There are a variety of brainwave-reading headsets on the market today.
If you want to make things move with your mind, you don’t have to be a Jedi. Although we may not be able to lift a spaceship out of a swamp like Yoda does in The Empire Strikes Back, but it is possible to steer a model car, drive a wheelchair and control a robotic exoskeleton with just your thoughts. (Pics)
Border fence in Arizona.
Border Patrol in the Tuscon Sector of Arizona have arrested 40% fewer illegal immigrants than last year. That is a significant drop that indicates illegal immigration has slowed considerably in Arizona.
Continue reading… “Arrests of illegal immigrants at Arizona border fell 40%”
If the Luddite Fallacy were true, we would all be out of work by now.
There is a tale told about Henry Ford II showing Walter Reuther, the veteran leader of the United Automobile Workers, around a newly automated car plant. “Walter, how are you going to get those robots to pay your union dues,” gibed the boss of Ford Motor Company. Reuther replied, “Henry, how are you going to get them to buy your cars?”
Continue reading… “Artificial intelligence difference engine: Luddite legacy”
Meet Olly, a “web connected smell robot.”
Olly will convert tweets, Facebook notifications, RSS feeds – whatever you want – into smells:
Olly has a removable section in the back which you can fill with any smell you like. It could be essential oils, a slice of fruit, your partner’s perfume or even a drop of gin. […] Olly is stackable, so if you have more than one, you can assign each one to a different service with a different smell. Connect one to Twitter and another to your calendar. Before you know it, you’ll have a networked internet smell centre…
What do these sound like?
I recently stumbled across this site called drinkify. It recommends beverages to compliment your favorite music. Somebody really had a lot of fun with this one! Being a music junkie I plugged in some of my faves, but then gave it a trick question and another. So here’s what I’ve been hearing in my drinks…
Crowdfunding is a great way to pry control away from big money.
Whether it’s local investing in everybody eats restaurants, the microfinancing of entrepreneurs through Kiva, or citizen-funded clean energy through eco-bonds, we’ve featured plenty of ways to get passed the big banks and put your money to work.
Peer2Peer Finance Goes Mainstream
In the UK there are already a number of peer2peer lending sites, like ZOPA, that are offering rates of return far better than your traditional bank. A new venture called civilisedmoney is aiming to take this model even further, offering a fully transparent, crowd-funded alternative to every service offered by mainstream banks…
Continue reading… “Civilisedmoney: A crowd-funded, ethical alternative to mainstream banks?”
In 2008, Czech master glassblower Michal Zahradník built a steam engine entirely out of glass! There are no seals here, just snug-fitting glass. This is a replica of an early locomotive steam engine designed by George and/or Robert Stephenson…
Continue reading… “Working model Of Stephenson’s steam engine made Of glass”
Bang! Caffeinated Brownies bang out the buzz.
Coffee’s not the only way to get a caffeine boost. Besides energy drinks, there’s a growing number of foodstuffs designed to perk you up, from caffeinated Stay Puft marshmallows, to these cleverly named ‘Snack in the Face’ baked goods that prove a good pun is hard to ignore…
Continue reading… “Caffeinated baked goods will give you a much needed Snack in the Face”
Parents warned chickenpox laced lollipops are illegal.
Some parents are fearful of having their children vaccinated but they are being warned by a federal prosecutor that making a deal with a stranger who promises to mail them lollipops licked by children with chickenpox isn’t just a bad idea, it’s against the law.
Continue reading… “Parents turning to Facebook to find chickenpox laced lollipops”
Zap your brown eyes blue.
A California medical company says they have developed the technology to turn your pretty brown eyes into deep baby blues, like Elijah Wood’s.
Continue reading… “Doctor claims he can zap brown eyes blue”
North Dakota has a surplus of funds.
Alaska lawmakers couldn’t agree on what to do with all that extra money when they went in to a special session this year over budget questions.
Continue reading… “A few states have excess cash amid deficit gloom”
Blood protein from genetically modified rice could ease demand for blood donations.
Genetically modified grains of rice produce a key component of human blood in an attempt to provide an alternative to donations. The protein, extracted from rice plants containing human genes, could be used in hospitals to treat burns victims and help patients who have suffered severe blood loss.