Wednesday, August 29, 2018

15 Interesting computer concepts

It would be really cool if these things existed. From modular smartphones to bracelets that can put touchscreens on your wrist, join me as we count down 15 really cool technological conceptions. Any concepts that actually do make it into reality will have a 📱 at the end of the header.

#15: Creoir Ibis

Now this is a stylish smartwatch!
This watch combines style with versatility. It has 2 displays: a watch face for time telling and a screen for computing functions. The only smartwatches I can think of that are anywhere near as classy as this one are the Apple Watch and Martian smartwatches.

#14: B-Membrane Computer by Won-Seok Lee

This futuristic-looking computer projects a display onto the wall instead of holding a screen. When in use, its base produces a laser keyboard. When not being used as a computer, it can produce ambient light effects.

#13: Cicret bracelet

Who needs a smartphone when you have this thing?
This bracelet is extremely different from the average smartwatch. Instead of holding a screen, it projects a touch interactive display on your wrist. As if that wasn't cool enough, the bracelet is also water proof and works perfectly without being connected to a smartphone.

#12: Fractal by Pedro Calle

This thing is 8 detachable tablet computers rolled into 1!
This tablet can be split into multiple pieces, each of which work on their own. All of the pieces can either be used desperately for different tasks or put together for a single job. You can even have multiple people use the same the device by giving them some of the pieces.

#11: Neptune Suite

Many devices, one brain!
The main hub of this system is the watch. You can connect this watch to a pocket or tab screen to create a phone, tablet or laptop. The suite also includes a dongle that lets you connect the hub to a TV and a pair of wireless headphones. The pocket and tab screens are inexpensive and don't contain your personal info when connected to the hub.

#10: KOOB Modular Computer System

This system's modules can be detached from the main hub and assigned based on what you need. For example, you can have a media controller on one module and a list of options on another. The modules can also be used on other KOOB computers besides the ones they're normally attached to.

#9: Napkin PC by Avery Holleman

Now we're getting crazy!
This strange device can turn e-paper napkins into temporary touchscreens. You can make a larger touch surface using multiple napkins. It comes with 6 digital pens that you can draw on the touch napkins with.

#8: Ora-X

It's the Google Glass of headphones!
This pair of headphones has a little screen that runs android. To control it, the headphone that holds the screen has a built in touch pad. The screen also swivels so that it can hang over either of your eyes or be out of your way when not in use.

#7: Power Flower Tower

Here is a more eco-friendly system!
This is definitely one of the strangest PC concepts I've ever seen. Not only is it controlled with gestures, but it is also powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. As it generates power, water drips out of the white base and into the clear container.

#6: E-ball

This thing kinda reminds you of R2-D2, doesn't it?
Instead of a traditional screen, this strange little device projects a display onto either a nearby wall or whatever sheet of paper it's holding. It also projects a laser keyboard for typing. When not in use, its compact design can easily be put into a drawer.

#5: Mobile Script

2 displays on one device? Mind blown!
This thing at first appear to be a standard smartphone, but it has a second display that pops out of the unit. The first display is mainly for notifications, while the second display is for most of your computing needs. 

#4: Meta Space Glasses by Meron Gribetz

Why hold a small screen in-front of your eyes when you can make your own holographic world?
Unlike most smart glasses, this device creates an augmented reality using holograms. The various things that can be projected include a chess game, Lego project blueprints, a vase making app and even a phone and laptop. Fortunately, the holograms don't prevent you from seeing the real world.

#3: Phonebloks by Dave Hakkens

Your phone, your way!
You can customize this phone by adding various square modules to the back. The modules include wi-fi, bluetooth, volume control buttons, a camera and a headphone jack. This project has inspired various similar devices, including the Blocks smartwatch and the unfortunately abandoned Project Ara.

#2: Lifebook 2013 by Prashant Chandra

This one's a major space saver!
This laptop has an embedded phone, tablet and handheld camera. These devices all synchronize with the laptop and can be removed from their slots to be used on their own. Instead of a physical keyboard, the tablet acts like one when placed into its slot.

