Winching: Urban Wakeskating

I've been wakeboarding since I was young, but this video is much different from the wakeboarding I learned how to do. These guys put powerful winches near urban rivers and wakeskate to their content. It's a great idea, and really cool to watch (especially with the Justice playing).

Video after the jump.

Morons of Milky Way: What E.T. thinks of us.

"In 2008, NASA beamed the Beatles song "Across the Universe" into deep space, sending a message of peace to any extraterrestrial who happens to be in the region of Polaris, also called the North Star, in 2439." (PhysOrg)

While waiting to checkout at the super-market I find myself overwhelmed by a re-occuring notion: we (humans) are idiots.

Check out this article that showcases some of the data that Earthlings have been beaming up to the cosmos. Some of my favorites after the break.

The Gates' Donate $10 Billion to fight disease

In the words of the great captain of industry, Andrew Carnegie:

"The amassing of wealth is one of the worse species of idolatry. No idol more debasing than the worship of money... the man who dies thus rich dies disgraced."

Bill and Melinda Gates announced today that they would be donating $10 Billion of their cumulative wealth solely to the purpose of finding vaccines for the larger diseases that plague man today: AIDS, TB, rota virus, and pneumonia, mainly.

As stated in an economists take on the worlds more pressing issues, disease control is economically the most feasible and cost effective problem we can fix with the world. The Gates' donation in reality is a large chunk of the battle that could solve these problems. To solve our issues with fresh water and world hunger, it would only take a few federal donations of the same amount to alleviate them all together. As a believer in Carnegie's idea on the purpose of amassing wealth, I appreciate the Gates' donation and hope it sparks similar acts in other superwealthy men.

High Speed Rail Connectivity

When ideas for Obama's high speed rail system first surfaced, people were skeptical of its realization, but hopeful for its promise. It seems that the starting point for the project has been finalized, and will soon start building in Florida. This project could be the connection that the country needs to change the way we travel and work in the positive direction.

Details and elaboration after the jump.

Piezoelectricity moves forward (no pun intended)

Princeton scientists have introduced a new form of piezoelectric material, a rubber sheet that when stretched and strained, converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. The sheets are made of organic lead zirconate titanate, layered over silicone with an embedded chip. Imagine the interior of tires lined with this, gaining energy simply from the pressure of the road; or, as PhysOrg notes, a pace maker that can retain energy from each pump. Click the above links for the full articles and studies.

Evolution vs. Creationism battle fought at collegiate level

"There is an insidious and growing problem," said Professor Jones, of University College London. "It's a step back from rationality. They (the creationists) don't have a problem with science, they have a problem with argument. And irrationality is a very infectious disease as we see from the United States."

Read the full article here.

Via The Guardian.

Levitating Magnets may be key to Fusion's Future

Recently, I saw an article on TED about the longevity of fusion power; that we have enough Lithium ions in the ocean to serve our energy needs for thousands of years. A new type of fusion reactor was tested at MIT to see if a levitating magnet used to contain the plasma particles needed to cause the fusion worked better than one supported by beams from below. The study shows that the plasma was much easier to contain and caused much more random interaction that spurs fusion than the old model.

Read the full article here.

Via PhysOrg.

Apple Releases iPad: Impressive (kind of)

(Engadget hands-on iPad)

A couple of days ago I threw together a little analysis of the up and coming Apple Tablet (released today as iPad). My pricing prediction (starting at $499) was spot on, as well as the concept image I chose to display in the article, and the overall goal Apple had in mind when designing this product. I'm quite satisfied with the shear power they've managed to pack into this thin device, but I have quite a few qualms with Apple's decisions. Check out my thoughts after the break.

Campus green spaces enhance quality of life

(Photo usage abides by GT Photography Usage Agreement)

"The next time you see students playing an energized game of touch football or studying in the sunshine on a college quadrangle, consider this: campus green spaces can help students feel better about life and improve learning."

(Physorg September 29, 2008)

The Third & The Seventh, by Alex Roman

Watch this beautiful video (watch the whole thing, too, trust me), then read the secret after the jump.

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

New York Rethinks the Sidewalk Shed

Mayor Bloomberg came out with an announcement this week that:

"This new design is great for building owners because less of your building will be hidden, and it's great for pedestrians because there's more space to walk, run, or shop than ever before."

If you cannot tell what exactly they are replacing, then they've done a good job.

