Discoblog

Weekly News Roundup: Hairless Bears, Narcoleptic Meerkats

Brett Israel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:00:05 +0000

• Where’s my fur coat? Hairless bear in Germany is the saddest thing you’ll see today.

• “Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination” opens at the California Museum of Science. On display is a giant Darth Vader mask made of old electronics. All lesser nerds tremble in its presence.

• I did what last night? Woman has a terrible case of the morning afters—transient global amnesia to be exact—that can be triggered by sex.

• Will learning foreign languages be irrelevant one day? Space-age glasses that translate foreign languages are under development.

• If the hairless bear weirded you out, then put a smile on your face with these cute little narcoleptic meerkats that fall asleep while standing up.

Can an iPhone App Decipher Your Baby’s Cries?

Brett Israel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:55:15 +0000

A new baby translator is now available for your iPhone. It won’t translate your babies gurgles and screams into “lavish attention on me, and entertain me,” or “I want what the cat’s eating,” but the inventors claim the app will analyze your baby’s cries and tell you roughly what the little one is trying to say.

According to Fox News:

The Cry Translator uses patented technology to analyze the tone and duration of the cries and match them to one of five possible types: hungry, sleepy, annoyed, stressed or bored.

No, the translator wasn’t built by Herb Powell (of the memorable Simpsons episode), but rather by Spanish developer Biloop Technologic. The developer claims that the app was shown to be 90 percent accurate in clinical trials, although they don’t say if these trials were published in a scientific journal (so presumably not). However, if your wailing baby befuddles you, or if you want to be an obnoxious back-seat parent, you can pick up the translator for $9.99.

Image: engadget

LHC Shut Down By Wayward Baguette, Dropped by Bird Saboteur

Brett Israel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:38:43 +0000

In truly French fashion, the Large Hadron Collider has shut down by… a baguette. Zut alors!

According to Popular Science:

[A] bird dropped some bread on a section of outdoor machinery, eventually leading to significant over heating in parts of the accelerator. The LHC was not operational at the time of the incident, but the spike produced so much heat that had the beam been on, automatic failsafes would have shut down the machine.

The overheating shouldn’t postpone the LHC’s reactivation at the end of the month, but all the delays and mishaps are adding to our paranoid, sci-fi suspicion: Is the LHC being sabotaged from the future? See this Cosmic Variance post for an authoritative take on such a possibility.

Spooky Signals from the Future Telling Us to Cancel the LHC!

Image: CERN

Laser-Etched Fruit Is an Answer in Search of a Problem

Brett Israel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:59:33 +0000

Ever wondered if your Florida grapefruit is really from Florida? After all, how can you trust those flimsy little stickers. Well, researchers have a solution to this important problem: lasers!

Via Physorg.com:

Laser labeling of fruit and vegetables is a new, patented technology in which a low-energy carbon dioxide laser beam is used to label, or “etch” information on produce, thereby eliminating the need for common sticker-type labels.

In the United States, the FDA is in the final stages of approving this “tamper-free labeling technology.” Laser-etching of fruits and veggies is already underway in New Zealand, Australia, and Pacific Rim countries, and it has been been approved in many other regions.

There’s actually some science behind laser-etching. A recent study in the journal HortTechnology concluded “the fruit quality remains high as the invasion of the epidermis does not incite decay [or] provide an avenue for food pathogens,” as the laser essentially cauterizes the peel of the fruit. “The technology will offer the grapefruit industry a safe alternative to adhesive sticker labeling without enhancing decay susceptibility.” Thank goodness for that.

Image: Agricultural Research Service and University of Florida

Musical, Fahrvergnügen-Inspired Staircase Makes Commuters Less Lazy

Eliza Strickland — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:31:03 +0000

It’s tough to get people to make healthier decisions about the way they live their lives. Public health officials have tried for decades to stem the obesity epidemic by getting people to exercise more, but all their tactics–lecturing, scolding, scaring, informing, inspiring, empowering–have had very little effect.

But at a subway station in Stockholm, a band of inventive social engineers had amazing results when they decided to get commuters off the escalators and onto the stairs. They asked themselves, “Can we get more people to choose the stairs by making it fun to do?” And then they turned the staircase into a piano keyboard, complete with black and white keys.

The project was part of a larger initiative sponsored by Volkswagen called “The Fun Theory,” which aims to prove that people will change their behavior for the better if you let them have a little fun in the bargain. Have you pulled off a similar trick? Tell Volkswagen about it and you can win more than $4,000.

