STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

[MIKA27]

Man, that Aston is HOT!!!!

It is isn't it!

Keith, I'll let ya borrow it provided you bring it back with a full tank of gas.

[CanuckSARTech]

It is isn't it!

Keith, I'll let ya borrow it provided you bring it back with a full tank of gas.

Dude, you do realize my driver training now, right???? You let me borrow it, I'll fill it up with gas again, and bring ya a box of Hamlet customs for the thrill of it.....but you might need new tires and brakes after!

[MIKA27]

Amazon Plans To Build Massive Biodome HQ, So No One Has To Leave

If you work for Amazon, you might soon have the option to feel like you’re working outside every day. Proposed earlier this week at Seattle City Hall’s Design Review Board, this trio of interconnected glass domes is the company’s plan for a space where employees could work and hang out.

Here are the details: it’s a 6000sqm, five-floor structure, filled with plants chosen for their ability to thrive in a microclimate comfortable for humans too. There will be a variety of botanical zones modelled after mountain ecologies from around the world arranged amid places to work, eat, lounge and so forth. Think of it like the movie Biodome minus Pauly Shore. And all the science experiments gone wrong. And the pot smoking.

The plant-packed spherical structure would be built in the shadow of the skyscraper Amazon is building next door. As per the proposal, the dome would serve as “a plant-rich environment that has many positive qualities that are not often found in a typical office setting”. In plain English, it’s an indoor park that makes you feel like you’ve left the office when you’ve never really left at all.

That’s essentially the same startup-hatched strategy of putting a ping pong table and a fully stocked bar in the office, but now that culture is playing out on a massive scale. It’s not just about the themed office anymore — it’s about themed buildings and environments that give employees a reason to stay late. Why? Because they never even have to go outside.

[MIKA27]

You let me borrow it, I'll fill it up with gas again, and bring ya a box of Hamlet customs for the thrill of it.....but you might need new tires and brakes after!

Sounds fair to me..

[MIKA27]

Learn Anything In 20 Hours With This Four-Step Method

With just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice, you can go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing well. That’s the message from Josh Kaufman, author of The First 20 Hours. In the video above, he reveals the four steps to learning any new skill, fast.

It’s a long, 20-minute TEDx Talk, but entertaining and enlightening too. The four steps in Kaufman’s method are:

1. Deconstruct the skill: Break down the parts and find the most important things to practice first. If you were learning to play a musical instrument, for example, knowing just a few chords gives you access to lots of songs. If you want to learn a new language, learn the most common 2000 words and you’ll have 80 per cent text coverage.
   
2. Self-correct: Use reference materials to learn enough that you know when you make a mistake so you can correct yourself.
   
3. Remove barriers to learning: Identify and remove anything that distracts you from focusing on the skill you want to learn.
   
4. Practise at least 20 hours.
   

20 hours amounts to just 40 minutes a day for a month, so what are you waiting for?

[MIKA27]

An iPhone 5 Cable That Never Tangles And Doubles As A Stand

Upgrade your iPhone 5′s default sync cable with the thicker, poseable Trunk and you’ll never spend another second of your life untangling that web of knots that magically appears in your pocket. Just make sure you’re OK with only four or five inches of slack.

Available now for just $20, the Trunk’s reinforced core can actually support your iPhone 5 in almost any position, letting you more easily use it as a navigation device in your car, or just keeping it off the floor while it’s charging from an outlet.

[iLoveHandles]

MIKA: I just ordered two!

[Fuzz]

Hope that cable is a snug fit against the case, else you'll be putting strain on that Lightning connector.

[MIKA27]

Hope that cable is a snug fit against the case, else you'll be putting strain on that Lightning connector.

I'll let you know when I receive them.

[Fuzz]

Fuzz: Why use a basic controller for the soon to be released Xbox One when you can have this! FPS games will never be the same...

Hands-on with the Delta Six gun controller

Glimpses of the Delta Six have been teasing an ultra-realistic and motion-enabled gaming controller since last fall, and now that it's back on Kickstarter, we've gone hands-on with a prototype to see just how it handles. Though hardware and software tweaks have been made since it first surfaced, its creator David Kotkin says the peripheral is roughly 80 percent complete. For example, the beta version we took for a spin was only compatible with the Xbox 360, but the final product is set to play nice with the PS3, PC and Wii U, in addition to next-gen consoles via a software update.

Hold the matte black prototype in your hands, and you'll notice it has a fair amount of heft to it. Its weight didn't take an immediate toll on this editor's arms, but some light fatigue was noticeable after about 20 or 30 minutes of play. The hardware is actually a stock airsoft gun that's been gutted and stuffed with Xbox 360 controller parts, a rechargeable battery and an Arduino. According to Kotkin, the faux firearm's code will be made open source, and users will be able to program it to their heart's content.

