Inspiration comes in many forms, whether movies and books, nature, or just out of necessity. Regardless of the source, today scientists are coming up with many developments that really could turn us into superhumans. Things that were previously unheard of may now be a reality in the not-too-distant future.
Ten years ago, touch-screen phones were the tales of science fiction films, and bionic limbs were only just surfacing – but now, they have changed the way our very lives work. Here we survey four developments that really could change the way we live in the future.
Now you see it, now you donâ??t!
Ever since Harry Potter donned his invisibility cloak in the famous series by JK Rowling, reports have surfaced that scientists had created a real-life cloak that could render objects (and maybe people!) invisible. In late 2012, a Nature Materials study made a breakthrough, with Professor David Smith and his colleague Nathan Landy, both of Duke University, succeeding in “cloaking” an object perfectly for the first time. For now, the illusion only works from one direction, but you can be sure that they will develop it for other wavelengths too. Superhuman, perhaps not, but wizards, definitely yes!
Maybe likeâ?¦Spider-Man?
Not only are scientists making things in Harry Potter come to reality, but theyâ??re also making the stuff of comic books come true. Inspired by how geckos can scale walls and even hang upside down from polished glass, scientists have been looking closely at the mechanisms needed in order to make synthetic adhesives like the kind on the geckoâ??s feet. Such synthetic adhesives could yield transformative results in the fields of robotics, industry, medicine, sports, and clothing. A Spider-Man suit in the not-too-distant future is one very real possibility!
Weâ??ve got self-chargingâ?¦how about self-replacing?
How good would it be if your phone could repair its own cracks, your shoes never wear out, and your tennis racket replace itself? In 2001, a study led by Scott White from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign revealed that liquid healing agents could help electric circuits and materials heal themselves when damaged, restoring electrical conductivity. This development holds great promise for the military field as well as for space systems. Scientists are continuing to work on re-healable polymers and composites. Who knows what they might discover next!
Just apply thisâ?¦and itâ??ll disappear!
According to research published in the journal Science in 2012, ultra-thin electronics that dissolve in the body are now indeed a thing of reality. Made of silicon and magnesium oxide and and placed in a protective layer of silk, these electronics have already been trialled on small wounds to heat them and keep free of bacteria. What does this mean for the medical world? Ultra-thin electronics present many exciting opportunities, not limited to healing wounds after surgery, slowly releasing drugs into the body, and building sensors for the brain and heart. It might even be used as an environmentally friendly preference over dumping computers and phones in landfill – we bet environmentalists are delighting over this one!
Amanda Shelby is a university student and freelance writer who is interested in all things health and technology. You can find her reading up about silicone moulding in her spare time.
Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net /Â Jeroen van Oostrom
Before the Soviet Union fell in 1991, Russia – and its sovereign states – was not a very happy place. While vast improvements had been made in the post-Stalin era, things were still far from ideal. The economy was stagnant, people were suffering, and citizens feared the KGB, or the secret police.
With fear running rampant, the courage to speak up or revolt was few and far between. Prisoners, however, were an exception. Believing they had little to lose, they often rebelled against authorities in their own creative way: Russian prison tattoos.
The Secret Police
According to Library of Congress archives, the roots of the Soviet Secret Police can be traced all the way back to the Russian Revolution in 1917. The first secret police, called the Cheka, was instituted to help Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks consolidate their power. In 1922, the Cheka was disbanded and replaced by the State Political Directorate (or GPU). Initially not very powerful, Joseph Stalin reinvigorated this secret police (renaming them the Peopleâ??s Commissariat for Internal Affairs (or NKVD)): as he rose to power, so did they.
One need to look in virtually any history book to see the damage and destruction Stalin enacted: the NKVD were his enforcers. He used them to inflict fear, murder, and imprisonment during the Great Purge.
After Stalinâ??s death, the secret police was again renamed, this time to the KGB. While the KGB was not associated with the level of terror or devastation as its predecessors, it was still used by the Kremlin to silence those who rebelled politically or religiously. Oftentimes, dissenters ended up murdered or imprisoned.
Russian Prisoner Tattoos
A 2010 article in the Guardian describes Soviet prisoner tattoos as a â??secret language.â? These tattoos were loaded with symbolism and used as a way to broadcast power, disgraces, and hierarchies. They were also used as a subtle way to rebel against prison authorities and the KGB that had destroyed so many lives. Many of the tattoos were anti-Soviet, a result of the Communist era.
