In the wealthy oil man's world of Arabian camel racing, the tradition of using child jockeys has been replaced with the use of small robo-jockeys in recent years. But after finally ridding the game of the mistreatment of children, the sport is now under scrutiny again. The Dubai police have discovered a new feature illegally added to the torturous, whip-endowed robots: hidden stun guns.
Much to the chagrin of the National Wildlife Humane Society (and a long list of others), Tuscon restaurant, Boca Tacos y Tequila, will be serving African lion beginning February 16th. For $8.75, patrons can sample the second most deadly animal in the world in a taco. The Mexican restaurant specializes in exotic game; other menu selections include python, alligator, elk, kangaroo, rattlesnake, and turtle. However, the latest addition has caught restaurant owner Bryan Mazon a lot of flack.
Think you're more green by going artificial? Think again. The New York Times reports that the most definitive study shows you would have to use your artificial tree for 20 years before it has less impact on the environment than a real tree.
The New York Times reports on the perks of opting for digital TV antennas vs. paying for cable TV. With the exception of the occasional spotty signal, young viewers are finding antennas are the preferable choice, considering savings add up to half the usual cost for cable TV and internet access.
Professor Wafaa Bilal of New York University plans to soon undergo a surgical procedure that would temporarily implant a camera in the back of his head. The project is being commissioned for an art exhibit at a new museum in Qatar. The Iraqi photographer will be a living, breathing cyborg for an entire year, during which the implanted camera will take still photos every minute, simultaneously feeding the images to monitors at the museum.
The future of technology promises more and more seamless daily interactions. Pee on your phone, test for STDS. Or perhaps more widely appealing, ditch your wallet for all-in-one easy mobility.
Below, a selection of images from the Nikon International Small World Photomicrography Competition. The Big Picture reports:
A recent Japanese study proposes a simpler, softer, more natural-feeling alternative to silicone breast implants: fat-derived stem cells. The cells are extracted from liposuctioned fat, and then injected into the patient to increase breast circumference. San Diego-based biotech company Cytori Therapeutics is currently waiting on FDA approval to start clinical trials.
Designed by a computer, milled by machines and assembled by a team of robots, Federico Díaz's Geometric Death Frequency 141 isn't necessarily the warmest work of art you'll see this year. But it is, nevertheless, quite a lot of fun to behold:
You know those tubes that siphon money in banks? It's called the pneumatic tube system, and thanks to some clever con artists, it's now a rather large flaw in the banking system.
Meet YouTube user kittenandtiger, the mysterious Austrian mouse whisperer. Master of mouse training site Mouse Agility, kittenandtiger has had a love for rodents since a very young age:
From LAist: Los Angeles may be gearing up to finalize its master bicycle plan, which would bring some 1,600 miles of bikeways to the city, but that may not be enough for those whose primary location is USC. That's where some 10,000 to 15,000 cyclists roam the campus each day, according to 2009 report.
UPDATE: Here's the latest on the optical illusion disaster waiting to happen: the "warning illusion" has been installed, and now you can now see it in action below.
Ever been warned that sitting too close to the TV might damage your eyesight? It won't. That probably won't stop this electronic View-Master from giving your poor mother a heart attack, however.
Gottlieb Daimler's "Revolutionary Riding Car" of 1885 doesn't look like a car (in truth, it would be more analogous to what we recognize today as a motorcycle), but it did mark the very first inkling of the automobile age.
How many gallons of gas does it take to get from Kansas City to New York? Depends on what you're driving. In this custom-modded Indy race car designed by students at the DeLaSalle Education Center? About four.
Nine-year-old Azura of Middle Road, Worcester (England) inadvertently pranked her whole neighborhood (and whoever else happened to be browsing the area on Google Street View) when she dropped "dead" to the pavement.
Ginger ale is an American classic, particularly beloved by native Michiganders, home of the popular Vernors Ginger Ale.
The day of interactive porn has arrived, all thanks to Steve Jobs. The iPhone 4's new video-call feature, FaceTime, enables users to have live video chat sessions over a Wi-Fi network, via the iPhone's camera and screen. Unsurprisingly, the porn industry was immediately inspired.
