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Amazing Fly Stick Levitating Toy Doesn't Need Spells, Just Static Electricity
Posted by Kit Eaton at 6:45 AM on October 30, 2008
"Wow!" was basically my reaction to this video of the Fly Stick levitating toy in action, followed by the realisation that this is about as near as you'll ever get to really playing with magic (or the Force, my inner geek reminded me). Of course the forces it uses are all very real: it's a mini battery-powered Van der Graaf generator, and it uses electrostatic repulsion to keep some 3D mylar shapes aloft. So you don't need to utter "wingardium leviosa!" or indeed "use the force!" to make it work, but that's not going to stop hundreds of delighted users from doing so, now is it? Out now for $US27. [ThinkGeek via OhGizmo]
The Fraunhofer Institute--the guys who invented MP3 and screwed the music labels as a result, which is why we like them so much--have a booth at IFA with their latest inventions. The best one is this stunning magic mirror, an augmented reality display that gets any piece of clothing and transforms its fabric in real time. Live, the effect was absolutely amazing, indistinguishable from a real mirror. I just couldn't tell the difference. I think she's a witch. [
To be honest, I was going to headline this article "Toshiba Magic Waving Handy-Spanky-Fingery Gestures Are Perfect for Harry Potter and Online Porn Users," but I decided against it at the last minute for obvious reasons, even when I had two powerful arguments in favour. You will understand them when you watch Helga--the Good Toshiba Witch of West Berlin--and myself in the video:
The Axolute sink takes minimalism to such extremes that it completely does away with the drainpipe. If you are hoping that magic is somehow involved in removing the water, I hate to disappoint but the truth is actually very simple. The secret is patented "Horizontal Integrated Siphon" technology, which is just a fancy way of saying a horizontal drain. It's not quite as interesting as my beloved 
Evolution Robotics ViPR visual search technology is coming to the iPhone this June. ViPR allows you to take a photo of any movie, CD or book, send it to a server, and automagically get an email back loaded with information and links pointing to YouTube videos or iTunes Music Store links. It will also be deployed in Japan on KDDI's au camera phones this Spring. As you will see in the iPhone demo after the jump, it works incredibly well, even when the object is partially occluded:
Here's Batman, the Riddler and Mr. Freeze jumping around in a LEGO version of a zoetrope, a device from the Victorian-era that quickly spinned pictures to animate them. This one uses a turntable and synchronised LED flashes to produce the stroboscopic effect that creates the illusion of moving figures. The author, who is going to feature it at 
Scientists at the Britannia Royal Navy College are working hard to make the idea of an invisible ship a reality using metamaterials that refract light in such a way that it "bends" around an object, making it appear as if it were invisible. This would only account for viewing with the naked eye however—naturally radar cloaking would be an important part of the equation. However, it appears that this technology may be able to accomplish a lot more.
We are all familiar with the magic 8-ball and the fortune cookie, but what happens if you put the two together in one device? The Smart Cookie is the result; a fortune telling cookie that dispenses answers to life's most pressing questions with quirky witticisms such as; try the eggroll, answer sweet and sour, future sticky like rice and you don't wonton know. Well, lets try it out:Q: Oh wise Smart Cookie, pray tell, will the forthcoming Year of the Rat bring prosperity for us? 
