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Space Toilet Explained
2007-11-05 20:35:00
So I've read this great book just lately called: A Man On The Moon. It's really cool.  The author, Andrew Chaikin, does a great job. He interviewed a lot of the astronauts and gives a great telling of the adventure. I highly recommend it. Well one of the subjects that he covers in the book is how the first spacecraft were very much like floating latrines.  The capture and disposal of calls-of-nature was a rather crude amalgamation of poorly functioning technology. I was curious how this might have changed over time.  I mean there are now a significant number of women going up into space as well.  Some of the technology described in the book about the Apollo mission just wouldn't work.  I mean...well...how do they do it?  Here is a good article from the BBC that describes it clearly. How do you 'go' in space? So now you know.  Thought you might like to have that question answered.
More About: Space , Toilet

techRivet is a Finalist for tech Weblog of the year.
2007-11-05 19:56:00
-bump- -bump again- vote here We here at the palatial headquarters of techRivet.com would like to thank the academy and all the little people. the 2007 weblog awards: Finalists Announced This is an honor that proves the old maxim of "Vote early and vote often"...I mean "the cream will rise to the top."
More About: Weblog , Tech , Year

Do you want to write for techRivet?
2007-11-05 18:25:00
I am going to take this opportunity, while there is an influx of new eyeballs from the weblog 2007 awards underway, to tell you all that techRivet is always interested in having more contributors on board. If you are interested in writing for the rivet please drop an email to: editor@techrivet.com.
More About: Write

Eye Fi: Brilliant wireless camera technology for YOUR camera.
2007-11-04 22:52:00
This is brilliant.  Eye-Fi. Here's how it works. You get the Eye-Fi card.  You plug the Eye-Fi SD card into your machine.  Onboard software initializes the SD card.  You put that card in your camera and you're done. When you use it. Take pictures. The Eye-Fi card uploads the picture automatically to your computer. You don't  have to connect any wires you don't have to tell it no buttons it just does it You can also tell it to automatically upload those photos to an online photo account of your choosing. Sweet.> The only hitch is you need a wireless network.  I have Cat-5 all through my house so I would need to turn on my wireless router, but most people are wireless now I expect. > This is a brilliant implementation because it does not require you as a user to buy a new camera to get this automatic functionality.  All you need is to replace you SD card and you are good to go. Great product design.
More About: Technology , Wireless , Camera , Brilliant

techRivet is a Finalist for tech Weblog of the year.
2007-11-03 19:56:00
-bump- vote here We here at the palatial headquarters of techRivet.com would like to thank the academy and all the little people. the 2007 weblog awards: Finalists Announced This is an honor that proves the old maxim of "Vote early and vote often"...I mean "the cream will rise to the top."
More About: Weblog , Tech , Year

techRivet endorsed by famous inventor!
2007-11-02 23:56:00
'nuff said.
More About: Famous , Inventor

Space Elevator- Modern Day Erie Canal?
2007-11-02 20:59:00
Very interesting article over at TCS: [A Modern Day Erie Canal ] The premise being that a functioning space elevator would have a similar impact on space exploration, commerce, migration, and general usage that the Erie Canal had on New York City, New York State, the United states as a whole and in the end the world. The one point that the author of the piece doesn't hammer home enough is the impact that the Canal had on NY City.  Prior to completion of the canal NYC was the smaller, less important city when compared to Boston.  Soon after its completion, NYC became the hub of the entire eastern seaboard and never looked back. The Erie Canal alone was what drove NYC to prominence. A completed Space Elevator at the disposal of the US will only solidify the US preeminence  in the world economy for the rest of the 21st Century.
More About: Space Elevator

techRivet is a Finalist for tech Weblog of the year.
2007-11-01 19:56:00
We here at the palatial headquarters of techRivet.com would like to thank the academy and all the little people. the 2007 weblog awards: Finalists Announced This is an honor that proves the old maxim of "Vote early and vote often"...I mean "the cream will rise to the top."
More About: Weblog , Tech , Year

World's Largest Artificial Tornado
2007-11-01 04:24:00
Guinness World Records organization is calling this the world's largest artificial tornado.  Not sure what the applications are, but kewl to look at none the less...
More About: Tornado , Largest , Large

In Honor of Halloween: Scary Mary (Poppins)
2007-10-31 22:55:00
An oldy but a goodie.
More About: Scary , Mary , Honor , Mary Poppins , Halloween

Aubrey de Grey - Why we age and how we can avoid it.
2007-10-31 20:27:00
There's a new article at the Washington Post that talks about Aubrey de Grey 's effort to end aging.  He has made the famous statement that the first person to live to 1000 years of age is alive today. What if the only certainty is taxes? How many people are in favor of malaria?  anyone? Of course nobody thinks malaria is a good thing.  Well one of Aubrey's points is that human aging shares the primary negative characteristic with malaria which is that it KILLS people.  Only aging kills VASTLY MORE people. Smart guy.  Compelling arguments.  Reasoned thinking. Essentially, his argument is this. The rate of improvement in therapies will stay ahead of the rate of aging.  You will get incrementally better treatment year over year, decade over decade and simply stay ahead of the curve. Even without a radical revolutionary technology, the evolution of improved technologies will keep you ahead of the curve.
More About: Avoid

