The robot, named iCub, was designed by researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology. Oblivious to political correctness, they dressed the little humanoid in a Native American headdress and thanks to a complicated computer algorithm, the robot learned from its missed shots until it hit the bull’s-eye.

Researchers say that choosing the bow and arrow has nothing to do with arming little humanoids to take over the planet, but was picked purely for its inherent and obvious reward, and simultaneous marriage of motor control with image processing. Why do I have a hard time believing that? Too many Terminator movies, I guess.

The first iteration of iCub hit the bull’s-eye, standing three and a half meters from the target, in eight attempts. While not exactly Olympic archery material, it is pretty impressive. iCub uses a a learning algorithm called ARCHER, or Augmented Reward Chained Regression, which implements a camera to process the bull’s-eye image, and his previously fluffed attempts, to figure out the perfect angle, force and trajectory to make the winning shot.

Earlier this year, the researchers at the Italian Technology Institute also taught a Barrett WAM 7 robotic arm to flip pancakes all by itself. While it took 50 attempts to get it right, they obviously have tweaked the model a bit with iCub.

iCub will present his archery-mastering skills at the Humanoids 2010 conference this December in Tennessee, along with a passenger carrying a biped, musical conducting robots, a Mini-Humanoid Pianist and a robot that can play table tennis.

Wait, there’s an entire conference dedicated to Humanoids, and it’s in December? For some reason I can’t help but think of December, 2012. You know, when the world is supposed to end. Could this Humanoid conference be the catalyst? No, of course not. I’m kidding. Still, one can’t help but wonder where it’s all going to stop. First a bow and arrow, then a shotgun, maybe a flamethrower? Research presses on, though, and continues to test the limits of artificial intelligence. Mark my words, good reader. It won’t be long before you hear a robot mumble, “I’ll be back,” and boy will it ever.

The design replaces the traditional chain with a symmetrical rope and pulley system on each side of the bike, but it’s more complex than having a simple bicycle chain and gears. The rotation of the pedals forces arms at each side to swing forward and backward on its shaft. When moving forward, the arm pulls the driving wire that is wound around a drum on the rear wheel, forcing the wheel to rotate. The arms at each side alternate so that when one is moving forward the other is moving backward. It still has gears, though. 19 of them, in fact, which can be turned at any time by turning a shifting knob on the right handle grip. This moves the pulley shafts up and down along a traction path on a disc, and while gears can be changed while the Stringbike is stationary, they work faster as the speed of the bicycle increases.

Perhaps the best thing about the new Stringbike, is that the drive system will be able to be replaced with different parts for specific purposes such as racing or or touring, so you might not need to have separate bicycles for the different activities you participate in. That’s a huge money saver right there. Not only that, but the driving rope is a special high density polyethylene product with high stability over extended periods, and which is resistant to mud, water, dirt, sand, and humidity. Resistant? That’s genius.

With traditional bike chains and gears often soiling the riders clothing, this new rope and pulley system may be just what you are looking for in a new bike to get you around. With chains being susceptible to weather conditions, this new system is sure to last longer, too.

As more and more people become conscious of the environment, and want to do their part but can’t afford a newfangled electric car, this new Stringbike just may be the answer for those summertime rides. It was just unveiled in Padova, Italy, but look for it to be on the market near the middle of 2011. No word yet on cost, but if saves you money on new pants, it’s got to be worth it.

Let’s say that you have a few projects that you want to complete around the house. To do them you will need a drill. Do you want one with a cord, or one that is cordless? Cordless may seem like the way to go, but remember that they are heavier, and if used a lot, require charging on a regular basis. Scope out the tasks at hand and see if there are any outlets around. A drill that has a cord is lightweight and usually more powerful, and it may be just what you need. There’s also brand to consider. Black and Decker? Makita? There are so many choices. Craftsman are pretty loyal to their brands and can give you some tips if needed, so don’t be afraid to speak to some friends to see what they use.

