Archive for: water
Water is the fear of any self-respecting gadget lover. H20 it seems isn’t so cuddly with the electrons that propel our digital lifestyles. There’s few protections for us digitized folk either. Sure — there’s a smattering of “Waterproof” cases and accessories. But nothing is definite. Leaks happen. So what do you do when your gadget of desire falls victim to the slimy fingers of the water goddess?
Again, any self respecting nerd will immediately reply with the following: (1) remove battery as quickly as possible (2) put in bag of rice, and (3) leave sit in a dry area for 24-36 hours. Pretty standard affair. There’s no guarantee your gadget’s life will be spared, but you’ll give yourself far greater odds that don’t end in massive amounts of weeping. However, there’s a second option. The JMC Dryer Box…
Fancy the title “PC Enthusiast” or “Hardcore Gamer”. Chances are if such words flow freely from your mouth, you no doubt spend at least a fair chunk of time in front of or using computers each day. Speaking of computers, there’s also a good chance that the hardware you’re packin’ is pretty high-end, given the proud nature of your relationship with computers. When it comes to high end, we hear about water-cooled hardware. Processors: Check. GPU’s: Check. Motherboard: Check. RAM: che…what?
In all honesty, water-cooled RAM isn’t new. Though the concept hasn’t ever really taken off save for a few extreme niches in the pc building world. That grim past doesn’t scare Kingston however as they’ve officially taken the covers off their new HyperX H20 line of memory. It’s straightforward and looks to be rather easy to set up — connect a few hoses, fill the loop with liquid of choice, and turn on check for leaks, enjoy.
Though if we’re being completely honest, the only places that blinding fast (and insanely expensive) RAM really shows dramatic improvements over your standard affair are synthetic benchmarks. Real-world results are far less super. Couple that with the high cost to build a proper water cooling loop and you have something that just doesn’t look like a big seller. But who am I to complain. Tossing RAM into the WC loop would indeed look mighty sweet.
Look for HyperX H20 memory to start at $157 for the 4GB pack and $235 for a tri-channel 6GB option. Any PC builders taking the plunge?
Batteries really haven’t changed much over the years, only going through a few big changes every few decades. Even still, they’re wholly inefficient and toxic to the planet. But a water powered calculator with some unique new age batteries could go a long way to making this planet happier…
“Powered by water?” — you say. Yes. It’s actually not that complicated. The batteries that power this calculator are simple capsules filled with water and interact with two electrodes, causing a chemical reaction which in turn produces the electrical juice we all crave so desperately.
The best part — when the batteries are dead (all the water evaporates eventually), simply refill with water and viola!
$10.99 and it’s yours. Step inside for the links…
As soon as I get around to winning that Powerball lottery, I can pick me up one of these: A $3.5 million powerboat/submarine hybrid vehicle that is simply oozing with awesomeness. Physical appearance alone depicts a vehicle that is pretty hefty. Backing up that claim are (2) 440hp diesel engines which are enough to muster a 40-knot surface speed. Range is said to be 500 miles.
But even cooler than the looks and macho power is the submersible abilities of this water craft…
- February 28, 2010 8:31 pm
Ok, I officially want a dead computer now. To some, such a dream sounds ridiculous as a dead computer is pretty much a useless computer. That is, unless you get creative and turn that busted piece of silicon and plastic into something unique. What exactly is “unique” about a reincarnated PC carcass you ask? How about an aquarium? The good ‘ol geeks at Instructables set out to make an old PC they had sitting around into a new home for a few lucky fish. The real kicker here however is that the old PC actually boots — though it’s too old to be of any real use. Still, a working PC with a fish tank inside and cut out window for the swimming creatures to peak through is all kinds of awesome. As is the case with all water/electricity projects, if attempting yourself, be careful in not actually mixing the two.
Once I acquire an old PC, I know exactly what I’m doing with it. Anyone else intrigued?
Follow the steps over at Instructables
- February 26, 2010 12:48 pm
While not your typical “mod” (usually depicting some sort of computerized machine) the LED light hack “Mathias” whipped up with his fish tank and new LED lighting shows that being green can actually be pretty geeky and cost effective.
By replacing the old fluorescent bulb over his massive fish tank and swapping it with an LED, he garnered quite a bit of savings up front. Next, he routed heating tubes through the light mounts to suck up any excess heat from the LED’s and in turn used it to heat up the water.
Ingenuity folks. It’s all about ingenuity. Anyone care to share their feats of geek strength?
