Water on Mars!

Let’s talk about Mars, the Red Planet, the fourth rock from the sun. Well as everyone knows, scientists have been debating on whether or not there was actually water on this barren planet at one time. If you did not know this then you need to watch a little less cartoons and more of the news. The debate is over and scientists have come to an agreement that at one time there was at least one body of water on the planet surface. They believe that the water sources were dried up in some catastrophe and that the catastrophe has been the reason why it’s taken so long for them to find remains of oceans. With the use of topographic maps scientist were able to determine that there may have been two oceans at some point in time. According to the shorelines, scientist have come to the conclusion that the oceans shrank over time because of the planet's failing, well they actually do not know and that is why they want to do more tests.

Scientists get their information utilizing the assistance of the Mars Odyssey. Aboard this orbiting probe is the Mars Gamma-Ray Spectrometer, which has the ability to measure the abundance of elements on Mar's surface. With the pictures taken from the spectrometer scientists were able to identify certain elements that are commonly found along ocean shores. These specific minerals are potassium, thorium and iron which usually come from volcanoes. That means at some time there were active volcanoes and their magma flowed out down towards the ocean shores and hardened. This same thing happens here on earth and that is how most land masses are created.

Now that I have explained that, the real reason of this article is to tell you what scientists are trying to discover now. Scientists are trying to figure out how Mars’ water supply simply disappeared. They wish to find the answer to this question because it might help us, as humans, to try to come up with a way to stop this from happening to our planet. Scientists do have one theory in which they suspect that the atmosphere failed and made it easy for solar winds to penetrate and erode the surface. Scientists know that there was water on Mars at one point in time but now it is just one giant, barren rock. They are doing their best to try to discover how to save our planet otherwise we could turn into another floating rock in space.

Bulletproof Tires

First before I get into my topic, I must apologize to my readers because I have run out of fun little gadgets to talk about so I will have to talk about more boring topics. I will do my best to find some interesting subjects to elaborate about. If you have any ideas please feel free to leave a comment idea and I surely will discuss it, because I honestly want to kill myself if I to talk about boring information that no one is actually going to want to read. I am just kidding I will not kill myself but please someone give a fun suggestion. Ok, now we can move forward onto "fun" topics.

This entry is about a tire that is 'bulletproof.' Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have designed a new type of tire for Humvees. This tire with be able to withstand a bullet hole and even a bomb blast. This would be a great advantage for all the Humvees being used in battle. You always hear stories of troops getting hit by roadside bombs and them having to abandon their vehicles. This puts everyone at danger because troops do not have the strongest armor available which makes it very easy for someone to get injured. Now the Humvees on the other hand, have a shit load of armor but without working wheels they are just piles of metal sitting in the middle of a war zone.

These 'bulletproof' tires are actually quite simple in design. They are created to be 'non-pneumatic tires' meaning they do not require air to function properly. Now you are probably guessing how the hell that is possible since every tire you see on the road is inflated with air. Well the answer comes in the design, which uses a round honeycomb blueprint. Yes a honeycomb blueprint, the same thing you see bees using to create their colonies. This six-sided cell pattern helps create a circle which gives the vehicle stability and support. The tire then has a two to three inch thick, black, rubber tread that is wrapped around the honeycomb making the vehicle almost unstoppable.

With these Superman tires Humvees are able support more weight like additional armor, survive an IED attack, and still be able to make a 50 mph getaway in case they get stuck in a bad situation. We no longer will have to hear about troops being killed by roadside bombs because tires were blown out and they could not getaway to safety. I think these tires would be an excellent idea because of all the lives that might be saved. This would also be a neat addiction to new cars because fuel mileage is sometimes affected by the tire pressure. The less the tires are inflated the more work the engine has to do to make the car move. Just imagine you are riding a bike with deflated tires, it takes quite a bit of work to make the bike move but when they are pumped up it is easy to pedal.