Of course, power tools aren’t just about drills. You might have a more ambitious project that needs completing. Perhaps you want to build a treehouse for your kids, or a set of kitchen cabinets for the wife, or a coffee table with built in beer fridge for yourself. Those will require more than just a drill. In fact, this is where we get into the area of power saws. Jigsaws, table saws, circular saws, flooring saws; the list is almost endless, so choosing the right one for the job could be difficult. Should you just want to cut a simple piece of wood in half, a circular saw is probably your best bet. In this case it’s also probably best to go with cordless, since you will most like be in an area like your backyard or garage, and will need the flexibility to move around without worrying about getting your feet caught in a bunch of cords. Safety first, right? Let’s say you’re getting fancy though, and want to add some scrolling designs to your coffee table or cabinets. A reciprocating power saw is good in this instance, as the blades can be changed to suit your needs and they are good for tight spaces, thus providing you with the design you desire.

Power tools aren’t just limited to drills and saws, though. There’s also the power sander to consider if you want to smooth down a surface before painting or shellacking over it. What about the power washer if you want to tidy tough to clean surfaces? There’s even an electric screwdriver that can do the work for you. For almost any job you have, there’s a power tool for that.

Don’t be foolish, though. It’s always good to ask for help regarding power tools before you start whatever job you are doing. Places like Home Depot, Lowe’s and Ace Hardware have expert staff and departments that will be happy to provide you with the information you need, and they might even recommend a power tool that you never thought to consider. That’s what they’re there for. They can help you in the early planning stages, and if you get stuck halfway through the job, they can work to get you out of a jam.

Finally, when it comes to power tools, another important thing to consider is the warranty. Most manufacturers carry a one year warranty on corded power tools, and three years on cordless. This anything less than that and you might be stepping into dangerous territory, as the less time on the warranty there is, the better your chances are of getting a sub-par power tool. It is one of the most underrated assets when choosing a power tool, so be on the lookout for manufacturers that have good warranties, meaning they stand behind the power tools they make.

Whether you’re working around the house, or need power tools for work, choosing the right one is important. Brand, task, price and warranty all come into play, and you might find that going with a full-on power tool kit is you best bet, or not, depending on your needs. As long as you sit down and plan things out ahead of time, you should be able to have all the information you need when you go to buy your power tools. From there the possibilities are endless as to what you can accomplish.

While Engelbart was a Graduate student at Berkeley, he worked in the California Digital Computer project, CALDIC. He received several small patents during his time working on the CALDIC. While Engelbart was in the Navy, he read the Vannavar Bush article “As We May Think” and was inspired by the article. After he graduated from Berkeley he took a position as Acting Assistant Professor. Engelbart then went on to work for the Stanford Research Institute (SRI). He worked for Hewitt Crane on devices at SRI.

At SRI, Engelbart proved himself with over a dozen patents and was funded to do a report on his proposed research agenda, Augmenting Human Intellect: A Conceptual Framework. This resulted in the creation of the Augmentation Research Center or ARC at SRI. Engelbart and his team developed many computer-interface elements including hypertext, bit-mapped screens, the mouse, collaborative tools, and beginnings of a graphic user interface.

The patent for the very first computer mouse was submitted by Engelbart in 1967 and granted in 1970. Engelbart’s mouse consisted of a wooden shell with metal wheels. He described the mouse as an “X-Y position indicator for a display system”.  Engelbart later deemed it a mouse because a tall came out of the end.

Many of Engelbart’s creations including the corded keyboard were used in the creation of ARPNET (the precursor to the internet.) ARPNET was created in two labs; one at UCLA and the other at Engelbart’s Lab at SRI.  He believed in a collective exchange of ideas and software. Engelbart acted on these beliefs and used grant money to create the Hyperscope and Hyperword projects that created Ajax, DHTML and Firefox’s Hyperword add-on.

DR. Engelbart has been awarded countless accommodations for his work. His papers and work with computers is studied worldwide.

The Airbus A321 has been a staple of the airline industry since its inception in November 1989. The main difference between the Airbus A321 and its predecessor, the A320, is the length of the fuselage, which resulted in heavier weight and a reduction in the range of the aircraft. The Airblue flight originated in the southern city of Karachi and was only a two hour flight to Islamabad, at just over 700 nautical miles, which is well within the 2,350 nautical mile limit of the A321 fully loaded. The maximum passenger capacity of the jetliner is 220 with an operating crew of two.  The first 104 Airbus A321s were delivered in 1989. Despite the vehicle design’s age, the production of A321s continues today, with an order of 20 recently purchased by the Air Lease Corporation in the U.K.

