HMMMzology

Cloak Of Invisibility Is Almost Science Fact

2009-01-15T15:45:00.000-08:00

Scientists are creating a real cloak of invisibility...researchers at Duke University, who developed a material that can "cloak" an item from detection by microwaves, report that they have expanded the number of wavelengths they can block. In 2006 the team reported they had developed so-called metamaterials that could deflect microwaves around a three-dimensional object, essentially making it invisible to the waves.

The system works like a mirage, where heat causes the bending of light rays and cloaks the road ahead behind an image of the sky. The researchers report in Thursday's edition of the journal Science that they have developed a series of mathematical commands to guide the development of more types of metamaterials to cloak objects from an increasing range of electromagnetic waves. "The new device can cloak a much wider spectrum of waves — nearly limitless — and will scale far more easily to infrared and visible light. The approach we used should help us expand and improve our abilities to cloak different types of waves," senior researcher David R. Smith said in a statement.

The new cloak is made up of more than 10,000 individual pieces of fiberglass arranged in parallel rows. The mathematical formulas are used to determine the shape and placement of each piece to deflect the electromagnetic waves. The research was supported by Raytheon Missile Systems, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, InnovateHan Technology, the National Science FoundationChina, the National Basic Research Program of China and National Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China.

Wonder What Weird Stuff Is On eBay For Sale?

2008-12-20T14:11:00.000-08:00

Well, now you can keep yourself apprised of the most unusual stuff that is up for sale on eBay by visiting the blog "Weird eBay Listings"...currently it is showcasing someone that has "one genuine soul" up for sale (current bid out of nine is $6.67) or how about the bid for "the Spirit In The Door" from a house built in 1864, which is at a current bid of $20.50? These things are just in time for that special someone at Christmas...but it seems they are better suited for our blog about things that make you go Hmmm...don't you think? Here is the soul seller's description, to wit: "I have, up for auction, my soul. I am broke and have truly stopped caring, so here it is. For the winning bidder will be a photo of the one above, with a typed document saying that i have given you my soul. I will initial it in my blood of you see it that you need it. Email me with anything else that you see that you might need. Also, i will frame the photo if my soul sells for over $5. Good luck and happy bidding." Hurry bidding ends on December 21st!

Read Your Foot? Now You Can-Reflexology

2008-12-12T15:03:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder about reflexology and how reading your foot (or hand) relates to the parts of your body? Hmmm...check these widgets out (Reflexology or "zone therapy" is the practice of massaging, squeezing, or pushing on parts of the feet, or sometimes the hands and ears, with the goal of encouraging a beneficial effect on other parts of the body, or to improve general health.):

Okay how about your foot?

Signs That Make You Go Hmmm

2008-12-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

Here are some signs with the same theme...they all make you go Hmmm.

Hobbies - The World's Oddest Collections

2008-12-04T10:18:00.000-08:00

Baseball cards, Beanie Babies and model trains are so yesterday. Murder weapons, pickled animals and barf bags are hot--and reveal a quirky yet profitable side of the collectibles market. Buyers and sellers agree on one thing: People will pay lofty sums to acquire that special something that intrigues, fascinates or disgusts. The golden rule is collect what you love and should you need to sell, chances are pretty good someone out there will shell out a pretty penny for your one-time obsession.

Speaking of pennies, Walter Husak had some. And now he has even more after selling his collection of 301 rare American pennies for $10.7 million earlier this year. The highest bids were on two large antique "coppers" from 1793 and 1814, fetching $632,500 each. Husak decided it was time to cash out when the only pennies he had not acquired carried price tags of more than $700,000.

Why do collectors like Husak part with their treasures? Often it's about money--either a collector needs some or has spent too much on his or her collection. Significant others might coax collectors to part with their treasures too.

Or a collection might be considered an eyesore and compel the law to intervene.

Just ask Wayne Martin. It took the 64-year-old antique-store owner 40 years to acquire the 30 restored tractors dotting his property. Seems the old adage one man's treasure is another person's trash holds true: City officials in Clovis, N.M., have deemed the collection unsightly, and Martin could face fines.

"I just wanted to preserve the tractors instead of junking them," he says. "People that have been in Clovis for 10 minutes complain and get their way."

Martin can't stomach the idea of pricing his beloved tractors, which were abandoned or acquired for next to nothing, so he will let bidders determine their value. He has decided to keep six as the last remnants of the hobby he shared with his father.

Another reason for selling a collection: Investment priorities can shift.

Take Florida real estate magnate Anthony Pugliese, who, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, decided to liquidate his collection of pop culture memorabilia to start "City of Destiny," a 61-square-mile community in Florida that uses alternative energy and other green technologies.

Pugliese put his collection on the block in March. The Palms Casino, site of the auction, billed the 850-lot auction as the "greatest pop culture collection ever assembled." It took Pugliese 25 years to amass and includes the gun Jack Ruby used to shoot Lee Harvey Oswald, Mel Gibson's sword from Braveheart and the Wicked Witch's hat from The Wizard of Oz.

