Well what if I told you the good people at Bristol University in England were working on creating a real-life sonic screwdriver? The possibilities are being explored by a team of ultrasonic engineers led by Bruce Drinkwater, professor of ultrasonics, in tandem with a team from The Big Bang (a science and engineering fair aimed at inspiring young people to work in the sciences).

The screwdriver would work by using ultrasonic sound waves to move small objects. The engineers are looking into whether they can produce high-speed twisting forces, which could potentially undo a screw without ever touching it. They’re also looking at rotating force fields created by ultrasonic sound waves, functioning in much the same way as the head of an actual screwdriver. And don’t worry, these sound wave frequencies would be much too high to be heard by human ears, so you won’t lose your hearing trying to operate one of them.

Obviously, it’s not going to happen anytime soon. We could be looking at a few generations of scientists working on this before it ever happens, if it happens. And it seems like it would only function as a screwdriver instead of doing all the other things the gadget does on the show… but one thing at a time. And besides, developing a screwdriver that works without any physical contact is pretty incredible as it is. Oh Science, when you’re done with that, could you get to work on building me a proper, functioning TARDIS? Bigger on the inside and all that? Thanks.

Coming at us from somewhere in The Future is Word Lens, an app developed by Quest Visual for your iPhone that will translate, instantly, text from another language onto your screen. No Internet connection needed. You point your phone at the sign or whatever it is, and you’ll see the language of your choice displayed.

There are some limitations, of course. It doesn’t work on great big blocks of text; you couldn’t read a novel with it, but you might be able to get through a short passage. It doesn’t work on fancy fonts, either; you need clear text and bright light to get it to function properly. And they’ve only got Spanish to English and English to Spanish, but they’re working on the next version and adding new languages.

Still, for a first go, it’s pretty impressive. We’re one step closer to dissolving some language barriers. And it’s so much easier than flipping through a phrasebook and blurting out that you want to caress a turkey when all you were asking was to find the bathroom.

To see it in action, check out the video here, and for some more explanation by one of the developers, there’s this video here.

BrewDog’s stance on beer making is summed up by this statement, found on the label of their Punk IPA bottle:

“This is not a lowest common denominator beer. This is an aggressive beer. We don’t care if you don’t like it. We do not merely aspire to the proclaimed heady heights of conformity through neutrality and blandness. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to appreciate the depth, character and quality of this premium craft brewed beer. You probably don’t even care that this rebellious little beer contains no preservatives or additives and uses only the finest fresh natural ingredients. Just go back to drinking your mass-marketed, bland, cheaply made watered down lager and close the door behind you.”

Tough words. Funny that Arrogant Bastard says essentially the same thing, and has been doing it longer, but that’s neither here nor there. It just gives you a sense of what BrewDog is about. And what they’re about, lately, is brain-melting, high-alcohol beers. Never mind your Bud Lights or Coors Lights or Heinekens or Maudites or Samuel Adams Triple Bocks or whatever; this stuff will kick your ass into next year. Plus it’ll cost you anywhere from $500 to $750 or so, and they’ve only made about a dozen bottles.

That’s really all I’ve got to say about this. A 55% beer exists. I felt you all should know. Enjoy.

• Blu-ray 3D disc playback
• Facebook integration
• Grief reporting

What does this mean for PS3 owners who just want to play games? A few things. Sony introduced 3D gaming back in June with some online offerings, so taking it to disc-based gaming is the next logical step. You won’t, however, make much use of 3D Blu-ray features unless you’re one of the few who have a 3D TV. And there isn’t a ton of 3D Blu-ray content currently available, though some 3D versions of movies are being released. You also need an HDMI cable, but that shouldn’t be a problem for anyone these days. But hey, at least we’re ready for the content when it does come out. Can’t do any harm.

Facebook integration will allow you to post updates about your current gaming achievements, but only for future games that get released supporting the Facebook interface. So if you’re getting your ass kicked in an upcoming Street Fighter game, everyone will know about it. Just the kind of news you want shared!

Grief reporting means that if you get an inappropriate message or are being harassed from some other user, you can send a report about it directly via the XMB on the console. You can access it by going to the message in question (ironically, under “Friends”), hitting triangle, then selecting “Grief Report.”

