In a clever art project, Viktor Hertz re-fashioned logos of popular companies and flipped into something a little more…honest. He says the honest logos reveal the content of each company instead of what’s hidden behind the branding. I think it’s hilariously brilliant. See more at Honest Logos. [Honest Logos via Laughing Squid] More
Here’s one early solution to the problem of limited magazine capacity. Between 1859 and 1862, a French inventor named Jarre patented several so-called harmonica pistols. As often as the user needed a fresh round, s/he could just push the magazine laterally. The pinfire example pictured above could hold nine 9mm cartridges.
Link via The Firearm Blog (which has pictures of other early high-capacity firearms) | Image: Rock Island Auction Company
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The Harmonica Pistol
Archaeologists have recovered a three-jointed set of prosthetic toes attached to a mummy in Egypt. Due to its age, this object is likely the oldest known prosthesis. From a 2007 Live Science article:
Archaeologists speculated the 50- to 60-year-old woman the prosthesis came from might have lost her toe due to complications from diabetes.
The wood and leather prosthesis dates from 1069 to 664 B.C., based on artifacts it was found with in the mummy’s burial chamber. This means it predates what was previously thought of as the earliest known functioning prosthesis, the Roman Capua Leg, a bronze artifact dating from about 300 B.C. The leg was once at the Royal College of Surgeons in London but was destroyed by bombing during World War II.
Link via First Things | Photo: University of Manchester
“Unlike lasers, HPM beams don’t need a lot of accuracy. With a fan [of HPM energy] you can target 10-30 small boats. If you can knock out 50-75% of the engines in a swarm, you can then concentrate on the remainder with lasers or kinetic [cannons].”
To develop better defenses against such attacks, the contractor received $150,000 from the Air Force to test-fire microwaves at military computers. No word on whether said defenses involve generous use of tin foil.
US government contractor developing ‘microwave gun,’ Hot Pockets tremble originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Most mobile platforms: TuneIn Radio is an online radio streaming service that brings you favorite local radio stations (commercials and all) to a ton of different platforms. They are on almost every major platform with access to the net, including iOS, Android, Roku, and even Google TV! More
Figuring out where you next adventure will be can be tough. Whether you are just looking for something fun to do this Saturday or something a bit more broad like a trip to a different country, Everytrail.com is an awesome tool for those who like to get out and go. More
Paper alloy takes shape for biodegradable consumer electronics (write your own origami joke) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Do all languages in the world originate from a single “mother tongue“?
By studying phonemes – the consonants, vowels and tonal elements of languages, biologist Quentin D. Atkinson has claimed to discover that human languages originated in Africa:
Dr. Atkinson, an expert at applying mathematical methods to linguistics, has found a simple but striking pattern in some 500 languages spoken throughout the world: A language area uses fewer phonemes the farther that early humans had to travel from Africa to reach it.
Some of the click-using languages of Africa have more than 100 phonemes, whereas Hawaiian, toward the far end of the human migration route out of Africa, has only 13. English has about 45 phonemes.
This pattern of decreasing diversity with distance, similar to the well-established decrease in genetic diversity with distance from Africa, implies that the origin of modern human language is in the region of southwestern Africa, Dr. Atkinson says in an article published on Thursday in the journal Science.
Original post:
The Mother of All Languages
Do all languages in the world originate from a single “mother tongue“?
By studying phonemes – the consonants, vowels and tonal elements of languages, biologist Quentin D. Atkinson has claimed to discover that human languages originated in Africa:
Dr. Atkinson, an expert at applying mathematical methods to linguistics, has found a simple but striking pattern in some 500 languages spoken throughout the world: A language area uses fewer phonemes the farther that early humans had to travel from Africa to reach it.
Some of the click-using languages of Africa have more than 100 phonemes, whereas Hawaiian, toward the far end of the human migration route out of Africa, has only 13. English has about 45 phonemes.
This pattern of decreasing diversity with distance, similar to the well-established decrease in genetic diversity with distance from Africa, implies that the origin of modern human language is in the region of southwestern Africa, Dr. Atkinson says in an article published on Thursday in the journal Science.
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The Mother of All Languages
We’ve seen all manner of medical robots ’round these parts, from bloodbots to surgical cyborgs. And now Dr. Thomas M. Hemmerling from McGill University Health Centre (who also helped develop the McSleepy anesthetic android) has created the world’s first intubation robot. Called the Kepler Intubation System (KIS), it’s a robotic arm with a video laryngoscope that’s controlled via joystick — allowing MDs to get their Dr. Mario on while sliding an endotracheal tube into any passed-out meatbag with minimal fuss and maximum safety. The first procedure using the device on a real, live human was a success, and clinical testing continues. We’re not big on bots shoving anything anywhere (even if it does help us breathe while under the knife), but that’s better than android appendages lobbing grenades our way.
Intubation bot lets doctors safely shove tubes down unconscious human throats originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.