Back in 2006, Oscar Diös heard there was a dead Boeing 747-200 built in 1976 on one of the runways at Arlanda Airport, the largest international airport in Sweden, north of Stockholm. It was once owned by a Swedish company called Transjet, who used it to fly muslim pilgrims to Mecca, as well as doing charter flights around the world until it was grounded for “organizational problems” in 2002. The noble Jumbo was in a bad state, but Oscar saw the possibilities right away. Probably after way too many glasses of akvavit that day, Diös thought he had the perfect idea: to buy the 747 and convert it into a low-cost hotel.

I was getting ready to expand my hostel business in 2006 when I heard about an old wreck of an aircraft for sale at Arlanda. Since I had for a long time wanted to establish my business at Arlanda I didn’t hesitate for a second when this opportunity struck.

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The connection doesn’t seem too logic. In fact, it may even seem crazy to most, but it is not. After all, Oscar is the modest owner of the hostel Uppsala Vandrarhem och Hotell, in Uppsala, so he must know how expensive is to actually find a terrain near a busy airport like Arlanda, then actually build an entire hotel from scratch.

That’s why, when he learnt about the dead Jumbo, Oscar only saw cheap space for rooms and decided it was time to continue his inexpensive hotel business right next to Arlanda. He thought that, being the busiest, largest international airport in his country, there was going to lots of clients looking for cheap accommodation.

However, from buying the airplane to setting up the hostel there was a long way. First he needed to get the OK from the authorities of Sigtuna, which is the town that controls the terrains in which the Arlanda Airport is based. He had the perfect pitch for them: it was going to be a unique landmark, he thought. He wanted to place it right at the entrance of the airport itself, on top of a concrete foundation with the landing gear tied to two steel cradles. The authorities heard the story and, surprisingly enough, they agreed to the plan and granted him permission to set it up.

The hotel itself was also a challenge. It wasn’t going to be as easy as to install a few beds, and start selling curry kyckling macka, small beer cans, lousy pot coffee, and peanut bags at the plane second level cafeteria. The Boeing 747-200 interior—with 450 seats—needed to be completely dismantled and sanitized. Then, it needed to be insulated, divided into 25 rooms (each of them 6 square meters, with 3 meters to ceiling), and completely rewired. It also needed new plumbing, bathrooms, sanitation, and a new climate control system, since the windows on planes are fixed and can’t be opened. And to finish it all, the whole result had to adhere to the strict construction policies of Sweden.

At the end, and after a two year odyssey, he did it: the Jumbo Hostel—as Oscar called his creation—has been towed to its final destination, and bookings will start in December. All in the name of inexpensive accommodation, pilots and stewardesses sex fantasies, and crazy Swedish landmarks. Pass the akvavit Oscar, next time I go to that part of the world, I’ll be checking in. [Jumbo Hostel via Random Good Stuff]

Original post by Jesus Diaz

newVideoPlayer(“/marufightingbots_giz.flv”, 475, 376,”"); Naoki Maru may live in Hikone, north of Kyoto, down the road from a samurai castle full of katana swords and armor, but for him, the ancient Japanese art of bushido is best carried out with robots, not people. King Kizer, the Maru family robot, has dominated the Robo-One tourney over the past three years, collecting $50,000 in prize money. Maru, a factory engineer by day, is trying to perfect a way to make Kizer even more of an ass kicker using a technique he had seen many times in anime: A harness that captures human movements and translates them into robotic attacks and other gestures.

Check out video footage of the harness in action below, plus our exclusive interview, where Maru discusses the what it takes to win a robotic deathmatch. galleryPost(‘marubots’, 3, ”);

Maru builds the bots; his sons Kenta and Ryoma operate them in the combat tournaments. For a prizefighter, King Kizer is only 16 inches tall but has a lightweight aluminum frame, very rapid servomotors and sensors that help it maintain its balance and detect its enemies. Kizer uses the latter to launch speedy, autonomous attacks on foes.

