IT’S an idea that has been plagued by misfortune. Now, proponents of technology that seeks to propel spacecraft using the pressure exerted by photons from the sun on thin “solar sails” look set for another chance to get their idea off the ground.
July 4th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
A Solar Idea Whose Time Has Come
July 4th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
For the Eco-Conscious Yachtsman
green sailing
Designed and developed by Dennis Ingemansson, the Dubai Sea Limousine is an idea based on the “The World”- a man-made archipelago of 300 islands constructed in the shape of a world map and located 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) off the coast of Dubai.
July 4th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Basic Blackberry Fun For Under $50
for cheapskates like me
The BlackBerry Kickstart is by far not RIM’s best looking phone. But it is a real live BlackBerry and it will run a mere 50 bucks when it launches on T-Mobile in September.
July 4th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Wacky Rides to Rove Moon, Courtesy of NASA
To mark the new mission to the Moon, here’s a collection of wonderful manned lunar rovers
Conditions on the Moon will be harsher, but prototype NASA robotic vehicles braved sand storms and unprecedented temperature swings this month on sand dunes near Moses Lake, Washington, to prepare for future lunar expeditions.
July 4th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Solar System The Shape Of An Egg
Millions of textbooks depicting our Solar System as spherical have got it all wrong, according to studies of data sent back from deep space by NASA’s venerable probe, Voyager 2.
July 4th, 2008 at 7:48 am
Huge Energy Company Goes Green
GazProm Tower
It seems that every new tower proposal these days makes claims about how green friendly the design is, but when the builder is a huge energy conglomerate, this type of claim is bound to raise a few eyebrows.
July 4th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Secret Cave Opened Under Mexican Pyramid
Teotihuacan Pyramid
Archeologists are opening a cave sealed for more than 30 years deep beneath a Mexican pyramid to look for clues about the mysterious collapse of one of ancient civilization’s largest cities.
July 4th, 2008 at 7:31 am
3D Hybrid Face Recognition Technology Generating Much Interest
Fingerprint identification and retinal identification systems are quite popular among many companies. With many cases of security systems failing, facial recognition systems have generated a lot of interest.
July 4th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Cheese Carving Celebrates The Fourth of July
A sculpture of the signing of the Declaration of Independence made from a one-tonne block of cheddar cheese glistened on the sidewalk of Times Square in New York on Thursday as an artist’s tribute to the Fourth of July.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:48 am
Dutch Tobacco Smoking Ban Means No Tobacco In Joints
Dutch coffee shops face a new challenge when a ban on smoking tobacco in restaurants and cafes came into effect yesterday.
The owners claim the law, which will allow customers to light up potent tobacco-free pure cannabis joints but ban milder spliffs in which tobacco is mixed with cannabis, threatens to put hundreds of them out of business.
“It’s a bit like saying to someone you can go into a cafe and you can buy a beer, but you can’t drink it there - you’ll have to stick to whisky, rum and vodka,” said Paul Wilhelm, owner of De Tweede Kamer, a popular Amsterdam coffee shop.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:27 am
Genetic Testing Using Your Cell Phone
Check your DNA with your cellphone? Electrostatic analysis makes it possible
Genetic testing to see how susceptible you might be to things like baldness or cancer is pretty common. What you might not know is how involved the analysis can be - it needs fancy chemical labeling and sophisticated instruments, stuff that’s not too common in undeveloped countries. Fortunately some smart scientists at Berkeley created a technique that uses electrostatic tech instead, which simplifies the whole shebang.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:14 am
To Boldly Bike Where No Man Has Biked Before
Clearly 007 had to be watching in the background
Designed by a team at Cranfield University in Bedfordshire this ultimate boy toy can climb a 407mm vertical wall, go down a 40 per cent side slope and operate in up to 610mm of water. You can use it to drive over obstacles, cross rivers and do all the things you wouldn’t want to do while in the car yourself. (Video)
Continue Reading »
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:03 am
Space Saving Chair Design
Wall Chair
One piece of molded plastic and two pieces of rubber is all it takes to make the Wall Chair. The rest of the chair is formed by any wall and any floor. In other words, if the chair is standing, have a seat.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:01 am
Broccoli Fights Cancer
Just a few more portions of broccoli each week may protect men from prostate cancer, British researchers reported on Wednesday.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:01 am
Device To Help Elderly Walk
Walking device developed by Honda
Honda has been working on a device that helps elderly people with weak leg muscles, walk with conviction. The device just fits on your hips and thighs which help support your walking. Honda began looking into this technology way back in 1999 and have since researched it immensely and are in the feasibility stage.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:00 am
Mental Imagery Affects Visual Perception
A graphic depiction of the sequence of events in the experiment from top left to bottom right.
