Videos
Podcasts
Blogs
Quizzes
GamesArchive for November 4th, 2009
You Asked: How does a spacecraft measure its speed in space? — Andru, Bucharest, Romania Marshall Brain Answers: When a car measures its speed, it does it by counting how many times its wheels rotate and sending that information to its speedometer. When an airplane measures its speed, it uses a pitot tube to detect [...]
Roland Emmerich’s latest foray into all things end-of-the-world, “2012,” hits theaters next week. And, like his last big-budget disaster flick, “The Day After Tomorrow,” it promises to be a visually frenetic hodgepodge of as many types of natural disaster as possible. It has volcanoes. And earthquakes. And tsunamis. It doesn’t — at least from the look of the previews — depict the resulting flood flash-freezing and somehow not expanding to crush everything in its path, but that probably would have been anticlimactic in the wake of a tidal wave big enough to capsize an aircraft carrier.
Microprocessor manufacturer Intel has been fielding legal complaints against it in Europe and Asia for a while now, but this morning New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed a lawsuit against the company for anti-competitive practices.
According to Ashlee Vance’s article in The New York Times, the state claims that Intel has been using its position in the microprocessor marketplace to strong-arm Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) out of the way, which violates both state and national law.
How the Prometheus Device works – lets you shoot FIRE from your hands
by Marshall Brain | November 4, 2009
You kind of have to see it to believe it – with the Prometheus Device you can shoot flames out of your hands: In the video he says: It uses a microcontroller to actuate a servo-controlled valve which is on top of this tank of a butane and propane mixture. It uses an arc generator [...]
This is surprising, in an OMG kind of way: What Rich People Eat According to the page: This is an actual receipt from Nello’s in New York City. The customer was Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, who had no problem dropping 47k on food and drinks for himself and five other people. The receipt opens up [...]
Last night, I attended a performance of Star Wars: In Concert. As I arrived at the venue, I saw that my HTC-G1 had no reception. That’s unusual — T-Mobile’s coverage in Atlanta tends to be pretty strong. I met up with my wife and we took our seats. Her cell phone, also on T-Mobile, still had reception. But she noticed that she wasn’t able to send text messages. Something was definitely odd.
As John Williams’ music filled the arena, I couldn’t help worrying about my phone. The last message I saw as I tried everything to check the connection (including removing and replacing the battery and SIM card) said my SIM card wasn’t registered with the network. I wasn’t sure what that meant. I listened to the oppressive opening notes of The Imperial March, looked at the enormous image of Darth Vader staring at us from the massive screen behind the orchestra and began to worry that my phone had turned to the Dark Side.
As it happens, I was one of thousands of customers affected by a service outage. T-Mobile customers across the United States began having trouble with their service. I was one of the lucky ones — by the end of the concert, my service had returned. But some people are still experiencing problems with their phones.
The Feral Child in George I’s Court
by Katie Lambert | November 4, 2009
Peter the Wild Boy appeared to the world in 1724 in Hamelin in Germany. Like an animal, he was said to have walked on all fours, even though he was a 12-year-old boy (or was it 13? 15?). He ate moss and climbed trees like a squirrel. He was naked and couldn’t talk and was frightened of humans.
George I took in the little wild boy, and London society was absolutely fascinated by him (much like we are with Balloon Boy, if this year’s Halloween costumes are any indication). At court, he ate fruits, vegetables and raw meat and hated wearing clothes. He became a present for Princess Caroline, who had him dressed in special outfits and gave him a watch.
No one knew where Peter came from, or how long he’d been in the forest, though creative minds said he was nursed by a bear from birth.
But the question about Peter that still isn’t answered is this: If he simply wasn’t able to be like everyone else, was it due to his time in the forest, or was it something within Peter himself?
How to dub yourself into a Hollywood movie – Yoostar
by Marshall Brain | November 4, 2009
A friend of mine showed me this: Yoostar It is a system that lets you dub yourself into scenes from Hollywood movies and TV shows. And it does a reasonable job without a lot of hassle, as seen in this demo video: There is a gallery on their web site that lets you see the [...]
Ken Blocks’s Trax video presents a Suburu WRX that looks like it is outfitted for lunar exploration: If you like the look and the capabilities, it turns out that you can do a conversion like this yourself. The company that sells the tracks is Mattracks.com. What you see in the video is a 105M1-A1 rubber [...]
It’s really going to happen – The first space hotel will open in 2012
by Marshall Brain | November 4, 2009
If you’ve been waiting for “space tourism” to really take off, instead of being something that is always in the future, here is the first sign of reality. It’s really going to happen – the first space hotel will open in 2012: Space hotel says it’s on schedule to open in 2012 It will take [...]
Recent Postings by Category
BrainStuff
- Thank You and Best Wishes to Marshall Brain
- Contest – Design a $300 house and win $25,000
- How the Philtrum works – the place under your nose where your face comes together
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
- Traveling on the Orient Express
- Deep-fried Goodness at Carnival
- The Colors of the Running of the Bulls
Keep Asking
- Why can a 5 foot 8 inch man dunk a basketball on a 10 foot rim while some people of taller stature can’t?
- What happens to our sun once it runs out of fuel?
- How do we know the age of the universe?
Stuff Mom Never Told You
- Who invented the Christmas card?
- How the Kinsey Report Fueled Whiskey Sales
- How to Get Your Wedding Announcement into The New York Times
Stuff to Blow Your Mind
- Blow Your Mind: In the Lair of the Rat King
- Mandala: Memory Palace, Inception and Simulated Worlds
- Virgin Galactic: $200,000 Ticket to Ride
Stuff You Should Know
- The Southern Death Cult, the Maya and Georgia
- Deformed Baby Spider Brains
- Amazing Medical Conditions: Maple Syrup Urine Disorder
The Stuff of Genius
CarStuff
- Was Chrysler’s “It’s Halftime in America” Super Bowl commercial a little too political?
- Why is NASA studying car safety?
- Tips for in-car Navigation Systems
How-to Stuff
- How to Make the Most of a Gallery Crawl (When You’re on a Shoestring Budget)
- How to Swim with Dolphins (When Deep Water Terrifies You)
- How to Cure a Homemade Cookie Craving Without Turning on the Oven
PopStuff
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 40: Did movies ruin love?
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 39: Urban Legends
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 38: Defending Disney Princesses?
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
Stuff to Change the World
- Who will own the Arctic?
- Obesity: The New Global Crisis
- Bill Gates Makes For A Pretty Decent Cartoon
Stuff You Missed in History Class
- Butch Cassidy: Should we read between the lines?
- Are we rooting for D.B. Cooper?
- Party Time: A Look at Unconventional Politics