So how does the performance of these two vehicles compare? The Volt is being promoted with a capability of going 40 miles on the battery charge before the gasoline “booster” engine kicks in to extend the vehicle’s range by 300 miles. The Leaf, on the other hand, boasts a whopping 100 miles on a fully charged battery, but (and this is a big caveat) it has no gasoline engine to extend its range.

In my opinion, the best option at this point would be to lease, if you are looking at one of these new ultra-green vehicles. Primarily, which one you decide to go with should probably be decided by the length of your daily commute, all other factors being equal. Both cars are featuring an eight year, 100,000 mile warranty on the battery.   President Obama is scheduled to test drive a Volt next week in Michigan, which will highlight the importance he has placed on new battery technology.

During the 1920s, he joined Raytheon and worked in tube design. Spencer oversaw the growth of manufacturing the tubes and mass production of the tubes during World War II.

The idea of microwave cooking was literally accidental. Spencer was at Raytheon standing near a radar magnetron when he discovered a chocolate bar in his pocket was melting. Spencer went and found some un-popped popcorn and returned to the magnetron and it started popping. Percy Spencer then built a small metal box and placed a magnetron on it and he used this device to cook his lunches. This was the first microwave oven.

After Spencer’s discovery, Raytheon patented the high frequency dielectric heating apparatus and began selling them for industrial use.  The first microwave ovens were over five feet tall and weighed about 750 pounds. Spencer never received royalties for his invention. He did receive a one-time two dollar bonus.  Spencer had over 300 patents while working at Raytheon, however, the microwave oven was the most notable.

Percy Spencer was married to Louise and had three sons. He died on September 8, 1970; the final cause was undetermined.

First up, gone is the big V8 engine option. That’s right, gas guzzlers beware! So what are the motor options for this mild-mannered cousin of the former SUV realm? 3.5-liter T-VCT V6 or a 2.0L I-4 EcoBoost are the only options available. Yes, that’s right. Hard to imagine an inline four cylinder motor inside an SUV? Wait until you hear what’s being used for the chassis. This new Explorer is built on the same front-wheel drive unibody platform that is used on the Taurus and Flex vehicles. Say what?! Well, now you can understand why it’s not quite as big and why the cost is coming down and safety ratings will be going up. This ain’t your father’s SUV, that’s for sure. Below is a video from the Facebook reveal promoted by the Ford Explorer website on this latest marvel of engineering. I have to give them one thing…they are still coming up with innovation and advances in their vehicles, despite not taking any of the Government bailout money. Ford is still an American icon, even if this SUV sucks.

Who in their life can say they haven’t wanted to be invisible at some point during the course of their existence. To be a fly on the wall in the girls’ high school locker room (naughty boys!) To walk into your boss’s office undetected to find out what she really thinks of that presentation you just did. To saunter through a busy street completely undetected by the people around you–come on, you know you want to bump into them like a ghost, and snicker behind your hand as they look around stunned and try to figure out what just happened.

The possibility to become invisible has enticed us since the dawn of time, and now it looks as though that fantasy is just about to become a reality.

Michigan Tech Associate Professor of Electrical and Technical Engineering, Elena Semouchkina, has been experimenting with nonmetallic glass and metamaterials to develop a cloaking device. Light is bent around the object being cloaked, making it appear invisible. Semouchkina and her colleagues published their research in Applied Physics Letters.

I know, appear and invisible should not even be in the same sentence, but that’s the way these things work. They don’t actually disappear. They just become invisible.

The potential for this technology would be amazing for military and police, who could cloak their vehicles, though now I’m thinking the last thing I want is a speeding ticket because the cops were invisible.

I love the fact that they are actually developing things like this. It reminds me of Star Trek or Star Wars, and the possibilities once it’s actually developed are limitless. On the other hand, we’ve all seen how being invisible can get you into serious trouble.

While I highly doubt they’ll hand out invisibility cloaking devices to the general public, if I could get my hands on one of these things, I’d use it to spy on my fifteen-year-old daughter when she goes out on dates. And later, when I asked her questions about the date, I’d know if she was lying.

Now that I think about it, maybe they should market it to parents. Your kids would never get in trouble again because you’d always be one step behind them watching their every move.

Either way, it will be years before this technology is perfected, but just knowing it’s possible warms my heart in a very Dr. Evil sort of way.

The mechanism looks a lot more streamlined and sci-fi than you might expect. It seems fairly simple to slip into, requiring only the same movements wheelchair users already perform to transfer in and out of their chair. From there, a series of straps hold the legs in place, while the user pulls himself upright to a standing position.

