Archive for October 1st, 2009

507 Carat Diamond Found In South Africa

One of the biggest diamonds ever found has been discovered at a mine in South Africa.

The rough 507-carat white stone was unearthed at the historic Cullinan mine – where the famous Cullinan diamond (3,106 carat), the largest in the world, was discovered in 1905.

A spokesman for mining firm Petra Diamond said the gemstone found last week was among the world’s 20 largest diamonds ever discovered.

Experts have put its value in excess of £200million.

Choking The Chicken Halloween Costume

It’s coming up to Halloween, and we all want that perfect costume…Well this is the coolest one I’ve seen so far – the choking chicken.

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‘Power Loader’ Exoskeleton Suit

Science fiction super powers have just moved one step closer to reality with the invention of the ‘Power Loader’ Exoskeleton Suit.

The suit, created by Activelink – a Kyoto-based subsidiary of Panasonic – takes its name from the fictional hydraulic exoskeleton suit appearing in the sci-fi classic “Aliens”. The Power Suit allows it’s user to lift up to 100 kilograms (220 lbs) with little effort. This is made possible with the use of 18 electromagnetic motors which are built into the 500 pound aluminum-alloy frame.

The Power Loader is still in the development phase, but Activelink plans to have a marketable version of the suit by the year 2015.

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Is There Such Thing as a Stress-Free Vacation?

When we go on vacation, it’s meant to be the most relaxing and stress-free time of the year, but in fact it usually ends up being quite the opposite.

This nice little graph by PHDComics demonstrates the various stress levels at different times, before, during and after a vacation.

Gyrowheel Will Replace The Training Wheel

The Gyrowheel is a wheel that uses a gyroscope to help keep it upright. The manufacturers, Gyrobike, hope that the Gyrowheel will replace the traditional training wheel on children’s bikes.

It aims to replace traditional training wheels or stabilizers and to eradicate the bad habits that they teach kids when learning to ride a bike – leaning away from a turn and constantly putting a foot down at the first sign of a wobble when they’re eventually taken off. The Gyrowheel uses the “gyroscopic precession” of the independently spinning disk inside it to stabilize the bike. The force created when the disk is turned – via a rechargeable battery – is powerful enough to hold a wheel upright at very low speeds (i.e. virtually stopped), and can actually make a bike look like it has a “Ghost Rider” as the videos below show (and there are plenty more on the Gyrobike site).

Good or bad idea? Personally I think it’s a bad idea. Is there really a need for the young people of today to be reliant on yet another piece of technology, especially when riding bikes with traditional wheels has been part of society for over 100 years. Learning to ride a bike isn’t rocket science anyway. It’s just one small stepping stone in childhood development.

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Geek’s Remains Stored In Computer Casket

I’m sorry to start off today’s posts on a slightly morbid topic, but this story is about probably the most hardcore geek that ever lived, so I had to give him a mention.

The family of a geek who recently died have stored his remains inside a converted PC and invited friends to attach post-it note tributes. While those who wanted to keep their words private could just slip their note into the case through the floppy slot.

The epitaph is an apt Star Trek quotation that he repeated shortly before his death: “Beam me up Scotty, I’m done here”.

The classic computer – a type of SPARCstation that was discontinued in the 1990s – now carries a plastic plaque bearing his name, Alan, and the dates of his birth and death. (Flickr Stream).

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