Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Leonardo Da Vinci: The Complete Paintings And Drawings
This Book is amazing. Highly recommended, so choice!
Tivoli Audio IPal
Perfect for the beach and listening to the Sox. Has plug in for Ipod as well. $199
Chismillionare's weekend bag
Perfect size, perfect handles. Just toss in the trunk for a weekend away
http://www.hartmann.com/shop/productDetail.asp?sku=1860-B
Self Assembling Nano Structures
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have found an easy way to make a complex nanostructure that consists of tiny rods studded with nanocrystals. The new self-assembly synthesis method could lead to intricate nanomaterials for more-efficient solar cells and less expensive devices for directly converting heat into electricity.
In the structures, the quantum dots are all about the same size and are spaced evenly along the rods--a feat that in the past required special conditions such as a vacuum, with researchers carefully controlling the size and spacing of different materials, says Paul Alivisatos, the professor of chemistry and materials science at Berkeley who led the work. In contrast, Alivisatos simply mixes together the appropriate starting materials in a solution; these materials then arrange themselves into the orderly structure.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/19108/
In the structures, the quantum dots are all about the same size and are spaced evenly along the rods--a feat that in the past required special conditions such as a vacuum, with researchers carefully controlling the size and spacing of different materials, says Paul Alivisatos, the professor of chemistry and materials science at Berkeley who led the work. In contrast, Alivisatos simply mixes together the appropriate starting materials in a solution; these materials then arrange themselves into the orderly structure.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/19108/
Glue with an On and Off switch
Researchers at the University of Sheffield, in the UK, have made an adhesive that can be turned on and off with an external switch. The switch is the acidity of the solution surrounding the glue: two different kinds of polymers in the glue attract each other based on the solution's acidity. By repeatedly making the solution less or more acidic, Mark Geoghegan and his colleagues can switch the adhesive's stickiness, making two surfaces bond together and then come apart up to five times
http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/19120/
http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/19120/
Monday, July 30, 2007
Why the United States is best!
F15 Eagle- never been shot down in almost 30 years of service 104-0
Take off to 30,000 feet in 60 seconds still holds the time to climb record!
And then it's a
Take off to 30,000 feet in 60 seconds still holds the time to climb record!
And then it's a
Satellite killer
ASM-135 test launch.
From January 1984 to September 1986, an F-15A was used as a launch platform for five ASM-135 ASAT missiles. The F-15A went into a Mach 1.22, 3.8 g climb of 65° and released the ASAT missile at an altitude of 38,100 feet (11.6 km). The F-15A computer was updated to control the zoom-climb and missile release. The third test flight involved a retired communications satellite in a 345 mile (555 km) orbit, which was successfully destroyed by sheer kinetic energy. The pilot, USAF Major Wilbert D. "Doug" Pearson, became the only pilot to destroy a satellite.[9][10]
ASM-135 test launch.
From January 1984 to September 1986, an F-15A was used as a launch platform for five ASM-135 ASAT missiles. The F-15A went into a Mach 1.22, 3.8 g climb of 65° and released the ASAT missile at an altitude of 38,100 feet (11.6 km). The F-15A computer was updated to control the zoom-climb and missile release. The third test flight involved a retired communications satellite in a 345 mile (555 km) orbit, which was successfully destroyed by sheer kinetic energy. The pilot, USAF Major Wilbert D. "Doug" Pearson, became the only pilot to destroy a satellite.[9][10]
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Microsoft embraces BitTorrent
Microsoft released a beta of Visual Studio 2008 last week and to go along with it the company has unveiled a new downloading scheme that sounds a lot like bittorrent. The Microsoft Secure Content Downloader (MSCD) as the new protocol is known, is what Microsoft describes as “a peer-assisted download manager.”
Further details make the setup sound even more like bittorrent. From the MSCD site:
Each client downloads content by exchanging parts of the file they’re interested in with other clients, in addition to downloading parts from the server.
No matter how great the internet’s demand for the file, you will always be able to make progress downloading.
MSCD lets you download content quicker than is possible without peer assistance.
Unlike bittorrent though, these files are secured through an unspecified mechanism, but otherwise the system sounds like Microsoft has reinvented bittorrent as a means of downloading software updates. Or at least is testing the system.
http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/07/microsoft-embra.html
Here’s where it gets interesting though:
Some MSCD clients may be connected to each other via peer connections, forming a ‘cloud’ of clients. Pieces of the file you are downloading are sent through these peer connections between clients, as well as through connections with the file server. As a member of the cloud, your computer both serves as a client and server to other members of the cloud. Data destined for the cloud may be routed through your computer and sent to other cloud members. The other cloud members connected to you will be able to access only pieces of the file you are downloading via MSCD – they have no access to any other data on your computer
Further details make the setup sound even more like bittorrent. From the MSCD site:
Each client downloads content by exchanging parts of the file they’re interested in with other clients, in addition to downloading parts from the server.
