3Doodler: The World's First 3D Printing Pen

It's a pen that can draw in the air! 3Doodler is the 3D printing pen you can hold in your hand. Lift your imagination off the page!

                       The 3Doodler is a 3D printing pen developed by Peter Dilworth and Maxwell Bogue of WobbleWorks LLC. 3Doodler began funding in February 2013 on the crowd funding platform Kickstarter. 

It utilizes plastic thread made of either acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ("ABS") or polylactic acid ("PLA") that is melted and then cooled through a patented process while moving through the pen, which can then be used to made 3D objects by hand. The 3Doodler has been described as a glue gun for 3D printing because of how the plastic is extruded from the tip, with one foot of the plastic thread equaling "about 11 feet of moldable material".

What can I make with 3Doodler? 

There are many ways 3Doodler can be used. 3Doodles can be created as flat forms and peeled off a piece of paper, as freestyle 3D objects, or in separate parts, ready to be joined together using the 3Doodler. The creative opportunities are endless, including:

• Basic 3D shapes and 3D models
• Jewellery, pendants and hanging ornaments
• Decorative art and fridge magnets
• Personalization of everyday objects (iPhone cases, laptops, pens, etc.)
• A mini Eiffel Tower or a soccer pitch for your Lego men
• And much much more…

3Doodler Components & Accessories:

The pen: The 3Doodler pen is 180mm by 24mm. The pen weighs less than 200 grams or 7 ounces (the weight of a typical apple), although the exact weight will depend on the final shell specifications once in production. And we are using a universal power supply, so provided you have the correct adapter for your country, 3Doodler will work just fine on 110v or 240v.

The evolution of 3Doodler

3Doodler is not a toy for children (it's recommended for ages 12+). While the plastic extruded from 3Doodler is safe to touch once it has left the pen, the pen itself has a metal tip that can get as hot as 270C. There is no reason for any user to touch the tip while in use, but safety comes first, and we are creating a video series that will explain how to use the 3Doodler, covering off the different techniques and safety precautions necessary.

The Ink (i.e. ABS/PLA plastic): The 3Doodler uses 3mm ABS or PLA plastic as its "ink" - just like a 3D printer. Each 3Doodler backed on Kickstarter comes with at least one bag of plastic; each bag will contain ten 1ft strands of plastic; and each 1 ft strand produces approximately 11 ft of 3Doodling fun... yes, you read that right, a foot of plastic goes a very long way in the 3Doodler.

Some suitably attractive photos of ABS plastic

ABS is one of the most common plastics around. It's used in most of the plastic stuff around you. PLA is what we call a "bioplastic". It's made from corn, is biodegradable and has a lower melting temperature than ABS. We are offering both choices as each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

We plan to offer plastic sold in strands (making it easy to switch colours and create different styles), but 3Doodler-compatible plastic is also available in 1kg spools from between $30 to $55 from a variety of sources.

Fun Fact: The average 1kg spool of 3mm ABS contains approximately 360-370 feet of plastic. That's approximately 3,960-4,070 feet of 3Doodling, or 3 Empire State Buildings with enough to spare for several more weeks of doodling.

The Future of 3Doodling: We have a ton of ideas for add-ons and accessories that will make 3Doodler even cooler, more useful, fun, and generally awesomer (is that a word?). We hope that the 3Doodler will be a big success so that we can share all our ideas and offer you even more 3Doodling fun...

Pete & Max, Inventors of 3Doodler

How It Works

As 3Doodler draws, it extrudes heated plastic, which quickly cools and solidifies into a strong stable structure. This allows you to build an infinite variety of shapes and items with ease! Most people will instantly be able to trace objects on paper, and after only a few hours of practice you will be able to make far more intricate objects.

PowerDVD 13 Review: Is it Really #1 Video Player?

A great video player can give you the best experience out of any video you play. Not just only the HD videos but also with standard quality videos. Free video players like VLC and POT Player stands up to the expectation of a home user. However, if you are expecting cutting edge video quality out of your video player then the only option is to switch to a player that can satisfy all your needs without dropping a sweat.

