Wednesday, March 16, 2011

EvoMouse turns your digits digital

EvoMouse turns your digits digital
With the plethora of mouse alternatives available or in development you'd be forgiven for thinking the humble computer mouse was some kind of torturous device inflicted upon computer users. But despite challengers such as the trackball, theWOW-PEN Joy, the ErgoSlider Plus, the Orbita Mouse and the AirMouse – just to name a few – the mouse has maintained its dominance while remaining largely unchanged since its unveiling in 1968.

Banana peels can be used to purify water

Banana peels can be used to purify water
The skin of a banana has been used to great comic effects in numerous slapstick routines for many years. It's also good for the skin and is a traditional cure for warts. You can polish shoes and silver with it. You can make wine with it and it's even been known to find itself being dried, wrapped in paper and smoked. Now, research published in the journal of the American Chemical Society claims that mashed up peel can remove heavy metals from river water.

Map provides near-real-time updates on Japan aftershocks

Map provides near-real-time updates on Japan aftershocks
Almost incomprehensible as the devastation from last Friday's earthquake and tsunami in Japan has been, scientists warn that more aftershocks are on their way. In order to get all the information on current seismic activity in one place, researchers at Texas Tech University's Center for Geospatial Technologies have developed an online, publicly-accessible world map that displays data on disturbances worldwide, almost as soon as they have occurred.

Fling - a joystick for your iPad

Fling - a joystick for your iPad
Although it's pretty impressive how the screen content of an iPad can be manipulated entirely by touchscreen, one need look no farther than the popularity of Bluetooth keypads to see that sometimes users want separate physical controls.

Stealth introduces rugged All-in-One panel PCs

Stealth introduces rugged All-in-One panel PCs
Stealth Computer has taken some of its rugged industrial PC know-how and developed an all-in-one solution for interactive kiosks, outdoor computing, or marine, aviation, security and industrial environments.

Researchers develop first molecular piston capable of self-assembly

Researchers develop first molecular piston capable of self-assembly
Just like a regular-sized device requires a regular-sized motor to operate, a nanodevice likewise requires a molecular-scale motor. In some cases, that motor takes the form of a piston, and building a piston that's just a few nanometers long ... well, it's pretty hard. It can and has been done, but it's an extremely fiddly process.