First, a person looks at a blank screen and imagines a green pattern. Next, she puts on the red-green glasses and looks at a screen with two superimposed patterns: one green and one red. The green pattern is visible to one eye and the red image is visible to the other eye. The longer she has spent imagining the green pattern, the more likely it is that she will see the green pattern, demonstrating that what people imagine can influence what they see later in time.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:42 am
Modular Sound Flute For Kids Lets Any Sound Be Played As An Instrument
A Modular Sound Toy
This brightly colored modular recorder is made up of detachable cylinders that can each be separately loaded with a unique digital sound (either by using a PC to drag-and-drop it or by using it to manually record input) which can then be played with a push of a button.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:31 am
Eco-Friendlier Fireworks May Be Exploding Soon
Anatomy of Environmental Impact
A firework is a low explosive pyrotechnic used for entertainment such at firework displays and holiday celebrations (4th of July, New Years, etc). Brilliant in color and explosively loud fireworks bring smiles and joy to people all over the world, but as beautiful as they are to watch there is some concern that fireworks may be dangerous to our health and to our environment. Continue Reading »
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:20 am
Translucent Ocean Creatures
Juvenile Cowfish. Photo: Chris Newbert/Minden Pictures
A photographer’s strobe gives a violet sheen to this translucent juvenile roundbelly cowfish off the coast of Kona, Hawaii. Also known as the transparent boxfish, the roundbelly cowfish has two short horns in front of its eyes.
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Nuts Are Good Food
A British study suggests almonds, as well as being a vitamin and mineral source, might present other health benefits, such as producing good bacteria.
The study by scientists at the Institute of Food Research in Colney, England, identified potential prebiotic properties of almonds that could help improve digestive health by increasing levels of beneficial gut bacteria.
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Mobility for the Disabled
The greatest gift of technology, arguably, is ‘mobility for the physically challenged’. We have been witness to a remarkable progress on this front, with automatic wheelchairs being replaced by robotic exoskeletons that are as much a part of one’s body as original limbs are. TheyShallWalk, a non-profit medical research organization, has taken this concept to the next level by unveiling its prototype LIFESUIT.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:38 am
The Roush Horse Trainer - For People Serious About Training Horses
Horse training has just gone super high tech
This vehicle is used by Roush Technologies for Turkish-based Kurt Systems, to train horses so they win races. It allows trainers to be close to the animals while training them and monitoring their vital signs.
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:59 am
Eco Brolly Turns Anything Into An Umbrella
An Eco Umbrella
If you’ve ever been caught in a sudden and unexpected downpour (you probably weren’t wearing your weather forecasting Suunto Lumi) you’ll know that a newspaper can make for a half-decent substitute umbrella. But holding it over your head while trying to keep yourself and whatever else you’re carrying dry can be difficult.
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:46 am
Earth’s Cries as Heard from Space
A White Male Figure in the Sky is Shedding Tears for The Planet?
Scientists knew that Earth is crying since the 1970s, but they’ve just recently been able to listen to it.
The “cry” is actually a series of chirp and whistles created by solar wind particles colliding with the Earth’s magnetic field high above the planet, and is called the Auroral Kilometric Radiation (AKR):
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:37 am
Watermelon is Nature’s Viagra
If you thought watermelon is just a fruit that refreshes parched throats, here’s something you should know - the juicy fruit has ingredients that deliver Viagra-like effects to the body’s blood vessels and may even increase libido.