Power DVD has always been up to the standard with its video playback quality. Particularly from Power DVD 12, there is a whole new list of features being added and it continues in Power DVD 13 too. There are several versions available namely Deluxe, Pro and Ultra edition. Ultra Version features all the functionality that Power DVD 13 has to offer.

In this article, we will be making Power DVD 13 Ultra detailed review stressing on the new features and playback quality and various other factors that can make you a happy and satisfied user.

PowerDVD 13 Ultra Features

Power DVD 13 has a lot of new and useful features. Let’s see what are they.

Power DVD 13 Feature List

• Customizable and easy to use UI.
• Extended video format support from commonly used MKV to HD AVCHD format.
• Media library management is way better than any version of Power DVD.
• Integration of Social Web services like Facebook, Flickr, YouTube.
• Customizable and better quality subtitles.
• Better Video controls during playback.
• Improved integrated DLNA services and remote control with Smart Phones via mobile apps.

Download PowerDVD 13 now and try out yourself.

PowerDVD 13 Ultra User Interface

Power DVD 13 Ultra has a simple and easy to understand interface. Each and every feature can be availed from the left panel. If you have added folders to your libraries, you can find them under appropriate categories like Movies, Music and Photos.

With the quick options you can find Media in USB storage devices really quick. The best thing about this interface is that you do not have to spend additional time understanding it. Rest of the features will be discussed later on.

PowerDVD 13 Ultra UI Customization

Do not like the items present on the player. Well, there is nothing to worry. You can now customize options present on the player interface, selecting between what to show and what to hide. UI customization helps you in keeping the interface clean and only opt for required or most frequently used features on the front end.

To achieve this, all you need to do is go to UI Customization and Un check the features you do not use.

PowerDVD 13 Ultra Video Playback

Video Playback quality of Power DVD 13 is awesome. With True Theater on, you will clearly see the difference even on low non HD videos. Power DVD 13 delivers an unmatched video playback experience over other video players.

You can bookmark your favorite videos, control video playback using keyboard shortcuts and enable / disable 3D.

PowerDVD 13 Ultra 3D & True Theater Settings

3D and True Theater are not entirely new features. We have already seen these features in Power DVD 12. In the current version these features have been improved a lot. True Theater makes the processing heavy but the visual output is clearly notable.

Remarkable thing about 3D display is that you get it even on 2D video, On the Fly! there is no need to convert videos prior to play.

Supported 3d Formats

By default you will get Anaglyph 3D display i.e Red – Cyan for a non 3D monitor. If you are having a 3D supported monitor, Power DVD will auto detect it.

Setting Up 3D

Usually there is no need to set up 3D Manually. But in case you are facing trouble watching 2D videos in 3D then you can adjust the dept and swap eye view. If you monitor is not detected properly, you can manually select display from provided list.

True Theater Setup

True Theater technology allows you to view videos with greater quality and stability. You can also select True Theater sound for virtual speaker effects such as living room, theater and stadium.

You can easily get the difference with true Theater feature on. Its preferable to select hardware acceleration for decoding but you may try out different options to see what works best for you.

PowerDVD 13 Ultra Online Features

Talking about online features, you will be getting automatic cover pictures to added media in movies. Movie details, ratings, cast information is also displayed. You can also buy music with the integrated 7 Digital online store.

Adding you Facebook and YouTube Account to Power DVD is totally fun. You can view photos from Facebook and Flicker and also upload photos. Videos can be directly uploaded to Facebook and YouTube.

Best thing about YouTube is, you can browse it from within Power DVD as if you were browsing on your desktop browser. Not only that, the True Theater effects also apply on the YouTube videos. So, you get the best quality out of YouTube Videos.

Power DVD 13 Ultra Remote Control & DLNA

You can now setup your PC with your TV and enjoy your movies without the need to touch your PC. You can control video playback your Android and iOS Devices.

Smart Phone Remote Control

On the Mobile app you can select to control the categories. With Movie category You can switch between a normal remote to a DVD / BD remote, which is more convenient while playing discs. You also have a touchpad feature to control mouse cursor.

DLNA Media Feature

With DLNA feature you can stream you media from one device to another. Access all your movies, photos and music files from PC or phone. You also have the option to request streaming of particular media from any connected device to home media.

