Surfing Titan's waves in a nuclear-powered boat

Planning a trip to Titan, one of Saturn's moons? Well, you're going to want to go prepared. Why not bring along a nuclear-powered boat for sailing the seas of ethane, methane and propane?

That's what NASA-funded geologist Ellen Stofan suggests with her design, seen above. The Titan Mare Explorer (or TiME for short) uses nuclear power rather than solar power because the methane raine in Titan's atmosphere cuts down the suns rays considerably (as does the distance from the sun). It'll be powered by a new kind of nuclear power cell known as the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG). Cool! Be sure to send a postcard when you get there and let us know how the weather is.

[DVICE via Space via io9]

Holographic laser head-up display, small enough for side mirror

Increasingly popular head-up displays aren't only for BMWs, Corvettes , Cadillacs, and F-16 jets. Light Blue Optics is making the tech more practical, creating a new projection device that's so small, it'll fit in a car's side mirror. It shows you an image that looks like it's about 6 feet behind you, superimposed over the road.

This trickery is possible because of a miniaturized holographic laser projector that's about a tenth the size of the head-up display system in the BMW 5 Series. It's small enough to install in a variety of configurations, and will work equally well on the windshield, or rearview mirrors and side mirrors.

These displays will be safer, too. The data appears to your eyes to be the same distance as other objects on the road, making it so you don't need to waste time focusing. Says Light Blue Optics head of business development Edward Buckley, 'At speeds of 100 kilometers an hour, this can cost you 22 meters in stopping distance.' Too bad Buckley says we won't see this technology in vehicles for four more years.
[DVICE via Technology Review]

10/GUI: Fascinating Multitouch User Interface Design [User Interface]

User interface designer R. Clayton Miller thinks the mouse and the windows-based desktop metaphor should die. It's just too confusing. However, he also argues that multitouch displays are not the answer. Looking at his solution, he may be right.

This video examines the benefits and limitations inherent in current mouse-based and window-oriented interfaces, the problems facing other potential solutions, and visualizes my proposal for a completely new way of interacting with desktop computers.

I recommend you watch the whole thing, because he makes some very good usability points—discussing the pros and cons of different UI approaches—before getting into his proposal—which looks beautiful and, more importantly, useful.
I like a lot of the things I see here. I like the way the applications are organized and accessed, combined a modal approach with a stream. I love how he solved the general menu vs application menu dilemma. What I don't like is the idea of having a control surface below the keyboard. I guess we are all used to it, through laptops and trackpads. And he is right that it may be a great way to transition to touch-interfaces for most users—because of that familiarity. However, I would like to see this implemented in a different form factor Both on the go—in the tablet—and in the desktop—in whatever new format the hardware manufacturers can come up with.
[Gizmodo via 10/GUI via Unplggd]

AMD’s low-voltage ‘Congo’ platform due soon?

Not content to sit back and let Intel have all the ultra low voltage fun, AMD’s low voltage Congo platform is apparently due in the coming weeks – late October or early November, according to DigiTimes.
The processors will be used in ultraportable notebooks and will consist of various dual-core Turion Neo and Althlon Neo X2 chips, as well as a single-core Athlon Neo MV-40 chip similar to the one currently found in HP’s dv2 system.
So yes, the Congo platform is already kind of here but we can apparently expect to see more and more available systems in near future.
It’ll be interesting to see how the systems are priced. With AMD traditionally undercutting Intel’s pricing and current ultra low voltage notebooks hovering in the $600 to $1000 range, if AMD were able to, say, push out some models starting near $500, things could heat up.
[CrunchGear]

The Next Mac Pro Sounds Like a 12-Core Hellbeast [Rumor]

The next Mac Pro might be using Intel's six-core Gulftown (Core i9) processor, possibly in a 12-core configuration, but'll have a custom motherboard that'll support 8GB and 16GB RAM modules (for up to 128GB), along with 10Gbps ethernet.
Supposedly, we'll see them early next year. If so, and if it uses Gulftown, that'd give Apple a small window of exclusivity with the speed demon chip, which wouldn't be the first time Intel's given them access to silicon before anybody else. [Gizmodo via HardMac via AppleInsider]

LVP-HC3800: Mitsubishi’s new full HD DLP projector

Mitsubishi Electric has announced [JP] the LPV-HC3800 for the Japanese market today, a full HD DLP projector that features a contrast ratio of 3,000:1, 1,200 lumens brightness and a DDP3021 full 10-bit panel driver. The device comes with a 230W lamp that has a lifespan of 5,000 hours and depending on the operating mode, it can be as quiet as 25dB.

Mitsubishi plans to start selling the LPV-HC3800 in Japan starting November 20 for $2,200. The company hasn’t said yet whether the projector will make its way outside Japan as well (but Mitsubishi Electric does sell projectors in the US, for example, so chances are they will export this one, too).
[CrunchGear]

ActivTouch: Remote-control tech comes to the showerhead

The ActivTouch lets you play, pause and pick what kind of experience you want, all at the touch of a button. But it's not a remote control — it's a showerhead.
While typical showerheads have filters you need to manually turn to adjust the spray, the ActivTouch features buttons that change the stream's intensity — from gentle spray to full-on gusher. Pushing the pause button on the handle will reduce the stream to a trickle (for further reduction, may I suggest turning the tap). The head comes with a five-foot hose. No DVR, though.

We still prefer the simple functionality of the Kohler Flipside, but there's something to be said for the ease of pushing buttons, even in the shower. The ActivTouch sells for $45.

[DVICE via Alsons]