Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Why 3D is about to break through - BBC Tech News

BBC NEWS Technology Why 3D is about to break through

3D studio tour

For a long time 3D movies and TV shows have been a bit of a gimmick. They have been used to re-energise a tired franchise, help a film stand out at a crowded box office or to give TV viewers a glimpse of what the future might hold.

But many in the 3D production industry now say that future may be closer than ever before.

Film makers, technology companies and post-production outfits recently gathered at the historic Shepperton Studios to assess just how far 3D has come and where it goes next.

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Shape-shifting robot forms from magnetic swarm - tech - 29 January 2008 - New Scientist Tech

Shape-shifting robot forms from magnetic swarm - tech - 29 January 2008 - New Scientist Tech

Swarms of robots that use electromagnetic forces to cling together and assume different shapes are being developed by US researchers.
The grand goal is to create swarms of microscopic robots capable of morphing into virtually any form by clinging together.

Seth Goldstein, who leads the research project at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, in the US, admits this is still a distant prospect.

However, his team is using simulations to develop control strategies for futuristic shape-shifting, or "claytronic", robots, which they are testing on small groups of more primitive, pocket-sized machines.
These prototype robots use electromagnetic forces to manoeuvre themselves, communicate, and even share power.

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Monday, January 28, 2008

Rescuing Hug - Hugs save lives!

Although this is thought to be an urban legend (but the link below states that it is not!), it none the less reminds us of how important it is to remember to tell the ones you love that you love them, and every once and a while, follow that up with a hug!

I received this in an email, and; urban legend or not, it really made me think! (blimey thats twice in one month!)

The email reads...


This is a picture taken from and article called "The Rescuing Hug". The article details the first week of life of a set of twins. Apparently each were in their respective incubators, and one was not expected to live. A hospital nurse fought against the hospital rules and put the babies in the same incubator. When they were placed together, the healthier of the two threw an arm over her sister in an endearing embrace. The smaller baby's heart stabilized and her temperature rose to normal.

Let's not forget to embrace the ones we love. It can make a big difference!

Related link:-
http://growingyourbaby.blogspot.com/2007/04/rescuing-hug.html
Excerpt:-
Heidi and Paul Jackson's twin girls, Brielle and Kyrie, were born October 17, 1995, 12 weeks ahead of their due date. Standard hospital practice is to place preemie twins in separate incubators to reduce the risk of infection. that was done for the Jackson girls in the neonatal intensive care unit at The Medical Center of Central Massachusetts in Worcester.
Kyrie, the larger sister at two pounds, three ounces, quickly began gaining weight and calmly sleeping her newborn days away. But Brielle, who weighed only two pounds at birth, couldn't keep up with her. She had breathing and heart-rate problems. The oxygen level in her blood was low, and her weight gain was slow.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Largest asteroid to come near Earth in 22 years - space - 24 January 2008 - New Scientist Space

Largest asteroid to come near Earth in 22 years - space - 24 January 2008 - New Scientist Space: "The largest asteroid to come near the Earth in more than 20 years will make its closest approach on Tuesday, venturing as close as 1.4 times the distance to the Moon. Already, the first radar observations of the space rock reveal it may have formed from two separate asteroids that fell together and stuck."

Click the link above to read more about this...

New Scientist Short Sharp Science Blog: Synthetic life: watch this space

Synthetic Life: watch this space!

New Scientist Short Sharp Science Blog: Synthetic life: watch this space: "Chalk up another first for Craig Venter: a completely synthetic bacterial genome. Unveiled online by Science today, researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Maryland, have stitched together the entire genome of the human parasite Mycoplasma genitalium from hundreds of fragments of artificial DNA, produced to order by gene-synthesis firms."


Teach your brain to stretch time - being-human - 04 February 2006 - New Scientist

Teach your brain to stretch time - being-human - 04 February 2006 - New Scientist: "MIKE HALL has taught himself to stretch time. He uses his powers to make him a better squash player. 'It's hard to describe, but it's a feeling of stillness, like I'm not trapped in sequential time any more,' he says. 'The ball still darts around, but it moves around the court at different speeds depending on the circumstances. It's like I've stepped out of linear time.'"

Read more by clicking the link above!