The harness creates a master-slave connection with Kenta. When the boy moves his upper body during combat, sensors with voltage potentiometers transmit the motions via a Bluetooth link to Kizer, which reproduces them. In the video, you can see that there’s a bit of a delay, but apparently robot combat is still clumsy enough for this to not have too great an impact. The lower body is still controlled with a gamepad.

newVideoPlayer(“/marumasterslave_giz.flv”, 475, 376,”");

We recently visited the Maru dojo to discuss King Kizer and new fighting-robot technologies:

How does the “master-slave” control technology work? Where did you get the idea? Have you used it in Robo-One tournaments?
The master-slave control idea goes a long way back. The concept has a long history in robot anime, and it has been implemented in surgical devices. I’ve been using it since I first entered Robo-One.

The equipment affixed to the operator’s body is known as a “master suit,” and I concentrated on making this lightweight.

The strong point of the system is that it’s great for adapting to the requirements of the moment. Other systems can only be operated through preprogrammed robot motions. For instance, in hand-to-hand combat, if you encounter a robot that is shorter than what you expected to go up against, your machine will be punching air instead of metal. But with a master-slave control system, that’s not a problem you encounter.

The weak point of my current master-slave system is that it’s limited to the upper half of the controller’s body. But this is a problem that I believe I can solve. I’m also making improvements to use the system in non-combat applications. As you saw, it can also be used to handle eggs!

How do you build your robots?
When I decided to make my first bipedal robot from scratch, I had to study. The manufacturing process includes making the aluminum panels—cutting, bending and finishing—, plus vacuum form molding, resin casting and other techniques. The design is done in 2D CAD, and then I make a model, printing the frame on paper. Once I confirm the mechanical structure of the paper model, I start creating the actual aluminum panels. Since I don’t do it in 3D CAD [just 2D CAD], this work process is really critical.

I already had computer programming skills, so making the robot’s control system wasn’t so difficult for me.

What is the role of your sons in your robot activity?
They’re more than operators—our team is like the driver and mechanics in an F1 race car team. But their most important role is that they keep me motivated. I give it my all so that my sons can be victorious. I doubt I would have the power to keep winning at Robo-One if I had to create and operate the robots and compete in the tournaments all by myself!

Also, my sons sometimes provide me with unexpected inspiration. As children, their perspectives on robot making are invaluable.

In only three years of robot fighting, you have collected about $50,000 in prize money at Robo-One. Why is the Maru family team so successful?
I could not do this if I were not part of a family team. Most competitors in Robo-One are bachelors—there are few family teams. And I don’t want to see my kids cry if they lose at the tournament!

Another reason for our success is not the technological power of our hardware and software, but how we manage our team. There isn’t a great difference between competitors. in Robo-One. Fighting really hinges not on the actual winning or losing, but on seemingly trivial factors that are not obvious.

To give you some specific examples, one must consider things like safety parameters that are in your robot’s design and how they’ll affect performance, readiness for bugs that crop up during a fight, as well as strategies and practice based on your study of opponents. You can’t count on having a winning streak if all you have done is create a robot with some cool abilities.

What is special about Japanese robots in general?
For Japanese people, a robot means a humanoid, bipedal robot. It seems Japanese are unique in the world in this way of thinking about robots. Many of the competitors in Robo-One watched robot anime when they were kids and that really influenced them. Robots are part of their childhood dreams, and that is reflected in their robot designs and fighting techniques.

Music for the second clip: “Prelude No. 1″ by The Grift; no frikkin’ clue what the song in the first clip is.

Original post by Tim Hornyak

Believe it or not, this beautiful Gorenje fridge is an official Apple-licensed Made for iPod refrigerator. And believe it or not, it’s not just a speaker and a dock glued to a glossy black fridge: You can actually control the fridge itself using your iPod touch or iPhone using an application called iGorenje. The coolness doesn’t stop there, because iGorenje can control all kinds of Gorenje appliances—from the washing machine to the oven—as you can see in the user interface gallery.

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The application is not built for iPhone/iPod touch, however, but it is served from a home server that controls the appliances directly. This allows not only to use the iPod touch, but also any other web device in your home Wi-Fi network. The program allows you to program the devices using a very easy to use graphical user interface.

