Spending on pets in the U.S. increases during recession

pampered pet

Americans will spend more than $50 billion on their animals this year.

Mary Louise Mills has a says her three dogs are spoiled rotten 9-year-old shih tzu named Annie Lulu after Mills’ grandmother, and two Pekingese — 7-year-old Miss Daisy May and 4-year-old Elmer, whom she sometimes calls Fudd.  And she says her all three of her dogs are spoiled rotten.

 

Continue reading… “Spending on pets in the U.S. increases during recession”

Electricity from the nose: Engineers make power from human respiration

nose 4-3u;jehrg

Graduate Student Jian Shi and Materials Science and Engineering Professor Xudong Wang
demonstrate a material that could be used to capture energy from respiration.

The same piezoelectric effect that ignites your gas grill with the push of a button could one day power sensors in your body via the respiration in your nose…

Continue reading… “Electricity from the nose: Engineers make power from human respiration”

Scientists discover the best skiing In the Solar System

snow enceladus-snow-rendering_41345_600x450

Serious powder!

…and it’s only a few hundred million miles away. Better fuel up your rocket and get started today, however, because we’re talking about Saturn’s moon Enceladus and the incredibly fine, snowy powder that covers its surface:

“The particles are only a fraction of a millimeter in size … even finer than talcum powder,” study leader Paul Schenk, a planetary scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas, said in a statement. “This would make for the finest powder a skier could hope for…”

Continue reading… “Scientists discover the best skiing In the Solar System”

Germany’s nuclear power plant turned amusement park

wunderland

Wunderland Kalkar amusement park

Nothing says fun for all ages like an abandoned nuclear power plant cooling tower! That’s the sentiment behind Wunderland Kalkar amusement park in Germany.  Wunderland was formerly known as the Schneller Bruter cooperative energy project–where you’re more likely to encounter cotton candy and motion sickness than Geiger counters and radiation poisoning. (Pics)

 

Continue reading… “Germany’s nuclear power plant turned amusement park”

Boy, 11, sets longest limbo skating-world record

Rohan Ajit Kokane

Little Rohan Ajit Kokane whizzed into the Guinness Book of World Records
after performing the furthest ever roller-skating limbo.

He managed to fly under an incredible 20 cars while performing the splits during the stunt in Mumbai, India. Rohan picked up speed before bending down and making his chest parallel to the ground…

Continue reading… “Boy, 11, sets longest limbo skating-world record”

Paris launches a vehicle sharing program with 3,000 electric cars

DSC05984

Paris is innovating again.

When Paris’ now famous bike share system Velib’ in 2007, it was a pioneer in the field. Now similar programs are popping up in major cities all over the world, and Paris is looking to break the mold again. This week the City launched Autolib’ – a car sharing system that works the same way…

Continue reading… “Paris launches a vehicle sharing program with 3,000 electric cars”

A brief history of the spork

spork hithork

Is a spork the best of both worlds?

The Spork is a confusing utensil that in theory has the scooping and liquid-holding properties of a spoon combined with the food-stabbing features of a fork. However, with the spoon part too shallow to hold an acceptable amount of soup, and tines too short and stubby to properly penetrate anything firmer than a canned peach, the spork has become one of the longest standing jokes in culinary history…

Continue reading… “A brief history of the spork”

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.