Nano Robots Clean Arteries...too good to be true?
2007-10-30 21:59:00
This story appears to be jumping the gun a bit: Micro-robot that can clear arteries. Larry Greenemeier over at Scientific American appears to be skeptical: Not seeing evidence of artery-cleaning nanobots And wouldn't something so prominent be found on the universities own website?  http://chonnam.ac.kr/en/, I can't find a mention of it anywhere. So while cool and impressive and probable in some near future, I think it is premature to say it has already been invented.  At least the jury is out until we have more concrete evidence.
More About: Robots , Clean , True , Good , Nano

Terabyte thumb drives
2007-10-29 21:36:00
I was wrong...I know, I know what you're thinking, it is crazy isn't it.  But when I said back here: [Accelerating Change and MP3 Players] that a 2 Gigabyte MP3 player would look like this: I was wrong. this: in 2011, will likely be a terabyte mp3 player. Terabyte Thumb Drives Made Possible by Nanotech Memory Researchers have developed a low-cost, low-power computer memory that could put terabyte-sized thumb drives in consumers' pockets within a few years. Unbelievable.  But only in a totally believable way.  This is a result of accelerating change in its purest form.  Here we have Michael Kozicki, director of ASU's Center for Applied Nanoionics, a field that probably didn't even exist 5 years ago and certainly 10 years ago, taking the breakthroughs in one avenue of research and applying it to another. The beauty of it is, this doesn't need to be a whole new form of technology, this new memory can be made with much of the same technolog...
More About: Byte

The Best Rube Goldberg Machine
2007-10-26 00:24:00
Some people really need to get a life. So there are a tonne of Rube Goldberg machine videos out on the web, some quite good some mediocre.  The most famous one is the Honda commercial where every part of the car becomes part of the contraption.  This one is exemplary.  It may not be the best...but it is dang close.
More About: Machine , Rube Goldberg , Mach , Berg

Global Economy: Interdependency in the automotive industry -- Who owns who?
2007-10-24 23:09:00
Great graphic showing the interdependency of partnerships and ownerships in the global automotive industry.  I wonder how convoluted the web of ownership/partnership/investment would be if we did it for the online world.
More About: Economy , Industry , Automotive , Global , Epen

Shuttle launch from inside the cockpit: Awesome!
2007-10-23 21:17:00
In honor of the launch of discovery today and marking the first time in history that a woman has commanded both the space shuttle and the international space station at the same time, here is a great video of a shuttle launch from the viewpoint of the cockpit. Wow.  The rockin' and rollin' inside the cockpit is freaky.  I also think it is interesting how you can hear it get quieter right after they pass through Max Q (maximum air pressure during launch). Great video.
More About: Awesome , Launch , Inside , Shuttle , Some

Cool Science Experiment with FIRE!
2007-10-23 01:11:00
From here: [Ontario Science Center] >
More About: Cool , Experiment , Fire

Next Gen realism in MMOG: Assassin's Creed.
2007-10-22 23:20:00
Incredible realism. How soon until it is a seamless recreation of reality
More About: Realism , Creed , Cree , MMOG

Witch Creek Fire: Internet Coverage.
2007-10-22 21:33:00
There is a HUGE fire going on down in Southern California.  Once again the best place to keep track of the events as they occur is the internet and more precisely a private citizen with a blog. Check out these pictures: http://and-still-i-persist.com/?cat=50 Also the remarkable Google Maps created by other users listed on the page. Another Army-of-Davids moment.
More About: Internet , Fire , Coverage , Cree , Creek

Optimus Prime Peterbilt: beautiful and awesome!
2007-10-22 20:36:00
Here's the link to the eBay auction: [linky] 1994 Peterbilt 379 (top end model) Caterpillar engine (best) 400hp.  And tricked out to the nines. Awesome ! Accessories include: Voice activated alarm, with the voice of Optimus Prime on lock and unlock mode. Dual Chrome 7 inch stacks. Custom interior with two tone (blue/red) flames and much more... Current Bid Price is: $55,200.  That is a screaming deal!  There is 50k in chrome on that truck.
More About: Transformers , Beautiful

Washington State - 5th strongest state "Brand" - eh...not so much
2007-10-15 23:17:00
heh. So the fine people over at Official Anholt Nation Brand s, have rated each state by its "brand" strength.  It is an interesting read.  It talks about the super powers of California and Florida and New York and then all the rest.  http://www.nationbrandindex.com/ One very interesting thing is that Washington State slides into the number 5 slot...annnnndddd its a mistake.  They say as much in the article which I must quote here for its humor. Washington is given as the fourth most frequently visited state by respondents outside North America, and this can only be because many, if not most of these, have actually visited Washington, D.C. and believe that they have been to Washington State . One wonders what the implications of this almost universal confusion are for Washington, D.C. and for Washington State, and if the confusion is to be cleared up, whose responsibility it is to do so. Certainly, a massive, long-term global education campaign would be req...
More About: United States