Delta Six gaming gun hands-on

• 
  

See all photos

24 Photos

Wielding the gun with both hands means reaching out with your left arm to cup the stock and resting a thumb on an analog stick. In addition to moving the camera left and right, the thumbstick is in charge of making in-game characters walk forward and backward. Under the same hand's middle and ring fingers sit two buttons in charge of chucking in-game grenades. A d-pad and a repositioned Y Button lie on the center left-hand side of the model weapon, followed by start, select and the Xbox 360 Guide button. Underneath the middle of the rifle is the ammo clip, which acts as the X Button when pushed in, and handles reloading.

On the blaster's grip are the A and B Button equivalents, which are positioned to fall under a user's middle and ring fingers. Naturally, the trigger is reserved for the index finger. Located just above is a switch that would normally control automatic and semi-automatic modes, but it's been remapped to the run function. Below the gun's leg hides a USB port for updating the onboard micro-controller.

Finally, a button on the butt of the shooter triggers the "hold your breath" action to steady an in-game weapon when pressed against your arm or shoulder. Atop the controller sits an infrared sensor which activates a game's zoom in or scope function when it detects a user's looking down the barrel. As for that detachable scope, it's primary function is window dressing. The button layout can be confusing at times, but Kotkin says they're working on a way to make everything distinguishable.

Before you get to mowing down digital opponents, you'll have to wade through game menus first, which is currently a chore on the Delta Six. Since the embedded gyroscopes are used along with the d-pad and analog stick for navigation, selecting the right menu option feels akin to whack-a-mole -- unless the controller is held impossibly still. However, Kotkin admits the navigation isn't up to par, and vows that its kinks will be hammered out in a final product.

Jumping into gameplay, our first instinct was to move the gun around and get our bearings with the camera, but it was immediately apparent that swinging to the left and right had no effect. It turns out that the unit we were testing only had motion controls mapped for moving the camera up and down, and relied solely on the analog stick for changing the horizontal view. Full motion control of all camera views, however, has been tested with the hardware before, Kotkin says, and it's planned for the final version.

As for the motion control that was there, the experience was fairly responsive, though not particularly speedy. While sensitivity can be adjusted for each game, it seems that the sweet spot is the lowest notch, as higher levels were far too finicky. When going up against zombies with a slow and deliberate trod, the Delta Six got the job done. However, with faster enemies, gangs of baddies and close quarter fights, combat got dicey, as swiftly and accurately aiming at opponents around us became difficult. Our suspicion is that may be alleviated when full motion controls are baked in, but we certainly could have faired better with a traditional controller at the time.

To trigger a melee attack, we simply moved the gun's end towards the screen as if we were bashing an opponent. It might not be as quick a tapping a button, but it works as planned -- not to mention we didn't accidentally trigger it during our play session by jostling the rifle about. Rounding out the motion controls is strafing, which can be done by tilting the controller left and right. Again, the feature worked like a charm, and wasn't something we accidentally activated during normal play.

While the idea of moving forward and backward in-game with an analog stick on the side of a gun controller seemed unintuitive at first, its execution turned out to be practical. Merely point the analog stick toward the screen or away from, and off you'll go. Thankfully, the reloading mechanism has been simplified since the peripheral's debut. Instead of having to remove and insert the ammo cartridge, giving it a firm jab suffices.

The trigger feels much like those on Xbox 360 controllers, and though the built-in rumble wasn't working on the prototype, the polished product will be outfitted with the kickback sensation. Steadying your in-game weapon by pulling the butt of the rifle works as promised, as does zooming in or looking through the scope by leaning your head toward the rifle's stock. The built-in IR sensor does a bang-up job of quickly activating and deactivating the zoom function, making the whole affair a breeze.

Despite its shortcomings in prototype form, the Delta Six shows promise, but it needs crowdsourced cash to reach its full potential. An asking price of $159 doesn't exactly make it an impulse purchase, but Kotkin hopes his track record will inspire confidence in prospective backers. The Miami native points to his experience bringing a raft of inventions to market -- including the Avenger Controller -- and a previous Kickstarter project where he tooled and delivered products in eight weeks. If all goes well, the Delta Six will be shipping out to supporters in black or white flavors with an orange tip this December.

[MIKA27]

Fuzz: Why use a basic controller for the soon to be released Xbox One when you can have this! FPS games will never be the same...

Hands-on with the Delta Six gun controller

Glimpses of the Delta Six have been teasing an ultra-realistic and motion-enabled gaming controller since last fall, and now that it's back on Kickstarter, we've gone hands-on with a prototype to see just how it handles. Though hardware and software tweaks have been made since it first surfaced, its creator David Kotkin says the peripheral is roughly 80 percent complete. For example, the beta version we took for a spin was only compatible with the Xbox 360, but the final product is set to play nice with the PS3, PC and Wii U, in addition to next-gen consoles via a software update.