Bottom line? Personally, I’m not too crazy about the Facebook and the grief reporting. They’re nice to have, sure, but for me, the 3D possibilities are more exciting—once 3D TVs come down in price and there’s more content available, that is. As always, I’m curious to see what happens next.

From ReVision Optics in Lake Forest, California, comes the Vue+, a microlens designed to treat presbyopia, which is the loss of near-vision focus, typically after 40. You may not be worried about it now, but never fear—it’s coming for you. Presbyopia affects everyone as they age. 

According to the company, the Vue+ is “a corneal inlay that is designed to improve near and intermediate vision by microscopically changing the shape of the eye’s surface.” It’s a seriously tiny transparent lens (2 mm: thinner than a human hair and as small as a pinhead), has a volume roughly equal to 1/500^th of a water droplet, and is inserted just beneath the surface of the eye. Which means you won’t feel this thing at all, nor can it be scratched, lost, or broken, if that’s what you’re worried about. It won’t even move once it’s implanted, yet it’s also surgically removable.

ReVision has currently finished the first part of its clinical trials, and is now observing the 400 patients from those studies over the next three years. Earlier trials have reported positive results, so hopefully the good news will keep rolling in.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but this feels to me like the start of something grand. Think of it: we’ve already got laser eye surgery and now with these developments in ocular implants and vision correction… maybe a future in which we won’t ever have to worry about vision problems begins here. Just a zap or an implant away, and your eyesight will always be perfect. For someone who’s been wearing glasses almost all his life, I can tell you, the idea sure sounds sweet.

VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies in Saratoga, California, has developed the lens, and there are two versions of it: 2.2 or 2.7 times magnification. But the lens doesn’t give you heat vision or let you see into space or something; it enlarges and projects images onto the healthy portion of the retina, reducing the visual impairment by making the object you’re looking at bigger. So relatively, the blind spot becomes smaller. Full costs are unknown, but the device alone costs about $15,000.

You can only use it in one eye (because you’ll need the other one for peripheral vision), and you might even need a corneal transplant to do it. Now, this will, understandably, screw things up a bit for your brain. Despite its small size, this is a pretty large object to implant into an eye. Your brain has to merge two images from both eyes into a single image for you to see properly, which means that anyone who gets the implant is going to need some rehabilitation to set their vision straight. In fact, the FDA is insisting on it. There’s a video showing how it works over here.

You’ll still have an impaired eye, but it won’t be nearly as bad as it would be without the implant. 75 percent of participants in the 219-patient study reported an improvement from severe impairment to moderate impairment. I wonder, though; if the implant enlarges objects and projects the image onto the healthy surrounding retina… doesn’t that mean that you’ll think an object is bigger or closer than it really is? Maybe that’s what the rehab is for.

It’s not a fix-all yet, but it sure beats going blind. In the words of Han Solo, “I think my eyes are getting better; instead of a big dark blur, I see a big light blur.” It’s a step in the right direction.

Here’s how it works:

1.       First, you have to establish a baseline (normal state) for your brain. All brains are different, so this individualized process has to happen first. This takes about 8 seconds.

2.       Once that’s done, you have to program the device. In the example at TED, they used a floating cube on a computer screen, and intended to pull it toward the user. You look at the object, and think about pulling it toward you. The device reads your brainwaves, essentially learning and recording what your brain is doing when you think “pull,” and associating it with a “pull” action in the program. This takes another 8 seconds.

3.       The next time you think “pull,” the device applies what it learned, and the cube (or whatever virtual object you use) will move toward you.

That’s basically it, though for some applications, you need to concentrate harder. Making the cube disappear, for example, is tough to visualize, but the device employs a learning algorithm to fill in the blanks. So even if you have just a fraction of an idea, it can learn it and expand upon it. With a few more tries, the cube will disappear.

So it’s pretty cool and all, but is it useful? Oh yes. You can map more and more commands (or detections), since the device differentiates between distinct thoughts. Thoughts can also be mapped to many computing platforms, applications or devices. With the proper set-up, you could open and close your curtains or turn your lights on and off. You could control an electric wheelchair with facial movements. You could make a toy helicopter fly by thinking “lift” or you could play video games without ever needing a controller. Imagine hurling a fireball in Street Fighter just by moving your hands!

