New Artificial Bone Made of Wood
Posted by KC on 10 August, 2009
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Archive for August 10th, 2009
Spreading Lionfish Invasion Threatens Bahamas
Posted by KC on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Environment ]
MagLevAir system launches planes with magnets
Posted by Kevin Hall on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
Designers Leonie Lawniczak, Deniz Örs and Georg Milde have dreamed up a magnetic launch system that gives airplanes of the future a boost at take off in much the same way as an aircraft carrier’s catapult. The separate shuttle would remain on the ground, but the helping hand it offers would allow the craft to carry less fuel, making it lighter overall. As for the plane itself, the designers aren’t holding back for its method of propulsion: scramjets.
Jump on through to see another shot of the MagLevAir, as well as a video showing the system in action.
In Indonesia Development of Cepu Oil Field Begins
Posted by KC on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Energy ]
Project TOPLESS: OLED lamp uses 14x less energy
Posted by CharlieWhite on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
Behold the future of lighting. British lighting company Thorn and the U.K. government created this remarkable OLED desk lamp prototype. Part of Project TOPLESS (Thin Organic Polymeric Light Emitting Semiconductor Surfaces), the lamp emits high-quality white light using a mere 3.5 Watts, giving you the same amount of light you’d get from a 50-Watt halogen desk lamp.
Take a look at how outlandishly thin and elegant this desk lamp is, and start thinking about what the world will be like when these OLED fixtures populate the planet instead of incandescent light bulbs using technology invented 130 years ago. Here’s a video showing this unreal OLED lamp in action:
Universe in a box
Posted by Lithium Rain on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
I want these so badly it isn’t even funny.
From particle zoo:
"The UNIVERSE-IN-A-BOX contains all the particles from the Standard Model plus four theoreticals and two nucleons, for a total of 22 particles, covering most of the known universe."
The site also sells large versions of all …
By: Lithium Rain
Building a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine ( VAWT )
Posted by rikkiesix on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
When building this turbine we will be using some powertools.If you are not used to working with powertools ask someone who knows how to use them.After building this turbine you will still need you fingers so.PLEASE BE CAREFULL !!! Tools and parts TOOLS- Jigsaw and or band saw- Hand saw- Lathe- …
By: rikkiesix
Robot Operating System gives ‘bots a common, DOS-like brain
Posted by Kevin Hall on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
We told you a bit about the Robot Operating System (or ROS) before when it was helping a ‘bot from Willow Garage find power outlets and — after the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Pasedena, California last month — it looks like support for the idea of an ROS is really gathering steam.
The trouble right now is that all ‘bots are more or less unique. Each one is programmed and built from the ground up, with a body and mind that work harmoniously together. This is (as you’d expect from us humans) inefficient, as a lot of robots perform similar functions and could benefit from similar programming.
What a Robot Operating System would do is create a space where programmers could code functions for robots even without knowing much about the robot itself. Programming could then be adapted and tailored to each ‘bot, cutting out a lot of the legwork. At the same time, robots could be built around the ROS, giving the field a bit more structure and allowing it to move forward faster, as well as giving robots a standard architecture that will allow them to interact with one another more easily.
A lot of robot builders, such as Chad Jenkins in his talk with New Scientist, see this as a similar approach toward what helped personal computers boom:
“Robotics is at the stage where personal computing was about 30 years ago,” says Chad Jenkins of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Like the home-brew computers of the late 70s and early 80s, robots used for research today often have a unique operating system (OS). “But at some point we have to come together to use the same resources,” says Jenkins.
It’s the hope of robotics researchers and enthusiasts backing the platform that the ROS will not only advance the way we build ‘bots, but bring us closer to the dream of robots that could interact with humans in a meaningful and useful way.
Check out a video on the Robot Operating System below.
HotCans, for a self-heated meal on the run
Posted by CharlieWhite on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
There’s still a few weeks of summer left, so it’s not too late to go camping with these HotCans, self-heating containers that automagically heat up a hot dinner on the trail. Just place the can on its uncanny red lid, pop the top, and 12 minutes later you have yourself some steamy beef casserole, sausages and beans (which we affectionately call beans ‘n’ franks here in the States), or vegetable chili.
We dig things that heat themselves up with that super-cool exothermic reaction, such as those self-heating pads that effectively soothe an aching runner’s knees. While the culinary choices within these HotCans leave something to be desired, maybe this is the beginning of a whole new era of stove-less cooking. We’d like to see the containers available by themselves, so we could put our own concoctions inside.
For now, you’ll have to pay $8 for the privilege of eating what might be considered prison food. Yeah, well, who said going back to nature was going to be easy?
Via Oh Gizmo
Max (Rescue Remedies, At Home – West London)
Posted by Tracey on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
Can you resist this handsome old grey face? 14 year old Max is losing his home because his owners have moved to rented accommodation. He’s a super old boy who loves people and children and is used to being around other dogs. He just needs a comfy home for his twilight years.
Depositing checks via iPhone: Last link in paperless revolution
Posted by CharlieWhite on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
This could be one of the last links in a completely paperless existence: depositing a paper check with your iPhone. Stepping up to do its part in the paperless revolution is the USAA bank, rolling out an iPhone app this week that lets you snap a pic of each side of a check and e-send it into the bank for deposit.
After that, you can just tear up and toss that check if you’re as paper-averse as we are, or you might just want to scribble “void” on it and stow it away for your records. Either way, this looks like a great digital way to eliminate that last link that requires you to use the currently floundering U. S. Postal Service.
