Hydrogen, is the most abundant material in the universe that we could use to power a bunch of stuff… if only we could produce it cheaply. That’s the problem that an MIT researcher is hoping to solve. Daniel Nocera has a way to break water molecules at room temperature using a catalyst based on Cobalt and Phosphor. Other methods include heating water to 900 degrees which is not always practical… or cheap. On the cost, Nocera says:

I’m using cheap, Earth-abundant materials that you can mass-manufacture. As long as you can charge the surface, you can create the catalyst and it doesn’t get any cheaper than that.

When making a modernized remake of a classic game, there are several important factors to remember. One: include a upbeat, generic techno soundtrack. Two: Put lots of crazy hallucinogenic images and colors flying around in the background. Three: make slight, marginal improvements to the gameplay. Square Enix definitely incorporated these design rules into the new Space Invaders Extreme remake, and manages to take a classic series and reinvent it in a way that while lacking in originality, definitely makes up for that by presenting a very flowing, addictive gameplay.

The first thing players will notice about the new game is how much the visual aesthetics and music borrow heavily from the trend pioneered by games like Rez, Lumines and Pop. Everything is very brightly colored, from the enemy ships to the weapon effects, but the color saturation is really brought to overkill with the constant psychadelic graphics show going on in the background of the action. These backgrounds can luckily be turned on and off, because some people are going to love them, while I have heard others say they simply can’t play with them on. The classic art style is still here in all its blocky glory, but the presentation otherwise is very modern. The music, however, is very monotonous. It also, sadly, cannot be turned off in the options.

What this game really does right is that it never gives the player a moment to stop. Levels flow in and out very quickly, and the fun and diverse bonus stages that are triggered transition very fluidly. The lack of pauses really makes for a game that is exceedingly simple, as we all know Space Invaders is, but keeps the player active and engaged without breaks that can make the players’ mind wander to other things. The action is really seamless in every type of transition, and losing all lives simply puts you back at the beginning of the current level.

The core gameplay is exactly as you remember the ancient Space Invaders paradigm, albeit faster moving. Chains have been added, but score really becomes meaningless in the arcade portion of this game. What keeps the player going is the zen-like state that comes from really getting into the flow of the game and just surviving as long as possible. Boss battles have also been incorporated, and are a fun addition. A couple new enemy types also spice up the play, including large invaders that take multiple hits to kill and enemies that split into three when shot.

Power-ups have also been added to the mix of this classic franchise. Unlike other modern shooters, these upgrades only last a few seconds then are gone, ending up in a frenetic grab to keep acquiring the upgrades that rain from the sky off of defeated enemies. Upgrades consist of a beam laser that annihilates everything for a few seconds, a spread shot and a bomb projectile. Coming back from a bonus stage with a good score lands the player a frenzy burst for a few seconds, consisting of an uber-strong variant of one of the beam types in the game.

There is a multiplayer mode, but it only supports two-player ad hoc wireless. This is great if you happen to have a friend with a PSP and a game, but unlikely one would ever find a multiplayer match otherwise. The only other gameplay variant from the standard arcade mode is a stage mode that allows players to play single levels, once they have been beaten.

The bottom line is this is a very well done, albeit simple arcade-style game. It’s really the perfect type of portable game, in that it works well for short gaming bursts during the day when one is out and about. I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of retro remakes, but the pace and flow of this game make for an extremely compelling portable title.

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In an episode of The Office, Michael Scott said he wanted to wake up to the smell of bacon each morning. So every night before going to bed he laid strips of bacon on the grill and set a timer for it to turn on in the morning. One morning he stepped on the grill and cooked his foot.

Matty Sallin, Daniel Bartolini, and Hsiao-huh Hsu designed the Wake n’ Bacon alarm clock just for Michael — and all the other bacon lovers who wish to rise and shine with the delicious aroma of melting pig fat flowing in their nostrils. Mm-mmm.

The Wake n’ Bacon is much safer than Michael’s method. You stick a strip of frozen bacon into its tray before you go to bed; then you set the alarm. Ten minutes before the alarm is set to go off, the Wake n’ Bacon turns on two halogen bulbs that slowly cook the bacon.

You’d have to be really stupid to step into this thing. Then again you’d have to be pretty stupid to seriously want one of these. 

Product page [Mathlete via Geek] (Thanks, Greg!)

How do you feel about looking like a sweat band-wearer straight out of the 80s? You’re okay with that? How about if we add in an awkward wire extending out of the forehead area? Don’t worry about looking cool. You’ll be asleep for most of the time. These are the Sleep Headphones, straight from the pages of Etsy.

The Sleep Headphones are made to fit comfortably around your head and ears while you sleep. Wearing a big set of muff headphones just doesn’t do the trick when your trying to pass out. But then again, listening to your significant other’s persistent snoring isn’t doing much for your sleeping habits either. The Sleep Headphones look like they could be worn all night without a hitch.

Totally custom honed for your sleeping pleasure, the Sleeping Headphones come shipped with a soothing audio CD and a pleasantly girly lavender-colored sachet. Used in correlation with some aroma therapy and maybe a nice glass of wine, nothing will be able to wake you up from your deep slumber.

It’s not exactly a budget product at $60 a pop, but if you compare the price to other premium headphones on the market, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. We’re not quite sure how good the sound quality is, but it should serve you well for your needs.

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Cantor Gaming has introduced its latest gambling device, the eDeck. The eDeck allows users to play a variety of popular casino games, and since its wireless, they can go online and gamble for real. Cantor is also looking to add their proprietary games to the eDeck such as Bonus Roulette, XtraOdds Baccarat and Statjack. Gambling anywhere? That sure sounds dangerous.

