I don’t know what this is and I don’t care. It may be a MacBook Mini concept. Or a crazy leak. Or just a perfect fake. Whatever it is, it’s beautiful. I want one badly.
Korean scientists are one step further in reaching sustainable fusion reactors. In an experiment for the National Fusion Research Institute, scientists were able to achieve a form of supercharged plasma for 249 milliseconds, almost two and a half times longer than they had anticipated. It’s a new form of plasma that can be used to generate electricity in a manner similar to conventional nuclear plants but with far less radioactive waste. We think that’s cool. So do bears. [Korea Times]
The original hoverboard used by Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future 2 is now on the auction block, starting at US$30,000. If you have that kind of money around, prepare more because this prop–made of wood and metal, including original stickers, textured paint job, and the hole left by the handlebar that Marty McFly pulls at the beginning of the chase sequence– may reach US$50,000 according to the seller.
One of the coolest realms of technology currently transitioning from Sci-Fi to practical is that of exoskeletons. Above is an astonishing video of one such device in action, a medical model that helps a quadriplegic man walk for the first time in twenty years. The exoskeletons are still in development, with the one in the video a prototype that’s about to undergo US trials. If this is what an early model can do, can you imagine where we’ll be in ten years with the technology? Here’s hoping the FDA finds a way to speed these through approval. [Medgadget]
There are moments in which, for whatever reason, being it a scientific discovery, a voyage into the unknown, or somebody’s excessive alcohol intake, humanity advances one step forward into its destiny, a final state of clarity and peace that will take us all to the stars. This moment complies with the three reasons. Ah, you Ms. Spinning Blonde in Jeans you. We love you.
Joshua Heineman is obsessed with old stereo cards, those old photographs from the 19th century that contained two different views of the same subject to give the illusion of depth. He converts them into pseudo-3D GIF images that can be seen without glasses, on your monitor. The method is extremely simple, and while the jerking result may seem silly, surprisingly, it works:
If you haven’t quite reached your flair quota, or you are hopelessly stuck in the 1980′s fashion-wise, you will probably love the Cool Man MP3 from Newman. The device features and OLED display, support for MP3 and WMA, a built-in microphone and most importantly, a high-tech safety pin that puts high-tech holes in your shirts and jackets. No word on pricing, but it had better be super cheap. [imp3 (translated) via PMP Today]
newVideoPlayer("ipong_gizmodo.flv", 506, 423,""); This has to be the coolest implementation of Pong ever: load the iPong application in two or three iPod touch units or iPhones, and start playing between them using your finger, with the ball actually passing from one screen to the other depending on the ball angle.