There is a slight catch: the USAA Bank is only open to active-duty military personnel, but we’re hoping this is an idea that might catch on industry-wide. Then, maybe we can all finally go paperless, with paper check supplanted by e-transactions such as direct deposit and PayPal, getting rid of paper altogether. The future is bits, people.
Via New York Times
Scratch input device developed; cats get ready to Twitter
Posted by PeterPachal on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
When you run your fingernail over a hard surface like wood or drywall, it produces a high-frequency sound. It’s barely audible to the naked ear (unless the surface happens to be a chalkboard), but the sound happens to be very distinctive, and it measurably changes when when you do it faster or with more pressure. This is the idea behind a scratch input — a system that would measure surface scratches and interpret them as commands.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are developing such an interface. In theory, all you’d need to turn any surface in to an input device would be a kind of stethoscope and a processor to interpret the scratches. The potential applications are innumerable: Scratch your computer to turn it on, or use your desk as a drawing surface for your fingernail, with the drawings appearing on the monitor. Check out the video below to see some more examples.
What else would you use a scratch input for? No answers from housecats, please.
Altoids tin woodworking tools
Posted by fungus amungus on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
The Woodworking Magazine blog had a contest for tools made out of Altoids tins and the results are pretty amazing. Besides the coolness factor of using an Altoids tin, many of the entries are great for being a good tool on its own. Check out link for the router plane, bevel gauge, drilling jig and m…
By: fungus amungus
Fuzzy cat headphones so you look like a fuzzy cat
Posted by fungus amungus on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
These headphones make you look like a cat and can be bought, but this looks like an easy product to make yourself and try your own variations. Or if you want something a little more tough you can try for some scary looking horns. It’s up to you.
Link via bbgadgets
By: fungus amungus
Bone-anchored hearing aids bring clear sound via implantation
Posted by AdamFrucci on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
Get ready for the future of hearing aids. New bone-anchored, implanted hearing aids are starting to be given to patients with poor hearing and with great results.
Colin Hughes was born with atypically narrow eustachian tubes, making it difficult for him to wear traditional hearing aids. But now he’s getting two new implanted aids that “adjust to noisy environments, quiet conversations and the varying rhythms and pitch of music.” Oh, and they can plug into MP3 players. Awesome! If they weren’t $12,000 per pair I’d get a set for myself so I would never have to use headphones again.
The PRC is your Personal Rockin’ Chair
Posted by AdamFrucci on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
This hanging circular chair is called the PRC, which stands for the Personal Rockin’ Computer, but it’s not a computer at all. No, it’s just a weird, hanging, circular chair. But apparently you’re supposed to use your computer while sitting on it. OK! It’ll set you back $4,200 and certainly doesn’t look like your standard Laz-e-boy.
Beertender: the keg-orator for adults
Posted by AdamFrucci on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
If you’re going to put a beer tap in your home, you’re treading a fine line between living the good life and living in a frat house. If you don’t focus on making it as classy as possible, people are going to assume you’re stuck at age 20 and can’t grow up. The Beertender, however, is way too expensive for a frat house, so it should leave you in the clear.
For $638, you can get a classy mini beer tap that’s decked out in leather and wood, like the interior of a luxury car. And what kind of frat guy cares about stuff like that? You’re just a classy dude who enjoys beer a whole lot. Yeah, that’s it.
Toshiba wants to join Blu-ray Association. Hell frozen over?
Posted by Leslie Shapiro on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
The Blu-ray/HD DVD war was over and forgotten a long time ago, but one company has been just refusing to get over it. Slowly but surely, Toshiba is accepting that the world is moving on. They announced a few weeks ago that they’re going to release a stand-alone Blu-ray player and Blu-ray drives for their PCs, and now, they’ve applied to join the Blu-ray Disc Association.
From Toshiba: “In light of recent growth in digital devices supporting the Blu-ray format, combined with market demand from consumers and retailers alike, Toshiba has decided to join the BDA.”
Seems like Toshiba has seen the light. Finally.
Hmm, but talk about awkward. After digging in their heels so firmly against Blu-ray, wouldn’t you love to be a fly on the wall at the first meeting Toshiba shows up for? Warm handshakes and bows all around, or a short hazing period?
Toshiba via NewLaunches
Green electronics EPEAT registry goes global
Posted by Martin LaMonica on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
The Green Electronics Council said Monday it is making its EPEAT rating system, now mandated in U.S. government agencies, available for computer gear sold in other countries.
Products certified by EPEAT–which stands for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool–are listed in a registry. Products are judged on 23 attributes that …
Click to drive: GM, eBay join to sell new cars online
Posted by Martin LaMonica on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
General Motors and eBay will start a trial program Tuesday to let Californians buy cars online.
Dealers at 225 locations in California will participate in the program, which will run from Tuesday until September 8. It will be available at the co-branded Web site, gm.ebay.com.
The site will …
Hong Kong rolls out world’s first fleet of solar ferries
Posted by Adario Strange on 10 August, 2009
This item was filled under [ Technology ]
We’ve already told you about solar-powered cargo ships, now Hong Kong has decided to combat the area’s pollution problems by deploying solar-powered ferries. According to the makers of the vehicles, Solar Sailor Holdings Ltd., the ferries will operate using three-quarters solar energy and only one-quarter liquefied petroleum gas, potentially reducing carbon-dioxide output on the route by roughly half.
Purchased by the well-heeled Hong Kong Jockey Club for an undisclosed sum estimated to be in the millions, the green vehicles will go into operation in November. You can see video of the solar ferries in action here.
Via Bloomberg
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