Computer scientists have developed malware that uses inaudible audio signals to communicate, a capability that allows the malware to covertly transmit keystrokes and other sensitive data even when infected machines have no network connection.

The proof-of-concept software—or malicious trojans that adopt the same high-frequency communication methods—could prove especially adept in penetrating highly sensitive environments that routinely place an “air gap” between computers and the outside world. Using nothing … Read More → "Scientist-developed malware covertly jumps air gaps using inaudible sound"

For the first time in history, NASA would be sending seeds on a space mission in an attempt to grow them on the Moon. 

Set to launch in 2015 as part of the commercial Moon Express lander project, this futuristic experiment would be delivering turnip, cress and basil seeds in specially constructed canisters, known as “Lunar Plant Growth Chambers”, to be planted on the Moon. 
via < … Read More → "NASA plans to grow plants on the moon for the first time"

Tokyo University of the Arts student Daigo Fukawa was inspired by rough drafts and sketches to create this furniture series called “Rough Sketch Products.” At first the pieces actually look like sketches or renders, but they exist and are functional. It’s not clear how comfortable it is to sit on the chairs, couch or stool, but it’s a great perception shift.
via Gizmodo</ … Read More → "These scribbled sketches are actual pieces of furniture"

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos took to 60 Minutes to reveal the company’s latest delivery method: drones. In what is likely a cunning reminder of the e-tailer’s upcoming Cyber Monday sales, these bots will apparently be capable of delivering packages up to five pounds (86 percent of orders are apparently under that), with the aim of getting them to your house in under half an hour. The system is called Prime Air … Read More → "Amazon unveils Prime Air drones on 60 Minutes, aims to deliver in half an hour"

… Read More → "Animated video game wedding cake"

Now that film is almost obsolete, you’re probably wondering what to do with that beautiful old Minolta taking up precious space in your desk drawer. Well, have you ever considered building furniture out of it?

Y Studio prides itself on turning found objects into useful tools and that’s exactly what they’ve done with their Reborn collection. Using old camera bodies, lenses, and … Read More → "Vintage Cameras Turned Into Handsome Lamps"

Do you ever worry that your paper planes just aren’t high tech enough? PowerUp is here to help. The device — known in full as the PowerUp 3.0 Smart Module — is an insert that slips into a regular paper airplane, letting you control it remotely using your phone. The carbon fiber device gives you ten minutes of flight on a single charge, with a … Read More → "Turn a regular paper plane into a smartphone-controlled drone"

[D]uring the height of the Cold War, the US military put such an emphasis on a rapid response to an attack on American soil, that to minimize any foreseeable delay in launching a nuclear missile, for nearly two decades they intentionally set the launch codes at every silo in the US to 8 zeroes.
via Gizmodo

Read More → "For 20 years the nuclear launch code at US minuteman silos was 00000000"

Allen Schlag, a National Weather Service hydrologist in Bismarck, and Greg Gust, a weather service meteorologist in Grand Forks, said a combination of cold, dense air last weekend and an eddy in the river likely caused the disk.

The cold, dense air — the air pressure Saturday in nearby Fargo was a record high for the city for the month of November, according to … Read More → "A spinning, 50-foot ice disk forms on a river"

A British teacher and artist named Guy Tarrant has assembled two cases’ worth of toys confiscated from London schoolchildren, soliciting them from fellow teachers. The collection represents items from 150 schools and 30 years, and is on display at the excellent Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green.
via Boing Boing

</ … Read More → "Museum display of toys confiscated from London schoolchildren"