If you think that the final mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope is going to be boring, you haven't seen this video yet. Not only the astronauts will be risking their lives as usual at 366 miles above the Earth, but the sheer amount and the difficulty of the tasks—from repairing components to replacing them to installing new gadgets—makes the mission an almost-impossible one, with soundtrack to match. I never imagined this was going to be such an ambitious and daunting work.

First, there's the pressure the astronauts are going to be facing. In addition to the stress of the spacewalks and the manual work in a weightless environment, they know this is not only the final mission, but also a single shot to service the mighty telescope. If some of the tasks are not completed, there's no way to return back another time and fix whatever is broken. The mission crew knows that Hubble is a vital instrument to science—one that keeps expanding our knowledge of the Universe, helping to answer the most crucial question Humanity has ever faced: where the hell do we come from?—and that the astronauts are men and women of science. And they are going to be the ones responsible for giving science this amazing tool for ten more years.

Then there's the time constrain: just eleven days. As John Grunsfeld—one of the mission astronauts with Andrew Feustel, Gregory Johnson, Megan McCarthur, Michael Good, Scott Altman, and Michael Massimino—puts it: "We got a lot of things we want to repair in Hubble and upgrade in Hubble, and not a lot of time to do it." During that short time, this is all the things they have to do:

Repairs

• Repair two failed instruments in space, which is the first time such a task is going to be attempted. This will be a test to see if Nasa can do this kind of tasks in future missions to the Moon and Mars. The repairs will require removing 110 (yes, a hundred and ten) little screws. While this seems easy, not only it will take a lot of time in zero gravity, but the screws, like any other floating debris, may become a big problem for the security of the astronauts up there.

• The first instrument to be repaired is the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). It was installed in 2002, and then died after being the most used instrument in Hubble for years.

• Then they have to fix the Space Telescope Imagine Spectrograph (STIS). This is a black hole hunter which also did the first detection and chemical analysis of a planet orbiting another star.

New instruments

• They will install the fanciest, most advanced spectrograph in space: the Cosmic Origin Spectrograph.

• In addition to the COS, they are also going to install the Wield Field Camera 3. This new camera is ten times better than the current instrument, and will let us see into the past of the Universe deeper and farther than ever before.

Spacecraft service

• In addition to the pure science aspect of the mission, Nasa also wants to upgrade and fix the spacecraft itself, starting with the gyroscopes, which will be upgraded.

• They also are going to install a refurbished fine guidance sensor.

• The batteries are going to be replaced for the first time since Hubble went into space.

• A new outer blanket layer, this time a solid shield, will be put on top of the current blanket.

• Thermal insulation will be replaced on several bays of the telescope.

• A new capture instrument will be installed to recover the Hubble at the end of its life.

Seems like a lot to me, but maybe is the Jerry Bruckheimerish soundtrack that makes it all more exciting. The really exciting part however, if the mission is completely successful, is that Hubble will be better than ever, ready for action for the next ten years. What does this really mean? Awesome eye candy for the next decade. And maybe showing to us that the origin of the Big Bang is really a huge bowl full of Froot Loops that went horribly wrong during one of God's breakfast.

Check out this Wall-E robot clone built of Lego! Though this robot is made of Lego and won’t look or sound as genuine as the one you’ve seen in the movie, it’s always incredible (I think) to see people bring Lego to life simply by putting abit of brain power and engineering skill into the good old plastic blocks…

Youtube user Bazmarc, a 41-year old from Canada who works in IT is a serious Lego fan who enjoys Lego Robotics building and programming. Just very recently he posted a series of videos showing his totally cool implementation of the WALL-E robot constructed completely from stock Lego NXT Mindstorms robot system parts. Not only is the robot realistic, it also features some very emotional and touching eye movements.

Bazmarc’s robot creation does use some third party components, like Mindsensors and HiTechnic - both Lego certified though!

According to some comments on his videos, the robot uses…

“1 NXT with rechargable pack, 3 Servo Motors, 4 PF motors, 2 IR receiver, 1 UltraSonic sensor, 1 sound sensor, 1 IRlink, 1 NXTservo module and 1 mini RC servo, 10 AA batteries and Lego from the Bulldozer #8275 and other parts from various technic sets.”

Here’s a video explaining just how his robot Wall-E’s eyes work…

And here is a demo video of the robot itself…

Bazmarc has done a number of revisions to his robot since it was first completed, you can check out these videos over at his YouTube channel here…

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Video: Lego built Wall-E robot clone with eye movements!!!

I’ve been using voice recognition software for a number of years. Back in my Windows days I used Dragon NaturallySpeaking Speaking. I started with Version 8 and the accuracy improved through my use of Version 9.5. (Version 10 has just been released and it promises to be even better!) When I made the move to Mac a little bit over a year ago I went searching for voice recognition software. I found and purchased iListen from MacSpeech. It worked well enough but was a far cry from the power and accuracy of Dragon. A few months ago MacSpeech updated iListen, (or more actually reinvented the software) and introduced MacSpeech Dictate. This was a giant leap forward, particularly because the new software employs the same voice recognition engine as Dragon. It works quite well.

There are two main components that impact the accuracy of creating text to voice.
The first is the quality of your speech. If you speak in a smooth, consistent manner, using, as the software suggests “a newscaster’s voice” you will have much better results than if you speak the way you would to a friend.