Because tattooing was illegal in prison, the ink was made by using blood, urine, and the melted heels of boots. Usually, the tattoos were given only to people who earned them, other times they were involuntary. Obscene tattoos, for instance, were often inked onto the skin of homosexuals or people who owed a debt they could not pay (such as those who had lost a card game).
Sometimes, authorities forcibly and surgically removed tattoos from the bodies of their prisoners.
A criminal without any tattoos was a prisoner without status. A criminal with a cat tattoo represented a thief, while a woman with a phallic tattoo represented a prostitute. Skull tattoos represented criminal authority, a prisoner at the top of the hierarchy.
Crosses on knuckles marked the number of times the person had been imprisoned, while a shoulder insignia noted that the prisoner had been in solitary confinement. A swastika tattoo was not a form of Fascism, rather it was a statement of rebellion, and a refusal to accept the prison rules.
One of the most daring types of Russian prisoner tattoos were worn by people serving life terms. These tattoos, called â??grins,â? typically depicted a Communist leader in a compromising, obscene, or funny manner. This was essentially the prisonerâ??s way of telling the Communists to go jump in Lake Baikal.
Freelance writer Allie Vernon is a freelance writer and aspiring lawyer, currently residing in Houston, Texas. She writes about a variety of legal topics, including prison subcultures and Brazoria County Bail Bonds.
There is a huge variety of swimming apps available to both the Android and iPhone market.
Whether you are a complete novice and what to learn from scratch, or an intermediate swimmer who wants to get better or even an advanced swimmer who wants to get faster or train for a specific event, then there’s an app for you. It must be said that not all apps are that useful or even particularly that good; however, you will find a few of the more popular swimming-related apps reviewed below.
1) GoSwim
This app is available to both Android and iPhone users and is actually an extension of the swimming-based website, GoSwim.tv. The app basically provides you with easy mobile access to the website, as well as many of the most recent stories published there and a plethora of hints and tips. You will find numerous instructional videos and tutorials and you will have immediate access to the ever popular “drill of the week” segment that is typically featured on the main website.
You also have the ability to access the various live discussion groups, which typically talk about the world of swimming, etc. You will find many YouTube videos, which have been separated into useful categories, depending on your level of skill, and there is access to the podcasts which GoSwim.tv usually sends out for their regular readers.
This app is specifically aimed at the novice and people who can’t swim. It will actually turn learning to swim into a lot of fun and will help remove some of the fears and barriers you possibly face. The swimming lessons are based on freestyle swimming and have been created by professional instructors. Even though the course has been designed and aimed at new swimmers, it must be said that it can help to improve the quality and style of people who already swim on a regular basis.
There are a total of 10 lessons, which are aimed at giving the confidence to swim by the end of the course. There is a system that helps you monitor your progress, therefore allowing you to take a step back and complete a previous stage if you aren’t entirely happy with your achievements. You will receive full help and support from a professional website and there are various swimming categories for you to choose from.
This app is aimed more at the seasoned swimmer and can actually be used for a wide variety of sportâ??s training. The app will help you monitor distance, as well as information about your speed and overall time. You will also be alerted to other vital information, such as how many calories you have burnt, a track of your current location, as well as the weather conditions and even your heart rate activity. This app also allows you to keep notes, which is perfect for future comparisons and to gauge improvements. If youâ??re training for an event, such as a triathlon, then this may be the perfect app for you.
Todayâ??s guest author, Abbey Brooks, is a project supervisor at OpenAire, a retractable roof designer firm based in the United States. She is motivated to make this a greener planet and works towards it zealously in her spare time.
Apple`s iPhone is undoubtedly one of the most popular smart phones around and is being used by millions of people around the world.
It offers tons of features and applications, which has completely revolutionized the lifestyle of people. If you have used it, you would know, when you talk about iPhone, itâ??s not all about looks and style. Itâ??s more about the features that come along with it. There are millions of iPhone Apps available on internet that can help you perform tons of things and help you in various day-to-day tasks.
