365... Tech

Gajitz /////////////////////////////////////////// Healer, Heal Thyself: Amazing Self-Healing Hydrogel Material Posted: 22 Jan 2010 01:00 PM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/v3S2mf6SVww/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Science or in the New Materials category ] When we think of peak oil and how best to cut down on our fossil fuel   consumption, most of us only think of transportation alternatives. But the   fact is that producing plastics also uses up quite a lot of oil. Could   finding an alternative to plastic be a solution to our dwindling oil   supply? Researchers at the University of Tokyo think its a step in the   right direction, and they think that their new invention could be just the   alternative material we need. Takuzo Aida and his team created a hydrogel   thats strong enough to support itself on a self-standing bridge (see   above), flexible and  maybe best of all  self-healing. The material is composed of around 95 percent water mixed with small   amounts of microscopic clay disks, sodium polyacrylate, and a special   molecule called G3 binder. The gel is very easily formed and is ready to   use within three minutes. The strength and elasticity of the material   depend on how much of each component ingredient is included in the mix. Due   to its high water content and ability to heal itself, the new material   could be highly useful in tissue engineering and prosthetics. As of now,   the components used are still derived from fossil fuels, but hopefully   non-petroleum sources could be found to make the compound more   environmentally friendly while maintaining its beneficial qualities.            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              New Ultra-Slippery Alloy is Second Hardest Known Material Decreasing energy consumption isn't all about finding alternative sources   of energy. It's also about increasing the efficiency of existing machines.   One of the simplest (yet most challenging) ways to do that is to decrease   the friction created by machines. Friction decreases energy efficiency and   makes parts wear out quickly, meaning that replacement parts have to be   manufactured and installed...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Science or in the New Materials category ] /////////////////////////////////////////// Digital Gastronomy: Food Printer is Must-Have Future Gadget Posted: 22 Jan 2010 07:00 AM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/EIpOuSrcego/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Gadgets or in the Various Gizmos category ] Not everyone can be a gourmet chef, but we all still need to eat, right?   What that means for most culinary-challenged people is lots and lost of   fast food. But in the future, maybe youll be able to give the drive-through   a rest and get a healthy, delicious meal in your kitchen with just a few   button presses. No, were not predicting pizza delivery  were talking about   high-tech food printers. Just like 3D printers, which have quickly gone   from sci-fi to reality and now to almost mundane, the 3D food printer may   soon become an everyday sight in kitchens. There are actually several designs being developed right now, but this one,   called Cornucopia, is from MIT grad students Marcelo Coehlo and Amit Zoran.   The contraption works by storing and cooling a variety of ingredients in   the containers on top. When the user initiates meal-making, the machine   goes to work combining ingredients _layer_ by _layer_, then heating or cooling   them in the chamber below. According to its creators, the machine can   produce textures and flavors that wouldnt be possible through traditional   cooking. A big part of the design is the health factor. Ultimately, the user   controls the quality and origins of the ingredients but doesnt have to   learn the fine art of preparing the food. Users can customize foods and   entire meals _base_d on parameters like calories, carbohydrates or fat   content. For those of us who want to eat healthier but are a bit lost in   the kitchen, being able to effortlessly prepare a nutritious meal could be   life-changing. The designers have included a user-friendly interface that has intuitive   controls and allows for a large degree of customization. The machine is   even smart enough to know when a particular ingredient is running low and   automatically order more. If all of this sounds a little far-fetched right   now, maybe its because this is an entirely new direction for food   preparation that hasnt yet been explored, either in real life or even in   science fiction. But its not only possible  it actually seems likely, given   the success of 3D _object_ printers.            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              Chess Chicanery: Georgian-Era Hoax Gadget Fooled World Far before there were Nigerians with money accessibility issues, there were   inventors who wanted to impress royalty. Perhaps the best   technology-related hoax of all time was the Mechanical Turk, a   chess-playing machine that won nearly every game it played. While it was   presented as an elaborate automaton, it was later revealed to be an equally   elaborate fake. The Turk was built in the l...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Gadgets or in the Various Gizmos category ] This posting includes a media file:

