Intelligent System To Help Autistic Children Recognize Emotions

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019122639.htm

35 Years of the World’s Best Microscope Photography

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/10/photomicrography/all/1

Avicennia marina (mangrove) leaf (40x), Fluorescence and Differential Interference Contrast.

The link (above the picture) leads to some really cool photos. Check it out.

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America 2.0

http://www.truthout.org/101009G

The Economic Revolution Is Already Happening - It's Just Not on Wall St.

Darfur is Not the Biggest Crisis in Africa

It's not even the biggest crisis in Sudan.

http://ow.ly/tyhK

How Nonsense Sharpens the Intellect

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/health/06mind.html?em

10 Most Brilliant Products for 2009

http://www.popularmechanics.com/breakthrough09/

The Clock is Ticking.

http://timeforclimatejustice.org/

In December of this year, the United Nations will meet to decide on the replacement of the Kyoto protocol, a defining agreement that will determine the future of our planet in the face of the climate crisis. People around the world are dying today as a result of climate change and without our collective action, this will continue. We have a collective opportunity to stop the clock.

Cellphone user warning: the link (above) goes to a video. It's in the spirit of We Are the World, or, I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke, only it's about climate change. 60 artists singing Beds Are Burning.

Need a New Heart?

Grow your own.
A group of Boston scientists is pushing the bounds of regenerative medicine.
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http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2009/10/04/need_a_new_heart_grow_your_own/

What Fascinates You?

Brief interviews with some great minds working in science and technology to find out what intrigues them and learn more about the work they do.

http://elementsofhumanity.com/#

Follow the Money

http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/home.aspx

Ever wonder where all that bailout money went?

Enter your zip code and see how much cash landed near you. Then, try to figure out the connection to the financial crisis that had the world teetering on the brink. For example, in my neighborhood---94043---the SETI Institute (search for extra-terrestrial  life) got half a million, and an apartment complex got 50 grand for renovations.

Retinal Implants

http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/23539/


From TechnologyReview.com: The latest generation of retinal implants has shown striking promise in tests involving a handful of blind patients. The implants have enabled many subjects to recognize objects and obstacles and given one person the ability to read large print.


Retinal implants are designed to replace the function of damaged light-sensing photoreceptor cells in the retina. In particular, they are aimed at treating degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.

Thought-controlled Wheelchair

http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_asia/2009-09-28/996728263002.html

A wheelchair operated by a computer that reads the brainwaves of a person seated in the chair.

Seem Somewhat Talented

http://www.incredibox.fr/

No download necessary. Compose tunes on the fly.

Yes, even you can do it.

Microsoft's Secret Tablet

http://gizmodo.com/5365299

Everybody's waiting for Apple's tablet---but Microsoft may have beaten them to the punch. This gizmo is pretty kewl.

From Google Labs...

... comes Fast Flip, a cool gizmo that lets you quickly scan front pages, articles, etc.

http://fastflip.googlelabs.com/

Click the link and try it. You don't have to install anything. (By the way... the link is the thing just above this paragraph. The thing to the right is an image, and is not a link.)

Curiosity Makes You Smarter

http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Exercise+curiosity+enhance+memory+scientists/1996887/story.html

Scientists at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto have discovered a brain reaction that suggests exercising your curiosity may make you smarter... it's the first time scientists have found a molecular link between intelligence and curiosity, which he defines as the motivation to explore.

Aging Gracefully, at Home

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32968002/ns/business-businessweekcom/

Intel Health Guide is on the cutting edge of a new technology trend called "aging in place." It is designed to keep seniors living at home longer, and keeping them out of nursing homes. Equipment in the home monitors vital signs and transmits them to Health Guide. If any of the numbers are out of whack, a nurse speaks to the patient on a videophone.

>As 77 million baby boomers race towards their golden years, the world's leading technology innovators are building this new market with a range of futuristic gizmos. There are beds that can monitor patients' vital signs as they sleep, stoves that can turn themselves off when their owners forget, and video games that can detect early signs of dementia. Besides Intel (INTC), the aging-in-place market has attracted the likes of General Electric (GE), Philips Electronics, Honeywell (HON), Bosch, and dozens of technology startups.<

Take five...

... and watch this video. It's a young man delivering an inspirational TED talk.

http://www.ted.com/talks/william_kamkwamba_how_i_harnessed_the_wind.html

At age 14, in poverty and famine, a Malawian boy built a windmill to power his family's home. Now at 22, William Kamkwamba shares the moving tale of invention that changed his life. 


The story of how he came to make a TED talk is equally interesting. Someone heard about his windmill, and spread the word through emails and blog posts. Although he had never seen a computer or the internet, an invitation arrived from TED and soon he boarded the first airplane he'd ever seen, checked into his first hotel, and made a presentation in a language he hardly knew at all.

You'll be glad you spent five minutes on this video.


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Solar-powered Tent with Electronics

Orange has just revealed their new solar-powered tent which is labelled as a 'tent of the future'. The tent will ensure that all your electronic gadgets will function during your camping visit, though some may feel this defeats the purpose of camping. (Not me)

Orange teamed up with American product design consultants, Kaleidoscope, to create this modern day tent which harnesses solar energy in order to power your gadgets and equipment via a wireless charging pouch. The tent uses a photovoltaic fabric to receive the maximum amount of energy directly from the sun throughout the day. There is also an integrated "glo-cation" technology instilled which assists campers in finding their way back to their tent. You can use your phone to send a text message to your tent, which will then cause the camp to glow and become easily identifiable.

The solar powered tent has a wireless control hub which illustrates the total amount of energy generated and also the amount of that energy consumed. There is also a wireless internet signal, a touch screen display, and even a heating system, which kicks into action as soon as the temperature within the tent drops below a certain level.

The future of camping.

Modern Alchemy

It's not straw-into-gold---it's way more important than that. The link goes to a video about converting salt water into fuel. It is a very straightforward technique, and seems to me like it should literally change the world.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU47blakiiI

Interestingly, the inventor wasn't working on a fuel problem---he was trying to find a cure for cancer.

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