LCD panel for 3D glasses

Toshiba Mobile Display Co has developed an OCB (Optically Compensated Bend) liquid crystal display panel for 3D glasses suitable for watching 3D television, enjoying 3D movies, or playing 3D games.

In recent years, increasing demands for more realistic images has been the catalyst for 3D displays in various applications, such as movies, TV broadcasts, games, and mobile phones. As a result, the stereoscopic display market is expected to grow rapidly.

A 3D image is created by providing slightly different images to your left and right eyes. There are two methods of separating a picture into left and right images: one uses special glasses, and the other is without glasses, called auto-stereoscopy. The with-glasses approach is applied to movies and TV, and there are two primary methods: one uses polarizing filters, and the other is based on time division. This new LCD panel employs the latter time-based, with-glasses approach.

In the time-division with-glasses method, images for the left and right eyes appear alternately, with the special glasses working as a synchronous shutter. That is, when the left image appears, the left liquid crystal shutter opens while the right shutter closes. When the right image appears the right shutter opens while the left shutter closes. Repeating this operation at high speed allows the user to synthesize the left and right images in their brain and to recognize them as a 3D image.

If the right image is sensed by the left eye, or if the left image is sensed by the right eye, double vision occurs which is called 3D crosstalk. This phenomenon degrades the quality of the resulting image and causes eye fatigue.

In this new liquid crystal display panel, suitable for application in a pair of glasses, TMD has used OCB technology to achieve both high-speed response and a wide viewing angle while maintaining high contrast. Glasses adopting these panels feature high-speed shutter opening and closing, yielding a significant reduction in 3D crosstalk. In addition, the wide viewing angle provides vivid 3D images across a wide field of view, such as in movie theaters and living rooms. Glasses adopting these panels would allow the viewer to enjoy high-quality 3D images in comfort with minimized fatigue when watching TV, viewing a movie, or playing a game for a long time.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/new-products/view/lcd-panel-for-3d-glasses

Waterproof MP3 player

Sony’s waterproof MP3 player has a 4 gigabyte capacity and features cordless headphones. The player is built so that the internal components are encased in a watertight compartment.

Sony says that the unit is perfect for outdoor sports enthusiasts and joggers, who can use the player without fear of sweat or sudden rain damaging it. The unit can be washed with soap and water.

Open pricing.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/new-products/view/waterproof-mp3-player-2

Chinese Con Man Pretends To Be Bride

Scams are getting more and more creative these days. Consider Wang Mou, aged 18, who was arrested wearing his pink wedding dress as he pretended to be a blushing bride who marries men for their money. Allegedly, the very slim and soft-spoken Wang fooled three men and then fled with the wedding money.

It all started about three months ago when a woman cheated Wang by promising him a job and selling him instead as a wife for £500 (a bit more than $1,000 US).

“A lot of people mistake me for a woman on first sight. She cheated me, but I found a chance to escape… and then realized I could use the same shortcut to make some money,” he told police.

Somehow, the fact that he was victimized by a scam legitimized in his frilly mind the right to cheat others out of their money, which he did with the help of an accomplice. He sold himself to a Mr. Liu who paid £1,000 (more than $2,000 US). Before matters turned too sexually revealing, he split the money with his cohort and escaped.

Getting away with it once, emboldened the would-be bogus bride and when he made the acquaintance of Mr. Zhang who also paid a £1,000 engagement fee, he did it again. This time he got caught the next day, but not by the local police. It was a band of irate women who turned him in after discovering that he was really a man. (How they found out was not reported in the news.)

Taken to the local police station for questioning, it was impossible for Wang to plead innocent to the charges. He was still wearing his pink wedding dress.

Poor guy.

All dressed up and no wedding to go to.

What do YOU think about this?

http://www.weirdasianews.com/2010/05/30/chinese-con-man-pretends-bride/

Embarrassed Man Would Rather Die Than Ask For Help

A late night dip in the Changjiang River in Chongqing, China resulted in a harrowing experience for painter/decorator, Xiao Chen, aged 25, who was too embarrassed to cry out for help after he became stuck in river silt.

Trapped for eleven hours, he did not call for help even though he had a working mobile phone. He was rescued only after two fishermen spotted him struggling in the river and notified authorities who launched rescue operations.

His fear of losing face almost cost him his life.

“I saw a patch of grass, which was actually duckweed on the surface of the water, stepped onto it and got stuck there,” said Chen.

The two fishermen found him after he had been trapped for about four hours in the river, but it took firefighters another seven to actually pull him out. Why? Again, it was the issue of saving face. Chen was simply too embarrassed to remove his trousers.

“The silt had got into his pants, and stuck to his legs. We suggested he take off his long pants, then we could pull him out easily, but he refused. If he had not been so interested in saving face, and cooperated with us by removing his pants, he could have been out in one or two hours,” says firefighter Zhou Xin.

It would seem rescue was accomplished in spite of Chen.

With all respect to cultural and philosophical differences of thought, it remains difficult to comprehend how one could make the choice to avoid embarrassment and die over the option to live and feel a little bit stupid for a little while.

After all, we all make mistakes.

If the two fishermen hadn’t found Chen, he might well have perished in the river’s quicksand-like silt, despite being armed with the lifeline of a working cell phone.

What do YOU think about this?

http://www.weirdasianews.com/2010/05/29/embarrassed-man-die/

China´s Economy Showing Unrest

Even with industrial wages increasing, China´s labor force is showing signs of unrest. Most of this unrest comes from the overworked youth, whose wages (when compared to their older colleagues) have declined. Many are on strike.

The effects of wage increases in China´s competitiveness is not known because of the incompleteness of the national data of average wages and productivity. Surprisingly, many who are involved in the strikes are laborers whose wages have doubled.

One strike has forced Honda to suspend production at its four assembly plants. Chinese authorities seem willing to tolerate stoppages in the workforce only temporarily. So far the Honda transmission factory strike has reached its ninth day.

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=84275

First Man to Be Infected by Computer Virus

Mark Gasson, a University of Reading researcher, has become the first known human to be infected by a computer virus. The self-inflicted infection was done so under a controlled experiment to see how RFID chips can host and spread computer viruses.

Research has shown that as implantable bionic devices like pacemakers advance in technology, they open themselves up to security and safety issues. "We should start to think of these devices as miniature computers," explained Gasson.

Surgically implanted hardware may one day not only help those with medical needs, but for those wanting enhancements. Gasson warns that we should always exercise caution and keep up with computer hygiene, protection, and awareness.

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=84277

Weight-Loss Robot Coach

A new robot has hit the scenes of which is on a mission. Meet Autom™, whose prime directive is motivation. Armed with conversation and two adorable eye spheres, Intuitive Automata (the inventors) believe it has what it takes to motivate you to health.

According to the company, "No two conversations with Autom are alike. She is constantly adapting to you to better understand what will help you stick with your diet and exercise program." A controlled study shows that using Autom™ helps keep you to your diet.

As Intuitive Automata explains it, "Autom™ has a short conversation with you every day to help you keep track of your eating and exercise quickly and simply. She provides feedback, advice, and encouragement to keep you motivated."

http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=84276