Gajitz /////////////////////////////////////////// Sport Mask Cameras Take Hands-Free Action Pics & Video Posted: 23 Jan 2010 01:00 PM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/ePXFkTmq9O4/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Gadgets or in the Camera & Video category ] Most snow and water athletes realize that taking a digital camera along   while skiing, snowboarding or scuba diving is usually a bad idea. Even   cameras designed to go underwater are usually bulky and can impede your   activities. Liquid Image has a line of sports cameras that lets you capture   every thrilling moment while youre out owning the slopes or exploring the   reef. The above model is the Summit Series Snow Camera Goggle, a   camera/camcorder that lets you snap pictures or record video while playing   in the snow. It has 16GB of built-in memory and you can add another 16GB    via the micro-SD card slot. Lights on the inside of the goggles give you   info about the cameras current settings. And for the other half of the year, the Scuba Series HD Wide Angle lets you   catch the action in the water. Like the Snow Camera, the Scuba mask gives   you 720p video and 5 MP still shots. Its good up to a depth of 130 ft and   lets you capture your underwater adventure in high definition and with a   wide field of vision. Of course, you may look so weird that all of the   underwater wildlife scram as soon as they see you, but at least youll get   some high-def shots of them high-tailing it to safety.            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              The Picture of Weird: 5 Crazy Cameras of Past and Future Cameras have had a long and varied history, from the huge boxy contraptions   that you had to stand perfectly still in front of for a few minutes to the   tiny things that fit inside our cell phones today. We think we know what to   expect out of a camera, though - which is why these five weird camera   designs are so surprising. The Konica Kanpei looks like any other digital camera at first, b...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Gadgets or in the Camera & Video category ] /////////////////////////////////////////// Future of Past Wars: 6 Bizarre Retrofuturistic War Machines Posted: 23 Jan 2010 07:00 AM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/blgJWkJVBmM/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Vintage & Retro or in the Retrofuturistic category ] The first half of the 20th century was an unsure time for much of the   world, with wars and political unrest causing fear and uncertainty all   around the globe. Its not surprising that many of the predictions for the   future at that time had to do with military and weapons advances. Many   predictions, like the above giant, rolling hamster wheel of death and   stationary gun turrets that could swivel side to side but apparently not up   and down, were completely ludicrous. And others were even more silly than that. The two above predictions would   put unarmored soldiers in very awkward positions. The first, a telescoping   artillery tower, looks like a cross between a cherry picker basket and a   fire truck ladder. It also looks like the perfect way to tell the enemies   exactly where you are and give their snipers some great target practice  or   just to easily get rid of the soldier that no one likes. Why else would you   send him way up there with no armor? The helicopter cavalry idea is   slightly more practical, but the men riding the personal copters still have   no armor. And maybe were just being old-fashioned, but isnt it a lot safer   to shoot enemies from a distance rather than having to hover directly over   them? And finally, some of the silliest ideas to come out of World War I were   these concepts for reusing old battleships and submarines. According to the   dreamers who thought these up, you could simply strap some wheels or tracks   onto old sea vessels and they would instantly become land tanks. It makes   sense, in a way, since _meta_l for building new machines was hard to come by.   But given the immense size and weight of these vessels, it hardly seems   likely that this is even remotely possible.            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              The Future of the Past: 16 Retro-Futuristic Vehicle Designs We're all still waiting on our flying cars, jet packs, robot maids and all   of the other awesomeness that previous generations foresaw for us. Nowhere   was our ingenuity more apparent in those days than in the futuristic   vehicle designs that just kept coming. Some of the best places to find   those futuristic automotive designs were on the covers of magazines geared   toward creative and scientific ...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Vintage & Retro or in the Retrofuturistic   category ]

Gajitz /////////////////////////////////////////// Wanna Play? Humanoid Bot Baby Teaches While it Learns Posted: 24 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/A4r_dbIDYWc/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Technology or in the Robotics category ] Understanding how babies develop is an important part of understanding how   the human brain works. The quest to explore the development of children led   researchers at the University of California, San Diego to build this   utterly terrifying baby robot. In cooperation with Japanese robotics firm   Kokoro Co., Ltd., the team constructed this rather complicated machine that   is meant to mimic the actions of a one-year-old human child. Unfortunately,   they decided to give it a creepy rubber face and no skin on the rest of its   body, so it looks much more like a nightmare than a child. The robot, named Diego-san, has over 60 moving parts in its body. Its   five-fingered hands are able to grasp _object_s, and the robot can even stand   up from a sitting (in a chair) position. The head contains more than 20   moving parts that allow Diego-san to create facial _expression_s. The head   also contains high-res cameras in the eyes, a speaker in the mouth, and   accelerometers in the ears that detect the robots movement and position. In addition to helping researchers understand how babies acquire motor   skills in the first year of life, Diego-san will impart important clues   about how babies learn various facial _expression_s and interact with their   immediate environment. While all of this research will undoubtedly lead to   some important discoveries, we cant help but think that one day, this thing   will have a massive fit and destroy the lab and everyone in it. Godspeed,   you foolish, foolish researchers.            