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Phoghat

Gadgets

How it Works: A TV Speaker That's Almost Paper-Thin

By Sean Captain Posted on 8.13.2009 1 Comments
You don’t need big speakers to get big sound from your television. Emo Labs’s Edge Motion pumps tones out of a vibrating plastic sheet, just two hundredths of an inch thick, that sits over a TV screen. Its wide surface produces louder and more realistic sound than the small speakers in most TVs, but it takes up a lot less room than a separate stereo system.

9.19.2009 at 03:15pm - Comment by Phoghat

I hope they sound better and are more efficient (louder) than the ones in my Compaq
Science

Gallery: A Scouting Guide to the Top High School Inventors

By Posted on 8.24.2009 5 Comments

9.19.2009 at 03:11pm - Comment by Phoghat

No, that's the new scoring system. When I took them I got 1470/1600 (weaker in math than in language), got a national merit scholarship, but I'm not in the same league as these people. USA, USA, USA
DIY

Get More Life From Your Li-ions

By Mikey Sklar Posted on 9.17.2009 7 Comments
I'm not sure what sparked my battery obsession. Perhaps it was the installation of 3,000 lbs of lead-acid batteries used to power my homestead. Shortly after that, I found myself zapping old Ni-CD based battery packs with a welder to bring the once-dead batteries back to life. Then I began repacking the cells of other household items, including my iRobot vac and my Macbook. Now I regularly visit a local auto supply, combing through batteries for signs of life. My office is littered with a hodge-podge of Ni-CD, lead-acid and lithium-based cells that are patiently awaiting repairs and a new purpose. Here's what I've learned about keeping batteries in shape, and rehabbing old ones from the junk heap.

9.19.2009 at 02:31pm - Comment by Phoghat

Where can I find information to rebuild the pack on my Compaq laptop so it will last longer?
DIY

How To Take Photos From the Edge of Space For $150

By Jeremy Hsu Posted on 9.14.2009 10 Comments
Scientists and students alike have previously launched low-budget balloons that rise to the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere, snapping unbelievable photos from near-space. But MIT's Icarus team managed the same feat using only off-the-shelf items, and for a measly cost of $150. Here's how they did it.

9.19.2009 at 02:27pm - Comment by Phoghat

Extremely clever and very cool. Showing up NASA seems to be all the rage these days.
Science

Scientists Find The Gene That Produces THC

By Stuart Fox Posted on 9.15.2009 27 Comments
In one of the few scientific developments likely to interest both the Governor of North Dakota and Method Man, scientists at the University of Minnesota have identified the genes in cannabis that allow the plant to produce THC. Finding the genes opens the path to either create drug-free hemp plants for industrial purposes, or to develop plants with much higher concentrations of the psychotropic chemical.

9.19.2009 at 02:24pm - Comment by Phoghat

First let me state that I'm a pharmacist and in the late 60s and early 70s I was involved with cannabis research at St. John's University in Queens NY. Although I don't smoke pot at present (when subject to unannounced drug tests, you can't partake.) However, pot is one of the safest recreational drugs available, certainly safer than alcohol which is legal. It has been used by mankind for thousands of years. No one has ever overdosed on pot, yes NEVER. It has been shown by research not to be a gateway drug. It is somewhat psychologically addictive but not physically as with heroin, cocaine and the various amphetamines such as the so called "meth".
Gadgets

A Lightweight Display Brings Instant Army Intelligence to Your Wrist

By Posted on 6.16.2009 24 Comments
A special-ops soldier carries a slew of gadgets into battle. There's the GPS unit to pinpoint his squad's location, and a laptop for pulling up blueprints of terrorist compounds or infrared readings of buildings scoped out by robotic surveillance drones. With a radio and its five-pound battery, it's too much gear. But in a couple years, troops could lighten their load with a rugged, flexible, wrist-mounted display that's in development by the U.S. Army and HP Labs.

6.18.2009 at 08:30pm - Comment by Phoghat

Reality bytes: Wartime sucks, but always brings an increase in technological innovation. The more tech a soldier carries to keep him safe the heavier the load he must carry which keeps him unsafe. Colin Chapman once said the secret of technological success is to "Add Lightness".
Gadgets

Night Riders Rejoice: Infrared Vision in the Works for Motorcycles

By Mike Spinelli Posted on 6.8.2009 4 Comments
New motorcyclists are taught early not to out-drive their headlamps. Now, night riders (of the non-Hasselhoff variety) may soon owe Kawasaki a debt of gratitude for improving their safety after dark. The Japanese bike builder is reportedly fast-tracking new infrared night-vision technology to use on production motorcycles.

6.18.2009 at 08:23pm - Comment by Phoghat

Having the display on the instrument display is not as good as a HUD. As an aside, check out www.flir.com/US/
Gadgets

Evolution

By John Mahoney Posted on 6.8.2009 3 Comments
While not exactly to scale, I love this expression of the evolution of cellphones via Russian Matryoshka dolls. It's a concept toy by designer Kyle Bean. Even though we're all still digesting the Palm Pre--Apple's WWDC event is sure to bring news of the next iPhone iteration in just about an hour. We'll keep you posted.

6.18.2009 at 08:20pm - Comment by Phoghat

This is a truly novel idea. I'd even like to buy it as a present, maybe putting a iPhone in last as the real present
Technology

New Army Rifle Fires Laser-Guided Smart Bullets With Onboard Targeting Chips

By Dan Smith Posted on 6.5.2009 23 Comments
It would be hard to describe a bullet as smart, but what if that bullet was laser-guided, radio-controlled, and carried an onboard targeting CPU? The US Army has announced the creation of the XM25 rifle, which can fire a new type of explosive round that fit that exact description. Imagine the implications: hitting targets inside buildings or hiding around walls. Whoa.

6.18.2009 at 08:17pm - Comment by Phoghat

There will always be war, if not large then small. If by some chance something caused us to be united to gather the planet together, there would be those against what they might call "The New World Order" regardless of the benefit to the other 99% of the planet. There is a reason that "Star Ship Troopers" was ironic. Even though the world was united under one government, it was a fascist regime and one could not become a citizen unless enlisted in the military. Government can be changed by 3 types of boxes: soap, ballot and ammunition.
Events and Promotions

PopSci Augments Reality

By Posted on 6.21.2009 18 Comments
Today the July issue of Popular Science -- with a cover package on the future of energy -- officially hits newsstands, and with its release we unveil an extremely cool first-ever for the magazine biz: The first interactive 3-D "augmented reality" magazine cover.

6.18.2009 at 07:33pm - Comment by Phoghat

Would you like some cheese with your whine?