10 Sci-Fi Weapons That Actually Exist

• By Aaron Rowe
• From: http://www.wired.com/

Sure, the gear may look like it came straight out of Avatar or Battlestar Galactica. But all of the laser weapons, robots, sonic blasters and puke rays pictured here are real. Some of these weapons have already found their way onto the battlefield. If the rest of this sci-fi arsenal follows, war may soon be unrecognizable.
Read on for a look at some of these futuristic weapons being tested today.
Above:
The XM-25 grenade launcher is equipped with a laser rangefinder and on-board computer. It packs a magazine of four 25mm projectiles, and programs them to detonate as they pass by their targets. That feature will allow soldiers to strike enemies who are taking cover. By 2012, the Army hopes to arm every infantry squad and Special Forces unit with at least one of the big guns.
In August, a lucky soldier got to pull the trigger, and fire off a HEAB, or High Explosive Air Burst, round at the Aberdeen Testing Ground in Maryland. Those projectiles pack quite a punch. They are purportedly 300 percent more effective than normal ammo, and will be able to strike targets as far as 700 meters (2,300 feet) away.
Photo courtesy U.S. Army

Remotely operated weapons are showing up everywhere. Israel is building an automated kill zone. An American firm, More Industries, offers a turret that can aim and fire two automatic shotguns.
Some bots have been defusing bombs for years, but none have seen combat. That’s a shame, according to Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch, who believes that 122 men could have been spared if combat bots had been working in their stead.
There was a set of armed robots sent to Iraq. They never fired a shot, however. They weren’t allowed to. No one could guarantee that the bots wouldn’t go berserk and mow down friendly troops or otherwise malfunction, even though they have lots of safeguards.
Considering how much firepower they pack, safeguards are really important. The Maars system (above) can be equipped with four grenade launchers and a machine gun that packs 400 rounds of 7.62 caliber ammunition.
But its manufacturers like to point out its less-lethal capabilities. Instead of mowing people down, it can stick to the fine print of the first law of robotics and fire tear gas canisters, smoke grenades, smoke bombs and perhaps even Taser’s upcoming 40mm people-zapper projectile. Three were deployed to Iraq last year.
Photo courtesy QinetiQ North America

The Active Denial System fires a beam of millimeter-wave radiation. It make people feel like their skin is burning without causing any permanent damage. Though promising as a nonlethal weapon, the pain ray has some serious limits.
On a rainy day, water droplets will disperse the beam, and it may feel warm and refreshing instead of frightening. On a hot day, the cooling system might give out. The problems don’t stop there. Raytheon’s baby is bulky, and despite repeated requests to send it into battle, shipments of the energy weapon have been delayed. The military is looking for a stronger, lighter weapon.
Photo courtesy U.S. Army

If troops spot someone suspicious approaching them, they can use the Long Range Acoustic Device to send a warning message. It fires narrow beams of sound waves that can be heard clearly from 300 meters (about a thousand feet) away. Crank up the power, and it can emit a warning tone so loud that anyone in its path would have no choice but to cover their ears and run.
The manufacturer doesn’t like to call these devices weapons, even though they’ve been used to repel pirates. Cops used them to harass protesters at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh this year.
Photo courtesy U.S. Marine Corps

Drones are arguably the most controversial weapon in the war on terror. By some accounts, they are deeply feared by the Taliban.
They’ve taken out many Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders, and their sound when flying low is a constant annoyance and a reminder of their menace . But they also kill a lot of civilians.
They are, however, far more cost effective than supersonic fighter jets. Predators can pack two Hellfire missiles. Their big brothers, Reapers, can hold four Hellfires and two 500-pound bombs.
Photo courtesy Bryan William Jones

Photo courtesy of Bryan William Jones

Flash bang grenades were designed to stun people. But they have a pretty bad safety record. The little bombs have dismembered at least one soldier and caused hearing loss in others.
To remedy that problem, Mark Grubelich and his colleagues at Sandia National Laboratory built the Improved Flash Bang Grenade. It hurls flaming aluminum particles into the air, causing a bright flash without an accompanying shockwave.
Photo courtesy Sandia National Laboratory

