New Smart Cast Mobile Phone Has a Built in Laser Projector

Oh, now THIS is cool. A new phone unveiled by Chinese corporation Lenovo (makers of the Ideapad tablet, amongst others), will be able to project interactive objects, such as virtual keyboards or piano keys onto almost any flat surface.

The ‘Smart Cast’ phone (which could have been branded better, it has to be said) will also be able to project videos and photographic content onto walls, desks or any other flat surface, allowing the user to share videos (and even potentially screen movies) with multiple viewers.

The phone is able to project a fully functional replica of its own touch screen, or even a full-size computer keyboard if desired.

Despite being utterly tiny (34mm x 26mm x 5mm), the phone’s laser projector does not need focussing in order to project far larger images onto walls, desks, or anywhere else you might need to project an image (and for all you nerd lings aiming on creating a pocket Bat-Signal, forget it. I got there first!).

The projector itself can also be manually moved into at least one other position, which ensures that the projection quality should always be first rate.

...It even has a motorbike style kickstand to keep it upright when you’re using the virtual keyboard. How cool is that?

Justifiably proud of their new creation, Lenovo hired Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang to play the phone’s virtual piano as projected on the desk in front of him. I suppose they could afford to, as it was recently announced that their profits are up 20% from last year.

Of course, projector phones have been explored in the past, usually without success. The Samsung Galaxy Beam, released in 2012, was a failure of Star Trek: Into Darkness proportions (the joke being in the ‘beam me up’ area â€" in case you missed that) and the technology is notoriously hard to use. Still, perhaps this time somebody has finally gotten it right? Time will tell...



Sadly for us Brits, the Smart cast phone seems unlikely to be released here in the UK, so for us, it’s all a moot point in the end.

The Smart Cast phone was officially unveiled at Lenovo’s Tech World conference in Beijing, China, an event that also saw the debut of a new smartwatch, which has a ‘public’ and ‘private’ mode for some reason (all I can imagine it would be useful for is if somebody asked you the time whilst you were watching porn â€" at which point, keeping the screen on your wrist would defeat the object somewhat anyway).

It is open to interpretation as to whether or not the Smart Cast phone will be a stroke of consumer electronics genius or a costly failure, but for now, the early buzz certainly looks intriguing and you can pretty much guarantee that various engineering bigwigs employed by other developers will be following its progress with interest.

Beloved Wrestling Champion & Promoter Verne Gagne Passes Away, Aged 89

Philosopher Albert Camus once wrote, “What I know most surely about morality and the duty of man I owe to sport”. It is hard to find a more fitting epitaph for Verne Gagne, beloved wrestling champion and influential promoter, who passed away in April of this year.

Verne, who was 89 years old, had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and living in a health care facility in Minnesota. However, it would be wrong to dwell on the saddening end of a life as successful and pioneering as that of Verne Gagne, a man who helped to shape the landscape of professional wrestling forever.

At varying times during his life, Gagne was an NFL pro footballer (with both the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears), an alternate for the USA’s Olympic wrestling team, a multi-time amateur wrestling champion, a US marine, a World Champion professional wrestler, a hugely successful promoter and a devoted husband and father.

He trained, or helped to train, many of the biggest and most successful names in professional wrestling history, including future World Champions Ric Flair, Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat, The Iron Sheik, Bob Backlund, Dick The Bruiser, Sgt. Slaughter, Blackjack Mulligan and ‘Mr. Perfect’ Curt Hennig (father of current WWE wrestler Curtis Axel), as well as industry legends such as ‘Cowboy’ Bill Watts, Larry ‘The Axe’ Hennig (father of Curt), Blackjack Lanza, Baron Von Raschke, Jimmy Valiant, Ken Patera, Ole Anderson, Jim Brunzell and, of course, his own son, Greg Gagne.

Verne Gagne’s story begins on a little farm near Corcoran, Minnesota. He was born in 1926, into a very different world than the one we live in today. As a child, Verne would sit on his grandfather’s lap and listen to wrestling on the radio, as there was no television. As Greg Gagne recalled in the WWE’s 2006 ‘Spectacular Legacy of the AWA’ DVD, it was during one such session that Verne announced his intentions to become a professional wrestler.