This is probably the funniest video I've seen this year, they really don't hold anything back. Things you'll see in the video, based on real events:
55-year-old Peruvian inventor, Eduardo Gold, was one of 26 winners of the "100 Ideas to Save the Planet" competition of 2009. His winning plan? To whitewash a mountain in order to restore it to a glacier.
Upon first glance, one may think Mark Suppes is just another thirty-something-year-old dude living in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. However, the Gucci web designer by day has a significant (to say the least) project-in-progress by night. The amateur scientist bicycles to a non-descript building in Brooklyn to chip away at his homemade nuclear fusion reactor. BBC reports:
U.K. department store Debenhams has pulled back the curtain on the reality behind swimsuit modeling. As expected, the standard model goes through quite a bit of "Photoshop magic".
From Gaming Age: An Xbox LIVE Gold Family Pack includes:
Guerilla gardener Steve Wheen has a simple solution for urban beautification: grow mini-gardens in potholes all over the city, simultaneously transforming ugly roads AND warning motorists and cyclists of potentially dangerous potholes.
A radical art group of Russian political pranksters, who go by the name of Voina, have delivered a giant "Up Yours!" to the Russian government... in the form of a 213-foot-tall penis.
World Cup World asks: "How'd North Korean fans get to the game?" Fair and valid question. It's seeming IMPOSSIBLE for any North Korean citizen to get a visa to leave the communist regime (not that they could afford it, anyway) to attend this past week's game. After much initial speculation on whether these fans were the real deal, the mystery has been resolved by multiple news sources.
Poor England. Poor Ghana. The World Cup fanbase certainly has a hot chick (or two) waiting in the wings, prepared to "commingle" with some super hot World Cup players. Unfortunately, for England and Ghana, that is absolutely not an option.
Watch as world freediving champion Guillaume Nery takes an incredible dive into Dean's Blue Hole in the Bahamas (on ONE SINGLE BREATH!)
Creepy crawlers. I'd say I'm not an extremely girly-girl. But (much to my embarrassment) bugs still have the capacity to make me shriek. Solution? A new study suggests that augmented reality could be used to cure cockroach phobia.
It is widely known that sticky rice is an essential staple in the Chinese diet. But did you know it also plays an important role in their ancient architecture?
A British prisoner was recently caught with a tattoo gun rigged from a Sony Playstation. The crafty D.I.Y.er broke down the Playstation and attached the console motor to a finely sharpened ballpoint pen.
The newest fuel alternative on the horizon? Pee. U.S. researchers have been experimenting with using urine as a method of producing hydrogen. Not only could this virtually free and readily available resource possibly power automobiles, but it could also aid in the clean up of municipal wastewater.
The first marriage to be officiated by a robot took place in Japan this past Sunday. A humanoid robot named I-Fairy stood in as witness at the ceremony between Tomohiro Shibata and Satoko Inoue of Tokyo.
Want a dress that's so eco-friendly you can literally make it disappear after the ceremony? This new gown, from British researchers at Sheffield Hallam Unniversity does just that. It actually dissolves in water, reports the U.K.'sTelegraph. The dress is made with polyvinyl alcohol -- the same stuff found in laundry bags and washing detergents -- sewn into the fabric. That basically makes it water soluble, and dissolves it without harming the environment.
Two research teams, in Turkey and Iran, both recently discovered an incredibly rare species of bees. Coined the Osmia (Ozbekosima) avoseta bee, the insects use colorful flower petals to create papier-mache cocoons for their offspring.
Do you know your constitutional rights if stopped by the police? Washington Post recently ran an interesting article on "10 Rules", a docudrama produced by the D.C. nonprofit Flex Your Rights.
Three Haitian brothers, with no training of any kind, have constructed a working, flying helicopter. Total cost? 45,000 Haitian dollars, which comes out to approximately 1100 American bucks. Their chopper is the first helicopter to every be produced in Haiti.
Today's WSJ takes a tour of Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko's 394-foot insanely luxe yacht, coined "A".
Hiroshi Ishiguro is at it again, but this time "it" has a winning smile. Japanese researchers have developed a humanoid robot that can laugh and smile, mimicking a real person's facial expressions. The android, called Geminoid F, is modeled after a woman in her twenties, with long black hair, silicone skin and lifelike teeth.
