Mannequins are creepy enough anyway. Now we find out from Bloomberg that a number of high-profile chains are reportedly utilizing a new kind of high-tech mannequin fitted with a tiny camera to spy on shoppers. The EyeSee, created by Italian mannequin manufacturer Almax, uses a camera embedded in one of the mannequin’s eyes and facial…
New smell discovered – nasal equivalent of “white noise” sound
In a recent study, scientists have discovered a new smell dubbed “olfactory white” because it’s the nasal equivalent of “white noise” (which sounds like a whooshing hum). Just as white noise is a mixture of many different sound frequencies and white light is a mixture of many different wavelengths, olfactory white is a mixture of…
Mercedes-Benz off-road vehicle of the future generates fuel from recycled water [PICTURES]
Mercedes-Benz’s North American R&D team introduced the Ener-G-Force design concept vehicle at this year’s LA Auto Show Design Challenge. Based on the classic G-Class (notice the “G” shaped LED headlights), the off-road vehicle features 20-inch rims, emergency lighting, rear spare-wheel compartment converted to a quick-access tool box, and a “terra-scan” 360-topography scanner on the roof…
Scientists discover planet 13 times larger than Jupiter – may be bridge between planet and star
Kappa Andromedae b (or ‘Kappa And b,’ for short) is 170 light-years away and orbits its sun, which is a mere 30 million years old (compared to Earth’s 5 billion year old sun), about 1.8 times farther than Neptune’s orbit. It glows red due to radiation from the heat that’s left over from its formation.…
Chinese company set to build world’s tallest building – in only 90 days [UPDATE]
Designed by the same engineers that created the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa that currently stands 2,722 feet over Dubai, Broad Sustainable Building (BSB) will be building a 220-story building in the Chinese city of Changsha in March 2013. The 220-story Sky City building will be the world’s tallest and will be built in only…
Wii U owners say Pee-eww after day-one firmware update bricks systems
Reports coming out that a Wii U day-one firmware update is bricking units if power is lost during the update. Other users are reporting that the 5GB download bricks the system if Internet connectivity is lost. Out of the box, the Wii U isn’t useful for much more than playing games. The launch-day update is…
How to make arrows in the wild
Wood for arrow shafts Making arrows while in the wild is not difficult (although getting the wood shafts straight and keeping them straight is an age-old problem). To begin, collect shoots to use for the shafts (slightly dried wood is better than green wood). Dogwood makes the best shafts, but any other straight hardwood shoots…
How to make rope from plants – fiber extraction and natural cordage construction.
How to build a Trebuchet (Catapult) – Part 2
A Trebuchet (pronounced treb-oo-shay) is a medieval siege engine that transfers gravitational energy into kinetic energy – similar to a playground see-saw. In ancient times, it was used to launch (throw) projectiles including boulders, dead horses, and diseased bodies into or over castle walls to soften the defenses in preparation for invasion. On one end…
How to build a Trebuchet (Catapult) – the ultimate defense (and offense) for the zombie apocalypse
In a lot of ways, those ancient guys were pretty smart and the trebuchet is the perfect example their old time ingenuity. A Trebuchet (pronounced treb-oo-shay) is a medieval siege engine that transfers gravitational energy into kinetic energy – similar to a playground see-saw. In ancient times, it was used to launch (throw) projectiles including…









