Gravity-Defying Geckos Teach Scientists a Lesson: "In a recent issue of the journal Chemical Communications, the team reported that it had indeed produced synthetic hairs, with 200 times the sticking power of the ones made by nature.

Although the scientists have tested only minute amounts of the material, they estimate that if its properties hold up on a larger scale, a dime-size patch of it could support 2 to 22 pounds, depending on how densely the hairs were packed. "

posted by Farookh at 7:39 PM Comment (0)

'The Man Behind the Microchip': The Next Small Thing

NYT book review of 'The Man Behind the Microchip - Robert Noyce and the Invention of Silicon Valley'.

posted by Farookh at 7:24 PM Comment (0)

A different way of selling clothes

http://www.watchmechange.com

Online viral ad from Gap. Kinda funny.

posted by Farookh at 8:02 PM Comment (0)

Planarity.net
Fun with planar graphs.

posted by Farookh at 7:17 PM Comment (0)

How India Reconciles Hindu Values and Biotech : "Early in 'The Mahabharata,' there is a story about how the hundred Kaurava brothers came into being. Their mother had produced a mass of flesh after two years of pregnancy. But then a sage divided the flesh into 100 parts, which were treated with herbs and ghee, and kept in pots for two years - from which the Kaurava brothers emerged.

Indian proponents of stem-cell research often offer this story as an early instance of human cloning through stem cells extracted from human embryos. They do not mention that 'The Mahabharata' presents the birth of the hundred Kaurava brothers as an ominous event. "

posted by Farookh at 6:02 PM Comment (0)

Eat this, 3 kg biryani in 10 mins: It’s a test of speed and stamina; but one you train for by gorging on spicy, oily food. Also, turning up in an empty stomach definitely boosts your performance. Hyderabad witnessed one such competition today, with even grandfathers turning up to show how much biryani they can lay into in how short a time.

Mohammed Ayub Khan, a 38-year-old cloth merchant from the Old City, was the winner, having gulped down Rs 420 worth of biryani, weighing 1.502 kg. A butcher from the Secunderabad cantonment, Nelson Babu, 40, was runner-up with 1.162 kg and Jagdeep Gowd, a hospital cashier, followed with 1.090 kg.

Khan plans to bring up his son to become an eating champion and a martial arts and qawwali expert. He took home a set of cutlery and 3 kg of biryani as prize.

posted by Kaushik at 9:59 PM Comment (1)

Io2 Technology has finally launched their much awaited Heliodisplay!

posted by Amit at 7:39 AM Comment (0)

Cheap laptops provoke Mac mayhem: "More than 5,500 people queued for a chance to buy one of the 1,000 laptops and stampeded when the sale of the computers started.

In the crush 17 people were injured and four needed hospital treatment."

posted by Farookh at 8:20 AM Comment (0)

Nike Makes Barefoot Breakthrough: "Nike researchers brought in 10 men and 10 women to run barefoot on grass to see exactly how the body reacts without shoes on. They were videotaped with high-speed cameras to capture their movements, they had reflective markers attached to their joints to allow easy calculation of joint angles during their stride, and they even had wafer-thin pressure sensors attached to the bottoms of their feet to measure their impact with the earth."

posted by Farookh at 5:05 PM Comment (0)

Microchips tag stray Delhi cows: "The authorities in the Indian capital Delhi have turned to microchips to tackle the growing problem of stray cows roaming the streets."

"This week a woman broke her arm after a cow being chased by residents slammed into her."

This reminded me of Yogi slamming into the behind of a buffalo while driving his bike on NM Road in darkness. I think the buffalo had liked it. ;)

posted by Farookh at 12:28 PM Comment (0)

When Pigs Wi-Fi: "Today, this chunk of arid farm country appears to be the largest Wi-Fi hot spot in the world, with wireless high-speed Internet access available free for some 600 square miles. Most of that is in eastern Oregon, with some just across the border in southern Washington.

Driving along the road here, I used my laptop to get e-mail and download video - and you can do that while cruising at 70 miles per hour, mile after mile after mile, at a transmission speed several times as fast as a T-1 line."

posted by Farookh at 8:58 AM Comment (0)

Fuel Cell Motorbike to Hit U.S. Streets: A sleek, almost silent, nonpolluting fuel cell-powered motorcycle is set to begin gliding down U.S. streets by the end of 2006.



-K

posted by Kaushik at 12:26 PM Comment (0)

Surf Power: "Held fast by a hundred-ton anchor and chain, the buoy sits underwater, waiting for good surf. The rise and fall of the buoy squeezes hydraulic fluid that turns a generator, producing electricity."

posted by Amit at 6:26 AM Comment (0)