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              Baby Steps: Newborns Cry in Parents Native Language Every parent knows that babies usa different cries to communicate different   things. But now researchers say that babies' cries actually mimic the   native language of their parents, a cue that they pick up while still in   the womb. The study, published in the journal Current Biology, looks at the   cries of 60 healthy babies of French and German couples. The research team,   from the University of Wu...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Technology or in the Robotics category ] /////////////////////////////////////////// Augmented Reality Game With Chest-Exploding Virtual Hand Posted: 24 Jan 2010 01:00 PM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/CurncZzmB7Y/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Gaming & Geek or in the Gadgets category ] Augmented reality is truly awesome, but unfortunately it hasnt found a   wealth of practical applications just yet. That is, until now. In   cooperation with Swedish wearable magazine T-post, offbeat designer Marc   Stromberg created a t-shirt that allows wearers to play a virtual game of   rock paper scissors with an animated hand coming straight out of their   chests. All you need to do is put on the shirt, then go to the game page and make   sure your webcam is turned on. Your image will appear on the screen, along   with the creepy animated hand that will challenge you to what will probably   be the weirdest game of rock paper scissors youll ever play. Of course, if   you dont have the t-shirt you can print out a PDF file that will achieve   the same thingbut that does seem slightly less fun.            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              IPhone Augmented Reality Droid Too Awesome For Earth IPhone apps are good for keeping most of us occupied and well out of the   dangerous sphere of social interaction, but how awesome would it be if you   could use your iPhone as a controller for a real-world game? This drone,   created by Bluetooth headset company Parrot (yeah, we don't get it, either)   is controlled by your iPhone and can take you head-first into an awesome   augmented reality airborne...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Gaming & Geek or in the Gadgets category ] /////////////////////////////////////////// NASAs Ultra-Efficient, Super-Quiet, One-Man Electric Aircraft Posted: 24 Jan 2010 07:00 AM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/PtZkNksGJyg/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Transportation or in the Concept Vehicles category ] We say pretty often how bitter we are that personal jet packs, which were   predicted to be commonplace by now, have never actually come to pass. But   something even better is being developed, and we are officially placated.   NASAs Puffin concept looks a lot like its awkward, clumsy-looking namesake,   but its full of amazing technology that could revolutionize not only   military transportation, but personal transportation as well. The Puffin is a single-person stealth VTOL (vertical take-off and landing)   vehicle with an electric engine. In theory, it will be able to cruise at   around 150 miles per hour and sprint at close to 300 miles per hour. And   since electric motors need much less air and cooling than internal   combustion engines, the craft would have virtually no altitude limitation.   The biggest limitation at the moment would be the battery: with a range of   just 50 miles, it wouldnt leave much time for anything. But batteries are   rapidly decreasing in size and increasing in density, so engineers figure   that the range could be doubled by 2017. The rather unusual-looking craft would be especially handy for military   applications. Its extremely low heat signature would make it difficult to   detect in the air, and the fact that its whisper quiet doesnt hurt, either.   In fact, because its so quiet similar technology may be used for commercial   transportation in the future. The lack of loud, emissions-heavy aircraft   engines would mean that airports could be situated closer to city centers   and even residential areas. And if we cant have personal jet packs, then   personal aircraft would be the next best thing.            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              Double Up! Ultra-Efficient Electric Car Fits Two to a City Lane Futuristic city car concepts often involve reinventing the wheel, as it   were: changing the entire infrastructure of roads to suit a new generation   of smaller, more eco-friendly cars. While that would be a handy solution to   some problems, it's completely impractical. The cost to replace all of the   streets in the world would be outrageously prohibitive. So we like to see   concept cars that take t...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Transportation or in the Concept Vehicles   category ]

