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One of the largest inhibitors to cheap solar power has always been the high cost of solar panels (due to their thick glass, framing, and expensive silicon). San Jose-based Nanosolar, Inc. appears ready to eliminate these barriers with solar technology that utilizes thin sheets of non-silicon components that reduce the production costs by over 90% and decreases the thickness by 99% (the Nanosolar PowerSheets are thin enough to be rolled up).
Unlike many other solar companies, Nanosolar has already built a massive manufacturing plant and intends to deliver its first solar sheets to European customers in 2008 at a price that will put solar power at or below the per watt price of fossil fuel-based energy. The company claims that the technology is so versatile that they could be incorporated into roofing shingles or even rolled onto the top of cars or trucks. Link [Popular Science]
Woot! Our pal Ape Lad of Hobotopia drew this awesome Neatorama LOLCat panel.
Ape Lad is running a Pip Fan Club promotion (Pip is the hapless kitten, Meowlin Q. Kitteh is the "cat hobo-raconteur"). For $10, you’ll get a junior membership, which include a signed photograph of teh cats, Teh Leaflet (Pip’s newsletter) #1 and #2, membership cards and a secret fact about the LOLCats.
The secret that I get is a doozie, but I’m not tellin’ what it is. You’ve just got to find out on your own: Link
A five month old Northern fur seal pup wandered inland from the Pacific Ocean at Tracy, California. His destination? The Tracy Animal Shelter! Animal control officers corraled him on the front steps of the shelter and took him to his new home at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. Link (with video) -via Fark
Video of Earth rising and setting over the moon’s horizon, taken with the HDTV camera aboard Japan’s KAGUYA (SELENE) lunar explorer on November 7, 2007.
Eventually, Japanese TV will show the high-definition version. From Pink Tentacle via Cynical-C
Now this is weird: an Indian man, who suffered from sickness after stoning stray dogs to death 20 years ago, is atoning for his sins by … marrying a stray dog!
P. Selvakumar, a 33-year-old farm labourer from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, married the four-year-old stray bitch after it was bathed and processed to his village temple dressed in an orange sari and garlanded with flowers. [...]
He was reported to have suffered a series of physical ailments after stoning the dogs to death and hanging their bodies from a tree.
“After that my legs and hands got paralysed and I lost hearing in one ear,” said Mr Selvakumar after the ceremony with his new "bride", whose name is Selvi.
A reception attended by some 200 guests was held for the newlyweds in the groom’s house during which Selvi grew restless and ran away.
However she was subsequently recaptured and returned to her husband who gave her milk and a bun to eat.
Just as I thought: a dog will do anything for milk and bun! Link
Artist Adam Parker Smith has an exhibition called Bold as Love, which consists of grotesque sculptures of zombie heads made out of felt!
When a group (wisdom? parliament? stare? study? Take a pick of your favorite animal collectives) of baby owls became orphaned, they found a new surrogate mom: a stuffed toy!
A group of orphaned baby owls snuggle up to a cuddly toy which has become their surrogate mum after they were found on the brink of death in the wild.
The tiny tawny owl chicks burrow in under the fluffy toy’s wings to keep warm after they were separated from their own mothers. [...]
The group have all bonded and snuggle up close to each other and to the cuddly toy owl dubbed ‘mummy owl’, which has to be washed regularly because she gets so much love.
In the dark about what to get your beloved Doctor Who #1 fan? A Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver Flashlight, of course!
Link (too bad it’ll be too late for Christmas, it ships in January) – via Boing Boing, thanks Lee!
Congrats to Google co-founder Larry Page is getting married! Seems like his search has ended …
It looks like one of the country’s richest bachelors is about to be taken off the market.
Google co-founder Larry Page — a 34-year-old man worth nearly $20 billion — is reported to have set a date next month to wed his girlfriend Lucy Southworth.
Now seriously, what would you get a gazillionaire for a wedding present? Link (Photo: Brajeshwar [Flickr creative commons] Valleywag- Thanks Tiffany!
RHex is a man-portable robot with extraordinary rough terrain mobility. RHex climbs over rock fields, mud, sand, vegetation, railroad tracks, telephone poles and up steep slopes and stairways. RHex has a sealed body, making it fully operational in wet weather, in muddy and swampy conditions, and it can swim on the surface or dive underwater.
RHex is made by Boston Dynamics, and is controlled by a remote operator up to 600 feet away. Link -via Dark Roasted Blend
Yesterday the 2 billionth photo was uploaded to the Flickr photo sharing web site.
Yes, this is the 2 billionth photo on flickr. It was taken in front of Market City in Chinatown Haymarket in Sydney.
Link – via kottke.org
You never get a second chance to make a first last impression. Ransom Riggs of mental_floss wrote and directed an animated video that takes us on a tour of famous people in history and their famous last words, all set to a catchy tune and hosted by the Grim Reaper himself! Link
Bill Blakemore of ABC World News Webcast has the concise (and neat) history of the most famous video game character of all history: Mario!
In 1982, our unpreposessing little rescuer Jumpman was given a cheerful name rarely seen in the annals of heroes: Mario – in a sequel game called donkey Kong Jr. In 1983, little Mario was given a shot at his own game, Mario Bros. …
Link [ABC World News Webcast] – Thanks Zach and Natalie!
See also: 10 Mario Fun Facts!
From the August 1946 copy of Popular Science, here’s an article by Leon Shloss on ways to save someone from drowning (before the advent of modern CPR techniques). To wit, the "Eve Method," which was invented by Dr. Frank C. Eve.
Eve: The rocking ventilates the lungs by alternately pushing and pulling the diaphragm up and down. At the same time, blood is forced through the oxygen-starved heart muscle, helping to start it or to restore a feeble beat. Further, the nerve cells of the brain and breathing center receive blood at normal pressure. When the feet-down tilt is made, blood from the extended arms fills the heart and encourages it to beat and pump. Dr. Eve goes beyond the blankets-for-warmth phase, when the equipment is available, in recommending application of hot bottles over the neck to revive the chilled nerve cells at the base of the brain.
And of course you’ll find boulders, boards, and ropes on just about every instance where you need to revive someone! Link – via Okfuture, thanks Dan!
If you read the article, you’d notice a reference to the Schafer Method of Resuscitation – if you’re curious, here’s how it was performed.
