One thing that the British are known for is their stiff upper lip – not only that but we’re a nation of complainers. We also like to know things, whether it’s what our government are spending taxes on or indeed, if we’re investigating aliens. On 14th of May, in an unprecedented move, due to a number of Freedom of Information requests the British government has released a large number of papers that reveal how and when UFO sightings have been investigated. The 160 files – the first eight of which, covering 1978-1987 – throw up no "saucer-in-a-hangar smoking gun" in the skies, apparently. However, the papers, viewable on the National Archives' website, do show that officials conducted a ...
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  I think the name sells the concept, eh?  It is naturally a project under the partnership of Google and Virgin companies (owned by Sir Richard Branson).  I'm a bit impressed that Branson has even made a post on Google's official blog. Yeah, it must be a ghost writer, but who knows! Let me give you the blurb by Branson: "Virgle's goal is simple: the establishment of a permanent human settlement on Mars. Larry Page, Sergey Brin and I feel strongly that contemporary technology is sufficiently advanced to make such an effort both successful and economical, and that it's high time that humanity moved beyond Earth and began our great, long journey to explore the stars and ...
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Teasing folks since 2006 is RevoPower, creators of The Wheel, an after-market addition to your bicycle, enabling you to utilize a small motor to drive forward. Topping out at around 17mph, and getting approximately 250 miles per gallon, The Wheel has the potential to revolutionize the way people travel.  It's a great solution for people who only have to commute several miles to work or are looking to run local errands.  Having the option to exercise or automatically coast is very appealing. The small motor (which gets it's gas supply from a water bottle-sized tank) creates less carbon dioxide than the equivalent size 4-cycle engine. The Wheel is expected to be released within the next few months as it ...
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What I'm referring to is not the latest gadget, but in fact the possibility that the latest scientists at CERN's superlab may rip a hole in space and time. Yes, I know, it sounds bizarre and completely incredulous, but it is in fact true. CERN laboratory has, for a long time, done some of the wildest experiments out there, what with it having a massive particle accelerator and all sorts of other gadgetry. CERN is also the European particle physics centre and home to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) that is going to be switched on later in the year. This will aid scientists in finding out more about the birth of the universe. Two Russian scientists ...
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The Beatles hit (well, quite successful anyway) Across the Universe will be the first song to be beamed directly into space next week, Nasa has announced. The track will be beamed directly through the Deep Space Network on the 40th anniversary of the song being recorded. The beam of the song (being sent through space) will be aimed at North Star, Polaris, which is approximately 431 light years away from the Earth. That is, by all accounts, quite far away really! Paul McCartney has said that it's an 'amazing' feat. Interestingly, this isn't part of the SETI collection of projects but in fact a celebration of 50 years of Nasa. So, what exactly can we ...
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With news of the recent total lunar eclipse, interest in this heavenly phenomenon has spaked anew. Here are the eclipses that had occurred earlier this year and will happen in during the remainder of 2007. Two central solar and two lunar eclipses occur in 2007 as follows: 2007 Mar 03: Total Lunar Eclipse 2007 Mar 19: Partial Solar Eclipse 2007 Aug 28: Total Lunar Eclipse 2007 Sep 11: Partial Solar Eclipse The eclipse today is a total lunar eclipse so watch out for it, because it would be visible to the naked eye. The total lunar eclipse of August 28 2007 will be visible over the Americas, the Pacific, eastern Asia, and Australasia. The penumbral eclipse -- the least exciting, ...
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The search for green is "so" in, this days as the quest for the most green invention is coming our way. The search for alternatives as a new zero-emission electric vehicles hits the streets. Now introducing the Zero electric motorbike, pictured above, which is due in 2008. A configurable bike drive train via the manufacturer and the street version with 16" tires, or the off-road version which comes with 20" off-road tires. The bike's max range is 40 miles, and the max speed is 60 mph. It plugs into a normal 110V/220V outlet, and charges in about three hours. The best thing about it is the programmable "ZBrain" computer, you can tweak ...
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Clotaire Rapaille wrote a book called The Culture Code. The eponymous code is "the unconscious meaning we apply to any given thing". This, naturally enough, includes games. Rapaille's well-argued theory is that, essentially, we interpret everything not only fro the perspective of an individual and as a member of the human race (Jungian theories of the collective human subconscious plays a part) but also from a national (or racial) perspective). Naturally this can get extremely confusing if studied too deeply, but we'll cite a strong example before moving to games. Wedding are held around the world (in fact, Rapaille uses this very subject as one of his examples) but are entirely different depending on location, from the extremely decadent to the religiously austere. In the book, Rapaille uses his knowledge to decode countries and brands - in this latter way assisting marketers and consumer relations, along with consumers themselves (though this is arguable, as marketing is almost always about peddling wants not needs). In this article, I am going to use Rapaille's technique to decode games. I'll look by country of the three biggest markets (Japan, the US and the UK). Lets take a look at what works in which territory, and why. Bearing in mind Rapaille has used this technique for businesses such as Nestle to have very positive effects, it is still nonetheless a social or people based science. This means that at times conclusions can be difficult to place in a qualitative perspective. Japan Insular and traditional, Japan is a country based on order and system. The idea of of a rigid structure and authority is still commonplace. This explains why games - in particular RPG's with an emphasis on rules and number crunching do so well in the land of the rising sun. However, things are certainly changing, with much more creative types breaking down barriers in the younger generations. This energy results in games such as Katamary Damacy - even globally seen as unique and fresh for the industry. Games such as Okami reach between both worlds, offering a traditional tale with calligraphy on a modern platform. This cultural bridging on a national level offers a fulfilling experience. America The USA is big, bold and brash, with a comparison from Rapaille as that of an 'adolescent'. Is this why we see so many violent videogames, or those with a focus o war? Perhaps this national culture understands the difficulties in finding its' own way so play them out on virtual battlefields. First person shooters such as Halo, Call of Duty and Doom are all American franchises, as well as finding a home in many dvd trays of families there.
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At Gadzooki we think that the biggest tech innovations over the next century will be directly tied to energy. That may be wishful thinking, but we love the prospect of there being a decentralization of energy. Ultimately there are two goals we'd like to see reached regarding energy innovation. First we'd like to see control of energy put into the hands of the individual citizen! Empower the citizen to create his own (clean) energy. Second, we'd like to see the emergence and dominance of alternative, renewable energy sources. One of the great things about alternative, renewable energies is that they allow for the development and decentralization of small-footprint plants near the renewable source. As an example, ethanol plants are popping up near large corn farms. One of the benefits of the decentralization of energy is that less energy gets wasted in the transport.
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At Gadzooki, the thing that drives us the most is excitement about future technology. Sure gadgets are nice, and we love our tech, but deep down, we love innovation and thinking about the future. Just the other day I encountered one of those few stories that bring me to say "Hey, that just might change our future in radical ways." NewScientist reports on a self-healing material that is able to identify the exact location of damage with exquisitely high-resolution. The material uses epoxy sealant to make any minor repairs - think about small cuts on your skin (as opposed to gashes to your tendons). One could imagine this material being used to ...
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