Even the angriest mobs would probably think twice about trying to pass a Taser Shockwave barrier. It is the less-lethal equivalent of a claymore mine. Push the big red button, and it will fire 24 electrified probes at the same time in a single direction.
Photo: Pat Shannahan/Wired.com

After learning about an experimental weapon that can make people feel seasick, Limor Fried and Phil Torrone decided to build their own. They did it for less than $250, and wrote step-by-step instructions so that anyone can make one at home.
It can create a nauseating lightshow with 36 pulsating LEDs.
Their design has a bonus feature. You can set it to disco mode. Instead of making you sick, the weapon will add life to your next party.
Photo courtesy Bedazzler

If you’re worried that someone’s about to attack you, but not completely sure of their intent, it’s a good idea to give them a warning before pulling the trigger. Green laser pointers are a great way to extend that courtesy. The Marines like to call them “ocular interruption devices.”
Shine one in someone’s face, and your target should immediately get the message that it’s time to back off. The LA-9/P, made by B.E. Meyers, can warn people from up to 4 kilometers (2½ miles) away. It fires a 250-milliwatt beam. That’s roughly 1/4,000 the strength of the smallest anti-aircraft lasers.
Even so, you’ve got to be careful when handling the thing. Over a few months in Iraq, a dozen soldiers were wounded in dazzler “friendly fire.” Several troops may have been injured while monkeying around with laser target designators, which are substantially more powerful than the less-lethal devices.
Photo courtesy B.E. Meyers

Behold the Laser Avenger, a cannon that could be used to take down incoming aircraft. Boeing was able to shoot a drone out of the sky with the hummer-mounted laser, even though it’s not particularly high-powered. It cooked the remote-controlled aircraft using a somewhat feeble 1-kilowatt beam.
More recently, the company shot down another UAV using a low-power laser paired with its Mobile Active Targeting Resource for Integrated eXperiments, or Matrix, system during a test in White Sands, New Mexico.
Northrop Grumman is hard at work on a 100-kilowatt laser weapon, which could do far more damage, but it’s not quite ready for prime time. It’s fully operational, but looks like a refrigerator.
Boeing announced in late December that the Avenger has been used to destroy 50 different improvised explosive devices, during tests at Redstone Aresenal in Huntsville, Alabama.
Photo courtesy Boeing

'The Simpsons' set to celebrate the big 4-5-0

From: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/

Fox airing 450th episode Sunday, followed by doc special

Associated Press

NEW YORK -- To speak of the latest milestone by "The Simpsons" seems to restate the obvious.

Long before now, enduring life for "The Simpsons" and its brightly jaundiced folk was simply assumed. What began 20 years ago as a fluke then erupted into a pop-culture juggernaut has continued to spin yarns, spawn characters and lampoon society, with no end in sight.

On Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox, "The Simpsons" is airing its 450th episode. "Once Upon a Time in Springfield" will be followed by an hourlong documentary from Morgan Spurlock ("30 Days," "Super Size Me"), fancifully titled "The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special in 3-D on Ice."

During this season, when NBC's "Law & Order" boasts of having tied "Gunsmoke" as TV's longest-running prime-time drama, "The Simpsons" has seized the mantle as TV's longest-running scripted nighttime series -- period. Ay, caramba!

"I think we could do it for another 20 years, actually," Matt Groening, "Simpsons" uber-creator, told the Associated Press at a recent "Simpsons" tribute by Los Angeles' Paley Center for Media. Then he dissolved into giggles.

"Omigod! Another 20? We'll TRY," he chortled. "We'll do our BEST!"

Here's hoping the spectacular ensemble of voice talent keeps talking to the end. After 20 years, Dan Castellaneta remains full-throated as portly, dimwitted dad Homer, Julie Kavner is tower-tressed mom Marge, Nancy Cartwright is lippy first-born Bart and Yeardley Smith is oversmart daughter Lisa.

Of course, these offscreen stars of "The Simpsons" are well served by visual artistry that, among things, keeps them shielded from the passage of time.