Artificial Eye

Tanya Vlach lost her eye three years ago, but with the idea of every increasing technology, she wants to someday turn her fake eye into a “bionic eye.” To do this, she would need to turn her eye into a video camera that then feeds into the brain. As of now, it’s not a definite possibility, but she thinks that with increased technology, and the fact that things are becoming smaller and smaller every day, it’s possible for her to one day have an artificial eye, that allows her to see. She even said maybe have the ability to take pictures, and videos.
"I am attempting to recreate my eye with the help of a miniature camera implant in my prosthetic /artificial eye," she writes. "While my prosthetic is an excellent aesthetic replacement, I am interested in capitalizing on the current advancement of technology to enhance the abilities of my prosthesis for an augmented reality."
Currently, she is working on a Science Fiction screen play, depicting this very possible future. Her play is the journey of her getting this eye and all of its powers. She gets several emails a day about the possibility of this, which gives her hope.
I personally think that she should go for it, not just for herself, but for all of mankind. If we had this kind of technology, it just proves that we are not going to let injuries, or other problems stop us. If we can create an artificial heart, why can’t we create an artificial eye that actually “sees?” I think this is a very possible scenario and I really hope she gets it done.
What does everyone else think? Is there a negative side to this that I’m not seeing? I look forward to hearing from all of you

Camera in Glasses?

Lots of us know that when you see a director using his two hands making “L’s”, he is trying to get see what would be in the shot. He is attempting to find the best possible angle to shoot his latest film. Right now, it’s simply a guiding tool, but what if it weren’t? What if it was something much more?
Currently, this idea is being put into play, and as technology moves forward, it becomes more and more possible for it to be a reality.
Scientist are attempting to make a way to be able to actually take photographs, and eventually videos, using some of the most basic technologies in the world, your own two hands and a pair of sunglasses. The glasses are the picture taking device, and store the images onto them. The hands are what take the actual pictures.
The glasses will be able to see when the two hands are making L’s, and a message will come up, saying “Shut left eye to take picture.” So basically, as long as you can see your hands, you can take a picture of whatever you see.
Can you imagine what we could do with technology like this? It would take the digital camera front by force, and completely revolutionize pictures. Everyone would want to be able to take pictures with a pair of sunglasses and their hands
I personally cannot wait for this development to come out, because I always worry that I might lose my camera, or it may break. But I usually have my hands with me, and I like to wear sunglasses as well. Therefore, I would always be able to bring this with me, and take pictures of all kinds of neat things

Ocarina of Phone???

Once again, I find something that is slightly unnecessary, but still just as neat. I found another very cool application for the Iphone, and it, along with the many others, has made the Iphone that much cooler. This app is called “Ocarina.” Now for those of you who played The Legend of Zelda, you remember quite clearly what an Ocarina is. Basically, an ocarina is a flute-like instrument, which you blow into to make the notes. You then cover different holes to make different notes and pitches. Pretty simple in my opinion.
Apple has done something really cool with this idea though. Once you download “Ocarina,” all you have to do is turn it on, and start blowing into the microphone port. From that point, the Iphone realizes wind is being blown into it, and makes the note. Now, that’s cool, but I’m forgetting to mention one thing. On the touch screen, the phone will have different areas to place your fingers that allow you to change the notes and pitches of the “Ocarina.”
Another awesome aspect of this is that ability to hear others play their own songs. All you have to do is search, and you can find someone playing their Ocarina all over the world. Imagine the ability to hear a Japanese person play their own brand of music, from very far away.
The “Ocarina” comes with a few different modes such as; Dorian, Lydian, or Zeldarian. Dorian and Lydian are classic styles of wind instruments, but Zeldarian is something else. Zeldarian is a take on the classic sound of the Ocarina in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. You can choose Zeldarian, and play all the classic songs from the games. For someone who grew up playing those games all the time, that’s a pretty cool thought.
So, Apple has done it again with its slightly unnecessary, but 100% awesome applications. Is it something you have to have? No. Is it something you want? You tell me.
The application is available on Apple’s site for 99 cents.

iPhone Riches

Every one who knows about the iPhone or owns one knows of the thousands upon thousands of different applications you can download to it. Just this fact says that the iPhone is open to millions of entrepreneurs for people who want to post apps for the iPhone. Some are 3rd party apps some are 2nd but for this particular story we will be looking at a 3rd party application.

A man named Steve Demeter, who works at an atm software designing company spent his spare time working on a little puzzle app called "Trism." Living in his San Fransisco Bay home he spends his time reading some emails from some of the fans of his new puzzle he created. He says "I'm very honored that so many people would enjoy my game. I get e-mails from 50-year-old ladies who say, 'I don't play games, but I love Trism.' That's the coolest thing."

