Japanese Geminoid F Bot Realistically Mimics Human Facial Expressions, Speech – “If art mimics life, Geminoid F might be considered a masterpiece, albeit a very unsettling one. The remotely operated female robo-clone was developed by the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory and Japanese robot maker Kokoro to carefully and realistically duplicate the facial expressions and speech of her human operator…”

Apple holding iPhone OS 4 event, April 8th! – “Yes folks — the world is turning upside down. Apple has announced an iPhone OS 4 event on April 8th at 10AM PT for a “sneak peek of the next generation of iPhone OS software.” “

Sober second opinions on iPad hysteriA – “The release of yet another crippled Internet appliance by Apple, Inc. ordinarily wouldn’t be worthy of mention on these hallowed pages — but there’s been such a deluge of hipsteria about it over the weekend that I wanted to make sure that you caught the important stuff…” See also: iWant

Can the CIA sabotage Iran’s nuclear project? – “The reported defection of an Iranian scientist to the United States has renewed speculation about a CIA plot to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program through covert action…”

Incredible Video of Using Light to Control the Brain of Mice – “What do you get when you combine microorganisms and fiber optics? Mind control over mice and rats…”

By the Numbers: Facebook vs The United States [INFOGRAPHIC] – “To find out more about the average American Facebook user and how he or she compares to the average American, we dug a little further. After crunching the numbers and comparing the data, this is what we found…”

RIP digital me: Saying good-bye to Facebook – “Tired of your every move being tracked by hundreds of ‘friends?’ You’re not alone. Thousands of Facebook users taking back their privacy by becoming digital dropouts…”

Compact camcorders for adrenaline junkies – “Ian Hardy looks at innovative camcorders geared up for surfers, cyclists, divers and all sorts of other adrenaline junkies….”

5 Secrets of YouTube’s Success – “As the video giant celebrates its fifth anniversary, Wired goes behind the scenes of the site that launched a million memes…”

Debate waging over 2D-to-3D conversion – “With audiences flocking to movies that are converted to 3D as part of the postproduction process, 3D conversions are fast becoming an accepted option for both studios and filmmakers. Warner Bros.’ “Titans” was shot in anamorphic film as a 2D release. But the studio later opted for 3D, and the film was converted in roughly 10 weeks — a remarkably fast turnaround — in order to meet its release date. The cost was reportedly around $4.5 million. But some tech insiders, as well as a number of reviewers, suggested that the rush to convert doesn’t always lead to satisfactory results…”

What Should I Eat? Snack Food Aisle (Flowchart) – “It’s late at night, you’ve managed to make it to the supermarket but now the dreaded moment is upon you where you must make a choice between delicious Cheez-It crackers or a bag of Mesquite Kettle Chips…how can one possibly make a decision between the two? Well we here at Top Cultured have taken the guess work out of it for you. Follow this flowchart to tastebud and stomach bliss. If you’re in the mood for pizza delivered by Jesus himself, check this out…”

The World’s Healthiest Diets – “Is the American diet really so bad that it’s time to look to other countries for help? That’s the premise behind a spate of recent books and Web sites touting plant-heavy diets of various far-away places. Looking at traditional diets has become something of a fad in recent years. Numerous books, including The Jungle Effect and The China Study, have tried to document the link between diet and great health in various countries and regions. Researchers, for example, are still trying to understand how a sweet-potato-based diet may boost longevity on the Japanese island of Okinawa, home to a large population of centenarians. But you don’t have to wait for the definitive answer–The Okinawa Diet Plan can be bought right now…”

KFC’s Bacon Sandwich On Fried Chicken “Bread” Starts Killing People Nationwide April 12 – “The sandwich will be available in two forms. The Original Recipe sandwich will set you back about 540 calories, 32g of fat and 1380mg of sodium. The not-as-bad-for-you Grilled Double Down totals 460 calories, 23g of fat and 1430mg of sodium…”

Lactose Intolerance and the Evolution of Human Digestion

Is your browser spying on you? – “Microsoft claims Google’s Chrome web browser is “stealing your privacy.” Are they right?”

Introduction to Computer Science and Programming – “This subject is aimed at students with little or no programming experience. It aims to provide students with an understanding of the role computation can play in solving problems. It also aims to help students, regardless of their major, to feel justifiably confident of their ability to write small programs that allow them to accomplish useful goals. The class will use the Python™ programming language…”

The untouchable Mean Girls – “She was a freshman and she had a brief fling with a senior, a football player, and for this she became the target of the Mean Girls, who decided then and there that Phoebe didn’t know her place and that Phoebe would pay…”

Shuttle to Launch ‘Plug and Play’ Micro-Labs – “Shuttle to Launch ‘Plug and Play’ Micro-Labs…”

Why hand gel is a waste of money – ” With scares about swine flu, vomiting bugs and catching whatever is going round, it’s easy to see why hand gels that claim to kill 99.9 per cent of germs are flying off the shelves…”

Contesting Jobless Claims Becomes a Boom Industry – “With a client list that reads like a roster of Fortune 500 firms, a little-known company with an odd name, the Talx Corporation, has come to dominate a thriving industry: helping employers process — and fight — unemployment claims…”

Will it blend – iPad:

Debunkers of Fictions Sift the Net – “Along with the freest access to knowledge the world has ever seen comes a staggering amount of untruth, from imagined threats on health care to too-easy-to-be-true ways to earn money by forwarding an e-mail message to 10 friends. “A cesspool,” Google’s chief executive, Eric E. Schmidt, once called it…”

NREL Finds a Way to Give LEDs the Green Light – “Light bulbs that last 100 years and fill rooms with brilliant ambiance may become a reality sooner rather than later, thanks to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory discovery…”

Wet And Wild: 10 Bizarre Public Water Fountains – “Water fountains are a unique art form combining sculpture, engineering, and more than a little imagination. While the world’s most famous fountains are a delight to the senses, others range from weird to wild to downright bizarre… like the ten described here. Now, let us spray…”

Gender Guesser – “The words you use can disclose identifying features. This tool attempts to determine an author’s gender based on the words used…”

Snail Mail Fail: Finland Post to Digitize Letters – “Love letters, payslips and overdue bills will not be spared when Finland’s post starts opening mail and sending scanned copies to selected recipients in a trial aimed at cutting costs and emissions….”

[[[Jump to - Interesting Reading #458 – New Blu-ray disks will make you buy a new player, World’s Largest Digging Machine is gigantic, inside the iPad, new Air Force shuttle and much more…]]]