Dec 12 2008 That's It, I'm Moving: Robotic Statistics
Africa -- who's coming with me?
Hit the jump for two more graphics I didn't bother looking at because I'm too busy throwing clothes in a suitcase.
Continue Reading " That's It, I'm Moving: Robotic Statistics "
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 "
Nov 4 2008
Coming Soon: The Air Car Pod
Zero Pollution Motors plans to drop the AirPod like it's hot. And soon (~2011). The compressed-air powered vehicle will cost about $20,000 (!) and run on little more than, well, air. Oh, and, alternatively, a little oil, alcohol, or gas.
The air car can tool along at a top speed of 35 mph for some 60 miles or so on a tank of compressed air, a sufficient distance for 80% of consumers to commute to work and back and complete daily chores.
On highways, the CAV can cruise at interstate speeds for nearly 800 miles with a small motor that compresses outside air to keep the tank filled. The motor isn't finicky about fuel. It will burn gasoline or diesel as well as biodiesel, ethanol or vegetable oil.
Even if running on gas, the death trap averages over 100 mpg. Which, while impressive, is nowhere near as good as a pirate ship.
One more picture of the shoebox on wheels after the jump.
Jun 19 2008 Sure, Why Not?: Altering Bacteria To Produce "Renewable Petroleum"
First the diesel tree, and now oil bacteria. Several companies in Silicon Valley are racing to produce bacteria capable of excreting oil (black gold, Texas tea).
What is most remarkable about what they are doing is that instead of trying to reengineer the global economy - as is required, for example, for the use of hydrogen fuel - they are trying to make a product that is interchangeable with oil. The company claims that this "Oil 2.0" will not only be renewable but also carbon negative - meaning that the carbon it emits will be less than that sucked from the atmosphere by the raw materials from which it is made.
Hey, I'm all for it. And as you can see from the picture there, it's a fairly simple process to raise the bacteria. It just takes is a couple of 16oz Coke bottles, an atomic bomb, and what is either a really fancy coffee maker or a hot-air popcorn popper. You attach all the components with some plastic tubing, add some electricity, and presto, the lab explodes.
Hit the link for a much more in-depth article.
Scientists find bugs that eat waste and excrete oil [timesonline]
Apr 2 2008 Problem Solved?: Tree Produces Diesel Fuel
The Brazilian tree Copaifera langsdorfii (aka the diesel tree or kerosene tree) produces a natural diesel fuel that requires very little filtering (one pass through a coffee filter) before it's ready for use. Just kidding about the coffee filter thing, I don't know what it takes. You stab the tree and presto, delicious, natural diesel. Unfortunately the fuel only has a shelf-life of 3 months. I was still excited at this point, until I started doing a little further research (being the intrepid reporter than I am) and found a source (wikipedia) that states "despite its vigorous production of oil the tree does not grow well outside of the tropics and does not show promise as a reliable source of biodiesel." So yeah, shit. But who knows, maybe with a little genetic modification we can have them walking around and talking like the Ents in Lord Of The Rings. Then we won't need cars, we'll just ride those leafy bastards.
Gasoline Grows On Trees [gizmodo]
Thanks to Bigjerm, who doesn't need gas to run because he's a solar powered sex machine, for the tip
Mar 19 2008 Bouncing Oil Is Neat, Proves Many Theories
This is a picture of a stream of oil entering a pool of the same substance, bouncing off the bottom, and arcing back out.
Normally a liquid stream colliding with a pool of liquid merges immediately upon contact, perhaps also bringing air into the pool with it. However when the pool is moving as the stream hits, it can slide along the surface being separated from the pool by a thin layer of air. The air layer supports the jet and lubricates the motion between it and the bath. The same process happens when sliding a piece of paper across a desk or when a car hydroplanes on a wet road. But instead of a hard surface like the desk or the road, the jet is on top of a liquid surface, which is flexible like a trampoline. Because of the weight of the jet and the force required to change directions, the surface is pressed downward and a dent is formed in the shape of a bowl. The sliding jet then ramps out of this bowl and into the air.
Now I have no idea whatsoever what that means, but damn does it look neat. And I'm not much of one for reading long scientific explanations, but I'm fairly certain this proves many theories, including, but not limited to: the theory that wormholes exist. That time travel is possible. That science is cool, and that motor oil makes a great sexual lubricant in a pinch.
