emergentfutures:

 Dr. Peter Jansen has openly released the designs for a series of Science Tricorders that he developed while a graduate student at McMaster University. The Science Tricorders are capable of sensing a variety of atmospheric, electromagnetic, and spatial phenomena. Where the Science Tricorder Mark 1 is a relatively easy-to-build proof of concept, the Science Tricorder Mark 2 runs Linux and resembles a cross between a Nintendo DS and scientific instrument with dual OLED touch displays.

Full Story: Slashdot

:-)

smarterplanet:

Contour Crafting is a construction technology that potentially reduces energy use and emissions by using a rapid-prototype or 3-D printing process to fabricate large components. Comprised of robotic arms and extrusion nozzles, a computer-controlled gantry system moves the nozzle back and forth, squeezing out layers of concrete or other material to fabricate a form. The ultimate goal is to print a house in a day while drastically reducing material and energy consumption.

Why Design Now?: Contour Crafting (by cooperhewitt)

Thats kinda cool!

Everybody should love good mead so why not help someone share their mad mead making skills!

emergentfutures:

Paul Higgins : read this. It may seem like exotic mathematics but it could have huge and widespread ramifications

smarterplanet:

How Speeding The “Most Important Algorithm Of Our Lifetime” Could Change This Modern World | Fast Company

Math breakthroughs don’t often capture the headlines—but MIT researchers have just made one that could lead to all sorts of amazing technological breakthroughs that in just a few years will touch every hour of your life. 

This is scary stuff

emergentfutures:

10 Futuristic Materials

Full Story: Lifeboat Foundation

Lets travel back in time and catch so blue whales!!!!!

climateadaptation:

Nice! FTW!

jtotheizzoe:

After an intense wave of hubbub online (what some would term an “angry uproar”) regarding their questionable earlier decision not to air the seventh episode of “Frozen Planet”in the U.S., Discovery Channel has agreed to play the series in its entirety. Check out this previous post for more details, and this from Media Matters.

Discovery Channel says its documentary series “Frozen Planet” will premiere March 18 with seven episodes, including a program on climate change hosted by David Attenborough.

On that seventh episode, the famed British naturalist will investigate what rising temperatures will mean for the planet and life on it, Discovery said Tuesday.

Sadly, they will likely be forced to bump an episode of “Ice Road Truckers Catching Killer Asteroid Crabs - Hosted by Mike Rowe” to make room.

Looking forward to it!

notch:

Some clever people came up with some concepts for LEGO Minecraft kits. We thought it was pretty darn cool and talked to LEGO about it, and now it’s up for on their community site where people can vote for it and show LEGO if they want it or not.

If you do want it to happen, simply go here and click the green “support” button:
http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/4038

jeffdeluca:

Engineering Flowchart - sent to me by P. Szego.

Keepin it simple.

emergentfutures:

Spider know-how could cut future energy costs

Scientists at Oxford University and The University of Sheffield have demonstrated that natural silks are a thousand times more efficient than common plastics when it comes to forming fibres.

Full Story: ZeitNews

Try to figure out that picture before reading the message.

8bitfuture:

Kinect 2 accurate enough to lip read.

Sources close to website Eurogamer have revealed the next generation Kinect device will be so accurate it can read your lips, along with improved cameras, motion sensing, and voice recognition.

It will also track the pitch and volume of player voices and facial characteristics to measure different emotional states, and will be able to determine which direction players are facing.

Rumors suggest two versions of the new Xbox may be unveiled at E3 in 2012:

The first is a “pared down machine” to be released as cheaply as possible. It is likened to a set-top box, and will act as a Kinect-themed gaming portal.

The second is a “more fully-featured machine” with optical drive, hard disk and backwards compatibility. This would be aimed at hardcore gamers and released at a higher price-point.

Ah so now I can finaly buy one of these to scan objects for a 3D printer.