Nov 3 2009 Could A Human Beat A T-Rex Arm Wrestling?
I say yes, but Jack Conrad, a vertebrate paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, is arguing otherwise. Don't act like you know dinosaurs. I KNOW DINOSAURS!
"Doesn't matter," Conrad says. "There's no chance that any human alive could win." The T. rex's arms might have looked wimpy, but they were extremely strong. Each was about three feet long and, based on the size of the arm bones and analysis of the spots where muscle attached to the bone, they were jacked. "The bicep alone--and this is a conservative estimate--could curl 430 pounds," Conrad says. Even the beefiest humans max out at around an embarrassing 260 pounds.
Surely an Over the Top-era Sylvester Stallone would put up a good fight? "Not even Lou Ferrigno in his prime would stand a chance," Conrad says. "They didn't just have big biceps. Their chest and shoulder muscles were huge too. They had huge arms and shoulders--bigger than my leg. They had the strength to rip a human's arm right out of its socket."
So you don't think I could beat a t-rex? Well Jack, I guess there's only one way to settle this. *warming up time machine* See you in a second!
UPDATE: Yes, AND have sex with it afterward. Put that one in your science book and intelligently design it!
Could a Human Beat a T. Rex In Arm Wrestling? [popsci]
Thanks to Xkrimeg, who could beat a giant arm created in a government laboratory at arm wrestling despite her being a girl and built for domestic chores.
Jul 31 2009 Robotic Arms Have Come A Long Way. A Long, Much More Deadly Way (Hold Me)
This is a video of a bunch of different robotic hands showing how dexterous they are at bouncing balls, gripping things, throwing things, catching things and a bunch of other fun stuff robots shouldn't be allowed to do. I mean, what is this, robot gym class? Next thing you know they're gonna be whipping your ass with a wet towel in the locker room. WHICH IS ONLY FUN WHEN TWO GROWN MEN DO IT. Am I right guys? Love that game.
Thanks to Chris and Aroinak, who once shot a bot in Reno and didn't even stick around. Way to go guys, there could have been more.
Feb 16 2009 Vader Kills George Lucas In Brutal Tattoo
A Gizmodo reader by the name of Kevin sent them this picture of his pasty arm.
I got this tattoo about 8 months ago. I believe it perfectly sums up my feelings towards George [Lucas]. I love Star Wars, but I wish George would retire and leave the series in better hands. Just thought you should see it.
Oh snap -- you just got your head Force-choked off, George! Also, nice codpiece, Darth, I like your style.
Now hit the jump to see a real man's tattoo (mine).
Continue Reading " Vader Kills George Lucas In Brutal Tattoo "
Feb 10 2009 'Immaculate' Prosthetic Aims To Make Fake Limbs More Attractive, They Totally Succeed
The currently conceptual 'Immaculate' prosthetic was designed by Hans Alexander Huseklepp and looks like a robot's arm. Am I running? No, but I am typing this standing up.
The concept "immaculate" from Hans Alexander Huseklepp explores the idea of turning a handicap into a high-performance, cybernetic fashion statement. The neurological prosthetic is clad in technology-packed corian plates with dome-joints that offer a larger degree of freedom than that motherly-issued arm of yours.
Hey, anything that makes a prosthetic more efficient and those wearing them feel better is alright in my book. I just wish they came with a wood veneer option. What can I say -- I'm a pirate at heart. A really classy one who wears a monocle over his eyepatch. YAAAR, anyone for tea?
Hit the jump for one more picture sans model.
Jan 20 2009 Guy Gets Arm Replaced Luke Skywalker Style
Evan Reynolds, 19, got his hand and part of his arm ripped off in a car accident and has since been fitted with an i-LIMB, a robotic hand developed by an Apple/Star Wars fanboy.
The i-Limb was developed by a Scottish company, Touch Bionics, and has won awards for its innovative technology. The total cost including the hand itself and the fitting is about £30,000.
"It's so sensitive I can grip a bottle of water or a paper cup without crushing it, and even swing a racket. All I have to so is imagine picking something up or gripping it and the fingers and thumb move automatically."Mr Reynolds said his disability has not stopped him playing sport, his greatest passion, nor has it crushed his spirit.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for fake arms and shit, but I'd still be pissed if Evan could throw the ball better than me. And that, dear reader, is only one of the thousands of reasons why I'm going to spend eternity in hell with a piece of glowing charcoal in my ass.
Bionic hand gives student new lease of life [telegraph]
Thanks to MoMan, who fears the day his robotic prosthetic turns on him and rips his penis off.
Jan 3 2009 WTF Was That!?!: Deep-Sea Siphonophore
This is a video of a deep-sea (770-meters to be exact) siphonophore doing its thing. What the f*** is a siphonophore?
...an eerily fantastic creature that appears to be a single, large organism, but which is actually a colony of numerous individual jellyfish-like animals that behave and function together as a single entity. The individual units, called zooids, all share the same genetic material and each perform a specialized role within the colony. The best-known siphonophore is the poisonous Portuguese Man o' War.
Mmmm, I can almost taste the wasabi and soy sauce from here.
Siphonophore: Deep-sea superorganism [pinktentacle]
Thanks to Jack, a personal friend who knows I'm a sucker for new sushi.
Nov 28 2008 Mysterious 'Elbowed' Squid Caught On Video
An underwater rover operated by Shell oil company caught some video of a rare Magnapinna (attractive metal penis) squid a mile and half down. And the squishy bastard has elbowed tentacles! WTF! And also, nigiri. Mmmm.
Two more pictures (one old) after the jump, horrible one second video here.
Continue Reading " Mysterious 'Elbowed' Squid Caught On Video "
Apr 16 2008 Tetris Arm Wrestling Is Freaking Awesome
Tresling is a combination of Tetris and arm wrestling. You have a button to push with your free hand that rotates your tetrads, but you have to beat your opponent's arm against a sensor in order to move it in one direction (and against your own sensor to move it in the opposite). You each have your own game going, so a typical game consists of two people beating each other's arm around like maniacs. Which is awesome. Man if they sold these systems I'd buy one today. That's right, I like beating my wife at arm wrestling to make myself feel good. This game would be perfect because she's no good at Tetris either, so it'd be a double boost to the ol' ego.
Oh, and I hoping this guy has really weak arms, otherwise there's no reason to bother holding a Tresling World Championship.
MUST SEE VIDEO of the system in action after the jump.
Continue Reading " Tetris Arm Wrestling Is Freaking Awesome "
Aug 22 2007 Arm Wrestling Game Breaks Arms
"Arm Spirit", a Japanese arm wrestling video game, has been responsible for breaking 3 arms during its brief release in Japan. Atlus Company (the manufacturer), which had 150 machines in arcades, backs up their game, but is pulling it as "a precaution". Spokeswoman Ayano Sakiyama says:
"The machine isn't that strong, much less so than a muscular man. Even women should be able to beat it. We think that maybe some players get overexcited and twist their arms in an unnatural way."
Now I'm not saying that the people that got their arms broken were weak or anything, but I am saying that I've played this game before. And by played this game I mean as soon as I started putting quarters in it caught fire and the robotic arm fell off. It could sense the pain coming.
Arm Wrestling Game Breaks Arms [engadget]
