Archive for September 22nd, 2009

10 Best Things We’ll Say to Our Grandkids

Here’s a nice post I saw on Wired, about the 10 best things we’ll say to our grandkids.

1. Back in my day, we only needed 140 characters.

2. There used to be so much snow up here, you could strap a board to your feet and slide all the way down.

3. Televised contests gave cash prizes to whoever could store the most data in their head.

4. Well, the screens were bigger, but they only showed the movies at certain times of day.

5. We all had one, but nobody actually used it. Come to think of it, I bet my LinkedIn profile is still out there on the Web somewhere.
6. 英語曾經是統治語言。 瘋狂，哼？ *

7. Our bodies were made of meat and supported by little sticks of calcium.

8. You used to keep files right on your computer, and you had to go back to that same computer to access them!

9. Is that the new iPhone 27G? Got multitasking yet?

10. I just can’t get used to this darn vat-grown steak. Texture ain’t right.

* Translation: “English used to be the dominant language. Crazy, huh?”

Some of the things we do seem very strange when you come think about it. Meat and calcium, hmmm.

A Fully Functional LEGO Cello

Nathan Sawaya is a genius when is come to LEGO. He’s built everything from bumble-bees and dinosaurs to life-size people and Mount Rushmore replicas. His LEGO building talents really have no end.

In his latest piece, he has designed a fully functional, life-size cello.

Wonder how he did it? Here’s a video of Nathan building the Cello brick by brick. Don’t worry though – it’s sped up for your convenience, and sanity.

Link

Immortality is Only 20 Years Away?

The concept of immortality may seem science-fiction for most, however scientist, Ray Kurzweil believes that immortality could be only 20 years away through nanotechnology and an increased understanding of how the human body works.

Kurzweil, 61, who has predicted new technologies arriving before, says theoretically, at the rate our understanding is increasing, nanotechnologies capable of replacing many of our vital organs could be available in 20 years time.

Mr Kurzweil calls his theory the Law of Accelerating Returns. Writing in The Sun, Mr Kurzweil said: “I and many other scientists now believe that in around 20 years we will have the means to reprogramme our bodies’ stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse, ageing. Then nanotechnology will let us live for ever.

“Ultimately, nanobots will replace blood cells and do their work thousands of times more effectively.

“Within 25 years we will be able to do an Olympic sprint for 15 minutes without taking a breath, or go scuba-diving for four hours without oxygen.

“Heart-attack victims – who haven’t taken advantage of widely available bionic hearts – will calmly drive to the doctors for a minor operation as their blood bots keep them alive.

“Nanotechnology will extend our mental capacities to such an extent we will be able to write books within minutes.

“If we want to go into virtual-reality mode, nanobots will shut down brain signals and take us wherever we want to go. Virtual sex will become commonplace. And in our daily lives, hologram like figures will pop in our brain to explain what is happening.

“So we can look forward to a world where humans become cyborgs, with artificial limbs and organs.”

Do you believe that there is potential for humans to become immortal, and if so, do we really want it/is it rational to have it as an option?

Link

30 Best Onscreen Newsreader Bloopers and Fails

The Telegraph has a great collection of ‘the 30 most baffling onscreen errors’, which I highly recommend you check out if you’re due a cheer up.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

For the rest of the list, click the link.

Link

Visualizing the Advances in Motor Vehicle Safety Over the Past 50 Years

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted a unique crash test to demonstrate the advances in motor vehicle safety over the last 50 years. In this test, a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu and a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air are both going 40 mph and the vehicles collide offset, driver side to driver side. This is the same crash configuration represented by the Institute’s 40 mph frontal offset barrier test, which is used to rate the frontal crash performance of new cars.

Unbeatable Pool-Playing Robot

The RCVLab at Queen’s University demonstrates Deep Green, a pool playing robot, and ARPool, an augmented reality system for teaching the science of pool.

Of course, it does take the fun out of the game, but still a very innovative technology – even if robots are banned from competition.

Mark Eaton Celebrity Classic Million Dollar Hole In One

There’s nothing sweeter to a golfer than a hole-in-one. However, the chances of that happening are about one-in-30,000. So it seemed like a pretty safe bet to hold a contest: Get a hole-in-one, win $1 million!

However, luck was on Jason Hargett’s side this week at a golf charity tournament in Utah. He initially said he didn’t plan to play, but then changed his mind — a decision that would change his life.

Link