 Power DVD 13 Ultra CPU & Memory Usage

Well, it is clearly visible that Power DVD is memory and CPU hungry application. The stats provided here are without 3D turned on. With 3D turned on a 2D video the memory usage reaches nearly 500 MB.

Pot Player on the other hand worked on the same video with 150 MB memory consumption. Again the quality and feature difference is visible.

So, if you are having a good config system you do not need to worry about Power DVDs needs. If not then you will be definitely experiencing lags during movie Playback. Requirements will rise when you connect your PC to an Ultra HD Monitor.

Conclusion

Power DVD Ultra 13 is best video player when you are thinking of buying one. It takes away all your media related worries giving you a complete package of features. So, for people who don’t want to compromise with quality, it can prove to be a #1 choice.

Power DVD 13 Ultra was tested on Alienware M 14x R2 with Core i7 3630 QM, 6 GB RAM and Nvidia GT 650 M with 1 GB dedicated memory. Platform used was Windows 8 64 Bit. It performed brilliantly without any issues or lags.

Microsoft releases 22 Kinect for Windows open source samplers

PC developers looking to fiddle around with Microsoft's Kinect peripheral just got a big gimme. Microsoft has released 22 different samples of Kinect for Windows code under an open source licensing agreement, meaning you're free to tinker away to your heart's content – just don't try to pass it off as your own.

What makes this different than the previously widely available software development kit? Microsoft says it has issued these samples for the sake of convenience, allowing fledgling flailers access to bite-sized segments designed for specific functionality and lessons that don't require a lengthy download of the full SDK. Convenient.

Kinect for Windows officially launched on February 1, available now for a suggested retail price of $250 – though some retailers like Amazon and Newegg have it listed on the lower side of $200.

Turning Thoughts into Action: New Advance in Brain-Controlled Computer Cursors

Washington, November 19 (ANI): In recent years, neuroscientists and neuroengineers working in prosthetics have begun to develop brain-implantable sensors that can measure signals from individual neurons, and after passing those signals through a mathematical decode algorithm, can use them to control computer cursors with thoughts.

Now, a team of Stanford researchers including Indian origins have developed an algorithm, known as ReFIT, that vastly improves the speed and accuracy of neural prosthetics that control computer cursors.

Research associate Dr. Vikash Gilja and bioengineering doctoral candidate Paul Nuyujukian led the team.

 Perfecting the computer algorithm for this translation has proven a challenge. Recently, however, researchers at Stanford University have designed an algorithm, known as ReFIT, that vastly improves the speed and accuracy of neural prostheses that control computer cursors.

The advantage of the ReFIT technology is that it allows the system to make immediate adjustments while guiding the cursor to a target, just as a hand and eye work together to move a mouse-cursor onto an icon on a computer desktop.

According to the press release:

The system relies on a silicon chip implanted into the brain, which records “action potentials” in neural activity from an array of electrode sensors and sends data to a computer. The frequency with which action potentials are generated provides the computer key information about the direction and speed of the user’s intended movement….

In side-by-side demonstrations with rhesus monkeys, cursors controlled by the ReFIT algorithm doubled the performance of existing systems and approached performance of the real arm. Better yet, more than four years after implantation, the new system is still going strong, while previous systems have seen a steady decline in performance over time.

“These findings could lead to greatly improved prosthetic system performance and robustness in paralyzed people, which we are actively pursuing as part of the FDA Phase-I BrainGate2 clinical trial here at Stanford,” said [Krishna] Shenoy.

The efficiency of cursor movement ranged from between 75-85 percent of the speed of real arms – a remarkable advancement.

Check out a video demonstrating how this algorithm offers an improvement on previous technologies:

Lock Your Folder With Password Without Any Software..!

