Tuesday, November 14, 2006

stuff... 11-14-06

(Video) Walking On Non-Newtonian Fluid
Put simply, walking on non-Newtonian fluid (cornstarch + water) could
quite possibly be the next best thing to walking on water. Video
after the jump.
When the suspension nears the critical concentration - becoming like
single cream in consistency - the so called “shear thickening”
property of this non-Newtonian fluid becomes apparent. The
application of force - for example by stabbing the surface with a
finger, or rapidly inverting the container holding it - leads to the
fluid behaving like a solid rather than a liquid. More gentle
treatment, such as slowly inserting a spoon, will leave it in its
liquid state
http://tinyurl.com/yd2u3n

How to: Crack a Combination Lock If you’ve ever forgotten the
combination to your lock, then check out this video tutorial. As
stated in the video — for educational purposes only. Clip after the
jump.A combination lock is a type of lock in which a sequence of
numbers or symbols is used to open the lock. The sequence is usually
a specific permutation rather than a true combination (that is, the
order matters). The sequence may be entered using a single rotating
dial which interacts with several discs or cams, or by using a set of
several rotating discs with inscribed numerals which directly
interact with the locking mechanism
http://tinyurl.com/yjy43c

Electronic AM FM Radio Kit
This electronic AM and FM kit can be the perfect christmas gift for
your son, but only if he is a real geek and likes to play with
electronic stuff - just like you used to do when you were a kid, or
not. The good part is the educational support that it provides, the
Radio Kit isn’t soldered so it offers the opportunity to check how
the inside looks with all the wires and other stuff, it works with
the usual AM and FM bands that go from 520-1650 KHz to 88-108 MHz
respectively. It might look dangerous because of all the wires that
can be touched but the probability of getting an electric shock is
low, it is actually suppose to be safe (or so they say). Price: $13
PS - funny detail is that the radio kit was made for ages 8 and up,
but it is recommended for ages 10 and older. Strange….
http://tinyurl.com/ybsyn8

Popular Science's Best of What's New 2006: Skystream 3.7
Following last week's exhibit of Popular Science's Best of What's New
2006, CH's latest pick from the annual round-up of new innovations is
the Skystream 3.7. The first all-inclusive wind generator engineered
for residential use, the Skystream provides clean, quiet electricity,
reducing or eliminating energy costs (from 40-100%) for homes and
small businesses. The Skystream works in average winds as low as 10
MPH and in high wind conditions, Skystream can actually produce extra
electricty, offsetting your bill with a credit (depending on your
utility company). Installable in any location with zoning laws that
allow 42-foot structures, tower heights start at about 35-feet tall
and can be installed on lots that are at least a half acre at an
average cost of $9,000-$12,000 and for an average yearly savings of
$672. An optional two-way remote can control the Skystream from up to
1,000 feet away and can monitor performance on your computer via a
USB cable. Also designed with aesthetics in mind, the Skystream adds
futuristic, guilt-relieving good looks to suburbanite homes.

http://tinyurl.com/yent23

Another item fromt he PopSci best list, a $5k ultrasound system that
interfaces USB to any computer (5k is cheap for something like this):

http://www.dmsww.com/

And of course, the entire PopSci best of 2006 list:
http://tinyurl.com/ymyvvz

GM likely to launch new plug-in hybrid: paper
DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. (GM.N: Quote, Profile,
Research) will likely unveil a prototype plug-in hybrid at the North
American International Auto Show in Detroit in January, a local paper
reported on Friday. The advanced technology vehicle would have an
extended driving range on battery power and would also have a diesel
or gasoline engine that could power the car when the battery was low,
the Detroit News said, citing unnamed GM officials. Plug-in hybrids
are gas-electric vehicles that can recharge their batteries with an
extension cord and a normal wall outlet. GM, which is trying to
recover from a $10.6 billion loss in 2005 and stop a slide in U.S.
market share, has been criticized for relying heavily on gas-guzzling
sport utility vehicles. This year, it has also drawn sharp criticism
for its decision to kill its EV1 electric car program.