Gagne’s amateur wrestling accomplishments speak for themselves, Verne was named the Northwest AAU Champion in 1942, Minnesota High School Champion in 1943 and ‘Big Ten’ Champion in 1944, 1947, 1948 and 1949. He was also crowned National AAU Champion in 1948 and 1949 and was selected for 1948’s US Olympic Team (although he didn’t compete). Gagne also won the NCAA Championship in 1949.

As a promoter, Verne was famous for his emphasis on realistic, ‘scientific’ wrestling, a view that contrasted sharply with the then-WWF’s more cartoonish, family-orientated approach to the sport.

After he turned pro, Verne Gagne became one of the first stars of the early TV era of wrestling, becoming the NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) Junior Heavyweight Champion in the process. In an era of more serious, credible and ‘straight-laced’ wrestling, Verne Gagne exhibited a special kind of charisma, which was backed up by his great work-rate and wholly believable matches. He was also among the first wrestlers to seek endorsements outside of the wrestling world, a move which paid off handsomely at the time and hinted at a high level of business acumen.

Eventually, as Gagne’s popularity with wrestling audiences increased, he became frustrated at the NWA’s apparent unwillingness to allow him a run with the World’s Heavyweight Championship, at that time held by Lou Thesz. Later, when Pat O’Connor was World Champion, the NWA again refused Gagne a title run. Because of this, largely political, limitation, Gagne and his partner Wally Karbo purchased the Minneapolis territory and seceded from the NWA, taking several other territories with them and forming the bedrock of the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the process.

The AWA proved to be a successful venture and ran between 1960 and 1991. During that time, the company expanded outwards into traditional NWA territories, in a similar (albeit less aggressive) manner to the way that Vince McMahon Jr’s WWF would expand in the 1980’s. Vince Jr has even gone on record to say that if he hadn’t taken wrestling national when he did, Verne Gagne would have done so.

Whilst still an active competitor, Verne drew criticisms in some quarters for constantly booking himself as the AWA World Champion, including one run that lasted from 1968 until late 1975 (he eventually lost the belt to Nick Bockwinkel). However, it should be noted that Verne was undeniably the promotion’s biggest star and that the company was effectively built around his star power. As AWA World Champion, Verne feuded with some of the all-time greats of pro wrestling, stars like Bockwinkel, Fritz Von Erich, Gene Kiniski and The Crusher.

In the 1980’s, the AWA found itself going head-to-head with Vince McMahon’s WWF, a promotion which had been mainly built around the acquisition of Hulk Hogan, a man who had been the AWA’s biggest drawing card not long before. McMahon sought to dominate the wrestling industry by expanding his New York-based territory via cable television. Almost overnight, the AWA’s top talent abandoned Verne’s outfit for the greater exposure offered by McMahon’s WWF and the AWA suffered for a lack of credible main event stars.

Despite this, Gagne’s AWA still offered a very different product to McMahon’s WWF. Where the WWF promoted bodybuilders and super heavyweight ‘big man’ bouts as its top attractions, the AWA was still offering classier, more traditional wrestling matches.

Even under diminished circumstances, the AWA was still an important starting point for many wrestlers to polish their performances and ‘round out’ their ring work and personas.

Over the years, Gagne’s promotion gave a start to many talents that are now regarded as legends within the wrestling industry, including WWE Hall of Famers Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, ‘The American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes, ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham, Scott Hall, Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura, The Road Warriors and even announcer ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund, as well as many other stars including Big Van Vader, The Nasty Boys, ‘Mad Dog’ Vachon, Marty Jannetty and Rick ‘The Model’ Martel.

The AWA hung on for as long as it could, but in the wake of the WWF onslaught and an ongoing legal dispute concerning some land he owned along Lake Minnetonka, Verne was effectively forced out of business, going bankrupt in 1991 and later selling his company (and its entire video library) to the WWF.

Despite the ultimate demise of the AWA, Verne Gagne remained one of the most recognised, respected and beloved professional wrestlers of all time. In his 2013 book ‘The 50 Greatest Professional Wrestlers of All Time’, former ‘Wrestling at the Chase’ announcer Larry Matysik ranked Gagne at number 11, saying “As much as his ownership of the AWA leads to criticism that he was its champion, the reality of the promotion’s huge profitability for more than two decades demonstrates that the audience bought him as that champion. And AWA shows drew well even when Gagne was not working”.