No matter how great the internet’s demand for the file, you will always be able to make progress downloading.
MSCD lets you download content quicker than is possible without peer assistance.
Unlike bittorrent though, these files are secured through an unspecified mechanism, but otherwise the system sounds like Microsoft has reinvented bittorrent as a means of downloading software updates. Or at least is testing the system.
http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/07/microsoft-embra.html
Here’s where it gets interesting though:
Some MSCD clients may be connected to each other via peer connections, forming a ‘cloud’ of clients. Pieces of the file you are downloading are sent through these peer connections between clients, as well as through connections with the file server. As a member of the cloud, your computer both serves as a client and server to other members of the cloud. Data destined for the cloud may be routed through your computer and sent to other cloud members. The other cloud members connected to you will be able to access only pieces of the file you are downloading via MSCD – they have no access to any other data on your computer
Beer Cannon
My friends actually made this, they were supposed to be on David Letterman last week, but due to problems with Milwaukee's Best they have to wait. But until it is on tv there is youtube:
Beer Cannon Montage
Beer Cannon 101
Beer Cannon Montage
Beer Cannon 101
For the DeLorean, it's back to the present
New DeLorean
The iconic gull-winged sports car is once again hot, and there are plans afoot to place it back in production.
The iconic gull-winged sports car is once again hot, and there are plans afoot to place it back in production.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Giant Prehistoric Tusks Found in Greece
ATHENS, Greece - Researchers in northern Greece have uncovered two massive tusks of a prehistoric mastodon that roamed Europe more than 2 million years ago — tusks that could be the largest of their kind ever found. The remains of the mastodon, which was similar to the woolly mammoth but had straighter tusks as well as different teeth and eating habits, were found in an area about 250 miles north of Athens where excavations have uncovered several prehistoric animals over the past decade.
One of the tusks measured 16-feet-4-inches long and the other was more than 15 feet long, the research team said. They were found with the animal's upper and lower jaws — still bearing teeth — and leg bones, said Evangelia Tsoukala, an assistant professor of geology at the University of Thessaloniki, who led the team that excavated the site.
"To find a tusk 5 meters (more than 16 feet) long, that was a big surprise," Tsoukala told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from the site late Wednesday.
"It's a very significant find because with these sections of the skeleton we can draw conclusions about this animal and its development," she added. "We are also looking for clues about its extinction."
Mastodons, an ancestor of the elephant, roamed Europe, Asia and North America, but how they became extinct remains a mystery. They are thought to have disappeared in Europe and Asia some 2 million years ago, but survived in North America until 10,000 years ago.
Tsoukala said the male animal discovered in Greece lived about 2.5 million years ago.
"This animal was in its prime. It was 25 to 30 years old; they lived until about 55. It was about 3.5 meters (11 1/2 feet) tall at the shoulder, and weighed around six tons," Tsoukala said.
Dutch researcher Dick Mol, who assisted with the excavation, said plant material found near the tusks would be analyzed to try to determine the environment the animal lived in.
He said the skeleton could also provide information.
"It's really a gold mine," said Mol, a research associate at the Museum of Natural History in Rotterdam. "These are the best preserved skeletons in the world of this species."
Dave Martill, a paleontologist at the University of Portsmouth in England, said scientists can analyze the growth rings in the tusks to learn more about the world's climate at the time the mastodon lived.
"These animals, in their bones, hold a whole load of information about the environment at the time — not just the animal," said Martill, an independent expert not connected with the excavation.
The bones will also be scoured for the remote chance of finding DNA material.
Researchers from Germany and the United States recently analyzed genetic material from an American mastodon recovered from fossils up to 130,000 years old found in Alaska, providing clearer insight into the evolution of elephants.
If DNA is recovered from the animal found in Greece — which Mol acknowledges is "very doubtful" — it could allow researchers to compare it to other European and American mastodon fossils at an unprecedented level of detail.
The tusks were discovered in October by an excavation machine operator working at a sand quarry, but it took months for the scientific investigation to be organized.
Tsoukala, who has been conducting excavations in the region since 1990, found a mastodon tusk measuring more than 14 feet long in the same area 10 years ago. She said the latest discovery is more significant because the skeletal remains are more complete.