Gajitz /////////////////////////////////////////// Our Future Robot Overlords? 3 Amazing Cybernetic Organs Posted: 25 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/ZUHrO0FOXlQ/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Technology or in the Cybernetics category ] Who says the robot assimilation will be all ray guns and smoldering Earth?   Maybe the robots will take over the human race from the inside out. We   joke, of course  the medical cybernetics field is no real threat to the   human race. In fact, these three amazing artificial organs can one day save   countless lives. The Biolung from MC3 is an extremely compact, functional artificial lung. A   far cry from the iron lungs of decades past, this device is small enough to   be implanted in the patients chest, helping them to recover from injury or   illness or keeping them alive until donor lungs are available. The Biolung   is currently being reviewed for approval by the FDA. You certainly wouldnt win any fashion showdowns wearing this contraption,   but for people with kidney disease it could be life-changing. The wearable   artificial kidney would replace long, tedious and tiring dialysis   treatments during which patients are stuck in a chair or bed. Patients with   a wearable kidney would be able to go about their normal daily activities   without interruption  much as they did with their own natural kidneys. The   device performs dialysis 24/7 and weighs just 10 pounds, including   batteries. The technology is still being developed, but with so many people   behind the idea its moving along quickly. The first artificial stomach was created by a team of British scientists   back in 2006 for around $1.8 million. Its not meant to be strapped to a   human body to digest food; rather, its the most sophisticated way we have   to study how digestion really works. Previous stomach models havent   functioned in a very realistic way, so this is a bona fide breakthrough.   The artificial stomach can digest around 24 ounces of food (about half the   capacity of a human stomach) and will help scientists understand how the   human body breaks down and _meta_bolizes food. The applications are vast:   obesity cures, more efficient diabetes treatments, and supplements or   medications that can be more precisely time-released in the gut.            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              Tongue Tech: Artificial Larynx Tracks Tongue Transit to Talk It's a sad fact that thousands of people each year must have their larynges   removed due to disease. Until now, the artificial larynx options have been   limited to those that give the user a somewhat disturbing robot voice. But   two teams of researchers are working on solutions that could help   artificial larynx recipients speak in a more human way. A team at the   University of the Witwatersrand ...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Technology or in the Cybernetics category ] /////////////////////////////////////////// Bricklin: The Canadian Sports Car That Crashed and Burned Posted: 25 Jan 2010 01:00 PM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/LLJmnVKEGMc/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Vintage & Retro or in the Epic Failures category ] Its hard to understand how a car company employing the designer of the   original Batmobile could go wrong. But Bricklin Motors amounted to little   more than a couple of years of wasted time and a lot of debt in the end.   Started in 1974 by American millionaire Malcom Bricklin (who, incidentally,   had previously founded Subaru of America), the Canadian-built machines were   supposed to be safe and economical sports cars. They boasted a ton of   safety features and the worlds only powered gull-wing doors. But the   visionary amateur car designers didnt take into account the massive amounts   of weight all those safety features would add, resulting in a clunky car.   In addition, the acrylic fiberglass body wasnt designed well and was prone   to failure. Add to that the faulty radiators, and it was a recipe for   failure. (image via: Bricklin Auto Sport) But the icing on the fail cake was the fact that Bricklin borrowed over   $4.5 million (Canadian) from the government under shady circumstances, then   sold the cars at a significant loss: the manufacturing cost was $16,000 but   the dealers cost was $5000 each. That amounted to gigantic, nonsensical   losses. Overall, only 2,854 of the cars were manufactured before the   company folded in 1976. The Bricklin SV-1 (which stood for safety vehicle   one) wasnt fated to fade into obscurity, though: the car still has a large   fan following, and approximately 1100 of them still exist. Canada is still   a big supporter of the failed car, and in 1996 issued a commemorative   Bricklin stamp. Then in 2003, the Canadian Mint decided to commemorate the   historic car once again with a $20 sterling silver Bricklin coin. The   company may have been an overall failure, but it apparently has a permanent   place in the hearts of Canadians.            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              Sing the Auto Electric: 4 Renault Zero Emission Cars by 2011 Car buyers in Europe will soon have four new swoon-worthy electric Renault   cars to green their driveways - and the rest of us are green with envy.   Renault announced their new fully electric line, called Renault ZE (zero   emission), at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.The line consists of a tiny   two-person (one in front, one in back) urban car, a light commercial   vehicle designed for professional...