BB #7 - Gizmos & Gadgets

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"If you think playing endless hours of Dungeons & Dragons will create a desire to get into the information technology, think again. A new study by CompTIA of teens and young adults shows that only 17% want to pursue a technology career despite the fact that 97% say they 'love' technology."   6-14-12     slashdot

Elements Coveted for High-Tech Use were recently discovered in U.S. that are essential to a variety of modern gadgets such as magnets, laser pointers and miniature electronics, such as iPods. “Without these minerals, our cellphones would be 3 pounds”  ... also, rare earths are used in many aspects of “green” technology, including hybrid-engine cars and wind turbines; and niobium is a steel strengthener used by the automotive and aerospace industries. Read more...

"Expert remote control pilot Raphael 'Trappy' Pirker recently took his 54 inch Zephyr model plane on a harrowing tour of Manhattan and the surrounding area... fitted with a camera that wirelessly transmitted an amazing recording of everything it saw. As you can see in the video, the results were spectacular. The plane looks to be flying within a few feet of buildings and whizzing past bridges with ease. You have to check out around 2:01 when he starts to buzz right by the Statue of Liberty." aaa 12-21-10     slashdotbbb

HCL Technologies was just awarded the manufacturing contract for the Android Tablet. It's unclear if the $35 price has stuck or whether India's been successful in plans to eventually drive the price down to $10 with the help of large orders and government subsidies. Among the key features of this India-based tablet include 2GB of RAM, web-conferencing, PDF reader unzip, WiFi, camera and USB connectivity. 9-9-10    slashdot

"The Boogie Board LCD Writing Tablet  can be written on with a stylus or a fingernail, and uses no power in the act of writing. Only erasing consumes power — from a watch battery, which lasts for 50,000 erases... The total cost per "page"  is approximately 1/15th that of steno paper... The writing surface is pressure-sensitive and "highly responsive to variable amounts of pressure" so you can make thick and thin lines. [Note: Be sure to read the comments below the article for tips on using and saving the contents.]    slashdot