Tag: Nature, Space, Science, Tech

Hydrogen Scooter

I saw this on Boing and wondered what are we waiting for? A zippy machine that drinks split water and runs by reforming it and doesn’t make you look like a dork like the mythical but seemingly world-winning and innovative except if you want to do something other than drive it around a parking lot Segway.

As if a Quadrophenia would ever be written about Segway riding.

Private Space

The X-prize, perhaps the last vestige of the wacky days of the new economy bubble…well, other than Segway, has proven itself to be a great opportunity to get yourself killed as a private for hire astronaut:

We need to raise some more money…fix our problems and launch another low-altitude flight as soon as possible,” Meier told the Associated Press. “It’s a learning experience to be expected when you’re developing a vehicle with [these kinds] of capabilities.”

Hint: if you are going to go to space and you happen to be human, pick people spending more than $20,000 to see if it will work.

Smart House?

So…do I really want a house that monitors what I do? I mean…what do I do at home what I want recorded for posterity? Will the Hal 2000 home warn me that I must be getting a cold because I have blown my nose in the bathroom five times in an hour? A really smart house would do well to stay out of my way, not notice what I am up to and just do the house stuff: keep out the weather, the crooks and the animals and keep it about 20 C. Cheap, too.

Asteroid Impact Calculator

I love fun web games that have neato results statements like:

The fireball is below the horizon. There is no
direct thermal radiation.

Whew…except…this is a real time, real outcome
widget to figure out how you would be affected in the case of an asteroid
strike. It takes into account the angle of the strike, the density of the
object, your distance from the impact, etc. For the true worrywort amongst you
from the good folks at the University of Arizona’s Department of Planetary
Sciences.

Recreational Grief?

This is an interesting item from the BBC:

In his report, Conspicuous Compassion, author Patrick West said people were trying to feel better about themselves by taking part in “manufactured emotion”. Describing extravagant public displays of grief for strangers as ‘grief-lite’ Mr West said these activities were, “undertaken as an enjoyable event, much like going to a football match or the last night of the proms”.

This is similar to my problem with movies – the group emote. Abstractions from reality.