adult content in VR has become.

More: Everything you need to know about porn on Gear VR

Experiencing adult content in VR takes a little bit to get used to. It’s not really like any other VR experience I’ve had the opportunity to check out. Some apps or developers have managed to pull off a better product, but there weren’t really any out and out duds that I found during my little journey into the adult side of Android. I’d suggest being willing to check out the apps that wouldn’t usually catch your eye, and to give them a fighting chance. There aren’t any 100% polished products right now, and that’s because the industry is still finding it’s sea legs in a manner of speaking, but what I did find was intriguing and showed real promise for the future.

The Future of Adult Apps

In many ways, phone based VR is still in its infancy. That means that while some of us have been enjoying Cardboard apps for a while now, many people haven’t yet used one at all. The apps that we see are just the beginning, and that holds true for the adult entertainment industry as well. There is a lot going on behind the scenes, and the most exciting part is that the developers of adult apps are really excited for the opportunity that VR gives them. I had the chance to talk with Jen McEwen, the Co-founder of Mikandi, to talk about where adult VR is now, as well as where it’s going.

While apps created specifically with VR in mind are still a niche, Jen assured us that’s bound to change over time. What we as consumers aren’t seeing is just how excited developers and chatter on industry boards is. Every day more developers are jumping on the VR train, and there are definitely more studios for adult VR than there were a year ago. Only with time, as more people start to explore VR and support the developers already in the adult app ecosystem are we going to see more apps.

What we’re really seeing is developers who have naturally progressed towards VR.

This excitement about VR is starting to translate over as well. Mikandi is a marketplace, so they don’t develop the apps themselves. What they’re beginning to see are mostly games, along with a live cam app, developed for Cardboard. There is still a lot of content in development right now as well, so there is definitely more content on it’s way to the Mikandi marketplace. When it comes to the most popular type of adult VR, and Jen told me that there is a ton of video production going on right now. What we’re really seeing is developers who have naturally progressed towards VR, and games are evolving into something greater as well.

Immersive worlds have a strong future with adult games in VR. We discussed how the technology changes adult games as well. VR has made adult games much more intimate in ways you wouldn’t expect, as Jen explained. It’s surprisingly sweet, when a sim leans in to hug, or to kiss you. There are even identity exploration games in development, allowing you to explore an immersive world where what you are seeing and experiencing is entirely different from you day to day life.

“You can enter one of these worlds and see something entirely new, it’s like your daydream come to life.”
-Jen McEwen

While there are plenty of fantastic projects in development, getting to see them isn’t necessarily a sure thing. “The developers need support to keep making these awesome games,” she said. Without support from fans and consumers these projects could become dead in the water. Jen doesn’t think we need to worry too much about that right now though, since everyone is excited about the potential, and new frontier that VR offers. Some companies like Badoink have gone all in for VR, many others are trying it out, and there are so many awesome projects currently in development.

Adult Entertainment most definitely has a future with VR, though only time will really tell what that is going to bring us. When asked, Jen explained 2017 will be the year that adult apps bring us some really exciting projects. By that point with more consumers, we’ll see more sites, services, and apps. We’re right on the edge of some very exciting things when it comes to where VR technology and adult entertainment meet up. This is an entirely different way to experience adult apps, and so long as there is support for developers, the future holds good things for Adult VR.

Are adult apps worth it?

That really depends on which types of adult apps you’re interested in using. The content that is out there now are the very first of their kind, so they might not always seem the most polished. Likewise there were some bumps in getting access to some kinds of adult content meant for VR. If you enjoy adult apps, and you know what you’re getting into, it’s definitely worth your time. This is especially true since we’re only going to be seeing more VR apps in adult marketplaces as time marches forward.

You aren’t going to come across anything astonishing or truly mindblowing right now, but I firmly believe that is only true for the moment. There is an exciting future for Adult VR, and missing out on it if you enjoy adult apps just doesn’t seem like a good idea. We’re on the adult VR frontier right now, so things might look rough around the edges. That should excite you though, and it definitely excites me, because the potential to deliver some amazing adult experiences is already right in front of us.

Samsung Gear VR

• Gear VR review
• The Best games for Samsung Gear VR
• Inside Samsung’s Gear VR web browser
• Gear VR vs. Google Cardboard

Amazon

Google Cardboard Camera app: What you need to know about VR photos

Google has been busy beefing up the Cardboard platform as of late, with the most recent addition being the launch of a dedicated camera app that lets you take immersive panoramic photos with sound.

Last year, Google partnered with Disney on a StarWars-themed virtual reality experience just for Google Cardboard. As if that wasn’t cool enough, Google then gave its its Cardboard users a new camera app capable of capturing something called “VR photos”. That app, called Cardboard Camera, can also record sound for VR photos, and it’s now available for iPhone users too.

Here’s everything we know so far about the Android and iOS app.

Google Cardboard: What is it?

Google launched Cardboard in 2014. Cardboard gives you a rich virtual reality experience without the big price tag. It’s basically a cardboard do-it-yourself kit that turns into a VR headset. Your iPhone or Android smartphone provides the headset with a display and processing power, as well as access to VR content from app stores. There are also Cardboard rivals available, and some are certified to work with Cardboard apps.

Google Cardboard: What is Cardboard Camera?

It is a new camera app for Android and iPhone, and it works specifically with Google Cardboard. The idea is that – with Cardboard Camera – your smartphone will turn into a virtual reality camera. Cardboard Camera can capture something called “VR photos”, which are basically three-dimensional panoramas, with slightly different views for each eye.

Google Cardboard: How do you take VR photos?