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Vintage & Retro or in the Epic Failures   category ] /////////////////////////////////////////// Deathly, Fragile: 3D Glass Sculptures of Killer Pathogens Posted: 25 Jan 2010 07:00 AM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/UaXxBFYLYkY/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Technology or in the Art of Tech category ] Most of us have seen the brightly-colored scientific images of viruses and   germs. And if we think about it, we realize that the real things are   probably not as visually interesting as these images would have us believe.   But the typical person doesnt think about these things often. Luke Jerram   is not the typical person. Jerram, a multi-disciplinary British artist, wondered if the publics   perception of diseases would change if the publicly-available images of   them were to change. He worked with numerous specialists  from virologists   to glassblowers  he created these incredible 3D images of the microscopic   invaders which often make our lives difficult. Above are two   representations of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. The Glass Microbiology series points out the fragile beauty of the things   that harm us. But these pieces offer no sympathy; only a colorless,   unemotional view of biological organisms. Jerram, who happens to be   colorblind, wondered if there were coloring conventions for those   scientific images we often see depicting various viruses. Some are colored   for scientific reasons, but some are colored only for aesthetic purposes.   He wanted to know if the public perception of a virus could be swayed   simply by swapping colors to make it appear more friendly or more deadly.   Above: SARS and smallpox. By removing color entirely, the artist manages to bring the eye to the   composition of each virus. More than just scientific study guides or things   of beauty, they inspire viewers to truly consider the impact each pathogen   has on humankind, and the relationship between the pieces beauty and their   somber meaning. Above: HIV and e. coli. Each piece is roughly one million times actual size. Jerram has run into   problems with some viruses: they simply cant be re-created in glass. Their   composition would cause them to collapse under their own weight. In   addition to exploring the relationship between these deadly organisms and   their exotic appearances, Jerram is exploring the very tangible   relationship between scientific knowledge and artistic possibilities.   Above: un_title_d future mutation.            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              Batteries Not Included: Adorable Junk Robot Sculptures What do you do with your old, broken appliances? Most people throw them in   the trash. But eco-artist Mario Caicedo Langer sees something awesome in   every discarded gadget: a robot just waiting to come out. He takes old   kitchen appliances, cell phones, computer parts, video game controllers,   and various trash and creates adorable robots with _b_link__ing eyes and   moving limbs. Langer, who ...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Technology or in the Art of Tech category ]

Gajitz /////////////////////////////////////////// Seriously Chill: BMW H2 On Ice Is Coolest Art Car Ever Posted: 26 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/DlpspEF5bxM/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Transportation or in the Art Vehicles category ] Would you believe that this odd cocoon-shaped _object_ is actually a car? In   fact, its one of BMWs hydrogen-powered race cars under a sheath of steel   mesh, stainless steel mirrors, and many _layer_s of ice. Created by Danish   artist Olafur Eliasson, the project was sponsored by BMW and is meant to   show the connection between cars and global climate change. The car, en_title_d Your Mobile Expectations, was part of BMWs Art Car   Series, which invites artists to modify the luxury cars. Eliassons   contribution was  displayed in a special walk-in freezer room at the   Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich. The project took the artist three years   to develop. It involved removing the body of a BMW H2 and replacing it with   a skin of steel mesh and reflective _meta_l. About 2000 liters of water were then sprayed over the new skin, forming a   delicate _layer_ of ice atop the reflective material. The artist believes   that his piece reminds viewers of their unique relationship with the   vehicles they drive and they planet on which they live. The exhibit is   striking, to be sure, but unless that giant freezer room was powered by   green energy, were not sure the exhibit had the effect the artist was going   for. Still, as art cars go, this is certainly one of the most unique.            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              Trashy Art or Artsy Trash? Bonkers Yonkers Garbage Trucks We don't typically associate garbage trucks with beauty, but the City of   Yonkers commissioned art wraps for six of its Department of Public Works   vehicles. This unique art project was designed to raise environmental   awareness, and it was the first of its kind in the US. The top vehicle was designed by Yonkers high school student Patricia   Villate, who was one of 30 students to submit d...