Video: Volkswagen

Inspired by Maple Seeds, a Robotic Whirligig Takes To The Skies

Brett Israel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:00:21 +0000

Introducing the maple-seed-inspired Ulrich flyer, the world’s first controllable robotic monocopter. The monocopter’s inventors studied the way a maple seed whirls and twirls as it falls to the ground, and designed their flyer based on that biological blueprint. In this video, watch the little aircraft rise through the air with its single blade spinning furiously–accompanied by an epic soundtrack that ranges from techno to symphonic grandeur.

Invented at the University of Maryland’s Aerospace Engineering Autonomous Vehicle Laboratory and Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center, the small and capable craft meets most of the challenges set forth by DARPA’s nano-air-vehicle program. The program asks engineers to invent ultra-lightweight vehicles that could come in handy for urban military missions.

Read more about the copter over at Physorg.com.

Video: YouTube / RoboSeed

Britain’s New Protected Minority: Tree-Huggers

Brett Israel — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:55:38 +0000

Employers in the U.K. have just learned that there’s a word for discrimination against a person based on their earth-conscious, tofu-eating ways: “greenism.” And firing someone for their environmental views is just as illegal as firing someone for their religious or philosophical beliefs, according to a court ruling.

Tim Nicholson, former head of sustainability at property firm Grainger Plc, claims he was laid off because of his views on climate change and the environment. A judge said Nicholson could take Grainger to the Employment Appeals Tribunal over the layoff, but Grainger challenged the ruling on the grounds that climate change is a scientific and not philosophical viewpoint. However, that challenge was overturned, according to the Telegraph:

In a landmark ruling, Mr Justice Michael Burton said that “a belief in man-made climate change … is capable, if genuinely held, of being a philosophical belief for the purpose of the 2003 Religion and Belief Regulations.”

The ruling could open the door for employees to sue their companies for failing to account for their green lifestyles, such as providing recycling facilities or offering low-carbon travel.

Nicholson said during previous hearings that due to his strong convictions he refused to travel by air and renovated his house to be environmentally friendly. He also said Grainger’s chief executive, who allegedly once flew a staff member from Ireland to London to deliver a forgotten Blackberry, was hostile toward his beliefs. The company said it will now argue that there was no link between Nicholson’s views and his layoff.

Image: flickr / hpeguk

Finally! An iPhone App That Lets You Track Your Bathroom Habits

Brett Israel — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:23:17 +0000

The folks behind the best-selling book, “What’s Your Poo Telling You?” aren’t satisfied with being mere bathroom reading material. So they’ve dropped a new iPhone app, the Poo Log, which allows you to time, log, and graph your BMs—and learn about your gastrointestinal health while doing so.

Via The Presurfer:

The ‘Poo Log’ is a digital timer and journal for recording and studying the wondrous uniqueness of each bowel movement. With a clever mix of bathroom humor and legitimate medical information, the ‘Poo Log’ allows the user to track his/her digestive workings and graph their ‘poo’ – all with one hand.

According to the app’s developers, AvatarLabs Inc, the tracker features medically accurate info that is suitable for all ages, and of course helpful tips such as, “Light a match. Now.”

Superhero Tip: Protect Your Secret Lair With a Secret Knock Detector

Brett Israel — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:11:51 +0000

Can’t be bothered with keys but still need a way to prevent intruders from invading your fortress of solitude? Try a secret knock detector to guard your lair.

Don’t know how to build one? Stephen Hoefer over at Make demonstrates:

However, if you live in a shoebox New York City apartment like some of us, where everyone in the building can hear you knocking, this probably won’t be very helpful.

Video: Stephen Hoefer / Made

Want to Cure Your Fear of Flying? There’s an App for That.

Brett Israel — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:09:34 +0000

Listen up, iPhone users. If you’re a little uneasy flying the friendly skies, don’t worry: Richard Branson, president of Virgin Atlantic, will talk you through it. Branson has released a new iPhone app to help you make it through your flight. It’s for sale in Apple’s app store for about the same price as an in-flight beer.

Dubbed the Flying Without Fear app, it features an introduction by Branson himself, a video explaining how flying works, FAQs, relaxation exercises, and an emergency panic button to press for breathing exercises. And it’s Whoopi Goldberg endorsed!

Mashable has the deets:

The app is based on Virgin Atlantic Airways’ Flying Without Fear course, which supposedly has a 98% success rate. The idea is not bad: anything that can make your mind busy during those awkward moments of liftoff would probably be helpful, and an iPhone app seems like a perfect way to do just that. Richard Branson, president of Virgin Atlantic, claims “the app will put many travelers at ease and enable them to prepare for their first Virgin Atlantic flight.”

However it’s unclear how this app will help during the most nerve-wrecking parts of flying—takeoff and landing—since airlines require you to turn off any electronics that have an on/off switch. Guess you’ll just have to calm your nerves at the airport bar the old-fashioned way.

Image: flickr / William Hook