Paste the code given below in notepad and ‘Save’ it as batch file (with extension ‘.bat’) any name will do. Then you see a batch file. Double click on this batch file to create a folder locker.New folder named ‘Locker’ would be formed at the same location. Now bring all the files you want to hide in the ‘Locker’ folder. Double click on the batch file to lock the folder namely ‘Locker’. If you want to unlock your files,double click the batch file again and you would be prompted for password. Enter the password and enjoy access to the folder.

if EXIST “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}” goto UNLOCK

if NOT EXIST Locker goto MDLOCKER

:CONFIRM

echo Are you sure u want to Lock the folder(Y/N)

set/p “cho=>”

if %cho%==Y goto LOCK

if %cho%==y goto LOCK

if %cho%==n goto END

if %cho%==N goto END

echo Invalid choice.

goto CONFIRM

:LOCK

ren Locker “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}”

attrib +h +s “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}”

echo Folder locked

goto End

:UNLOCK

echo Enter password to Unlock folder

set/p “pass=>”

if NOT %pass%==type your password here goto FAIL

attrib -h -s “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}”

ren “Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}” Locker

echo Folder Unlocked successfully

goto End

:FAIL

echo Invalid password

goto end

:MDLOCKER

md Locker

echo Locker created successfully

goto End

:End

How To Password Protect USB Flash Drives – Lock Pen Drives

Flash drives have become the storage medium of choice these days. With the increasing storage capacities available, people are beginning to store a majority of their data on pen drives. But in such cases, data security is a persistent problem. One would think twice before carrying important or sensitive data on portable media. If the pen drive is lost or compromised, sensitive data could fall in the wrong hands. But there’s a solution to this, password protection! You can simply password protect USB flash drives so that only you or authorized users can access the data. So there’s two types of protection, there’s simple password protection wherein data cannot be seen without entering a password and there’s encryption, in which the data is actually encrypted and can be decrypted and accessed only with a password. In the free tools below, we have both types of protection, so take your pick!

5 Free Software to Password Protect USB Flash Drives

1) Encrypt Stick Free

First up, we have Encrypt Stick Free. It boasts of quite an impressive list of features but unfortunately not all of them are completely available in the free version. However, if you’re looking for a free program to password protect small amounts of data this can be the software for you. It’s got password protection, storage vaults, password expiry time and a cool feature that automatically reprotects files after a certain amount of time if left idle.

Download Encrypt Stick Free

2) USB Secure

USB Secure is another solution to password protect flash drives and in fact, any removable media including memory cards, external hard disks and the like. Like Encrypt Stick Free, it also provides additional features in a paid full version. Nevertheless, it does what it’s supposed to and if you need advanced features like virtual partitions, vaults and more you can buy the full version.

Download USB Secure

3) USB Flash Security

One of the simplest tools on the list, USB Flash Security lets you select your USB drive and protection is simply a few clicks away. Along with the password even a hint can be mentioned. The features are rather basic, but it gets the job done. One thing you have to keep in mind though, this is made by a Japanese company and the grammar in the program and help files can be quite horrible. If you don’t mind a few typos, language errors and such, USB Flash Security is a good tool to password protect USB flash drives.

Download USB Flash Security

4) Rohos Mini Drive

Rohos Mini Drive is program that lets you create a hidden, encrypted partition in the USB flash drive that can be accessed only by inputting a password. It comes in an installation as well as portable version that can be carried on removable media and used without installation. Futhermore, Rohos Mini Drive can be used to password protect files and folders even on your computer. For example, you can hide specific subfolders within an otherwise visible directory. Download Rohos Mini Drive

5) TrueCrypt

TrueCrypt is the most fully featured encryption tool and the best part is, it’s completely free and open source! It provides extremely solid protection by encrypting files, folders, you name it on both removable media and your computer. You can even choose encryption algorithms. Specific files can be used as “key files” to unlock too. TrueCrypt has an great feature where hidden, encrypted partitions can be created and accessed differently based on passwords. For example, you can create 2 partitions on an 8 GB pendrive of 4 GB each called A and B. Now, you can encrypt it such that one password unlocks and decrypts only partition A and another password does the same only for partition B. TrueCrypt is your best bet if you’re looking for an encryption solution not only to password protect USB Flash Drives but protect other data too. Download TrueCrypt

'Genius' computer with an IQ of 150 is 'more intelligent' than 96 per cent of humans !!!

Software uses mixture of logic and 'human-like' thinking 

Score is classified as 'genius' 

It could 'spot patterns' in financial data

A computer has become the first to be classed as a 'genius' after scoring 150 in an IQ test.

