Category

Gadgets

Lego Robot Solves Rubik’s Cube

From Slashdot: a dude named Thomas Rocicki has just proven that 23 moves is sufficient to solve an arbitrary Rubik’s cube configuration, not including the impossible configurations created by dismantling and re-assembling the cube, the only method by which I was able to reliably solve it. Rocicki had previously established it could be done in…

Smith & Tinker

I’ve recently joined the board of a Seattle-based startup called Smith & Tinker. The picture here is one I took of the cool little figurine that co-founder and CEO Jordan Weisman gave me after our investment in S&T closed. I cannot confirm or deny what (if anything) it has to do with what the company…

Silicone Gadget

I post about cool gadgets frequently on this blog, but it occurred to me that I should also start a transistor-free gadget series, since there are plenty of clever and well-designed non-digital artifacts that can make our lives easier. So I will start with a great kitchen gadget that has been seeing daily use nearly…

PhoneTag: Great Service

I’ve been using a great service called PhoneTag (used to be called SimulScribe, the new name is much better) for at least a year now, and I have to say it is one of the best new products to emerge in a while — a true time saver. I’d wished for years that this service…

Billions and Billions Served

As long time readers of my blog know, I like to reflect from time to time on the relentless growth of processing capacity and storage density in the computing world. I’m about a week behind on the news, but felt compelled to comment on the story I saw on Slashdot last week, that Seagate announced…

Self-Assembling Modular Robot

With a tip of the hat to Marc Andreessen (whose excellent blog is a part of my daily regimen), check out this video of a robot that gets kicked apart and then reassembles itself without human intervention. This is a (very) early alpha version of the T-1000. Cool today, scary tomorrow. Gadgets, Robots

Oh Kindle, My Kindle

After a few weeks of use, I thought I’d share my thoughts on Amazon’s Kindle. The Kindle is my second electronic book reader, my first was the Sony Reader, which I previously touted as my new favorite gadget. Now I must apologize to Sony and my lovely wife Katherine, who gave me the reader for…

Place-shifting with the Slingbox

I’m happy to announce that Sling Media has shipped their first product, the Slingbox Personal Broadcaster, and that Walt Mossberg’s review of the Slingbox appears in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal. I’ve posted about Sling briefly in the past, here and here, and have been actively involved with the company as a board member since Mobius…

Live from CES

This was my first CES, and it was quite an experience. It also seemed like it was Las Vegas’ first CES given the mass confusion that existed at the airport, the monorail, and all around the conference center. I thought Vegas was supposed to know how to handle conventions! Ah well, I’ll give them the…

Off to Vegas

I’m heading out to Vegas early tomorrow morning to attend CES, The Hajj for the consumer electronics industry and the gadget-obsessed among us. This year I’ve got two of my portfolio companies who will have a presence at the show: Microdisplay and Sling Media. I’ll be sure to check out all the new LCoS, Plasma,…