Gagne’s legacy as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time is already assured. By the time he retired, he was a 15-time World Champion (10 time AWA World Heavyweight Champion, 5 time Omaha World Championship), as well as a Champion in Japan.

He was an inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame, as well as the WCW, Professional Wrestling and Wrestling Observer equivalents. In addition to his incredible in-ring exploits, Verne Gagne should also be remembered as one of the most successful wrestling promoters ever, as well as one of the best teachers the industry ever produced.



For his talent, charisma and freewheeling entrepreneurial spirit, Verne will always be remembered as one of the very best. He was, to quote his son Greg, “a special man”.

How Much Does a Good Earpiece Cost?

Actually, quality two-way radio earpieces are not nearly as cost prohibitive as you might expect them to be.

In fact, you can get a professional quality model for as little as just over £10 (not including shipping costs). The linked model even comes with a special noise-reducing microphone included in the price.

Elsewhere, Amazon.co.uk has earpiece and headset deals for as low as £6.00. These won’t be top-end products, obviously, but they are unlikely to let you down either.



As with all things, it depends on what uses you have in mind. If you are unsure as to exactly what your needs are, then it is wiser to spend a little extra (we’re not talking a bank-breaking amount, after all) than it is to buy the cheapest model, saving £7 - £8 in the short term, only to end up disappointed with your final purchase.

You can get a ‘good’ (as in, generally reliable ‘all rounder’) earpiece for £10 - £20. These earpieces aren’t particularly flashy, but they can be relied upon to get the job done. As a general guide, some of the more professional quality pieces available will go up as high as £40 - £50. Depending on what these models are used for, all will do a fine job.

Of course, as with anything, there is a high-end and a low-end to the marketplace. However, unlike some markets, low-end earpieces do not represent an enormous loss in quality. They will work fine for basic/hobby use, but we recommend you spend out towards the higher end of the market for professional usage.

EarpieceOnline is a good place to get your earpiece from, especially since they offer free next day delivery on all their items.



Typically, earpieces are not an expensive item. In fact, they only cost a substantial amount when professional earpieces are bought in bulk for business use. However, the linked site is among the cheapest online and stocks a wide variety of different products.

Of course, all prices listed here are ‘ballpark figures’ unless otherwise stated. The sites/stockists you use may be cheaper, or more expensive, so it will probably pay to shop around a little bit.

If you are able to find any cheaper sites, then you might let us know, that way we can recommend them to other users.

Concept Headphones That Won’t Get You Killed While Biking

“EVERY SINGLE DAY, I see at least five or six people with headphones on while cycling,” says Gemma Roper. The designer and recent graduate of London’s Royal College of Art finds the habit a troubling distraction but also an understandable tactic of using music to soften a harsh daily commute.

The problem is that cyclists also need to stay alert to certain sounds in order to be safe while weaving through traffic. Riding is already dicey in London, Roper says, because the local infrastructure accommodates bus and car traffic over cyclists. The city has seen eight cyclist fatalities so far this year; last year, there were 13. Roper decided that music pumping through earphones shouldn’t contribute to the risk. Her Safe + Sound headphone design uses bone conduction to play tunes through wearers’ cheekbones, instead of directly into their eardrums, so they can still detect ambient noise.

Bone-conduction headphones work by playing soundwave vibrations on top of bones, which then transmit the waves into to the Cochlea, or inner ear, bypassing the delicate eardrum. It could work anywhere on the body but works best near the ear. The technique itself is oldâ€"Beethoven, who was deaf, crafted a crude conductive listening device by biting on a metal rod attached to his pianoâ€"and a few other headphone makers have rolled out models using the technology in recent years.

Roper’s Safe + Sound are made with cycling helmets in mind. Most of the bone-conduction headphones on the market are wrap around the ear (like these, and these), with nodes that rest more or less where a helmet strap would sit. Asking cyclists to layer up headgear is an uncomfortable and unreasonable ask. At the same time, making any modifications to the helmet that might deter a rider from wearing one is out of the question. So Roper created something that could clip onto to a helmet’s straps. While testing out the idea, she also found that asking cyclists to tote around two pairs of headphones will slow down adoption, so her buds convert into a regular pair of headphones; the modular bone-conducting pieces fit magnetically into a pair of gold muffs.