Movement is controlled via a right-mounted joystick, and while the movement in the embedded video below seems slow, that criticism would surely fade against the thrill of upright mobility. The rechargeable battery lasts two hours on a full charge, and it may be easily swapped out for a fresh one. Worn over clothes, the Rex exoskeleton was designed to be comfortable to be worn all day if desired. The Rex can stand up, walk, move sideways, turn around, go up and down steps, and walk on flat hard surfaces including ramps and slopes.

So what are the drawbacks? First of all, it carries a price of $150,000, and for now it will only roll out in New Zealand. It isn’t known at present how many exoskeletons will initially be available. One can only imagine what innovations this will spark, though one immediately comes to mind: power lifters a la the movie Aliens. Soon, you too will be able to face down giant xenomorphs and save the day! Check out the video below to see the Rex exoskeleton in action.

Called the Crew Space Transportation-100 (CST-100), it is designed to carry up to seven astronauts on short missions up to 100 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. The capsule comes after Boeing won an $18 million award by NASA under the Commercial Crew Development Space Act Agreement, which is intended to help in the development for new commercial spacecraft systems for transporting folks to the International Space Station, as well as any future private space stations. Bigelow Airspace’s Orbital Space Complex, anyone?

The CST-100 can stay docked to a space station for up to seven months, and is protected by an ablative heat shield. The design allows for up to 10 missions for each capsule. Expect the first one to be launched from Florida in 2014 if all goes well, and with current specs, it is able to ride on the Atlas V, Delta IV or SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket in order to get it off the ground.

The biennial Fanborough International Airshow runs until July 25, and with so much awesome stuff coming out of this years event, I may have to consider attending the next one in 2012.

This Laser Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) has already been tested successfully by shooting down unmanned vehicles using a solid state fiber laser that produces a 50 kilowatt beam. It can also be used against mortar, rockets and small surface ships. Made by U.S. company, Raytheon, it’s already been tied to Phalanx, the U.S. Navy’s anti-missile defense system. Which, oddly enough, is nicknamed “R2-D2.”

While problems such as weather conditions, and even the target itself, have plagued laser weapon development in the past, Raytheon Missile Systems’ vice president, Mike Booen, says that these problems could be overcome. “Every material reflects, but you can overcome this with power; once you get over a certain threshold – measured in multiple kilowatts – then the laser does what it is designed to do.”

Based on the video below, it sure looks like the CIWS can do a lot of damage, regardless of the conditions or target. Watch as it blasts a UAV into flames, and pay attention to the night test. Ladies and gentlemen, we are now living in a world where lasers can shoot down stuff, and as much as that kind of frightens me, my adrenaline can’t help but pump when I see this thing in action.

Although it differs from the Solar Impulse in the fact that it is designed for long-flight, low-payload, and is unmanned, Qinetiq’s Zephyr solar powered plane still has the same basic design. Thin solar cells connected to Li-S batteries, and carbon fiber construction. Right now, it’s pretty much just a frame controlled by a module used to operate the rudders, prop speed, and thing of the like. Still, over a week in the air? That’s pretty impressive.

While you won’t be strapping yourself into one in the near future, that’s okay. The ultimate end game for these things isn’t commercial flight, but military in nature. Think of it as the eye in the sky, since the Zephyr really can’t handle much more than a camera to keep a watch on things. With so many drones being tested right now, it only makes sense to figure out a way to harness the power of the sun in order to keep costs low by reducing fuel, and going with the most simple of designs.

While I’d rather see this green technology used for commercial purposes, you have to admit that things sure are a lot of fun these days in the aviation industry, aren’t they?

Diesel decided he wanted to be an engineer at age 14, after graduating at the top of his class in 1873. He took a scholarship from the Royal Bavarian Polytechnic of Munich in 1875, against the will of his parents.  Diesel graduated with high honors from the school in 1880. He went back to his parents in Paris, and joined with former professor Carl von Linde on the design and construction of a modern refrigeration and ice plant. He soon took over the job as director of the plant.

Rudolf Diesel married Martha Flasche in 1883 and continued is work with Linde. During this time he received numerous patents in both France and Germany.  The couple had three children together and in 1890, the family moved to Berlin. In Berlin, Diesel took over management of Linde’s corporate research department.

