Despite its unassuming looks and gentle temperament, the humble red breasted robin (Erithacus rubecula) boasts a superhero-like ability. They can see magnetic fields, giving them an almost perfect sense of direction.
Just to be clear, we don’t mean that a robin can sense the Earth’s magnetic … Read More → "Robins can actually see magnetic fields (but only in one eye)"
In its default behavior, MiP responds to a user’s claps and other hand gestures. Moving to other modes is as simple as rotating one of his wheels; a Track setting tells MiP to follow the movements of your hand; swipe right and it’ll turn that way, move your hand up and MiP drives forward. Put the robot in Roam mode and it … Read More → "MiP is a balancing robot that works with your smartphone"
Yes, a group of real scientists published a real paper in the journal Food Research International about the optimal conditions for cooking french fries. It has lots of sciencey terms like “crust thickness evolution” and “heat transfer from hot oil to potato surface.” For reference, those are the kinds of factors you should be considering while spinning cooking french fries at varying levels of g-force … Read More → "Science says Jupiter has the best french fries"
In addition to all the usual stuff (tablets, Ultrabooks, what have you), Intel’s CES booth includes a tablet full of… coffee mugs. Yep, mugs. It’s a bit strange, at first, to see so many photographers crowded around, taking hands-on photos of a porcelain cup. But then you notice the LED lights. Using a companion app, you can program the lights to display numbers, letters and smiley faces, in different colors. Additionally, Intel is showing … Read More → "Intel shows off a light-up smart mug"
In 1971, the FBI office in Media, PA was quietly robbed, with a group of anonymous burglars making off with suitcases full of classified documents. A few weeks later, scandalous revelations of the bureau’s conduct started to surface in The New York Timesand Washington Post, documents showing the FBI campaign of dirty tricks and dissent-stifling … Read More → "Whistleblowing FBI burglars come forward after 43 years"
In Stambovsky vs. Ackley, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York ruled that “as a matter of law, the house is haunted.” Ms. Ackley had failed to fulfill a legal requirement to inform the Stambovkys that the house was known to be haunted.
The ruling goes on to describe the problem that Ms. Ackley had created for the Stambovskys:
From the perspective of a person in the position of plaintiff herein, a very practical problem arises with respect to … Read More → "Why New York state legally recognizes haunted houses"
Ford’s relentless push to add as many apps to its Sync portfolio has finally peaked. With pizza. Because everyone should be able to order a pie without taking their hands off the wheel.
Anyone with Ford’s ubiquitous Sync AppLink system in their dashboard and a Domino’s app on their phone can, through their Domino’s “Pizza Profile,” place an order with a few voice commands and pick up a steaming, cardboard-crust pie on the way home. The “Pizza Profile” stores your payment info and details … Read More → "You can order a pizza with Ford’s new in-car app"
Takao Hensch, professor of molecular and cellular biology at Harvard University, believes that absolute pitch — the ability to identify or sing a specific note without any reference points — is a learned ability, normally only acquirable by humans in a “critical period” early in our lives. In the past, Hensch and other scientists believed, if we missed the window and hadn’ … Read More → "The pill that might give you perfect pitch by altering your brain"
