The developing world has a continuous need for two things: electricity, and clean water. But more than that, there’s a need for a decentralized way to produce both of these things, without a lot of additional infrastructure, and a new type of wind turbine that can suck water straight out of the air seems like the ideal solution.

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Amazon is now letting developers charge higher prices for in-app purchases thanks to new parental controls it just strengthened. The company sent out an e-mail to developers today that said: “With our parental controls functionality now updated, in-app items over $20 may now be submitted via the developer portal.” Developers depend on these pricier items to make their businesses work since only a small percentage (usually in the single digits) of their users pay in their games. These so-called “whales” are responsible for the bulk of a developer’s revenues. In a study earlier this year, mobile analytics company Flurry found that transactions that were more than $20 make up the majority of revenue for top-grossing games on iOS and Android. But this business model has caused tension on Apple’s iOS platform. Last year, there were widespread reports that children could run up hundreds of dollars in purchases on their iPods, iPhones or iPads to their parents’ chagrin. Apple has a 15-…

Soul Calibur on iOS is a strange beast — when it first launched in January, its full price was $15, which is $5 more than the XBLA version, and it didn’t offer multiplayer support. Namco Bandai has resolved one of these issues with update 1.1, which adds Bluetooth multiplayer support for “VS Battle” mode. Soul Calibur is on sale for the update, dropped the price of three whole standard apps to $12. Namco warns multiplayer won’t work with iPod Touch 4, but it should be compatible with newer iPhones and iPads.

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Kickstarter achieves its true potential today, as Zachary Pollock asks for $26,400 to buy Lego bricks to complete a model. It is an especially cool and extravagant model, however. Pollock plans to build the entirety of Super Mario Bros. world 1-1, a project that requires an estimated 780,000 1×1 bricks. In addition to creating a showpiece for Lego conventions, Comic-Con, and PAX, Pollock has lofty goals for the project. It will “test the waters for a foundation I would like to start that will work with children doing healing art projects using Lego bricks.” Should the “epic Mario” sculpture be successfully Kickstarted, construction will take place in “building parties” in Portland, and will result in a totally huge, amazing thing.

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Deep-pocketed RED owners take heed. The company just demoed some pretty nifty module updates, including an OLED EVF, a new 9-inch touchscreen and the crown jewel Meizler Module, which brings to the table such features as wireless 1080p transmission, a wireless timecode transceiver and full wireless lens control — we’re particularly taken with that last feature, which effectively enables remote-controlled follow focus, aperture and zoom control. The new 9-inch will also come in handy with wireless control, making it easier to verify sharpness and exposure. It features the same touch functionality of its smaller sibling, giving you full control of the camera. The display will likely draw some attention when mounted on an EPIC , which is noticeably smaller than the LCD itself, but once you toss on a lens and power pack, the rig looks slightly better proportioned. That’s the good news. The bad news is the price — you’re looking at a cool $13,000 for that wireless module, which is named after its designer, assistant camera Steven Meizler, while the Bomb OLED EVF can be had as an upgrade for $1,200 (if you’re willing to trade in your LCD version), or $3,900 if you plan to buy…

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It is rather ironic that the Navy’s fleet of mine-hunting ships are not too good at what they do – that is, to look for mines in and around the waters that they cover. Good to know that there is a remedy to that problem, coming in the form of the Knifefish drone sub which will function as the larger ship’s “glasses”, so to speak. Developed by General Dynamics, the Navy unveiled it earlier this week for the first time, where it measures 19 feet long and 21″ in diameter. The Knifefish will launch from a Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), and will be tasked with searching for buried mines in the sea floor. (more…) By Ubergizmo . Related articles : Swordfish pierces deep sea submarine hull, ends up as dinner , Navy robot throws extinguisher grenades to quell fires ,