as if flying cars was already a reality, researchers are working on putting a bunch of living neurons in "the brain" of a flying vehicle (virtually, of course). so while they're focused on that end of things, others like Robin Haynes are working on the hybrid vehicle for driving and flying. [via]

i found this pair of human fingers earrings on The International Society Of Animal Recyclers' site. there's only one left and it's $70. they are looking for donations. their mission statement is: “Through education and enthusiasm, we seek to prevent the destruction or dimissal of as many dead animals as possible.” check out their "Bunny of the Month" Club where: [quote]Something dreadful in the mail each month to brighten your life. I encourage you to have them delivered to your office.[/unquote] [via]

according to this recent article entitled "Glass breakthrough," transparent aluminum (or aluminate glass) was created from aluminum oxide. it's stronger than glass and steel. however, as i looked for a photo to blog with, i found this page and another page mentioning that a ceramic research lab in Dresden, Germany created a similar material way back in 2002. perhaps the Germans discovered it first and the people at 3M figured out an easy way to reproduce it. related material: Casio's breakthrough transparent ceramic lens [via]

when i first heard about plastination a few years ago, i almost flew to Vienna to see the show. well, i finally got to see the show this week, as it is in Los Angeles. unfortunately, they didn't exhibit the guy holding his brain but there were plenty holding their guts and i loved the one holding his skin. there were quite a few athletic bodies where action and speed are portrayed by disintegration of their bodies, like the running man. the art world may not call some of these pieces art but imho, one can certainly find poetics of anatomy and death thru some of the pieces. i just love the way the pregnant woman with the fetus is posed. the latest plastination technique seems to be on preserving the complete root-like network of blood vessels, which was quite a sight. i was hoping that the camel was shown but the guy on the horse was pretty incredible too. the HQ of plastination is in Dalian, China which may explain why there are so many Chinese bodies.

Garnet Hertz's roachbot was a sensation at siggraph's fashion show. the gigantic madagascan cockroach is at the control center (on top of the pingpong ball in the middle). it steers via the 4 flashing lights in front of it.

this photo is from Earth from Above, a truly inspiring book. the concept of circular cities is ancient, yet utopian. some other ones: The Venus Project, Florida, USA; Burning Man, Nevada, USA; Palmanova, Italy; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Atlantis; Beihai Park, China; Georgia, USA; ancient Jerusalem, Israel [via]

these lovely people put their plant anatomy pictures of 60 years of research up on the web and i picked this one out since they resemble scrotums. they are the anthers (def: pollen-bearing part of the stamen) of the hypericum perforatum plant, more commonly known as st. john's wort - which is an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory herb used for depression. [via]

if there's a technology/medical use for need, it will eventually be used to satisfy a desire. but then again, there is such a fine line between need and desire nowadays. leg lengthening, pioneered by Gavril Abramovich Ilizarov in 1951 to treat people with orthopaedic problems, is now not only used by dwarfs but anybody who feels that being taller (or shorter) is better. women in China are pressured to break their bones to please their boyfriends, get into law school, and increase their job opportunities.

Yoav Rosen recently received a patent for his apparatus to walk on water. his design is counter-intuitive but actually works, as opposed to the 100 or so previous water-walking patents. not even Leonardo da Vinci's design worked. ny times reports about it. [via]

i just came back from siggraph where i finally got to see the Tickle Salon in person. besides being a tickle machine, it can map the body it is tickling when the probe moves along its contours. the probe is suspended by fishing line and the more time it spends on the body, the better it learns about the subtle contours which results in a more detail image of the body.

apologies for not posting for 2 weeks. i just came back from a road trip where i took these photos of the beach and coral reef in Biosphere 2, which used to be a completely air-tight terrarium of simulated worlds like a rain forest and a desert. after you've gone thru their tour, you'll understand why they charge $20. one of the many things i learned from the tour is that their energy bill for the first year that it was in full experimental operation (when the 8 scientists locked themselves in there for 2 years) was in the billions of dollars. thus they created their own energy plant. it has quite an interesting history. you can read about its story here.