Hold the matte black prototype in your hands, and you'll notice it has a fair amount of heft to it. Its weight didn't take an immediate toll on this editor's arms, but some light fatigue was noticeable after about 20 or 30 minutes of play. The hardware is actually a stock airsoft gun that's been gutted and stuffed with Xbox 360 controller parts, a rechargeable battery and an Arduino. According to Kotkin, the faux firearm's code will be made open source, and users will be able to program it to their heart's content.

Delta Six gaming gun hands-on

• 
  

See all photos

24 Photos

Wielding the gun with both hands means reaching out with your left arm to cup the stock and resting a thumb on an analog stick. In addition to moving the camera left and right, the thumbstick is in charge of making in-game characters walk forward and backward. Under the same hand's middle and ring fingers sit two buttons in charge of chucking in-game grenades. A d-pad and a repositioned Y Button lie on the center left-hand side of the model weapon, followed by start, select and the Xbox 360 Guide button. Underneath the middle of the rifle is the ammo clip, which acts as the X Button when pushed in, and handles reloading.

On the blaster's grip are the A and B Button equivalents, which are positioned to fall under a user's middle and ring fingers. Naturally, the trigger is reserved for the index finger. Located just above is a switch that would normally control automatic and semi-automatic modes, but it's been remapped to the run function. Below the gun's leg hides a USB port for updating the onboard micro-controller.

Finally, a button on the butt of the shooter triggers the "hold your breath" action to steady an in-game weapon when pressed against your arm or shoulder. Atop the controller sits an infrared sensor which activates a game's zoom in or scope function when it detects a user's looking down the barrel. As for that detachable scope, it's primary function is window dressing. The button layout can be confusing at times, but Kotkin says they're working on a way to make everything distinguishable.

Before you get to mowing down digital opponents, you'll have to wade through game menus first, which is currently a chore on the Delta Six. Since the embedded gyroscopes are used along with the d-pad and analog stick for navigation, selecting the right menu option feels akin to whack-a-mole -- unless the controller is held impossibly still. However, Kotkin admits the navigation isn't up to par, and vows that its kinks will be hammered out in a final product.

Jumping into gameplay, our first instinct was to move the gun around and get our bearings with the camera, but it was immediately apparent that swinging to the left and right had no effect. It turns out that the unit we were testing only had motion controls mapped for moving the camera up and down, and relied solely on the analog stick for changing the horizontal view. Full motion control of all camera views, however, has been tested with the hardware before, Kotkin says, and it's planned for the final version.

As for the motion control that was there, the experience was fairly responsive, though not particularly speedy. While sensitivity can be adjusted for each game, it seems that the sweet spot is the lowest notch, as higher levels were far too finicky. When going up against zombies with a slow and deliberate trod, the Delta Six got the job done. However, with faster enemies, gangs of baddies and close quarter fights, combat got dicey, as swiftly and accurately aiming at opponents around us became difficult. Our suspicion is that may be alleviated when full motion controls are baked in, but we certainly could have faired better with a traditional controller at the time.

To trigger a melee attack, we simply moved the gun's end towards the screen as if we were bashing an opponent. It might not be as quick a tapping a button, but it works as planned -- not to mention we didn't accidentally trigger it during our play session by jostling the rifle about. Rounding out the motion controls is strafing, which can be done by tilting the controller left and right. Again, the feature worked like a charm, and wasn't something we accidentally activated during normal play.

While the idea of moving forward and backward in-game with an analog stick on the side of a gun controller seemed unintuitive at first, its execution turned out to be practical. Merely point the analog stick toward the screen or away from, and off you'll go. Thankfully, the reloading mechanism has been simplified since the peripheral's debut. Instead of having to remove and insert the ammo cartridge, giving it a firm jab suffices.

The trigger feels much like those on Xbox 360 controllers, and though the built-in rumble wasn't working on the prototype, the polished product will be outfitted with the kickback sensation. Steadying your in-game weapon by pulling the butt of the rifle works as promised, as does zooming in or looking through the scope by leaning your head toward the rifle's stock. The built-in IR sensor does a bang-up job of quickly activating and deactivating the zoom function, making the whole affair a breeze.

Despite its shortcomings in prototype form, the Delta Six shows promise, but it needs crowdsourced cash to reach its full potential. An asking price of $159 doesn't exactly make it an impulse purchase, but Kotkin hopes his track record will inspire confidence in prospective backers. The Miami native points to his experience bringing a raft of inventions to market -- including the Avenger Controller -- and a previous Kickstarter project where he tooled and delivered products in eight weeks. If all goes well, the Delta Six will be shipping out to supporters in black or white flavors with an orange tip this December.