Sure, some of these are minor applications, but the tech is still pretty new. Further development will likely yield more practical uses, or perhaps even some healthcare applications. Maybe the device could help patients with ADHD or Asperger syndrome, or detect brain tumors or irregularities in blood flow, or even help improve your concentration or teach you to stay calm. In any case, this sounds awesome to me.

The full TED Talk goes into more detail about why it works and how the device reads your brain. You can check it out here. And you can find the actual headset for sale here.

We’re talking about West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd, who passed away June 28 at 3 a.m., at the tender age of 92. Byrd’s nickname actually comes from the way he directed federal spending to his impoverished home state.

Robert Byrd was born in North Carolina in 1917, and entered Congress at a time when Stalin was in power, the H-bomb was announced publicly, and the first Corvette and color TVs were built. It was also the year Aldous Huxley took some mescaline and wrote a book about it.

Byrd holds the record for the longest-serving member of Congress, with nine terms as a Democrat since 1953. I’ll do the math for you—that’s 57 years in office!

He was a strong vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, and had a well-established reputation as a fiery orator. He said that one of his proudest accomplishments was his vote against the legislation that gave President Bush the power to invade Iraq in 2002.

There were a few stains on his career, though: he opposed civil rights movement in 1964, and in the 1940s, he joined Klu Klux Klan, something he attributed to his Southern upbringing. He later came to deeply regret these decisions, saying they were huge mistakes that could never be erased.

Byrd was married for 69 years to Erma James; they had two daughters. The title of Oldest Senator in Congress is now held by Frank Lautenberg, who is 86.

Why not travel into the past, you ask? Because of paradoxes. You can’t go into the past because it is impossible to do so, as it would violate a fundamental physics law: causes happen before effects. Hawking’s example is the scientist who goes one minute into the past and shoots himself. If he’s dead, then who traveled in time and fired the shot? You can’t both exist and not exist at the same time. The whole thing brings about a conundrum of head-exploding proportions.

The way time-traveling into the future works is as follows (and I only have a basic comprehension of this, so bear with me; thankfully Hawking writes in very understandable terms): Nothing can travel faster than light (186,000 miles/second), right? It’s one of the most well-established principles in science. Thing is, when you get to that speed, time starts to slow down for you. It continues flowing at the regular rate (for lack of a better term) everywhere else, but if you’re traveling at 99% of lightspeed, time slows down by a huge factor (one day at that speed equals a year on Earth). If time slows down by that much, then you could end up several years in the future while only experiencing a few days of time yourself.

In order to do that, we’d need a massive ship capable of carrying a tremendous amount of fuel, which would have to burn at full power for 6 years before we hit that critical point of velocity. Do we have technology on that scale? No. But we do have the Large Hadron Collider. This is a massive particle accelerator that… well… accelerates particles to near-lightspeed. And it’s been noted that, though these tiny particles (“pi-mesons”) cease to exist after 25 billionths of a second under normal conditions, once accelerated to 99% of lightspeed, they last 30 times longer. Time slows down for those particles at that speed. Now we just need to apply that to human-sized models, and off we go. You know, that’s all.

There’s even more about all this, and it deals with wormholes, but my mind is already blown enough. For Hawking’s full article, go here. These points and more can be seen on Stephen Hawking’s Universe, airing May 9 on Discovery.

Seems to me that more and more, the things that were science-fiction are becoming reality. And that’s just fine with me.

It all has to do with how your brain reacts to someone you trust. In an experiment conducted by Uffe Schjødt at the Aarhus University in Denmark, 20 Pentecostal Christians and 20 non-believers had their brains scanned while listening to pre-recorded prayers. They were told that equal numbers of the prayers were read by a healer, an ordinary Christian, and a non-Christian. They were actually all read by regular Christians.

In the devout Pentecostalists, who believe that some people have divinely granted powers of healing, there was a significant change in brain activity when listening to the supposed healer. These changes occurred in the areas of the brain that deal with skepticism and the evaluation of truth: those areas were deactivated.

So what does this mean? Does it mean that religious people are easily led astray? Perhaps. The atheists of the tested group had no noticeable decrease in brain function. The Pentecostalists said that the “healers” reading the prayers were much more charismatic than the others, and that they felt God’s presence much more during those prayers. And yet it was actually all in their minds.