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Transportation or in the Art Vehicles   category ] /////////////////////////////////////////// Time for a Word? Unique Outdoor Clock Spells the Time Posted: 26 Jan 2010 01:00 PM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/cHW66rod-sA/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Gadgets or in the Clocks & Watches category ] Public outdoor clocks are often great, looming affairs perched on the tops   of tall, ornate towers. They may be beautiful to look at, but they do tend   to detract from the architecture around them. Nicolas Le Moigne designed   this unique public clock for the city of Geneva; its low profile and   neutral colors help it to almost blend into the building to which it is   attached. Rather than using a traditional clock face or even digital numerals to   spell out the time, the clock uses words. This unique approach is novel for   a public clock, and the end result seems more sophisticated than most. The display changes when needed using a rotary flap system. The low-impact   letters make it beautiful to look at, but the understated design of the   public clock will mean that it wont compete with the historic and lovely   architecture of Geneva.            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              Word to Your Wall Clock: Letters Spell Out the Time Aren't you tired of all of those numbers cluttering up your clock's face?   Then it's about time you got the Qlocktwo by Biegert & Funk, because it's   got none of that nonsense. It spells out the time in clear, plain   English...or German, if you prefer. The sleek acrylic face features lines   of letters that spell out the time in five-minute increments, and four dots   in the corners let you know ...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Gadgets or in the Clocks & Watches category   ] /////////////////////////////////////////// Animated GIFs: Have They Matured From Annoying to Artsy? Posted: 26 Jan 2010 07:00 AM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/QsdRg6_X39s/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Technology or in the Digital Design category ] Back in the early days of the internet, animated GIFs were the bane of just   about everyone. Their annoying, jarring graphics and often painfully bright   colors were enough to make anyone crazy. Particularly irritating was when   they were used as avatars in chat rooms or forums, and wed have to watch   their stupid dancing polar bear dancing or sneezing kitten a thousand times   before finally just leaving the page in frustration. Some people still use   the unfortunately annoying animated GIFs, but theres a whole new crop of   artists who are using this long-maligned vehicle to express their   creativity. The above GIFs, from artist David Ope (also known online as dvdp) are   markedly more mature than those that we raised in the 80s and 90s remember.   Their existence doesnt seem to center on the desire to draw attention or to   frustrate; rather, they are simply beautiful, mesmerizing pieces of art. Theres a certain amount of nostalgia in these pieces; it seems to suggest   that the creators grew up in the era where the animated GIF was an   ever-present Web element. And although its largely fallen out of favor in   Web design (thankfully) this new, more mature generation of the animated   GIF is taking it in an entirely new, extremely creative direction. Thats a common theme in this new generation of animated GIFs: they are more   art than novelty. Anyone who has seen a tiled animation used as a   background for a web page knows that the constant looping motion can   quickly become intolerable. But the animated GIFs being created today are   more of an underground art movement than a momentary distraction. The above   animations from Sweet GIFs come from several different contributors,   indicating that there is a thriving community of artists and designers   dedicated to preserving and promoting the image format.            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              Math + Art = Retro-Futuristic Minimalist Space Posters These posters advertising the International Year of Astronomy 2009 are   truly works of art. Would you believe they were created by an amateur as a   personal project? The IYA 2009 was coordinated by the United Nations as a   year-long celebration of astronomy culminating with the 400th anniversary   of Galileo's invention of the telescope. When mathematician Simon Page   heard about the event, he was s...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Technology or in the Digital Design   category ]

Gajitz /////////////////////////////////////////// Roll With It: Mobile Vaccination Kit Takes Jabs on the Road Posted: 27 Jan 2010 05:00 PM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/Qnjd63w-y20/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Various Gizmos or in the Gadgets category ] According to world health officials, vaccination is among the most   important steps we can take to keep the population healthy. Unfortunately,   in some areas of the world its not practical to set up standard vaccination   clinics. Either there is no medical infrastructure in place, or residents   would find it too difficult to travel to clinics. Columbian designer Andrea   Figueroa came up with this mobile vaccination kit which would allow for   vaccinations to go to the patients. The kit can be work as a backpack or pulled along behind like a rolling   suitcase. Its more or less a self-contained clinic; it contains all of the   necessary equipment to provide vaccinations, or it can be used as a   standard portable medical kit. Theres not much information describing whats   going on in the pictures, but it looks like the bottom portion of the kit   pulls out to become a step for the patient to stand on. Simple innovations like this could help save millions of lives when an   effective malaria vaccine becomes widely available, and it could be used   right now for any number of routine vaccinations. Since people living in   remote areas of the world often dont have access to effective medical care,   bringing medicine to them could be our best chance of curbing certain   infectious diseases.            