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Thursday, September 23, 2010

Futuristic sci-fi gadgets, available today

From engines powered by garbage to a ray gun that zaps fat, these futuristic gadgets from movies, TV and novels were once purely the realm of science fiction, but now you can get the real thing.

Far future predictions of tech gadgets rarely work out. Not many of us ride a jetpack to work or step into a transporter to beam over to France on a whim, and the flying car is still a figment of the imagination (if not downright impossible). Even the light saber in Star Wars, which would be really handy as a hand-to-hand combat weapon, has never materialized. (Of course, it also defies the laws of physics.) Why can’t book authors and moviemakers ever get it right?

Well, it turns out that a few “far future” gadgets actually do exist, and you can order them on Amazon. Here’s a quick rundown of the best products and where you’ve seen them.

GE VScan

In the Star Trek movies, a tricorder provided a quick and painless diagnosis. This GE medical scanner uses the same technology. It works almost exactly like an ultrasound, but it can find critical issues such as fluid around the heart without any invasive surgery

. The pocket device, about the size of a smartphone, weighs about one pound. Scans take about two minutes.


Cyclone Power Technologies

In the Back to the Future movies, a DeLorean runs on garbage. Cyclone Power has a steam engine that runs on fuel made from corn husks, orange peels, or just about any biodegradable agent. The engine requires no fossil fuel oils at all, so it’s safe for the environment. Yet, the engine is no slouch: it has enough power for a large farm tractor.


StayHealthy Body Fat Analyzer

In the Doctor Who series, a body fat analyzer could convert your extra fat into an alien creature. This body fat analyzer doesn’t go that far. It sends a “mild” electrical current through your body and measures the amount of fat. That way, you can get a much clearer picture of exactly how much weight loss you really need, as opposed to just the bottom line.


Zeltiq fat burner

Matt Groening’s Futurama presents goofy science-fiction ideas as well-known facts. In several episodes, characters zap fat with a ray gun. Yet, the Zeltiq fat burner does just that, by freezing fat cells so they eventually deteriorate. The product is already in use as a cosmetic surgery aid but will eventually become a home appliance that anyone can use.


Geo-fencing

Arthur C. Clarke famously predicted we’d be using GPS tracking in his many novels, and even nailed the part about triangulation. He wrote about how objects and vehicles would be “geo-located” by revolving satellites. Yet, things are getting out of control: your location can be shared from your cell phone at all times and you can create a constant stream of your whereabouts, using tools such as Loopt and Google Latitude. Next year, your car will also stream its exact location (OnStar service does this already). Eventually, real estate agents will feed listings to you as you walk by a new home for sale. And what’s next? GPS will link more closely to credit card transactions – your Burger King stops will be much faster.

Ionator

In Philip K. Dick’s Zap Gun novel from 1967, he predicted that – in 2004 — we’d still be fighting a cold war with Russia, but our weapons would be consumerized into household aids. The Ionator, from a small Minnesota company, looks like something from the book. It zaps germs by spraying a chemical that separates grime from counter-tops. The hand-held gun is futuristic enough that, when you use one, you feel like you should be wearing a Star Trek uniform.

Introducing Sports Reporter Barbie


In the latest of what we imagine to be a plethora of Barbies, Mattel has released a “Barbie I Can Be News Anchor Doll” that will be available this holiday season. The “power pink” jacket, pink skirt and high heels to go along with a pink folder to keep her pink bubble-lettered notes should be enough ammo for USA Today’s Christine Brennan to organize a protest – or a riot – outside of Mattel headquarters. According to the product details, a “special code inside each package unlocks career-themed content online.” We can only assume it’s a montage of locker room dong. Ines Sainz’s jeans sold separately. [via; screengrab via]

The Coilgun Makes the Rubber-Band Gun Look Like a Kid's Toy

By Alastair Plumb
From: http://www.asylum.com/


Last week we introduced you to the rubber-band machine gun of your slightly disturbed dreams. This week, we've got a 1.25 kilojoule coilgun, a homemade electromagnetic pulse accelerator that makes the rubber-band machine gun look like a tiny, shiny peashooter.

The video below explains (in worrying detail) exactly how it works. In layman's terms, it acts as a battery-powered rifle that uses a series of electromagnetized coils to propel bullets at alarming speeds.

The weapon was made over two years by the bizarrely nicknamed "Larsplatoon." Though this is an incredible technical accomplishment, it does tread a very thin line between "Good God, that is awesome" and "If he gets too good at this, I'm going to get a bit worried."

The demonstration of the fearsome microwave-destroying machine kicks off at the 2:50 mark in the video below, at which point your nerdgasms should be coming on thick and fast. Oh, and just in case it wasn't patently obvious: Please, please, please, don't try this at home. To be honest, we're not sure Larsplatoon should be trying this at its home either.

Karate Spinning Back Kick

Student Makes History with First Ever Human-Powered Ornithopter Flight

by Jerry James Stone, San Francisco, CA
from: http://www.treehugger.com/


First Human Powered Flight Photo

Photo via Todd Reichert

A Canadian university student has done what Leonardo da Vinci had only dreamt of: piloted a human-powered "wing-flapping" plane! Called an ornithopter, and the inspiration for modern day helicopters, the machine was first sketched by Da Vinci way back in 1485 and never actually built.

