We use polyurethane to make just about everything — garden hoses, furniture, the entirety of my local 99-cent store. It’s easy to produce, durable, and dirt cheap. What it isn’t is recyclable — there isn’t a single natural process that breaks it down. That is until a newly-discovered Amazonian fungus takes a bite. More »
Given the sense of horror I experienced when I dropped and shattered my iPhone 4 a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t go anywhere with an iOS device unless it was safely ensconced in some form of case. And these iPad cases from Melbourne-based Etsy designer HoobyGroovy are my favourite cases ever. More »
For some reason I can’t seem to grasp, Japanese people seem to be obsessed with vibrating objects that are not actual vibrators. OK, I lied, I can understand it perfectly. Specially when they try to pass them as soft Super Mario mushrooms. Then I don’t only understand the obsession, but I actually want to have one. In fact, buy two dozens and make a vibrating mushroom bed sticking them together. For $US26, you can use them as mini-seats and chair cushions, provided you don’t weigh more than 80kg. [Rinkya Blog]
Foraging for mushrooms can be fun, but getting poisoned by the wrong species always ruins a nice afternoon. Researchers at the Hagenberg College in Austria have developed software that can identify which mushrooms are safe to eat and which are poisonous, just from a photograph. This means it could easily be run on a mobile phone with a camera, to create a handy tool for foragers. It’s not sure yet clear whether magic mushrooms have been placed in the safe or poisonous category – maybe that will be a user option. [Metro] More »