London has yet to pass a ban on wearing headphones while riding a bike, and only five states in the U.S. forbid the practice. For now, Roper’s design, a working prototype, could be the transitional object cyclists need before giving up their headphones cold turkey.

Wearing a headset or a pair of earphones whilst cycling is a dangerous game to play, particularly in busy cities. This headset from broadbandchoices.co.uk is a simple idea and more importantly is safe. 

Haunted Mirror Nets £100 On eBay

A supposedly haunted mirror has been sold on eBay for the princely sum of £100 (I have no idea if that includes P&P).

The London-based pair selling the item claimed that it possessed strange powers, in particular the ability to cause intense pain, a constant feeling of being watched and a “sense of impending doom”.

Joseph Birch, a 20-year-old student and his flatmate, painter Sotiris Charalambous (34) put the mirror up for auction after finally having enough of the paranormal phenomena that apparently accompanied it.

The sale had nothing at all to do with the fact that a student and his painter flatmate live in the enormously expensive centre of London and needed a little extra spending and/or food money. Probably.

The mirror itself is actually quite nice, being described in the item listing as a “beautiful Victorian style mirror” that enjoyed “pride of place in our North London studio apartment for several months”. However, not long after putting the mirror up, the couple began to experience “strange phenomena”.

According to the item listing, "Many times since putting up the mirror, both myself and my flat mate have woken in the early morning hours screaming in pain (...) The mood in the flat turned sour. I felt constantly as if there was a sense of impending doom upon us... Both of us began to feel zombie like, as if drained of all our energy."

As if all that wasn’t bad enough, the mirror is said to cause leg cramps, things going missing, bad luck, misery, financial problems, illness and the aforementioned sense of impending doom.

If I remember my own student days correctly (and I’m sure I do, because they actually weren’t THAT long ago), I endured quite a bit of bad luck, as well as things going missing, misery, financial problems and illness â€" and I think any University student with an oncoming exam or deadline can relate to a feeling of impending doom...

As for screaming in the middle of the night â€" it might be a flashback from living in halls. You try sleeping when your neighbors are partying all night, every night and then setting off the building fire alarm every fourteen minutes â€" you’ll scream too.



Dunno about the leg cramps, though. That part’s a little spooky.

The eBay listing concluded with the words, “I would ideally like it to go to somebody who has experience with the paranormal/supernatural and knows what they are getting themselves in for."

Apparently, that includes paying well over the market value for an item in the hopes that it will cause them pain, financial problems and abject misery. Well, I think its safe to say, that by the time the ‘magic mirror’ arrives at its new home, the pair will have found a satisfied customer.

...Unless the nasty mirror begins to reveal the image of a poor sucker with too much money, that is. Then, he/she might be somewhat disappointed, but as soon as the mood in the house turns sour â€" they’ll have gotten their money’s worth once again.

Anyway, I digress, if you’re upset that you missed out on this ‘one of a kind’ item, head on over to eBay and type in the word ‘haunted’ â€" you’ll be surprised at some of the weird (and wonderful) stuff you can find.

Guide To Locating The Optimal Two Radios For Hunting

If you aren’t a lonesome wolf and like to go on hunting trips with your friends or partner, you should consider finding some high quality two way radios for communicating while hunting. With these radios, you can communicate with the entire hunting party even when you are far away from them out in the forest. If you are looking for a discreet way of contacting your hunting party members, then two-way hunting radios are just what you need.

What Makes Two Way Radios Essential While Hunting?

The hunting ground usually spreads across thousands of acres, and you could need assistance at any time while you are stalking your prey. Whether you need help with some field dressing or your partner needs assistance in cleaning the prey that have just put down, you need a way to communicate out in the wild. While mobile phones can be used for communication, the network is never reliable, especially in the great outdoors.

Since two way radios have incredible range distance, you won’t have to worry about being too far away from your hunting party. It is important to stay camouflaged in the wild while hunting, which makes two-way radios perfect since they won’t make a ringing noise. Imagine how frustrating it would be to be within shooting distance from a deer when your phone starts ringing. Moreover, these radios are ideal when you have younger hunters with you on the trip. With just click of a button, you can communicate with them and ensure that they are alright.

What Should You Look For In A Two Way Radio For Hunting?