He soon began to work with various engine designs and fuels. His research into fuel efficiency led him to work on and improve the steam engine, using ammonia vapor. His experiment exploded and almost caused Diesel’s death. Rudolf Diesel spent many months in the hospital recovering from the near fatal accident. He started working on an engine based on Carnot cycle. When Daimler and Benz created the motor car in 1887, Diesel published a treatise entitled “Theory and Construction of a Rational Heat-engine to Replace the Steam Engine and Combustion Engines Known Today.“

With the help of Springer Verlag Berlin, Diesel was able to build a working engine, which was the precursor to the diesel engine. Rudolf Diesel obtained patents for his design in Germany, America, and other countries.

On September 29, 1913, Rudolf diesel boarded a steamboat from Antwerp to London for a meeting of the Consolidated Diesel Manufacturing Company. He ate dinner and retired to his cabin around 10:00 p.m. Diesel left word form someone to wake him at 6:15 a.m. He was never seen alive again. No one was in his room when a shipmate went to wake him in the morning. Ten days later, a Dutch boat came across a corpse in the water. They could not retrieve the body because of the decay; however they removed some of the personal belongings from the body, to identify the man. Diesel’s son Eugen Diesel identified the items as his fathers on October 13th.

This marked the second piece of good news for Boeing, as they also unveiled their new 787 Dreamliner plane after a two-year production delay, making it the first time Boeing has had a new model aircraft at a show since the 1990s.

Last month, Emirates announced an order for 32 additional Airbus A380 superjumbojets from Boeing, which would give them 90 A380s in its fleet. It also marked the single largest 380 order in history.

The New York Times calls the deal a “a sign that commercial aviation, and Boeing‘s fortunes, are starting to recover from the global recession.” That may be very true, but they still face challenges to their midsize civilian jet market from companies like Bombardier in Canada, and Embraer in Brazil.

With the sale of 30 777s and the unveiling of the 787 Dreamliner though, there’s no denying that Boeing is poised to continue its dominance in the aviation field, and ready to fend off all challengers to their monopoly.

Right now, a typical computer processes data by crunching 0s and 1s, but with a quantum computer tasks dozens of tasks could be performed simultaneously by zapping charged subatomic particles, called ions, with a laser. In order to do that though, you first have to manipulate the quantum-mechanical states of atoms by trapping ions.

Enter Jason Amini, project physicist.

Amini and his team have built an ion trap, which is a web of electrodes that produces an electric field to hold the ions in place, hovering just above the trap’s surface. With the success their ion trap, they are now on to figuring out a way to constructing a trap that can hold hundreds of ions instead of the two or three is now manages. Once that is achieved, the traps could outperform conventional computers on certain tasks within the next five years.

I say bring it on. I’m tried of my computer always crashing due to multiple programs being opened at once. I’m a multitask kind of guy, like you. More is good, in my opinion, and that includes ions.

Many people forget about conserving energy at work simply because they don’t have to pay for it. As a company, you need to reinforce energy saving programs and practices with reminders for your employees.

Turning off the lights is obviously one of the biggest energy saving tips. Placing signs to remind employees to turn off the lights as they leave is a great way to keep it fresh in everyone’s mind. Using bulbs with lower wattage, CFL bulbs or fluorescent lighting, can change your energy usage dramatically.

Whenever possible you should try to encourage the use of natural sunlight.  Open blinds or curtains and let in the light from outside. This can keep you from using all the lights. Another easy way to save energy is to keep bulbs and fixtures clean. This allows more light through.

Focus the light you have on workstations. There is no need to have the same lighting in areas where people are sitting, waiting or in storage areas.

Try to cut down on your dependence on the heater and air conditioner.  Try to let in air from outside when it is comfortable weather. Use fans when you need air circulation.

Make sure your air conditioner or heater is not running while doors and windows are open. During the winter set the temperature between 68 and 70 degrees and 78 to 80 degrees during the summer. Suggest that the air filters be checked on monthly basis. An old air filter can use up to 50% more energy than a new one.

Copy machines, printers and computers should be set to energy saving mode or off when not in use. Other office equipment or radios should also be turned off when no one is in the office.  If your business is closed at night or on the weekend, make sure the last person to leave checks all the lights and turns of the A/C or heater before they go.