The US release of WiiWare a few months ago has yielded some interesting titles, but also a number of flops. The games are meant to be small, simple, and casual which means that if they are not spot on or they have just a few annoying features a good idea can turn into a disaster pretty quickly. With Virtual Console games you know what you are getting–the games have been released before–but with WiiWare (which does not have demos) you have to sink some money ($10 or 1000 Wii Points in this case) in order to find out if the game is any good or not.

In the case of Pirates: The Key of Dreams consumers should be prepared to be disappointed. History has taught us that it is hard to mess up anything dealing with pirates, but this title is repetitive and simplistic enough that even this golden rule is broken. The story is your run-of-the-mill Pirates of the Caribbean-type story, complete with magical coins, governors that tell everyone what to do, and a whole lot of flying cannonballs.

The story line barely matters though–what the game comes down to is sailing your ship around and blowing up anything in your way. As expected, larger ships have more guns and are tougher to beat, but smaller ones are faster and more maneuverable. This can be fun for a few minutes, but the fighting is much too simplistic so even on harder levels it gets old fast. The ship uses what videogamers generally refer to as tank controls, which is to say that you can move forward, rotate your ship, and even move backwards (something that is hard to do under sail power) slowly. Your cannons will automatically fire on either or both sides depending if enemies are present or not. It goes without saying that any semblance of reality was left out of the game with the basic fighting, but once you get rockets that fire from the bow, buzz saws, and floating mines you might as well be piloting a spaceship instead of a pirate ship.

The game has a few small surprises now and then, like a floating crew member that you can pick up or maybe a few tri-corner hats, as well as the small assortment of special weapons, but they are not enough to stop the game from being repetitive. Overall the story mode seems more like one extended level than it does a series of separate levels and the game never gives you much more than what you got on the first stage or two.

There is also a local multiplayer mode (no online play) which will let you and a few friends fight it out. This has the potential to be fun for a few minutes, but the simple, unrealistic mechanics mean things get boring pretty quickly. With the right group it could be a good party game, but considering the Wii’s strength in this area there are better options.

Overall, Pirates is a disappointing title for the WiiWare. Those who were coming to it expecting a better version of TradeWinds 2 (the excellent title from AstraWare) will be severely disappointed as Pirates has no where near the depth or replayability of this series, even though it was on Windows Mobile. The use of the nunchuk to control the ship helps, but you can’t get around those tank controls and the Wii’s pointing ability is underutilized. Consumers will be better off spending their 1000 Wii Points elsewhere, either waiting or picking up a VC title or two.

Back in September of last year we reported that Sprint was rolling out a new service which would offer enhanced wireless mobile coverage in the home or office in addition to optional unlimited calling. The service utilizes the first commercially available femtocell which acts like a tiny cell phone tower. The Sprint AIRAVE by Samsung provides enhanced wireless coverage for up to 5000 square feet by using any Sprint phone, excluding Nextel phones, and a broadband Internet connection.The AIRAVE, which is expected to retail for US$99, will require the addition of a US$5 enhanced coverage service to an existing Sprint calling plan. An optional AIRAVE Unlimited Voice option is available for US$10 a month for individuals and US$20 a month for families. The unlimited plan includes all incoming and outgoing calls in addition to long distance calls when made or received using a Sprint phone. The AIRAVE will be available beginning August 17th.

One advantage that Sprint has with their AIRAVE service over a similar service like T-Mobile’s HotSpot@Home is that it works with any Sprint phone. The T-Mobile service on the other hand requires specific HotSpot@Home compatible phones. Where T-Mobile has the advantage is on price since the Sprint AIRAVE comes with a required US$5 a month service upgrade before the unlimited phone service even becomes an option.

Read more from the Sprint press release.

Current technology does not place 3D printing under the “affordable” status, but that could soon change with Shapeways from the Netherlands coming up with a new online service that will see customized manufacturing be made available to the masses by allowing consumers to submit digital designs of products which are subsequently printed via 3D printers and shipped back. It will take approximately 10 days or so for the entire process to complete, and you will fork out anywhere between $50 and $150 for your order. Does that mean I get to print my very own Voodoo dolls from now on?

It’s not uncommon for many of us to have several electronic gadgets sitting on the nightstand right next to us while we sleep in bed. As it turns out though, those same brightly lit gizmos could be costing us a good night’s sleep, especially if those devices have blue LEDs in them. It seems a discovery made by scientists indicate that blue light on the eye does more to the body, than just looking blue.

The scientific discovery indicates that there is a sensitive layer on the eye unrelated to the part that is used for vision. This layer sends signals to the body which affects alertness, the daily cycle of consciousness and the need to sleep for everyone. It turns out that blue spectrum of light is the most sensitive on that area of the eye and can trick the mind into thinking it is time to be awake instead of sleeping.

This discovery could be beneficial in other areas as well. One research project at the Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia is looking to see if blue light can be used to help keep astronauts more attentive during missions. Another project going on at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lighting Research Center in New York is working with blue light to see if it can be used to aid crews on submarines in adjusting their watch schedules.

As for your gadgets that have blue LEDs in them? For more solid ZZZ’s each night, perhaps it is a good idea to put them in another part of the bedroom and not on the nightstand.

Read more at MSNBC.

Christmas might come early to the people in North America as HTC prepares itself to launch a GSM HTC Touch Diamond model before December 25th, shortly after receiving a certification from the US FCC (Federal Communications Commission). Originally, HTC was supposed to market its CDMA Touch Diamond model in North America only, although a recent firmware update has managed to unlock the 850MHz frequency. Well, only time will tell, but there’s no harm in saving up from today onwards.