I’ve been reading Fogonazos a lot lately, and this post really caught my eye. The Waitomo Glowworm Cave in New Zealand is home to an amazing population of Glowworms.
The glowworms, Arachnocampa luminosa, are found exclusively in New Zealand and Australia. The worms spin nests out of silk on the ceiling of the cave and then hang down as many as 70 threads of silk from around each nest. Each thread is up to 30 or 40 cm long and holds tiny droplets of mucus. The worm glows to attract prey into its threads, trapping them much as a spider traps it’s prey.
An inventor working at the Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Educational Institution (ESPCI) in Paris, France, has come up with a new type of synthetic rubber. The rubber can be cut, torn, or ripped, and then pressed back together to form a bond as strong as if it had never been torn in the first place.
The potential uses of this new material are numerous. Self healing bicycle tires, bags that reseal, and gloves that repair tears.
Check out the article at New Scientist: Smart rubber promises self-mending products
A U.S. graduate student, Clay Moulton, created a gravity powered lamp as part of his Masters thesis. The entire lamp is only 4 feet high. To light it, a user moves the weights from the bottom to the top of the lamp and into a mass sled. As the sled slowly drops down, it turns a rotor that powers the LEDs that provide the light.
The light output is roughly equivalent to a 40watt bulb, and it will stay lit for up to four hours before the weights need to be moved again.
I could easily see something like this being used in locations where electricity is very expensive or unreliable. It would also be a great tool for emergency workers or for outdoor camping. And best of all, is that the device is completely green. That is it doesn’t use any fuel at all to power it. Just gravity.
Archaeologists and Scientists alike have been puzzled by the purpose of the Antikythera machine since it’s discovery in 1900 in the wreck of a Roman cargo ship. The device was built between 100 and 150 BC. The complex gears and inner workings of the machine have made archaeologists rethink the capabilities of the Greek and Roman civilizations.
But until recently, the true purpose of the machine was a mystery. Now using sophisticated computer enhanced xray imaging, they have been able to peer inside the device with more detail than ever. Making out inscriptions and finer details of the gears and even discovering a differential gear, which was previously believed to have been invented in the 16th century.
It seems the device was an astronomical calculator. Able to predict with extreme accuracy the position of the sun, several heavenly bodies and the phases of the moon.
Well, today is Presidents day. A national holiday here in the US where we can reflect on the great leaders we’ve been blessed to have had in charge of our nation throughout our history. In honor of that, I thought the above video of people counting cash(which in the US always has former presidents on the face) was particularly appropriate. Happy Presidents day.
Found a really great video on Ted of Pamelia Kurstin playing a therimin.
Until I saw the video, I had never heard of a therimin. It a futuristic seeming instrument that is played without ever physically touching it. That’s right, you never actually touch the device. You play it entirely by moving your hands through the air.
Sounds pretty futuristic, right? Amazingly, this isn’t a new instrument. It was invented in 1919 by a Russian musician and inventor named, Léon Theremin. It was one of the earliest electronic instruments and was quite popular for a time. But fell out of use as more electronic instruments came on the scene.
The instrument has two antennas that adjust volume and pitch based on how far or close the players hands are to the antennas. So the musician literally moves his/her hands through the air in front of the instrument to produce the music. Watch the video below to see it in action.
PhysOrg has an article about a new type of wallpaper developed by Philips. The idea is to have the wallpaper contain conducting strips that could be used to power electronics. Everything from TVs to room lights and even general purpose outlets.
Since the strips are embedded in the wallpaper, the outlets could be positioned anywhere on the wall, without having to run cables inside the wall. With the prevalence of flat panel TVs that are often hung on the wall, this could be a really good way to eliminate unsightly cables.
The article also made me wonder if this same type of wallpaper might be adapted to other types of cabling. Perhaps speaker wires or network connections.
Okay, I’ll admit the video is a little odd. To say the least. But I love the song. I found it on an indie music blog called , Audio Drums.
Since I found it, I’ve been listening to it almost nonstop. Something about the song just fits. The band consists of two artists, Greg Kurstin and Inara George.
Check out the band’s MySpace page for a sampling of their other music.
An inventor working at the Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Educational Institution (ESPCI) in Paris, France, has come up with a new type of synthetic rubber. The rubber can be cut, torn, or ripped, and then pressed back together to form a bond as strong as if it had never been torn in the first place.
A U.S. graduate student, Clay Moulton, created a gravity powered lamp as part of his Masters thesis. The entire lamp is only 4 feet high. To light it, a user moves the weights from the bottom to the top of the lamp and into a mass sled. As the sled slowly drops down, it turns a rotor that powers the LEDs that provide the light.
Found a really great video on Ted of Pamelia Kurstin playing a therimin.