The average score for people is 100. A score of 150 ranks the artificial intelligence programme among the top four per cent of humans.

The programme uses a mixture of mathematical logic and 'human-like' thinking, enabling it to outperform previous software on IQ tests.

Even advanced maths programmes usually score below 100.

The software was designed by a team led by researcher Claes Strannegård at the University of Gothenburg. His aim was to make a programme that 'thinks' like a person.
'We're trying to make programmes that can discover the same types of patterns that humans can see,' he says.
IQ tests are based on two types of problems - seeing visual patterns and guessing number sequences.

The Swedish research group believes that number sequence problems are only partly mathematics – psychology is important too.
Strannegård says 'One, two - what comes next? Most people would say 3, but it could also be a repeating sequence like 1, 2, 1 or a doubling sequence like 1, 2, 4. Neither of these alternatives is more mathematically correct than the others. What it comes down to is that most people have learned the 1-2-3 pattern.'

he group is therefore using a psychological model of human patterns in their software.

They have integrated a mathematical model that models human-like The group has improved the programme that specialises in number sequences to the point where its score implies an IQ of at least 150.
'Our programmes are beating the conventional math programmes because we are combining mathematics and psychology.'

The programme's 'human-like' thinking could have uses outside IQ tests. It can spot 'patterns' in any information that has a human component, such as financial data.

'Our method can potentially be used to identify patterns in any data with a psychological component, such as financial data. But it is not as good at finding patterns in more science-type data, such as weather data, since then the human psyche is not involved,' says Strannegård.

IBM Shrinks Computer Memory Into Only Twelve Atoms..!

Scanning tunneling microscope image of
twelve iron atoms that were assembled
into an atomically precise
antiferromagnet.
(Credit: IBM)

IBM announced last week that it had successfully created the smallest magnetic memory storage yet – they were able to record a bit into just 12 iron atoms. The results of this research can be found in the current issue of Science.

“It begins with a simple question,How small can you make a magnetic structure, and still act as a classic magnet for data storage?” - IBM researcher Andreas Heinrich. 

The traditional way to approach this is the simple Moore’s Law approach – starting from the top down, keep shrinking storage. The other approach, which is what Heinrich’s team is working on, is to actually build the magnet up, atom by atom.

They did this by using a scanning, tunneling electron microscope, placing iron atoms one at a time on a copper-nitrogen surface. By placing the atoms one at a time, the researchers could start to understand how small it was possible to make the storage of one bit.

As it turns out, the absolute limit is 12 atoms – a magnetic storage unit for data just can’t get any smaller. That’s because when there are fewer than 12 atoms, quantum effects dominate. For example, a structure of six iron atoms switches quantum spin states about 1,000 times per second. At eight atoms, it was significantly less – about once per second. But at 12 atoms, there was no quantum switching at all. In other words, as long as you have at least 12 atoms, the iron structure will behave like a classical magnet, and it’s possible to store a single bit of information in the structure.

Below you can see eight of the 12-atom structures, each storing one bit. This is one byte of information in only 96 atoms.

Another challenge of building on such a small scale is the ferromagnetic properties of most magnetic storage. In a ferromagnetic piece of metal, like a compass needle, all of the atoms have their magnetic moments aligned, producing a large magnetic field that can be sent across large distances. While this works great for storing bits in a hard drive, “it’s bad on the nanoscale,” according to Heinrich. That’s because the atoms are packed so closely together. If the atoms have the same magnetic moment, they’ll repel each other.

Instead, the atoms in this memory system are anti-ferromagnetic. In other words, says Heinrich, “One points north, then south, then north. Locally, the magnetic fields cancel, which means they can be packed closely together. Bits are literally next to each other on the atomic scale.”

Of course, this is just the first step in a long road to practical application. Building bits like this are expensive. But Heinrich is optimistic about the potential. He expects practical applications in the area of spintronics within the next 5-10 years, and is also excited about the possibility of applying his methods to computation – possibly even quantum computation. “What I’m going to be doing is focusing on whether quantum effect can be enhanced to do quantum computation using the scanning, tunneling microscope,” he said. His team is looking into different materials to apply potential quantum computing applications to, including silicon.

It’ll be interesting to see what they come up with.