Tue, 28 Jun 2005

Zombie Dogs Soon to Rule Over Us All

And on behalf of the entire population of the planet earth, I welcome our new masters and quickly point out that there are many others who are surely more savory and tasty than I. Surely you will need willing and complacent accessories to your dining, so count me in!

In a more serious vein, This story is neat in a real creepy way. Scientists managed to drain the blood of living dogs, replacing it with a near freezing saline solution. The animals stopped breathing, had no heartbeat or brain activity - they were clinically dead. Three hours later, their blood was replaced, and after a quick jump start of the ole' ticker, the dogs were revived.

Human trials "should be realised within a year". *Cue spooky, doomsday style music...*

posted at: 08:55 | path: /science | permanent link to this entry

Tue, 19 Apr 2005

Does Your Commute Suck?

Here we are in the year 2005, and I still don't have a flying car. If there is one thing that visionary shows (like The Jetsons) have promised for the future that I would really like now, it would have to be the flying car.

Unfortunately, when thinking about it further, I seriously doubt if the flying car will ever be a viable, general consumer product. Think of the number of accidents each day on your local roads and freeways, caused by morons putting on makeup, talking on their cell phones, etc. Now imagine those same morons flying through the air, hitting something, and then careening to the earth in a huge, fiery explosion.

True, the average IQ of the earth may indeed rise for a period of time as the idots are culled from the population. However, the government is in charge of protecting everyone from themselves (especially the idiots), so I doubt this will ever come to pass. Unless they can figure out an automatic pilot functionality to take control of the vehicle out of a humans hands, and which will communicate with other vehicles in proximity, I just don't see this happening.

This article seems much more optimistic, but I'll believe it when I see it.

posted at: 07:49 | path: /science | permanent link to this entry

Mon, 17 Jan 2005

High Altitude Glider Project

There is something terribly fascinating about the High Altitude Glider Project. Perhaps it is the melding of two (or three) challenging fields (aircraft, electronics, and computers) into a single project, and then having someone build the entire project in their garage and/or home.

It is fascinating reading if you enjoy any of the above-mentioned fields, and has some pretty good pictures as well. Recommended!

posted at: 15:32 | path: /science | permanent link to this entry

Thu, 07 Oct 2004

Never Skinny-Dip in the Amazon - Trust Me!

The candiru (or Brazilian vampire fish) has to be one of the most feared fish of the Amazon, even moreso than the "ever popular with low bugget horror movie makers" pirhanna. Why? Read and learn:

“When candirus parasitize humans, it is usually only when they are skinny-dipping while urinating in the water. The candiru tastes the urine stream and follows it back to the human. It then swims up the anus and lodges itself somewhere in the urinary tract with its spines. Blood is drawn, and the candiru gorges itself on both the blood and body tissue, its body sometimes expanding due to the amount of blood. This is all said to be very painful for the poor person who has this happen to him or her. Unfortunately, they are almost impossible to remove due to the spines. Amputation of the private areas is the cheapest, and most life-changing, way to remove the fish. Actual surgery is extremely expensive and involves inserting the Xagua plant and the Buitach apple up the urethra. These two plants kill and even dissolve the parasitic fish. If surgery is not done in time, the blockage of the urinary tract will prove fatal. The candiru is the only known vertebrate to parasitize humans.”

Le' ouch!

posted at: 13:42 | path: /science | permanent link to this entry

Tue, 13 Jan 2004

Earth Centric Map of the Universe

Impress your friends and loved ones with your astronomical knowledge by printing out the Logarithmic Map of the Universe. This map illustrates the distance from the earth to most of the known space objects on a logarithmic scale. Very interesting!

posted at: 15:05 | path: /science | permanent link to this entry