Metal Pen- 30 bucks no lead or ink
How does it work?In the Medieval period, artists and scribes often used a metal stylus in order to draw on a specially prepared paper surface. Generally known as Metalpoint, or Silverpoint when the stylus was made of silver, artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Dürer and Rembrandt all used this technique. http://www.silverpointweb.com/index.html gives a lot of information about how it works.The pens we sell are a modern version (and do not use silver). The solid metal 'nib' consists of a metal alloy, that leaves a mark on most types of paper. If you use the sort of paper typically used in printers and photocopiers, the pen leaves a mark that looks as if it was made by a pencil. However the line will not smudge, and cannot be rubbed out.Since there is no ink, there is nothing to dry out, so the pen will work just as well in 25 years time as it does today. And of course it never needs sharpening!I would guess that in time the nib would begin to wear down, as you are leaving a small amount of metal on the page. However this has got to be a much slower process than with a pencil, which wears down pretty quickly. If you are planning to write the definitive 21st century novel, I would recommend a regular pen. However as a scientific curiousity, we like this pen a lot.The pen comes in a very smart, circular, silver coloured metal presentation tin, and would make a very unusual gift.
Chrysler Ups the Ante With Lifetime Powertrain Warranty
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — In what it described as an "unprecedented announcement," Chrysler Group said on Thursday that it is offering a lifetime powertrain warranty on all of its 2007 and 2008 models starting today. The new powertrain warranty covers everything from the 4.7-liter V8 in the 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee to the 600-hp 8.4-liter V10 in the 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10.
"We just finished a call with all of our dealers across the country," said Steven Landry, executive vice president of Chrysler Group North American sales and marketing, service and parts. " 'Turning point,' 'jump start' were some of the words the dealers were using." The warranty is nontransferable to subsequent owners. Landry said it will be limited to the first owner or holder of the first retail lease. Subsequent owners will get the three-year/36,000-mile coverage. Landry said the new warranty covers the "most expensive" parts on a vehicle and also covers front- and rear-wheel-drive components. Consumers are required to have a mandatory powertrain inspection at the dealership once every five years to maintain the warranty. Landry also said the new powertrain deal could bring the company's incentive spending down, although "we are not going to count on that." The Chrysler Group had one of the most paltry warranties in the auto industry prior to today, at three years/36,000 miles. The Korean manufacturers pioneered warranty coverage with a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, which was quickly emulated by automakers from Suzuki to General Motors. Suzuki currently offers a seven-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty. GM offers a five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty that is fully transferable to other owners of the vehicle. What this means to you: Chrysler demonstrates enormous confidence in its new powertrains with this industry-first warranty coverage. And that's good news for buyer
"We just finished a call with all of our dealers across the country," said Steven Landry, executive vice president of Chrysler Group North American sales and marketing, service and parts. " 'Turning point,' 'jump start' were some of the words the dealers were using." The warranty is nontransferable to subsequent owners. Landry said it will be limited to the first owner or holder of the first retail lease. Subsequent owners will get the three-year/36,000-mile coverage. Landry said the new warranty covers the "most expensive" parts on a vehicle and also covers front- and rear-wheel-drive components. Consumers are required to have a mandatory powertrain inspection at the dealership once every five years to maintain the warranty. Landry also said the new powertrain deal could bring the company's incentive spending down, although "we are not going to count on that." The Chrysler Group had one of the most paltry warranties in the auto industry prior to today, at three years/36,000 miles. The Korean manufacturers pioneered warranty coverage with a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, which was quickly emulated by automakers from Suzuki to General Motors. Suzuki currently offers a seven-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty. GM offers a five-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty that is fully transferable to other owners of the vehicle. What this means to you: Chrysler demonstrates enormous confidence in its new powertrains with this industry-first warranty coverage. And that's good news for buyer
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Trailer for the new Coen Brother's flick...
Who doesn't love the Coen Brothers? (Fargo, Raising Arizona, and so on)
This latest flick looks extremely dark and possibly disturbing - two elements of a great movie!
