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AMP13

Technology

US Special Forces Field-Testing Plasma Knife

By Posted on 10.15.2009 20 Comments
Emergency medical care for soldiers wounded on the battlefield has come a long way since Hawkeye and Hot Lips. But for Special Forces troopers operating deep behind enemy lines, that care often remains out of reach. Blood loss in particular makes seconds count, and imperils commandos operating far away from friendly bases. To help with the problem of blood loss from traumatic wounds, the military has started field-testing a device more Mandalorian than M.A.S.H.: a plasma knife.

10.15.2009 at 12:37pm - Comment by AMP13

I want one.
Entertainment & Gaming

Sony Unveils PS3 Slim, Cuts Price to $300

By Posted on 8.18.2009 9 Comments
Sony’s PlayStation 3 is a gaming giant -- figuratively and literally. Figuratively, its graphics are amazing and it has been praised as the best Blu-ray player you can buy. Literally, the 80GB system weighs more than 11 pounds and sucks five times as much energy as a fridge when running, according to a 2008 study. The just-announced PS3 Slim kicks those beastly qualities to the curb.

8.23.2009 at 10:12am - Comment by AMP13

Xbox 360 ftw
Science

Rare Gene Mutation Keeps People Alert on Less Sleep

By Jeremy Hsu Posted on 8.14.2009 4 Comments
"Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man stupid and blind in the eyes," quips a character in the science fiction story "Ender's Game." But scientists have now found a mother and daughter whose rare genetic mutation allows them to wake up refreshed on just six hours of sleep -- two hours less than the rest of the family requires. The 69-year-old mother and 44-year-old daughter usually hit the sack around 10 p.m., and get up around 4 and 4:40 a.m., respectively. Both women have a genetic mutation which affects the regulation of circadian rhythms, or the body's natural clock.

8.15.2009 at 07:59pm - Comment by AMP13

I hope that sometime in the future you learn how to spell correctly. What would you really do with two hours less of sleep? Watch more TV? Stare at the computer screen some more? Is your life really that busy that you need an extra two hours a day?
Technology

Will Sleeping in a Centrifuge Help Combat Muscle Atrophy in Space?

By Stuart Fox Posted on 7.23.2009 16 Comments
Of the many obstacles preventing manned travel to Mars, spending over a year weightless ranks as one of the biggest. Extended weightlessness degrades the muscles and bones of astronauts so thoroughly that by the time they get to Mars, they may not have the strength to walk on it.

7.24.2009 at 02:13pm - Comment by AMP13

bdhoro87- Apparently you know nothing. The centrifuge doesn't build muscle mass, the artificial gravity stops muscle deterioration.
Gadgets

Face-Recognition Software Shields Your Computer Screen From Eavesdroppers

By Stuart Fox Posted on 6.25.2009 3 Comments
The dropping price of laptops and netbooks has resulted in a proliferation of computer use in public spaces. Whether at the airport, in a cafe, or on the Chinatown bus, more and more people are using their computers in the view of others. This has made protecting personal data from eavesdroppers a high priority. Sure, a couple of dollars can get you a polarized screen that offers some protection from the wandering eye of the person next you, but for people with sensitive military, industrial, and intelligence information on the screen, that simply isn't enough. Enter Oculis Labs. This software company has married face-recognition technology with encryption, to create two programs that protect on-screen data from prying eyes.

7.7.2009 at 02:52pm - Comment by AMP13

Awesome.
Gadgets

Is This the Next-Generation iPhone 3G?

By Posted on 5.29.2009 7 Comments
What's almost certain is that we will soon see a refreshed iPhone 3G, likely announced at Apple's annual WWDC conference keynote on June 8. What's up in the air is what said iPhone refresh will look like--but a series of leaked photos seem to suggest it will look something like this.

6.3.2009 at 11:34am - Comment by AMP13

oh yeah this totally makes me wanna go out and buy one. it's a different color, that must mean i should waste hundreds of dollars on it.
Technology

Narc Copter

By Stuart Fox Posted on 5.5.2009 5 Comments
What happened to you, Holland? You used to be cool. As every popped-collar, half-witted frat boy and Bonnaroo-attending, blond dreadlock-wearing neo-hippie moron repeats ad nauseum, you were the country kindest to the kind bud. Well, apparently Dutch robots aren't quite so accepting of a little puff now and then.

5.6.2009 at 11:39am - Comment by AMP13

Buzzkill.
Gadgets

Introducing the Holo-Disc

By Posted on 4.27.2009 17 Comments
Today, General Electric unveiled a next-generation optical storage technology that can pack as much as 20 Blu-Ray discs or a hundred DVDs' worth of data onto a single disc. The newly devised discs, which use holograms to store data in the form of bits, can hold 500 gigabytes of information, the company says.

5.3.2009 at 06:51pm - Comment by AMP13

bdhoro87- We're not talking about 2012. This is about right now, 2009, and 500 gigs IS an awful lot for one disc.
Science

The Media and the Flu

By Posted on 4.30.2009 10 Comments
The hardest part of writing about the swine flu outbreak has been striking the right tone. No doubt, this is a serious threat, as even a mild flu pandemic, on the order of the 1968 Hong Kong flu, would cause significant economic downturn at a time when the country already faces immense financial problems. On the other hand, hyping the threat does a disservice to the very public that the media intends to help.

4.30.2009 at 11:46pm - Comment by AMP13

The media has made this outbreak sound a million times worse than it actually is. They now have the general public cowering in fear for the safety of their lives. Swine flu has the EXACT same symptoms of the common flu, it is just a different strain of it. There has been one recorded death in America, and guess what?, it was an infant. Yes, those with weakened immune systems, such as infants and the elderly, are more susceptible to the flu and are at a higher risk of death. So don't freak, this is merely an outbreak, NOT a pandemic, epidemic, or whatever else the media is telling you. Wash your hands often (crazy idea, right?!), and you will be just fine.
Entertainment & Gaming

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

By Scott Steinberg Posted on 5.4.2009 5 Comments
According to the Entertainment Software Association, 40 percent of video game players are female, while women over 18 represent a larger built-in audience than even teenage boys. But where are the titles which speak to this diversity, and intelligently at that? One glance at store shelves and online portals -- crowded by childish outings (My Fashion Studio), self-help programs (Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009) and cutesy diversions (Diaper Dash) -- and it's hard to tell.

4.30.2009 at 11:26pm - Comment by AMP13

If 40% of gamers are women, then what's the problem? Why are people wanting more feminine games? 40% is a fairly large chunk, obviously the games available right now are working just fine. I agree, these articles are slightly sexist. They're playing directly into the whole girly-girl stereotype. "..I was also a primary caregiver for a little girl for the last five years, and she would love Imagine: Teacher and Gardening Mama." I have a hard time thinking of any possible games that would actually be successful to the female consumer. Games like, for example, Barbie, just wouldn't make women go out and purchase consoles. So yes, what would be a game that caters to the adult women gamers, since they're saying there aren't any now?