America’s Zippy New Trains Still Lag Behind the Speed Demons of Europe | Autopia | WIRED

America’s Zippy New Trains Still Lag Behind the Speed Demons of Europe | Autopia | WIRED: "Transit authorities in five states have ordered 32 new locomotives that are more efficient and faster than their predecessors. Ideally, they’ll make for more reliable service, but they’re not exactly what most people have in mind when they think of high-speed rail.

California, Michigan, Missouri, Illinois, and Washington all ordered Siemens Charger diesel-electric locomotives for passenger service. And some of those services are being touted as “high speed.”"



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Super-Intense Laser Stretches Farther Than Ever | Popular Science

Super-Intense Laser Stretches Farther Than Ever | Popular Science: "In the future, such lasers could go into long-distance sensors, or chemical-identifying spectrometers. One more unusual application scientists have thought of is directing lightning. In 2008, a team of European physicists used high-intensity laser pulses to trigger "electric events"—though not lightning bolts—in a thundercloud. It will take more development to trigger lightning bolts, the scientists wrote in a paper they published at the time. This new experiment is a step toward that development."



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How World War I Planes Shot Their Guns Without Hitting Their Propellers - Digg

How World War I Planes Shot Their Guns Without Hitting Their Propellers - Digg: "An interrupter gear is a device used on military aircraft and warships in order to allow them to target opponents without damaging themselves."



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DualWingGenerator mimics flapping wings to harvest energy

DualWingGenerator mimics flapping wings to harvest energy: "Back in 2011, Festo created a natural-flight mimicking bionic seagull with flapping wings dubbed SmartBird. The company is now looking to apply similar principles in order to convert wind power into electricity with its DualWingGenerator system."



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Aspirin Power - 9 Amazing Uses for Aspirin - Men's Fitness

Aspirin Power - 9 Amazing Uses for Aspirin - Men's Fitness: "When we found out that aspirin might help slow the growth of cancer, we got to thinking: What else is the anti-inflammatory good for? Turns out, a lot. The headache reliever’s got some great household uses, like helping to remove soap scum and patch up drywall; some personal hygiene applications, like combatting acne and dandruff; and of course heart health-boosting potential. Ready to put the all-purpose pill to the test? Start here."



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Herbs That Cure Depression Naturally: A Quick Overview | Sai Fitness Tips

Herbs That Cure Depression Naturally: A Quick Overview | Sai Fitness Tips: "Negative emotions and depression distract you from focusing on the goals of your life. Everyone, without exception face this neurological disorder in some point of the life or the other. Feeling lethargic, abandoned and losing interest are some of the symptoms which indicate that you are undergoing depression. There may be an endless number of reasons of your being depressed. It could be the loss of a job, loss of a near one, divorce, failure, some chronic disease and a lot more."



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Horizon adaptive, all-terrain e-trike speeds over pavement and dirt

Horizon adaptive, all-terrain e-trike speeds over pavement and dirt: "For the past few years, Outrider has been earning praise and breaking records with its pedal-assisted electric trikes, but its latest design is gearing up to be its most rewarding endeavor yet. The Horizon is a modular adaptive trike designed to get paraplegics, quadriplegics and others with disabilities wheeling over pavement and dirt. Outrider's goal is to develop a production trike that can be pedaled with the legs or hands or powered entirely with an electric hub motor."



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Facebook and Internet.org announce flying internet

Facebook and Internet.org announce flying internet: "The Connectivity Lab team at Facebook has been working on new technologies to improve and increase internet access across the globe. Proposed solutions include solar-powered drones and geosynchronous satellites, both of which would be able to beam internet access to earth. The announcement was made yesterday by Mark Zuckerberg, on behalf of the Internet.org partnership."



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The possibilities are endless for this just-invented camera with no lens | The Daily Dot

The possibilities are endless for this just-invented camera with no lens | The Daily Dot: "I’m no optics expert, but the idea of a microchip camera without a lens seems what we laypeople would call “impossible.” And yet that’s exactly what David G. Stork and Patrick R. Gill of Rambus Labs have managed to do. They published a groundbreaking paper that introduces “a new class of lensless, ultra-miniature computational imagers and image sensors.”"



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Modern Day Noah Is Building An Ark Called Tsunamiball

Modern Day Noah Is Building An Ark Called Tsunamiball: "A designer named Chris Robinson decided to build one of the most off-the-wall ideas… but also one of the coolest. He is constructing a boat that could be tsunami-proof (named Tsunamiball). He was inspired after seeing what happened during the tragic 2011 Japanese tsunami."



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R/C car hits world record 188 miles per hour | News | Geek.com

R/C car hits world record 188 miles per hour | News | Geek.com: "Some folks are really into cars, but the need for speed doesn’t necessarily require a full-size car that you can ride around in. R/C fanatic Nic Case has secured a world record for the fastest R/C car. Dubbed the R/C Bullet, this one-tenth scale car has reached a top speed of over 188 mph, which happens to be faster than the top speed of sports cars like the Camaro Z and Jaguar F-Type. It should come as no surprise Mr. Case didn’t wrestle the R/C record away from anyone else — he was the holder of the previous record at 171.97 mph. Yes, this man loves his R/C cars."



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Earthwatch Institute plans public expedition to Mars?

Earthwatch Institute plans public expedition to Mars?: "For over forty years, Earthwatch has been sending ordinary people to extraordinary places in the company of top scientists to conduct hands-on research in over 50 expeditions. On Thursday, the international nonprofit organization announced its most ambitious and extraordinary public expedition ever aimed at sending volunteers to Mars in search for water and life. With its US$1.25 million ticket price, it seems too good to be true, and probably is."



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