This was the year of big data. Data graphics continue to thrive and designers are putting more thought into what the data are about, and that’s a very good thing.
Continue reading… “15 of the best data visualization projects of 2011”
The US Is Trying To Censor Scientific Journals
Hear no pandemic, see no pandemic, speak no pandemic.
The US government has approached the scientific journals Nature and Science in order to censor data on a lab-made version of bird flu, because it could potentially be used as a weapon. That’s not cool!
According to the Guardian, the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) asked the journals to publish redacted versions of studies carried out by two research groups…
Continue reading… “The US Is Trying To Censor Scientific Journals”
Extremely creepy taxidermy
Um… it’s graceful looking?
This isn’t the first time we’ve featured questionable taxidermy here at Impact Lab, but artist Enrique Gomez De Molina’s creations may take the cake…
Candy Cane Car
Happy…What The Hell?
Pogo Dave is “not” selling his Candy Cane Car on eBay because he is a contrarian, a “a master of reserve psychology” who does “not” enjoy entertaining people with his car. The 1991 Toyota Camry is covered in red and white reflective tape and has an exercise machine on the roof…
Cocaine on 9 in 10 baby changing stations in the UK
Changing tables are convenient for changing a baby or, apparently, snorting a line.
Those baby changing stations found in public bathrooms often look a little suspect when it comes to cleanliness. But of all the things you might imagine would be mucking up the surface, probably cocaine didn’t cross your mind.
Continue reading… “Cocaine on 9 in 10 baby changing stations in the UK”
Jobs that became a thing of the past in 2011
The Postal Service has considered canceling Saturday delivery, closing post offices and laying off some of its 280,000 workers.
The newest generation of of tech-savvy workers grew up hearing that the jobs they would hold as adults hadn’t even been invented yet. No one mentioned that the jobs they had come to think of as permanent might become a thing of the past.
Continue reading… “Jobs that became a thing of the past in 2011”
New product sampling machine will determine if you are the right age or sex to recieve sample
This machine dispenses Kraft’s new dessert Temptations Jell-O and uses face recognition software.
Big Brother not only watches you he will be sizing you up via a new product sampling machine that will determine whether you’re the right age — or even the right sex — to receive a sample of a company’s product.
More Americans renting homes since financial crisis
There will be more repossessions next year and tougher criteria banks are now imposing on potential borrowers.
The development of multi-family units – a category made up of apartments and townhouses – jumped 25.3 percent last month to an annual rate of 238,000, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday. That helped drive overall construction on new homes up 9.3 percent to an annual pace of 685,000, the strongest since the spring of 2010.
This magic box harvests spare electricity from your microwave
Harvest those stray rays.
Microwaves aren’t very smart. It generally has no idea what you’re trying to heat up, and if it’s (say) a burrito and not (say) a frozen turkey, a bunch of extra microwave… waves… are going to waste. This blue box can suck up all of those spare microwaves and turn them back into electricity that — wait for it — can power your microwave again…
Continue reading… “This magic box harvests spare electricity from your microwave”
Veggie-Fueled Pickup Truck sets new land speed record at 155 MPH
A happy award winning Greenspeed crew.
In mid-November, the members of Greenspeed club headed to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah to put their Chevy pickup truck to the test. Stripped of all aesthetics, running on a ’93 Dodge engine and burning an unorthodox fuel, it was there to challenge the land speed record for vegetable oil-powered vehicles: 109 mph. On its first run, it flew past that benchmark at 139 mph. On its second, it set the new bar even higher: 155 mph.
The journey to success was not a quick one. Dave Schenker founded the club at Boise State University with a group of undergraduates, with the intention of building the first super high-performance vehicle to successfully run on vegetable oil. He spent months raising the $125,000 from local sponsors to rebuild the old truck with the parts it would need to set a new record. He and the students spent much of the summer putting it together. They hoped to race in September, but couldn’t get everything together in time…
Continue reading… “Veggie-Fueled Pickup Truck sets new land speed record at 155 MPH”
Why genetic determinism is bad for humans
Genes determine a lot of things about your life.
Do you prefer to run in packs or operate as a loner? Your answer is determined by your genes, a new study claims. It’s a big shift in social behavior theory, since scientists previously thought the environment determined social behavior.
For example, scientists thought that where food was sparsely spread around, primates would live in large groups to more efficiently forage. But according to the new findings, which were published in the journal Nature, primates will behave the way their genes tell them to, regardless of food availability.
It’s evidence for genetic determinism—the idea that our genes dictate our behavior. But it seems wrong, right? I know I tend to go with the behavior that helps me to avoid hunger most effectively. But Nicholas Wade in The New York Times sums it up thusly…
Continue reading… “Why genetic determinism is bad for humans”
Theft of iPhones a growing problem in New York
iPhones account for over 70% of all stolen cellphones on subways and buses.
New York iPhone users beware. The city is in the midst of a crime wave, and police say the problem could get worse, according to recent media reports.
Continue reading… “Theft of iPhones a growing problem in New York”
