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TECHKNOWLEDGEY 2013
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COMPUTERS AND NETWORKING
BIG TABLET — REALLY BIG TABLET
If you're loving your iPad or other tablet but can't seem to get enough display area, check out the Big Touch®
all-in-one touch screen PC from InFocus Corp (www.
infocus.com). With its 55 inch 1080p display and a hefty
84 lb ( 38 kg) weight, you probably won't be using it for
texting from your table at McDonald's, but it might come
in handy for various business and educational purposes.
You get a Windows 8 Professional OS and input via not
only a wireless keyboard and mouse, but also a five-point
touch screen that supports such gestures as slide, tap,
swipe, pinch, and rotate.
It features two gigabit Ethernet ports, Wi-Fi, two
HDMI ports, and six USB ports, as well as a 120 GB SSD.
Processing power is provided by a less than state-of-the-art Intel i5 chip, but it does include vPro technology for
embedded security, a customizable interface, and the
Microsoft Office 2010 suite.
It also ships with Mondopad® software that allows
such collaboration features as videoconferencing, digital
document annotation, and interactive whiteboarding
(i.e., placement of shared files on the same screen).
Unlike other all-in-one units, you will be able to upgrade
■ The Big Touch offers tablet-like operation
on a 55 inch display.
the hardware and keep using the same display. The catch,
of course, is the price. The MSRP is $4,999. But hey, you
have an expense account, don't you? ▲
WHO NEEDS SMITH & WESSON?
We'll go out on a short limb here and predict that the list of must-have computer peripherals will soon
include a 3D printer as prices drop and clever folks
everywhere keep coming up with nifty new applications
and CAD files to use with them. One concept you have
to stop and think about comes from an outfit called
Defense Distributed ( defensedistributed.com) — a
pro-gun nonprofit organization. The org has a three-phase
■ You can create this single-use
. 22 cal handgun on a 3D printer.
plan: (1) Develop a fully printable firearm that will allow
you to fire a single round without the thing blowing up;
( 2) Adapt the design to work on the cheapest 3D
printers; and ( 3) Provide a "wiki" that allows participants
to collaboratively produce, preserve, and distribute
related knowledge.
You can already download a variety of designs from
defcad.org — a site operated by DD. Many files are
provided in STL (for stereolithography, a.k.a., Standard
Tessellation Language), created by 3D Systems
( www.3dsystems.com), and used by many software
packages. Most of the available designs create parts for
existing arms, such as a silencer or a lower receiver for an
AR- 15. The one depicted here is an entire . 22 cal pistol,
minus a spring that you can pick up at Lowe's or Home
Depot. Before you get too excited, note that the creator
warns that he has not actually printed and tested one, so
if you want to keep your fingers, you probably shouldn't
either. Plus, you will be in violation of at least two federal
laws.
Clearly, this has far-reaching implications. As they say
on the website, "This project might change the way we
think about gun control and consumption. How do
governments behave if they must one day operate on the
assumption that any and every citizen has near instant
access to a firearm through the Internet? Let's find out." ▲
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