Now the moral of this story is not to just be amazed that this guy earned $250 thousand dollars in 2 months on this game but to understand that if you have the knack for simple software coding and some good ideas you too can be racking in the money like he has. A writer states "A single one of these titles can be turned around for pennies by comparison in just weeks by a single hobbyist working in their off-hours." He really wants to tell us that its open to anyone in such a big market now. They call this more democracized because of the freedom in the market for anyone to take a part in this.

Best Buy Gift Cards

Earlier I was online searching for a Christmas gift for my father when I decide that I would get him a movie so I went over the bestbuy.com. As I looked through all the movies that were available I realized that I had no clue what type of movie my dad would actually want. So I instantly came to the conclusion to get him a gift card so that he would be able to pick out his own movie which I know he can enjoy. I look up gift cards that were Christmassy and stumbled upon an ad that talk about a new gift card for the season. Unlike the Target Gift Card, which I talked about in an earlier blog which turned out to be a camera and a gift card, the Best Buy Gift Card is a mini speaker.
The Gift Card has a mini speaker on the front of it which allows you to hear your music out of it. The Gift Card also comes with a 3.5mm plug which is retractable making it easy for you to store the wire. Now there is nothing really special about this speaker, and it actually does not have the greatest quality either being so small in size. If you want to do something different then a regular plastic gift card then this speaker card would be a good idea but I honestly like looking through all the nifty designs that are available for the cards. Also you can only get the speaker card with receiving an amount of fifty bucks or more, so I think it is worth just getting the plastic cards.

Hand Held Coffee

Wow I just found the perfect item that will make every college student happy. Let me give you a hint, this item will make every morning for a college student go so much smoother. Sorry it is not a robot that helps you get out of bed but this item does help wake you up. Give up? Well it is a portable espresso maker. Yes, a coffee maker that you can carry around with you.

The Handpresso Portable Espresso Maker does exactly what you would expect from a coffee maker and you can carry it around with you. This espresso maker does utilize the same technology that Starbucks uses. Yes, Starbucks one of the largest coffee distributors across the United States. This little tinker toy can create the same espresso greatness as a large expensive Starbucks machine. The portable coffee maker uses a hand pump to help build pressure up in the compartment. Then the gadget uses the pressure to force hot water through the coffee beans to create a delicious black liquid. The coffee is fresh when it comes out and looks and tastes just like the professionals had made it. All you have to add is hot water and your favorite type of coffee flavor.

Now I am debating on buying one of these coffee makers because I know that when I tell my roommate he is instantly going to want to go buy one. So instead of me having to purchase my own I can just steal his and enjoy the sweet caffeine sensation every morning.

No Longer Plastic Cards!

Well Christmas time is almost upon us. Thanksgiving is in a couple of weeks and then off to the stores to buy gifts for our friends and family. But you always run into the dilemma of what to get everyone; so you go to one store and buy twenty gift cards worth ten bucks each. You try to pick a variety of card designs so that it does not look like they all came from the same store even though they have the store's logo printed on the front. But do not worry about that situation this year because you can now buy a camera for everyone instead of a cheap plastic bookmark.

Now when I say camera, I mean camera gift card. Yes companies have started a new trend of gift cards. They are no longer shimmering, holographic pictures imprinted on plastic rectangles, now they are small practical electronic devices. Imagine going into a store needing to get a small gift which will not cost you an arm and a leg. After spending hours wondering through the store realizing that everything would actually cost you an arm and both of your legs, you make your way up to the front where the gift cards are located. You spot a little camera sitting on hook right next to the card with Santa giving the peace sign. The tag says it is a gift card but that it is actually a working camera too. The perfect gift for your three hundred friends and family members is now hanging right in front of you. This 1.2 Megapixel camera, which includes a working flash and it can save up to fifty images on its 8MB built in memory. The gift card also comes with a USB cable, software, and a certificate for 40 free prints at that store.

This new still of gift card is really interesting and a great way to attract more attention. Last year the number of gift cards bought during the Christmas season totaled into the billions of dollars worth of revenue for companies. Add the mini camera to the mix and you could be looking at companies rolling in dough, literally. So look out for these small gizmos and realize that you do not have to stick to the plastic bookmarks anymore. These camera gift cards are available at all Target stores and maybe a few other retail stores.