A government in chaos
David Brooks: In 1933, Franklin Roosevelt inherited an economic crisis. He understood that his first job was to restore confidence, to give people a sense that somebody was in charge, that something was going to be done.

 Bugs Bunny never looked better
Here are some stills from an exhibition at the natural history museum in Basel, Switzerland. It imagines what the bone structure of some cartoon characters may look like. (Pics)

 Making it look easy
Grant Johnson is a yo-yo prodigy performing some of the most amazing tricks ever. At times it even reminds me of juggling only with strings attached. Second video after the jump.
 

No plumbing necessary, fresh water as needed
The Watermill is a glorified dehumidifier that pulls water from the air and purifies it to drinking quality. Technically speaking, the WaterMill is an atmospheric water collection device that condenses water vapor and purifies it.

What could be more fun for your hamster?
Recent research suggests the vast majority of hamsters, gerbils, mice and rats secretly dream of becoming F1 drivers. Okay, we just made that up. But it wouldn’t surprise us having seen them scurrying around in the truly hilarious Critter Cruiser.

 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientists said on Monday they have moved closer to creating “artificial noses,” after finding a way to mass-produce smell receptors in a laboratory.

 
 Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnight
Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo aircraft will be doing the world a favor when they start flying paying passengers into space: they’ll be carrying sensors aboard to monitor greenhouse gases at a little-monitored altitude. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has just signed a deal with Virgin to let it install sensors on [...]

I like the 1940s Disney animation shorts. They may not get to the hilarity level of Chuck Jones and Tex Avery’s work at Warner, but some of them are really good. Second Video after the jump

 
 
Yves Behar has designed a mockup / concept design of what the “brick” project could look like. The concept shows a full all-screen laptop device which has been called “A hybrid iPhone-meets-Macbook-Air that would put hot netbooks like the EeePC to shame.”

 
 Bionic Hand With Gel-filled Fingertips
If things go well, prostheses may soon help a person “feel” too. Bionic hands with gelled fingertips may be the answer to provide the wearer with a sense of touch and sensitivity. This may even help them instinctively hold objects, because humans have a built-in reflex that responds to vibrations. The [...]

Designed by Japan’s Yutaka Igarashi
Igarashi Design has introduced a single seat helicopter with amazing looks. It is equipped with everything that is required to give the private flight a higher reliability. But you need to take pilot training before flying your own helicopter because only one person can sit and operate this helicopter. The design [...]

 
Sometimes improvements on the most minuscule objects around the house can hit you like a ton of bricks, creating an entirely new market for items nobody has ever paid attention to nor thought about. Take Justin Porcano’s work for example; his Wallplate turns regular lightswtich plates into massive drool appeal by creating functional drop boxes [...]

Ekranoplan – sometimes referred to as the Caspian Sea Monsters
A private company, ATTK, (Arctic Trade and Transport Company), is producing Ekranoplans in the very same shipyards where the first prototypes were designed, built and tested. But these civilian heirs to the Caspian Sea Monsters are altogether smaller and more pocket-sized affairs, designed to be used [...]

Bring the exciting world of accounting to an iPhone near you
Softalk has announced a new application for the iPhone simply called Spreadsheet. The app is exactly what it sounds like – a spreadsheet. The program can be used to make all sorts of Excel-like spreadsheets that can then be emailed using the iPhone.

Protection comes in many forms
Invisibility cloaks that are able to steer light around two dimensional objects have become reality in the last few years. But the first real-world application of the theories that made them possible could be in hiding vulnerable coastlines and offshore platforms from destructive hurricanes and tsunamis.

 Space X Falcon 1
After three failed attempts, one scattering of Scotty’s ashes over the Pacific Ocean, and a few mid-air explosions, the SpaceX Falcon 1 rocket has finally reached orbit. The achievement marks a major milestone for Elon Musk, whose visions of a privately-funded rocket program appeared just out of reach until today’s success.

 
Most of our childhoods have already been ruined by needles at the doctor’s office, but one Japanese inventor thinks he’s come up with the perfect pain-free, needle-free injection to sooth tomorrow’s lucky kids.

 
 3M Mobile ID Reader
This new 3M Mobile ID Reader could soon be used at events or in situations that require tight security. The idea is that it would scan your identification quickly to prove that you are who you say you are. Then you can be on your way in no time. It works like [...]

 Vertabrae Vertical Bathroom
If you live in an apartment or older home, your bathroom is probably hurting for space. A sink, a shower stall, and a toilet in your bathroom leave but a few extra square feet to turn around.

A radically different mindset than the “nuclear is too dangerous for anybody” of the 1980s
Nuclear reactors don’t produce ‘bombs’ alone. Fast forward to the year 2013 and you can have an endless power supply by just installing a portable nuclear power unit in your backyard. Before eyebrows are raised about the security aspect, we must [...]

 It hurts to look at this picture
Viruses dramatically increase cellular metabolism, and existing anti-obesity drugs may represent a new way to block these metabolic changes and inhibit viral infection, according to a study published today in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

 The Smaudi A3
Not real excited about the look of the super fuel efficient Smart Car? Have no fear. Here are some very interesting kits that are available to people hoping for a sportier vehicle. (Pics)
 

Yves Rossy Rockets into Action
A Swiss daredevil crossed the English Channel strapped to a homemade jet-propelled wing Friday, parachuting into a field near the white cliffs of Dover after a 10-minute solo flight.
 

Bikinis rank lower than ski clothes in this study
The fair sex might find it hard to believe but a new study has claimed that women’s bare body in winter is a bigger turn-on for men. (Pics)

The life of a superhero is not all glamor.  Especially when your costume fails
to convey any sense of trust, or purpose, or, what the hell is that thing?
Imagine yourself being 300 feet below the surface, trying to swim towards fresh air, where the world is normal again. Struggling for that next gasp of breathable air. [...]