Inspired by the way razor clams dig into the seafloor sediment, MIT researchers have built a robotic anchor for autonomous water vehicles. About the size of a cigarette lighter, the prototype RoboClam imitates the way the real clam's "foot" works its way into the sand. — Read the rest

The citizens of Bluefields in Nicaragua (population 50,000) enjoy a high standard of living thanks to the weekly (or sometimes daily) bales of cocaine that drift ashore. The cocaine comes from Colombian traffickers who throw it from their boats when the US Coast Guard pursues them. — Read the rest

Snip from an essay at Edge.org by Kevin Kelly:

The main question that I'm asking myself is, what is the meaning of technology in our lives? What place does technology have in the universe? What place does it have in the human condition?

From the Associated Press:

Exposure to methane gas led to the deaths of four family members and a farmhand, but whether they suffocated from the fumes or drowned in 18 inches of liquefied cow manure may never be known, authorities said.

This is a great idea. These folks bought fast food items and photographed them, then placed the photos side-by-side with the photos in ads for the same product. Shown here: KFC Famous Bowl

Each item was purchased, taken home, and photographed immediately.

My friend Kevin Kelly, a co-founding editor of Wired and author of several excellent books, including Out of Control and Asia Grace, is a documentary movie junkie. True Films, his 56-page PDF book, reviews 100 of his favorite documentaries.

Kevin says:

(Click on thumbnails for enlargement)"True Films" contains the best 100 documentaries I've reviewed on True Films as of December, 2004.

This is smart: recycle a bathtub into an outdoor armchair by slicing it in half and bolting the halves together, or do the same thing but lengthwise to make a weatherproof sofa.

Link

(via Cribcandy)

Update: Here's an alternative design from last year's Goldsmith's College Degree Show — thanks, Isotonic! — Read the rest

Researchers from Ohio State University have shown that the fermented, liquefied feed extracted from a cow's stomach can produce about 600 millivolts. The juice comes from the rumen, the biggest portion of a cow's stomach. Unlike converting methane from cow shit into electricity, a method that requires expensive gear, this method generates electricity as the microorganisms in rumen fluid break down the complex carbohydrates in roughage. — Read the rest

The Universe Within is an exhibit of plastinated corpses currently on display at San Francisco's Masonic Center. It's basically a knock-off of plastination pioneer Gunther von Hagens' Bodyworlds show. Apparently though, the people who plastinated these bodies didn't have von Hagens's chops. — Read the rest

Kevin Kelly reviews GotLogos.com, an outfit that designs take-it-or-leave-it logos for $25.

I bought one $25 logo for my emerging True Films website. Its style (identical to Cool Tools) is pretty minimal, an approach which is actually hard to design for.

You can now buy Kevin Kelly's excellent True Films book as a PDF file for $3 via PayPal.

What it is: True Films contains the best 100 documenatries I've reviewed in True Films as of December, 2004. (There may be additional films reviewed in 2005 posted here but they will not be included until version 2.0.)