Breakthrough Thinking – Page 120

Animals, Breakthrough Thinking, Food, Human Behavior, Insects

Six-Legged Meat

February 21, 2011

Prepare yourself for The Six-Legged Meat of the Future.

The vast majority of the developing world already eats insects…

Will Westerners ever take to insects as food? It’s possible. We are entomologists at Wageningen University, and we started promoting insects as food in the Netherlands in the 1990s. Many people laughed—and cringed—at first, but interest gradually became more serious. In 2006 we created a “Wageningen—City of Insects” science festival to promote the idea of eating bugs; it attracted more than 20,000 visitors…

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Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Ecological Products, Global Warming, Globalism, Green Friendly, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, New Discoveries, New Viewpoints, People Making a Difference

Advances in Producing Hydrogen by Mimicry of Photosynthesis

February 21, 2011

$hydrogen-difraction-spectru$

Light makes might?

Last time we checked in on Thomas Mallouk’s work applying biomimicry to generate hydrogen, he was reporting about 0.3 percent efficiency. According to his projections, the proof-of-concept device for producing hydrogen using the same trick applied in plants for photosynthesis could eventually reach efficiencies of 10-15%, beating nature’s average of 1 to 3 percent. Mallouk is back at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). So what’s the news on one promising option for generating large quantities of clean fuel for combustion engines or fuel cells?

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Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Culture, Current Events, facebook, Globalism, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior

Egyptian Names His Baby ‘Facebook’ after the Revolution

February 21, 2011

Baby Facebook has been born!

An Egyptian man who wanted to show his gratitude to Facebook for its role in the January 25 protests has named his baby Facebook. Here’s the article from the Egyptian paper Al-Ahram, as translated by TechCrunch:

Man Names His Newborn Girl Facebook

A young man in his twenties wanted to express his gratitude about the victories the youth of 25th of January have achieved and chose to express it in the form of naming his firstborn girl “Facebook” Jamal Ibrahim (his name.)

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Art, Breakthrough Thinking, Culture, Globalism, Great Videos, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior

Transcendent Man, a Documentary About Futurist Ray Kurzweil

February 21, 2011

Transcendent Man is a new documentary by Barry Ptolemy about futurist Ray Kurzweil. The film is based on Kurzweil’s book“The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology.”

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Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Culture, Food, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior

The Best Foods (and Strategies) for Eating at Your Computer

February 20, 2011

Everybody eats at their computer at some point.

As much as we’d recommend tearing yourself away from your computer when the munchies hit, let’s be realistic: You’re not always going to do it. So when you are eating at your computer, you can at least opt for some more keyboard-friendly options.

We recently asked you what your favorite keyboard-friendly foods were, and you guys had a lot of great suggestions—both of good foods to eat and strategies to keeping your workspace clean. Here are some of our favorites…

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Breakthrough Thinking, Culture, Food, Great New Product, Health & Fitness, New Discoveries

Cup O’ Noodles Shitsuki USB Humidifier

February 20, 2011

Surprise! It’s an air humidifier.

Instant cup noodles will instantly take you to Japan. Get hold of a pair of chopsticks and you are on your way to enjoying a satisfying warm and soupy meal. But if you pick up a pack of Cup Shitsuki you will be in for a surprise. This cup noodles shaped box has something quite different from what the packaging reflects. This is a fun shaped air humidifier…

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Animals, Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Globalism, government, Historical Perspectives, Latest News, New Discoveries, New Inventions, New Viewpoints

Humming Bird Robot Spy “Ornithopter”

February 20, 2011

Next generation war technology

Developed by the company AeroVironment Inc., the miniature spybot looks like a hummingbird complete with flapping wings… The ornithopter can fly into buildings under the control of an operator flying the spybot with the help of a feed from its tiny video camera. The prototype is capable of flying at speeds of up to 18 km/h (11 mph) and weighs 19 grams, which is about the same as an AA battery… The specifications given to the firm by the Pentagon included being able to hover in an 8 km/h wind gust and being able to fly in and out of buildings via a normal door…

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Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Health & Fitness, Human Behavior, Medical Breakthrough, Robots

Robots To Fight Autism

February 20, 2011

Two years ago, a yellow spongiform robot named Keepon became a minor YouTube sensation when one of its creators programmed it to do a squishy, twisty dance in time to the Spoon song ‘I Turn My Camera On.’

Now Keepon’s creators are turning the robot’s attention to a more serious task: to study how children with autism spectrum disorders interact socially and to see if the robot may be able to help in therapy…

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Art, Breakthrough Thinking, Education, Entertainment, Historical Perspectives, Humor, New Viewpoints

IKEA Instructions for Stonehenge

February 19, 2011

IKEA in archaeology.

What was the purpose for Stonehenge? Was it a calendar, an observatory, or a sacrificial site? These suggestions by archaeologists assume that it was a completed design instead of a project left half-finished because the assembly instructions were provided by IKEA. Justin Pollard, John Lloyd and Stevyn Colgan composed a cartoon illustrating this explanation…

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Art, Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Entertainment, New Viewpoints

Billboard Swing Set

February 18, 2011

Billboards are good for more than advertising.

Architect Didier Faustino made Double Happiness out of an old billboard in New York City:

Double Happiness responds to the society of materialism where individual desires seem to be prevailing over all. This nomad piece of urban furniture allows the reactivation of different public spaces and enables inhabitants to reappropriate fragments of their city…

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Breakthrough Thinking, Ecological Products, Great New Product, Green Friendly, New Inventions

Meet the Meguru, the Electric Rickshaw

February 18, 2011

Get motivated with the Meguru

Perhaps inspired by the Seinfeld episode where Kramer and Newman try to set up a business using homeless men to pull rickshaws through New York, a Japanese firm has designed an electric rickshaw. Called the “Meguru,” it’s a spin on the traditionally man-powered vehicle that first appeared in Japan at the end of the 19th century and that has since spread around the world.

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Breakthrough Thinking, Corporate Manipulation, Crazy Stuff, Culture, Current Events, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior

Harlequin Attempts to Patent the Kiss

February 16, 2011

Diagram a kiss.

Talk about lip service: Harlequin Enterprises, renowned publisher of pulp romance novels, has applied for a patent on the romantic kiss.

The application, if granted, leaves open the possibility that we may one day have to pay a licensing fee to lock lips with the ones we covet…

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