Wind energy is some of the cleanest energy there is. It’s relatively cheap to produce and easy to install, and produces power fairly reliably. So, but what happens if we transition to nothing but wind power? As dumb as it sounds, will we run out of wind? The answer seems to be “probably not,” but there will be consequences.

When asking the question of whether we’ll run out of … Read More → "We could power our entire civilization from wind energy alone"

Being color blind really sucks, and in some situations it can even be dangerous, especially if you forget which end of the traffic light is supposed to be red. These glasses are designed to fix the problem, with special filters that enhance some colors while filtering out others.
via DVICE

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Researchers in Germany have found evidence of room temperature superconductivity in graphite powder that has been soaking in water and then dried. Not surprisingly, the results come with a few caveats.
via Kottke

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Sporty meets stylish in the up and coming BMW Zagato Roadster Coupe. This top of the line luxury car is basedon BMW’s Z4 and offers a spectacular body and interior that BMW is known for. It includes 19″ light alloy wheels, and features the exclusive gray exterior paint and leather wrapped roll bars. The downside to this amazing dream … Read More → "Check out the BMW Zagato roadster"

I should say right off, this is no miracle. The Slinky I’m going to show you does what all Slinkys do, even if it seems so astonishing, you figure, “Oh, come on. Somebody doctored this footage. This can’t be.”

It can be. It is. Nobody manipulated anything.
via npr/Krulwich Wonders

Read More → "The miracle of the levitating Slinky"

The German electric airplane maker PC-Aero is at the Berlin Air Show this week unveiling its latest effort towards making sport flying not only solar powered, but mobile as well. The company’s Elektra One is a single-seat electric airplane that uses both batteries and solar cells to increase the endurance during flight and is capable of flying more than 100 miles per hour.

The airplane made its first flight in 2011  … Read More → "Electric airplane maker unveils solar-charging trailer"

The first African in space needs your help to get home.

At least, according to the latest Nigerian email scam to hit inboxes. Like most, it’s utter nonsense. Unlike most, it’s a great story.

Apparently — so the scam goes — Nigerian Air Force major Abacha Tunde became the first African in space in 1979, when he made a secret flight to the Russian Salyut 8T space station. (Salyut& … Read More → "Won’t you help a poor Nigerian astronaut who just wants to come home from space?"

Artist Michael Mapes creates intricate photographic portrait pieces in which photos of the subject are cut up and distributed amongst vials, pins, and other medical and scientific containers and equipment. The portrait “specimens” are housed in a wooden box, along with samples taken from the subject, including fingernails, eyelashes, and handwriting samples.
via Laughing Squid

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Move over, duct tape; you’re not the only brand of store bought tape with near-magical powers anymore. Scotch tape, that humblest denizen of the office supply store, has surprised researchers at the University of Toronto with the ability to transform semiconductors into high-energy superconductors. The discovery could have repercussions for the computing industry — especially the young field of quantum computing — and could even improve energy efficiency in electronics in general.
via GeekOSystem

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Without astronauts to pilot them, NASA no longer needs manned landing modules like the one Buzz Aldrin flew during the Apollo mission. Instead, NASA is building a new generation of robotic spacecraft capable of setting down on alien worlds without human intervention.

The Mighty Eagle—nicknamed after the level-annihilating Angry Birds character—is a robotic tripod that stands a squat 4-feet tall by 8-feet wide, and weighs 700 pounds when fully laden with its supply of 180-proof hydrogen peroxide. It has been developed by researchers from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center working with the … Read More → "This space explorer could take one giant leap for robotkind"