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Thomas Frey - Senior Futurist at the DaVinci Institute

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Luggage That Turns Into a Couch

November 5th, 2009 at 8:25 am » Comments (0)

Sitting in Style while Travelling

Dutch designer Erik De Nijs created Suited Case — a collection of four functional suitcases that can be linked together in the form of a couch. His goal was to give travelers a taste of home while away:
This concept came from a research on nostalgia during travelling. When a familiar object [...]



Extremely Rare – Royal Raymond Rife Microscope #2 Up For Auction In London

November 4th, 2009 at 6:02 pm » Comments (0)

Royal Raymond Rife Microscope #2

Royal Raymond Rife, “genius scientist”, trained for six years at the Carl Zeiss Optical Company in Germany and became the inventor of powerful microscopes, leading to the discovery of a revolutionary therapy for viral diseases.
 
Pictured above is his second microscope which will be included as lot 113 in the Bonhams sale 10th [...]



Energy Harvesting Rocking Chair

November 4th, 2009 at 2:05 pm » Comments (0)

Power that literally ROCKS!

Rochus Jacob designed and built the Murakami Chair. As the user rocks back and forth during the day, the chair charges a battery that powers the lamp. Jacob writes: I was looking for opportunities to generate energy through activities we naturally do. The final result is a rocking chair that enables the [...]



Face Detection Attendance System

November 3rd, 2009 at 8:30 am » Comments (0)

Now you SEE me…
Want to rule the office with an iron fist? Well, if that’s the case, you’ll a facial recognition time attendance system, like the CVJB-G107 (pictured above). This device uses a set of digital cameras that can be used in the dark to track the attendance of your employees via facial recognition. The [...]



The Growing Threat of “Money Mules”

October 31st, 2009 at 7:09 pm » Comments (0)

Don’t you think a lot more people need to be aware of this?
Kevin Poulsen at Threat Level has a great item up about the growing menace of “money mules.” The term refers to bank customers who’ve been conned into unwittingly laundering cash that hackers have stolen from business bank accounts. The con and the funny [...]



Musical Trends: Gavari Violin Ahead of the Times by 300 Years

October 31st, 2009 at 4:06 pm » Comments (0)

Next generation violin
Check out almost any classical violinist, and you might notice that the instruments they use are based on designs first created over 300 years ago. World class players are even willing to pay millions to own an original instrument from the great 17th century Italian masters like Antonio Stradivari.
If you wanted to cross [...]



Tora – Classical Style Board Game Raises Money For Ecological Concerns

October 31st, 2009 at 9:52 am » Comments (0)

Featured Invention at the Colorado Inventor Showcase 2009
Centuries ago in another land far away, a war was fought between two rulers of a tiger-like race.  Their names are long forgotten, but their memory lives on in this game of strategy and cunning!  Tora (TM) is a classical style board game done in the same vein [...]



Shooting Hoops for FISH Food Bank at the Colorado Inventor Showcase

October 30th, 2009 at 12:16 pm » Comments (0)

Colorado Inventor Showcase collecting non-perishable donations for the FISH Food Bank
On Tuesday, the DaVinci Institute will collect donations as part of the fifth Colorado Inventors Showcase. The event is from 1:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the University of Denver`s Cable Center, 2000 Buchtel Blvd., Denver.  School children who bring non-perirshable goods will be able to [...]



Fund Manager Launches Scheme To Invest in Firms With Women on Top

October 27th, 2009 at 8:03 am » Comments (0)

Cherie Blair is backing The Women’s Leadership Fund to raise the number of women executives.

A fund that aims to invest in companies with a high number of women in senior roles will be launched next week, with backing from Cherie Blair and the former prime ministers of Canada and New Zealand, Kim Campbell and Jenny [...]



16 Hissing Cockroaches In Mouth May Be a World Record

October 27th, 2009 at 7:25 am » Comments (0)

A pet shop worker has set a new world record after stuffing 16 Madagascar hissing cockroaches – each more than 6cm long – into his mouth.
Sean Murphy, of Lansing, Michigan, US, shattered the old Guinness World Records score of 11 to secure the new mark.



Humans Skulls Recreated in Chocolate Just in Time For El Día de los Muertos

October 23rd, 2009 at 7:26 am » Comments (0)

A Deliciously Creepy Chocolate Confection

To the cultured folks in the crowd these solid chocolate skulls are an example of both confectionary making and art. They are cast from REAL human skulls and come in a choice of chocolate including Fair Trade 80 per cent cocoa. There is also their bone chocolate – blended Belgian milk [...]



Colorado Inventor Showcase Supports FISH Food Bank

October 22nd, 2009 at 4:11 pm » Comments (0)

Bring non perishable food or toiletries to ALL DaVinci Institute events
Bare shelves at FISH of Broomfield are startling longtime volunteers.   Donations to the food bank are falling short of what is needed, while the demand keeps rising.  Help us support Broomfield’s FISH Food Bank by bringing non-perishables or toiletries to the Colorado Inventor Showcase on [...]



A Lesson In eCommerce From The World of Goo

October 22nd, 2009 at 7:55 am » Comments (0)

The World of Goo is a physics-based puzzle game released in October of 2008.  It was favorably received by the gaming community, receiving many awards.
On the one-year anniversary of the product’s release, the developers decided to undertake an e-commerce experiment.  They offered to sell the game (previously retailing at $20) to anyone for whatever price [...]



