Alex Karras, '60s NFL Lineman with Dementia, Dies at 77

Cool guy passed away

Alex Karras, '60s NFL Lineman with Dementia, Dies at 77: "Former gridiron star Alex Karras, formally diagnosed with dementia and having lived with its symptoms for more than a dozen years, died Wednesday at the age of 77.

Karras, a tackle for the Detroit Lions, was drafted by the team in 1958 and played with the Lions until he retired in 1970. Having had multiple concussions over that 12 year span, he was one of the most recognized names on the roster of 3,500 former National Football League players who filed suit against the league for misleading them about the dangers of concussions and the resulting condition now known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)."

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918 Spyder is quicker than Porsche thought

918 Spyder is quicker than Porsche thought: "Ever since the Porsche 918 Spyder debuted as a might-never-be concept at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, we knew it was quick. But we didn't know just how quick. In preparation of the first 918 deliveries, Porsche has announced that the hybrid supercar outperforms the company's previous, already-impressive performance estimates."

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EcoTrek's sturdy camper built to go off-road with aplomb

EcoTrek's sturdy camper built to go off-road with aplomb: "The Ecotrek 510 camper is designed for one purpose and one purpose only: surviving any rugged obstacle thrown its way so you can sleep soundly that night. That one purpose opens it up to all kinds of uses – hunting, fishing, 4x4ing, etc. No cutesy teardrop design, the 510 has a reinforced build meant to thrive in terrain that would rip lesser campers to shreds."

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Road-legal Batmobile replica up for auction

Road-legal Batmobile replica up for auction: "Historics auction house in Surrey, UK, is listing a fully road-legal Batmobile for sale. It’s not an original – the car is a replica of the vehicle used by Michael Keaton in Tim Burton’s 1989 and 1992 movies – but Historics lists the piece as an "extremely well conceived tribute.""

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Accidental Discovery Dramatically Improves Electrical Conductivity — www.itechpost.com — Readability

Accidental Discovery Dramatically Improves Electrical Conductivity — www.itechpost.com — Readability: "Quite by accident, Washington State University researchers have achieved a 400-fold increase in the electrical conductivity of a crystal simply by exposing it to light. The effect, which lasted for days after the light was turned off, could dramatically improve the performance of devices like computer chips."

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Boeing's fuel-efficient 777X features folding wings

Boeing's fuel-efficient 777X features folding wings: "Boeing has launched its newest airliner, the 777X, at the 2013 Dubai Airshow. The aircraft is designed with folding wing-tips that will increase wingspan and, as a result, fuel efficiency without limiting access at airports.

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Polaris' military-grade WV850 HO ATV rolls on non-pneumatic tires — www.gizmag.com — Readability

Polaris' military-grade WV850 HO ATV rolls on non-pneumatic tires — www.gizmag.com — Readability: "There’s nothing that ruins going to work like having your tires shot out with a .50 caliber machine gun round. If that happens to you a lot, and your commute is across open fields and through the woods, you might want to consider the Polaris Sportsman WV850 HO with Terrain Armor. This military-grade All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) abandons traditional inflatable tires for Non-Pneumatic Tires (NPT) that feature a flexible polymer honeycomb."

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The Platypus: Underwater vehicle creator thinks outside the bubble — www.gizmag.com — Readability

The Platypus: Underwater vehicle creator thinks outside the bubble — www.gizmag.com — Readability: "Vehicles such as the EGO semi-submarine boat and Adventure-Doo are designed to bring the underwater action within reach of those without the time or inclination to put in the training required to get behind the controls of personal submarines like the offerings from U-boat Worx. But the Platypus underwater exploration vehicle from François-Alexandre Bertrand ditches the waterproof hull while giving users a taste of life beneath the waves. We first looked at the Platypus in concept form in 2011 and a prototype has now hit the water as it navigates the often-treacherous waters to commercial availability."

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Lawsuit Paid In Full: Samsung pays Apple $1 Billion sending 30 trucks full of 5 cent coins |

Lawsuit Paid In Full: Samsung pays Apple $1 Billion sending 30 trucks full of 5 cent coins |: "This morning more than 30 trucks filled with 5-cent coins arrived at Apple’s headquarters in California. Initially, the security company that protects the facility said the trucks were in the wrong place, but minutes later, Tim Cook (Apple CEO) received a call from Samsung CEO explaining that they will pay $1 billion dollars for the fine recently ruled against the South Korean company in this way"

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'So, that's why it's called Bluetooth!' and other surprising tech name origins — www.techhive.com — Readability

'So, that's why it's called Bluetooth!' and other surprising tech name origins — www.techhive.com — Readability: "The startup world is filled with all manner of intentionally misspelled nonwords and incomprehensible baby talk. It’s enough to make one nostalgic for an earlier time when tech names actually meant something.

The stories of how some of the world’s biggest brands and technologies came up with their names open a window to a different era—a simpler time before Web squatters took all the normal names and corporations focus-grouped language to death."

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Two research groups create active invisibility cloaks — www.gizmag.com — Readability

Two research groups create active invisibility cloaks — www.gizmag.com — Readability: "Sometimes everything can seem to happen at once. The new game in town is active invisibility cloaks (AIC), which use electronics and antennas to generate a cloaking field to hide an object. Two types of active cloaks have just been revealed (excuse the pun). While being impressive feats of technology, such cloaks could easily be defeated in practice."

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Lithium-air batteries go viral for greater durability and performance — www.gizmag.com — Readability

Lithium-air batteries go viral for greater durability and performance — www.gizmag.com — Readability: "In recent years, lithium-air batteries that promise improved power density per pound over lithium-ion batteries have been the subject of much research in the quest to give electronic vehicles greater range. By enlisting the help of a genetically-modified virus, researchers at MIT have found a way to improve the performance and durability of lithium-air batteries, which offer the potential of two to three times the energy density of current lithium-ion batteries."

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