The show's writers play a huge role, too, with fastidiously crafted scripts that, by comparison, leave most sitcoms in the dust. (Granted, some fans may complain "The Simpsons" isn't as sharply realized as in earlier years, but still.)

"What I love about 'The Simpsons' is, it's so collaborative," Smith said. "The actors do a third, the animators do a third and the writers do a third. That's how I see it."

Also part of the acting troupe is Hank Azaria, a go-to guy for numerous characters including police Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy and convenience-store owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.

Rounding out the core cast is Harry Shearer, whose stable of roles includes Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Ned Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy, Kent Brockman, Dr. Hibbert and Principal Skinner.

Besides "The Simpsons," Shearer, 66, is best-known from his role as bassist Derek Smalls in the 1984 mock musical documentary "This Is Spinal Tap," and subsequently in the real-life group that film inspired.

But Shearer, who began his career as a child actor on such early TV series as Jack Benny's weekly show, keeps a multiplicity of projects under way. These currently include a new DVD, "Unwigged & Unplugged," reteaming him musically with Tap bandmates Michael McKean and Christopher Guest. He hosts his own signature channel on the "My Damn Channel" comedy Web site.

The first "Simpsons" episode

And for a quarter-century, he has churned out "Le Show," a mostly solo act of wry humor, satirical sketches and blistering commentary, plus music (some performed by his singer-songwriter wife, Judith Owen).

"Le Show" is available through numerous radio and Web outlets, and by podcast. It's a weekly passion project that Shearer has always done gratis -- which means he's free from any vexing business entanglements.

"I never have a meeting, I never see a memo," he says. "It's between me and my audience."

Sipping an early morning orange juice during a Manhattan stopover a couple of weeks ago, Shearer describes "Le Show" as a place for him to give voice to whatever's on his mind.

"I'm an insatiable news junkie," he says, "so the reading that I do, I would do anyway. The show just gives me a way to answer back."

The sensibility of "Le Show," and much of Shearer's creative output, is conveniently echoed by "The Simpsons," even though he plays no part in its writing.



"Matt has a satirical, anti-authority streak," says Shearer. "From the beginning, 'The Simpsons' was taking the side of the family against all the authority figures and institutions that buffeted them in the modern world. Certainly, that resonated for me."

Shearer recalls the show's first script, whose characters assigned to him were highlighted in yellow. In the next script, other characters' dialogue would be highlighted for him.

Much of the time, he didn't see drawings of the new characters until months after he had created their voices, when the episode was finished: "Oh, THAT'S what he looks like!"

How many different voices has Shearer done on "The Simpsons" in all?

"The one real influence that Bob Dylan has had on my life is that, every time I'm asked that question, I give a different answer," says Shearer. "So: hundreds," he replies in a raspy Dylan-esque voice.

As the years passed, Shearer's many voices were part of the emerging world of Springfield, an oblivious community that seemed satisfied to settle for less in nearly everything: public education; organized religion; TV news and kids programming; government, law enforcement, business, and food and drink intake; and certainly environmental issues, such as the nuclear power plant that employs Homer Simpson, of all people, as a safety inspector.

What's the message of "The Simpsons"? That people, for all their highfalutin talk, are willing to settle for less if it's easier or saves them a buck?

Has "The Simpsons" taken on a new, unexpected relevance thanks to the current economic downturn, when standards for everything seem under threat?

"You look around and the only person who ostentatiously and repeatedly proclaims his pursuit of excellence is Rush Limbaugh," says Shearer, then does a perfect imitation of Limbaugh: "I'm presenting broadcast excellence."

"That's got to tell you something," Shearer says. "Everybody ELSE is just getting by."

But he, unlike most people taking stock of "The Simpsons" at this moment in its run, resists any grandiose claims for its legacy.

"Together with NFL football, 'The Simpsons' put the Fox network on the map -- whatever you think of that," he hedges. "And Fox has changed the face of network television -- you got to decide for better or worse.

"I wish I could say that we inspired an awful lot of funny, smart, irreverent, acerbic shows that took a lacerating view of the institutions of society. But I don't think we have."