...Very nice.... I want one.

[MIKA27]

How A 3D Printer Helped A Child Breathe Again

When Kaiba Gionfriddo was born, his parents never expected to have to look on, helpless, as his windpipe collapsed daily and stopped him from breathing. They were desperate — so when a team of researchers suggested that a 3D printer could help, they leapt at the chance.

So a team from the University of Michigan set about using high-resolution imaging to study Kaiba’s trachea and bronchus, and then got busy with some computer-aided design. Using data from CT scans, they were able to create accurate 3D models of his delicate little airways — weakened by a condition called tracheobronchomalacia — and develop a splint that could be used to help support them. The research is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Once it was designed, the splint was 3D-printed using a biopolymer called polycaprolactone, which, over the course of two to three years, is completely reabsorbed by the body. Last year, the splint was sewn around Kaiba’s airway to expand the bronchus, giving it a stiff structure for support which it can grow around.

Just 21 days after the operation Kaiba was taken off ventilator support — and he hasn’t needed it since. Dr Scott Hollister, the professor of biomedical engineering behind the 3D-printed implant, explains how delighted the team is:

“The material we used is a nice choice for this. It takes about two to three years for the trachea to remodel and grow into a healthy state, and that’s about how long this material will take to dissolve into the body. Kaiba’s case is definitely the highlight of my career so far. To actually build something that a surgeon can use to save a person’s life? It’s a tremendous feeling.”

Of course, it’s not the first time 3D printing has had a positive effect in medicine, but it’s an amazing result nonetheless — and it also offers huge hope for the 1 in 22,000 babies who suffer severe cases of tracheomalacia. We’re glad Kaiba — and his parents — can now breathe easy.

[MIKA27]

5 Grisly Decades Of Workplace Safety Posters

Workers’ compensation is a fairly new thing, dating only back to the Labour Movement in the early 1900s. Before that, injuries on the job were usually treated with either indifference or cheap payoff — after all, the average factory worker was making mere cents a day, so half a year’s pay was chump change for large companies.

But with worker rights came worker safety. And the problem of how to communicate it, if not every worker was literate. Vivid, often gruesome posters depicting the worst case scenario — electrocution, carbon monoxide poisoning, chopping of your thumb, etc — became the norm. A recent post on the illustration blog, 50 Watts, unearthed some excellent examples culled from a Dutch history archive.

It’s fascinating to see how styles changed as graphic design evolved. In the ’20s and ’30s, chemicals and electricity were anthropomorphised as literal monsters, ghouls and animals. But as the Bauhaus ethos and Swiss design entered the picture, danger became an abstract figure — a series of colours, typefaces and symbols arranged artfully on the page. Wonder which approach was more effective?

Open the doors and windows before you start the motor, from 1925.

One touch. Monsters lurk on electric wires, from 1925.

That’s what happens when the emergency door is barred! from 1926.

The hood was too high, from 1942.

Carbon monoxide is an insidious threat, don’t run generators in the garage, from 1942.

Regularly check for safety, from 1972.

Protect your health! from 1977.

[MIKA27]

Monster Machines: This Mobile SAM Site Could Be A Serious Ace Up Syria’s Sleeve

Coalition airstrikes helped turn the tides of the Libyan revolution in favour of the rebels; why not do the same in Syria? Because the Syrian government may or may not have just taken possession of one of the most frightening anti-aircraft batteries ever devised, that’s why.

The Russian-made S-300 long-range SAM (surface-to-air) system, known as the Grumble to NATO forces, has been produced by the government-owned Almaz Corporation since 1979. It consists of truck-mounted mobile launch platforms with a set of self-contained anti-ballistic missiles and is designed to intercept aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. It does this phenomenally well. The latest iteration of the S-300, the S-300PMU2 (Gargoyle) is capable of setting up in under five minutes, tracking up to 100 incoming projectiles, and engaging six targets simultaneously.

The Russian government introduced the Gargoyle in 1997 to compete against the American Patriot ABM system. It can launch a half dozen missiles simultaneously, regardless of the target’s altitude, and have shown themselves more than capable against the F-16, F-15, F-18, and F-22 — notching a kill ratio between .8 and .93 versus aircraft and 0.8 to 0.98 against Tomahawk missiles at a range of 70km. That is, there’s at least an 80 per cent chance you’re going down if you find yourself in the S-300′s sights. What’s more, the battery is protected against standoff distance (very long range) guided weapons as electronic countermeasures.