Zesto's Pizza and Grille- Yeoman's suggestion
Greek salad and Feta with steak tips hoagie is the cat's ass according to Yeoman's
460 Centre St Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Tel: 617-524-2004
Hours: Store Hours: Monday-Saturday: 11:00 Am-10:00 Pm,Sunday: 12:00 Noon-9:00 Pm
Burgers, Burgers & Sandwiches, Calzones, Calzones, Dinner Plates, French Fries, Fresh Deluxe Salads, Garlic Bread, Home Style Pizzas, Pasta Dinners, Pizza, Pasta Dinners, Salads, Subs & Wraps, Seasoned Fries
460 Centre St Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Tel: 617-524-2004
Hours: Store Hours: Monday-Saturday: 11:00 Am-10:00 Pm,Sunday: 12:00 Noon-9:00 Pm
Burgers, Burgers & Sandwiches, Calzones, Calzones, Dinner Plates, French Fries, Fresh Deluxe Salads, Garlic Bread, Home Style Pizzas, Pasta Dinners, Pizza, Pasta Dinners, Salads, Subs & Wraps, Seasoned Fries
SciFi Guilty Pleasures of the 80's
Wil Wheaton, best known as the star of Stand By Me and Star Trek: The Next Generation (and who these days is part pro poker player and part writer) dishes on some of the greatest (and at the same time, the worst) SciFi guilty pleasures of the 80's. (bonus: this link is on the Suicide Girls website - one of my personal guilty pleasures) (bonus 2: he provides a drinking game suggestion to go along with each flick)Wednesday, July 25, 2007
The Simpsons on Drugs
It's no secret — The Simpsons
has relied as heavily on drug humor as Diff'rent Strokes did on "whatchootalkinboutwillis." Ranging from binge drinking to marijuana use to LSD-like hallucinations, all the members of the Simpson clan — and a great many other residents of Springfield — have enjoyed a wide variety of drug-induced exploits.Top 10 Spacewalks
Extra-vehicular activity (EVA) is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth and outside of a spacecraft. The term most commonly applies to an EVA made outside a craft orbiting Earth (a spacewalk). As of September 13, 2006, 158 astronauts had made spacewalks (out of 448 astronauts ever in space). These are some of the most interesting moments in spacewalks history:Link
Power Hour at Morton's
Every Monday through Friday from 5-6:30pm and 9:30 to 11pm, Morton serves its five signature bar bites for $4 each. You can get chicken goujonettes(fried chicken strips); three mini cheeseburgers; jumbo lump crab, spinach and artichoke dip. Also four petit filet mignon sandwiches and french fries- which would usually sell from $6.50 to $11 each sandwich anyway.
699 Boylston St
617-266-5858
www.mortons.com
699 Boylston St
617-266-5858
www.mortons.com
Sakku solar powered messenger bags
The sakku solar bag is available in 2 variants:
sakku akku: Comes with an integrated rechargeable battery which stores the solar energy continously. The stored energy can be used by devices anywhere and anytime - also at night. sakku direct: Charges a device as soon as there is sunlight.
How and where can i use the sakku solar bag?
Everytime and everywhere: Charging your cell phone or PDA without a power socket.
At the beach: Listening music from your iPod the whole day - without changing the batteries.
Outdoor: Charge your GPS or your digital camera.
The most important tokens of the sakku solar bag are:
Usage of flexible and weatherproof solar cells
Usage of used sails from sail boats
Easy removal of the electronic components to wash the sakku solar bag
http://www.sakku.ch/en/produkte.html
Jessica the Hippo
I'm not usually a sappy guy, so please excuse the "cute" post - especially for my first, but this is just friggin' amazing. Especially when you consider that Hippos are generally regarded as one of the most aggressive and deadly animals on the planet.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Don't go gaga over Google- The business is a dynamo. The stock is a pipe dream, says Fortune's Geoff Colvin
With Google in its mid-toddler years as a public company - it turns three on Aug. 19 - it has achieved something truly historic: It has created more investor wealth in less time than any company in history. So investors, repeat after me: All hail, Google! But don't put it in the wealth-creation pantheon quite yet. And please don't buy it at today's price.
The company's Wall Street rise has been breathtaking, especially when you look at wealth creation in the most fundamental and revealing way: total dollars that investors could take out today (the market value of all equity and debt) minus total dollars that they put in (equity investments, loans and retained earnings).
Google's figure is $149 billion and rising fast, pushing the company past most of America's biggest, most successful, most respected corporations. With Google (Charts, Fortune 500) at its recent record stock price of well over $500, only three companies have created more wealth: General Electric (Charts, Fortune 500), Exxon Mobil (Charts, Fortune 500) and Microsoft (Charts, Fortune 500).
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/08/06/100141308/index.htm?postversion=2007072403
The company's Wall Street rise has been breathtaking, especially when you look at wealth creation in the most fundamental and revealing way: total dollars that investors could take out today (the market value of all equity and debt) minus total dollars that they put in (equity investments, loans and retained earnings).