Hack-a-Day
- February 26, 2010 5:42 am
Building on your geeky streak of nerdy decor with the Floppy Disc Pillows and the Keyboard Rubik’s Cube, it’s time to go one step further. OK, several steps further with the Coffee Table Aquarium. As the name implies, this coffee table houses aquatic life in it’s completely transparent base, offering up a pretty sweet look at the little creatures swimming around in their little home. A word from manufacturer Hammacher Schlemmer perhaps?
The tank rests on a heavy-duty black acrylic base; lights in the base illuminate the tank from beneath the bed of blue glass gravel. Comes with two-stage submersible filter pump and decorative plants. Plugs into AC with a 6? cord; access panel in base allows you to reach electric parts. For freshwater fish; gap under top allows for feeding. The 25 Gallon Aquarium Coffee Table. 25-gallon aquarium with 36? sq. tabletop. Top 36? sq.; tank 15 1/2? H x 24? L x 24? W. (100 lbs.)
So it looks cool. It’ll keep your fish cool. And did we mention you can actually drop your junk on top of this fish tank? Ya, that got a lot of people right there. Save those pennies, it’s not cheap — $599 and up.
[Product Page: Hammacher Schlemmer]
Zedomax
- February 10, 2010 3:03 pm
As Apple transitions more towards actual desktop processors in the iMac line, heat is going to be an issue. The next logical step would be to add water cooling. But such setups take up pretty generous amounts of room — something the iMac doesn’t really have much of. But when there’s a will, there’s a way. A patent filed way back in ’06 showed Apple to be working on a type of iMac water cooled dock. While a dock and an actual iMac implementation are two completely different things, as processor speeds, cores, and demands rise, cooling will be an even greater necessity than before.
What kind of water cooling system would fit in something with as little space to spare as an iMac? That’s a good question. I’m not a hardware engineer so I can’t really offer up any beneficial solutions. Besides space requirements, actually maintaining and keeping a water cooled computer running is a much bigger job than a non-water cooled one. Spills and leaks are the number one danger of course, seeing as how water and electronics are violent enemies. Shockingly horrific self destruction tales aside, we have to expect that water cooling would come at some point, wouldn’t we?
Not necessarily. Just because a patent is filed doesn’t mean said feature is coming soon if ever. Sadly, in this day and age it is easier to file for a slew of patents just to cover you ass in stead of actually filing for patents on products you intend on bringing to market.
Another point worth mentioning — Mac Pro’s have a considerable amount more stuffed inside the case. From processors, to RAM, hard drives, and big fat video cards, I’d wager there’s quite a bit more heat under the hood of a Mac Pro than an iMac. Conversely, there’s also more room for cooling and fans. Valid points can be made both for and against water cooling. But really, it all comes full circle, back to reliability.
The only Mac’s to get water cooling from the factory were the higher-end 2.5GHz Dual-core G5′s. Even with Apple’s extra thorough testing and scrutinizing eye, the use of water cooling in the high-end G5′s was marginal at best. Ultimately, maintaining the water cooling system was more of a chore than the typical hands off approach Apple hardware boasts of.
Perhaps Apple is ready to give it another go. As we look towards the upcoming 6-core Gulftown processors and even larger graphics cards, unless something in those devices designs changes drastically, the heat issue for Apple, and iMac’s more specifically, are only going to grow.
What do you think? It’s no secret that Apple probably has a few water cooling test solutions working away, deep inside some secret Apple bunker. But will these designs ever make it to market? Or will Apple work some of their magic on the internal structures of iMacs, Macbooks, and Mac Pros to make them even more heat resistant without water cooling?
MacDailyNews > Patently Apple
[Image Source]
- February 9, 2010 10:04 pm
Typically when someone mentions the word “boat”, the general human population will think of a nice little row boat of some sort or other human powered “machine”. But again, we are far from normal. The makers of the Amphibious Bus are just like us — albeit with an extreme case of addiction. The bus is pretty much your standard run of the mill people mover. On the inside however, the bus is heavily tweaked with two jets sticking out of the rear and providing it’s wetter movement.
Picking up a bus such as the Amphibious Bus isn’t for the cheap or faint hearted with prices starting at around $1,000,00. Ya, plans to turn one of these into the ultimate world traveling bachelor pad won’t be happening unfortunately. If you’ve got the money however, I don’t see any valid reason not to pick up a couple of these and deck out the insides with some cool stuff instead of the drab grey coloring and stiff seats that adorn the buses from the factory. Think it will catch on?
Gizmodo > BBC