For example, you can set your oven to cook a type of cake by just visually selecting a recipe and clicking start. In fact, you can even get recipes straight from the server itself. The only bad thing: the iPod dock thingie is taking the place of the built-in draught beer system, which in my book is quite -20 points. [More IFA 2008 Coverage]

Original post by <a href=”http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/379966840/gorenje-fridge-is-officially-made-for-ipod-as-lickable-as-the-touch-itself” title=”Gorenje Fridge Is Officially Made for iPod, As Lickable as the Touch Itself [Ifa 2008]“>Jesus Diaz

Google may be the leader in the worldwide search engine market, but in Nippon, it has some catching up to do: In 2007, Yahoo Japan saw a whopping 76% of the nearly 350 billion search engine and portal-related pageviews registered in the country, clearly outperforming Google (second with 5.4%, according to Nielsen Japan). More recently, ComScore shows that in July, Yahoo Japan had ten times as many monthly pageviews (21.9 billion versus 2.2 billion for Google) and nearly twice as many monthly unique Japanese visitors (46 million versus 26 million).

The Japanese web market is just too big to be shrugged off: The country boasts one of the highest Internet penetrations worldwide (74%, compared to 70% in the USA), a $5.7 billion online advertising market (out if one estimated to be worth $45 billion globally) and is ranked No. 3 in terms of total web population (94 million, about as many as Germany and the UK combined).

So how does Google challenge Yahoo’s position as the hub of the Japanese Internet?

In the West, the popularity of Internet portals has waned in the past years, but not in Japan, where seven sites in Alexa Japan’s Top 25 are of this kind. That forced Google to change its simplistic design for the local market: Similar to Google China, for example, the Japanese version now contains tab links to other Google properties. It also features a keyword suggestion function in the searchbox.

Nippon-only initiatives include allowing users of Mixi (Japan’s biggest social network) to embed Google Maps on their blogs, partnering up with web company Hatena (which operates Japan’s most popular social bookmarking service) and launching “One Green Project”, a microsite dedicated to prevent global warming.

But these measures are just of the cosmetic kind. In fact, Google Japan keeps localization of its fixed Internet site at a relatively low level (it doesn’t transform into a Yahoo-like portal site, for example). Instead, the company aims at taking over the Japanese market with a double-staged approach: Avoid Yahoo and take over the (bigger) mobile web market first to win the fixed Internet later.

Mash-up Strategy of Collaboration, Experimentation and Circumvention
Japanese cell phone carriers can regulate which search engine their Internet service subscribers use by default. A good spot on the official, pre-installed starting menus is crucial to winning the mass market.

That’s why in January this year, Google Japan inked a deal with the country’s leading telecom company NTT Docomo, following a partnership with the country’s No. 2 carrier KDDI au that started in 2006 (both mobile partners also were among the first to join the Open Handset Alliance but have been rather close-mouthed about Android development ever since).

Google’s mobile strategy—in Japan and possibly elsewhere—depends on whether the 74 million Docomo and KDDI au Internet subscribers will embrace the Googlization of their mobile web life.  (Compare that number to the 15 million subscribers that the No. 3 carrier, Yahoo partner SoftBank, serves in this country)

Both NT Docomo and KDDi au incorporated Google’s search engine directly into their default start menus, synthesizing content from both mobile and PC web sites (including the display of contextual text ads). Users can also easily access Google Calendar, Youtube and other Google services. Some Docomo handsets now come with pre-installed Google Maps Mobile. In addition, Google gets access to a massive amount of behavioral data in the world’s most advanced mobile web market. So it’s no wonder Google Japan says its partnerships have had “a huge impact” on business and traffic (although it refuses to disclose specific details).

The company additionally uses insular, cell phone-enamored Japan as an isolated testbed for unique mobile web applications and services to be deployed worldwide at a later stage.

It’s not only about search and ads: KDDI au, for example, started to offer a rebranded, Japan-only version of mobile Gmail (“au one mail”). The service is free of charge and can also be accessed through PCs, doubling as a Trojan horse for Google to attack Yahoo Mail’s premier position in Nippon’s email arena. Japan is also the world’s first country where users can integrate animated picture characters into their mobile Gmails (very important in Nippon) and use Google Mobile to get extra-fast info after earthquakes strike.