There are a few things you need to look out for, before you go out and buy a pair of two way hunting radios. Buying just any set of walkie talkies won’t do the trick, you need communication equipment that blends in with your hunting gear and works well for you when you are out on the hunting grounds.

• Long range



• Long lasting battery life



• Camo design for stealth



• Support for headsets



• Water resistant or waterproof



• NOAA weather info display

The longer the range of the radios is, the stronger the signal will be, which is essential for hunting. A radio with at least 1 mile radius should be sufficient for undisturbed communication through the forest with thick brush that can cause signal blockage.

If you are out for a big hunt, you will be on the ground for an entire day. This means that the two-way radio must have enough battery power to last you a day, or must have removable batteries which can be replaced with AA or AAA batteries.

A waterproof radio is essential in the wild, so is the NOAA weather information to alert you of any of the weather changes. It is equally necessary for the two-way radio to have headset support, since you do not want to spook the animal with the sound of the radio.

The Best 2 Way Radio For Hunting

The two way hunting radios by Motorola can be considered the best set that money can buy. These 2 way radios are waterproof and come with a 35 mile radius, matching all the requirements mentioned above to be one of the best two way radio for hunting.



Coming from a revered brand such as Motorola, these are quite cost effective, with a £150 price tag, however. The 35 mile radius is the ideal range that will give you undisturbed communication, along with nickelâ€"metal hydride batteries that can be replaced for lithium ion battery life.

The camo pattern on the exterior and the NOAA weather alerts make it ideal for your hunting trip. The device is not only waterproof, but floats on water when you drop it. The design of the two-way radio has been engineered to give you a comfortable grip all day long, and the anti-slip ridges ensure that the radio does not slip out of your moist hands while out hunting.

Professional Equipment

Motorola is an old name in the world of wireless communication, and has a track record of delivering brilliant devices. The Motorola DP1400 two way radio is one such product, which matches the features of the Motorola DP2400.

This 36 mile radius radio has all the features of the latter, but comes with a lower price, So If you are in search for an excellent two -way radio for your next hunting trip, the Motorola DP1400 is the way to go. Finding the cheapest price is hard in the local store, so get the best deals on this two-way radio online Store.

LOOK! Eureka’s Tribute to the Bluetooth Earpiece That Could Soon Grace the City’s South Entrance

The people of Humboldt can be proud of their new city entrance, it is in the shape of a bluetooth earpiece, The monument appears to be in the shape of an earpiece sat up-wards, it's a long leap to see it from the road (see image) but it definitely resembles a bluetooth earpiece.

Last week, the South Entry Project study group unveiled its latest plans for improving user experience for travelers entering our fair city. One of the most visually notable components of the facelift proposed by Redding-based engineering group Green Dot Transportation Solutions is a spiral concrete sculpture thingamabob to be constructed just south of the Herrick Avenue overpass (see below).



What does that thing look like? LoCO asked itself. Then it hit us. It looks like a Bluetooth earpiece, of course! Amirite? Maybe we’re promoting safe driving, here? LoCO no know.

Anyway, the sculpture, as well as other less earpiece-ish aspects of the South Entry Project â€" trees, medians, etc. â€" are the result of months of meetings wherein community feedback was sought. Since LoCO knows our readers prefer things to be on the interwebs, we will direct your discerning eyeballs to the “Preferred Alternative” page of the Eureka South Entry website where you can scope out some visuals of planned enhancements.

According to the North Coast Journal, Green Dot still needs to submit the plan to Caltrans for approval. After that, the Eureka City Council can choose to vote this glorious tribute to safe, hands-free devices into reality.

Addendum: Many LoCO commenters have expressed indignation that the city should be spending money on this type of project when more serious issues exist. This is an entirely understandable sentiment, though it should be noted that, so far, the city has only paid for a study, the majority of which ($45,000 of the $75,000 price tag) was funded by a grant from the California Transportation Commission.

City Engineer Charles Roecklein said the city will pursue more grant funding to finance the construction of the project itself, assuming it gets that far. And he’s optimistic about finding those funds. “It’s like the mayor said, somebody’sgonna get those grant funds,” Roecklein said. “There’s grant money for this kind of project.”

Source - http://lostcoastoutpost.com/2015/apr/27/look-eurekas-tribute-bluetooth-earpiece-could-soon/