What this really says is that it’s easy to influence someone, based on their preconceived notions. If you’ve been programmed to believe that someone can heal you through faith alone, then when you hear that someone speak, your guard goes down and you suspend your critical facilities. The study reveals a human weakness that can be potentially easy to exploit. You can probably get more healing through Facebook.

There is currently no data on whether or not this extends beyond religious healers, but I suspect this behavior would apply to people you’ve known a long time or even all your life: your parents, your best friend, your doctor or your spouse—people who have proven themselves to be trustworthy. It may even be the same effect you see when someone is hypnotized. It’s an interesting study nonetheless.

The report is published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.

I don’t know about most of those, but the robots are in Japan and the jetpacks are in New Zealand. For jetpack video awesomeness, go right here.

Here’s the deal: the Martin Aircraft Company from New Zealand is producing a commercial jetpack. For real. It’ll take you a mile high from the ground, it can go 60 miles an hour, and because it’s considered an ultralight aircraft, you don’t need a license to fly one. At least, you don’t need one in the U.S. There is a training program developed by Martin Aircraft that you need to pass, and they encourage you to get some sort of professional instruction anyway, because “to attempt to fly any aircraft without professional instruction is extremely foolhardy.” And all this can be yours for the low, low price of $85,000.

Of course, pilot safety is bound to be the first thing on everyone’s minds, right after “Holy crap, I can fly!” Naturally, you’ll want to know what would happen if, say, the engine stops when you’re a mile up in the air. Not to worry: there’s a ballistic parachute. That is, like an airbag in a car, it’ll deploy immediately if the engine stops. Martin Aircraft also explains how the jetpack is actually safer than a helicopter or a light aircraft, in that it is much easier to land if something goes wrong, though they do acknowledge that any aircraft use, ultralight or not, carries a degree of risk.

One other small catch: you have to weigh between 140 and 240 pounds to use this thing. But that’s a pretty big weight range, so many people will be able to try this thing out, provided the price tag isn’t too daunting.  It takes a year from the date of purchase for the unit to be made.

So would you get one? I’m a little skeptical, seeing the great safety record we have operating cars, but I remain optimistic. If I had $85 grand just sitting around, hell yeah, I’d get one.

Hawking’s argument on the possible existence of alien life has been around for a long time, and is perfectly rational: The universe is far too big for life to have evolved on Earth alone. And it’s true that hundreds of planets have been discovered in the last 15 years (though mostly gas giants, because our telescopes aren’t yet good enough to detect smaller, rocky worlds), so who knows? Maybe there is life out there.

However, according to Hawking, said life isn’t likely to be friendly, if it has in fact evolved to the point of being able to travel through space. Were aliens to visit us, we would be at a supreme disadvantage, with far inferior technology. They could conquer us with little effort. And they would have likely used up all the resources on their own planet, and could see Earth as a fresh, spinning blue-and-green ball of supplies.

So… that’s just great. Since I was a kid, my mind has spun itself silly with imaginative and friendly tales of outer space and aliens. And now they want to kill us. Thanks, Professor Hawking. Thanks a lot. Stupid reality. Or potential reality, if highly advanced, hostile spacefaring alien life exists.

I do wonder, though: Hawking is a theoretical physicist. Is the realm of alien life and its social interaction with humans really his field of expertise? I mean, really, doesn’t this sound like the plot of Mars Attacks!? Or V?  I would like to think that we wouldn’t let Professor Hawking’s warning, dire though it may be, put a damper on any efforts to contact life outside of this planet. Sure, the aliens might find us, kill us, colonize us, eat up the rest of our resources, and they may have no clue at all as to what we consider morally correct, but what the hell, they might not. Bring ’em on.

“And I, for one, welcome our new [alien] overlords…”

For an interesting counter-argument, go here.

The Skinput is being developed by Chris Harrison, a Carnegie Mellon University grad student and former Microsoft intern, and Mircrosoft researcher Dan Morris. It works by using a pico-projector which displays a virtual keyboard or number pad on your skin, plus an armband with sensors that pick up the acoustic vibrations produced on your arm when you tap it with your finger.

