Players Help Power the Lights on This Soccer Field Just by Running

As they make their way up and down the field chasing the ball, the players on this new soccer pitch in Rio de Janeiro are actually helping to keep the lights powered when the sun sets. Because underneath the artificial turf are 200 special tiles that work like tiny generators to harness the kinetic energy of the players and turn it into electricity. Read more…

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Players Help Power the Lights on This Soccer Field Just by Running

Induced Stem Cells Will Be Tested on Humans for the First Time

Back in 2006, when controversy over embryonic stem cell funding was still raging, a piece of research came along that would make the debate essentially obsolete: normal adult cells can actually be reprogrammed into stem cells. No embryos necessary. The technique went on to win its inventor the Nobel Prize. And now, after many years in the lab, a Japanese patient will the first person to receive the next-gen treatment, called induced pluripotent stem cells. Read more…

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Induced Stem Cells Will Be Tested on Humans for the First Time

Intel Releases SD-Card-Sized PC, Unveils Next 14nm Chip

szczys writes: Intel is upping their bid for a place at the efficient-yet-powerful device table. They’ve launched their Edison board, which features an x86 based SoC running at 100 MHz. The footprint measures 35.5mm x 25.0mm and offers a 70-pin connector to break out 40 pins for add-on hardware. Also at the Intel Developer Forum today, the company demonstrated a PC running on Skylake, a new CPU microarchitecture based on the 14nm process used for Broadwell. Intel is pushing to break into both wearable devices and household devices, as it sees both as huge opportunities for growth. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Intel Releases SD-Card-Sized PC, Unveils Next 14nm Chip

CDC Statistics Show What Happens When You Don’t Vaccinate

The latest figures: Between January 1 and August 29 of this year, nearly 600 confirmed measles cases were reported to the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. The resurgence is the greatest the U.S. has seen since the disease was eliminated from the country in 2000. Read more…

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CDC Statistics Show What Happens When You Don’t Vaccinate

There’s a Massive 26,000 mAh Battery Hidden Inside This Briefcase

The bigger a portable charger you carry, the longer your gadgets can run while away from a power outlet. But backup batteries are heavy, so it’s a tradeoff between capacity and what’s comfortable to stash in your pocket. Unless you throw a bag like the Phorce over your shoulder, which makes it easy to haul around your toys, a laptop, and 26, 000 mAh of extra power Read more…

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There’s a Massive 26,000 mAh Battery Hidden Inside This Briefcase

Watching Crayons Get Made Is Even More Fun Than Using Them

We’re all kind of old. It’s okay! Happens to everyone. And while our collective childlike wonder at the world has been gradually erased by the realities of Life, there are still a few simple things that wield the power to make us go “Ooooh.” Crayons are kind of like that. Read more…

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Watching Crayons Get Made Is Even More Fun Than Using Them

Mysterious, Phony Cell Towers Found Throughout US

Trachman writes: Popular Science magazine recently published an article about a network of cell towers owned not by telecommunication companies but by unknown third parties. Many of them are built around U.S. military bases. “Interceptors vary widely in expense and sophistication – but in a nutshell, they are radio-equipped computers with software that can use arcane cellular network protocols and defeat the onboard encryption. … Some interceptors are limited, only able to passively listen to either outgoing or incoming calls. But full-featured devices like the VME Dominator, available only to government agencies, can not only capture calls and texts, but even actively control the phone, sending out spoof texts, for example.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Mysterious, Phony Cell Towers Found Throughout US

Fifth Edition Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook Released

New submitter GammaKitsune writes: “The Player’s Handbook for the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons, formerly known as “D&D Next, ” released today to major bookstores and online retailers across the U.S. The Player’s Handbook, which contains core rules for gameplay and character creation, is one of thee core rulebooks that developer Wizards of the Coast plans to release in 2014. The Monster Manual is scheduled to release in late September, and the Dungeon Master’s Guide will release in mid November. Also out today is the first of two adventure modules in which players team up to battle against the dragon goddess Tiamat. Fifth edition has a lot to prove following the highly-controversial fourth edition, the rise of competing roleplaying game Pathfinder, and two years of public playtesting. Initial reviews posted on Amazon appear overwhelmingly positive at the time of writing, but more skeptical gamers may wish to take a look at the free “Basic Rules” posted on the official D&D website. The basic rules contain all the bare essentials needed to create a character or run your own adventure, and will serve both as a free introduction for new players and as a holdover for long time players until the remaining two rulebooks are released. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Fifth Edition Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook Released

16 Ways To Use FLIR’s Incredibly Fun Predator-Vision iPhone Camera

There’s no doubt about it, being able to see more than just the visible spectrum is the closest thing most of us will ever have to superpowers . Seeing the world through its heat signature is almost like having x-ray vision, and let’s not forget, even the Predator made sure to bring his thermal camera with him on his hunting trip to earth. Read more…

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16 Ways To Use FLIR’s Incredibly Fun Predator-Vision iPhone Camera