ie8 fix

Battlefield creator shows off new 'Star Wars' video game

To the delight of many gamers at E3 on Monday, EA DICE showed off Star Wars Battlefront -- a next-generation "Star Wars" video game that uses the Frostbite 3 graphics engine. DICE uses the same graphics engine in Battlefield 4.

As the 30-second trailer kicks off, you can clearly see a snowy tundra on the ice planet Hoth, presumably set during the battle seen in "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back," or perhaps a different time in the canon. … Read more

'Remember Ring' concept heats up for anniversaries

A forgotten anniversary can add a lot of friction to a relationship. Apparently, setting a calendar alert is just too much effort for some people. Those same people might need a Remember Ring, a concept ring from Alaska Jewelry that heats up as an anniversary approaches.

The ring is designed to give a 24-hour heads-up notice about the impending anniversary. It does this by heating up to 120 degrees, enough to be noticeable, but not enough to make you scream. … Read more

NanoGlass is a poor geek's stripped-down Google Glass

Now that Google Glass is in the hands of developers, it seems like everybody wants a smartphone connection on their specs. That pesky $1,500 price tag is a little annoying, though. Let's say you don't need all the fancy Glass features, like an eyeball-level display, camera, directions, search, and voice commands. If you're satisfied with just notifications, then you may soon be able to connect your smartphone to your glasses for $25.

The NanoGlass Indiegogo project from EmoPulse consists of a small Bluetooth device that attaches to the side of a pair of glasses. A fiber optic strip extends toward the front, just enough to show up in your peripheral vision.… Read more

All-female miniature-warrior armies rock RPG status quo

There are heaps of RPG miniatures available. It's easy to find muscled warrior dudes, cloaked wizard guys, armor-clad knights, and masculine beasts. It's less easy to find the ladies, especially ones wielding mighty weapons.

The RPG miniature options for women players (or anyone playing with a woman character) are about to explode with the overwhelming funding response to the Raging Heroes: The Toughest Girls of the Galaxy Kickstarter project. The miniatures come from an experienced French company and are geared for science fiction war game scenarios.… Read more

AT-AT liquor cabinet for cocktail-sipping Siths

There's a whole world of fan-made "Star Wars" furniture out there. A lucky fluffball has anAT-AT cat condo. A fortunate child has an X-wing fighter bunk. A talented furniture maker created an X-wing coffee table. Now, a handy maker has built an AT-AT liquor cabinet that combines "Star Wars" love with steampunk aesthetics.

The Emperor's Cabinet was created by Colin Johnson, a Vancouver artist who crafted the piece from plywood, mahogany veneer, and glass. Artfully laid solid-brass trim lends a distinctly steampunk look to the cabinet. The side of the AT-AT opens up to reveal plenty of storage for bottles of Alderaanian brandy, Hedrett oil-rig whiskey, and Gralish liqueur.… Read more

'Star Wars' actor's lightsaber cane gets him detained by TSA

You may have occasionally encountered a certain dead-eyed stare from a Transportation Security Administration operative.

He might not like your name, your shorts, or the odd bulge in your jaw. So he stops you and asks deep questions, such as: "What do you have in your pockets, sir?"

Peter Mayhew, the 7-foot-tall gentleman who played Chewbacca in "Star Wars," discovered the boys from TSA had a different preoccupation -- whether his lightsaber cane was a dangerous weapon.… Read more

A chat with the creator of the 'quantum ATM'

This week, experimental philosopher Jonathon Keats will install the world's first "Quantum ATM" in New York City.

Part art installation, part science experiment, and part social commentary, the new not-so-automated teller machine at 20 Rockefeller Center will take deposits and transfer them to a so-called quantum superposition, allowing the real-world cash to proliferate itself into seven billion accounts in the Quantum Bank.… Read more

'Quantum ATM' aims to make us all rich

If you've spent much time looking into the peculiar world of quantum physics and the notion of a so-called quantum superposition that theoretically allows a particle to be everywhere at once, you've surely thought of some ways that being able to manipulate such properties could be pretty awesome.

In my case, it's the strongest evidence I've found since turning 12 that the Santa Claus I grew up hearing about could actually exist.

But experimental philosopher Jonathon Keats is setting out to put quantum physics to a much more practical use, no matter how impractical the world of finance may find it.… Read more

Shock and awe: Faces of people trying Oculus Rift

Editor's note: We had originally planned to run this feature on Saturday, June 1, but found out the day before that Andrew Scott Reisse, a co-founder of Oculus VR, had just been killed in an accident. We are running the story now as a tribute to the product Reisse helped create, and we offer our condolences to the family, friends, and co-workers mourning his loss.

The Oculus Rift headset differs from most other wearable displays by adding the extra benefit of highly accurate head-tracking. This means that when a Rift wearer looks left in real life, the virtual view turns to that direction as well. This sense of realness is often a major surprise for those unfamiliar with the tech. … Read more

Monitor your world with $39 Motes sensors

You're sitting in the living room. You're wondering if the Mother-in-Law's Tongue growing in a pot in the back room needs to be watered. You could get up and stick your finger in the dirt, or you could check your smartphone and see what the plant's personal sensor says.

The Motes Indiegogo project offers several different flavors of remote sensors that work with iOS devices (Android and Surface coming soon). Each sensor costs $39. That price point and the variety of sensors available has attracted plenty of interest. The Motes project has already doubled its $22,000 goal with 35 days of fundraising left.… Read more