Along with lots of high-tech and revolutionary features, iPhone can also be used as a Modem to connect your laptop or PC to the internet. iPhone`s Dock-connector-to-USB can help you do that with ease, given that you have some knowledge about what you are just going to do. People have been using iPhone for quite some time as a modem to their Dial-up connection. Important thing is, while iPhone is connected to the internet as a Modem, it can still be used to send and receive calls and SMS messages.
In order to avail this groundbreaking feature you must properly configure your iPhone so that it has the ability to be used as a Modem for any Dial-up connection. Only after the iPhone`s configuration is done, we can try to connect to the internet and test the connection. Like any other features, iPhone has tried its best to make it as simple as possible to configure the iPhone, yet you might be required to play a bit with your iPhone to do it properly, following are the set of steps and instructions that would guide you during the process.
Iphone Configuration To Be Used As A Modem:
1-Open up your iPhone and unlock it
2-Go the iPhone`s â??Main Menuâ?
3-Select the option named â??Generalâ?
4-Select the option named â??Networkingâ?
5-Now, Select the option named â??Internet Tetheringâ?
6-While being on â??Internet Tetheringâ? , drag the switch towards â??ONâ?
7-Connect the Dock-Connector-to-USB to the iPhone and your PC/Laptop via USB port
Congratulations, your iPhone is fully configured to be used as a Modem to a Dial-up Connection. A new connection should pop up in your PC/Laptop automatically. If the connection doesn`t popup, than you might require to create/configure the connection in your PC as well. Follow the below mentioned steps to achieve that:
Setup Network Connection In PC:
1-Click the â??STARTâ? button in Windows
2-Select â??Control Panelâ?
3-Clink on the link â??Set up a Network or Connectionâ?
4-Click on the option â??Set up a Dial-Up Connectionâ?
5-You will see a list of available modems, your iPhone name should be there as well (if your USB wire is plugged into both PC and iPhone), select your iPhone
6-Click â??Connectâ?
7-You might require to â??Activateâ? the newly created connection as well.
Once the connection is activated, open up your browser and try to access the internet, if you followed each step properly, you should now be able to browse internet.
Author Bio Jake is a technology blogger who loves to write on internet technologies. He has found some great information on the difference between DSL and dial up here http://www.dslvsdialup.com/dsl-vs-dialup.html.
Most likely none of the teenager who use the web today have even wondered what the original page looked like, never mind where it went. Not so for Dave Noyes, who is in charge of the CERN website today and issued an appeal to the world to find that elusive first page.
Back in the Day, Before Internet
1990: During the early days of the internet Berners-Lee wrote the first page   as a way for scientists at CERN (European Laboratory for Particle Physics) to share information with each other. He only saved a copy of the page in 1992 â?? on a floppy disk. That copy has been serving as the earliest official record of the birth of the World Wide Web. Incidentally Berners-Lee is also the creator of internet language HTML, HTTP and URL. For those who donâ??t know, or donâ??t remember, CERN released the web to the world in 1993.
Since then the web has grown exponentially from 500 websites at the end of â??93 to around 630 million today. These days things like hosted email, Skype, Wikipedia and Tumblr are just few of the offerings the internet made possible, things that most of the developed world takes for granted
An Appeal Is Made, An Answered
Noyes issued an appeal for anyone who might have a copy of that first page, on NPRâ??s All Things Considered radio show. Once found it would form part of a project thatâ??s taking place in the name of history: “I want my children to be able to understand the significance of this point in time: The web is already so ubiquitous â?? so, well, normal â?? that one risks failing to see how fundamentally it has changedâ?, Noyes told BBC News, “We are in a unique moment where we can still switch on the first web server and experience it. We want to document and preserve that.”
View the First Web Page
In more ways than one it is fitting that the message indicating that someone had a copy of the page came via Twitter; another symbol of how far technology has come since 1990. Â Professor Paul Jones, from the University of North Carolina, tweeted a link to his copy of the page soon after the show.
Whilst itâ??s still not the 1990 copy, it is a version dating from the following year, and CNet reports that it was put together by CERNs WWW team as a demonstration for the Hypertext ’91 conference in San Antonio, Texas.
To later users of the World Wide Web, the page wonâ??t look like much; itâ??s just a white background with text and a number of hyperlinks. But is an important artifact that The First Website, the CERN project to commemorate the internet, is keen on preserving.