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              Roll With it: Flexible, Space-Saving Roll-Up Laptop Concept Maybe one-piece, continuous screen laptops aren't just one designer's   flight of fancy after all. Recently, Orkin Design debuted a roll-up laptop   design that, when packaged up in its little shoulder-strap-equipped tube,   looks kind of like a narrow yoga mat. But when the Rolltop is all set up   and ready to go, it looks a lot like the flexible MacBook concept you saw   here a while ago. The l...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Various Gizmos or in the Gadgets category ] /////////////////////////////////////////// Designer Disguise: Old Book Holds High-Tech Surprise Posted: 27 Jan 2010 01:00 PM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/63gb6wfcy_s/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Gadgets or in the Computers category ] If youre going to go ahead and spend all of that money on a MacBook,   chances are youll want to keep it around for a while. This awesome case is   the best way weve found to do that while still maintaining your strict GQ   (Geek Quotient). The Bookbook from Twelve South is custom-made to fit the   MacBook and MacBook Pro, but its not one of those boring neoprene numbers:   its a sweet hardcover leather-bound book laptop case. It looks like the hard covers of the book would give decent shock   absorption, and the velvet interior will keep your prized possession from   developing any horrifying scratches. Plus, working with the cover on will   make you look like the geekiest geek to ever geek out on a MacBook in   public. And what better disguise for an expensive laptop than an old book? Some   unscrupulous fellow at the local coffee shop may be all too willing to wlak   off with your expensive new laptop, but will he bother grabbing a dusty old   tome? Dual zippers that look like bookmarks add to the convincing disguise.   For the extraordinarily gifted crafter, this might not be too hard to throw   together at home. But for the rest of us, Twelve South can hook you up with   one of your own for $79.99.            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              Trashy Tech: Disposable, Recyclable Paper Laptop Concept As our society trends more and more toward disposable gadgets (like   throwaway cell phones and disposable cameras), some people are thinking   ahead to what else could be made for short-term use. Designer Je Sung   Park's disposable laptop concept takes the throwaway trend to a whole new   level: one where a computer, a gadget storing some of our most personal   data, becomes even more transitory than ...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Gadgets or in the Computers category ] /////////////////////////////////////////// Smoking Hot Fuel: Tobacco Could Be Next Big Biofuel Crop Posted: 27 Jan 2010 07:00 AM PST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Gajitz/~3/IwNDTpLG5pI/?utm_source=feed...      [ Filed under Science or in the Energy & Power category ] With smoking bans and rising cigarette prices forcing many smokers to give   up the habit, tobacco farmers have been worried about their livelihoods.   That may soon change, though: researchers at Thomas Jefferson University   recently figured out a way to increase the oil in tobacco leaves through   the magic of genetic engineering. The schools Biotechnology Foundation   Laboratories say that tobacco is an ideal biofuel that hasnt been   adequately utilized in the past, despite the fact that it generates bioful   more efficiently than most other crops. The main reason tobacco isnt widely used as a fuel yet is because most of   the needed oil is produced in the seeds. But since the tobacco plant doesnt   produce a large amount of seeds, its not economically feasible to use them   alone. So the researchers figured out how to engineer the plants to produce   up to 20 times the normal amount of oil in their leaves. One of the barriers to biofuel becoming a widespread replacement for fossil   fuels is the fact that most biofuel requires crop space that would   otherwise be used for food. But tobacco isnt a food crop, and there are   plenty of tobacco farms already in place, so the switch shouldnt be too   difficult. But whether farmers would make the same amount of money for   biofuel tobacco as theyre getting for their crops now may be a sticking   point. Who knows  maybe tobacco lobbyists will even try to turn this   development into a positive mark on Big Tobaccos blemished public image. If   the fuel ever makes it into production, would we have ex-smokers cuddling   up to tailpipes just to get a whiff of their dark mistress?            Keep Going - Check out this Great Related Gajitz Article:              Delicious Biofuel: Power Your Car on Watermelon Juice (image via: Offbeat Earth) One of the best parts of summer is the endless juicy watermelon. But the   sweet fruit might be good for more than just eating and the occasional   seed-spitting contest, according to the US Department of Agriculture. They   have recently released new research pointing out the large amount of easily   fermentable sugars in watermelon, making it ideal to use in the   production ...                                         Click Here to Read More      [ GoGoGajitz! - Filed under Science or in the Energy & Power category ]