Future Tech

The 404 1,185: Where 50 euros go a long way (podcast)

Bathroom break video: iPad magician at the world famous German "Hofbraeuhaus" in Munich, the beer capital.

Show title credit: Beatmaster (join us live at noon Eastern everyday to suggest a show title. The most-used suggestions at the end of every month will win a prize!)

Episode 1,185

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Step into NASA's next-generation spacesuit

Around 2015, NASA plans to incorporate a spacesuit that amusingly looks like the one worn by Buzz Lightyear in "Toy Story" -- sans the shiny laser beam.

Before you laugh, know that these new digs aren't toy dressings; the Z-1 NASA spacesuit offers a plethora of advantages compared with the space agency's previous designs. Think of it as the baseline architecture for future NASA spacesuits. … Read more

DARPA's latest footage of LS3 robodog astounds

If you've never seen DARPA's version of Boston Dynamics' semi-autonomous LS3 (Legged Squad Support System) robot in action, now's a good time.

The government agency released a video yesterday that highlights one of LS3's most powerful skills: the ability to follow a leader by using computer-aided vision and GPS. In the four-minute clip, you can watch the dog-like robot following an instructor over some rough terrain -- with great ease -- in a wooded area near Fort Pickett, Va. … Read more

End Times as fun times: The best apocalypse gear around

NASA might not agree, but plenty of folks seems to think the apocalypse is imminent. Whether it happens this Friday or decades from now, it's never too early to start preparing.

With that in mind, I scoured the CNET archives and watched hours of "The Walking Dead," "Falling Skies," "Revolution," "Wolf's Rain," "Red Dwarf," and dozens of other series to come up with this gallery of essential pieces of gear to start investing in now, while you still can.… Read more

IBM imagines a computer that smells your illness

For the past several years, IBM's research arm has been making predictions about emerging technologies that will change our lives over the next five years. Dubbed "5 in 5," the annual year-end list has already accurately predicted the rise of now-familiar cultural touchstones like Siri, as well as our reliance on smartphones for everything, and real-time speech translation.

This year, IBM has taken a more in-your-face approach to predicting the future of innovation, by specifically focusing on, well, the face and the five senses that make their home there (and yes, hands and everywhere else in the case of touch).… Read more

Raspberry Pi app store launches with games, tutorials, more

The Raspberry Pi isn't just desserts any more. With the announcement today of the Pi Store, a market for apps, tutorials, games and tools for the super-cheap credit-card-size system, the Pi is now looking more like a full meal.

According to a post on the Raspberry Pi blog, the store runs as an X app under Raspbian where apps and other content can be downloaded and uploaded for moderation and addition to the virtual shelves. From the very beginning, the Raspberry Pi project has had a focus on getting kids around the world interested in programming, hence the moderation of the Pi Store. So don't go looking for malware or bikini pic aggregators there anytime soon. … Read more