Google's figure is $149 billion and rising fast, pushing the company past most of America's biggest, most successful, most respected corporations. With Google (Charts, Fortune 500) at its recent record stock price of well over $500, only three companies have created more wealth: General Electric (Charts, Fortune 500), Exxon Mobil (Charts, Fortune 500) and Microsoft (Charts, Fortune 500).
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/08/06/100141308/index.htm?postversion=2007072403
Mercedes Benz rolls out cross between regular and Diesel Engine
STUTTGART, Germany — Mercedes-Benz rolled out the intriguing DiesOtto powertrain concept on Tuesday. It's basically a cross between a gas and a diesel engine that "requires no synthetic fuels but can be operated using conventional gasoline." It did not specify a timetable for when such a unit would be available in a production vehicle, stating only that "the new drive concept is a feasible proposition in the midterm."
The DiesOtto is a 238-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers 295 pound-feet of torque. It features direct gasoline injection, turbocharging and variable compression, along with "controlled auto ignition," which is described as a "highly efficient combustion process similar to that of a diesel." Fuel consumption is said to be "less than 6 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers," or about 39 mpg. Mercedes-Benz said the aforementioned numbers do not apply to a "small or compact car, but to a vehicle the size of the current S-Class."
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=121817#2
Get your Goggles- Callaway C16 Spyder
Chismillionare is in love- Hot laps at Willow Springs or laying down 11.4 in the quarter with room for the bocce ball set and a picnic basket.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=121815#2
Future of the Environment on Google Earth
Explore the geographic locations found in our special issue via amazing annotated satellite imagery.
To coincide with our special Future of the Environment issue, we've constructed a Google Earth layer highlighting several geographic points of environmental interest around the world. If you're already a Google Earth user, download and open the layer here to begin browsing; if not, now is a perfect time to start exploring one of the more amazing pieces of mapping software ever conceived!
Origami optics for camera phone
Cellphone designers strive for sleekness, a quality that makes it nearly impossible to include a quality zoom lens on your phone. The thin, wide-angle lenses found in today's phones work fine for panoramic shots, but forget about crisp close-ups. To zoom in, cellphone cams simply stretch pixels, which kills image quality.
Now researchers at the University of California at San Diego have borrowed a mirror trick from reflective-telescope makers to cram sharp telephoto capability into a package just a few millimeters thick. The technique uses mirrors to bounce light back and forth, lengthening the path light travels (which increases the potential for magnification) without bulking up the length of the optic.
To make the lens, engineering professor Joseph Ford and graduate student Eric Tremblay carved an array of concentric reflective rings into a single optical crystal, creating a miniature hall of mirrors. When light enters the camera's aperture, it bounces from ring to ring and eventually lands on a central sensor that interprets the information and produces close-up telephoto images on your screen. The new optic is seven times as thin as a traditional, 35-millimeter refractive lens, with nearly equivalent image quality.
The researchers have applied for a patent on the technology and are working on a version of the optic that's one fifth the current size—which could be good news for your cameraphone in a couple years.
Now researchers at the University of California at San Diego have borrowed a mirror trick from reflective-telescope makers to cram sharp telephoto capability into a package just a few millimeters thick. The technique uses mirrors to bounce light back and forth, lengthening the path light travels (which increases the potential for magnification) without bulking up the length of the optic.
To make the lens, engineering professor Joseph Ford and graduate student Eric Tremblay carved an array of concentric reflective rings into a single optical crystal, creating a miniature hall of mirrors. When light enters the camera's aperture, it bounces from ring to ring and eventually lands on a central sensor that interprets the information and produces close-up telephoto images on your screen. The new optic is seven times as thin as a traditional, 35-millimeter refractive lens, with nearly equivalent image quality.
The researchers have applied for a patent on the technology and are working on a version of the optic that's one fifth the current size—which could be good news for your cameraphone in a couple years.
Plug in hybrids
In plug-in hybrids, a large battery pack that is recharged by plugging it in stores enough energy to power a car entirely, or almost entirely, with electricity for the first 40 miles or so of driving. For longer trips, the car reverts to conventional hybrid operation, relying largely on gasoline for power but improving efficiency: by storing energy from braking in the battery and using it for acceleration, for example.
The study shows that if plug-in hybrids are adopted widely in the United States, and if measures are taken to clean up power plants, by 2050, plug-in hybrids could reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 612 million metric tons, or roughly 5 percent of the total U.S. emissions expected in that time frame, according to Marcus Sarofim, a researcher at MIT's Joint Program for the Science and Policy of Global Change. That's a significant amount, he says, considering that transportation accounts for only about a third of the total greenhouse-gas emissions.