#1: Lifebook Volumi by Dulyawat Wongnawa

This thing is multiple devices rolled into one!
What makes this device special is its flexibility. Made up of multiple touchscreen pcs hinged together, this versatile machine can be folded into a variety of different modes. If you're done using it, you can fold it up like an envelope and fit it in your pocket.

I'd definitely like to see these devices in the real world. If you know of any other conceptualized computers I may have missed, feel free to share your suggestions in the comments below. I'll see you later. Have a good day or night depending on what time it is.

Honerable mentions

These aren't technically computers, but they're still worth a mention.

Air Clicker by Yeon Su Kim

How's this for a 24/7 camera?

This finger-worn camera is controlled with simple gestures. To take a picture, just make an L shape with your fingers and then twitch your index finger down. To record videos, just cup your hand.

Go Workstation by Rizki Tarisha

I want one!

This chair is the definition of all in one. Not only is the chair comfortable, but it also has a built-in stand for your laptop. Not only that, you can also charge your laptop by spinning the built-in pedals with your feet.

Sources

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

15 Pathetically easy bosses in video games (that can still kill you)

At least these guys put up something resembling a fight, unlike certain other bosses. From a boxer who can't throw a punch to save his life to an angler fish who gives his species a bad name, join me as we count down 15 video game bosses who are easier to beat than flies.

#15: Quake: Shub-Niggurath

She may be bigger than that Shambler, but she can't kill you directly.
This version of H.P. Lovecraft's abomination is far from the most difficult final boss. She summons Shamblers and Vores to destroy you, but the level gives you plenty of ammunition and places to hide from their attacks. To kill this boss, you have to walk into a teleporter when a floating spiked sphere is inside her.

#14: Sonic The Hedgehog 2: Eggman's drill tank

Far from Eggman's most intimidating weapon.
This machine's entire strategy consists of slowly moving from one side of the screen to another. You can easily jump onto it as it makes it rounds. Thankfully, Eggman's later machines become harder and harder to destroy as you progress.

#13: Beauty and The Beast on NES: The first boss

Just imagine if this guy was in the movie!
This obese dwarf thing does little more than walk slowly towards you with his spear at the ready. To defeat him, all you have to do is hit him with tea until he dies. First boss or not, they definitely could've done something better with this guy.

#12: Dark Souls II: Covetous Demon

This thing makes Pinwheel look impossible to defeat!
This fat slug-like beast really stands out in this incredibly hard game. He tries to pounce on and bite you, but his attacks are too slow to be of any use. Just keep smacking him with your weapon and you'll be finished.

#11: Cuphead: Goopy Le Grande

This blob's ego is bigger than his body!
This blue blob's moveset consists of jumping around and trying to punch you for the 1st two stages. In his third stage, a large tombstone crushes him and tries to do the same to you. His attacks are slow and very easy to avoid.

#10: Terminator 2 GB: T-1000

I'll give him this: He's pretty fitting for an LGN game.
In stark contrast to the nigh-unstoppable killing machine that was the movie version, this punk doesn't move at all unless you get close enough. When he does attack, he just tries to stab you with either his hand or the stick he's holding. To beat him, you have to hit him until he loses his cop disguise and knock him into the molten steel pit behind them.

#9: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder

Meet the franchise's weakest version of Shredder!
All you have to do is get onto the platform he spawns on, knock him off and hit him everytime he tries to get back onto it. This is after taking down down the Technodrome and going through the Hell that is inside of it. This especially insulting because the Shredder in most of other TMNT media could dominate all 4 turtles singlehandedly.

#8: Mega Man 4: Toad Man

At least beating this guy nets you a really useful ability.
This guy attacks you by making it rain acid and jumping at you. The acid rain covers the whole screen, but he won't use it if you keep firing at him. If you time your shots right, you won't even need to move at all!

#6: Tom Sawyer NES: The first boss

Octopus bosses are supposed to be intimidating, but I guess this guy didn't get the memo.
This guy doesn't move at all. Instead, he just sends swarms of smaller octopuses in an obvious pattern. To kill him, you just have to launch a bunch of rocks into his eyes.