Professor Jones still has his old NeXT computer which likely contains a number of other cool relics; the only problem is he canâ??t remember the password. Perhaps someone will hear of his predicament and provide a solution to it too?
Pippa Green is a London-based blogger with a keen interest in technology and is currently investigating the use of hosted desktops in the UK.
Spiders are an important part of the ecosystem. They keep the bug population down and out of your house. We know they are good, but that doesnâ??t stop them from creeping most people out. There are around 35,000 species of spiders in the world. Only 27 of these have been known to cause death in humans.
Even though spiders have a positive influence, some are still dangerous to our health, and sometimes even deadly. It is important to identify which spiders are the most poisonous, many of which have not been heard of by most people.
The yellow sac spider
Attracted to the smell of gasoline, the yellow sac spider is often found in garages. These spiders are found all over the world, although only one certain genus is found in the Western Hemisphere.
The venom is often painful. Anytime a spider bites you, you should seek out medical help immediately, but especially with the yellow sac spider. Its bites cause the cells in the organs impacted to die, resulting in a possible lesion. This spider is less common than the wolf spider or black widow, but common enough that it should be looked for and avoided at all costs. Calling the exterminator is the first step when discovering a surplus of yellow sac spiders.
The six-eyed sand spider
YouTube video by KenTheBugGuy
This spider is not particularly large, but it can be extremely deadly. Its legs span just less than two inches. Although its venom is extremely toxic, it is less common because it isnâ??t as likely as other spiders to bite humans. This may in part be because it is found mostly in the rural desert of Africa, and has less interaction.
Most people who have been bitten by the six-eyed sand spider have simply wandered too close to its hiding spot. It is known to bury itself beneath sand, waiting for an unsuspecting victim to come to close. The bite causes many problems including:
Blood vessel leakage
Blood thinning
Tissue damage
There are ways to try and lessen the damage of the spider, but there is no specific anti-venom available. To avoid damage, it is best to avoid this spider completely, which shouldnâ??t be that difficult for most people when considering its habitat.
The Brazilian wandering spider
The Brazilian wandering spider is very defensive, and has been known to attack humans on multiple occasions. They are mostly found in South and Central America. This arachnid is the most venomous spider in the world as per the 2010 Guinness World Records.
The fatality rate is lower because there is anti-venom available, but those who do not receive it have an almost certain demise. The neurotoxin in its venom creates breathing problems, extreme pain, inflammation, and a lack of muscle control.
This spider is one of the largest spider threats to humans. They have been known to hide out around homes, wandering around at night looking for their next victim.
The wandering is what really makes this spider so dangerous. Most spiders stay within certain areas, while this one travels freely during the night. In the day, it searches for any place to hide. This often ends up being inside cars, shoes, houses, toys, whatever it can find.
These spiders make there home in Central and South America, but they have been found in other places. They arenâ??t nicknamed the banana spider for nothing. Instances have happened where Brazilian wandering spiders have shown up from banana shipments as far as England. It is important to be able to recognize this dangerous critter, no matter where you live.
Most spiders around the world are harmless to humans, but there are a few that pose a serious threat. It is important to learn even the least known pests, and avoid them.
Cassie writes about dangerous animals, such as spiders, bears, and snakes. Pertaining to spiders in residential areas, she also writes for beelinepestcontrol.com, and how to know when is the best time to call the exterminator.
As every parent knows, thereâ??s little worse than being stuck on a long car journey with a group of children in the back. Bickering, sibling rivalry, little fights, constant calls of â??are we there yetâ??, high pitched shrieks seemingly timed to coincide with the trickiest part of the journeyâ?¦ for all the brilliance of a nice holiday together, you sometimes have to wonder if itâ??s worth it. But fear not â?? since the rise of digital technology, keeping the kids busy enough to avoid you having a minor breakdown has never been easier. Here we list the 10 best iOS apps for making sure your loved oneâ??s remain just thatâ?¦
Princess Fairy Tale Maker – £1.49
She may not be the best behaved princess in the whole of history, but your daughter will undergo a Grimmâ??s like transformation from â??screaming devilâ?? to â??quiet little lambâ?? with the introduction of this app. Create your own fairy story with a collection of colourful princesses, unicorns and even pirates. Best of all: the finished product can be shared across devices â?? in a modern take on the campfire stories of yore.
