Author: John

Star Trek Lifeform Scanner!

Now this is nifty, I wonder if this uses some of the technology that was pioneered at Lawrence Livermore Labs a few years ago.

Japanese geological research firm Oyo will launch this month a handheld radar system that rescuers can use to locate people that are alive but unmoving and trapped under rubble.
The system can pinpoint the location and the depth of persons who are breathing by detecting the electromagnetic waves that reflect back from their moving chests.
To use the system, wireless antennas are placed at the search site to send out signals and capture the signals that reflect back. This information is relayed to the handheld radar reader, which analyzes the data and displays moving objects as black dots and living but immobile persons as red dots. Each antenna can search an area of 1 square meter to a depth of around 4.5 meters. A single radar analyzer can read the signals from as many as 30 antennas.

[via we make money not art]
Oyo

Start Your Heart On A Cold Day

Home Automated External Defibrillator

I’ve seen these popping up in public places fr a while now, in fact I saw one of these in the lobby of my office just the other day. The one at my office is in a big white box that says “For Trained Personal Only”. I thought the point of the whole thing was that untrained people were supposed to use this… Anyway this is a wonderful life saving device. When used, the device will issues verbal instructions on how to use itself and will diagnose the patient to determine if a jolt to the heart is needed or not. Could be what keeps the victim off the slab and out the door.

[via GadgetMadness.com]

Philips HeartStart Home Automated External Defibrillator (AED)

Automata for the People

Looks like it should be a handy site once there is some more content on it. I’ll keep checking back to see if anything pops up, you should too.

Auotomata for the people: reviews of paper models from a novice’s point of view, links, pictures, etc related to paper/card modelling and automata creation. Why? because not everone makes ships and planes or star trek model

[via Paper Forest]
Automata for the people

NASA – How We’ll Get Back to the Moon

NASA Plans Moon Mission

NASA has unveiled a plan to return to the moon not too long ago. It’s going to look more like the old Apollo missions of the ’60s. Sounds like a good idea to me, the basic ideas have been tested already and are known to work. The advances in technology over the last 30 years will make for larger vehicles and better performance. Lets hope for solid funding and for politics to keep its nose out of the mix so we can look up at the moon and marvel at the bases there.

NASA – How We’ll Get Back to the Moon

Japnese Flooing, the Tatami Mat

Tatami Mats

Not a while lot of people will know what these are but as far as floor coverings go you could do far worse. Far softer than hardwood and easier to keep clean than carpet, the Tatami Mat is a comfortable alternative for keeping your floors tidy and comfortable. Just remember to take your shoes off when you walk on them or they will be ruined (you should take your shoes off in your house anyway, it keeps your home a lot cleaner.)

Tatami Goza Mats from Japan are an interesting, natural addition to a room. They are made of sustainably-harvested rushes. Each tatami mat contains around 4,000 to 5,000 rushes. Hemp or cotton cord is then used to weave the rushes together.
The mats are especially good for children’s play rooms and bedrooms because they are long-lasting and stain-resistant. New tatami have a green color and a fresh grassy smell which fades in light to leave a bright golden color. They are naturally treated to resist insects. Goza mats are also relatively inexpensive: a 11.41′ by 11.41′ mat costs around $240

Tatami Goza Mats: Natural, Durable, Sustainable