Archive for November, 2008

giant brains - documentary

This is a documentary about the history of computing. it’s from 1991. 7 seconds for 700 digits of pi?? Daaaamn. This is only the first part - the rest is on the root site.

Yves Rossy (Jet Man)

Goldfish Training Kit

Picture it: Lassie returns to the house barking. "What is it girl? Timmy’s fallen down the well?" And then everyone runs to get that little fool out. But it’s too late. Goldie already saved Timmy’s sorry butt. Because Goldie is the goldfish you trained with your R2 Fish Training School Kit - and fish lives in the well! Ok, so that was a little overdramatic, but when you put your fish though Fish School, you’ll be amazed by the talent of your little scaly friend.

Take a sec and watch the video, we’ll wait . . . done? No stunt fish or special effects were used; that was an actual fish trained using this kit. You get everything you need to teach your fish to play football, play soccer, limbo, weave, fetch, go through tubes, and more! And then you can quit your job and go on tour. It’ll be just you, Twinkie the fish, and the open road. With the R2 Fish Training School Kit and a little perseverance, the world is your oyster . . . well, goldfish.

.::buy at -> thinkgeek

Ramen Knitting

Robert Burden’s Voltron

Thanks to Jen for this one.

Who needs Photoshop??

When you have MS Paint!

Flair Hair

A little bit of "Just For Men" in your mustache, and you’re all set, partner.

.::$19.99 via Kotula’s

Tony Buzan : Mind Mapping

Composite of the Future?

A new composite material being developed plans to revolutionize the composites industry with its extreme properties. The material is called Buckypaper, named after Buckminster Fuller, due to its use of carbon nanotubes that resemble Fullers Geodesic domes.

Buckypaper is said to have an electrical conductivity similar to copper or silicon, that is 10 times lighter and potentially 500 times stronger than steel. Buckypaper gets its strength from the positioning of the carbon nanotubes and their great surface area.

With its extremely high tolerances, Buckypaper will bring vast improvements in structural strength and in weight savings. Plan to see it used in everything from Airplanes and automobiles, to TVa€™s and other high tech products. With all its great qualities Buckypaper seems to have a bright future, but can anything be said for its sustainable qualities, or plans for its reuse?

Unfortunately there arena€™t many sustainable composite alternatives to fiberglass or carbon fiber. It is an industry based on synthetic compounds that are as strong and useful as they are difficult to recycle and reuse. Since Buckypaper is still at a developmental stage, time should be taken for not only maximizing performance, but also addressing issues of reclamation and reuse. Like fiberglass, Buckypaper might be a great material with dismal health and environmental concerns. In todaya€™s world, truly game-changing materials should not only exist in the realm of high performance but also be reclaimable and manufactured with the materials entire life cycle in mind.

.::via -> blog.ecolect.net (AP)