Sunday, September 27, 2009

Gyro Wheel replaces training wheels - Almost Magic

Gyro Wheel replaces training wheels with a rechargeable gyroscope inside the front wheel. Awesome concept, looks like Magic!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Autistic Consultants == Born Software Engineers?

Thorkil Sonne: Recruit Autistics

Most occupations require people skills. But for some, a preternatural capacity for concentration and near-total recall matter more. Those jobs, entrepreneur Thorkil Sonne says, could use a little autism.

...Sonne worked in IT, a field more suited to people with autism and related conditions like Asperger's syndrome. "As a general view, they have excellent memory and strong attention to detail. They are persistent and good at following structures and routines," he says. In other words, they're born software engineers.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Asus Eee Keyboard is Actually a PC

Asus Eee Keyboard is Actually a PC: Featuring Touchscreen, Wi-Fi, Wireless HDMI, Atom

The idea is new and will prevail for a new segment in the market. A segment which would go mainly with the multimedia and Internet freeks. Playing a HD movie wireless from your keyboard(oops PC) to HDTV, streaming online content, browsing the web would be a new experience altogether.

The built in screen is good, features full 16bit colors, though resolution is still unknown. It shouldn’t be less than that of iPhone (320×480). Though you can’t do much over the 5″ touch display, Asus has still smartly added a Cellphone like interface which runs apps like Doc, Facebook, browser just like your iPhone. I’m not sure how much will that be of utility, since it’s not a phone-like gadget. But still, it will primarily serve as Info and Media controller.

Fair deal. The only thing that remains in question is How far will battery’s juice last when you are streaming HD movies to your TV? If Asus does well over this, we are sure, they got it all.

The October launch is set for U.S and Europe. Meanwhile, get the feel by watching this Hands-on Video (via netbooknews.com)




Monday, September 14, 2009

Sticky tape gives off X-rays

Sticky tape gives off X-rays | COSMOS magazine

Finger X-rayed by sticky tape.

Unwinding household sticky tape in a vacuum emits radiation strong enough to X-ray a human figure, according to a new study in the British journal Nature.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), have measured the energy emitted from peeling scotch tape off the roll and found that it peaked at 15-keV and was emitted in short, sharp bursts.

"We didn't believe it. We really didn't think it could be true," said co-author Carlos Camara, referring to the team's initial scepticism. "We took some pictures of our hands to see the bones and prove that it was possible. We have a whole collection (of pictures)... it is absolutely remarkable."

Friday, September 11, 2009

Digital Contacts Will Keep an Eye on Your Vital Signs | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

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Digital Contacts Will Keep an Eye on Your Vital Signs

Very cool augmented reality LCD contacts.

Scientists, eye surgeons, professors and students at the University of Washington have been developing a contact lens containing one built-in LED, powered wirelessly with radio frequency waves.

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

A skull that rewrites the history of man - Science, News - The Independent

One of the skulls discovered in Georgia, which are believed to date back 1.8 million years

One of the skulls discovered in Georgia, which are believed to date back 1.8 million years

The conventional view of human evolution and how early man colonised the world has been thrown into doubt by a series of stunning palaeontological discoveries suggesting that Africa was not the sole cradle of humankind. Scientists have found a handful of ancient human skulls at an archaeological site two hours from the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, that suggest a Eurasian chapter in the long evolutionary story of man.

The skulls, jawbones and fragments of limb bones suggest that our ancient human ancestors migrated out of Africa far earlier than previously thought and spent a long evolutionary interlude in Eurasia – before moving back into Africa to complete the story of man.

A skull that rewrites the history of man

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Monopoly City Streets

Cool stuff:

Monopoly City Streets: "On the 9th SEPTEMBER, a world of property empire building on an unimaginable scale will be launched! A live worldwide game of MONOPOLY using Google Maps as the game board. The goal is simple. Play to beat your friends and the world to become the richest property magnate in existence.

Own any street in the world. Build humble houses, crazy castles and stupendous skyscrapers to collect rent. Use MONOPOLY Chance Cards to sabotage your mates by building Hazards on their streets.

Which strategy will you employ? Determined drive? Ingenious daring? Intelligent caution? Will you thrive under the pressure of a fast growing global property empire – or will you crumble? Find out if you’ll thrive, or even survive, in the amazing world of MONOPOLY City Streets. It's going to be epic fun!"

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Scientists Have Big Hopes For Tiny Lasers : NPR

Scientists Have Big Hopes For Tiny Lasers : NPR:

Researchers say they have built the world's smallest laser — one a thousand times smaller than what's available today. And today's lasers are already small enough to fit on a computer chip.

These new types of lasers open up all sorts of new possibilities for new technologies. And they break down the conventional wisdom about how small lasers can be.

"This is a nanopendulum, basically. It can be confined to almost any small place."

...those real applications could include future generations of computer storage. Today's lasers can burn a whole movie onto a DVD. And, Zhang says there's plenty of room for improvement.

"For example, you can use this to make a very high-density DVD recorder. You may be able to store an entire library on one disk."


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