Two more pictures and a worthwhile VIDEO after the jump.
Continue Reading " Bouncing Oil Is Neat, Proves Many Theories "
Feb 20 2008 Bedu Emergency Kits Are Barrel Shaped
Bedu Emergency Rapid Response Kits allegedly contain everything you need to survive in a crisis zone. The kit, designed by Toby McInnes, includes "a tent, storage annex, photovoltaic strip tarpaulin/blanket, multifuel stove, lighting rig, tool kit, medical kit, water filtration system, generator and battery pack and emergency radio." These sound like a great idea. My only problem is the picture they're using. That does not look like a crisis zone. Where are the zombies and monsters? People do not wave to the camera in crisis zones. And what the hell is up with that Roman pillar in the back? You see it? The one next to the giant weed plant.
Another picture after the drop.
Feb 13 2008 The Gun Washer Keeps Your Pieces Clean
The F636HT Heavy Duty Long Gun & Handgun System looks like a deep fryer for weaponry, but is actually a gun washing machine. The $7,100 unit can clean 10 handguns or 4 long guns at once.
The system includes: one (1) lube pan 35.5"X6" v-bottom construction with anti-splash dampers & cover. Two (2) heavy duty weapon racks with 5 removable compartments, tank cover, drip proof flange with built in rack shelf and carry handles, H.D. adjustable heater for parkerizing, variable power generator 3/4" S.S. front drain valve and rear fill port. 2 gal. CC235 clean concentrate, 6 gal. CC400L lubricant.
The company estimates you can clean about 1,000 guns with the system's initial 8 gallons of included lube. And that, my friends, is a lot of guns. And lube. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Indeed, the world's first slip-and-slide shooting range. Whee!
F636HT Heavy Duty Long Gun & Handgun System Cleans your Weapons without the Elbow Grease [uberreview]
Jan 16 2008 Mineral Oil Computer Cooling: Sure, Why Not
Take one computer, drop it into an aquarium, fill with mineral oil and presto! -- a mineral oil cooled computer case. I decided to make one of my own and I've got to say it's pretty cool except for the fact that all my fish keep dying. What do they not like mineral oil or something? The man responsible for the mod had this to say: "after about 2 hours, the temperature settled at a new maximum of 84C on the CPU under load." That's pretty impressive, seeing how the temperature of my CPU settled at broken under heavy load. And by 'under heavy load' I mean I sat on it.
A video tutorial to make your own after the jump.
Continue Reading " Mineral Oil Computer Cooling: Sure, Why Not "
Jan 4 2008 Jet Engine Fire Extinguisher Does The Job
Some Hungarian engineers got together and built a fire extinguisher using two Mig-21 jet engines. It was specifically designed to extinguish pipeline and oil drilling fires. As you can see from the video (after the jump), it really makes fires wish they had never started. And it makes me wish I had two spare jet engines lying around. Not that I'd make a fire extinguisher, because I wouldn't. No, I'm building the world's fastest couch, and I think those are just what I need for a speed boost. Because right now my top speed is like, well, 0. It's a pretty slow couch, it just sits there.
Video of the thing in action after the inferno.
Continue Reading " Jet Engine Fire Extinguisher Does The Job "
Aug 7 2007 Philips Oil and Water Display
Once again my intellectual property has been stolen, this time by LG Philips for use in their new displays. They have filed a patent application (using the technology pilfered from yours truly, Captain Handsome) for displays that use oil and water inside the pixels. According to the company, their scientists
have come up with a new way to illuminate pixels on a flexible display. The pixels are made from tiny plastic cells filled with minute amounts of oil and water. The oil floats on the surface of the water and shrouds the colored surface underneath it. When electricity is applied across the cell, the oil moves aside, changing the color of the pixel. The resulting display is apparently full color and glossy, like the cover of a magazine.
Well it looks like I'm out of yet another million. I had actually come up with this idea years ago, but the patent office said that a bowl of oil and water was not patentable. I told them that there were incredible uses for such a mixture, citing several good examples like salad dressing (flexible displays eluded me at the time), but they still refused. Now they won't even accept my patent applications, citing that my last invention, the automatic dishwasher, looked too much like my wife shackled in the kitchen.