To illustrate the potential applications, I want you to do something for me, OK? Take the thumb and middle finger of one of your hands and tap the fingertips together. Done? Great: you just answered a phone call. You could text-message someone, scroll through menus or select music tracks by simply tapping a spot in your palm or on your arm, and you’d never have to take your phone out of your pocket to do so. Everything is connected via Bluetooth. Further expanded applications could involve tapping these virtual buttons to open your front door or turn on your TV.

It’s Predator and Ponter’s companion and the Transmetropolitan phone trait. It’s one step closer to a cyborg, grinder, Doktor Sleepless future. This is nuts, when you think about it. But this is The Future. Never mind the flying cars and personal jetpacks… well, OK… so there are personal jetpacks now. And low-orbit commercial spaceflight is also becoming a reality, but still – how amazing is this?

It won’t be available to consumers for a good 2 to 7 years, but if the prototype alone is this cool, imagine what the final product will be like. Much of the development will be in getting towards 100% accuracy when tapping the keyboard on your arm. I still can’t believe I just said “keyboard on your arm.”

Check out the video here.

1.       Chew – This is a book about Tony Chu, an FDA agent, ex-cop and “cibopath” who can get psychic “imprints” from anything he eats. He can tell you where this apple was grown and what pesticides were used on it, or he can tell you how the cow died when he eats a steak. When solving crimes and murders, this ability comes in quite handy, but it’s also a burden, as it works on anything he ingests, except canned beets.  

In this world, the FDA is the most powerful law enforcement agency, because of chicken being outlawed as a result of bird flu. The first arc just sets things up for you, tracking illegal chickens and introducing the potential love interest and maybe a vampire. The second arc largely deals with alien fruit, and maybe a vampire. It’s funny, it’s clever, there’s plenty of action, and the characters are all interesting and compelling. There’s nothing else like Chew on the shelves right now. It’s the best comic I’ve read in a year, hands down. By John Layman and Rob Guillory, published by Image.

2.       Freakangels – This is a free webcomic by Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield. Tagline: “23 years ago, 12 strange children were born in England at exactly the same moment. 6 years ago, the world ended. This is the story of what happened next.” Basically, the story is: what would happen if the Midwich cuckoos punched a hole in the world and destroyed most of England by flooding it? This comic comes out every Friday, at noon (U.K. time), and is published 6 pages at a time online. So far, three volumes of the comic have been collected in trade paperback, with a fourth soon on the way. Published by Avatar Press.

3.       Daytripper – A serious comic by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, Daytripper is set mostly in Brazil, it shows you several slices from the life of protagonist Brás de Oliva Domingos. Each issue stands alone as a separate tale, showing you how his life could have unfolded. It’s deep, it’s well written and has gorgeous art (both creators were artists on the brilliant Casanova), and it casually throws about meaningful passages like some of the best literature. There’s a small twist at the end of each issue, and really, the book is simply about love and life. It completely caught me off-guard, and is well worth your time. Published by Vertigo.

4.       Crossed – If something like Daytripper is too heavy for you right now, give Crossed a try. A zombie-style book without zombies, but exploring the worst in degrading, savage, violent human behavior by way of a zombie-like infection, Crossed is easily one of the most brutal, shocking, and doom-laden comics out there, next to The Walking Dead. And like the best zombie-ish stories, this one is about the horror, love, and desperate survival of the uninfected people. And the Crossed are devilishly clever, too. I dare you to look at the last page spread of issue 1 and not be horrified. Gruesome and excellent. By Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows, published by Avatar Press.

5.       Kill Shakespeare – This is an interesting one, and it made its premiere at the Wizard World Toronto Comic Con this year. The book starts out between Acts 4 and 5 of Hamlet, when Hamlet is on the boat to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The ship is attacked by pirates, and in the aftermath, Hamlet finds himself in the care of Richard III, who tells Hamlet his arrival was prophesized, and he is to save their kingdom from those who would destroy it. And to do so, he must find a reclusive wizard (to whom the enemy is aligned): “Will you free us from the tyranny of William Shakespeare?”