So why does this matter? Because of the reputed sale of the system to Syria as seen in the manufacturer’s 2011 annual report mentioning a $US105 million Syrian missile contract which has since been pulled from public record. Both the Assad regime and Moscow remain tight-lipped on the matter.

“The deal is strictly between Moscow and Damascus — which is to say, it’s all in the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin,” Eremenko told Defence Update, “all attempts to ban arms sales to Syria via the UN Security Council have been blocked by Russia.

Of course, there is behind-the-scenes haggling and arm-twisting, but that’s unofficial.”

“The missile batteries would give Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime a powerful weapon against foreign air strikes” said Alexey Eremenko from the Russian news agency Novosti, “one of the options being bounced around as a form of international intervention — and could fracture the fragile accord on Syria reached last week between Moscow and Washington, which hope to get the warring sides to negotiate.”

And if that burgeoning peace accord does break and the international community attempts a Libya-style aerial intervention, the S-300 would be quite able to target and eliminate targets outside of Syria as well. This could effectively create a no-fly zone for coalition aircraft. Israel is reportedly so concerned over the potential presence of these platforms in Syria that it purchased several F-35 Lightning II fighters to counter.

Things could really get out of hand in Syria really quickly. Hold on to your butts.

[MIKA27]

Watch the planets dance in a triple conjunction

A celestial conjunction viewed on 3 December 2009: the moon, Venus and Jupiter, captured at the ESO's VLT observatory at Paranal, Chile.

(Credit: European Southern Observatory)

In just a few days, Jupiter, Mercury and Venus will come together in the night sky in what is known as the "Dance of the Planets".

Triple planetary conjunctions are relatively rare in the night sky, but astronomers are about to be in for a real treat. The three brightest planets in our solar system as seen from Earth — Jupiter, Mercury and Venus — will be coming together in the sky, "dancing" around each other over the course of several nights, starting 24 May.

If we're lucky, we see a triple conjunction once every two years or so. The most recent was in May 2011; the next won't be until October 2015.

Because the planets in this conjunction are so bright, the dance will be visible to the naked eye, even in densely populated areas — although, if you have access to a telescope or binoculars, so much the better.

According to the Sydney Observatory, the best time to watch is at twilight, when the planets will appear in the north west west (PDF).

The planets will be at their closest, with Jupiter and Venus just 1 degree apart, on 28 and 29 May. All three planets will form a straight line on 31 May as they gradually move apart from each other.

For US observers, the best time to look is also toward the western sky at twilight, with the three planets appearing close to the horizon. From 23 May, the three planets will be close enough together to be viewed through a pair of binoculars, forming a triangle on 24 May before drawing close and orbiting apart.

And, if we're really lucky, someone will take the opportunity to end the reign of the evil vulture-like monsters that have gripped us in an iron fist.

[CanuckSARTech]

Man, don't even get me started about PS vs XBOX.. No contest.

XBOX 1 and 360, a gamers machine, I have a seperate Blu ray player and HD-DVD was a seperate system to purchase 'Should you wish to do so'..

Games and Software developers pulled out from Sony as they realised the platform for XBOX was far more superior for 'games'.

Sony Playstation XBOX live 'equivalent' which btw is like looking back at MS DOS... was hacked. Xbox Live still strong bud and fully integrated. I personally don't mind paying for security, accessibility and personally, quality.

PS: Go Moderate yourself and as usual, appreciate your post!

LOL. Gotta love it. PS vs XBoxOfDeath, NASCAR vs F1, Ford vs Holden, etc., etc. SOOOO many things to laugh and debate about in this world!!!

Life is good brother, life is good....

You forgot Star Wars vs Star Trek And yes, life is good.

This recent jibbing and jabbing of ours, and Rob's "Hitler...Wallabies" post, reminded me of a classic....

[MIKA27]

This recent jibbing and jabbing of ours, and Rob's "Hitler...Wallabies" post, reminded me of a classic....

[MIKA27]

Scientists Found The Itch Molecule — And They Know How To Turn It Off

It is not the louse we hate. Nor is it the mosquito, shirt tag, wool sweater, chicken pock or sudden rash that torments us — the itching itself is what drives us mad. But, finally, scientists have finally been able to identify the molecule that signals our brain to start scratching us raw — and removing it kills itchinessforever. But don’t we itch for a reason?

The molecular geneticists in question, Santosh Mishra and Mark Hoon of the National Institutes of Health, began by examining the neurotransmitter chemicals in our spinal column that pass along sensory information such as heat, pain, and, yes, itchiness. What they noticed was that, when mice were exposed to a variety itch-inducing triggers, one particular chemical began releasing in excess: natriuretic polypeptide b (Nppb).

