swimming freestyle

New Space Kaleidoscope Reveals Space As Totally Weird

From the Onion:

Astronomers analyzing the first images captured by the new Hubble Space Kaleidoscope, which went online Tuesday, announced that they've acquired the first concrete evidence that the universe is in a constant state of total weirdness.

"With their unprecedented resolution, the latest images from the new kaleidoscope reveal that space, once thought to be isotropic, is actually continuously expanding, unfolding, and rearranging in a series of freaky patterns," said astronomer Douglas Stetler, head of the Space Kaleidoscope Science Institute in Baltimore. "It's an exciting time for the field of astrokaleidoscopics, or anyone interested in the vast, wacked-out nature of space."

Despite excitement over the discovery that space is all crazy-looking, a number of legislators have threatened to cut funding for NASA's kaleidoscopic program. An outspoken critic of the agency, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said she hopes NASA scientists don't just use the kaleidoscope a few times and then lose interest and never touch it again, like they did with the Brookhaven Neutrino Spirograph, Fermilab's Particle Slingshot, and the Very Large Slip 'n Slide Array in New Mexico.

The Anaconda

A science team in Britain has been doing research on wave energy for electrical power generation.  Now testing small versions in tanks, they are predicting the final form would be 23 feet across and 650 feet long and capable of generating one megawatt of electricity per unit (enough energy to power 1000 homes).

Plus, they look very cool. 

A Personal Display

A Seattle company has added circuitry and miniature light emitting diodes to contact lenses to produce a multifunctional personal display.  From the Guardian UK:

As an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington, (Babak) Parviz works on bio-nanotechnology, self-assembly, nanofabrication and micro-electro mechanical systems. He makes tiny but functional electronic devices and, using nanotechnology and microfabrication techniques, integrates them on to polymers or glass using a process known as self-assembly.

Parviz talks about augmented reality, such as superimposing text messages or direction arrows on your view of the world. But even trivial applications will require a high-resolution display. So his next step is to demonstrate a programmable wireless contact lens with a few pixels - perhaps eight - that's safe to wear. Since his work became widely known, Parviz has received emails from people wanting to test the contact lenses, while others have proposed ideas. He's also had emails from those with vision problems, an area he hopes to help with.

Whoa Dude, Chronotopic Anamorphosis

You might want to sit down for this.  This is a video test of new software that takes horizontal video lines and rearranges them spatially and temporally.  I have no idea what it's for, but it's sure cool.

.

(h/t Gizmodo)

The Cloud

From Gizmodo:

MIT mobile experience lab's latest experiment is The Cloud, a pseudo-organic life form made of carbon glass that perceives humans using hundreds of sensors. It responds with sounds and light, using more than 15,000 individually-controlled optical hairs. That's 40 miles of fiber optics inside this 13-foot long furry.  The Cloud is located in Florence, outside the Fortezza da Basso.

Breaking Up Motion

(h/t Gizmodo)

Asia's Oldest Robot

Gakutensoku is Asia's oldest modern robot, built in 1928 for the ascension of the Emperor Showa (aka Hirohito). Twice as tall as the emperor at 10 feet, 6 inches, it could tilt its head, blink, smile and puff up its chest and cheeks with a system of inflatable rubber tubes. Long lost in Germany before returning to Osaka, it's been restored and brought back to life with a $200,000 computer-controlled pneumatic servo system. (Gizmodo)

RoboCup May Save Our Lives

No really.  It's true.

The Obsolete Internet

From The Times:

THE internet could soon be made obsolete. The scientists who pioneered it have now built a lightning-fast replacement capable of downloading entire feature films within seconds.

At speeds about 10,000 times faster than a typical broadband connection, “the grid” will be able to send the entire Rolling Stones back catalogue from Britain to Japan in less than two seconds.

The latest spin-off from Cern, the particle physics centre that created the web, the grid could also provide the kind of power needed to transmit holographic images; allow instant online gaming with hundreds of thousands of players; and offer high-definition video telephony for the price of a local call.

David Britton, professor of physics at Glasgow University and a leading figure in the grid project, believes grid technologies could “revolutionise” society. “With this kind of computing power, future generations will have the ability to collaborate and communicate in ways older people like me cannot even imagine,” he said.

Very Cool