monkeys
Random Stuff
Space Monkey Gone to Heaven
8:40AM Jesus Diaz | Hello Miss Baker, you squirrel monkey you. You travelled onboard of a Jupiter ICBM 50 years ago with your brave friend Able. We salute you. May you two find space-bat and swing forever among the stars. [NPR] More »
Gadgets
Too Hot or Too Cold? The Monkey’s ‘Fro Will Let You Know
12:40PM Andi Wang | This $US3 monkey luffa has a head full of heat-senstive hair that changes from brown to yellow when it feels your bath is hot enough for you to jump in. [Product Page via Nerd Approved] More »
Toys
Solar-Charged Monkey Toy Amuses Only Other Monkeys
1:10PM Gizmodo US Edition | This solar-charged monkey toy that uses solar energy to climb the rope, hand over hand, is probably the first of its kind that we’ve seen. More »
Entertainment
Chimp in Japan Gets Popcorn Machine for Xmas, Freaks Out
3:00PM Elaine Chow | I know some of you might be tempted to get gadgets as Christmas presents for your pets, so here’s a tip: Chimpanzees don’t like popcorn machines. Don’t say we never help you out! [Japanprobe] More »
Regulars
Caption Contest: Revenge of the Monkey Wrench
6:20AM Mark Wilson | “What am I doing here? What are you doing here??” [halbot] More »
Peripherals
USB Monkey Hand Warmer Is For Your Hands, Not A Monkey’s
12:45AM Kit Eaton | So many options to describe this product: “stick your hands up a (USB) monkey for warmth” or “cheat the chills with chimp USB mitts.” I’m sure you can do better. It’s a pair of monkey-shaped USB hand warmers, for when you’re typing in the cold, or you’re a sufferer of chilly hands. They get up to 46 degrees in just five minutes, have a built-in wrist support for “supporting your tired wrist when using Mouse or Keyboard” and they’ll fit hands up to 17 x 11 cm, or thereabouts, and when they’re up to temp you can even disconnected them for freestyle use. [Gadget4All] galleryPost('usbmonkeys', 3, ''); More »
Science
Brain Electrode Implants Helps Paralysed Monkey Regain Arm Movement
12:00PM Adrian Covert | Scientists at the Washington National Primate Research Centre have found a way to restore movement to paralysed monkeys through the use of brain implants. Equipped with roving electrodes, these implants seek out and restore neural connections between in the brain and the rest of the body necessary for movement. According to the New Scientist, the monkey was able to move its wrist on a paralysed arm. More »
Science
Monkey-Controlled Robot Still Going to Act Like an Annoying F’ing Monkey
7:00AM Adam Frucci | You may have heard about a monkey controlling a robot arm that was in the news a week or two ago. It’s a pretty incredible story (albeit one that we reported on in 2003, 2005 and 2007). In the above video, Paul Scheer from Human Giant and Best Week Ever demonstrates the down sides to giving a monkey control over a robot. Because really, at the end of the day, a robot controlled by a monkey is really just going to act like a monkey. (Video after the jump) [Funny or Die] More »
Science
Monkeys Use Thought-Controlled Robot Arm to Feed
8:35PM Gizmodo US Edition | In a breakthrough for future human prosthetic limbs, two monkeys at the University of Pittsburgh have successfully thought-operated a robot arm and used it to feed themselves for the first time. The macaques have electrodes implanted in their brains, monitoring about 100 cells, the signals from which drive the robot arm. The trained monkeys can now use the arm to grab food, even if it’s moved around, and often reach for more while still chewing on the first treat. They’d better not show them any cyborg smasher movies though: as the saying goes “monkey see… monkey do”, eh? [New Scientist] More »
Science
