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New Ultrasound Technology Lets Users See and Touch 3D Shapes in Thin Air

6Dec

By rocitoutNo Comments

Business

New Ultrasound Technology Lets Users See and Touch 3D Shapes in Thin Air

Haptics, or touch feedback technology, has changed rapidly over the course of the past few years. Now, the Bristol Interaction and Graphics group has developed technology that can create an invisible 3D haptic shape using ultrasound, which can be both seen and felt. The research paper, which has been published in the current issue of ACM Transactions on Graphics, describes how a new device sends out complex patterns of ultrasound waves. By focusing the ultrasound waves and creating air disturbances, the device creates haptic feedback in mid-air. The system also generates an invisible 3D shape. In other words, the new device is a projector that can create floating, 3D shapes, which can also be touched. The researchers believe that this new device could change the way people use 3D shapes...

Baz Luhrmann Designs Barney’s Holiday Party At the Zoo

5Dec

By rocitoutNo Comments

Fashion

Baz Luhrmann Designs Barney’s Holiday Party At the Zoo

If there's anyone that knows how to throw a holiday party, it's Baz Luhrman. The famed director of such spectacles as Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby has quite a grandiose vision, which he is able to bring to life offscreen as well. This year, Barney's hired Luhrman to helm the decoration of their holiday windows, which were revealed in grand style on November 13. In true Luhrman style, the unveiling involved ice dancers, step-troupers, opera singers, a-cappella warblers and two break-dancing elves. The spectacle continues through the Christmas holiday, with opera singers appearing every now and again on the Barney's balconies for brief performances. After the unveiling, guests adjourned to the Central Park Zoo, for a holiday dinner party hosted by Barney's and designed by Lu...

New Battery Belt is the Solution for All Your First World Problems

3Dec

By rocitoutNo Comments

Lifestyle

New Battery Belt is the Solution for All Your First World Problems

Arguably the biggest "first world problems" that modern day young people suffer from are their smart phone batteries dying, and their skinny jeans falling off of their hips. Fortunately, there's a new product that can solve both of those problems. The new XOO Belt is not just a belt -- it's also a battery charger. The XOO Belt contains a 1,300mAh lithium ceramic polymer flexible battery that is sandwiched between the leather in the belt itself. The buckle is an additional 800mAh battery (giving you 2,100mAh total). The buckle does even more than that, though. It acts as a ratchet to tighten the belt around the waist. It's a plug that you can connect your USB adapter to. There is a set of five LED lights along the base of the buckle that tells you how much charge is left in the belt batte...

The United States’ First Ever Website Was For a Laboratory

26Nov

By rocitoutNo Comments

Business

The United States’ First Ever Website Was For a Laboratory

Sure, Stanford's Linear Accelerator Laboratory has produced some of the most important work on particle physics, and sure, work there has earned three Nobel Prizes in Physics, but Gizmodo recently shined some light on one of the lab's most important contributions to modern scientific achievement -- it hosted the very first web site in the United States. Despite the popular legend that Al Gore invented the Internet, it was really the product of English computer scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee. The idea for what would eventually reshape the way humans communicated and interacted with each other came to Berners-Lee while he worked at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research located in France. In 1989, he proposed the idea of the web, and two years later, he'd go on to publish the ...

Future is Bright for Solar Energy, According to New Reports

26Nov

By rocitoutNo Comments

Business

Future is Bright for Solar Energy, According to New Reports

The solar energy takeover might be possible sooner than we think, according to a new report out of the Environment America Research and Policy Center. Even though solar panel technology is the environmentally friendly answer to more traditional energy solutions that consume limited resources and damage the environment, Americans have been slow to adopt solar energy systems. High installation costs are often blamed, along with a lack of government support. However, the new report claims that the United States "has the potential to produce more than 100 times as much electricity from solar PV and concentrating solar power (CSP) installations as the nation consumes each year." It adds that every state could use solar power to generate more electricity than residents currently consume. The ...