The holistic strategy the company pursues not only avoids a losing, long-term confrontation with Yahoo Japan but also strengthens the brand among Japanese web users and the mobile industry in general. The company also gains insights on how to improve and adjust its search technology for the Japanese and international markets.

One examplary finding John Lagerling, head of Google’s Wireless Business in the region, publicly shares: Contrary to popular belief, traffic on mobile Google doesn’t get a big bump in the morning (when millions of Japanese commute to work and school) but peaks from 6pm through bed-time at 1am. Lagerling expects usage trends like this to be repeated outside of Japan once flat-rate data plans and browser-enabled handsets prevail on a global level.

Google’s multilayered strategy certainly makes sense strategically: Japanese people usually demonstrate unwavering loyalty in established, popular uber-brands like Yahoo. Google still needs to prove a) its now beneficial partnerships will sustain, b) it can really take over Yahoo’s place through the backdoor, c) what role Android will play in the future and d) how much Google’s Japan-specific experiences can shape the mobile web on a global level.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

Original post by Serkan Toto

Once upon a time I wanted to be a fighter pilot, which is probably why I write so much about the biggest and baddest machines ever. My feeling then and now is that there’s nothing that can match the thrill of flying one of the fastest, most expensive gadgets in the world almost at ground level through a desert canyon. Exactly like this french Mirage pilot does in this awesome video, which has Johnny Cash singing I’ve Been Everywhere (always good).

Original post by Jesus Diaz

Once upon a time I wanted to be a fighter pilot, which is probably why I write so much about the biggest and baddest machines ever. My feeling then and now is that there’s nothing that can match the thrill of flying one of the fastest, most expensive gadgets in the world almost at ground level through a desert canyon. Exactly like this french Mirage pilot does in this awesome video, which has Johnny Cash singing I’ve Been Everywhere as a extra.

Original post by Jesus Diaz

newVideoPlayer(“/lgnetbook_gizmodo.flv”, 520, 410,”"); I groped and used the LG X110 netbook for some time here at IFA. As Mark pointed out, this is the first netbook where “net” actually means something else: direct 3G network access without additions.

The Good: The LG X110 felt solid and compact in my hands, heavier than I expected for such size. Good hard plastic finish outside. Fast operation under Windows and fast rendering and access to the Web, although unfortunately I was only able to try it with the Wi-Fi connection. Good set of ports, although I wish all these computers implemented HDMI video output, rather than VGA.

The Bad: I was disappointed the interior wasn’t real aluminum but painted plastic. They keyboard didn’t feel good to me, too bland and not enough clickety-clack action, but that’s just my personal taste.

Bottom line: For those looking for a good Windows- or Linux-based netbook with no-fuss internet access at all times, my first impression is that they will be happy with this one.

Original post by Jesus Diaz

If FriendFeed displayed only video, it might look like Utagoe Live 100. The service lets you track live video streams from all of your friends on one screen. Tokyo-based Utagoe just launched it as a hub for broadcasting and watching multiple, free live video streams simultaneously (from sites like Qik, Ustream, Justin.tv etc.), video-based chatting and conferencing. Aiming mainly at the U.S. and European markets, the service is available in English.

Utagoe Live 100 is browser-based and, as its main selling point, requires just a 400 kbps Internet connection to display around 100 different live streams on one screen (settings can be individually adjusted). The underlying technology, dubbed “traffic controller”, is self-developed.

The Flash-based site has an uncluttered structure and features a very straightforward UI. Users can change the size and order of every window and also customize the entire grid of videos. The RSS function allows users to add live streams from friends and other sources to their “My page” with two clicks (Utagoe calls this “importing”). Like FriendFeed and Twitter, friends can follow each other’s status. It’s possible to communicate with friends by typing text messages (via speech balloons overlaying the video stream).

I tried out the application, which is in public beta, and it worked flawlessly, even with my mediocre PC and Internet connection. What Utagoe Live 100 needs in future versions to appeal to more users is an automatic pre-categorization of video sources and topics, an opt-in solution for adult-oriented streams and a ranking function for members wanting to cut the noise. But with streaming picking up speed as a mass phenomenon, Utagoe might well find its place in a lucrative niche.