Google

Because VR photos are comprised of slightly different views for each eye, things will look both near and far away, thus creating a 3D-like effect. To take a VR photo: open the Cardboard Camera app, then tap the capture button, and hold out your phone. Be sure to move your phone around you in a circle to grab all sorts of angles. You can even record sound, adding another layer of dimension to the whole immersive experience.

To capture a VR photo with Cardboard Camera, hold your phone vertically, tap record, then turn around as though you’re taking a panorama.

Google Cardboard: How do you view VR photos?

Google

Slot your phone into the Cardboard headset in order to view the VR photo.

The headset basically lets you explore the new type of image in all directions. Simples! Also, starting 12 September, you can also share your VR photos with friends and family on both iPhone and Android devices. Just select multiple photos to create a virtual photo album, tap the share icon, and Cardboard Camera will generate a link that can be emailed, messaged, or posted in apps and on the web, according to Google. Of course, your friends will need a Cardboard-certified viewer to see your VR photos.

Google Cardboard: When will Cardboard Camera be out?

Cardboard Camera is now available in Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. It’s free to download and use.

Google Cardboard: Does Cardboard Camera work with other VR headsets?

Yes, it does. Here’s a list of all the Cardboard-certified viewers available. Pocket-lint has this round-up of all the best Cardboard rivals, as well.

Want to know more?

Check out Google’s blog posts here and here for more details.

MIT uses radiation to read closed books

There are some books that are simply too delicate to crack open — the last thing you want to do is destroy an ornate medieval Bible simply because you’re curious about its contents. If MIT has its way, though, you won’t have to stay away. Its scientists have crafted a computational imaging system that can read the individual pages of a book while it’s closed. Their technology scans a book using terahertz radiation, and relies on the tiny, 20-micrometer air gaps between pages to identify and scan those pages one by one. A letter interpretation algorithm (of the sort that can defeat captchas) helps make sense of any distorted or incomplete text.

This doesn’t mean you’ll be reading fragile manuscripts any time soon. The current implementation can only read about nine pages deep before it’s overwhelmed by noise, and it can’t even gauge the depth beyond 20 pages. MIT will need to improve both the power and overall accuracy of its terahertz tech before you can read that precious first-run copy of War and Peace. The very fact that it’s a possibility is exciting, however. Historians could read books that they’re too afraid to touch in the first place, or let fellow researchers have a peek at a book they’ve read without worrying about additional wear and tear.

Via: Gizmodo

Source: MIT News

ACLU and Amnesty International ask Obama to pardon Snowden

The American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International, two of the highest-profile human rights organizations in the United States, are calling for President Obama to grant clemency to Edward Snowden. The “Pardon Snowden” campaign kicks off today with a petition to “let President Obama know that the American people stand with Snowden.” It’s seeking 60,000 signatures and is hosted by the ACLU, which has signed on as Snowden’s legal adviser.

The ACLU says that Snowden, who leaked classified information about the NSA’s global surveillance systems in 2013, is a “great American who deserves clemency for his patriotic acts.” Snowden is living in exile in Russia, though he has raised issues about that country’s Orwellian government systems as well.

“If tens of thousands of us join together to deliver our message as one, we have a real chance of bringing him home,” the ACLU writes.

Amnesty International and the ACLU have also launched PardonSnowden.org, though the site is locked down for anyone without login information.

It’s unlikely that President Obama will pardon Snowden. The current administration has continuously called for Snowden to be tried in the US and it has shown little leniency for other whistleblowers such as Chelsea Manning.

In a case of curious timing, the Snowden biopic, a dramatic reenactment of the NSA leak directed by Oliver Stone and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, hits theaters on September 16th.

Via: BBC

Netflix calls on the FCC to fix ‘unreasonable’ data caps

Like most people, the execs at Netflix think data caps on home internet service are unreasonable. Unlike most people, however, Netflix has a directly line to the Federal Communications Commission and the company has asked the agency to reject those data caps on the basis that they limit individual consumers’ ability to watch video online.

According to Ars Technica, that’s the gist of a filing that Netflix submitted to the FCC last week during a review of the Telecommunications Act. The review is a mandated part of the act and is meant to ensure that new technologies are rolled out to regular citizens in a reasonable way. If something like high-speed internet isn’t reaching the people in a timely fashion, the FCC actually has the power to force providers to hurry it up. In this case, however, Netflix is claiming that data caps are essentially blocking access to unfettered video streaming.

“Data caps (especially low data caps) and usage-based pricing (‘UBP’) discourage a consumer’s consumption of broadband, and may impede the ability of some households to watch Internet television in a manner and amount that they would like,” Netflix wrote. “For this reason, the Commission should hold that data caps on fixed-­line networks ­­and low data caps on mobile networks­­ may unreasonably limit Internet television viewing and are inconsistent with Section 706.”

On the one hand, cable companies often use data caps as a way to limit streaming video and push viewers back onto their own TV service — a practice that Netflix claims is discriminatory and creates an incentive for ISPs and cable providers to keep their data caps low. On the other hand, Netflix obviously has a lot to gain by making sure everyone has unlimited access to all the Stranger Things they can binge on. Netflix also argued that a 300GB monthly cap on home internet service is barely enough for the average user in the US, even before you factor in non-video use like gaming or even standard web browsing. “Today’s ‘above-average’ Internet consumer is tomorrow’s average Internet consumer,” Netflix wrote.

Still, it is currently unclear how much power the FCC actually has to remove or raise data caps in this situation. In the past, the FCC has invoked the same Section 706 in order to boost the minimum broadband speeds, but more recently the Commission lost out on its attempt to protect municipal broadband service. For their part, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association responded that factors like “broadband subscription, performance consistency, and usage allowances” were “only tangentially relevant to broadband deployment or availability” and thus not covered by Section 706.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: FCC.gov