The study shows that if plug-in hybrids are adopted widely in the United States, and if measures are taken to clean up power plants, by 2050, plug-in hybrids could reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 612 million metric tons, or roughly 5 percent of the total U.S. emissions expected in that time frame, according to Marcus Sarofim, a researcher at MIT's Joint Program for the Science and Policy of Global Change. That's a significant amount, he says, considering that transportation accounts for only about a third of the total greenhouse-gas emissions.
Go fly a kite
Prism Quantum—Swoop to the Loop
Fragile kites of old usually got eaten by demonic trees or broken after crashing to earth. Not the Quantum: It’s a testament to tough construction, with a sturdy graphite frame that held strong after repeated kamikaze crashes. The shock absorber built into the tail also helped keep this 7-footer in flying condition despite our repeated attempts to burrow through sand and silt. —Carlos Bergfeld and Jake Swearingen
WIRED Well-written directions and clips for no-knot line attachment make setup a snap. Folds down to a manageable three feet. Two straightforward settings for basic or advanced flight. Wide wind range (3-25 mph).
TIRED Even advanced line setting didn’t feel terribly responsive in mid-range wind. Instructions didn’t offer much advice beyond getting the kite in the air.
$90, prismkites.com
Fragile kites of old usually got eaten by demonic trees or broken after crashing to earth. Not the Quantum: It’s a testament to tough construction, with a sturdy graphite frame that held strong after repeated kamikaze crashes. The shock absorber built into the tail also helped keep this 7-footer in flying condition despite our repeated attempts to burrow through sand and silt. —Carlos Bergfeld and Jake Swearingen
WIRED Well-written directions and clips for no-knot line attachment make setup a snap. Folds down to a manageable three feet. Two straightforward settings for basic or advanced flight. Wide wind range (3-25 mph).
TIRED Even advanced line setting didn’t feel terribly responsive in mid-range wind. Instructions didn’t offer much advice beyond getting the kite in the air.
$90, prismkites.com
How to disable your passport RFID chip
All passports issued by the US State Department after January 1 will have always-on radio frequency identification chips, making it easy for officials – and hackers – to grab your personal stats. Getting paranoid about strangers slurping up your identity? Here’s what you can do about it. But be careful – tampering with a passport is punishable by 25 years in prison. Not to mention the “special” customs search, with rubber gloves. Bon voyage!
1) RFID-tagged passports have a distinctive logo on the front cover; the chip is embedded in the back.
2) Sorry, “accidentally” leaving your passport in the jeans you just put in the washer won’t work. You’re more likely to ruin the passport itself than the chip.
3) Forget about nuking it in the microwave – the chip could burst into flames, leaving telltale scorch marks. Besides, have you ever smelled burnt passport?
4) The best approach? Hammer time. Hitting the chip with a blunt, hard object should disable it. A nonworking RFID doesn’t invalidate the passport, so you can still use it.
– Jenna Wortham
1) RFID-tagged passports have a distinctive logo on the front cover; the chip is embedded in the back.
2) Sorry, “accidentally” leaving your passport in the jeans you just put in the washer won’t work. You’re more likely to ruin the passport itself than the chip.
3) Forget about nuking it in the microwave – the chip could burst into flames, leaving telltale scorch marks. Besides, have you ever smelled burnt passport?
4) The best approach? Hammer time. Hitting the chip with a blunt, hard object should disable it. A nonworking RFID doesn’t invalidate the passport, so you can still use it.
– Jenna Wortham
TV Forecast
If you've ever missed an episode of your favorite TV show, tuned in only to find that it wasn't airing or are just looking for a TV guide personalized to your taste, then look no further than TV Forecast.
TV Forecast helps you to keep an eye on all of your favorite TV shows by keeping them together in one place: on the dashboard.
TV Forecast helps you to keep an eye on all of your favorite TV shows by keeping them together in one place: on the dashboard.
http://www.bigbucketblog.com/tv/
Monday, July 23, 2007
Saving Neurons and Memories
A compound that's known to extend life span in worms and fish could also stop neuron damage and cognitive decline.
Physicians can treat the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, but there is no way to prevent or reverse the underlying degeneration and death of neurons that characterize these diseases. Now research by scientists at Harvard and MIT suggests a potential new therapeutic approach.
