Archive for the 'Cool Stuff' Category

Moving Magnetic Pole Has Tangible Effects

Saturday, March 12th, 2011

EarthDid you know that the Earth’s north magnetic pole isn’t fixed, and it moves about 40 miles per year? In fact, several years ago it left Canada and is now over international waters, heading towards Siberia. And since compasses point “north” towards the magnetic pole (versus the real north pole) this movement can have a tangible effect on compass readings. For example, the Tampa, FL airport recently changed its runway designators to account for the changes to magnetic north. This NOAA article shows the locations of the magnetic pole from 1831 to 2007.

How a Cat Drinks

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

CatLong-time Chad’s News readers will recall this post, where we learned that a dog’s tongue bends down instead of up when drinking water. If that wasn’t weird enough, the linked article explains how a cat drinks—turns out that its tongue doesn’t even penetrate the surface of the water.

Link: http://arstechnica.com/…

“Rhymes With Orange” Does Some Tech Funnies

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

OrangeRhymes With Orange is an offbeat, syndicated comic strip that periodically comes up with some real gems. The December 31st strip gives a peek at how children view books in the age of the Kindle and iPad, and the January 2nd strip spoofs life in the age of Google.

A Magnificent Supercell Thunderstorm

Saturday, February 12th, 2011

WeatherThe linked article has an amazing picture of a supercell thunderstorm over Montana. It’s so good that it looks fake.

Link: http://apod.nasa.gov/…

iPod Dock and Toilet Paper Holder

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

Apple LogoHere’s the perfect gift for the geek who has everything: a toilet paper holder that also serves as an iPod dock. Yes, it’s the “iCarta Stereo Dock for iPod® / iPhone with Bath Tissue Holder”. It’s a pretty fancy gadget, with music controls, various connectors, and embedded speakers.

Thanks to Josh for this topic.

Link: http://www.atechflash.com/…

Google Interview Questions, With Answers

Friday, January 21st, 2011

Google LogoGoogle is known for the unusual questions it asks job applicants, the most famous of which is “Why are manhole covers round?” The linked articles answer 15 of the actual questions, from a list of 140 collected by a professional interview coach. I was flying high when I knew the answer to “Explain the significance of ‘dead beef’?”, but felt pretty stupid for not getting “How much should you charge to wash all the windows in Seattle?”

Link #1 (questions): http://www.businessinsider.com/…
(via Lifehacker)

Link #2 (answers): http://www.businessinsider.com/…

Link #3 (main article): http://www.businessinsider.com/…

Old-style Phone Numbers

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

PhoneI’m not quite old enough to remember when phone numbers were something like “WHItehall 1212”, but I’ve seen references to that nomenclature in older movies and books. I do, however, remember only needing to dial the last 5 digits (e.g., 6-4085 versus 856-4085) after moving to Wyoming in 1976. How things have changed in a few short decades—these days I have to dial the full 10 digits because Denver has two area codes. For those like myself who are curious about these types of things, the linked article explains the older numbering system and its history.

Link: http://scheong.wordpress.com/…
(via Neatorama)

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

AirplaneBack in 1956, test pilot Tom Attridge managed to shoot himself down while flying a fighter jet. He fired the bullets during a dive, went beneath them, then flew through them at Mach one as they slowed and their trajectory changed. The damage was bad enough that the plane crashed.

Link: http://www.aerofiles.com/…
(via Neatorama)

A Jedi Bathrobe

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

Darth VaderA bit on the pricey side, but this Jedi-styled bathrobe is pretty neat! Wish it had been available when I was purchasing a robe last year. There’s also a Sith version.

Link: http://shop.starwars.com/…

The 2010 Ig Nobel Awards

Saturday, October 23rd, 2010

ScientistThis year’s Ig Nobel prizes were awarded on September 30th. Once again it was a fairly weak field, but here are some of the better ones (see the linked article for the full list):

  • Management Prize: Alessandro Pluchino, Andrea Rapisarda, and Cesare Garofalo of the University of Catania, Italy, for demonstrating mathematically that organizations would become more efficient if they promoted people at random. [Related: The Peter Principle]
  • Peace Prize: Richard Stephens, John Atkins, and Andrew Kingston of Keele University, UK, for confirming the widely held belief that swearing relieves pain.
  • Medicine Prize: Simon Rietveld of the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and Ilja van Beest of Tilburg University, The Netherlands, for discovering that symptoms of asthma can be treated with a roller-coaster ride.

Link: http://improbable.com/…
(via Slashdot)

Knee Defenders Preserve Your Space on Board an Airplane

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

AirplaneKnee Defenders are rubber grips that attach to the arms of an airplane tray table and prevent the person in front of you from reclining the seat, thus giving you more space to breath and move. Especially useful for big or tall people.

Link: http://www.gadgetduck.com/…
(via Lifehacker)

Chad’s News – The Nerf Stampede: Full-Auto Nerf Gun with Sixty Darts

Sunday, October 17th, 2010

Nerf Gun

Nerf toys have come a very long way since I was a kid. The Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS is a fully-automatic Nerf gun that shoots Nerf darts. It comes with three 18-dart magazines and another that holds 6, for a total of 60 darts (included). It also has a riot shield and bipod. See the Hasbro website for a demonstration video showing it in action.

Link: http://arstechnica.com/…