Other Shakespearean characters will soon join the cast of the book, in what is sure to be a meta-fiction extravaganza: Juliet, Othello, Falstaff, Romeo, Puck, Lady Macbeth and Iago, to name a few. The language of the book is a blend of Elizabethan and modern English, so it shouldn’t put off those of you who aren’t huge fans of The Bard. The art could be a little better, in my opinion, but the story is compelling enough that it deserves to be checked out. By Conor McCreery, Anthony Del Col, and Andy Belanger. Published by IDW. 

What are you still doing here? There are comics to be read. Off you go.

]]> http://www.manolith.com/2010/04/18/5-comic-books-you-should-be-reading/feed/ 2 http://cache.static.tsavo.com/wordpress/uploads/2010/04/Chew-SM.jpg http://www.manolith.com/2009/11/06/grow-your-own-meat/ http://www.manolith.com/2009/11/06/grow-your-own-meat/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:00:58 +0000 Leo Graziani http://www.manolith.com/?p=42073

Now here’s a tasty idea. Swedish appliance manufacturer Electrolux recently held a design competition, and, among many impressive entries, The Cocoon emerged the winner. The Cocoon was designed by Rickard Hederstierna, and no, it has nothing to do with rejuvenating the elderly. It grows meat.

Grows. Meat.

Allow me to explain. It takes pre-mixed food packets containing animal cells (specifically muscle, oxygen and nutrients), heats the packet up for a pre-set amount of time, and that’s it: a cut of beef or a piece of salmon, ready for use. Here, take a look at the video.

Folks, we just might have Star Trek technology. This thing is basically a replicator, though it’s unclear (and doubtful, I think) whether or not it would cook the food for you. I imagine it would create the raw ingredients, and then you prepare your food the way you like.

The whole thing does kind of have a creepy feel to it, though. Like it’s too clean and sanitized, which is an odd thing to say considering we’re talking about food. But if the meat or fish made by the Cocoon is safe and just as tasty as “real” meat… then why not use it?

The invention means you can get meat without killing animals, for those of you who are sensitive to that kind of thing. But aside from that, there’s no risk of contamination and it can address food shortages worldwide. I don’t want to jump the gun here (and this is gonna be a big one, so hold on), but is it possible that someone just designed a possible end to world hunger in a little round blue heater?

Of course, this is all design and speculation. It’s not like Electrolux has committed any resources or if this concept would actually work. But imagine if it did. I’d say that’s worth the investment, wouldn’t you?

Other ideas included a fridge that could teleport food to another location in the house, two-minute clothes cleaners (including drying and ironing) and a robotic greenhouse for use on Mars. And that’s just from one company. I’ve been hearing about other wild stuff like touchable holograms, functional transplanted hands and phones you can control with your eyes. I love The Future.

]]> http://www.manolith.com/2009/11/06/grow-your-own-meat/feed/ 1 http://cache.static.tsavo.com/wordpress/uploads/2009/10/cocoon-sm.jpg http://www.manolith.com/2009/11/05/bees-on-cocaine/ http://www.manolith.com/2009/11/05/bees-on-cocaine/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:00:54 +0000 Leo Graziani http://www.manolith.com/?p=42109 As if bees weren’t scary enough, what with their Evil Eyes and Stingers of Malice, science has decided to make superbees hopped up on drugs. I imagine the conversation went down like this:

“Man, these bees are pretty horrifying, but I think we should make them worse.”

“A capital suggestion, good sir. What do you propose?”

“Bees on cocaine!”

“Yes, but to what purpose?”

“Dude… BEES… on COCAINE.”

“By George, you’re right. I simply can’t find fault in your logic here. To the lab!”

And then the superbees get super pissed off, turn on the scientists, break out of the lab and proceed to sting the life out of everything with their newly jacked-up Death Venom. Thanks, science. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of a lot of what you’ve done, but this has Bad Idea written all over it. We don’t need Unholy Death Bees. Then again, they’ve already been working on cyborg insects -– maybe coking them up is the next… logical… step?

All kidding aside, there were some interesting insights gained from the whole experiment. For one, drug-addicted bees are liars: “The cocaine-addled insects would routinely exaggerate the quality of sugar or pollen they had found, lying to their fellow hive members through the medium of ‘waggle dancing’.” But the report goes on to say that the information regarding the location of the food was correct. Bees also experienced withdrawal, with some of them feeling the effects so badly they couldn’t tell the difference between vanilla and lemon.