You don’t have to completely change your way of thinking, just make small steps to save energy. Utilizing all the above tips will show a change on your next energy bill and help your company save money while having a positive impact on the environment.

Da Vinci, who was born in 1452 in Vinci, Florence, is what many consider the epitome of the Italian Renaissance Man. Many know him for the same reasons I do, his famous paintings like The Last Supper and The Mona Lisa, but he was also an engineer and scientist. He enjoyed studying astronomy, anatomy, chemistry, botany, physics, zoology, cartography and several areas of mathematics, and while it might be fitting to call him a Jack of All Trades, we certainly can’t add the popular “Master of None,” to the end of Da Vinci’s nickname.

Combining his art studies with his scientific studies, Da Vinci was known to do elaborate human and animal anatomy sketches, even sketching the things he saw while dissecting and studying humans and animals.  As well as sketching the anatomy, he also drew some of the earliest elaborate images of the human skeleton and the heart. He was also one of the first to diagram and draw internal body organs, like the appendix, and he created incredibly detailed sketches of the sexual organs, cervix and the fetus.

He was also quite the engineer, inventor and idea man.

Da Vinci was a huge advocate for human flight, creating hundreds of drawings on the possible ways man could fly. Though none of his drawings were ever actually put into practice at the time he created them, some believe the machine he sketched called the ornithopter flying machine, was the basis for the modern day helicopter.

Among some of his most well-known inventions was the automatic bobbin-winder, a tool most people who sew today could not live without. Considering you once had to wind thread and yarn around bobbins by hand, imagine the tedious work and sore fingers his invention cured. He also invented the viola organista, the first recorded bowed keyboard instrument.

Da Vinci’s ideas were larger than life, and a good number of them were well beyond the scope of his time. In fact, they were so large, many of them weren’t actually able to be created and tested until hundreds of years after his death. War machines, flight mechanisms, bridge structures… his scope and vision far exceeded the constraints of his time, which reminds me a little bit of my favorite inventor, Nikola Tesla.

The unfortunate thing is I’ve only just dipped my finger into the icing that is Da Vinci’s cake. He was a fascinating and incredibly innovative mind that has inspired volumes and volumes of work in the last five hundred years.

(Image via curatedobject)

On sale next year, the Brammo Empulse will be available in a few models with various prices, but the top of the line one will be able to reach speeds of 100 mph with a 100 mile average range. It puts out 55 HP and 59 Lb-Ft of torque, and weighs just 390 lbs. Not bad at all. It will retail for around $14,000, along with two, smaller range cycles with price tags of $10,000 and $12,000 respectively.

The only drawback is the recharge time. Using a standard 110v outlet, expect the Empulse to take between six and eight hours for a full charge. Like all batteries though, the charge time is not linear. Meaning that if the battery is only half, or three-quarters full, it will only take a couple of hours to charge.

Like all electric motorcycles though, the Brammo Empulse will be virtually silent, and possess no tailpipe to gush out harmful emissions.

I never thought I’d see Best Buy start to sell electric motorcycles, but with the success of their first “green” store in the UK, it was only a matter of time before stuff like that began making its way across the pond.

10,000 Volt automobiles will be manufactured next year by GM, and will initially be sold in Texas, New York, Michigan, California, and Washington, D.C., as a way of challenging the high-tech image Toyota won with the success of the Prius hybrid. The Volt will run on all-electric drive for 40 miles before a gasoline engine recharges the battery, and it’s that battery that will have the 8-year warranty.

In order to challenge Toyota though, GM will have to make sure that the Volt performs to standards, and be willing to do what it takes to stand behind it. Offering an 8-year warranty on the battery is just the first step. The other factor is cost. While the Volt has no price tag yet, GM executives have said that they would like to keep it below $40,000. The 2009 model of the Toyota Prius sold for around $22,000.

With every auto maker in the world looking to get in on manufacturing hybrids and electric vehicles, GM is on the right track here by offering the 8-year warranty on their battery. Now they just have to make sure the car performs well.

The problem occurred when a hydraulic leak on the line attached to one of the valves was discovered. This of course coming after they removed the current cap, and stopped collecting oil at all, allowing it to flow freely once again into the gulf. You’d think they would have learned by now. Oh wait, I forgot who I was talking about. This new test involves closing valves on a tight-fitting cap to increase pressure in the cap in order to asses the the rest of the ruptured wells condition. Retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen who is in charge of all this, said that results, “would determine our confidence to shut the well in and understand we’re not harming the well bore.”