Missouri Could Become One of the Next States to Legalize Medical Marijuana

25Nov

By rocitoutNo Comments

Local

Missouri Could Become One of the Next States to Legalize Medical Marijuana

This year's midterm elections saw Alaska, Oregon and Washington, D.C. bring the total number of states where medical marijuana is legal up to 23. Four states, including the District of Columbia, now allow recreational use of marijuana. In the aftermath of this news, it's already beginning to look like the state of Missouri could be next in line on the path to statewide marijuana legalization. According to a Nov. 13 St. Louis Post-Dispatch article, Show-Me Cannabis, a pro-pot organization, filed a constitutional amendment with the secretary of state's office that would make legal the sale and production of marijuana for Missouri residents 21 and older. However, it's uncertain as to whether this amendment will ultimately be placed on the Missouri ballot in the 2016 election. For this year...

Texas Couple Arrested for Stealing $100,000 in Roofing Scam, Prosecutors Say

21Nov

By rocitoutNo Comments

Local

Texas Couple Arrested for Stealing $100,000 in Roofing Scam, Prosecutors Say

A married couple has been arrested for theft after their Fort Worth-area roofing company took in more than $100,000 from homeowners without doing any work, prosecutors say. Raul Garcia, 40, and his wife Melissa Garcia, 39, own R and M Construction and allegedly took money from more than 27 homeowners. The charge brought against them, a second-degree felony, can be punished with a sentence of between two and 20 years in prison. Eddie Moore, 83, and his wife Syble, 84, say Raul came to their door after a bad hailstorm caused damage to their roof. “He was real friendly,” Syble told the local NBC station Nov. 13. “He brought his little boy out with him.” She says that she paid him $2,000 up front, but he then disappeared. "He vanished and didn't come back,” she said. “I kept trying to call...

Obamacare Will Draw 30% Fewer Enrollees Than Previously Predicted, White House Says

21Nov

By rocitoutNo Comments

Lifestyle

Obamacare Will Draw 30% Fewer Enrollees Than Previously Predicted, White House Says

The Obama Administration has lowered its estimate of how many Americans will enroll under national healthcare insurance exchanges established by the Affordable Care Act, the White House announced Monday. About 9.9 million people will be signed up by the end of next year, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell said. This is approximately 30% lower than the latest level predicted by the Congressional Budget Office. The new figures from HHS are based on how quickly Americans have signed up for previous public health insurance programs, and also account for people who won’t stay in their plans. As the Washington Post pointed out in its coverage, this may be seen as a referendum on both the act itself and the President’s overall effectiveness. “The discrepancy re...

Study Reveals New Back Pain Culprit — And It’s Probably Not What You Think

20Nov

By rocitoutNo Comments

Lifestyle

Study Reveals New Back Pain Culprit — And It’s Probably Not What You Think

There is a plethora of human behaviors that can cause back pain, from lifting heavy items to sitting in an office chair for 40 hours a week, to slumping on the couch for Netflix marathons, but new research shows that there's a new culprit for Americans' back pain problems. According to CBS News, new research performed by chief of spine surgery at New York Spine Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine Dr. Kenneth Hansraj, which has been accepted for publication in Surgical Technology International, reveals that texting is probably causing a lot of back pain for people. According to a survey taken by the National Institute of Health Statistics, back pain is the most reported type of pain at 27%, followed by headache and neck pain. An estimated 26 million Americans between the ages of 20 and 64...

California Farmers Attempting First Commercial Coffee Crops in Continental US

20Nov

By rocitoutNo Comments

Business

California Farmers Attempting First Commercial Coffee Crops in Continental US

Coffee is the world’s second-most-traded commodity (after oil), and California growers are now making moves that could leave the continental U.S. more than just a consumer in that equation. “Though it's not a traditional region for growing coffee, California is playing an increasingly big role in the future of this beloved and lucrative crop,” NPR reports in a Nov. 12 article. Jay Ruskey, of Good Land Organics, is using some of his farmland outside Santa Barbara to experiment with growing coffee among avocado trees and passionfruit plants, making him the first grower in the lower 48 states to attempt a commercial coffee crop. The University of California Cooperative Extension helped Ruskey plant his coffee five years ago, and he and his crew are now harvesting several varieties th...