Bridgestone tests Russian dandelion as raw material for tire rubber

Bridgestone tests Russian dandelion as raw material for tire rubber: "Taraxacum officinale, or dandelion, the herb used for tea and salads, is an excellent liver tonic and diuretic. But there’s another variety of dandelion known as Russian dandelion, aka Taraxacum kok-saghyz, which Bridgestone Americas is researching as raw material to make high-quality rubber for car tires. After preliminary tests, the company said it will continue to assess the material at its technical laboratories in Akron and Tokyo in coming months, and will follow that with larger-scale testing in 2014."

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iPhone-enabled Kick photography light reproduces light in any color

iPhone-enabled Kick photography light reproduces light in any color: "Lighting is possibly the single most important aspect of good photography and filmmaking, yet it's frequently overlooked and considered the reserve of professionals. This is a shame, because you don't need a professional lighting setup to see a marked improvement in your shots. The Kick is a budget full-spectrum lighting studio which can fit in your pocket and is controlled by your iPhone."

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"DIY streetview" emulates Google's panoramic vistas

"DIY streetview" emulates Google's panoramic vistas: "Google Street View, which offers street-level imagery of towns and cities around the world, is one of those innovations that we now take for granted, but we really shouldn't. It's easy to forget how innovative the effort is, and what a large-scale mission Google has undertaken in attempting to map the whole world. The technology exists for us all to create our own 360-degree panoramic vistas of the places around us, and DIY streetview is a kit containing everything one needs to get started."

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World record 80.74 mph downhill skateboard run

World record 80.74 mph downhill skateboard run: "Traveling at 80.74 mph (129.94 km/h) on four wheels won’t usually grab you a Guinness world record, but when that feat is achieved on a vehicle that relies on only leg power and gravity, it’s another story. That’s just what 28-year old Mischo Erban has done in a record-breaking downhill skateboard run at Les Éboulements in Quebec, Canada, this week."

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