More details after the jump.

Tilt Shift: Hong Kong

If you haven't heard of Tilt Shift, it seems to be the freshest way to time lapse videos. This style of filming selectively focuses to make the subjects in the film, even though they are shot in real life, seem as if they are miniature figures shot in stop motion.

This quick video of Hong Kong is a cool example.

Hong Kong Tilt Shift from Klas Ehnemark on Vimeo.

Strip Steve- Breakin'

Strip Steve - 'Breakin' from Boysnoize Records on Vimeo.

How much cooler can a flash video with a dancing lobster and a moonwalking triangle be?

The answer is none. None more cool.

Color Changing Windows: A Greener Future

"Imagine wrapping a giant pair of Wayfarers or Aviators around your house on a sunny day. Wouldn't that be cool?

NREL researchers are trying to do the high-tech equivalent of putting sunglasses on buildings with a new generation of insulated "dynamic windows" that change color to modulate interior temperatures and lighting."

Read the whole article here.

Will Apple beat Amazon at their own game?: iPad vs. Kindle 3

(GIZMODO)

What is the Apple iPad (or maybe its iSlate?) you ask? Well, its an unannounced unleaked apple tablet that rumor speculates will be released in 2 days time, at Apple’s Media Event. With pricing speculated as high as $1000 (although in my worthless opinion it will be a subsidized $499 with data plan from VZW or ATT), it might seem insane to argue it will overtake amazon’s best-selling device this holiday season.

Some mashups just make no sense. Some don't need to.

Tom Caruna, who I have to admit, is a new, fresh favorite, just recently released a mashup of Wu-Tang vs. the Beatles. While the connection is a stretch, it is not the catchy, cheesy, only mashed for the funny name mash up. TC makes some decent beats and mixes them with the more than decent Wu Tang.

Listen and download for free here.

This Is Beautiful

Burj Khalifa

A few weeks ago, the SOM designed Burj Khalifa (formerly called the Burj Dubai) opened. A few stats and thoughts about the tallest building in the world below.

Personal Flight: Check

We're there. Humans have finally realized an idea (or at least a glimpse) of personal flight. NASA is developing a way for the Puffin to be the first commercial, electric, and personal plane.

An interesting adaptation...

"The mutation responsible for the alcohol flush reaction, an unpleasant response to alcohol that is relatively common in people of Asian descent, may have occurred following the domestication of rice. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology traced the history of the version of the gene responsible." (PhysOrg)

So what is a genre again?

As exciting as this lineup sounds, what has happened to the genre? Well I think there might be a few reasons. Check out the Coachella line-up here, and the genre bashing after the jump.

Let me start by saying that in no way am I complaining: anywhere that has Flying Lotus, Portugal. The Man, De La Soul, Old Crow, Major Lazer, The Avett Brothers, and Thom Yorke, all in three days is the place I want to be. If you can figure a way to get there for the weekend, it is definitely worth the money.

Had to happen sometime

Of course this would happen in Korea first. A while ago, a friend and I had a semi-Kindle type of machine for a project, and the major criticism was that to have a successful replacement for a magazine or a book, the device would need to be flexible, say like rolling a magazine up into a beach bag. The technology has plenty of different applications, too.

Book Talk: Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut

Short explanation: we have been on a reading kick lately, sharing books and what not. So we have decided to post some reviews, really short essays, on what we gathered from the books. Really, there is no point in a review: it only tells you what one person liked or did not like. What is important, though, is what has been successfully communicated from author to reader, and what the reader has learned or discovered.

Vonnegut, for me, is a sharp pen.

And a prophet.

What am I doing?

“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” - Steve Jobs

Putting Thoughts in Jars

A while ago, a friend made an offhand comment about thoughts. He said, "you can't put a thought in a jar." I think about that from time to time, the fact that all that I am writing here does not exist except for the movements my fingers are making on the keyboard. If you have a little time, read through this article on consciousness. Human consciousness is a fascinating thing to talk about, in that we, as humans, have metacognition: the ability to think about thinking. A dog can't sit in his house and think about the reason why he wants his dinner: he just does.

Read the article here.

New Blood

So here goes. Masse and I wanted to start a blog that displayed what our current interests and muses are. We hope you enjoy the posts, but more importantly, we want to aid to the greater enlightenment of others. Our posts may seem random and unrelated, but so are our interests. Thanks for viewing, and don't forget to comment.