The scientists (Andrew Barron, Macquarie University Australia and Gene Robinson, University of Illinois) figure that further study of drug addiction in bees will lead to insights for human drug addiction; for example, possibly finding a way to prevent the brain from reacting to a drug, to stop a cycle of abuse. The full report is published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

]]> http://www.manolith.com/2009/11/05/bees-on-cocaine/feed/ 1 http://cache.static.tsavo.com/wordpress/uploads/2009/11/bees-cocaine-solution-sm.jpg http://www.manolith.com/2009/11/04/yikes-look-at-that-tiny-bike/ http://www.manolith.com/2009/11/04/yikes-look-at-that-tiny-bike/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:29:02 +0000 Leo Graziani http://www.manolith.com/?p=42088 I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve had it up to here with riding my giant original penny-farthing bike. I sure wish someone would take that design, shrink it, electrify it and make it a cool, foldable, portable mode of transport in a crowded city.

And while I’m crafting this wish list, let me also say that the bike should weigh about 21 pounds, reach a maximum speed of 12.5 miles an hour, support up to 220 pounds and take me as far as 6.25 miles before needing a recharge. It should also fit… oh, let’s say… anyone from 5′3″ to 6′5″ in height.

What’s that? They’ve already got something like that in the works in Europe?

Well… um… I, er…

I knew that.

Enter the Yike Bike. I’m a little torn on how to feel about this thing, really. It looks cool, but it seems too small to fit a regular human being. Like you robbed a toddler of his fancy new Big Wheel. The handlebars are on the back as well, so it’ll take some getting used to. I suppose as long as it doesn’t take on the dorky (but fun) stature of the segway, it’ll do just fine.

But it folds up. Look at the promotional video. It folds up into a little circle, and then you can put it in a bag, sling the bag over your shoulder and walk up into your apartment, content with your hip new transport toy.

Weird thing about that video: why are people just happily smiling at the Yiker as he rolls by? Everyone seems to be in some state of distress about their current modes of transportation, but then here comes Buddy on his Yike, and suddenly they all feel great about themselves. Your bike’s been stripped, lady! I’d love to see the real version of that, where she dropkicks him and makes off with his Yike.

But aside from the dropkicking, it’s nice to see a bike won’t get stolen, and –- if it catches on -– could reduce traffic congestion. It goes about as fast as you might travel on a regular bicycle, and while it isn’t good for long distances, it could make getting around in a big city a lot easier. Unless, of course, there’s no room on the crowded sidewalk or the clogged roadway for your tiny almost-bike.

Best of all, it uses no gas. This sucker’s electrical, but I would need a nuclear reaction to generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electrici—hmm… got lost there for a sec. Never mind.

The Yike Bike should be available in mid-2010, so it’s still a ways away. The only thing you have to tolerate in the meantime are the semi-cornball slogans, including gems such as “I Park Where I Damn Well Yike,” and “I Yike Rush Hour.” Sigh. And you could have all this, plus a sense of grandeur greater than even the most pretentious fixed-gear biker, for the affordable price of… €3,300 to €3,900! What?! Guess you don’t actually need that extra $5,000 to $6,000 U.S. you must have, just burning a hole in your pocket. Didn’t you hear the recession is over? Now go buy a little foldable electric bike you probably don’t need, but really want because it’s kinda cool. Go on.

]]> http://www.manolith.com/2009/11/04/yikes-look-at-that-tiny-bike/feed/ 0 http://cache.static.tsavo.com/wordpress/uploads/2009/10/yike-bike-2-smaller.JPG http://www.manolith.com/2009/10/05/creepy-blood-powered-lamp/ http://www.manolith.com/2009/10/05/creepy-blood-powered-lamp/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:00:38 +0000 Leo Graziani http://www.manolith.com/?p=39046

What kind of a Luddite needs plain ol’ electricity to run the lighting in their home? Design artist Mike Thompson has come up with a lamp that’s powered by your own blood. Yeah, you read that right. Not convinced? Read it again. I’ll wait.

Are we good?  OK.

Here’s how it works. You’ve got this glass bottle with a solution in the bottom, right? Then you break off the top, dissolve the accompanying tablet in the now-accessible solution of luminol (that crime scene blood detector stuff) beneath, and then cut yourself on the jagged edge of the bottle, and drop your blood into the lamp. The solution and tablet react with the blood to produce a blue fluorescent glow.

