Japan to Build 10,000 EV Charging Station/Vending Machine Hybrids by 2012

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Japan has a fascination with vending machines.

Japan is notorious for its fascination with vending machines — as of 2008, there were 5.5 million of them across the nation. And these aren’t merely the candy bar and soda variety, either — Japan has vending machines that sell live crabs, grow lettuce, are covered in moss, and dispense smart cars. And by this time next year, it will have 10,000 vending machines that charge electric cars.

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New Dating Website Helps You Find Someone Who Looks Just Like You

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Lookin’ good!

Because that’s what we’re all looking for, right? Christina Bloom is the founder of FindYourFacemate.com, which will open for business later this month. She says that she was inspired to build the website after people kept telling her that she and her ex-husband look a lot alike. So this website will use facial mapping software to match you up with someone like you..

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The World’s First and Only Ice Musician

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Chilled musician Terje Isungset.

He’s played concerts inside frozen waterfalls, on top of 3,000 meter high glaciers and inside massive ice-domes — at temperatures as low as -33 degrees Celsius.
Although it may sound strange, for Terje Isungset, the world’s first and only ice musician, these conditions are all part of the job…

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Corning’s “A Day Made of Glass” Video – The Future of Specialty Glass

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Can you imagine organizing your daily schedule with a few touches on your bathroom mirror? Chatting with far-away relatives through interactive video on your kitchen counter? Reading a classic novel on a whisper-thin piece of flexible glass?

 

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The Dogbrella

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Keep your K9 dry in the rain.

Keep your dog dry while walking them in the rain with The Dogbrella.

This inverted bumbershoot forms a waterproof cocoon around a small dog, enabling canine and master to maintain a walking regimen in inclement weather. The umbrella is made from clear polypropylene that sheds rain, sleet, and snow while allowing an unfettered view of your walking companion…

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Thailand Tried to Barter Chickens for Fighter Jets

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Chickens are not a global currency.

Not that there’s anything wrong with a lot of frozen chickens — even 80,000 tons of chicken. It’s just that Lockheed Martin wanted a more transferable currency for its F-16 fighter jets:

For the embassy in Bangkok, winning achieved two goals: helping Lockheed and keeping the Russians from selling planes. There was, however, a small complication with the terms — the Thai government didn’t want to pay cash. Instead, it proposed trading 80,000 stockpiled tons of frozen chicken…

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Circus Historian Al Stencell Provides an Insider’s View of the Vanishing World of Sideshows, Freaks and Screamers

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Groups like this are becoming history.

“At school I’d see guidance councillors and they’d say, “What career would you like?”

And I’d say, “I want to be in the circus.”

And they’d say, “No, no, no, no, no. How about advertising?”

But since landing a summer job, aged 12, at a travelling fair in 1958, Al W Stencell has never left the circus. By the age of 27 he had started The Royal Brothers Circus with a man named Johnny Frazier, only two hours after they met…

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Kenyan Villagers Turn Invasive Plant into Moneymaker

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Reviewing the options with Kenya’s Lake Victoria.

The rapid growth of invasive water hyacinths has taken a serious toll on Kenya’s Lake Victoria, creating inhospitable conditions for the fish local people depend on, while sheltering other unwelcome guests: disease-carrying snails and deadly snakes. But with a little help from a U.S.-based organization, villagers living near the lake are turning this environmental crisis into an economic opportunity.

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Breathalyzer Nintendo Game

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Baltsy Adams – game programmer.

DrunkenNES is a video game controlled by breathing into breathalyzer built into a modified game cartridge. It was developed by Baltsy Adams, pictured above. Points are awarded based upon level of intoxication (the drunker the player, the higher the score). This video illustrates game play. (after jump…)

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On-Demand Escalators Can Cut Energy Use By Up To 52%

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On demand has its advantages.

Escalators can be a tricky topic. On the one hand, they’re huge energy sucks when no one is using them and they’re endlessly looping without a passenger, or when stairs are a perfectly useful option. On the other hand, escalators are a big resource in places like airports or for those of us who aren’t able to get up a flight of stairs, so it’s not like we could or would want to get rid of them. The solution seems to be escalators that run only when needed — and that solution can save a ton of electricity.

Life As A Healthcare CIO points us to an example of just such an on-demand escalator in use at the Narita airport near Tokyo…

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.