The true test came when the pair genetically engineered mice that couldn’t produce the Nppb transmitter. First they tested to see if the super-mice were still able to feel other sensations such as heat and pain, to which they all responded normally. So the removal didn’t effect their response to other stimuli. Then, out came the itch-triggers (such as histamine) again. While the normal mice immediately started scratching themselves raw, the engineered mice remained calm and undoubtedly itch-free. According to Mishra:

It was amazing to watch. Nothing happened. The mice wouldn’t scratch.

Until the scientists re-injected them with Nppb, that is, at which point all bets were off and their claws went to town. Next, they were able to identify a specific type of neuron in the mice’s spines with receptors called natriuretic peptide receptor A (Npra), which seemed like a likely candidate to accept Nppb. And sure enough, once the Npra was removed from normal mice, they appeared totally impervious to any itching whatsoever. What’s more, they were still able to feel other sensations, so lacking this neuron wouldn’t affect their sense of pain or touch.

And even though these tests were performed on mice instead of humans, we share incredibly similar nervous systems with our more rodent-oriented friends. So at the very least, this gives us a far greater understanding of our itch reflex. But it could also very likely lead to solutions for people who produce an excess of Nppb and stronger, more effective itch treatments — or perhaps even total cures.

It’s not going to be totally smooth sailing, though. Nppb is significant not just for the sensory nuisance it causes but also for its ability to help regulate blood circulation and pressure. Which means shutting it off entirely might present a bit of a problem. In general, there’s still a lot that we don’t understand about itching and its evolutionary benefits, but our potential newfound ability to turn it on and off is certainly an incredible first step.

[MIKA27]

Middle Earth: Why We Need To Turn Our Map On Its Side

Although he never actually crossed it, the Greek mathematician Pythagoras is sometimes credited with having first conceived of the Equator, calculating its location on the Earth’s sphere more than four centuries before the birth of Christ. Aristotle, who never stepped over it either and knew nothing about the landscape surrounding it, pictured the equatorial region as a land so hot that no one could survive there: the ‘Torrid Zone’.

Medieval Christian mapmakers, familiar only with a small corner of the planet, worked within strict horizons that were fixed by the Church’s interpretation of the Bible. Their Earth was flat. First created in the 7th century, the Christian orbis terrarum (circle of the Earth) maps, known for visual reasons as ‘T-and-O’ maps, included only the northern hemisphere.

This medieval argument was still rumbling on when Columbus first sailed southwest from Spain to the ‘Indies’ in 1492. Columbus, who had seen sub-Saharans in Portuguese ports in west Africa, disagreed with the Church: he claimed that the Torrid Zone was ‘not uninhabitable’. Columbus’s eventual ‘discovery’ of America stretched the horizons of the European mind. The Equator was gradually reimagined: no longer the extreme limit of humanity, a geographical hell on Earth, it became simply the middle of the Earth.

Busloads of tourists flock to the place to witness firsthand the ‘unique forces at play’ on the Equator, which is indicated by a red line that cuts through the middle of the museum.

What ‘unique forces’ are at play, then? The velocity of the Earth’s rotation varies depending on where you stand: 1600km/h at the Equator versus almost zero at the poles. That means that the fastest sunrises and sunsets on the planet occur on the Equator, and centrifugal and inertial forces are also much greater there. Together, they produce what is known as the Coriolis effect, which largely determines the direction of weather systems, ocean currents, the east-west path of hurricanes, and the fact that tornados spin in opposite directions on each side of the Equator (it is not enough, however, to alter the equilibrium of eggs on a nail or the spiral of a gallon of water in a sink).

Because of these same centrifugal forces, the Earth’s diameter at the Equator is approximately 43km greater than from pole to pole. Instead of a sphere, our planet is shaped like an M&M (or, asNew Scientist claimed in 2011, like a lumpy potato). The extra distance from the Earth’s core means that gravity is weaker at the Equator: about 0.6 per cent weaker than at the poles. And the equatorial bulge means that the Earth’s highest point, when measured by the distance from its core (rather than sea level), is not the peak of Mount Everest but that of Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador.

Cobo on the line of the Equator at the giant Quitsato sundial.

Cristóbal Cobo, a deep-voiced outdoorsman in his late 40s and self-taught Ecuadorian astronomer, anthropologist and geographer, used to make frequent visits from his native Quito to the mountain range 16km to the north to go hang-gliding. His solo flights gave him a bird’s-eye-view of the area, while his use of GPS technology, GoogleEarth and Stellarium helped him to track the line of the Equator throughout the region.