As a next step, Utagoe plans an expansion to the iPhone and other mobile devices. The site will be monetized with video ads and an ad system the company developed that automatically displays affiliate links matching the text chat messages that users type. (Who’s watching who?)

Vaguely similar services can be found mainly in the TV realm, and include sites like Inner Live or TVChannelsFree. But Utagoe lets you watch your friends. (In that sense, it’s more like multi-person video-chat service PalTalk)

Here is a demo video (without sound):

Utagoe Live100 demo from utagoe on Vimeo.

`

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

Original post by Serkan Toto

If FriendFeed displayed only video, it might look like Utagoe Live 100. The service lets you track live video streams from all of your friends on one screen. Tokyo-based Utagoe just launched it as a hub for broadcasting and watching multiple, free live video streams simultaneously (from sites like Qik, Ustream, Justin.tv etc.), video-based chatting and conferencing. Aiming mainly at the U.S. and European markets, the service is available in English.

Utagoe Live 100 is browser-based and, as its main selling point, requires just a 400 kbps Internet connection to display around 100 different live streams on one screen (settings can be individually adjusted). The underlying technology, dubbed “traffic controller”, is self-developed.

The Flash-based site has an uncluttered structure and features a very straightforward UI. Users can change the size and order of every window and also customize the entire grid of videos. The RSS function allows users to add live streams from friends and other sources to their “My page” with two clicks (Utagoe calls this “importing”). Like FriendFeed and Twitter, friends can follow each other’s status. It’s possible to communicate with friends by typing text messages (via speech balloons overlaying the video stream).

I tried out the application, which is in public beta, and it worked flawlessly, even with my mediocre PC and Internet connection. What Utagoe Live 100 needs in future versions to appeal to more users is an automatic pre-categorization of video sources and topics, an opt-in solution for adult-oriented streams and a ranking function for members wanting to cut the noise. But with streaming picking up speed as a mass phenomenon, Utagoe might well find its place in a lucrative niche.

As a next step, Utagoe plans an expansion to the iPhone and other mobile devices. The site will be monetized with video ads and an ad system the company developed that automatically displays affiliate links matching the text chat messages that users type. (Who’s watching who?)

Vaguely similar services can be found mainly in the TV realm, and include sites like Inner Live or TVChannelsFree. But Utagoe lets you watch your friends. (In that sense, it’s more like multi-person video-chat service PalTalk)

Here is a demo video (without sound):

Utagoe Live100 demo from utagoe on Vimeo.

`

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

Original post by Serkan Toto

It’s not enough that you watch the political party conventions on TV, read the political coverage in newspapers, and the reactions in blogs. Some people are not reacting on blogs, they are reacting on Twitter. But how do you follow all of that raw political discourse, and do you even want to?

Stephen Taylor, a Canadian blogger and political analyst, has hacked together govtweets, a site that constantly updates with the latest Tweets that mention any of the political candidates (McCain, Obama, Palin, and Biden). He also created a Facebook app. The Tweets automatically update and scroll down the page. There is no way to search for past Tweets, and once a Tweet scrolls off the page there is no way to find it again. So Govtweets is nothing more than a snapshot of the national conversation, but it is still fascinating to watch it unfold.

Here are some recent Govtweets (newly announced Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin seems to be dominating the conversation):

An Alaskan’s Perspective on Sarah Palin: A down-to-earth description of Sarah Palin’s time as Alaska’s Gover.. http://tinyurl.com/6h7h69

August 31st – 4:52:47 am PST

GOP Alaska State Senator: Palin Not Ready to Be Gov/VP: “She’s not prepared to be governor. How can she be p.. http://tinyurl.com/5gp6mk

August 31st – 4:52:43 am PST

Who scrubbed Wikipedia’s entry for Sarah Palin just before nom announcement? http://tinyurl.com/6n9dnk

August 31st – 4:51:41 am PST

Interesting watching the Obama meme evolve: http://tinyurl.com/6nyehp Worth seeing all three pages.

August 31st – 4:51:21 am PST

An Alaskan’s Perspective on Sarah Palin: A down-to-earth description of Sarah Palin’s time as Alaska’s G.. http://tinyurl.com/6h7h69

August 31st – 4:51:02 am PST

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

Original post by Erick Schonfeld