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Todd Reichert, an engineering student at the University of Toronto, made history by sustaining flight in his ornithopter--named Snowbird--for 19.3 seconds and covering 475.72 feet. Snowbird is made from carbon fiber, balsa wood and foam. The 92.59 pound vehicle maintained an average speed of 15.91 miles per hour.

Human-Powered Flight Videos from U of T Engineering on Vimeo.

HPO Flight from U of T Engineering on Vimeo.


Todd and his plane made the accomplishment on August 2nd at the Great Lakes Gliding Club in Tottenham, Ontario. The crew kept the achievement quiet for nearly two months to get the data finalized. Todd and some 30 other students had been working on the plane for 4 years.

group.jpg

Photo via Todd Reichert

The team went through 65 practice flights and sadly, the aircraft will probably never be flown again.

Todd endured a year long exercise program in which he lost 18 lbs. to prep for the flight. With a wingspan of 104 feet--which is comparable to that of a Boeing 737--he had to pedal with his legs all while pulling on the wings to flap at the same time. And he had to do it fast enough to fly!

First Human Powered Flight Wingspan Photo

Photo via Todd Reichert

"Our original goal was to complete this sort of original aeronautical dream to fly like a bird," said 28-year-old Reichert yesterday. "The idea was to fly under your own power by flapping your wings."

The flight, witnessed by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), is the first officially confirmed flight in an ornithopter.

"Thousands of people have tried to do this for hundreds of years," said Reichert. "To be honest, I don't think it's really set in yet that I'm the one who has been successful. I was pushing with everything I had. When I finally let go and landed, I was hit with a breadth of excitement. It was pretty wild."

I bet it was, Todd!

Follow @jerryjamesstone on Twitter or friend him on Facebook.

The Sexy Girls Fishing Mega Gallery

Published by Natty

From: http://www.uncoached.com/

Personally I think fishing is underrated. No it’s not as if I wish there were fishing competitions on television more. I’m just saying as a hobby I think it’s an awesome one. For whatever reason it’s just a great feeling when you feel the end of your line getting a little heavier because something is biting on it.

And if the fishing industry wants to keep selling rods then I highly suggest sporting more pictures like the one you see above. It’s just simple business really.

When you talk about inventory of these pictures, look no further than here. I’ve assembled quite a large selection of sexy girls fishing photos and I hope you will take the time to enjoy it….

I think we’ve all seen this picture before and damned if I wouldn’t show it again around 100 times. I’ve never wanted to be a dead hammerhead shark more in all my life.

More Sexy Fishing Girls

10 major health benefits of medical marijuana [Infographic]

Posted by Guyism Staff
From: http://guyism.com/

We know that, illegal or not, we have a significant portion of our audience indulges in weed now and then. We’re not here to cast stones. But legal medical marijuana usage is on the rise, and with good reason. After reading this graphic, you’ll at least be convinced that medical marijuana can help you curb your medical insurance costs.

medical marijuana infographic1 630x2315 10 major health benefits of medical marijuana [Infographic]
Click the image for a full-sized version

Source: Medical Insurance Blog.

Speakercraft's BoomTomb brings subharmonics under ground

By Ben Drawbaugh
From http://www.engadget.com/

Speakercraft BoomTomb
The company that invented in-wall speakers wants to make sure your sound system in your backyard looks and sounds as good as the one in your house. The BoomTomb subwoofer with integrated 250 watt amp gets buried in the ground with only the port exposed -- and hopefully somewhere it isn't likely to be tripped over -- where it can accompany your Ruckus speakers that look like rocks. It'll start shipping in the fourth quarter for a yet unannounced price, which means you might have to wait until the spring for the ground to thaw for those in the colder parts of the northern hemisphere.
Show full PR text
New Subwoofer Goes "Deep" SpeakerCraft introduces the BoomTomb

RIVERSIDE, CA: September 21, 2010 SpeakerCraft, America's original manufacturer of in-wall speakers announced a new outdoor subwoofer to compliment its Outdoor Elements, Ruckus and OG series speakers. It has been appropriately named the BoomTomb because of the fact that the majority of the enclosure is buried underground with only a small, hooded port exposed above the surface.

"Outdoor audio continues to be a huge category for us" commented Dave Donald, SpeakerCraft's V.P. of Marketing. "Adding critical low end reinforcement to our already broad assortment of exterior loudspeakers is a natural progression and a benefit to dealers who are always looking for ways to improve sound quality outdoors."

The BoomTomb consists of a poly/resin enclosure that houses a ten-inch long throw woofer mounted in a support that is in the center of the internal space. Sound is then vented through a port that extends through the top of the enclosure. The port is the only visible part of the speaker once it is installed. A hood covers the top of the port to protect the internal workings

from water and debris. The woofer is powered by a dedicated 250 watt amplifier that is designed to be placed with the source equipment and attached via standard speaker cable.

The BoomTomb will ship in the fourth quarter. Pricing is still to be determined.

SpeakerCraft, established in 1976, devoted itself for more than a decade to the design and development of architectural loudspeakers and became known as the prime OEM for many well-known, in-wall speaker brands in the field. In marketing its own brand, now one of the
widest lines of architectural speakers and electronics in the industry, SpeakerCraft brings with it years of experience and a dedication to dealer satisfaction.