In particular, Cobo has problems with the direction that mapmaking has taken. In 150AD, Ptolemy drew the first world map with north placed firmly at the top. This orientation has become the standard one for maps everywhere. The preeminence of north derives from the use of Polaris, also known as the North Star, as the guiding light for sailors. Yet Polaris, or any other star for that matter, is not a fixed point. Because of the Sun and Moon’s gravitational attraction, the Earth actually moves like a wobbling top. This wobble, known to astronomers as the precession of the Equator, represents a cyclical shift in the Earth’s axis of rotation. It makes the stars seem to migrate across the sky at the rate of about one degree every 72 years. This gradual shift means that Polaris will eventually cease to be viewed as the North Star, and sailors will have to orient themselves by other means.

According to Cobo, the best point that we can use to orient ourselves is the Sun rising in the east above the Equator. As he points out, the very word orientation comes from the Latin oriens, which means east, or sunrise, while ‘disorient’ means losing direction, losing one’s way or, literally, losing the east. In Western culture, north is used to determine all other directions, yet the origin of the word itself comes from the Proto-Indo-European prefix ner-, which means down or under, but also left, and was commonly used as ‘left when facing the rising sun’. Thus, in order to determine north, one needs to know the direction east.

In 1569, the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator, the first to mass-produce Earth and star globes, devised a system for projecting the round Earth onto a flat sheet of paper. His ‘new and augmented description of Earth corrected for the use of sailors’ made the Earth the same width at the Equator and the poles, thus distorting the size of the continents. Although Mercator created his projection (still used today in almost all world maps) for navigation purposes, his scheme led to a bloated sense of self for the northern countries, located at the top of the map, while diminishing the southern hemisphere’s sense of size and importance.

The positioning of the northern above the southern hemisphere, and the distortion of their true size on most maps, has divided the globe into simplistic binary oppositions: First versus Third World; civilised versus primitive; developed versus underdeveloped countries. In fact, it would make more sense to divide the world into Aristotle’s Temperate, Torrid and Frigid zones, for it is not the southern hemisphere that has the greatest concentration of poverty, but rather the equatorial region.

From the beginning, more than being purely representations of the physical world, maps have been projections of man’s sense of self-importance onto the space around him. They have often been influenced by imperial or religious interests, props to the privileged status of certain cultures. Cobo believes that many of the geopolitical, ideological and economic hierarchies that shape our vision of the world would ‘disappear’ if the globe were laid on its side and all maps were rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise, putting the east on top of the world and north with south spread out on either side of the Equator.

It is true that in space, directions don’t exist. On Earth, however, east is our most universal orientation. One loses sight of the southern celestial hemisphere when facing north, and it is only by gazing east that one can see both the northern and southern constellations simultaneously as the stars pass by overhead. As our planet hurtles through space, whipping around on its axis, the wind, the sun and the stars, but also time and the future, approach us from the east. There is nowhere we can better appreciate the movement of the skies, better understand our place in the universe, than when we stand on the line that wraps around the middle of the Earth and watch the heavens streaming towards us.

[MIKA27]

This Incredible Full Scale Lego X-Wing Is The Largest Model In History

This is truly unbelievable: Lego has built a 1:1 scale model of the X-Wing fighter using an astounding5,335,200 bricks! It’s as big as the real thing, capable of fitting the real Luke Skywalker — and Porkins.

As you can see in these exclusive Gizmodo images and video, it reproduces the official Lego 9493 X-Wing Fighter. But instead of being 560 pieces and a few inches long, this model uses more than five million pieces, and it’s 4m tall and 13m long, with a 13m wingspan. Just like the real X-Wing — and 42 times the size of the commercial Lego set.

The unbelievable facts

Here are all details about the model:

• Contains 5,335,200 LEGO bricks
  
• Weighs 20,856kg (including bricks and steel infrastructure)
  
• Height: 3.35m
  
• Length: 13.1m
  
• Wingspan: 13.44m
  
• 32 builders spent 17,336 hours (about four months) to construct
  

[CanuckSARTech]

LOL. Awesome.

That Yoda's t-shirt is an awesome word play on things though!!! LOL.

[MIKA27]

The Most Detailed Star Wars Figure Ever Is 13 Inches Of Sith Glory

Putting every action figure ever released to shame, Sideshow Collectibles has announced an absolutely stunning 13.5-inch tall Dark Vader figure that’s promised to be the most detailed Star Wars toy ever released. It includes everything from glowing electronics on his chest plate and belt, a selection of nine-different swappable posed hands to choose from, lit and unlit lightsabers, and even separate display stands for the Vader and his removable helmet.

When it’s available in early 2014 it will sell for $250, but given it’s already available for pre-order, there’s a slim chance any of them will still be available by the time next year rolls around. “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

[MIKA27]

Adidas’s New Smart Soccer Ball Tells You Everything About Your Kicks

Tech in sports typically revolves around maximizing performance in some nebulous and difficult-to-fact-check way. But Adidas has been doing some very cool stuff, like MiCoach biometric tracking, and now it’s got something new and actually kind of great in theory: a soccer ball that tells you what its doing.