Nor does he think the show -- or any contemporary satire -- really changes anything it lampoons.

"For instance, after 20 years and 450 episodes," Shearer sums up, "I don't really think 'The Simpsons' has increased the country's skepticism about nuclear power."

One year in 90 seconds

From: eirikso.com  - The personal web site of Eirik Solheim

Link to the video in HD on YouTube.
If you like these videos then follow me on twitter: @eirikso – and you’ll be the first to know about other projects that I might do.

The story

All through 2008 I snapped still images from the same spot on my balcony to make a sort of time lapse video showing one year passing by. The video was hugely successful and has close to two million views on YouTube in addition to about one million on Vimeo and hundreds of thousands of views and downloads from other web sites.

Last year I bought a new camera. The Canon 5D Mark II. In addition to excellent quality stills you can also shoot HD video with that camera. So I decided to do the same thing all over again. But this time I recorded 30 second video clips each time. My idea was that it would be possible to dissolve between the videos to get the same kind of time lapse effect, but this time with motion all the way. Snow falling, wind blowing etc.
2009 is over and I have now put all the clips I recorded through the year into a couple of videos.
I recorded clips with a 15mm fisheye, a 24mm wide angle and a 50mm lens. I’ve made three different versions. The first one is the one at the top of this article. Shot with the 15mm fisheye and “defished” using Fisheye Hemi in Photoshop. To do that I exported the video as an image sequence and did a batch job in Photoshop to run the fisheye hemi filter and some cropping.
The 50mm gives a closer look at the trees and I decided to make a longer video that gives a better view of how nature evolves with that footage. I ended up with 120 seconds.

Link to the video in HD on YouTube.
The last video is a version from the 24mm footage. That’s the short one. One year in 60 seconds…

Link to the video in HD on YouTube.

Download the full quality versions through BitTorrent:

I’ll publish all the videos in full quality as soon as they have finished encoding. Check back here in a day or two and the text below will turn into links to the torrent files…
24 mm – One Year in 60 seconds (1920×1080 30P)
50 mm – One Year in 120 seconds (1920×1080 30P)
15 mm – One Year in 90 seconds (1280×720 30P)
How To-video (english) (1920×1080 30P)
How To-video (norwegian) (1920×1080 30P)

How did you do it?

The way I did it is actually quite simple. I found a spot on my balcony where I could place the camera in the exact same spot each time. Then I recorded video clips at irregular intervals. More or less once a week all thorugh 2009. More often during spring and autumn and not that often during summer and winter. All the videos are then put together using lots of dissolves.
It’s easier to explain the process in a video, so here it is:

Link to the video in HD on YouTube.

The audio

The sound was simply recorded with the Canon 5D Mark II as well. And left as it was recorded on all the clips in the video.

Can I use the videos in my projects?

Yes. All the videos are licensed with a Creative Commons License. To be exact: by attribution, share alike, non commercial.

This work by Eirik Solheim is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Norway License.

But what about commercial use?

If you want to use the video commercially. Or want a copy without the eirikso-bug in the corner or something else. Please contact me at:
eirikso (at) eirikso (dot) com

Where was this filmed?

In Oslo, Norway

I don’t believe you, this is fake.

If you think the video was made in post production using fancy graphics software… Well, that’s your problem. Not mine.

I want to make something amazing from the raw clips

Contact me, and we’ll see what we can do.

Sunday Funnies Postage Stamps Coming in 2010 for Calvin & Hobbes et al.

By: Laura Hudson

From:  http://www.comicsalliance.com/

The United States Postal Service recently announced its stamps of 2010, including one particular set that I think will be of interest to you all: The Sunday Funnies Collection! Based on popular newspaper comic strips, the series will include stamps involving Archie, Garfield, Dennis the Menace, the cast of "Beetle Bailey," and my personal favorites, Calvin and Hobbes!

It speaks well of "Calvin and Hobbes" creator Bill Watterson -- and his decisions to both end the comic in its heyday and to resist merchandising it -- that as the strip sits among so many "classic" comic strips, it still seems fresh, exciting and vital, while most of the others just seem rote, exhausted, and exceedingly far past their prime.

