Just like Stellar Cartography...

in Star Trek: This Astronomy App Totally Justifies the Cost of a Surface Table.  Awesome.

I'm hoping they'll port this to tablets because I really can't justify buying the 40-inch Surface, as cool as it is.

Artifact from Apollo 11...

discovered in 14,000 ft of water in the Atlantic Ocean by the guy that founded Amazon.com: Bezos Expeditions F-1 Engine Recovery.  Pretty cool, especially if they can raise them intact.

Here's a previous post showing the last Saturn V rocket on display at the Kennedy Space Center that I toured last April.

Is there anything...

it can't do?

Red Wine, Tartaric Acid, and the Secret of Superconductivity

Arm yourself...

against verbose politicians (and professors): Japanese researchers build a gun capable of stopping speakers in mid-sentence.

This technology also has applications in libraries, theaters and on the annoying dude yammering loudly on the cell phone next to you.

Musically talented quadrotors...

Brilliant! And here's a previous related post about these amazing and autonomous flying machines.

Not quite Soylent Green...

but nearly as creepy:  Test tube hamburgers to be served this year.  As yucky as the process sounds, culturing strips of meat from stem cells in laboratories, at least animals aren't being slaughtered so it's "ethical" meat.  (I sure hope the burgers taste like bacon.)

NOTE:  If you're a young person and don't get the title reference for this post, then click here.  It's a sci-fi classic.

Shape-memory alloys tested...

for use in earthquake-resistant structures.  Remember, earthquakes don't kill people, buildings do.

Indispensable Android apps...

in my geeky opinion, each with links to the Android Market.

General applications:

• Evernote
• Dolphin Browser HD
• Kindle

Astronomy specific:

• Mars Images
• Moon Phase Pro
• SkySafari

Geology:

• Earthquake!
• Google Earth

Specifically for the Galaxy Nexus:

• Light Flow
• More Quickly Panel

Cool physics game:

• Apparatus

Miscellaneous utilities:

• Astro File Manager
• ConvertPad
• Flight Track
• RealCalc Scientific Calculator
• Splashtop Remote Desktop 

Swarm of nano quadrotors...

is impressive, and marks the first step towards Skynet:



Seriously, I can see immediate applications for search and rescue, and for surveillance.

UPDATE:  More impressive videos here, here and here.  And a linkage to Skynet.

Toilet texting...

on the rise, which probably explains this.

Um, just for the record, not me.

Tripping the light fantastic...

using a fast and cheap optical version of Wi-Fi.

Bye-bye BlackBerry...

and hello Samsung's Galaxy Nexus running the new Android 4.0 OS code-named Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS).   Here's a comprehensive review of the leading edge smartphone.

I've ditched my BlackBerry Storm2 during my two-year upgrade cycle with Verizon and acquired this new device at a nicely discounted price.  I've been using it for three weeks and absolutely love the vibrant display, and battery life is good for a 4G phone.  I eagerly await the ICS upgrade on my Galaxy Tab 10.1 that is presently running Android 3.2 (Honeycomb).

In sum, it's awesomely awesome technology.  Highly recommended.  I'll post more later about what I personally regard are indispensable Android apps.

Timeless timepiece...

Engineering the 10,000-Year Clock

Interesting interview...

with David Gelernter:  Rethinking the Digital Future.  And another with him here:  Seer of the Mirror World.

Robots are coming...

in all shapes and sizes and designs:

• Soft-Bodied Robot Moves Like a Squid
• Darpa’s Creepy Robo-Blob Learns to Crawl
• Fleet of Quadrocopters Builds Two-Story Foam Tower

One thing is certain, it will be a very, very different world in another 20 years.

Related previous post.

Safer than a T. rex I guess...

Woolly mammoth to be brought back to life from cloned bone marrow 'within five years'.

Camera lost at sea...

for more than a year returned to owner based on information on the SD card.  While the camera was a complete loss, the images were still accessible on the memory card.

This suggests to me that it's a good idea to photograph a note with your name and phone number as a first image on the memory card in your camera.  In case your camera is lost and subsequently found, a generous and honest person could then very easily contact you.

Gutting gadgets...

so you don't have to:  Teardowns by iFixit.  You know, just in case you're curious about what's inside your latest high-tech device.  Warning:  Don't try this at home - it will almost certainly void your warranty.

Have you ever wondered...

where that plane flying over your head is going?  Smartphone or tablet required.

Very cool.  Just tried it earlier today with my Galaxy Tab, and it works.

Really, really hot...

I would imagine: X-ray Laser to Recreate Conditions at Earth’s Core.