Technorama

Show #147: Good News Everyone

1. Nothing
2. We’re just going to sit here for 45 minutes and talk
3. See ya!

Show notes #147

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Thief tricked by David Copperfield pleads guilty via Digg

And all he used was the see-my-pockets-are-empty trick. Now, if his assistants had that trick nailed, they wouldn’t have been robbed.

How Alphabets evolved via Digg

From Phoenician through Greek and to present day Latin characters.

Director says that “Watchmen” movie will remain true to the comic book via Digg

I’m still skeptical on whether this adaptation will succeed. I read Watchmen back in high school and it is a story that can only be told in the context of the Cold War. If the audience can’t relate to the atmosphere of impending nuclear war, the conflicts in the story just seem trivial or overly paranoid.

In several ways, Watchmen reminds me of Battlestar Galactica (in its current incarnation). Watchmen along with Dark Knight Returns were as groundbreaking in the superhero comic book market as BSG is in sci-fi TV because their storylines are mature and complex whereas their peers tended to play to the safe mainstream audience.

A pool filled with non-newtonian fluid (cornstarch + water) via Digg

Extremely cool video of people running across a pool of non-Newtonian liquid. Thier footprints in the surface leave ripples and if they stand still, they sink in the liquid like quicksand.

The First Photo From Space via Digg

Taken in 1946 from a V2 rocket 60+ miles up. The first photo to show the Earth against the blackness of space. See the stitched panorama photo here

Marv

‘Air shower’ set to cut water use by 30 percent via Digg

The scientists have developed a simple ‘air shower’ device which, when fitted into existing showerheads, fills the water droplets with a tiny bubble of air. The result is the shower feels just as wet and just as strong as before, but now uses much less water.

Expected cost will be about $20 AUD and can be installed by the homeowner.

Robot mistakes human flesh for bacon. And so it begins via Digg

A robot designed to identify various delicacies such as wines and cheeses was tricked into identifying a live human hand. The ‘bot returned a result of “bacon”. So now they’ve developed a taste for H. Sapiens…we all know what comes next.

Marv

Lucas killed Indiana Jones 4 via Reddit

Well, it seems that Spielberg got tired of rewriting the script to appease Lucas. It’s a shame, and perhaps for the best if the Star Wars prequels are any indicator of Lucas’ judgement.

A Trip to the Dentist May Look Like a Scene from Star Wars via Digg

Bio-medical research and the advent of cold plasma needles could eliminate the need for drilling teeth.

Mars Rovers Ready for New Duties via Digg

3 years on the Red Planet and still chugging along.

You may be a geek redneck if… via

…you’ve ever worked on a “deenus” server.
…your email program says, “Y’all got mail.”
…your monitor has a nerf-gun-rack.

50 movies in this picture via Digg

Zoom in on the picture and figure out the movie titles. A pretty fun distraction, much more interesting than you’re average crossword puzzle.

Marv

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Show #146: Token Ring Circus

1. Hubble Fix
2. Missing Mythbusters Show
3. Chuck’s Got a Rant

Show notes #146

Podcast: Download

Pirate Cannon – A working replica of a naval cannon that fires pneumatically via Digg

Tallest Men In The World (w/ pics) via Digg

Monster Rouge Waves via Digg

For centuries these waves have been regarded as just stories told by sailors. But, more serious study have found more than a little truth to the myth. During a three-week study in 2001, radar scanning detected ten monster waves in a 1.5 million square kilometer area.

The Definitive How To – Blaster Rifle via Digg

For about $50 in supplies, you too can make a replica of the Stormtrooper blaster rifle.

Mythbusters missing flatus experiments via Digg

These segments have never been aired on TV. Watch as they test the myth that farts are flammable and girls (like Kari for example) don’t pass gas. Now, how would you test to see if someone never farts? Well obviously you need some kind of instrument placed in a strategic area.

Marv

The Beauty of Mathemagic via Digg

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
etc.

Skynet goes live in October 2008 – Judgement Day via Engadget

Engadget is stretching the truth a bit, but the USAF is proposing a major command organization (such as the Space Command or Air Combat Command) for the purpose of safeguarding U.S. military and civilian cyberspace. They haven’t gotten funding for this project yet, so it looks like the Governator can keep his day job a bit longer.

Dolphin May Have ‘Remains’ of Legs via Newsvine

Open letter to the Associated Press:
If you’re gonna run a story about some tiny extra flippers found on one particular dolphin and not any other. It would help to have a picture that really shows those extra flippers.

Marv

Hard Drive Belt Buckle via Boing Boing

Lost Moon landing tapes found via Digg

Stored under the seats of students at an Australian college. Looks like the tapes were used to store data from the instruments left on the Moon. These tapes do not appear to be the missing high quality video footage.

20 Things You Didn’t Know About… Lab Accidents via Digg

The lab-accident rate in schools and colleges is 100 to 1,000 times greater than at firms like Dow or DuPont.

Fully functional Transformers Halloween Costume via Digg

A pretty clever DIY costume of Hotrod.

Marv

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