Sonar enters the third dimension – “FarSounder’s new sonar combines all three dimensions – range, bearing, and depth – in a real-time view of the whole volume of water ahead of the ship…”

Scientists Identify Genes that Could Turn Ordinary People into Supergeniuses (or Mindless Drones) – “t’s clear that there’s a specific set of genes responsible for brain development when you’re in the womb, and that those genes affect your ability to learn later on. But now a group of researchers in the U.S. and Canada have identified those genes. And their discovery could represent the first step in tweaking brain development…”

Olympics a ‘billion-dollar research lab’ for NBC – “NBC is using the Olympics as a “billion-dollar research lab” to get a sense of how people are using different media platforms to experience the Beijing Games that begin Aug. 8…”

Mopping Up the CO2 Deluge – “That’s why a paper that came out last October in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences was so alarming. CO2, the scientists concluded, is piling up faster than ever in the air, not only because our emissions continue to rise but also because the ocean and land have quit sopping up as much as they used to. Apparently, they’ve had enough…”

How to Reverse-Engineer a Satellite TV Smart Card

How to Lose Weight Watching TV – “An individual who regularly watches TV from 7.30pm – 10.30pm (for example) will be subjected to approximately forty five minutes of mind-numbing, ass-expanding ads every night. The Suggestion: Use those three minute blocks to change your body and life…”

Construction Begins of the 200 mph, Solar Powered Turtle Airship – “A new way to fly! Turtle Airships company announces the beginning of construction iof a demonstration model of a new form for lighter-than-air airships. The airships are not blimps. They are solar powered and will reach speeds of 200 mph…”

The amazing Hook Island sea monster photos – “We begin with a fantastic image that – hopefully – you’ve seen here and there yet may know little about (again, to those who know the cryptozoological literature, I apologise for insulting your intelligence). Judging from comments I’ve seen on the internet, people nowadays assume that this image is a photoshop job unique to the digital age, whereas in fact it’s a classic, much-reproduced image, widely discussed in the cryptozoological literature, and first appearing in print in March 1965 (together with others). It’s Robert Le Serrec’s photo of a huge, tadpole-like creature encountered in Stonehaven Bay, Hook Island, Queensland…”

For Future of Mind Control, Robot-Monkey Trials Are Just a Start – “the endgame for mind-machine interfaces is nothing short of astonishing. In the years to come, this technology could lead to prosthetics that react perfectly to a user’s thoughts, or devices that move in ways we never imagined, responding to mental commands faster than our own bodies can…”

Google is doing WHAT? – “Its motto is ‘Don’t do evil’ — but it looks like anything and everything else imaginable is pretty much fair game…”

The truth about violent youth and video games – “First off, I have absolute proof that video games are not the cause of this epidemic of youth violence in America. No, really, I do. Ready?”

The world’s most expensive production cars – “Forbes magazine decided to pull together the most expensive cars in the U.S. To add a little variety, they selected the most expensive model per brand so as not to litter the list with Rolls Royce and Lamborghinis…”

How Rafael Nadal finally took down Roger Federer – “Nadal’s game hinges on defensive pressure—so long as he’s able to get the ball back in play, he always seems to have an advantage. Despite an improved first serve, which he hits consistently and at a higher percentage than Federer, it was Nadal’s stubbornness—refusing to ever concede a point—that gave him the edge in the fifth set…”

Mom’s ‘Natural High’ – Brain Reward Centers Lit Up By Baby Smiles – “In a mother, her baby’s smile also lights up the reward centers of her brain, just like free money, wrote Baylor College of Medicine researchers in Pediatrics today…”

Physics of the Impossible, By Michio Kaku – “Michio Kaku doesn’t know the meaning of the word “impossible”. Or rather, to be slightly more accurate, he has redefined the term to enable him realistically to examine and predict the future of science and technologies, from teleportation and time travel to robots and starships…”

2-Hour Charge Gets 150 Miles In Electric Car – “The students also created a “vehicle to grid” technology. When you plug the car in, it actually becomes a storage device for the power grid. The power company would actually pay you to store their power in your car until they need it. That could add up to about $2,500 to $5,000 a year the power company would pay the driver back…”

[See previous IR]