The scientists have shown that a gene called SIRT1 and a plant compound found in red wine called resveratrol can protect against neuron degeneration in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The researchers demonstrated that activating SIRT1 and injecting resveratrol, which have both been previously associated with life-span extension in lower organisms, can also prevent cognitive problems in the mice.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/19080/
Profiting from mortality- Death Bonds
Death bond is shorthand for a gentler term the industry prefers: life settlement-backed security. Whatever the name, it's as macabre an investing concept as Wall Street has ever cooked up. Some 90 million Americans own life insurance, but many of them find the premiums too expensive; others would simply prefer to cash in early. "Life settlements" are arrangements that offer people the chance to sell their policies to investors, who keep paying the premiums until the sellers die and then collect the payout. For the investors it's a ghoulish actuarial gamble: The quicker the death, the more profit is reaped. Most of the transactions are done by small local firms called life settlement providers, which in the past have typically sold the policies to hedge funds. Now, Wall Street sees huge profits in buying policies, throwing them into a pool, dividing the pool into bonds, and selling the bonds to pension funds, college endowments, and other professional investors. If the market develops as Wall Street expects, ordinary mutual funds will soon be able to get in on the action, too.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_31/b4044001.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_top+story
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_31/b4044001.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_top+story
Friday, July 20, 2007
Faster File transfer
Aria using FastTCP to speed up transfers
Aria, a new product from California-based startup FastSoft, speeds up the transfer of any large file over the Internet, without requiring hardware or software on the receiving end. According to Dan Henderson, FastSoft's vice president of product and market development, a 700-megabyte movie file that takes 50 minutes to download regionally via a cable-modem connection can be downloaded in 34 minutes if the sender uses Aria. Overseas transfers show a bigger difference, with the same 700-megabyte movie taking nearly eight hours to download from Asia via a cable modem, and about 45 minutes with Aria.
Caltech researchers designed FastTCP, the algorithm behind Aria, to improve on Reno(Normal TCP protocol). In academic trials, Henderson says, FastTCP has set data-transfer records, transferring data at a sustained rate of 101 gigabits per second. That's equivalent to transmitting the contents of the Library of Congress in 15 minutes.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19073/
Aria, a new product from California-based startup FastSoft, speeds up the transfer of any large file over the Internet, without requiring hardware or software on the receiving end. According to Dan Henderson, FastSoft's vice president of product and market development, a 700-megabyte movie file that takes 50 minutes to download regionally via a cable-modem connection can be downloaded in 34 minutes if the sender uses Aria. Overseas transfers show a bigger difference, with the same 700-megabyte movie taking nearly eight hours to download from Asia via a cable modem, and about 45 minutes with Aria.
Caltech researchers designed FastTCP, the algorithm behind Aria, to improve on Reno(Normal TCP protocol). In academic trials, Henderson says, FastTCP has set data-transfer records, transferring data at a sustained rate of 101 gigabits per second. That's equivalent to transmitting the contents of the Library of Congress in 15 minutes.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19073/
Higher Capacity Flash memory.
Metal nanocrystals can more than double memory capacity
Flash memory is in nearly every handheld gadget, from digital cameras to iPhones. Now Nanosys, a startup based in Palo Alto, CA, says it has found a material that can double the capacity of flash memory found in conventional chips by adding self-assembled metal nanocrystals to the flash manufacturing process. Nanosys, which has shown that the tiny particles of metal are compatible with today's manufacturing processes, has deals with flash makers Intel and Micron Technologies and expects that metal nanocrystals will be in products as early as 2009.
The new technology could be a boon to the rapidly growing flash industry. The capacity of electronic memory has steadily increased over the years, tracking with Moore's Law, which predicts that the number of transistors on a chip will double every two years. However, the dimensions of individual memory cells in flash chips are only shrinking in the horizontal direction, and not the vertical direction, due to material and physical constraints.
The new technology could be a boon to the rapidly growing flash industry. The capacity of electronic memory has steadily increased over the years, tracking with Moore's Law, which predicts that the number of transistors on a chip will double every two years. However, the dimensions of individual memory cells in flash chips are only shrinking in the horizontal direction, and not the vertical direction, due to material and physical constraints.
Shanghai Maglev train 267 mph- solid
http://www.windingroad.com/videos/
Go to June videos and choose Chinese Maglev train
Chismillionare is amazed at why we can't get this built stateside?
Go to June videos and choose Chinese Maglev train
Chismillionare is amazed at why we can't get this built stateside?
