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Plantastic

Technology

In The Future, All Our Pop Idols Will Be Machines

By Paul Adams Posted on 10.7.2009 6 Comments
Performing live at CEATEC, everyone's favorite catwalk model bot has been loaded with Vocaloid software (Rin), enabling her to croon sweet pop songs.

10.9.2009 at 09:18am - Comment by Plantastic

Did everyone see the TickleMe Plant video or grow one? At first I couldn't believe that a houseplant could instantly close its leaves and lower its branches when Tickled. I thought it was actually wired, when I saw it on TV. Now I am growing several in my apartment. Its more like a robot then a plant. I found the video and supplies here. http://www.ticklemeplant.com
The Environment

Presenting The Green Home Guide From Popular Science

By Posted on 7.6.2009 8 Comments
Did you know you can cut your water use by 10 gallons a day by switching toilets? That a new washer and dryer could save you almost $150 a year? These are just two of the dozens of tips, tricks, facts and projects packed into the free Green Home Guide, the second in our series of digital special issues called Genius Guides, designed to make you an expert on one of the core PopSci topics. You can click through our animated home to see the worst spots for wasting power, air and water.

8.9.2009 at 06:50pm - Comment by Plantastic

Another great green activity your readers would enjoy is to grow a TickleMe Plant from seeds and then watching the plant MOVE when Tickled! As a first grade teacher I no longer plant Lima beans, as the growing of this interactive plant, proved to be much more exciting and educational for my student's. I found my supplies for a classroom kit at www.ticklemeplant.com but they also sell individual greenhouses and even party favors, with everything you need to grow your own TickleMe Plant from seeds. I assure you your kids will be more excited about gardening, and its just fun to watch the expressions of the faces of children (and even adults) when they see the plant close its leaves and droop when tickled,
DIY

The 5-Minute Rocket

By Dave Prochnow Posted on 10.1.2008 6 Comments
Who says science isn't fun? Build this 5-minute rocket and you'll have hours of fun. Plus you might learn a thing or two about propulsion systems and rocket design along the way.

7.10.2009 at 04:26pm - Comment by Plantastic

This was as fun as growing my "Pet" TickleMe Plant. The TickleMe Plant is that real plant that MOVES when you Tickle It! The leaves instantly fold and even the branches droop when Tickled! Yet no one know for sure how or why it moves and why it is such an ultra sensitive plant. I found my supplies to grow my own at www.ticklemeplant.com You have to see the video to believe this is a real houseplant. I used it at our science fair and it was a big hit.
DIY

The Really Dangerous Book for Boys

By Mike Haney Posted on 4.9.2009 6 Comments
Without a doubt, the most fun thing I've worked on in my five-plus years at PopSci is the Gray Matter column. Nearly every month since mid-2002, contributor Theo Gray has come up with new ways to illuminate the world of elemental chemistry, often by setting things on fire. But far from your average YouTube-loitering pyromaniac, Gray combines sharp, lively writing with a gifted professor's knack for making the complex simple.

7.9.2009 at 08:20pm - Comment by Plantastic

Another great science activity your readers would enjoy is to grow a TickleMe Plant from seeds and then watching the plant MOVE when Tickled! As a first grade teacher I no longer plant Lima beans, as the growing of this interactive plant, proved to be much more exciting and educational for my student's. I found my supplies for a classroom kit at www.ticklemeplant.com but they also sell individual greenhouses and even party favors, with everything you need to grow your own TickleMe Plant from seeds. I assure you your kids will be more excited about gardening, and its just fun to watch the expressions of the faces of children (and even adults) when they see the plant close its leaves and droop when tickled.
DIY

The Really Dangerous Book for Boys

By Mike Haney Posted on 4.9.2009 6 Comments
Without a doubt, the most fun thing I've worked on in my five-plus years at PopSci is the Gray Matter column. Nearly every month since mid-2002, contributor Theo Gray has come up with new ways to illuminate the world of elemental chemistry, often by setting things on fire. But far from your average YouTube-loitering pyromaniac, Gray combines sharp, lively writing with a gifted professor's knack for making the complex simple.

7.9.2009 at 08:19pm - Comment by Plantastic

Another great science activity your readers would enjoy is to grow a TickleMe Plant from seeds and then watching the plant MOVE when Tickled! As a first grade teacher I no longer plant Lima beans, as the growing of this interactive plant, proved to be much more exciting and educational for my student's. I found my supplies for a classroom kit at www.ticklemeplant.com but they also sell individual greenhouses and even party favors, with everything you need to grow your own TickleMe Plant from seeds. I assure you your kids will be more excited about gardening, and its just fun to watch the expressions of the faces of children (and even adults) when they see the plant close its leaves and droop when tickled.
DIY

DIY Grow Lights

By Dave Prochnow Posted on 1.15.2009 35 Comments
As you huddle inside your home this winter cursing the gloomy darkness, remember that you’re not alone: The season has an even worse effect on your plants. Many common houseplants need far more hours of light than they get naturally in the middle of February, especially if they don’t have direct exposure to a sunlit window. Although the incandescent and fluorescent bulbs most people have in their homes will keep plants alive, they don’t emit light that’s within the temperature range necessary for optimal, or even adequate, foliage growth in light-hungry plants.

4.11.2009 at 01:25pm - Comment by Plantastic

Cool Project This worked very well with my TickleMe Plant. They even produced pretty pom pom like flowers in the winter! The TickleMe Plant is the REAL Plant that MOVES when you Tickle It! The leaves close and even the branches droop when Tickled! I found it on line at www.ticklemeplant.com
Science

What's the Biggest Thing a Carnivorous Plant Will Eat?

By Posted on 2.6.2008 1 Comments
Carnivorous plants generally stick to a diet of bugs that they ensnare. On rare occasions, though, tropical pitcher plants—which drown and break down prey in vase-shaped traps that can be smaller than a little finger or larger than a football—have been found holding the skeletal remains of frogs, geckos and even small rodents. But what about human flesh?

7.13.2008 at 10:33am - Comment by Plantastic

I just started growing the most amazing plant. It's called the sensitive plant, now known as the TickleMe Plant. What is great is that it's leave fold up like an accordion and the branches droop when ticked. I t changed the way I look at plants. I got all my supplies at www.sensitiveplant.com Best of all it won;t hurt a fly and it's leaves will reopen and branches rise back up in 20 minutes. How cool is that!