While I would have vastly preferred an entire set of C&H stamps -- perhaps involving Stupendous Man, Calvinball, or snowman art -- I'm still thrilled that I will soon be able to turn the upper right-hand corner of my envelopes into a tiny, two-way mirror where my favorite boy and tiger can make faces at me and the recipients of my letters.

The stamps go on sale in July.

Google hopes to change wireless retail game with Nexus One

By: Ben Patterson: The Gadget Hound
From: http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/63313

It wasn't much of a secret, really, but the sleek, Android-powered Nexus One is finally here, and yes: you can buy it directly from Google, over the Web. As expected, the unlocked, no-contract Nexus One will cost you a pretty penny, but subsidized versions will also be available from T-Mobile and ... what's this, Verizon Wireless? You betcha.
Announced Tuesday during a press conference at Google's Mountain View headquarters, the Nexus One (designed by phone maker HTC under Google's strict supervision) is available for purchase right now on Google's new Web store rather than through a carrier—a twist that some observers see as a paradigm shift in the wireless market, where the balance of power is usually tipped in the carrier's favor.

Then again, Google is sticking with the practice of charging an arm and a leg for an unlocked, no-contract handset. If you want it unlocked for use with any SIM card and without a contract, the phone will set you back a cool $530. Here in the U.S., you'll be able to use the Nexus One with either an AT&T or T-Mobile SIM card; that said, AT&T users will only be able to tap into the carrier's EDGE data network, while T-Mobile customers can use both EDGE and 3G.

Another option is to opt for a traditional two-year contract with T-Mobile, which brings the price of the Nexus One down to $180. That detail has already been well leaked; one of the surprises Tuesday, however, was the news that Verizon Wireless in the U.S. (which currently has the Android-powered Motorola Droid) and Vodafone in Europe are also on board with the Nexus One, with versions of the handset for those networks due in the spring. Interesting. (I should note, though, that the current unlocked Nexus One will only work on GSM-based networks, not CDMA carriers like Verizon or Sprint; I'm assuming that the eventual Nexus One for Verizon will be a CDMA phone.)

If you've been following all the rumors over the past few weeks about the Nexus One, few of the hardware details revealed by Google on Tuesday will come as a surprise. Yep, the Nexus One is slim and trim, alright, measuring about 0.45 inches thick and weighing in at a relatively light 4.6 ounces, and as predicted, it'll come with a speedy 1GHz "Snapdragon" processor under the hood, a five-megapixel camera with an LED flash, Wi-Fi, stereo Bluetooth, a slot for microSD memory expansion, and a standard 3.5mm jack for headsets. Missing in action: a slide-out keypad and "multitouch" for the Web browser (for "pinching" or "zooming" Web pages).

Also on board the Nexus One: the latest version of Android (version 2.1, to be precise), which adds a series of interface enhancements, more home screens (five, up from three), live news and weather widgets, "live" wallpaper (which, as demonstrated during Google's press conference, might feature a forest scene with falling leaves and water that ripples at your touch), and even built-in voice recognition for any text field on the phone (meaning you can simply speak rather than type out a text message).

Now, I haven't personally seen the Nexus One yet, but the bloggers at Engadget have, and their praise is, well ... somewhat guarded. No question, they say, the Nexus One is a sleek, sexy, and speedy handset, but the bloggers conclude that the much-vaunted 2.1 version of Android doesn't look all that different from the Droid's version of Android. Also, while the Nexus One is "fast," says Engadget, it's "not so much of a leap up from the Droid."

So yes ... it sounds like the big news with the Nexus One is the way in which it's being sold, not so much the handset itself (although the hardware certainly does sound impressive). But while I'm pleased that Google is selling the Nexus One unlocked out of the gate, the unsubsidized $530 price tag is awfully steep (otherwise, I would have definitely bought one myself). 

In any case, that's the scoop; if you're interested in more details about the Nexus One, you can check out Google's site right here.

So, show of hands: Who's interested in snapping up the unlocked Nexus One?