– Two or three hours before you start to exercise, drink 17-to-20 ounces of water
[2 - 2.5 glasses]
- Twenty to 30 minutes prior to exercise, or while you’re warming up, drink another eight ounces
[1 glass]
- While you’re exercising, drink seven-to-10 ounces every 10 minutes to 20 minutes
[1 glass]
- Within 30 minutes of completing your workout, make sure you drink another eight ounces
[1 glass]

Five glasses. Five glasses! I don’t think I drink that much water without working out. I say listen to your body, and watch the color of your pee. Dark yellow pee means you need water. That doesn’t account for the asparagus you ate earlier.

Tron was more than just a cool movie, it was a hugely influential cultural milestone. This classic film inspired and popularized the idea of 3-D graphics, virtual reality, hacking and computers in general to a mainstream audience. The movie also made computer animation and CGI an art form unto itself. Ironically, the Motion Picture Academy refused to even nominate Tron for a special effects Oscar because the film supposedly “cheated” by using computers for the effects in the movie. Here’s our nominations for the top ten Tron inspired fan art we recognized as the best, followed by a gallery of works that were all awesome but didn’t quite get their initials on the high scores screen.

10. LEGO X TRON

Artist: Icedune

9. Dolla Billz TRON

Artist: Canadian Dollar TRON & US Dollar Tron

8. Sexy TRON

Artist: Salemburn

7. TRON Lamp

6. TRON Glow In The Dark T-shirt and Hoodie

Artist: martiandrivein

5. Animated GIF TRON

Artist: Splinks

4. TRON Recognizer Papercraft

Artist: Technomania

3. Jeff Bridges Detail From TRON Legacy

Artist: Gembicki

2. TRON Light Cycle Rendering

Artist: emacias

1. TRON Cardboard Stop Motion

Full Gallery

A new image from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft show’s Pac-Man eating his favorite dot on Saturn’s Mimas moon. This image was taken by Nasa scientists trying to measure the moon’s depature by using a composite infrared spectrometer. No word yet on the space invaders on Jupiters moon Europa.

[PhysOrg]

Philips Design has been creating some impressive lighting projects recently. Their latest inspired venture hopes to set a new standard for modern city living by taking a mundane 66 acre property in The Netherlands that formerly housed Philips’ factories and research labs, and converting the industrial area into an “inspiring creative urban neighborhood” that will take a new approach to public lighting. The area will be using advanced hybrid-electric buses, called Phileas (yes, that’s a J. Verne shoutout), that are highly efficient as well as very quiet. Echoing a problem we may be faced with as we move to more quiet hybrid vehicles, Philips has developed a crosswalk system that ensures safety for pedestrians when the rumble of gas powered vehicles is no longer apparent. Philips crosswalk is a lighting system built directly into the road that uses LED lights to illuminate the crossing.

The LED lighting in the road dims to save energy when there are no pedestrians around, but illuminate as people come close.

The “smart” lights turn from green to amber as a bus approaches to warn people of its presence.

The red don’t walk lighting changes based on the direction of the vehicles.

Philips

image source Sifu Renka

A new study from Newcastle University has found that a dietary fiber found in seaweed (alginate – which is widely used in the food industry as a stabilizer) can reduce fat intake by up to 75%, mainly because it is known to absorb 200 – 300 times its weight in water. Although the picture above has nothing to do with what this fiber is most commonly used for (think of that weird gelatin around cat food), it looks way better than cat food. Many chefs that practice Molecular Gastronomy have been using Sodium Alginate to create new and unique dishes, such as Ferran Adrià’s Liquid Pea Ravioli at El Bulli in Catalonia, Spain. Although the main purpose of this study is to find ways to fortify existing products (like bread and yogurt), I think we should just make our own.  Check out this great article from chow.com on creating your own concoctions of molecular food.

| via Science Daily |

A new research study conducted by scientists at Miguel Hernandez University has identified cloves as the best antioxidant spice. The study, published in the latest issue of the Flavour and Fragrance Journal, showed cloves to have scored the highest marks when tested on five characteristics of good antioxidants. Researchers determined cloves contain high levels of phenolic compounds and other properties key to helping prevent diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and macular degeneration, as well as fight the effects of aging. Antioxidants are thought to help because they can neutralize free radicals, which are toxic byproducts of natural cell metabolism. The human body naturally produces antioxidants, but the process isn’t 100 percent effective, and that effectiveness declines with age. Health experts recommend enhancing your diet with foods rich in antioxidants to counteract this decline and to maintain peak fitness. Other high scorers among the spices tested included essential oils from oregano, thyme, rosemary and sage. So not only will cloves be a good tasting additive to what you eat, they’ll be adding to your health too. For some great clove recipes, read here.

Source: FECYT – Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología, UPI

Sequel to A Brief History of Pretty Much Everything.

| via notcot.org |

If It’s Hip It’s Here has an awesome profile on the work of Diem Chau, who carved the 12 chinese zodiac symbols into crayola crayons.  One of the most amazing creations is the pig that protrudes a sly charm in his duties as the symbol of fertility and verility.