http://tinyurl.com/yh6g3t

Downloaders Anonymous: My 15 Essential Firefox 2.0 Add-ons Posted Nov
13th 2006 5:00PM by Jordan Running Filed under: Internet, Mozilla,
Freeware, Open Source, Browsers Okay, okay, the "essential Firefox
addons" list has been done to death, but if everyone else can beat a
dead horse, why can't I? Having just freshened up my system I had the
unique opportunity to take a fresh look at which Firefox addons I
have installed and which ones I can't live without. As it turns out,
there's quite a lot of them, so without further ado, here's my 15
essential Firefox add-ons:
http://tinyurl.com/y9zr98

Nuance & Mobience: Death of the mobile keypad? Related entries:
Mobile Phones If you're not familiar with the sentences 'The razor-
toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the
most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom
attack a human', then you obviously haven't tried to break the
Guinness World Record for the shortest time required to type a 160-
character SMS message.
http://tinyurl.com/ymrgfn

Scientists Find New Painkiller from Saliva
Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Tuesday November 14, @06:18AM
from the hard-to-swallow dept.
dptalia writes"Scientists have found a new pain killer based on human
saliva. Apparently 1 gram of the new drug provides as much pain
blocking as 3 grams of morphine. The drug blocks the breakdown of the
body's natural pain killing mechanism. Scientists say the molecule is
simple and synthesis is expected to be simple."
http://tinyurl.com/ylgo55

Samsung develops machine gun sentry robot costs $200k
http://tinyurl.com/ymds5b

New Resource Bank: Serving Customers and the Environment November 14,
2006 9:35 AM - John Laumer, Philadelphia Wall Street Journal
(subscription only) reports that “One of the nation's first "green"
banks -- focused on investing in clean technology and other green
ventures -- has started here [San Francisco Bay area] with backing
from a roster of Silicon Valley and other business heavyweights.
Named New Resource Bank, the institution is set to hold its grand
opening today with an initial equity infusion of $24.7 million from
240 founding investors, …” The bank plans loans in alternative
energy, organic farms and green construction and “would try to
encourage it’s borrowers to be greener, such as by introducing them
to green associations and techniques related to their businesses”.
Guess that means its customers will be reading TreeHugger! NRB
reports their internal green upgrades include: "Our office is built
to standards of a Gold LEED CI Certification for green buildings. Our
employees receive incentives for public transit, so they save energy
and don’t lose time in traffic jams. Our mobile customer service
representative will use efficient modes of transportation, including
a gas-electric hybrid, to serve you when needed. Our use of secured
and reliable technology replaces old, non-mission critical use of
paper. Our use of recycled products saves money and resources".

Address:

New Resource Bank
405 Howard Street, Suite 110
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 995-8100

http://tinyurl.com/yloxsu

Believing You Can Get Smarter Makes You Smarter Intelligence is found
as malleable than fixed. Even better, psychologist Aronson has found
out if people learned about IQ’s malleability, they will become
smarter than the ones without learning about this message. Several
other researchers used this and applied to a research with seventh-
grade students, and the results prove for itself: … Indeed, students
who were members of vulnerable groups (e.g., those who previously
thought that intelligence cannot change, those who had low prior
mathematics achievement, and female students) had higher mathematics
grades following the intelligence-is-malleable intervention, while
the grades of similar students in the control group declined. In
fact, girls who received the intervention matched and even slightly
exceeded the boys in math grades, whereas girls in the control group
performed well below the boys. These findings are especially
important because the actual instruction time for the intervention
totaled just three hours. Therefore, this is a very cost-effective
method for improving students’ academic motivation and achievement.
This article may already help you to the road on becoming smarter.

http://tinyurl.com/yarpds

 (About two years of silly mailings, all in one location.) The
files here are compilations from my more or less periodic humor
mailing list, Quips, Quirks & Quarks, AKA QQQ, AKA Q'bd, which
existed in the toddler years of the popular internet. These archives
incorporate material used in the mailings from November, 1994, to
June of 1997.*

http://tinyurl.com/yl8hbe

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