Hasta La Gadget!

Global warming is almost certainly the fault of human beings, a new report by the United Nations climate panel states. It offers 95 percent certainty of that assertion, based on “some 2,500 pages of text and…millions of observations and over 2 million gigabytes of numerical data from climate model simulations,” and it cites over 9,200 scientific papers (75 percent of which are from the last three years). The report also suggests “substantial and sustained” efforts to reduce greenhouse gas production; greenhouse gases (everything from water vapor to nitrous oxide) are the primary cause of the greenhouse effect, which destroys the Earth’s protective ozone layer.

Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are the main culprits causing the Earth’s ozone to deteriorate. CO2 levels have risen by 40 percent “since pre-industrial times,” much of which was absorbed by the Earth’s oceans (about 30 percent), resulting in rising acidity levels. Moreover, due to that absorption, the oceans — specifically the upper ocean (0 to 700 meters) — have been warming since the 1870s.

As one might expect, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the UN’s climate change panel) suggests a greener lifestyle worldwide to help roll back the compound effects of global warming. A Tesla for each of us, perhaps? But even if we all go super green and massively cut back on greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, it sounds like humanity won’t see the positive for quite some time. “As a result of our past, present and expected future emissions of CO2, we are committed to climate change, and effects will persist for many centuries even if emissions of CO2 stop,” co-chair Thomas Stocker says.

Filed under: Misc, Science, Alt

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Source: IPCC (1), IPCC (2), IPCC (3)

If Apple were to build a desk, it would look like this. Much like Nest, maker of the world’s sexiest thermostat, Stir is a company founded by someone who worked on the first iPods, and, it too is trying to make a mundane household item fashionable. In this case, of course, the product in question isn’t a thermostat or even a home appliance, but a standing desk. The Kinetic Desk, which will ship in the first half of 2014, has a thermal sensor that can tell when you’ve arrived, and over time, it learns how long you prefer to be on your feet before taking a break. To lower the desk over its 26-inch range, just double-tap the built-in touchscreen, located on the left end. From there, you can can set goals, like standing for 25 percent of the day, as well as see how many extra calories you’ve burned, or monitor how much time you’ve spent sitting. CEO and founder JP Labrosse tells us that the desk might eventually integrate with fitness-tracking services like Fitbit, though it won’t at launch. Still, the desk has WiFi and Bluetooth radios baked in, so if Stir ever did want to share data with third-party services, the hardware would at least be able to support it.

Like an iPod, the Kinetic Desk has just one button. Press it and you’ll be telling the desk to enter “active mode,” which will remind you to take periodic breaks by rising up and down ever so gently when it’s time for you to stop what you’re doing and walk around. (It’s less distracting then it sounds; in fact, Stir is using the name “WhisperBreath” to describe it.) Also like an Apple product, the desk has a stark design: it’s powered by a single cable, with eight AC ports and four USB sockets tucked into two hidden panels at the top of the desk. That makes for a minimalist look, of course, but it also means you don’t have to worry about dragging cables (and knocking things over) when you adjust the height of the desk. Once this starts shipping, you’ll have two color options for the lacquered wood surface, and four choices of accent colors for the underside and in the two charging drawers. As for the starting price, you’re looking at $3,890 and up — suffice to say, you’d better already be a standing desk convert before taking the plunge.%Gallery-slideshow98401%%Gallery-slideshow90897%

Filed under: Misc, Household

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Source: Stir

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon may be forgotten to many, but remnants of its destruction still remain in the Gulf of Mexico. Mercifully, it appears that researchers at Texas A&M University “have developed a non-toxic sequestering agent-iron oxide nanoparticles coated in a polymer mesh that can hold up to 10 times their weight in crude oil.” In layman’s terms, they’ve engineered a material that can safely soak up oil. As the story goes, the nanoparticles “consist of an iron oxide core surrounded by a shell of polymeric material,” with the goal being to soak up leftover oil that isn’t captured using conventional mechanical means. The next step? Creating an enhanced version that’s biodegradable; as it stands, the existing particles could pose a threat if not collected once they’ve accomplished their duties.

Filed under: Misc, Alt

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Source: Materials 360 Online, Inside Science, ACS Nano

Twitter is quite the medium. An endless source of looping GIFs, “viral” videos, and, sadly, bad advertising. Most of the latter category is quickly dismissed by the block and report spam features of Twitter, but the occasional spambot elevates its “craft” to a level of surreal bliss which begs attention. “horse_ebooks” is perhaps Twitter’s best example of that phenomenon, offering indecipherable (and delightful) missives that are heavily retweeted and always nonsensical. “How to get the best bargains in satellite,” for instance. Sadly, it looks like we’ve all been had.

What many (ourselves included) thought to be an accidentally hilarious spam account for a low-rent eBook publishing firm is actually a long-running art installation by Jacon Bakkila (a 29-year-old Buzzfeed employee). Bakkila outed the ruse this morning in an exhibit at New York City’s FitzRoy Gallery named “Horse_ebooks 2,” where Bakkila himself and two friends are answering phones all day (from 10AM to 9PM ET) and giving users a verbal taste of the content you’d normally read on…well, the horse_ebooks Twitter account (the phone number is 213-444-0102 if you’d like to call).

It’s unclear if the account will continue from here. It sounds like a no, though, as Bakkila tells The New York Times that, “The goal was not to appropriate the account but to become the account,” referencing the account’s previous Russian owner and its original use (to sell eBooks). Gawker‘s got a walkthrough of the art gallery installation right here, should you wish to dive even deeper into this madness.

Filed under: Misc, Internet

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Source: Twitter, Synydyne

While the cost of 3D printers are coming down, it’s unlikely we’ll start to see them invade everyone’s homes ’til they become much cheaper. That’s the idea, at least, behind the Peachy Printer, a device that’s promising to retail for less than $100. Unlike printers made by companies such as Makerbot, Peachy uses a laser to set objects from liquid resin. The laser is guided by a pair of mirrors that take instructions from your PC’s audio in / out ports, and the system even allows you to scan objects with your own camera. Having launched on Kickstarter three days ago, Peachy Printer has more than tripled its CDN$50,000 goal. We doubt you’ll find anyone trying to build an Aston Martin replica on one of these things, but it’s a neat idea that employs a different 3D-printing method to significantly reduce hardware costs. As usual, you’ll find the pitch video below and anything else you may desire at the source.

Filed under: Misc, Peripherals

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Via: 3Ders

Source: Kickstarter