The new smart ball from Adidas comes with its own app, and reports back to you its speed, rotation, distance and direction. Everything about its movement, basically. It uses a variety of sensors — official specs aren’t available just yet — and reports the info in real time.

Adidas has been making smart balls for some time now, with the originals designed with goal line tech in mind. But with FIFA being characteristically slow to adopt the tech (though a version has been selected for 2014), Adidas has turned to uses in training.

[MIKA27]

Cockroaches Are Evolving To Avoid Poison, Will Rule Us All

Think twice before stomping the lights out of the next cockroach you come across — you’re going to want them to return the favour after the takeover. Thanks to new research on this most vexatious blight of mankind, we can now say more or less definitively that the despised cockroach will, in fact, come to rule us all. Because, apparently, they’re developing the ability to outsmart our attempts at poisoning them dead.

Cockroaches have had 350 million years of evolutionary practice at becoming immune to threats in their environment, and the battle against their newest enemy — us — is going just as swimmingly. Published inScience this past Thursday, the report, Changes in Taste Neurons Support the Emergence of an Adaptive behaviour in Cockroaches, outlined how certain populations of the bug have actually altered their internal chemistry to find the taste of glucose repugnant. Because what’s usually the first thing you do after seeing a cockroach? Have an irrationally loud, psychological breakdown before going out to buy a roach motel coated in sticky, delicious, sugar-flavoured poison.

Exterminators (or as the New York Times notes to be their preferred moniker, pest management professionals) began using this method in the early ’90s instead of the old standby — wildly spraying poison around the rooms where you and your loved ones live and eat. As the cockroaches slowly came to find the traps repellant, it had always been assumed that they were becoming immune to the actual poison being used, not its glucose guise.

But as the researchers were studying the cockroaches, which use little hairs on their bodies to detect either sweetness or bitterness, they realised that the roaches had changed the way their brains received impulses from these receptors. Instead of the sweet hairs firing off a “sweet” signal, they’d shoot of a message of bitterness.

Their evolutionary attempts at evasion aren’t all bad news. Studying the way these bugs have changed could offer insight into how best to fight against malaria-carrying mosquitos. According to Coby Schal, one of the researchers at North Caroline State University:

The mosquito changed its behaviour, and no longer rests on walls that are treated with insecticide. Instead it tends to rest on the ceiling, or it tends to rest on the outside walls that are not treated with insecticide. We still don’t understand the cellular, the neural mechanism responsible for this change in behaviour of the mosquito.

So at least we might be able to do some good with the newfound knowledge before our future cockroach overlords come to power. You know, assuming the cicadas don’t get us first. Stay vigilant, friends.

[MIKA27]

High School Student Builds Working Submarine

A high school subtitute usually means your teacher’s sick and you get a free period to screw around. But, for one student, its meaning is a little more literal. Eighteen-year-old Justin Beckerman could be considered the reincarnation of Thomas Edison.

In his brief life, Justin’s created a remote controlled cleaning machine, a helmet home theatre, and now a fully functional one-man submarine that can dive as deep as nine metres. It kind of puts your bicarb soda volcano to shame.

Starting with a 3m long drain pipe that was capped at both ends using copious amounts of marine-grade waterproof glue, Justin added ballast tanks to allow the sub to dive and rise, drive motors, a communications system including audio and video, and ultra-bright strobe lights that allow him to explore the depths of his local lake.

The submarine took just over six months to design and build, and because Justin has spent his life scavenging electronics and components, he estimates the total cost to be just shy of $US1000. That’s money he could have spent on a used car to impress his classmates, but in the long run, having “built a working submarine at age 18″ on his resume will certainly impress more influential persons.

[MIKA27]

A Tactical Apron For Chefs Who Take BBQs Very Seriously

For some, barbecuing is simply a means to heat food that involves the opportunity to play with fire. For others, it’s as serious an operation as open heart surgery. And if the act of grilling a steak is far more important to you than actually eating one, you won’t ever want to go near a BBQ again without this tactical apron backing you up.

Is it over the top and ridiculous? Absolutely. Is that what makes it so awesome? Most definitely. It of course won’t protect you from bullets or other combat-related risks, but splattered grease and hot popping coals won’t bother you when wrapped up in this all-cotton outer layer. The $35 apron, which debuted on ThinkGeek today, also includes two large pouches and three smaller ones that can be arranged and attached anywhere for maximum convenience. And in case someone forgets their place and tries to intervene at the grill, the apron is emblazoned with ‘Chef’ on the front and back to remind everyone who’s in charge of the situation.

MIKA: I might need one but for when my wife cooks!