NASA is looking for U.S. high school students to participate in their program INSPIRES: Interdisciplinary National Science Program Incorporating Research Experience. It sounds like an awesome program, but the real prize is this:

Students selected for the program also will have the option to compete for unique grade-appropriate experiences during the summer of 2012 at NASA facilities and participating universities. The summer experience provides students with a … Read More → "NASA wants smart high school kids"

Tobias Megerle asked woodcarvers from Mumbai who use traditional forms to try their hands at making skateboards.

Via Neatorama

The Phoenix 40-A is a new hexacopter from Tia Linx, Inc. that can see motion and hear breathing, even through walls. This little guy can scan buildings for human presence and generate the layout of the building (even multi-story structures), then send that info back to law enforcement or troops before they enter the building.  

Image:  TiaLinx, Inc.

Source: & … Read More → "A hexacopter that sees motion and hears breathing, even through walls."

“Researchers at the Intelligent Systems Research Centre (ISRC) at Ulster University have developed a secure digital watermarking technology for images, called ’HidInImage’.” via theEngineer

For $20 you can get yourself an electronics prototyping platform that fits in a mint tin. The Mintronics Kit, available at the Maker Shed.

(click for larger version)

Make Magazine posted a cool bit about sculptor Reuben Margolin and his kinetic wave sculptures.

More of Margolin’s work here.

Dropping more calls more often? It’s not just your smart phone. Apparently, cell phone reception is getting worse. 

via Techland

Alexander Graham Bell’s sketchbooks have been preserved and digitized by the Library of Congress. This sample page shows a device for carrying telegraphic wire. Handy!

Source: The Atlantic, via Engadget 

“The spy approaches the target building under cover of darkness, taking a zigzag path to avoid well-lit areas and sentries. He selects a handy vantage point next to a dumpster, taking cover behind it when he hears the footsteps of an unseen guard. Once the coast is clear, he is on the move again – trundling along on four small wheels.” via New Scientist

Source: geekosystem