The intent behind the blood lamp is that it would force people to think about the energy they use and how much they waste. A noble thought, but really – who in their right mind would buy a lamp like this? Let’s see: here’s your conventional lamp. It uses a light bulb. You plug it in, turn it on, and you’re done. And in this corner, the blood lamp: break it open, throw this tablet in, and cut yourself to get it working. There’s certainly a cool and dangerous element to it, but somehow I think most people are gonna take option #1. Oh, and the blood lamp only works once, so what about the wastefulness there?

I also wonder: How long does it last? Would it keep its consistency and glow if you removed it from the glass? If so, imagine the cool and totally creepy blood-splattered lighting element you could create on Halloween. You could put it next to your personal urn. And what other bodily-fluid-enabled products can we expect next? Spit-powered TVs? A stove that runs on tears? I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.

Lastly – didn’t anyone learn from Little Shop of Horrors? Using your blood to power things in the house can only lead to disaster in the form of carnivorous alien plant life. I’ll stick to electricity, thanks.

]]> http://www.manolith.com/2009/10/05/creepy-blood-powered-lamp/feed/ 4 http://cache.static.tsavo.com/wordpress/uploads/2009/10/Blood_Lamp4-thumb.jpg http://www.manolith.com/2009/07/20/driving-a-deathtrap/ http://www.manolith.com/2009/07/20/driving-a-deathtrap/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 21:18:59 +0000 Leo Graziani http://www.manolith.com/?p=33682

Chrysler and Fiat have merged, and they will likely bring the Fiat 500 to the North American market. And why not? Cheap cars with great fuel economy is the way to go; who wants to drive a big gas guzzler these days? But wait… wasn’t the 500, er, not the best of vehicles?

My earliest memory of the Fiat 500 goes back to 1986. The family was on vacation, visiting relatives in the south of Italy for the summer. One day, we were on the way to my aunt’s cottage outside of our hometown, and we all pile into her 500. To say that it was a small car is an understatement. It’s the size of a thimble, and there were at least four people crammed in the back seat that day, even though two of us (my sister and I) were pretty small. Seat belts? Don’t make me laugh.

One thing you have to understand about Italy is that there are no laws. For anything. Ever. Especially driving. If you cross a street and make it to the other side, say a prayer to la Madonna, because it’s a miracle you’re alive. Now imagine driving on those same maniacal roads in a tiny rattling deathtrap of a car.

That said, I want a cinquecento.

Now why in the world would I want this thing? The car I remember wasn’t sturdy, didn’t handle well, was made from cheap materials, was prone to rust much earlier than other cars, and was generally a hunk of junk. And the country was loaded with them. I mean, there’s a reason they used to say that “Fiat” stood for “Fix it again, Tony.”

But in the 23 years since then, the car and the company have improved. The 500 is no longer the horrible little car it was. It’s been redesigned, it’s made from better materials, and I imagine that feeling of your life being in peril every time you get inside one isn’t there anymore; unless you’ve got a bad driver, and that’s a whole other story.

So why would I want it? I’ll give you three reasons: fuel economy, pricing and features. This is still speculation at this point, but it’s a pretty good bet that the 500 will be at least as good on fuel consumption as any comparable subcompact car; some estimate it might get over 40 mpg. It also wouldn’t surprise me to find this car in the $15,000 range. It’s a nice small vehicle, which will make it easier to maneuver and a snap to park. Plus you could probably fold it up and stuff it into the trunk of a Yaris with room to spare.

If you go over to the Fiat 500 site, you can play around and build your own Cinquecento. The build-your-own disclaimer says that the features seen there are only for the Italian market, but we can hope Chrysler brings over many of them. It doesn’t say anything about prices, but get a load of all the customization options. I never wanted racing stripes or an Italian flag decal on my car before, but I sure want ’em now.

And there’s the fourth reason I want this car: heritage pride. I can’t help it. It’s supposed to arrive next year; which, now that I think of it, might be right on time for the World Cup. If Italy takes the championship again, it’ll be even sweeter to drive around, honk the horn and be obnoxious in THAT car.

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