Make Me Smile – $0.69
If thereâ??s one thing kids like, itâ??s monsters. And what better way to distract them from their mission to make your drive hell than with this app? The object is simple: your toddler has to make the cartoon monster turn its frown upside down, via a series of nifty interactions. Bonus fun: your iPad will surreptitiously take reaction shots of your own little monster as they finally succeed in making their onscreen companion smile.
Road Trip Scavenger Hunt – £0.69
Want to involve yourself in the backseat games? Get them playing Scavenger Hunt: essentially no different from the offline version, this digital update allows your iDevice to set challenges, keep score and generate games. All ready now? Who can see the sea?!
Disney Fairies Fly – £2.50
Are you the proud parent of a fairy-addict? Then ensure a slice of silence with this whimsical delight. The object is simple: by tilting your iPad, your child guides Tinkerbell through a phantasmagorical world of pixie-based delight, including scenes straight from the movies. This app is guaranteed to render any young one speechless for hours on end.
FarFaria – Free
Got a budding reader on board? No fear: FarFaria is a vast, digital collection of kid-friendly books â?? from the die-hard classics (Hans Christian Andersen and the Grimms) to the ultra-modern, via a whole host of learning and picture books. The premier library for under 8â??s; FarFaria is guaranteed to keep a little literature lover happy.
GeoDash: Wild Animal Adventure – Free
Your young explorer will love this: a National Geographic designed app that guides you through the plains of Africa â?? and elsewhere â?? giving you the lowdown on hundreds of different animals. Complete with stunning pictures, this one is a real treat for creature-lovers.
Pitch Painter – £2.49
One of the most creative apps ever marketed, Morton Subotnickâ??s Pitch Painter combines finger-painting with music making via the medium of beautiful, mesmerising colours. Put simply: your young one traces their finger across the screen and, as they â??paintâ??, they create music too. Ideal for young creative minds â?? and pretty neat for adults too!
Cause and Effect Sensory Light Box – £1.99
Originally meant for autism sufferers, the sensory light box became a monster-hit thanks to its simple concept and beautiful visuals. Basically, it presents your child with a blank screen, allowing them to create otherworldly colours and calming sounds simply by touching the iPad. The end result is like a portable lava lamp: endlessly beautiful, beautifully mesmerising.
Toca Train – £1.99
Unlike in real life, Toca Train allows your child to take control of the journey â?? only instead of the backseat of a car, theyâ??re guiding a train across an endless landscape populated with quirky characters looking for adventure. Open-ended and designed to encourage storytelling and play, Toca Train puts your kid in charge of their own private trip.
Peppa Pig Me Books – £1.99
Finally, what child doesnâ??t love Peppa Pig? This app puts the entire library of the porcine-oneâ??s books at your disposal â?? guaranteed to keep any fan quiet for hours.
This is a guest post from Edwin Miles. Who is the community manager of Car Finance 24/7
Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net / digitalart
Control your sleep cycles to maintain the best sleep patterns daily with â??Effective Sleepâ?? â??Effective sleepâ?? is a unique alarm clock, which helps you to feel good no matter if you can sleep as long as you want or you canâ??t.
The gameplay of Geared 2 is very simple but it gets more interesting as you progress through the levels. Your goal is to power up gears by placing a limited number of cogs in certain places. The main yellow gear is powered by a hamster which rotates other cogs that touch it, rotating other gears, and so forth until all the blue gears have been powered. After you power the blue gears your hamster will start spinning so fast that he flies out of his gear!
This game offers 50 levels as well as 440+ user created levels. For the average user this is more than enough. There might as well be an infinite number of levels because you will probably never get through all 500.
Mission Accomplished
Geared 2 is unique and entertaining. It has cool â??sketch drawnâ? graphics and the gameplay is really creative. The game itself is really simple to get into and itâ??s all self explanatory.
Room to improve
During this review I wasn’t able to find anything wrong with Geared 2. Thereâ??s no in app advertisements and everything works like itâ??s supposed to.
Conclusion
This is one of the most interesting apps I’ve reviewed. I know the game may seem really simple but if you give it a try youâ??ll see what I mean. It’s not your usual puzzle game and the hamster sure does make it quirker 😀
Who can still remember the web page ever created?
Mission Accomplished
Room to improve
Conclusion
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