Global Rewind IV

Metro Vancouver Youth4Action, Science World's Teen Advisory Group, and BC Green Games' Youth Committee bring you Global Rewind IV at +Science World at TELUS World of Science  on May 8. Come join high school students who are interested in sustainability and explore many organizations that are working to protect our environment. Join us for the World Café and the screening of Beyond Boarding's film, The Little Things.

Global Rewind IV will be taking place Friday, May 8 from 5:30pm–10pm. Admission is free. Reserve your tickets @ http://www.metrovancouver.org/events/youth-leadership/Pages/global-rewind.aspx.

Wondercon 2015, Plex East 2015, Monsterpalooza 2015, Quadcopter Landscaping, and Nintendo Direct 4.1.2015

This week in technology and gaming...

Wondercon 2015

Norm from tested.com talks to Mike Senna about his completed life-size Wall-E robot and his life-size EVE robot, which is currently a work in progress. Norm also met with eFx Collectibles to talk about their Star Wars Stormtrooper armor replica which was made from a newly discovered hero suit from Episode IV, one of the only six that were created, that even Lucasfilm doesn't have.

Plex East 2015

Will from tested.com was recently Boston for PAX East 2015, checking out some new indie board games, video games, and VR games. While walking the convention floor with 3DS in hand, Will shares with us some of his favorite discoveries.

Monsterpalooza 2015

Norm from tested.com talks to Figment Foundry about their realistic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles display at Monsterpalooza 2015.

Quadcopter Landscaping

Norm and Will from tested.com head out with Jamie Hyneman to remote location to test Jamie's new quadcopter landscaping saw attachment with the DJI Inspire 1 quadcopter.

Nintendo Direct 4.1.2015

In the Nintendo Direct 4.1.2015, Nintendo announces new games, amiibos, and amiibo cards, updates to Mii Plaza, Mario Kart 8, Smash Bros. 3DS/Wii U, and Code Name: S.T.E.A.M, and new Splatoon announcements. For those who haven't seen the Splatoon E3 trailer, the video is also included bellow.

Samsung Gear VR

The Samsung Gear VR is a virtual reality device developed by Samsung that was released early December 2014. It was developed in collaboration with Oculus VR and is currently compatible with the US version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, which uses the Snapdragon processor. If you have the international version of the Note 4, Oculus provides a downloadable SDK wich will allow you to use your Note 4 with the Gear VR. It comes with its own carrying case, big enough carry both the Gear VR and Note 4.

The Note 4 is used as the screen and computer while the Gear VR, with Oculus Rift's head-tracking module built-in, provides the 360° viewing experience. The Note 4 is connected to the Gear VR via a built-in USB connector and a clamp. There is a focusing dial which adjusts the lens distance from your eyes, good for those wearing glasses since you can't use the Gear VR while wearing glasses.

The Gear VR, when fully connected, runs the Oculus Home app. It has its own interface and its own store and home screen/menu. When the Oculus Home app is run without the Gear VR, it acts as the Gear VR app store.

The Gear VR has a built-in touchpad, volume controls, and back button on the side. Head-tracking or the touchpad can be used to navigate the menus while games are played using the touchpad or a Bluetooth controller. There is a built-in camera passthrough option in the settings which allows you to move around while still using the Gear VR.

The Gear VR, priced at around $200, is not the cheapest way to get into the virtual reality experience. For those without the Note 4, it can cost anywhere from $200 with a contract to about $800-$900 without a contract.

Recently, Will and Norm from tested.com demoed a few features and games on the Gear VR. The video of the demo can be seen bellow.

Samsung has already announced that there will be a Gear VR 2. Unlike the current Gear VR, the Gear VR 2 will be available only for the new Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge and will include a USB passthrough to allow the phone to simultaneously charge, a cooling fan, and will be 50% lighter. At GDK 2015, Samsung announced that there will be a consumer version of the Gear VR coming possibly in September, when the Note 5 should be released.

If you don't already have a Note 4 or are planning to buy one, don't bother getting one just so you can get the Gear VR. Otherwise, priced at $200, the Gear VR is a good mobile virtual reality device for those with a Note 4.

Mind Games

There are many ways your brain interprets the world around you. Your brain is wired to sometimes misinterpret information. In this video, Brain Games host Jason Silva shows how your brain can make colour appear out of nowhere.

Most people think that they have average common sense. In fact, you common sense may sometimes be actually providing you with the wrong answers.  In the next video, Comedian Ben Bailey is going to test your common sense.

We tend to become so focused on the world around us that we lose track of our perception of time. You might be sitting in front of the computer reading this article and not know how much time has passed since you started reading. Illusionist Apollo Robbins show you in the next video how your perception of time might seem slower in certain situations and also how you can make money off your friends by messing with their perception of time.

When we are put in frightening situations, we begin to experience different fear related emotion. The most powerful of them all is dread. In this video, illusionist Apollo Robbins and Jason Silva put the feeling of dread to the test in a game of Russian roulette, with a broken beer bottle.

SWEETly Animated

+Science World at TELUS World of Science  has just opened its new feature exhibition Animation featuring Cartoon Network on February 7. In conjunction with the new exhibit, the Science World TAG team will be hosting the first teen night of the year, SWEETly Animated. +Vancouver Film School will be conducting animation demonstrations throughout the evening. You can make your own stop motion video for a chance to win some cool prizes. Come dressed as your favourite cartoon character! (optional)

SWEETly Animated will be taking place Friday, February 27 from 6:30pm–10pm. Admission is free. Reserve your tickets @ https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sweetly-animated-tickets-15658174020.

Carbon Fiber 3D Printer

Probably one of the coolest things in the world is a 3D printer. But the final plastic product is usually flimsy and warps easily. This year at the CES 2015 there is a product that solves this problem. This video is from one of my favourite sites tested.com which features Will, Norm, and Mythbusters Adam, and Jamie. This site covers the cool things in science, tech, art, and food.

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JWST: James Webb Space Telescope

NASA has been planning a successor to the respected and accomplished Hubble Space Telescope, or HST since the mid-1990s. If all goes to plan, NASA will launch the James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST in 2018. The JWST will see farther and clearer with a light-collecting mirror twice the diameter of the HST's. It will also be able to see deeper into galaxies than Hubble could since it's optimized to the infrared. Even though it has been plagued delays and cost increases, this project is a tremendously ambitious and difficult mission.

Recently, Toronto science writer Dan Falk recently visited the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where the JWST's assembly, testing and launch preparations are held - and prepared this look at the project. He spoke with 2 of the JWST assembly scientists, Dr. Mark Clampin, Observatory Project Scientist for the telescope and Ray Lundquist, a lead engineer for the project.