I’m sure that with some improvement and ingenuity this concept will take off in the near future. Especially for those businesses focused on interactive media and design.

AR Business Card from James Alliban on Vimeo.

USB Charged Vibrator

Dance Puppet Dance!

This Scientific American article looks into the relationship between our ability/compulsion to find patterns and meaning in everything, and the evolutionary and survival advantage that this affords us, and how some people can’t seem to turn that off.

We all innately look for patterns, connections, and explanations for the things we encounter. Conspiracy theorists seem to have this pattern matching/finding working on over-drive, and can’t turn it off even when there is no evidence backing their conclusions. We all look for patterns in the invisible forces that we perceive to be behind what we observe, but conspiracy theorists take it one step further by thinking that these forces are actually intentional agents of change. They usually think that these agents consipire to control the world, and that this control is exerted from the top down, which of course feeds conveniently into their conspiracy. A more rational person would see them as bottom-to-up events where many insignificant small events randomly intertwine to give us the randomness of what happens in life.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=skeptic-agenticity

Normal DVDs really only use 3 dimensions to store data:

1) There is the width of the “track” which depends on the wavelength of laser light being used. Original lasers started out with infrared light, but have since moved to the ultraviolet/blue end of the light spectrum as those wavelengths are much smaller allowing for the track that contains data to wind more times around the disk. Hence BluRay, uses blue lasers to squeeze more data onto disks.

2) There is no real length as the tracks are circular and go around and around in an ever-tightening spiral pattern, so there is technically only one track on the entire dvd. There is an exception if it’s a multiple-session dvd but that just leaves a small gap between tracks and then the next track resumes the same spiral pattern. The amount of times the track goes around the CD is controlled by the width of the track being burned, the thinner the track (bluray) the more data is stored on the disk.

3) Multi-layer dvds have introduced height into the equation because they allow the burning of tracks onto two layers, one layer is underneath the other and is read by changing the focus point of the laser slightly.

There are 3 physical dimensions, and in the world of normal sized particles that is the limitation. Nano particles introduce two new dimensions into the equation, color and polarity. So instead of data being a 2 bit on-off, which on a dvd is shown by grooves within a track, the data will now be able to be a different color, and have a different polarity.

The question is if computers will now move to 4-bit (on/off/colour/polarity) computing instead of 2-bit (on/off) computing.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090520192137.htm

The 200 goats can be seen wondering the lawns, the the reactions from employees have thus far been positive. Thought I am not sure what the people who would have made money mowing the lawns would say about this.  I can just picture a union blockade trying to keep the goats from their meal. I see horns to the crotch.

The goats are not technically google employees, but they are entitled to a free completely organic lunch each day, according to google. To watch the goats grazing follow the link http://qik.com/video/1604803.

For the FoxNews story, go here. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518820,00.html

I love the yellow front and brown back.

[christopheraceto.com]

Researchers from the University of Georgia have been experimenting with new ways to recycle carbon. They have come up with a way to kill two birds with one stone. BioChar sequesters carbon and prevents it from getting into the atmosphere and works extremely well as fertilizer to boot. The fertilizing properties of burned biomass were already known to Amazonian tribes, and areas they cultivated hundreds of years ago using charred biomass are still very fertile.

Biochar is a highly porous form of charcoal made from various organic wastes and materials. The raw material to make it can come from kitchen waste, dead wood, animal crap, or George W. Bush’s mouth. BioChar has been called the “black gold” of agriculture for the many benefits it provides. The high carbon content and porous nature of BioChar helps soil retain water, nutrients, protect soil microbes, and ultimately increases crop yields while acting as natural carbon sink – sequestering CO2 and locking it into the ground.

Organic waste — called “biomass” — is placed into a metal barrel where it is cooked under intense heat higher than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The thermochemical process is known as “pyrolysis”. In a few hours, organics are transformed into charcoal-like pellets farmers can turn into fertilizer. Gasses given off during the process can be harnesed to fuel vehicles of power electric generators.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/03/30/biochar.warming.energy/index.html

Cool new flying car concept. The car was designed by ex Nasa engineers. It has a 100Hp motor, which will be able to fly the car for approx 500 miles, at up to 115Mph/185Kph. The expected price tag is $132,000. 40 have been pre-ordered so far, call now, operators are standing by.

There are a couple of potential problems thus far: insurance and take-off locations – it is generally illegal to take off from a road.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Terrafugias-Transition-Flying-Car/Media-Gallery/200901215201751?lpos=World_News_Third_Picture_Gallery_Teaser_Region____2&lid=GALLERY_15201751_Terrafugias_Transition_Flying_Car

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/seeking-to-end-world-hunger-one-search-at-a-time/