The Geek Guide to Holiday Gift-Giving

By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

It’s that time of year again!  It’s “Black Friday,” when the masses crowd the malls, every man for himself (hey, that sounds like a plot from a zombie movie). Shopping for your favorite geek can be tough, so we at [GAS] are here to help. A lot of guides like this are focused on the hottest gadgets for the holidays… but we figure you already know about those. This list is a little more off the beaten path–gifts for your geek, or even gifts from a geek, if you’re looking for your own stamp of individuality in your gift-giving. And of course, there’s the added bonus that even if you buy these items today, you can do so while sitting in your underwear at your computer.

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ISS Astronauts to Drink Recycled Pee

After five days of work, astronauts aboard the Endeavour shuttle have succeeded in the ultimate feat of recycling—turning urine into water. This is thanks to a new machine that should help more people live aboard the International space station at one time.

The urine recycler will be part of a more widely used water recycling system, now valued at $154 million. Since the ISS crew will grow from three to six people in 2009, the use of this new machine is crucial for the station to have a sufficient drinking-water supply. But before putting the new pee-cleaning device online, samples of the liquid will be taken back to Earth for further analysis.

This makes me think of the desert suits worn by the people of Arrakis in Dunes (The book or movie), where all moisture, including urine, is processed and filtered to be fed back to the wearer.

Somehow, this just doesn’t sound right, but hey, drinking a neighbor’s processed pee is always better than dying of dehydration, isn’t it?

Seagate’s New Viral Nercore Rap Ad is… Actually Good?

Ok, don’t get me wrong, I don’t really like that kind of music… but you have to admit that some efforts were actually put into this video, and the result is surprisingly good (When compared to this at least!). Called “Stack the Memory”, the song is performed by the Sniper Twins, two white rappers who sing about how they need to upgrade their beloved Mac.



Tilt-Shift Time-Lapse Demolition Derby Video

Photograph extraordinaire Keith Loutit amazes us again with a new tilt-shift time-lapse video produced during a demolition derby event. Seeing all those scrap cars, monster trucks, and even a humongous Godzilla, going around an arena like harmless toys in a sandbox is both awesome and hilarious.

Ready to see more? Be sure to check out these other amazing tilt-shift time-lapse videos as well.

Sixense Truemotion 3D System Makes Nintendo’s Wiimote Look Like Junk

Even if the Wiimote was revolutionary when it initially came out, it really can’t compare to the motion-sensing capabilities of Sixense’s new Truemotion 3D system. Check out the video — it’ll blow you away.

Rather than using an accelerometer like the Wiimote, the Truemotion system uses a magnetic field to track both of your hands at the same time in real, 3D space, with a very fast, 10-millisecond refresh rate and accuracy of up to a millimeter. Let’s just hope that this kind of system will one day be cheap enough to be implemented in our favorite gaming consoles.

[Sixense via Gizmodo]

Google Street View’s Interface Gets a Makeover

By Stephanie Rogers
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

If you’ve used Google’s Street View in the last couple days, you’ve probably noticed some changes to its interface. Google has made it a lot quicker and easier to enable Street View on Google Maps, enabling users to drag the Street View icon, Pegman, from the zoom slider onto the street you want to see. Google has even provided a quick video overview of the changes on YouTube.

The view itself is also larger and of a higher resolution than it was previously, allowing you to see things in better detail. The four-way directional pad has been replaced with a rotating compass, and the lowest zoom level is now Street View imagery, as well. Small changes, but they might help you get to Grandma’s house this Thanksgiving.

CNET reports that there appear to be some bugs when viewing either the mini-map or split-screen view in the latest version of Google’s own Chrome browser, 0.4.154.25.

In a blog post about the changes, the Google Earth and Maps team also share a mini gallery of various Pegman Easter eggs, sketches and prototypes, including holiday themes.

Continuing the Google Street View theme, here’s an oldie but a goodie just for kicks and giggles: Mashable’s Top 15 Google Street View Sightings, which include semi-nude sunbathers and a guy walking into an adult bookstore. Just some entertainment while you’re pretending to work.

[Via CNET]

The Pin Clock

Back when I was a kid, I used to play with those pin art boards, where you could stick your face in, or any other object, and obtain the shape of this object imprinted on the surface of the board.

In remembrance of those good old times, I present: the Pin Clock! This battery operated clock uses hundreds of pins to display the time in 3D. The pins automatically reshuffle themselves every minute to display the current hour and minutes. It retails for $59.95 on Amazon.com.

[Via Coolest Gadgets]