Category: Science
YouTube Video of the Week: Insane Japanese Water Jetpack
Whoa – this is awesome. Supersize a simple bottle rocket, and strap it to a terrified-looking Japanese bloke. The most impressive thing? The science involved, neatly summarised by PopSci. In short, this bloke leaves the launchpad at over 200MPH, experiencing acceleration of approx 10gs! Don’t try this at home, kids.
PopSci (via Digg)
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New developments in the Tetris world – now it helps reduce mental trauma
Tetris. Always with the bloody Tetris. We’ve had Tetris ice cubes, Tetris chocolate, another kind of Tetris ice cubes, Tetris watches, Tetris furniture and even Tetris MADE REAL – now it’s time for life-affirming Tetris making people better news.
Basically, some doctors have been using the timeless obsessive/compulsive block-tidying puzzle game to relieve the symptoms of stress sufferers. They found that playing Tetris 30 minutes after being exposed to harrowing imagery…
Japanese space researchers design handy combined toilet/underpant system
Demand a toilet AND underpants in one handy device? The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has got it covered!
The clichéd slightly wacky Japanese scientists have built the amazing below gadget, which could eliminate toilet trips for good. Poo and wee are sucked out by a pump, with a built-in washer/dryer system cleaning up the resulting mess, leaving you relaxed, fresh and dry. It’s genius. Especially if the suction pump also comes with optional ‘entertainment’ attachments.
Might not be the most comfortable thing to wear about the place, but it’ll definitely…
Grey Warships of Death preparing for Blue Screen of Death – UK Navy fleet updates to Windows 2000 and XP
The UK’s warship fleet is getting itself an update, with versions of worst-windows-ever Windows 2000 and best-windows-ever XP rolling out across the fleet.
First to replace its ageing custom software with the “new” Windows operating systems is the HMS Montrose, which will soon enter a refitting phase where its old kit will be replaced by standard PCs.
The Type 23 frigates, which make up the bulk of our sea-faring death machines, are expected to gradually switch over to Windows machines as and when they’re due for a servicing, and, as ever, it’s all about reducing costs. Navy man Commodore Graham Peach said the Windows-based warships “will enable us to provide…
Scientists develop "Sex Chip" to stimulate pleasure in the brain
Technology previously used to treat Parkinson’s Disease has been directed elsewhere. Scientists claim to have developed a chip that can be implanted into the brain and used to deliver “feelings of pleasure”.
The target of the chip is the Orbitofrontal Cortex. Just behind the eyes, it’s the bit of your noggin that’s associated with pleasure derived from food and sex. The implementation is still a bit clunky at the moment – you have to run a wire from the chip in the brain to a heart pacemaker, which I imagine isn’t too comfortable. Neurosurgery professor Tipu Aziz, said:
“There is evidence that this chip will work. A few years ago a scientist implanted such a device into the brain of a woman with a low sex drive and turned her into a very sexually active woman. She didn’t like the sudden change, so the wiring in her head was removed.”
(via the Telegraph)
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Forward-thinking Estonia engaging the youths by allowing voting by TXT MSG
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The modernist regime of Estonia is EMBRACING the inexorable decline of future society and the eventual eradication of all vowels by allowing its citizens to vote via TXT MSG in the country’s 2011 general election.
It’s not quite as easy as simply texting in your choice of leader and an emoticon, though – all would-be text voters will need a special security-enabled SIM card to validate their identity and ensure there’s no funny business…
Forcefields invented, evil geniuses rub hands with glee
Before you get too excited, we’re not talking about keeping the Borg in the brig here. However, scientists have developed a gadget called “Envirostat”, which will allow them to keep individual cells in a force field of sorts. That means that they can assess the individual cell response to a single variable, while other conditions are kept stable.
The application is in the development of drugs and biofuels, where scientists want to be able to assess the impact of adding something, without feedback mechanisms clouding the response. Still, if you’re an amoeba with enemies, I’d watch out if I were you. Video of the tech in action over the jump.
Deafness charity finds 67% of you lot are listening to music TOO LOUDLY
A survey conducted by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People discovered that two-thirds of us are listening to MP3 players at dangerously loud volume levels that could break our earholes for good.
The RNID accosted 246 people in the streets of Edinburgh and plugged listening gadgets into the headphone sockets of their MP3 players, testing the volume output levels. The level considered safe for blasting music…
The Discriminating Metal Detector – for the discriminating metal detector
If you live in or near the odd fringe area of society where it’s acceptable behaviour to spend six hours pacing up and down a beach in the hope of finding a 5p coin someone dropped yesterday and couldn’t be bothered bending down to pick up – THIS IS FOR YOU.
Only joking – metal detectors are awesome. The idea of spending a whole day methodically covering a surface area the size of three football pitches in the hope of finding some old Roman coins, a bit of a crashed Spitfire or just a rusted piece…
Waterproof you mobile for $120 – Golden Shellback splash-proof coatings
You may or may not have witnessed the miracle that is Golden Shellback’s magical waterproof coating. If you haven’t, then witness it below.