Politically Incorrect Balloon Boy Halloween Costume

October 21st, 2009 at 7:50 pm » Comments (0)

Politically Incorrect Balloon Boy Halloween Costume in Action.

I think we laughed for about 20 minutes when we came across this…
“Now you too can enjoy all the media attention you want with Plantraco’s Balloon Boy Hoax kit. A great flying saucer that is going to put a big smile on your face. Colorado flying saucers and [...]



The Delicate Art Of Parental Failure

October 21st, 2009 at 2:57 pm » Comments (0)

“Daddy, look at all the FILM (Females I’d Like to Milk)!”  thinks baby Gordon.

As a perspective parent I have been bumping into a lot of new parent web sites. Many of them have some great do’s and don’ts that they recommend or condemn. The fine folks over at Parent Fail spotlight the don’t side of [...]



Moscow Mayor Promises a Winter Without Snow

October 21st, 2009 at 7:30 am » Comments (0)

Snow, snow, go away…

Pigs still can’t fly, but this winter, the mayor of Moscow promises to keep it from snowing. For just a few million dollars, the mayor’s office will hire the Russian Air Force to spray a fine chemical mist over the clouds before they reach the capital, forcing them to dump their snow [...]



David Brin, NY Times Best Selling Author, Scientist, and Futurist to Speak at the Colorado Inventor Showcase

October 20th, 2009 at 12:58 pm » Comments (0)

Colorado Inventor Showcase 2009
Inventing the Economic Engines to Create a Better Tomorrow
The DaVinci Institute’s will mark it’s 5th annual Colorado Inventor Showcase on November 3, 2009.  The Colorado Inventor Showcase is one of the nation’s premier events focused on creating a link between inventors and world marketplace. By allowing inventors to take center stage and [...]



Producer of Everyday Edisons and Publisher of Inventors Digest, Louis Foreman Will Be Speaking at the Colorado Inventor Showcase

October 20th, 2009 at 12:32 pm » Comments (0)

Colorado Inventor Showcase 2009
Inventing the Economic Engines to Create a Better Tomorrow
The Colorado Inventor Showcase is one of the nation’s premier events focused on creating a link between inventors and world marketplace. By allowing inventors to take center stage and tell the world about their product, we are creating win-win situations for creators as well [...]



Executive Director of Lemelson-MIT, Joshua Schuler to Speak at the Colorado Inventor Showcase

October 20th, 2009 at 12:31 pm » Comments (0)

Colorado Inventor Showcase 2009
Inventing the Economic Engines to Create a Better Tomorrow
This year’s Colorado Inventor Showcase on Nov 3rd is quickly becoming a “can’t miss event.”  The Colorado Inventor Showcase will mark it’s 5th annual event this year.  Each year the Showcase attracts some of the nation’s finest inventors and their incredibly clever inventions.  Inventions are [...]



Suddenly Soilent? Grow Your Own Meat From Animal Cell Capsules

October 20th, 2009 at 7:47 am » Comments (0)

What kind of critter flesh will you grow today?

The Cocoon Cooker isn’t just some fancy steamer or something like that. No, it’s a machine that actually grows meat and fish from heated animal cells. A-whaaa?
It’s a mere design concept, sadly, as we don’t have the science of growing animal proteins quite figured out yet. But Electrolux is [...]



Coffee PC = Computer + Coffeemaker

October 20th, 2009 at 7:31 am » Comments (0)

 

Isn’t this what a computer was REALLY designed to do?

Tim Quax of ByteMods combined a PC with a coffeemaker to make this Coffee PC case mod. Best of all, the coffeemaker is controlled by software:
The relay gets it’s power from a molex connector on the power supply; a small amount however, just enough to not [...]



Validating Online Currencies

October 19th, 2009 at 7:58 am » Comments (0)

Guess what? Times are changing and money isn’t what it used to be. Our faith in money isn’t what it used to be and virtual currencies are skewing our financial views even further in addition to gaining credibility…
Money. The stuff that makes the world go round. Every day we earn it, spend it, exchange it [...]



Berlin ‘Green’ Brothel Offers Discounts to Cyclists

October 17th, 2009 at 5:25 pm » Comments (0)

Bike To  Berlin Brothel For Bangin Benefits!

A brothel in Berlin has leapt on the “green” bandwagon by offering discounts to clients who can prove they arrived by public transport or bicycle.
“Everyone’s a winner,” explained Regina Goetz, a former prostitute who runs the “Maison d’envie” (House of Desire) brothel in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg, a district in [...]



Does Recharging Your Marriage Really Require a Tropical Island “Couples Retreat”?

October 16th, 2009 at 3:15 pm » Comments (0)

Couple relationships are both more complex and vital than ever
In Today’s Economy More People are Traveling via the Internet than by Cars and Planes. Fortunately the Internet is Opening New Opportunities for Couples to Get a Picture of Their Relationship on the Web that Cuts Through Historic Therapy Approaches. ThriveSphere is the First in a [...]



Kite-Powered Generator

October 15th, 2009 at 7:58 am » Comments (0)

 

KITE POWER!

The Italian firm KiteGen Research is developing a generator that harnesses the wind through kites. As a kite flies into the air, it unspools a cord that cranks the turbine. Carina Storrs writes in Popular Science:
The company developed a prototype that flies 200-square-foot kites to altitudes of 2,600 feet, where wind streams are four [...]