#5: Punch Out!: Glass Joe

Why did this guy get a career in boxing?
Even for a first opponent, this guy's a joke. His punches are slow and he can only block one part of his body at a time. In fact, one of his challenges in the Wii game is to let him win.

#4: Yoshi's Story: Cloud N Candy

Monster made of food + character with endless appetite = one-sided fight!
This living pile of cotton candy attacks by slowly jumping your way. To beat him, all you have to do is lick him until he disappears. Even if he does make contact, you'll be healed everytime you eat him.

#3: Banjo-Kazooie: Yellow Flibbits

Bubblegloop Swamp needs a better boss battle!
These yellow versions of Bubblegloop Swamp are only slightly stronger than their red counterparts. Just hit every one of them twice and you'll get their Jiggy no problem. If you got the Wonderwing ability from Clanker's Cavern, you can just use that and let them kill themselves on contact.

#2: Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening: Angler Fish

Aren't angler fish supposed to be scary?
This guy just sits there while you slash his lure. If you wait around long enough, he just sends rock and smaller fish at you and slowly tries to ram you into the wall, all of which cause little on impact. You actually can lose to him if you let him kill you, but in the time it takes that to happen, you can go through the entirety of Abobo's Big Adventure, consume 3 plates of nachos, write a 5 page story and run 3 laps around a football field.

#1: Kirby Super Star: Waddle Dee

And yet this guy of all people gets the Chuck Norris treatment. Why?
At least the previous bosses put up something you could call a fight. This boss version of Kirby's weakest foe does nothing but stand in place and wait for you to defeat him. You can still be hurt if you run into him, which makes him a slightly bigger threat than the bosses on my other easy boss list.

And there are some bosses that be curb-stomped by a toddler. There definitely are some bosses I've missed, so feel free to make some suggestions. I'll see you later. Have a good day or night depending on what time it is.

References

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

15 Video game bosses you can't lose to

These guys make Glass Joe look like One Punch Man. From a goldfish in a bowl to a mad scientist who falls down a flight of stairs while boasting about his advantage after you, join me as we count 15 bosses who have literally no chance of beating you.

#15: OverPowered: Lord Zenith

This won't take long.
This guy gets a lot of build up as monstrous force. By the time you reach him, however, you've already acquired an ancient artifact that's turned you into an unstoppable super hero. During the fight, his fireballs bounce right off of you and he dies the moment you touch him.

#14: Spider-Man 2: Mysterio

Wasn't the comic version a legitimate threat or something
Once you find him in a store, his life bar grows to enormous size. However, all he does throughout the "fight" is taunt you and he falls to a single punch. Talk about anticlimactic.

#13: Star Fox Adventures: General Scales

If he actually fought you, he would've made for a great boss battle!
From the start, this guy is portrayed as a terrifying villain. When you finally get to fight him, however, all he does is move around making different poses and the battles ends once you attack him.

#12: Fable: Lucien Fairfax

Promising lead up, disappointing final boss.
This guy just stands around talking about how he has the ultimate power until either you shoot him or Steve does it for you.

#11: Undertale: Asriel Dreemur

All that power and yet a simple kid bests him!
Usually, a fight against a god is stacked in the god's favor. In this case, though, the sheer determination your character has after going through the pacifist route causes him to reincarnate after being killed.

#10: Mother 3: Negative Man

Somebody's seen Titanic a few too many times.
This guy just sits in place while complaining about life and waiting for your party to end him. He'll occasionally attack you, but the strike only cause 1 point of damage.

#9: Mirror's Edge: Jacknife

Worst. Hostage situation. Ever.
All you do is take a running jump into the helicopter he's riding and you'll kick him right out. Pretty pathetic for a final boss, am I right.

#8: Incredible Hulk: The Leader

At least act like you care, bro!
Obviously most non-god beings are gonna have a tough time taking on the unbelievably strong Hulk, but this guy didn't even bring a weapon. All he does is stand in place and wait for you to knock him into the pit behind him.