The sword and the hat sold for $25,000 and $170,000, respectively. Pugliese received bids upward of $1 million for the pistol but ultimately decided to keep the historic weapon.

And collecting isn't just an American pastime. Kumla, a small town in central Sweden, is the world capital when it comes to airsickness bags. It took 15 years for Rune Tapper, a radio engineer, to acquire more than 1,200 barf bags from 474 airlines in 133 countries, which he showcases on his Web site, sicksack.com.

"I must be alone in the world collecting barf bags," he says in an e-mail. "You can't imagine how surprised I was when mail started pouring in from other collectors around the world with bag donations and requests for bag swapping.

Some airlines even print special edition bags. A recent eBay search reveals a market for the bags. Though, Tapper, 58, collects only for fun. "My collection is only worth the paper the bags are made of," he says.

Collectors will shell out big bucks for any obsession. Case in point: The Golden Calf a work by British artist Damien Hirst that sold for more than $15 million this fall at Sotheby's in London. The piece can best be described as a calf with golden horns and hooves suspended in formaldehyde. Science experiment gone bad to some, pricey objet d'art to others. Hirst's collection netted nearly $200 million.

Calling cards were Gerald Burg's, well, calling card. Not telephone cards, but the Victorian-era name cards left when visiting an acquaintance. According to the Houston Chronicle, Burg’s extensive assortment features some of history's most famous names, including Napoleon, Jefferson, Sitting Bull and Hitler. Burg estimates spending $150,000 over 60 years on the collection that also includes some of the literary world's best: Hemingway, Twain and Jack London. Burg isn't in financial dire straights but wants to ensure the collection is available to the public.

The 10,000 card collection became Burg's retirement fund, proving a healthy obsession can be a sound investment.

( source: From Article By David Sutton, Forbes.com )

Reading Test - The Power Of TheHuman Mind

2008-12-04T01:04:00.000-08:00

50 Things That Make You Go "Hmmm"

2008-11-27T20:31:00.000-08:00

Soooo, have you ever wondered about things that make you go "Hmmm"...Well, Hmmm? Here are 50 to dwell on; let me know if you come up with an answer

1. Why do we park in driveways and drive on parkways?

2. Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?

3. Can I yell "movie" in a crowded firehouse?

4. Can you be a closet claustrophobic?

5. How do a fool and his money GET together?

6. Why does Hawaii have interstate highways?

7. How is it that a building burns up as it burns down?

8. If a train station is where the train stops, what is a workstation?

9. If nothing ever sticks to Teflon, how do they make Teflon stick to the pan?

10.If the pen is mightier than the sword, and a picture is worth a thousand words, how dangerous is a fax?

11. If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?

12. What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?

13. What was the best thing before sliced bread?

14.Why do banks charge you a "non-sufficient funds" fee on money they already know you don't have?

15. Why do they put Braille on the drive through bank machines?

16. If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends?

17. If you get cheated by the Better Business Bureau, who do you complain to?

18. What are Preparation A through Preparation G?

19. In a country of free speech, why are there phone bills?

20. Did Washington flash a quarter when asked for ID?

21. How come there aren't B batteries?

22. If the post office has machines that can sort snail mail at 1000's of times per minute, then why do they give it to a little old man on a bike to deliver?

23. How do "Do not walk on the grass" signs get there?

24. Why do black olives come in cans and green olives come in jars?

25. Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?

26. How is it possible to have a civil war?

27. If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

28. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

29. If the #2 pencil is so popular, why is it still #2?

30. Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song?

31. If I melt dry ice, can I take a bath without getting wet?

32. Crime doesn't pay...does that mean that my job is a crime?

33. How do they get the deer to cross at that yellow road sign?

34. How do you know that honesty is the best policy until you have tried some of the others?

35. How do you throw away a garbage can?

36. How does a thermos know if the drink should be hot or cold?

37. How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the mornings?

38. Do you realize how many holes there could be if people would just take the time to take the dirt out of them?

39. If a word in the dictionary were misspelled, how would we know?

40. If you're in a vehicle going the speed of light, what happens when you turn on the headlights?

41. What happens to an 18 hour bra after 18 hours?

42. Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

43. Why do hot dogs come 10 to a package and hot dog buns only 8?

44. Why do tourists go to the tops of tall buildings and then put money into telescopes so they can see things on the ground close-up?

45. Why is it that bullets ricochet off of Superman's chest, but he ducks when the gun is thrown at him?

46. Why is it that night falls but day breaks?

47. Why is it that you must wait until night to call it a day?

48. What if the Hokey Pokey IS what its all about?

49. When your pet bird sees you reading the newspaper, does he wonder why you're just sitting there, staring at carpeting?

50. What happened to the first 6 "ups"?