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Robotic Insect Takes Off for the First Time
Researchers at Harvard have created a robotic fly that could one day be used for covert surveillance and detecting toxic chemicals.
A life-size, robotic fly has taken flight at Harvard University. Weighing only 60 grams, with a wingspan of three centimeters, the tiny robot's movements are modeled on those of a real fly. While much work remains to be done on the mechanical insect, the researchers say that such small flying machines could one day be used as spies, or for detecting harmful chemicals.
"Nature makes the world's best fliers," says Robert Wood, leader of Harvard's robotic-fly project and a professor at the university's school of engineering and applied sciences.
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is funding Wood's research in the hope that it will lead to stealth surveillance robots for the battlefield and urban environments. The robot's small size and fly-like appearance are critical to such missions. "You probably wouldn't notice a fly in the room, but you certainly would notice a hawk," Wood says
http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19068/
Nanoglue Sticks Underwater
Bandages might stay put even after a swim, thanks to a new adhesive developed by researchers at Northwestern University. The glue not only works well on wet surfaces, but it can also be pulled off and reused more than a thousand times.
The nanoglue is made of 400-nanometer-wide silicone pillars covered with a polymer that mimics the adhesive proteins found in mussels. In addition to bandages, the new material could be used in drug-delivery patches and in adhesive tapes to close surgical wounds, says Phillip Messersmith, a biomedical-engineering professor at Northwestern University, who reported the glue in Nature this week.
The nanoglue is made of 400-nanometer-wide silicone pillars covered with a polymer that mimics the adhesive proteins found in mussels. In addition to bandages, the new material could be used in drug-delivery patches and in adhesive tapes to close surgical wounds, says Phillip Messersmith, a biomedical-engineering professor at Northwestern University, who reported the glue in Nature this week.
Vaio TZ: The Little Notebook That Could?
Sony's Vaio TZ laptop closes in on the convergent hotspot around which subnotebooks have hovered for years: small size and great power combined with ubiquitous connectivity. But (drum roll, raised eyebrow, deep breath) is it any good? Does it take the nearly-there Vaio TX and hammer it home? Indications are that it does — if you can afford it.
The revision uses the X505-style wide-gap keyboard that Apple also likes, and has other design flourishes such as carbon-fiber frames in the more expensive models. Core 2 Duo and other spec bumps that fluff it into shape for the road-warriors, and at 2.7 lbs, with an 11" LED-backlit screen, optional 32GB flash drive, and 11.5 (yes, eleven-point-five) hours of claimed battery life, it's got great palmtop credentials.
The cons? It comes loaded with a crapload of craplets and the same steam-era Intel GPU that was in the earlier model. Oh, yes, one last thing: $2,200.
The cons? It comes loaded with a crapload of craplets and the same steam-era Intel GPU that was in the earlier model. Oh, yes, one last thing: $2,200.
So it's great, but Chismillionare still thinks the Asus Eee is the way to go in this segment and at a tenth of the price with no hour glass ever again!!!
Prosthetic Leg: Tough Enough for the Army
We've come a long way from the days of the peg leg. Back then, prosthetics were poor attempts to restore some functionality to amputees, or often purely cosmetic. Now we are entering a new stage, where replacement limbs actually outperform their natural equivalents.
Healthcare company Otto Bock, has just shown the newest version of its C-Leg (think about it). Designed for the armed forces, the C-Leg has a microprocessor controlled knee, which adjusts the hydraulic systems depending on the activity being carried out. It has a remote control to switch modes, including the new standing mode, which takes weight off the good leg.
One thing you can do with a false leg is to swap it out. Try doing that with your meat leg. Wired Magazine ran an article on Oscar Pistorius, a South African runner and double amputee who bolts on a couple of $15,000 carbon fibre legs and is almost fast enough to qualify for able bodied Olympic sprinting. Not bad.
So soon enough we'll see body enhancements, peripherals for humans. Let the cyborg reign begin
Healthcare company Otto Bock, has just shown the newest version of its C-Leg (think about it). Designed for the armed forces, the C-Leg has a microprocessor controlled knee, which adjusts the hydraulic systems depending on the activity being carried out. It has a remote control to switch modes, including the new standing mode, which takes weight off the good leg.
One thing you can do with a false leg is to swap it out. Try doing that with your meat leg. Wired Magazine ran an article on Oscar Pistorius, a South African runner and double amputee who bolts on a couple of $15,000 carbon fibre legs and is almost fast enough to qualify for able bodied Olympic sprinting. Not bad.
So soon enough we'll see body enhancements, peripherals for humans. Let the cyborg reign begin