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Stay cool with a misting system

I was sold as soon as I saw Bordoni's post on the Outdoor Misting System:

I suffer in the Italian heat but an Outdoor Misting System should make life cooler as it promises to cool the air up to 20 degrees (~10 degrees Celsius) over a 3 meter range. Perfect for the porch in front of the bedrooms where the sun is beating the whole day. At 50$ it costs a lot less than an airconditioning system and it does not use any electricity:

Does your backyard go unused during the hottest days of the year? Enjoy the outdoors all year round with the Outdoor Misting System, an all-in-one kit designed to cool the air by as much as 20 degrees. This easy-to-install system uses a fine mist to cool any 10-foot outdoor area, from patios to decks to greenhouses to pet areas.

The Outdoor Misting System contains everything you'll need to feel cooler, and no electricity or batteries are required. Just attach the mist line to your patio, deck or any outdoor area. Connect the mist line to any standard garden hose. Adjust the nozzles to cool your favorite area, sit back and enjoy! You can even connect multiple kits to this one to cool larger areas, up to 100 feet.

Coolissimo!

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Watch the Football World Cup in ASCII

Watch the Football World Cup in ASCII live via telnet if you have a broadband or fast mobile connection. Connect via telnet to ascii-wm.net:2006 or diego.ascii-wm.net:2006 and enjoy:

Servingo is working on a more "modern" interface that puts the end-user in control:

Key plays from the various games are provided in real-time as virtual 3-D reconstructions/re-enactments. The fan can view the reconstructed game play in potentially any desired form, at any chosen speed (i.e., real-time, slow-motion, etc.) and from any vantage point. This allows the viewer to assume any position on the field. The fan becomes the camera man, assumes the position of the driving player, the goalie or the trainer/coach, and experience the game through the new perspective. Additional information, either provided in advance (player descriptions, statistics, etc.) or calculable from the reconstructions (distances, movement radii and paths, flight path of ball, etc.), or even an automatic comparison of game plays, are all conceivable possibilities.

Via Bordoni

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Motorola O ROKR Bluetooth glasses

The Motorola O ROKRs connects to Bluetooth enabled phones and music players to let you make calls and listen to music in complete freedom:

Features:

• Buttons for controlling volume, answering/ending calls and controlling music


• Absolute freedom with no wires or cords to dangle and tangle


• Up to approximately 4 hours of listen/talk time and 100 hours of standby time


• Two speakers for stereo music listening and for making calls easier to hear


• Integrated speakers that adjust easily for a comfortable, precise fit


• Oakley’s High Definition Optics (HDO®) for unbeatable clarity and performance


• Lightweight O Matter frame material for all-day comfort and durability

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Getting everyone to smile with Group Shot

Microsoft Research Group Shot helps you create a perfect group photo out of a series of photos. Group Shot builds a composite image from your favorite parts in each photo:

“Taking group photographs can be frustrating, because capturing a single image in which everyone is smiling and has their eyes open is nearly impossible. Most photographers take a series of photographs, hoping to capture at least one satisfactory image of the group. However, this approach may never yield such an image. On the other hand, within the series of images, it is likely that at least one good image of each individual within the group will be captured. A group photograph could be created by combining the best portions of each individual image into a single composite image.”
....
There are many other things Group Shot either can do now or will be able to do as the application is extended:

• Removing unwanted images from photo backgrounds.


• Artistic shots with special lighting.


• Extended depth of field


• Aesthetically pleasing images that could never occur in reality: “You can get things that don’t exist,” Colburn says. “You can take a picture of a building against a sunset, but you want to have the sky looking blue—however you want to compose these things that might not exist in reality but might be how you remember them.”

You can download it here.

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Google Spreadsheets

Google takes on Ajax Excel with Google Spreadsheets

Unlike Ajax Excel it works with most browsers and comes with full editing features:

• You can create new spreadsheets from scratch and perform all basic spreadsheet operations; change the number format, sort by columns and add formulas.


• Upload existing spreadsheets from CSV or XLS format. All the formulas and formatting will come across intact.


• You can share the online spreadsheets with the people you choose and edit the file with others in real time.


• Online storage and auto-save mean you need not fear hard drive failures and power outages.


• You can save your spreadsheets to your own computer in CSV, XLS and HTML formats.