Byte size news: Aussies better at beaming them up

Particle physics
Tractor beams are no longer just for sci-fi movies and those who can't be bothered to get up to get the TV remote.
Australian researchers say they are able to move small particles almost 1.5m through the air, using only a laser.
The process works by shining a hollow laser beam at an object and taking advantage of air-temperature differences to move it around.
Light has been used to move objects before. Known as "optical tweezers", they could move bacteria-sized particles a few millimetres.
But Andrei Rhode and colleagues at the Australian National University say their process can move objects hundreds of times bigger and move them 1.5m.
He's confident that they can easily top that distance after more testing.
Using air temperature means it can't drag in spaceships, but it could be a new way of dealing with hazardous materials.

Technical tie-up
Nike have gone back to the future with their latest idea - shoes that lace themselves.
In an innovation that brings to mind the futuristic foot-straps Michael J Fox sported in the Back to the Future movies, the sports apparel giant is attempting to create shoes that will automatically tighten to fit at the press of a button.
The patent reads: "The automatic lacing system provides a set of straps that can be automatically opened and closed to switch between a loosened and tightened position of the upper."
These would need to be battery powered, so would require an in-shoe power source, and could possibly even be charged by your PC through a USB.
Now all we need is someone to start working on the hybrid DeLorean and the solar-powered hoverboard.

Motorists beware
3D might not just be the future of television, it could also be a smart way to get drivers to slow down.
The British Columbia Automobile Association Traffic Safety Foundation is trying to highlight the risk of reckless acceleration by painting an elongated image of a child chasing a ball into the street in 2D on the pavement in such a way that it appears three-dimensional.
Being trialled by the West Vancouver school zone, at a distance the painting appears as a smudge on the road, then comes into focus as the driver nears. The quicker the driver, the quicker the image takes shape. A sign close by will say: "You're probably not expecting kids to run into the road."
It could be a great way to get motorists to think about how they drive, but a daydreaming driver could freak out and crash into something while taking evasive action.
If you have news, gadgets or queries, contact lindsay.harvey@apn.co.nz