The second, and perhaps more important, is the quality of the microphone. A better microphone will cancel background noise and significantly improve your results.The best option I found was my Fujitsu Stylistic Tablet PC. It had array mics built in which filtered out noise quite well. As a result I was able to sit with the tablet on my lap and simply speak in order to write with tremendous accuracy. When I was using a desktop or laptop, however, the lack of a dual array mic meant that I needed to use a headset. My headset of choice was a noise canceling Andrea USB headset. For about $90 it worked incredibly well. It was, however, cumbersome, slightly uncomfortable, more than slightly inconvenient, and it made me look like a phone operator. But it worked.

A few months ago I noticed that a new wireless microphone had been released by Revolabs. The ex-tag microphone, while rather pricey at $250, promised excellent accuracy while cutting the cord. Mine came today and it is a small wonder. … [visit site to read more]

Here’s a cool motion sensing interface that might be even better than Multi-touch technology.  The NaviSense interface uses ultrasonic to detect motion and no touching is required by the user.

NaviSense is a software and hardware provider for sensory based embedded signal processing solutions. NaviSense has developed a suite of proprietary software and hardware technologies with tech savvy appeal. The patent pending solutions provide a value-added customer driven benefit. The technologies are complementary to existing platforms and can be integrated within embedded products, computer systems, communication devices, multimedia components, and notebook PCs.

Our solutions result in a more casual and enjoyable experience for interfacing with computer processing systems. The technologies increase the efficiency and easiness by which multimedia users can interact with email, computer applications, computer games, search engines, and data entry systems.

Brought to you by: Zedomax.com

Navisense - The Motion Sensing Interface!

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Lighting:

The first thing you need to do is set an erotic mood. This giant bustier lamp should do the trick. [Japanese Bustier Lamp]

We all know that kids tend to wander back to the nest when the food and money runs out. That means you need a backup plan to protect your privacy. The "Sex in Progress" lamp will ensure that you kid will be running back to the dorm as fast as possible. Available for $25. [Baron Bob via Link]

The Bed:

Now it is time to focus on the most important part of the room—the bed. One option is to go with the Private Cloud—a patented rocking bed by German designer Manuel Kloker. Legend has it that a couple was so intense that they managed to complete one full revolution. Think of the possibilities. [Manuel Kloker via Link]

Prefer something a little...rougher? No problem. Try Master R's Dungeon quality BDSM play frame. To the naked eye it looks like an innocent four-poster frame, but it features special fittings for slings, mirrors, stocks and other restraints for weird, painful fun. Available for $2655. [Master R's]

No matter what bed you choose, the Karmasheetra is a good accessory. It's like an even more perverted version of Twister. Available for about $35. [Shiny Shack]

Furniture:

No room would be complete without a few pieces of furniture, and the Adult Fun Stool is a must-have for any adult hideaway. The chair is spring loaded, so it will bounce up and down with you as you make good use of the attachment on top. Speaking of that, it is fully removable so you can use it like a traditional stool when not "in use." Just make sure to keep plenty of bleach on hand. Available for $315. [AFB]

Unfortunately, the legendary Vagina Couch was an art project sold on Craigslist earlier this year, so you may not be able to get your hands on the version pictured here. However, it could give you some good ideas if you are handy with a sewing machine. [Craigslist]

Accessories:

Now that you have the major components of the room down, it is time to start adding some finishing touches. If you simply must have a landline phone in the room, the Bona Phone is the only way to go with its patented "touch bone dialing" and orgasm ringtone. What you choose to do with it beyond making phone calls is your business. Available for $27. [Sensual Universe via Link]

If you and the Mrs. enjoy a game of chess now and then, this erotic version is sure to satisfy on multiple levels—especially if you are into some weird stuff. The pieces in this set get really freaky. [Russian Mammoth]

The last thing you need when you finally have the house to yourself is another kid cramping your style. It's always safety first with the condom-dispensing panic button. [Link]

Bonus: Finally, what intimate evening would be complete without taking a drag on that after-sex cigarette? Therefore, it is only fitting that we conclude this journey into the nether regions of the soul with what is undoubtedly the most offensive ashtray ever conceived of by man. [Link]

Thankfully, guys can preempt the old “wires are ugly” argument when they tell the wife or significant other that they want a surround sound system in the living room thanks to JBL. The new JBL WEM-1 Wireless Expansion module will turn wired loudspeakers into wireless units. The JBL system uses a receiver and amplifier unit with 50W of power.

The transmitter module connects to an audio source and the receiver/amp unit connects to a pair of speakers. The system features a remote control and has a 70-foot transmission range. Connectivity options include line-out and speaker-level outputs to accommodate a variety of components. The amp/receiver also has a local input for playback of music from a MP3 player. The JBL On Air WEM-1 Wireless Expansion Module will be available in September 2008 for $359.

Harman

Thankfully, guys can preempt the old “wires are ugly” argument when they tell the wife or significant other that they want a surround sound system in the living room thanks to JBL. The new JBL WEM-1 Wireless Expansion module will turn wired loudspeakers into wireless units. The JBL system uses a receiver and amplifier unit with 50W of power.

The transmitter module connects to an audio source and the receiver/amp unit connects to a pair of speakers. The system features a remote control and has a 70-foot transmission range. Connectivity options include line-out and speaker-level outputs to accommodate a variety of components. The amp/receiver also has a local input for playback of music from a MP3 player. The JBL On Air WEM-1 Wireless Expansion Module will be available in September 2008 for $359.

Harman

The new Tascam CC-222SLmkII adds even more to this reliable recorder, now in its fifth generation. No one has a wider selection of combination cassette/CD components than Tascam.