Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re a dog person, you may have wondered just how wild packs of wolves turned into your sweet and cuddly lap dogs. You can pet Fido behind the ears, scratch his belly, and throw sticks, but you better not try that with a wolf or it might eat your face off.

Scientists recently studied the genetic code of the domestic dog and compared it to its wolf cousins and found that the ability to eat a starchy diet is part of what led to the domesticated dog.

According to the scientists, dogs split from wolves somewhere between 7,000 and 30,000 years ago (couldn’t they be a little more accurate than a 23,000 year window?)

The team of researchers compared sequenced genomes from 12 wolves from different areas the world to the sequenced genomes of 60 dogs from 14 different breeds. The comparison found that 36 genomic regions are believed to have been modified through domestication. More than half of those regions were related to brain function, including central nervous system development that scientists believe could account for the reduced aggression in dogs compared to wolves. Three genes play a role in the ability to digest starch.

The scientists believe that the split from wolves started when wolves began feeding on material humans dumped near their civilizations in ancient times, and certain wolves that were able to digest starchy foods survived to become the ancestors to modern dogs.

[via AFP]

Even though they’ve been around for thousands of years, umbrellas still have two main parts: a canopy and a shaft. But this concept for an umbrella by 22-year old industrial design student Quentin Debaene gets rid of the canopy in favor of something cooler, er drier: air.

Debaene calls his concept the Airblow 2050. He imagines it will use Dyson’s digital motor, which today powers Dyson’s famous bladeless fans and powerful vacuum cleaners. The idea is for the motor to suck air from around the bottom of the shaft and then force it out in a small arc on top, making an invisible canopy. You won’t have to deal with a wet or broken canopy or bumping into other people’s umbrellas. You may even be able to use it to literally blow people away.

I don’t know enough about engineering and physics to fully judge if the concept will work as intended. I’m also wondering why it still looks like an umbrella or at least, an umbrella’s handle. Wouldn’t it be better if it was a small device that you could clip on your backpack or hat? Would we be able to use the Airblow 2050 to carry our stuff and/or friend? Could it be modified and used as a lethal weapon? If a small child pointed it downwards, could said child then use it as a means of transportation? So many questions.

[via Coroflot]

A recent study conducted by two German universities found that envy runs rampant on Facebook. Researchers from Humboldt University and from Technical University in Darmstadt, Germany conducted a study and found that one in three people felt worse about themselves after visiting the site and more dissatisfied with their lives.

The study reports that people who browse the site without contributing were affected the most. According to the study, the biggest source of envy posted to Facebook was vacation photos. The study claimed that more than half of all envy incidents were triggered by vacation pictures.

The second most common cause of envy on the social networks is social interaction. Apparently, a lot of users get jealous over the amount of birthday greetings, likes, and comments their Facebook friends receive on posts and photos. Maybe what people need are Facebook friends who are uglier, poorer, and take less vacations.

If using Facebook really makes you feel bad about yourself, perhaps you should get off of your computer and do something about it.

[via Chicago Tribune]

They all tell you to live life to the fullest and party while you’re young, but they left out the part where you’ll have to deal with the consequences of it all when you’re older.

You probably already know that alcohol isn’t very good for your health. As to what it can do to your outside appearance, a new app called Drinking Mirror is more than happy to show you.

Once the app is fired up, the user is asked to take a photo of themselves or upload an existing photo. The app will then ‘age’ the image accordingly based on the users current rates of alcohol consumption. If you drink more than you should on a regular basis, then don’t be too surprised if the app displays a blobby, pockmarked face that you can barely recognize after the transformation.

The app was developed for the Scottish Government’s “Drop a Glass Size” campaign and is available for free on the iTunes App Store. It’s also available for Android devices on Google Play.

[via C|NET]

You know, there’s a reason why GM shut down Hummer. Apparently, Hummer owners got five times as many traffic tickets as the average driver. Oh, and there’s that part where got like 9 miles per gallon too. Well, it looks like some dude in Morocco decided that even a Hummer wasn’t big enough for him, so he had to make his own super-size vehicle.

The “Super Jeep” is the result of two Jeep Wranglers being merged into one massive, ultrawide, six-wheeled ride. This contraption is so wide, it doesn’t fit in a single lane. In fact, it needs nearly a lane and a half to get by.

I can just imagine the problems you’d have driving this monstrosity in the city. There are some streets through which it just wouldn’t fit. And can you imagine trying to parallel park this thing?

The owner of this ridiculous pimped ride is some foreign diplomat living in Rabat, Morocco – who is probably claiming diplomatic immunity from the country’s traffic laws.

[via Autoblog]