Submission + - Inside a Last-Ditch Effort to Save the Space Shutt (mashable.com)
SkinnyGuy writes: NASA’s Space Shuttle could have flown again as early as 2014 if a secret effort to repurpose them for commercial flight had succeeded.
Submission + - Researchers Build Terminator Contact Lens (mashable.com)
SkinnyGuy writes: The "Terminator" heads-up, in-eye display of the future is real. Researcher built the contact lens and tested on on a rabbit--and the rabbit did not die!
Submission + - World's First Spherical Flying Machine Can Land an (mashable.com) 1
SkinnyGuy writes: Japan’s Ministry of Defense has developed what may be a precursor to the Jedi training ball, though they call it a “Spherical Flying Machine.”
Submission + - Antitrust Case Over, Microsoft ties IE 10 to Win 8 (crn.com)
deadeyefred writes: With the last vestiges of Microsoft's U.S. antitrust consent decree expiring earlier this year, the company is again tying its browser tightly to Windows. In pre-release versions of IE 10 and Windows 8, IE 10 cannot be uninstalled and is required to enable the new "Metro"-style apps.
Submission + - Ask Slashdot: Can Schools Convert VHS to DVD? 2
tspaghetti writes: I'm an IT Support tech at a school district in Maine, and we're running into a problem with old VHS tapes. As time goes on, more and more of them are deteriorating and ultimately failing. Many older educational VHS titles aren't available on DVD, so purchasing new digital copies is out of the question. Adding to the complexity is the fact that the individual teachers, not the schools, own many of the VHS tapes in question. Is there any way to legally preserve these tapes, either through conversion to DVD or some other way?
Submission + - Airship flies to the Edge of Space (msn.com)
JP126 writes: "We did it! Saturday we flew Tandem airship to 95,085 feet.
We fired up the propellers and drover her around at the edge of space. Tandem was tracked with two independent GPS telemetry systems. The pilot in the mission control van watched through live video and the data stream while sending commands to the vehicle.
We carried three HD video cameras and got some amazing views of it all. They are posted on our blog at:
http://www.jpaerospace.com/blog
JP
We've put up pics and on board video"
We fired up the propellers and drover her around at the edge of space. Tandem was tracked with two independent GPS telemetry systems. The pilot in the mission control van watched through live video and the data stream while sending commands to the vehicle.
We carried three HD video cameras and got some amazing views of it all. They are posted on our blog at:
http://www.jpaerospace.com/blog
JP
We've put up pics and on board video"
Submission + - Artificial Super-Skin Could Transform Phones, Robo (mashable.com)
SkinnyGuy writes: "Stanford University’s new “super skin” is a thin, highly flexible, super-stretchable, nearly transparent skin that can respond to touch and pressure, even when it’s being wrung out like a sponge."
Submission + - Google Chrome OS Lives (pcmag.com)
SkinnyGuy writes: It looks like Google is not only still working on Google Chrome OS, it is firmly committed for the forseeable future. The OS has new features and the associated hardware has a new name "Chromebook." This, folks, is serious.
Submission + - Could You Survive a Digital Diet? (pcmag.com)
SkinnyGuy writes: If you're reading this post, then you love technology as much as I do. That's why even a glance at the headline makes me feel a little queasy. I cannot imagine giving up my iPhone, Android tablet, TweetDeck, Facebook, BlackBerry Bold or any other digi gear or technology for any length of time. But this guy is recommended it--if only to gain a little perspective. Things that make you go, "Hmmmm."
Submission + - Pleo is Reborn at CES 2011 (pcmag.com)
SkinnyGuy writes: Pleo the robotic Pet dinosaur is truly alive thanks to the work of new parent company Innvo labs. Pleo RB (for "Reborn") made its first public appearance on the floor of CES 2011 and, just as when we first saw him back in 2006, he's once again wowing crowds.
Submission + - Space-Time Cloak Could Hide Actual Events (extremetech.com)
SkinnyGuy writes: Einstein posited that space and time are fungible things, and every day, scientists are finding ways to make these theories real. Witness this latest remarkable feat: the ability to hide time inside an unseeable space. The breakthrough only exists inside a tiny optical fiber right now, but the future applications are virtually limitless.
Submission + - Stretchable Electronic Fabrics on the Way (extremetech.com)
SkinnyGuy writes: Belgian engineers are developing the most sophisticated electronic textiles ever. First up: Luminous Fabrics. If this technology becomes popular, it's only a matter of time before we're singing, "I'm not smart enough for my shirt--or my pants, or my hat." [Sung to the tune of "I'm too sexy for my shirt."]
Submission + - 8 ways to bring eyesight to the blind (discovermagazine.com)
An anonymous reader writes: I love that this isn't in the category of "miracles" anymore — medical researchers are experimenting with ways to restore eyesight to blind people. Discover Magazine rounds up some of the most promising treatments, from stem cell contact lenses to implantable microchips and tiny telescopes. There's even an item about curing colorblindness in monkeys, an advance which could someday help unfortunate humans like myself match their socks.
Submission + - Nanotechnology allows window to automatically tint (inhabitat.com)
baosol writes: The company RavenBrick has developed what could be considered a bit of a game changer in window technology a glass that automatically changes tint according to its temperature using nanotechnology. The idea is simple enough: when it gets hot the windows darken to block incoming solar radiation, and when it is cold they are clear to allow the free heat in, all without electricity.
Submission + - Man Dons Jet-Powered Wings, Jumps from Balloon (gearlog.com)
SkinnyGuy writes: Jetman has now taken his jet-powered wings to the next level and performed a never-before-seen loop--at 8,000 feet.