#7: Final Fantasy 7: Sephiroth's final battle

From killing countless people including Aerith to being easily stomped.
After spending the whole game as an unstoppable force, the final battle with him turns into a joke since he has only 1 hp and 0 in all other stats besides dexterity. If he attacks, Cloud immediately counters with Omnislash. This is after beating him in his rather tough Bizarro and Safer forms, by the way.

#6: Chrono Trigger: Golem Overlord

That attack he supposedly has? He's never gonna use it!
This guy looks pretty scary, but the horror factor dies completely because he's A:afraid of heights and B: fighting you on a flying airplane. Eventually, his fear causes him to flee.

#5: Alice Madness Returns: Mecha

One of the few times I can think of where taking down a giant robot took zero effort.
March Hare and Dormouse prepare to battle you with a gigantic robot... which is immediately destroyed after the Mad Hatter drops a large kettle on it.

#4: Mario Is Missing: The Koopalings

Didn't this guy pose a threat on other occasions!

Ludwig and Lemmy just run back and forth, making no effort to end you. 

#3: Borderlands Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt DLC: Professor Nakayama

This guy is a lesson on stair safety.
This guy boasts about how he's gonna kill you... only to kill himself after falling down a flight of stairs. Epic fail.

#2: Monster Party: Dead reptilian... thing

If he's dead, how is he talking?
This boss is dead before you even get to him. Need I say more?

#1: Earthworm Jim: Bob the Goldfish

Finish him!
This guy appears several times throughout the series and each time Jim dispatches him effortless. In the first game, his bowl falls over if you so much as touch it. The sequel makes it even easier: Jim just takes him out of the bowl and devours him without you doing anything.

I know I've missed some other absolutely pathetic excuses of bosses, so feel free to name any that you know of in the comment section. I'll see you later. Have a good day or night depending on what time it is.

References

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Top 10 Power Rangers themes

These tunes will have you chanting "Go Go Power Rangers" all over again. From the Zordon era to the Nickelodeon shows, here are my 10 favorite Power Rangers theme songs (not that any of them are bad, mind you). The information was gathered from the Power Rangers Wikia and the WatchMojo video of the same topic.

#10: Power Rangers Ninja Steel

Noam Kaniel's latest hit combines the traditional rock of Power Rangers with various Japanese elements.

#9: Power Rangers Mystic Force

Marco Marinangeli adds an awesome flair to this medieval season.

#8: Power Rangers Lost Galaxy

Jeremy Sweet's galactic hit is out of this galaxy.

#7: Power Rangers Jungle Fury

Lior Rosner's upbeat theme matches the Jungle Rangers perfectly.

#6: Power Rangers SPD

Ron Wasserman's energetic intro perfectly introduces us to Space Patrol Delta.

#5: Power Rangers In Space

Ron Wasserman just made space much more awesome.

#4: Power Rangers Dino Thunder



Bruce Lynch's Triassic rock tune roars with triumph.

#3: Power Rangers Dino Charge

Noam Kaniel makes an awesome tribal theme for this team of dino-rific rangers.

#2: Power Rangers Zeo

The Rangers are stronger than ever and Jeremy Sweet's intro shows it.


#1: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Ron Wasserman's gnarly hit proves that sometimes, the original just cannot be beat.

Honorable mentions

Power Rangers Turbo

Jeremy Sweet puts this opening into overdrive.

Power Rangers Ninja Storm

Jeremy Sweet's awesome hit starts with a backstory and ends with a hardcore yet calm rock song.

Power Rangers Samurai

Noam Kaniel did a pretty good job with his cover of the original MMPR theme.

Power Rangers Wild Force

Lior Rosnor brings the party to the jungle with this awesome opening.

I would've just put every Power Rangers theme ever made, but I didn't want to keep updating this list for the rest of my life. Of course, this list is only my opinion, and I don't mind if your's is different. I'll see you later. Have a good day or night depending on what time it is.

15 Interesting plants

Nature's other major resource has plenty of variety. From highly poisonous berries to fly-eating leafs, join me as we count down 15 rather unusual plants.

