Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column committed to exploring the culture of individual innovation.

There are 2 gadget scents: one triggers joy and anticipation, the other conjures up unhappiness and worry.

The first arrives like a psychological bullet as we open the box. That plasticky smell wafts in with guaranteed experiences, teases a preliminary power-up and floods us with curiosity and excitement.

The 2nd shows its ugly head when electronic devices give up the ghost. That smell– you recognize that smell– of melting circuits and digital death sends us into a spiral of data-loss panic, guilt and anxiety for our safety.

Continue reading This Is the Modem World: Do You Smell That?

Filed under: Misc. GadgetsThis Is the Modem World

: Do You Smell That? appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for usage of feeds. Permalink|| Email this|Opinions

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EDIT: Pint glasses, not shot glasses.

Due to the fact that there’s absolutely nothing on the internet today however the heartbreaking tale of a disturbed twenty-something who open fired on a cinema full of Batman supporters (my notions and prayers are with you, friends/family/Aurora community), here’s a set of Game of Thrones pint glasses readily available from the HBO Shop. Each glass features a different house sigil on one side, and the residence’s pledge on the other. Get the entire set for $ 70 and make your the very least favored buddy make use of the shitty Baratheon one!

Thanks to Lizy, who drinks every night since she drinks to her accomplishments. Me? I drink every evening because I have an issue.

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Astronomers in Chile utilizing the European Southern Observatory’s Very Sizable Telescope are now able to evaluate the atmosphere on faraway planet Tau Bootis b. Utilizing CRIRES, a supercooled infrared spectrograph bolted to the ‘scope, the team was able to evaluate the dimension of the exoplanet– and for the very first time, take a reading of the atmosphere while not in transit. Historically, the only time specialists have been able to carry out atmospheric analysis is throughout the transit of its close-by star, which imprints the qualities of the atmosphere onto the light. The group located that Tau Bootis b is around six times the size of Jupiter, but its air is so thick with Carbon Monoxide that we’ll need to look elsewhere to organize that expedition to the stars.

Infrared telescope can easily choose out the ambience on distant planets, smell what the aliens are smelling initially appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for usage of feeds.

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This is an actual whiskey flavored lube from the gluttons over at Epic Food Time. Apparently they’re convinced whiskey is a desirable smell to have smeared all over your privates. SPOILER: It’s not. Unless you’re in a relationship with another manly dude (I’m thinking a gay biker/bear type here), chances are your lover doesn’t want your junk smelling like f***ing whiskey. Piña colada, absolutely, but only because piña colada is the best smell in the world, especially for car air fresheners.

Thanks to everyone who sent me this. And an extra special thanks to everybody who didn’t.

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Yesterday, to much fanfare and resolute sentiment, HP announced a return to what made it a great company to begin with: poorly-named and generic computing devices tarted up to take on Dell. This year it’s the HP Envy SpectreXT, a thin and light that can’t officially be called an Ultrabook because that’s an Intel marketing term and these things sometimes run on AMD chips.

I think it’s important to point out the clear problems in the above statement: because Intel officially controls the “ultrabook” spec – including the pricing, screen size, speed, and physical size – manufacturers must toe the line when it comes to what can and cannot be sold under that rubric. In short, Intel’s own standards have so long stymied the OEM’s ability to innovate that, in the end, we’re all essentially buying Intel PCs no matter the brand or maker.

Why is this an important distinction? Because for years hardware has been stymied by ridiculous size standards. From the early “Windows” tablets – which had to follow Intel’s exacting guidelines – to today’s Ultrabooks, manufacturers can’t make a penny without kowtowing to Intel. What’s more, they don’t get any of Intel’s marketing might if they don’t produce at least one of a family of devices.

The same thing happens over at Microsoft. Remember when, in 2010, it seemed everyone was making one touchscreen PC? Sony? Dell? HP? Well it wasn’t because they were totally into touchscreen. It was because Microsoft wanted to push touchscreen Windows interaction onto the audience and they could use their might to force at least one SKU from each manufacturer.