Hopefully they figure out something instead of causing more damage, since there are concerns that this new procedure could do more harm than good. Specifically by having oil and gas leaking from the seafloor around the well rather than up through it as it does now.

While this test is being conducted, construction on the relief well which is considered by most to be the one true way of stopping this disaster at its source, has been stopped.

You may slap your forehead…now.

An informant told police that Bass’ car may have been dismantled and buried deep in the ground at an abandoned lot in Alviso, California. Of course it had to be a huge lot, littered with metallic debris to make the job of law enforcement officers that much harder. The DA enlisted the help of the USGS, and they in turn called on NASA’s Payload Directed Flight research group for support. Case closed.

Using a Senseta MAX 5.0A rover to map out the magnetic environment, the data processed by the USGS told them just where to excavate which, sure enough, turned up pieces of Bass’ car, leading him to plead no contest to charges of manslaughter.

The Senseta MAX 5.0A uses various technologies for processing algorithms geared toward underground surveying. More specifically – ground penetrating radar systems used for intelligent autonomous Earth Science missions.

Just another day at NASA, I suppose. I’d still be a bit leery. Six years isn’t a lot of jail time and for all we know, Bass has tattooed ‘ROBOT’ and ‘NASA,’ on his knuckles. Shoot, someone put that little guy in protective custody.

While the actual figures for this new system are classified, it is known that THAAD has an estimated range of 125 miles (200 km), and can reach an altitude of 93 miles (150 km). A little close, but it will do. Designed to intercept Scuds and similar weapons, it also has a limited capability against ICBMs.

Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, THAAD has undergone a battery of tests. Its seventh, and latest one over Hawaii, proved the system’s ability to intercept a unitary target in the low endo-atmosphere, giving it a 100 percent record. Now in production, it can protect an area the size of New Jersey using nothing more than kinetic energy. That is to say that it hits oncoming missiles really, really hard.

Now, I’m no war expert, but if something like this can protect a large area with no warhead attached to it, why can’t it be used as an offensive weapon? Seems something like that can do a great deal of damage to a target on the ground without the fallout. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me. After all, the military has a long history of making things go boom, so why stop now?

The new seat, called the Mk US16T, functions better in scenarios where it is needed the most. Low-altitude, low-airspeed range. This is due to the the fact that it is known as a “zero-zero” seat, meaning that it can eject at zero altitude and zero airspeed, so the aircrew can bail out on the ground. The new seat also provides rapid deployment of the parachute, whereas older models took a few seconds to open upon leaving the aircraft.

You might think something like this would weigh more than a traditional ejection seat, but not so. Its got the parachute built right in, preventing pilots from carrying around an extra 45-pounds. Now the only requirement is to wear a five-pound harness that connects to the seat.

Pilots can feel safer now, as not only does it offer better ejection, but includes a survival kit with a radio, flares, a mirror, a first aid kit, water, and a flashlight, as well as fittings that allow for a faster release of the parachute canopy. Not bad at all, considering the T-38 has been part of the Air Force’s fleet of fighter planes for almost 50 years.

“It is a perfect example of turning an idea into a reality. It defines our rapid prototyping efforts and will demonstrate the art-of-the-possible when it comes to persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The capabilities inherent in Phantom Eye’s design will offer game-changing opportunities for our military, civil and commercial customers,” said Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works at the ceremony.

It’s going to be shipped to NASA later this summer, where it will undergo a battery of tests in preparation for its first flight in 2011. Powered by two 2.3-liter, four cylinder engines, the Phantom Eye can carry a payload of up to 450-pounds, completely unmanned.

Drew Mallow, the Phantom Eye program manager, offered more insight at the unveiling. “The hydrogen propulsion system will be the key to Phantom Eye’s success. It is very efficient and offers great fuel economy, and its only byproduct is water, so it’s also a ‘green’ aircraft.”

Not only is it green, but it also encompasses suppliers and partners from Ford, Aurora Flight Sciences, Mahle Powertrain, Ball Aerospace, Turbosolutions Engineering, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and NASA. Now you understand why Boeing is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees. Projects like the Phantom Eye may seem shifty to the conspiratorial eye, but the fact remains that Boeing goes a long way toward providing much needed jobs for folks in hard times.