They’ve been a mainstay of the hyper-paranoid for decades—at least when it comes to comic depictions. But now, the classic, beloved tin foil hat has left the world of hyperbole to become an actual, honest-to-god mind-reading-deflection machine. And it looks fancy, to boot.

Designed by Lisa Kori and Caitlin Morris of the Italian communications center Fabrica, the headpieces are meant to … Read More → "Tin foil hats just got a major hardware (and fashion) upgrade"

Hijacking sperm cells to create little robots might seem far out, but that’s exactly what researchers from the Dresden Institute for Integrative Nanosciences have done. Their “spermbots” consist of live sperm cells in little tubes, that can be magnetically controlled to move in a desired direction until they reach their destination and do their job – they’re currently robust enough to even guide a specific sperm cell to an egg cell. The scientists hope that further development will allow the technology to offer a viable alternative to parents trying to have a child through … Read More → "Remote-controlled spermbots could be used to fertilize eggs"

Spencer Chen did an A/B test on the efficacy of “booth babes” at a big trade-show, staffing a booth in one part of the floor with scantily clad models, and another with older women recruited for their people skills, dressed in professional attire.

The results were clear for Chen: the “grandmas” generated far more sales-leads and conversions than the “babes.” What’s more, the kind of attendees the “babes” attracted were less valuable to Chen’s companies: rather than roping in executives with purchase-decision power, they brought in young “IT nubs” who just … Read More → "Booth babes are bad for business"

Net neutrality is dead.

At least that’s the verdict of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which today struck down a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) order from 2010 that forced Internet service providers (ISPs) like Verizon, AT&T, Comcast and Time Warner Cable to abide by the principles of network neutrality. These principles broadly stipulate that ISP network management must be transparent, and that ISPs can’t engage in practices that block, stifle or discriminate against (lawful) websites or traffic types on the Internet.

That’s the … Read More → "Why you should be freaking out about the end of net neutrality"

[A] new online service called Music Drop finally lets anyone compose their own 16-note tune, which is 3D printed alongside these adorable custom hand-cranked music boxes.

Composing your masterpiece is as simple as adding dots to this grid which plays it in an endless loop while you perfect your creation. When you’re done you can save your tune (and choose to share it with the world in … Read More → "3D-printed music boxes let you compose your own tune"

The Global Data Chandelier is a permanent and functional art installation at the new headquarters of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. It’s the brainchild of several design firms working together: Sosolimited, Plebian Design, Hypersonic Engineering & Design and Chris Parlato.

The chandelier has 425 pendant lamps that turn on and off in order to reflect, globally, certain data types. These include … Read More → "It’s a chandelier and an interactive map"

In a series called “Chitin Gloss“, German artist Evelyn Brackow of LA PHILIE custom hand paints ants crawling on vintage porcelain dishes. The effect is both elegant and creepy at the same time.
via Laughing Squid

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Here’s the solution from Ben Krasnow: a machine that mixes in the perfect amount of each baking ingredient to make one single cookie. Even better, you can tweak each single cookie’s recipe however you want because a computer controls everything that goes into the cookie. You want to adjust the amount of egg and flour? Just move the slider accordingly and it’ll … Read More → "A genius guy invented the perfect machine to make a single cookie"

Imagine you went out to eat and sat down to a meal of pasta shaped like the Batman logo. If a collaboration between Italian pasta maker Barilla and Dutch research organization TNO comes to fruition, restaurants could one day have 3D food printers that make this a reality.

According to Dutch news Web site Trouw, the two have been working on a fast 3D food printer that prints … Read More → "Get ready for 3D-printed pasta, in any shape you want"

… Read More → "Deep-sea squid killing a fish recorded for the first time"