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GamesArchive for September, 2010
Paris Motor Show 2010: Jaguar creates electric supercar with jet engine – “The C-X75, which will be officially unveiled at the Paris motor show today, can also travel for 560 miles without needing to be recharged through a plug – significantly further than the current industry peak of around 100 miles – because of a [...]
You Asked:
How can I build a windmill? — John, New York, N.Y.
Marshall Brain Answers…
You Asked:
How is coal converted to oil and gasoline? — Al, S Prairie, Wash.
Marshall Brain Answers…
Stuff Mom Never Told You about Dolls and Scandinavia
by Molly Edmonds | September 30, 2010
This week, our Stuff Mom Never Told You episodes were inspired by nostalgia and by our travel wish list. The nostalgia led to a podcast on our favorite childhood dolls (exempting Barbie and the American Girl dolls, which had been discussed previously) and a yearning for vacation led us to escape to the wonderful world of Scandinavia, which, if you believe the media, is a gender rights Shangri-la. So what did we learn?
Just about any kid likes playing with paper airplanes. And as soon as you make a good one and fly it a couple of times, you want more height. You try standing on a chair and throwing it. You try the landing on the stairs. You might throw it out your bedroom window. If you live in a city, you might throw one off a balcony or rooftop on a calm day and watch it go.
If you take this desire to its logical extreme…
Separating Neuroscience from Neurosexism
by Cristen Conger | September 30, 2010
I might have to even trade out my current book for Cordelia Fine’s Delusions of Gender*, if only because it deals with something that Molly and I regularly run into while researching for Stuff Mom Never Told You. Since we spend so much time dissecting the wonderful and confusing differences between boys and girls, men and women, we probably have a lot of lessons to learn from Fine’s reexamination of the academic studies that we often pull from.
Invention – Cool Wristwatch Auxiliary Display for Android from Sony
by Marshall Brain | September 30, 2010
If you have an Android phone, you know that it is not always convenient or appropriate to get your phone out of your pocket to look at it. But what if your phone (and its apps) could beam information to a cool little auxiliary display that you wear as a wristwatch? Sony has created such a display and demonstrates it here…
Stuff that makes you go Hmmm #22 – The airplane modeled after a Mayan Figurine
by Marshall Brain | September 30, 2010
Archeologists have found these strange little figurines in Mayan sites that look a lot like miniature airplanes. So what would happen if you tried to build and fly a plane, using one of the figurines as a model? This video shows the result of such experimentation…
How Crane Accidents Work -or- Why Calculating Moments is Important
by Marshall Brain | September 30, 2010
The title of this photo-essay is a little obscure, but very enlightening once you see the photos:
Why Calculating Moments is Important
The lesson: if you overload a crane, it tips over. You see this a lot on YouTube…
When it comes to choosing a mechanic, most people want someone who’s both skilled and trustworthy. But how can you tell if your mechanic is honest? Scott and Ben share some tips and suggestions in this episode.
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