Some new technology down under lets users see a reflection of themselves, and manipulate virtual clothes over their body so that they can see how they look like in a snap. Pricing and availability info are displayed on top, and users can have photos of their virtual outfits sent to their mobile phones for later perusal.

It’s understandable that retail shops want to make things easier for guys who apparently don’t like to try clothes. After all, making shopping as simple possible means more potential for profit. But the gesture-driven interface already looked clumsy in the above video, and user experience expert Jakob Nielsen once asserted that:

Many user interfaces designed for the movies feature gestural input and 3D data visualizations. Immersive environments and fly-through navigation look good, and grant for more dramatic interaction than clicking on a linear list of 10 items. But, despite being a staple of computer conference demos for decades, 3D almost never makes it into shipping products. The reason? 2D works better than 3D for the vast majority of practical things that users want to do.

To be honest, the virtual changing room seems more like novelty than convenience.

Tags: hallenstein’s, virtual changing room, virtual dressing room

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The concept is simple: take a yoyo, and place a small lithium-ion battery that juices up whenever you play with the yoyo. Add a USB power port, and you’ve got yourself a portable charger! Questions remain about the viability of the “iYo”, especially how many yoyo play sessions it would take to fully charge the battery. And, why the iPhone focus? Does the concept designer realize that the iPhone isn’t the only gadget out there?!? (dvice.com)

Tags: iYo, yoyo charger

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The sad fact with self-assembled Personal computers is that the importance of power supplies are forgotten. This component deserves some weighty consideration, especially since many make the mistake of buying a power supply that provides more than they really need. This obviously ties up money that could’ve been used for a superior video card or processor.

Before you even think of assembling your own PC, you should take a look at AnandTech’s article on Debunking Power Supplies. The money quote:

If people really took the time to analyze system power stipulations, we would see a tremendous increase in sales of 300W to 400W PSUs. The truth is that the vast majority of systems would run optimally with such a “small” power supply. Even if you’re running SLI/CrossFire, you don’t actually need a 750W power supply. (Of course, we suggest purchasing a good quality power supply, as there are certainly “750W” PSUs out there that can’t reliably deliver anywhere near that much power.) To help dispel some myths relating to power requirements, we’ve put together a couple of charts.

Check out the whole article here.

Tags: anandtech, choosing, power supplies

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Check it out: mimicking the classic wooden setup, but in the words of Boing Boing, “this one has a working safety and is far prettier. (And heavier!)”

Tags: DIY, Metal, Rubber Band Gun

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You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to realize that spending the whole day playing WoW a fat gamer makes. With a little creativity however, it’s simple to imagine a treadmill hooked up to a Personal computer, use for exercise within the game world! The benefits of such a setup, at the very least, are substantial.

Althaea has lost nearly 100 pounds playing WoW from a treadmill, shrugging off a diagnosis of sleep apnea and creating an exercise routine that has definitely stuck.

The creator came across some problems, the most obvious being how to deal with the sweat generated by the literal exercise in the gaming—moisture and electronics simply don’t mix. But that problem was solved quickly, by moving the laptop far away and relying on connected peripherals to do the job (monitor, USB keyboard and mouse, etc.).

Such a great combo, this fun plus exercise thing. (wowinsider.com)

Tags: Warbiking, World of Warcraft, Wow, WoW Treadmill

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Take some optical fibers, integrate them into cloth, and what do you have? Something similar to what LumiGram’s offering right now. The website’s catalog offers varied luminescent items, from bags, cushions, to the top pictured here. The fibers are powered via battery, which is thankfully detachable when wash day comes.

All I’m thinking right now is: any daring women out there willing to wear a LumiGram top? It’s a surefire way to attract attention, no doubt. (lumigram.com)

Tags: LumiGram

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Some perceptive (literally and disciplinary) scientists have scientifically proven something obvious: cars that are designed to be quiet inside make people drive faster.

In their study Horswill and Plooy presented participants with pairs of video-based driving scenes and asked them to judge their speed.

The participants heard either in-car noise at the level it occurred in the real world, or reduced in volume by 5 decibels.

Full article available here.

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Nikon what? When the D90 as announced, it looked like Nikon would one-up Canon. The manufacturer did a great job coming out with a demo video showing how video capturing works well with dSLR lens. They probably didn’t count on Canon having an answer.

So what Canon do to promote the 5D Mark II, its own video dSLR? It went all artsy-fartsy with its demo video—a surprisingly effective approach. Check out Reverie in all its relatively high-resolution glory here. Canon must also be happy that one of the video’s creators posted a “behind the scenes” clip here.

Amazingly, Canon was apparently with the 5D showcase—even if it made one its own camcorders look bad. As creator Vincent Laforet writes:

Keep in mind - this is raw footage (not RAW) from both Canon XH A1 camcorder - and a few clips for the Canon EOS 5D MKII - you’ll see that the two are toe to toe (not really) on bright scenes… but in low light - NO COMPARISON… so I’m not sure of how Canon feels about my trashing their top of the line XH A1 camcorder… but common sense leads me to state the following: if the Canon still camera team and the video team have come together to produce the Canon EOS 5D MKII - the next HD camcorder they come out with - may just floor us all… these are very exciting times - to be someone who focuses on “creating” as opposed to the “process” and “technique” of making your vision match the “reality” of the tools you’ve at your disposal.

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Check out this awesome remake of Daft Punk’s “Something About Us”:

So many stuff used here: aside from the DS Lite, you’ve got a midi controller, a theremin, and even a papier-mâché helmet complete with a LED display! (makezine.com)

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The “Nesbuckels” is a great accessory for the fashionably-daring. The belt buckle, which is patterned after the NES controller, probably does a great job of keeping your pants up—as well as attract to your crotch as people wonder what the heck you’re wearing. A close up for those who

On top of that, if someone figures out how to make the buckle play a sound when any button’s pressed, you’ve got yourself the perfect pants button protector! What do you think folks? Is the NES Buckle for guys only, or would they work with certified online hotties like the Gadgenista? (trendhunter.com)

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