Feb 26 2009 Kid Designs Homeless Domes Out Of Trash

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12-year old Max Wallack is a boy. A 12-year old one. Max Wallack, 12-year old boy, understands the plight of the homeless. Not really, because he's never been homeless, but he still feels for them all the same. Did I mention he's an inventor? 12-year old boy-inventor Max Wallack designed a homeless dome for the less fortunate, out of trash.

12-year-old Max Wallack stole the show at Design Squad's Trash to Treasure contest with his "Home Dome." The dome provides shelter for the homeless and is made from plastic, wire and packing peanuts.


This isn't his first big win. "When I was six," Max said, "I won an invention contest that included a trip to Chicago. While there, I saw homeless people living on streets, and beneath highways and underpasses. I felt very sorry for these people, and ever since then, felt that my goal and obligation was to find a way to help them. My invention improves the living conditions for homeless people, refugees, or disaster victims by giving them easy-to-assemble shelter."

Good looking, Max, I'm proud of you. It's a nice change to see a youngster finally using their superpowers for good. Because if I were you I'd have been x-ray visioning through all my teacher's shirts. ZOMG, check out the chest hair on that shop teacher -- it's like a forest!

Hit the jump for a video about Max and his invention.

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Jan 8 2009 Whee: Watch Walmart Spread Like A Virus!

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Walmart: where else can you go drink and have shopping cart races at 3 AM? Ha, besides my underground race track? Nowhere, that's where. Now click here to watch an interactive map of Walmart's virus-like growth from 1964 to 2007. As you can see, the big-box giant has been invading America like a disease for 45 years. Just imagine: if every Walmart store was actually a giant robot. We'd all be dead as shit! Now somebody get Hollywood on the phone -- I smell an Oscar.

Watching the Growth of Walmart Across America
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The Andromeda Strain [splicetoday]

Thanks to Andrew, who doesn't know anything about viruses because he's clean. Ladies? Sorry Andrew, I tried.

Aug 26 2008 Awesome: Woman Makes Cheap Solar Cells With Pizza Oven, Nail Polish, Inkjet Printer

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Nicole Keupper, the hottie scientist seen above, somehow managed to make cheap solar cells with a pizza oven, nail polish, and inkjet printers. The feat won her two Australian Eureka Prizes, Australia's top science award, and, possibly, something to do with vacuums. Anyway, there's hope that the new cheap solar cells will make renewable energy a reality for developing and developed countries alike. And while I couldn't find out exactly how the cells are made, I have a pretty good idea. First, Nicole does her nails -- something to attract attention, but not too whorish, a subtle pink. Next, she gobbles a large cheese pizza, possibly with mushrooms and black olives. Lastly, she prints a solar cell. Now am I a scientist or what? Huh? Yes, it's a butcher's coat. No, I couldn't get a real lab coat because they started locking the chemistry building after dark. Something about "some asshole stealing lab coats". Hey, I can't help it if I look good in white.

Australian student fashions solar cells out of nail polish as only MacGyver could [dvice]

Mar 19 2008 Infinity LED Bricks Really Take Me Back

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LED Glass Bricks are a recent winner of one of the coveted "Red Dot" awards for good design. It's basically an infinity mirror with integrated LEDs so you get an awesome light show that stretches on into, well, a really far distance. The color shifting blocks can even be computer-controlled, for a really crazy lightshow. Damn these take me back. Back to my days on the dance floor of Studio 54, where, depending on who you ask*, I may or may not have made out with Eva Gabor while doing zooters off Elton John's ass.

* If you ask me, it happened. If you ask anybody else I wasn't born yet.

LED Glass Brick wins Red Dot Design Award [dvice]