california

A $25,000 'bookshelf' speaker from Magico

Magico, based in Berkeley, Calif., has established itself as a major American high-end speaker manufacturer in just a few years. The company builds state-of-the-art speakers with truly innovative technology. I've listened to a lot of large and not-so-large Magico speakers over the years, and was never less than astonished by their sound. The company is just now introducing its smallest speaker ever, the Q1 ($24,950 per pair). The Q1's cabinet is an extensively braced-aluminum-and-copper design.

It's a small monitor speaker, but it's sold with an integrated stand. Mounted on the stand, the Q1 measures 44 … Read more

Legoland trains Web cam on 'Star Wars' Miniland

In the world of enthusiasts, there are likely few groups more passionate than those who love Lego and "Star Wars."

So when you mix the two, what you end up with is a combustible mix of passion and excitement, and that's exactly what the people behind the all-new "Star Wars" Miniland opening tomorrow at Legoland California are hoping for.

But if you're not one of the lucky few who can be on hand for the opening, Legoland doesn't want to leave you out of the fun. That's why it has just launched … Read more

Robo-pharmacist readies 350,000 doses perfectly

Your doctor may still be human, but your pharmacist may soon go cybernetic. A robotic drug dispensary system at the University of California, San Francisco is spitting out oral and injected medications for all kinds of patients.

Getting the wrong medication is the greatest risk facing patients under traditional pharmacy systems, according to UCSF Medical Center CEO Mark Laret. But the automated system has prepared some 350,000 doses without a single error, the institution says.

The room-size robots store drugs in dozens of small boxes in a sterile environment. After the 12-hour prescription is received as a digital file, a robot arm finds the correct labeled drug, prepares the proper dose in bar-coded plastic bags on a ring and spits them out into a large bin.

Nurses will begin scanning the bar codes at patient bedsides this year to confirm the doses are correct. Doctors, meanwhile, will begin inputting prescriptions directly into computers next year.

Three of the robots are Robotic IV Automation (RIVA) systems, made by Canada's Intelligent Hospital Systems. They also prepare hazardous chemotherapy drugs. … Read more

A camera you can sit on

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

The iPad 2 has a faster processor and updated specs.

RIM's BlackBerry Playbook is rumored to come out next month.

Nintendo 3DS gets Netflix.

Mobile editing in Google Docs now supports 45 languages.

The Olympus TOUGH TG-810 is crushproof at up to 220 pounds.

National iPad 2 day

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Apple gets ready to announce the iPad 2

Verizon's unlimited data plan will end this summer

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize

Facebook purchases a group messaging system

Lenovo shows off an eyeball-controlled laptop

Amazon threatens to shut down California affiliates based on a proposed tax law

Angry Birds St. Patrick's Day will launch March 22

Amazon threatens to cut Calif. affiliates over taxes

Amazon.com has threatened to cut off more than 10,000 affiliates in California if state lawmakers pass legislation requiring the Internet retailer to collect sales tax from state residents.

Seattle-based Amazon said four bills introduced in the state legislature are unconstitutional because they would require sellers with no physical presence in California to collect sales tax from its residents, Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president for global public policy, wrote in a letter (PDF) to the California Board of Equalization, the state agency responsible for collecting property and sales taxes.

"If any of these new tax collection schemes … Read more

Recyclable school building makes the grade

Could prefab structures be a quick and cost-saving way to get U.S. students out of dilapidated and energy-sucking schools?

A recent award to a Gen7 school building, made by American Modular Systems, seems to signal that modular classrooms have moved beyond being ad hoc building solutions for developing nations.

For the first time in California, a prefab building has been awarded national Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) certification for new school construction. CHPS certification is awarded to those schools that meet specific health, comfort, maintenance, and environmental sustainability standards.

"The Gen7 classroom proves that a prefab structure … Read more

Community solar gets a tryout with major Calif. utility

Southern California Edison announced yesterday it has added seven new community solar plants to its energy repertoire that together generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 8,125 households.

SCE now has a total of 10 community-size solar stations, a network of small neighborhood solar stations, which consist of mainly rooftop solar installations on local buildings, connecting to its grid.

Four community solar stations in Ontario, Calif., for example, consist of 32,950 photovoltaic panels installed on the rooftops of warehouses owned by ProLogis. SCE leased what amounts to about 1.8 million square feet of roof space from … Read more

A sneak peek at Legoland's 'Star Wars' models

SAN FRANCISCO--If you were walking down Second Street here yesterday morning, and thought you might be losing your mind, let me reassure you: Those really were life-size Lego Chewbacca and R2-D2 models and the world's-largest Lego Millennium Falcon.

On March 31, Legoland California will pull back the wraps on its brand-new "Star Wars" Miniland, an all-new interactive area at the amusement park that will feature more than 2,000 individual models from the George Lucas-created universe.

And yesterday, as part of a small tour to promote the new attraction, several Legoland personnel swung through CNET's headquarters … Read more

California to nix cell phones for half its employees

The newly elected governor of California wants to cut state spending and has starting by calling for the shut-off of half of the state-issued cell phones, some 48,000 devices, by June 1.

Gov. Jerry Brown, who will also be returning his own state-issued phone, said that the move will save the financially strapped state $20 million. In a statement, Brown said:

It is difficult for me to believe that 40 percent of all state employees must be equipped with tax-payer-funded cell phones. The current number of phones out there is astounding.

Of course, the push to cut the number … Read more