SPACE SCOOP: There's an awful lot of junk whizzing round Planet Earth — dead satellites, rocket parts, sundry odds and ends. The
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is wondering if they could clean it up — with a thin metal wire fishing net several kilometres long. An electric
charge would attract the filled net to Earth's magnetic field so it would burn up in the atmosphere. It'd be a nice change to see people approving of Japan's fishing catch. More at MSNBC.
SMASHING PC RECORDS: Last December security firm Avira surveyed around 14,000 people. They found that while 39% had cursed or yelled at their computer out loud 3% had actually thrown the computer against another object and 9% had hit it. 38% claimed they would never yell at their computer. Ho ho ho. More at Sys-Con.
WE FITTER: Exercise and a healthy diet will keep us fit into old age. The bad news is you don't have to only do the exercise, but do it right, and we don't all have personal trainers. The Bavarian Research Foundation's electronic Fitness Assistant puts you in a sensor suit that transmits data to a television, computer or smartphone. Meanwhile, an avatar performs the exercises on screen. The smartphone gives you immediate, customised feedback and tips to improve your performance. Just think of it as a fitness video game. More at Fraunhofer.
INVISIBLE DIGITAL INK: High quality images tend to have high file sizes too. But big files take time to load and send, so they're often compressed. Sometimes as an image is transmitted over the Internet it may be compressed and recompressed many times, reducing quality, often quite badly. Researchers have developed a special hidden watermark that responds differently to compression from the rest of the image, making a warning message visible. Don't squeeze too hard. More at LightBlueTouchPaper.
PLANT PLASTICS: Most synthetic resins are made from fossil sources, aren't biodegradable and are toxic when burnt. Scientists at the University of Amsterdam have found a new way to make resins and avoid these problems using readily available renewable raw materials. The new products could replace polyurethane and polystyrene. Goodbye polystyrene, you won't be missed. More from the University of Amsterdam.
- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz
There's an awful lot of junk whizzing round Planet Earth — dead satellites, rocket parts, sundry odds and ends. Photo / Thinkstock
SPACE SCOOP: There's an awful lot of junk whizzing round Planet Earth — dead satellites, rocket parts, sundry odds and ends. The
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is wondering if they could clean it up — with a thin metal wire fishing net several kilometres long. An electric
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