Tissue engineers like Vladimir Mironov of the Medical University of South Carolina, and Thomas Boland of Clemson University, have been printing biomaterials with modified ink-jet printers.

The cartridges are washed out and refilled with suspensions of living cells; the software that controls the characteristics of the ink is reprogrammed and you're good to go. Boland and Mironov use layers of “thermo-reversable” gel to build up three-dimensional structures like tubes‚ capillaries, to use the medical term. When the tiny droplets, or clumps, of cells came together closely, they fused; the gel can be easily removed, leaving a tube of tissue.

Now, it seems to me that a tube or complex living organ is a pretty complicated structure. Why not practice with a simpler, more two-dimensional form of muscle tissuelike bacon, for instance? Nothing like fresh bacon.

I don't know how this would taste, but it would probably be like soya, with no vitamins or nutrients.

Source [LiveScience]

A danish baby whose parents wanted to call him Namenlos (German: nameless) has been given the name 'Christian' by the state. Why anyone would want 'Namenlos' on their passport is anyone's guess…

Source: Tagesschau

HoloPhonic.ch has a spatial MP3 file which makes you feel like there's a guy shaking a matchbox standing behind you. You have to use headphones to feel it properly, speakers work, but not as well. There were a few times that I seriously expected someone to tap me on the shoulder.

Source [HoloPhonic.ch]

The Optimus keyboard has hundreds of tiny OLEDs embedded in the keys, making the whole keyboard a sort of dynamic display. You can change what's displayed on the keys, meaning you can switch between keyboard layouts instantly. The Optimus keyboard also lets you display pictures in some apps, instead of using the toolbar, you can press the key on your keyboard!

No word on price yet, but I'd expect this to sell for at least $200 when it's released. The designer's website also has some weird designs, including an arrow shaped mouse which is apparently 'in stores now'.

What is OLED technology?
Optimus keyboard website

The names planned for the next generation, post Pentium processors from Intel have been published on Wikipedia and Reuters. The Pentium name was first used in 1993 as a sucessor for the 486. Intel didn't want to use 80586, so they instead used Penta (Greek: 5). It seems they're planning on eventually releasing an eight core desktop CPU.

Wikipedia
Reuters

The last 1000 pixels on MillionDollarHomepage.com are being auctioned on eBay. For anyone that hasn't already heard, the site sell pixels at $1 each, and there are only 1000 left.

eBay Auction

eMagin, which makes video display products for military and industrial uses, has unveiled the EyeBud headset, a new wearable display for video iPods.The headset gives the feeling of watching a 105-inch display from 12 feet away, and will cost $600.

I could see how this would be good for long motorway journeys, all I need now is a cigarette lighter adaptor for my mini fridge…

A modified pic from my window, taken while listening to Nichts in der Welt by Die Ärzte. I love the view at sunset

Download [1280×1024]
Download Widescreen [1680×1050]
Download Widescreen [1900×1200]

At fullmoon.nu, Harry Stottle has described an experience he had where he met God. It's a bit philosophical, and from the article I don't know whether he's describing actually meeting God or just remembering an acid trip.

See for yourself [Fullmoon.nu]

Marks & Spencers are selling a USB dart launcher that can be controlled remotely using a mouse. The USB launcher is available for
£19.50, and they’re already working on a way to control a set over
VNC…

M&S Online Shop

Gigabyte have released a motherboard with four 16x PCI-Express slots, as well as two PCIe 1x slots. This means that by plugging in another graphics card to one of the slower slots, it's possible to connect 10 displays, giving you a desktop resolution of 6400×2048. I'm not sure whether you'd be able to play HL2 on one of these, but it would rock if you could. They managed to get it working with only a 480W PSU.

Source: Tom's Hardware

The newswires have reported that the French Government has announced that it has raised its terror alert level from 'Run' to 'Hide'. The only two higher levels in France are 'Surrender' and 'Collaborate'. The rise was precipitated by a recent fire which destroyed France's White Flag factory, effectively disabling their military.

The Germans also increased their alert state from “disdainful arrogance” to “dress in uniform and sing marching songs”. They have two higher levels, “invade a neighbour” and “lose”.

The Italians have increased their alert level from “shout loudly and excitedly” to “elaborate military posturing”. Two more levels remain, “ineffective combat operations” and “change sides”.

Seeing this reaction in continental Europe the Americans have gone from “isolationism” to “find somewhere else in the Middle East ripe for regime change”. Their remaining higher alert states are “take on the world” and “ask the British for help”.

Finally in Great Britain they've gone from “pretend nothing's happening” to “make another cup of tea”. Their higher levels are “remain resolutely cheerful” and “win”.

MIT have created a paint brush that lets you draw onto a screen with
textures from the world around you. By holding the brush over a
surface, a picture or video can be used as a texture for the brush.
Watching the video is the best way to understand it.

Source: MIT

VIA Technologies and Mini-box.com recently announced the VoomPC family of x86 car PC kits for the telematics market. Based on the low-power EPIA-series Mini-ITX mainboards from VIA Technologies, the x86-based PC barebone is specifically designed for the ultra-power sensitive conditions of
in-vehicle applications.

Only two varieties are currently available, costing $299 and $319. The PCs are targetted at people who need access to data on the move, and are ideal for GPS navigation, or World of Warcraft while you're stuck in traffic jams.

The unit is claimed to use between 15-30 watts, less than the dimmest car parking lights. The VoomPC also features advanced audio control, with 'anti-thump' technology that keeps car amplifiers turned off while the
PC starts, eliminating annoying speaker thumps and pops, while the VIA Vinyl Audio Six-TRAC audio codec enables stunning six-channel surround sound for a more authentic listening experience with greater depth, the
companies stated.

Source: DigiTimes
Manufacturer: Mini-Box

Online marketplace Amazon has quietly opened a Sex Store selling over 40,000 products. The store is located in the category ‘Sex & Sensuality’.

Now you can order anything and make it look like a book…