#15: Hooker's Lips (Yes, that's what it's called)

Pucker up pollinators!
This flower looks like a pair of lips. It apparently evolved this shape to attract pollinators like butterflies and hummingbirds.

#14: Pitcher plant

Take a drink... If you dare!
These plants have a very simple way of trapping prey. Their pitchers are full of a sweet smelling liquid. An insect or small mammal wonders in and dooms itself to digestion since the walls are too slippery to scale.

#13: Skeleton flower

Where's the bulk of the petals?
These petals of these herbs are normally white, but they turn transparent when wet. They regain their white color when they dry. Why this happens remains a mystery.

#12: Rosary Pea

Such Beauty! Such poison!
These red seeds might seem harmless, but the abrin within them is toxic to humans. Despite this, they are popular in making beads and percussive instruments. They can be handled as long as you don't spill the abrin into a cut or try to sallow them after they were broken open.

#11: Black Sapote

Yummy!
These fruits taste like chocolate pudding when ripe. They are also lower in fat than actual chocolate pudding and have 4 times as much vitamin C as oranges. These fruits are perfect for a variety of sweet deserts.

#10: Venus flytrap

Message to all winged insects: flying into this thing's mouth is a death sentence!
Nearly every man-eating plant in fiction owes their existence to this plant. It works on a trigger system; when a fly or other sweet seeking insect touches 2 trigger hairs inside the mouth, the trap snaps shut in less than a second and starts to digest the victim.

#9: Pomegranate

That's a lot of seeds.
They may look like regular fruits from the outside, but cutting them open will reveal a massive amount of seeds. Most people eat the seeds. Ancient myths considered them fruits of the gods.

#8: Pando forest

Believe it or not, these trees are all one entity.
What makes the Pando forest interesting is that every tree is part of one ginormous colony all connected to one root system. The whole colony takes up 106 acres and weighs 6600 short tons. To put that into perspective, the blue whale can be up to 30 meters long and weigh up to 190 tons.

#7: Rainbow eucalyptus

Rainbows obviously aren't exclusive to the sky!
These trees reveal bright colors when the surface bark is broken off. The bark underneath starts out brown, but changes color over time. They thrive in rich, medium to wet soil in full sun and are intolerant of frost.

#6: Bladderwort

Aquatic arthropods, tadpoles and small fish beware!
These plants live in freshwater, using several bladder-like traps to capture small aquatic creatures. The traps suck prey up when trigger organs are touched. Instead of roots, they have horizontal stems that bear the traps.

#5: Buddha's hand

These things should've been called octopus bananas!
These citrus fruits are named because the long growths are said to resemble fingers. They are widely used for perfumes in China, Malaysia and Japan because of their wonderful smell. They are also given as religious gifts in Buddhist temples.

#4: Rafflesia Arnoldii

Look at how big this thing is!
This huge flower emits the smell of an animal's carcass. This smell is used to attract scavenging insects who will pollinate it. At 3 feet across and 15-24 pounds, this is one of the largest flowers in the world.

#3: Sundew

No matter how pretty it looks, don't touch it!
Covering the leaves of this plant are hundreds of tentacle-like growths, each one sporting a sticky glob of mucilage. When an insect touches any of the globs, the leaf wraps around the hapless victim and starts to digest it. Their aroma also helps in luring prey.

#2: Doll's Eye

Okay, this is creepy.
These only thing scarier than this plant's weird appearance is its threat level. The eye-shaped berries contain enough toxins to cause cardiac arrest in fully grown adults. They ripen in the Summer and temporarily die down in the Winter.

#1: Hydnora Africana

You most likely won't like the smell of this thing.
This plant emits the smell of bodily waste to attract its natural pollinators, dung beetles and carrion beetles. It temporarily traps the beetles so they can be covered in pollen. It also looks like some kind of plant monster coming out of the ground.

These plants are very much real and very much worth paying attention to. Know any more unusual plants I may have missed? Talk about them in the comments. I'll see you later. Have a good day or night depending on what time it is.

References