The kinda news that makes you go 01001000011011010110110101101101.
NASA Developing Tractor Beams #
When it comes to science fiction, there are but a few things cooler than laser guns, but I gotta say, a tractor beam could be one of them. Steering on a determined path to make the coolest sci-fi tech a reality, NASA have begun work on creating said tractor beam.
Clear your mind of the grandiose ideas of drawing in alien space craft for observation, or deflecting on-coming asteroids; this tractor beam is designed for collecting dust and dirt samples and transporting them to instruments on rovers or orbiting spacecraft.
The tech was proven last year by a group of researchers from the Australian National University, but NASA scientists have now won US$100,000 in funding to study three experimental methods of tractor beamage, in the hopes of replacing current collection technologies such as fiddly robot arms (for land samples) or aerogel (for atmospheric or space samples).
NES Cake is all kinds of geekalicious #
I don’t know about you, but the last themed cake I made turned out more like a post-Akira Tetsuo than the planned fluffy bunny (it was for a kid’s party, ok?). So, when I look at this piece of nostalgic perfection, my jaw sits agape – and not just because I want to bite into it.
The cake was created by Flickr user, and cake maker extraordinaire, DebbieDoesCakes, and I must say, the rest of her work is as equally as impressive/quirky (if a little less geeky). The Marlboro cake is a particularly fine example of some of the baffling objects chosen to become cakes.
Her Flickr photostream is well worth checking out, if only for the oodles of pop-culture references that have been turned into desserts, such as the baby from Eraserhead. So creepy.
3D Printers may print circuit boards in 2 years #
According to the CEO of 3D printing outfit Ponoko, David ten Have, 3D printers could be printing circuit boards in “18 to 24 months”. Of course, he’s just guessing, but he’s also in the kind of position where he can make pretty good guesses.
So, what would this mean? Well, it potentially means a boon to the electronic industry, with rapid prototyping being that much more, well, rapid. For instance, a design team in India could email a keytar concept over to their headquarters in Melbourne, where a real copy could be printed, handled, and tested for its solo-ability before given the go-ahead for manufacture – all in the space of an afternoon.
And, just think, when 3D printers make it to homes, you’d potentially be able to download schematics from the internet, and print your own electronics at home. Can you imagine the goodies that would pop up on the torrents when that happens?
Now, before I get ahead of myself, 3D printers won’t have the resolution to print the chips that will sit on said circuit boards for the foreseeable, so you’ll still have to make your way down to Jaycar/Tandy/your crazy Uncle Harvey’s garage to pick up some extra components before you can print an iPad, but it’s not unreasonable to think that the printer could place any such components onto the circuit board for you, sparing you the trouble of learning how to use a soldering iron.