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There is something that is so clever about this. What you need is a self-propelled lawn mower, a rope and a spool of some kind that you can stake into the ground. The result? An automatic lawnmower!
In this episode, Marshall Brain launches the first of a series of experiments with social media. Tune in to learn more about the new BrainStuff Twitter and Facebook accounts and Marshall’s social media experiments.
In today’s episode, Molly and Cristen tackle one of the biggest gender stereotypes out there: Men are better drivers than women.
In this 200th episode spectacular, Jonathan and Chris tackle an ambitious topic: The most important technological innovations and inventions of the last 200 years, from steam-powered locomotives to the World Wide Web.
According to most popular accounts, Caligula was an insane, cruel and bizarre emperor. But how reliable are those stories? Join Katie and Sarah as they take a look at Caligula’s life — and try to separate the facts from the rumors — in this podcast.
1) How South Korean ship was sunk – “It might seem odd that it has taken a six-week-long investigation to produce proof of something as catastrophic as a torpedo strike on a warship. When it finally came, it was in dramatic form….” 2) Seagate gets hybrid SSD/HDD right – “A hybrid of SSD and hard [...]
Note: This post contains spoilers on the series finale of “24.”
It’s been quite a cathartic week for this TV fan. In the span of 24 hours, I’ve had to deal with the permanent loss of not one, but two of my favorite shows. Although I’m still trying to figure out what happened during the “Lost” finale, the other, the let’s-blow-stuff-up extravaganza “24″ actually managed to choke me up a little — and no one had to die on-screen to make it happen.
Last week I had the privilege to chat with Noel Sharkey, professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at the U.K.’s University of Sheffield. Noel is the co-founder of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control (ICRAC) and has presented his thoughts on the matter to everyone from British Parliament to “The Daily Show.” He’s exactly the guy you want to talk to for 35 minutes about killer robots.
I conducted the interview for the Discovery News article “Are Terminators Real?” and couldn’t squeeze in everything Noel had to say. So I thought I’d share some more of his thoughts here — specifically those related to the anthropomorphizing of machines and how science fiction alters our expectations of robotics.
Did you know when you woke up this morning that it was National Tap Dance Day? I didn’t either, but that’s why we have the Internet. This celebration of tap dancing always falls on May 25 in recognition of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson’s birthday. I realized, as I pondered how to celebrate this event, that I couldn’t name any famous female tap dancers. Granted, I could only name a handful of famous tap dancers — Bojangles, Gregory Hines and Savion Glover — but still, I thought I’d do a little research to learn about who I might be missing.
With millions of gallons of oil still spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, and oil now coming on shore, containment of the oil in the water becomes a priority. The containment technology most used is the floating oil boom. There are schools all across the country that teach oil industry employees how to deploy boom correctly, but it does not appear that these techniques are being used in the Gulf. Click here to learn about the right and wrong way to deploy oil booms…
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
- Have a Coke and a Smile
- The Latest in Frugal Lodging: Camping in Somebody Else’s Backyard
- The Painted Beauties of Bucovina
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
- Space Music: DJ Food and ‘The Search Engine’
- Stuff to Blow Your Mind: Hug it Out
- Space Music: Jay-Z and Beyoncé to Film Music Video in Orbit
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
- Why is NASA studying car safety?
- Tips for in-car Navigation Systems
- Tips for Using Bluetooth in the Car
How-to Stuff
- How to Swim with Dolphins (When Deep Water Terrifies You)
- How to Cure a Homemade Cookie Craving Without Turning on the Oven
- How to Know When It’s Time for a New Pet
PopStuff
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 36: Now Available in 3-D
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 35: Let’s do brunch!
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 34: Play it again, Sam
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