Trumpet + No Talent + a little soft shoe + Star Wars = Train...Wreck...
2007-10-15 19:17:00
Holy crap! I tried not to post this...I really did...but I just had to.  This is interesting in retrospect as a lesson for the coming future in which everything that everyone does will be recorded (or virtually everything).  This of course means that all the boring stuff will be forgotten but every little (or in this case big) stupid thing you ever do will be available for someone else (in this case a lot of someone elses) to view and therefore make fun of (or in this case skillfully ridicule within the video). Note to self, don't do stupid things in public.
More About: Star Wars , Wars , Train , Star , Soft

Solar System Simulator - superb design
2007-10-14 23:24:00
Check this out.  Very cool flash simulator of the Solar System .
More About: Design , Simulator , Stem

Giant Undular Bore (Gravity?) Waves
2007-10-14 17:29:00
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/1 1oct_undularbore.htm cool.
More About: Giant , Waves , Ravi , Aves

What's going into the Singularity?...What are the pieces?
2007-10-13 00:52:00
Connectivity: The bandwidth available to people is increasing at a rate of 50% per year.  Not quite as fast as Moore's law for silicon, but still extraordinary. Here is a more up to date estimate that takes into account the number of websites and requests. Faster and faster it goes.  How long have you been watching videos online?  Two years?  Three?  Not longer surely. Do you watch any actual TV shows on your internet connection?  You will soon. Bioengineering: The human genome is mapped and I have heard some people say, "So what, they haven't done anything with it."  Mapping something and understanding something are two different things.  Give the processor speed increase time to be applied against the genome and there will be plenty that comes from it. It cost approximately $13 Billion to decode the human genome over the course of 13 years. ...the price of sequencing DNA has fallen rapidly with the advent of...
More About: Pieces , Going , Goin

Obligatory Chuck Norris Post
2007-10-12 23:20:00
Everything blends except Chuck Norris . >
More About: Post , Gator , Gato

User Interface meet BCI
2007-10-11 17:16:00
Researchers at Tufts University are conducting research to enhance user interfaces depending on blood flow in your brain.  Essentially using the blood flow as a marker for how high your current stress level is and hopefully more targeted information. This would then be used to modify the user interface you work with to improve it conditionally to your behavior. The technology is called Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS).  Basically it involves taking a headband full of infrared lasers, putting it on your head and shooting your brain with said lasers...ummm, sounds worse than it is. The fNIRS device, which looks like a futuristic headband, uses laser diodes to send near-infrared light through the forehead at a relatively shallow depth?only two to three centimeters?to interact with the brain?s frontal lobe. Light usually passes through the body?s tissues, except when it encounters oxygenated or deoxygenated hemoglobin in the blood. Light waves are absorbed...
More About: Meet , User , Interface , User Interface

MacGyver Stove
2007-10-10 21:49:00
Cool Little Miniature Stove! - The funniest home videos are here Succinctly put in the comments over at Metacafe: "Holy Crap"
More About: Macgyver

The Internet Oracle - if you missed it go here.
2007-10-10 18:09:00
The Internet Oracle Lookit how old this is... a .cgi extension. It's like uncovering a rock and finding a goldmine. A sample: The Internet Oracle has pondered your question deeply. Your question was: > What is the biggest misconseption about anime? And in response, thus spake the Oracle: } That it's good. } } You owe the Oracle the collected works of Tintin and his many } adventures on DVD. Comedic gold. How did I miss this all those years? Here's the wikipedia article: [linky] and just so you know, you shouldn't really ask the question: "How much wood can a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood."  It's verbotten.

Despite a valid attempt, Kenny Powers did not qualify for a Darwin Award. K
2007-10-10 17:52:00
This is certifiably insane.  Kenny Powers was clearly attempting to win a Darwin Award but failed when the safety parachute opened early. Superstunt - More amazing videos are a click away Powers was lucky, he had broken his back. This was nothing new for he had suffered the same injury seven times before. As he was carried to the ambulance in a state of semi-consciousness, all that he kept asking was, "Did I make it, is everyone pleased?" But wait that's not all. There is soap opera behind all this.  It wasn't Kenny Powers jump it was going to be Ken Carters jump.  Ken Carter spent 5 years and a million dollars getting this stunt prepped and then the film producer stuck Powers in the car and filmed it. Without letting Ken Carter know. cold. Read the whole story over here: [linky] Now I need to go round up that snake river jump attempt. found it: Complete with a schmaltzy over-dub from Evil himself. Sweeeeeeeet. Oh and just getting lost ...
More About: Spit