Could HP fight back? Probably not. They make all their money on ink anyway, and hardware is a loss leader. In short, the PC industry is a perfect example of trickle-down economics.

There are obviously a number of smaller players who don’t toe the line, including Apple, but in general if you want to appear in the Best Buy circulars and get special bulk deals on chips and operating systems, you’d better be willing to go Ultrabook or Centrino or whatever other standard the binary star of Intel and Microsoft encourages makers to follow. The odds – and profit – are forever in Intel’s favor.

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We admit it: this could just be another highfalutin gadget render that’ll never breathe the polluted whiff of day. But it’s a nice render, which demonstrates a concept called the Smellit: a miniature olfactory factory that’s meant to connect to your PC and bring a “fourth dimension” to video and gaming. Its creator, Nuno Teixeira, even claims he’s found a French company to build the device and show it off at the Lisbon Design Show next week. Now, the principle of a practically-sized scent generator has already been demonstrated by others, but we won’t be convinced until we have to open a window.

This concept wants you to smell it, smell it, Smellit originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 09 Oct 2011 04:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This is a tubful of creepy-ass sea lampreys at Michigan State acting as test subjects for a new lamprey repellent the university is developing made of the rotting carcasses of other sea lampreys. Because smelling your own dead — that shit’ll get to you. Also: Cupid’s arrow. *twang* Well that was just a regular arrow, but you obviously got the point because you’re bleeding pretty bad. Point, LOLOL.

Lampreys are parasites that look like slimy eels with mouths that are ringed with several layers of jagged teeth [designed to attach to and feed from a host]. In some areas, like the Great Lakes of the United States, they’ve become an invasive pest that kills local trout and other valuable fish.

Damn them things is nasty. You think Indiana Jones would hate them more or less than snakes? My guess is more — what’s your guess? “I dunno, but rumor has it Ursula from ‘The Little Mermaid’ has a crush on Lord Lamprey!” Really? I heard she was banging King Crab. Dude likes his sea-witches thick.

Hit the jump for two videos (one above water, one below) and a picture of a lamprey mouth because terrified is a good look on you.

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You know what the problem with coffee is? You can’t inject it. Also, apparently some people complain about not being able to smell their coffee while they’re drinking it with a lid, denying them part of the sensory sensation. You know, because taste and smell are connected (I know this because I once put a spaghetti noodle up my nose and it came out my mouth).

Coffee from your favorite donut shop has a problem. It doesn’t taste as good as it should because the lid traps in the wonderful aroma. Taste is 95% smell, so you’re really missing out.

Mint Urban Technologies has a solution for this sensory shortcoming. It’s designed the Aroma Lid, a new cover that’s infused with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. When you take a sip, you smell and taste a wonderful, full-bodied brew.

Neat idea, right? Sure. I’m not sure if the lid changes color too if that was just poor product photography, but who cares — the point is this: anything that makes the urine go down smoother for my coworkers.

The Aroma Lid Makes Your Coffee Smell and Taste Great [gizmodo]

Thanks to Douglas, who taught me everything I know about being pissive aggressive. See what I did there? Me neither, I think there’s something in my eye.

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We already got some hands-on time with HP’s sleek webOS keyboard, and now it’s the FCC’s turn. The skinny peripheral — that’s Bluetooth Keyboard KT-1087 to you — popped up on the Federal Communications Commission’s site, stripped naked for the government filing enthusiasts of the world to collectively ogle. That hopefully means the rest of us will see the wireless add-on for sale in the near future, AA batteries not included — it would sure go nicely with that HP TouchPad you’ve been eyeing. Those who get a perverse thrill watching unreleased products sprawled out, alien autopsy-style are encouraged to check out the gallery below.

HP webOS keyboard passes FCC smell test, won’t zap you to death with radiation originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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