The software also filters out variables like swaying and head-bobbing that could confuse the signal. Obviously, this technology is a long way from being implemented in the real world (as you can see from the crude helmet pictured here), but I can see how it could be a big help to rescue workers if some sort of monitor was added to the helmet or it was integrated into a handheld device. [New Scientist]

Nintendo announced their new iteration of the Nintendo DS series. It’s called Nintendo DSi.

• Kotaku: Nintendo Announce New DS: The Nintendo DSi

This version can no longer play Game Boy Advance games, but it has a huge list of new features:

• It’s thinner than the DS Lite.
• The screens are larger (3.25 inches).
• A 0.3 megapixel camera and webcam (that’s 640 X 480 for all you folks from 1992).
• SD memory card slot
• Built-in Internet browser
• The DSi Shop, where you can download games for the Nintendo DSi just like you can for the Wii.

The camera could introduce some intriguing game play. Just like the microphone and the touchscreen did for the original DS. I think I would have preferred a camera that faced toward ME while I’m playing the game. With that feature, game designers could program a way for me to see my opponents when playing online. Of course, that’s probably asking a bit much from a little handheld gaming device.

Honestly, the iPhone is seriously kicking butt on the “it’s already in my pocket” front. Since I don’t carry my DS around with me everywhere, I have found myself playing games on my iPhone a little more than on my DS.

The Nintendo DSi will be available in Japan in November and the rest of us will have to wait a while until it comes here. I’m not quite ready to give up my GBA games yet, so I’ll see what they do to entice me.

Via: OtakuBooty: Nintendo Announces Upgraded Nintendo DSi

This won’t be digested well. Nintendo confirmed with Eurogamer that their DSi will be region locked as compared to the region free nature of previous handheld consoles, DS and GameCube. They say that the region lock is inevitable because “DSi embeds net communication functionality within itself and we are intending to provide net services specifically tailored for each region. Furthermore, we are also including parental control functionality for Nintendo DSi and each region has its unique age limit made by different independent bodies.”

So here we are. No European titles will work on a Japanese DSi and vice versa. It’s a bit saddening that they have taken the Wii route but nonetheless have something spared for us to smile. Older DS titles won’t be affected from this restriction.

[via Techtree]

Advertisement: Samsung Hub - Tracking minute steps of the Korean Giant

While the possibility of a completely DSi-only game is probably pretty low, maybe the next Nintendo creations take advantage of the new hardware for some DSi-exclusive features (like picture taking or music making). What do you think the RAM will be used for? [Techtree via Destructoid]

The other day I came across this entertaining video by the Laryngospasms, a talented group of CRNAs. I thought I could show one of their clips to my anesthetic colleagues as “staff lounge entertainment”.

Now while some software like Kinoma Player can stream Youtube movies, I think a better experience is to download the Youtube movie and play the clip offline. There are only a few steps involved and I’ll show you how I do it - all for free.

1) First of all you’ll need to grab a copy of the Flash movie file. There are a number of ways to do so, but if you use the Firefox browser, you can install the Flashgot extension. When you navigate to the Youtube video and start playing it, you’ll see in your browser’s status bar in the bottom right, a Flashgot save icon, and if you click on it, it will prompt you to save the Youtube clip.

Save the file e.g. to Wakingup.flv somewhere on your hard drive

2) Now Palm does not have a native .flv (flash video format) player so you’ll have to convert it to a playable format. The free converter I use is the Riva FLV Encoder

The thing you have to change is the file extension in order to tell Riva what movie format you want it to convert to. Change the name say from Wakingup.flv to Wakingup.avi in the Destination video file box. I usually also change the movie size to 320×240 (rather than the default 640×480) since we’ll be playing the clip on a tiny PDA screen. If it is a music video, you might also want to consider increasing the audio bit rate for better audio quality. Hit the encode button and in a few minutes, it’ll be converted to a clip in the .avi format.

3) Copy the Wakingup.avi file to your Palm’s SD card. You can now play this clip in a media player which can handle the file format. In my Treo or Centro, my media player of choice is the free TCPMP Player.

There you have it. Playing those Youtube movie clips offline in your Palm in 3 easy steps

from the Palmdoc Chronicles

Playing Youtube movies in your Palm

Imagine a glory hole, through the brazen schlorking of which one might plunge into the Tamagotchi dimension. What's on the other end, no man knows. Will your member, digital or otherwise, be licked by a smelly pixel panda? Will it be caressed by a bitmap slime ball? Or will you simply poke a young girl in the eye? Truly, Bandai's latest handheld game — Tuttuki Bako — is the most fun and perverse way you could spend $30 bucks short of paying me to teach you the rules to my favorite blindfolded party game, "What's In Your Mouth?"

The Tuttuki Bako Box needs your finger to play with virtual characters [Crunchgear]