tron

Oh, what an adorable baby! What's his name? "Google?" Are you serious? Do you realize how many search results he's going to get when he grows up and googles his own name?

Naming a baby "Google" is a phenomenon that first came to our attention in 2005. Apparently, that was just the beginning. "Google" made the list of BabyCenter's most unusual baby names of 2012.

BabyCenter culled its list from a baby-naming survey of more than 4,000 parents. To make the list, a name had to be foisted upon at least two different kids. The spread of geek culture is evident in the list. For example, you can bet little Jedi's parents had a "Star Wars" theme wedding with Han Solo and Princess Leia action figure cake toppers. … Read more

I have a feeling "Eye of the Tiger" would sound very good on this. But anything from 1982 would too.

That's the year "Tron" came out (as well as sci-fi classics "Blade Runner" and "Star Trek II"), and the T-RON Cybertech from Hutchinson Guitars is a fitting homage axe to the Disney fantasy.

Based on Hutchinson's Cybertech, aka Stormtrooper, guitar, the T-RON has a "retro-futuristic 'living circuit' theme" that screams early '80s. … Read more

Looking a little bit like the light cycles from Tron, but without the glowy bits, the E-Tracer 7009 placed in the top three of the Progressive Automotive X Prize competition in 2010.

Now the two-wheeled, two-seater has been renamed the MonoTracer MTE-150 and is headed to production, according to Auto Blog Green.

The MonoTracer MTE-150 has a Kevlar cabin and runs on a third-generation 150 kW (200 horsepower) drivetrain from AC Propulsion in California.

While the X Prize competitors were challenged to create a vehicle that could reach 100 mpge (miles per gallon equivalent), the MonoTracer could see about 350 … Read more

To ready its upcoming fleet of plug-in and electric vehicles for the U.S. market, Audi announced, the company will begin testing a small fleet of electric A3 hatchbacks in different regions throughout the country.

The Audi A3 E-tron has 199 lb-ft torque, a battery range of approximately 90 miles, and a top speed of 90 mph. It looks nearly identical to its conventional gasoline-powered A3 counterpart, but under the hood you'll find an electric motor instead of a 2-liter gasoline or diesel engine. Powering the vehicle is a 26kWh lithium ion battery housed underneath the car, which means … Read more

This week, Donald and Eric discuss two street-legal TRON-inspired lightcycles at opposite ends of the price spectrum. Plus, we creep out on a way to perform real-time video face substitution, and the implications it will have on the future of video chat and our children. In geek news, Eric nominates an actor for Zombie of the Year and sounds off on Gears of War 3.

… Read more

I was still a bit on the young side when the original "Tron" movie came out in 1982, but it didn't stop me from imagining what it would be like to ride one of those incredible glowing bikes.

My childhood fantasy could soon come true, as Parker Brothers Choppers has just teased "Tron" fans with a sneak-peak test ride video of the Electric Tron Lightcycle, based on the "Tron: Legacy" design.

Parker Brothers Choppers has been in the Lightcycle game. The original gas engine ride came out in 2010 in a limited edition … Read more

If your kids think traditional bicycles are boring, why not have them ride this "Tron"-inspired training bike instead?

Designed by Ryan Callahan, an industrial designer from the Town/Lifestyle group at Trek Bicycle, this pedal-less scooter could have kids speeding around the Game Grid while learning the basics of cycling.

Callahan presented his idea at TrekWorld 2012 last week. Do note, however, that this is only a prototype and further changes (perhaps the ability for the scooter to be generated from a baton) are expected. There's no release date for the final product yet.

Here's another look at the concept art: … Read more

- Audi plans to use wind power as a source of clean energy for its upcoming electric and natural gas vehicles. The combination of clean power and zero- and low-emissions vehicles is a first step by the manufacturer toward making its entire lineup carbon-neutral.

To make its carbon-neutral goal a reality, the carmaker is financing the construction of four wind turbines off the North Sea that will generate annually up to 53 GWh of electricity. Wind-generated electricity will be fed to the public power grid, and Audi plans to use a portion of the wind power to charge its electric … Read more

In "Tron: Legacy," we were once again exposed to the madness of a virtual world created by an eccentric programmer. And now the grid has inspired a new game.

Get ready to load your fanny pack full of quarters. Stern Pinball and Disney recently unveiled a full featured "Tron: Legacy" pinball machine perhaps worthy enough for Flynn's Arcade. The playfield features light cycles, deadly discs, and other notable imagery from the film. The audio doesn't slouch either, as the original Daft Punk soundtrack and character sound clips emit during gameplay.

Well-known names in the pinball industry collaborated on the project: John Borg is the playfield architect, artist John Youssi designed the art, and David Thiel engineered the sound.

After pulling back on the plunger, players take on the role of Sam Flynn, who is attempting to fight off villians Clu and Rinsler. According to Stern Pinball, gameplay features are numerous, including the option to "ride the two ramps for Light Cycle battles on different levels of the Grid; defeat the motorized Recognizer target bank to expose Rinsler's spinning Identity Disc; or fire the ball from Rinsler's Disc to simulate a Disc War."

There's even a limited edition "Tron: Legacy" pinball machine (about 400 will be made) that Pinball News has described in greater detail. The LE model features EL wire lighting, chrome trim, enhanced playfield artwork, an extra playfield toy, and other enhancements.

I'm hoping I can play soon. Anything to get closer to Olivia Wilde (Quorra).… Read more