December 20, 2016 – 2:40pm
Singapore’s New Driverless Bus Will Start Shuttling Passengers in 2017
The latest institution investing in autonomous road travel is Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. According to Fortune, the new-and-improved version of their driverless bus is set to hit campus in early 2017.
For the next-gen minibus, the French firm Navya took the design of its 2013 model and added a few upgrades. Called the Arma, the bus is capable of shuttling up to 15 passengers between the NTU campus and the CleanTech eco-business park, close to a mile away. The interior is air-conditioned and features touchscreen displays, while the exterior is equipped with sensors for detecting obstacles on the road. GPS technology and on-board cameras allow humans to remotely track each journey while the bus travels autonomously. Depending on how far it travels, the electric vehicle can run on a single charge for half a day.
Driverless buses are slowly rolling out around the world. The technology has been tested in Zhengzho, China and around Washington, D.C., and last May a fully realized version of the concept launched on public roads in the Netherlands.
In October, Singapore’s Land Transport Authority announced it was, in conjunction with NTU, working to outfit two regular-sized electric hybrid buses with self-driving technology. Those vehicles will also be tested along the NTU-CleanTech route.
[h/t Fortune]
December 20, 2016 – 4:30pm
Snorlax Slippers That Snore While You Walk
If you spend most of your time napping, then the often-unconscious Snorlax just might be your spirit Pokemon. Let people know which Pocket Monster you most identify with by wearing these new slippers from ThinkGeek.
The one-size-fits-all footwear—which can be worn by any feet up to a men’s size 10 and a women’s size 12—even snores with every step you take. The sound effect is powered by three 1.5v button cell batteries embedded in each slipper. You can wear the Snorlaxes around the house, and on your way to your Snorlax bean bag chair.
[h/t Laughing Squid]
December 20, 2016 – 3:30pm
States by Capital
December 20, 2016 - 3:30pm
Why You Should Definitely Get a Bidet
Other cultures may love the bidet, but Americans have long been loath to give their butts a good wash after pooping. But, if we’re going to get down and dirty about it, bidets can vastly improve your bathroom life—and for a relatively low price, too.
Mental_floss took a test run with a toilet-mounted bidet from Tushy, a company of “toilet crusaders” founded in 2014 that sells non-electric bidet attachments. Tushy’s models come in warm or cool and start at $69; we tested the cold-water-only device because hooking hot water up to the attachment requires open access from your toilet to the pipes under your sink. Our verdict? Once you get used to it, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Who doesn’t want a little cold spray to wake up in the morning?
As promised, the installation was relatively simple. Even with no previous knowledge of where toilet water even came from, this first-time plumber was able to install the splitter that allows you to channel water to both your toilet tank and the bidet (without mixing the two). The bidet comes with Teflon plumber’s tape, which is used to seal the joints where the parts connect. (Full disclosure: For a hot second during installation it seemed like no amount of tape would stop the water from spraying out of the connection between the hoses, but eventually the magic sealing tape worked and the water stopped leaking onto the bathroom floor.) A month later, the amateur plumbing job has held, so the easy-installation claim gets a thumbs-up.
The addition of that adjustable spray of water to a bathroom routine is, quite honestly, eye-opening. So fresh! So clean! Without getting too gross, it’s the difference between cleaning off your muddy rain boots with a hose or wiping them with a paper towel. For ladies, it’s a more pleasant way to get through the mess of a period, and if you’re spending a lot of time sitting on the pot, using water is a great way to avoid unwanted toilet paper chafe. Since you’ll be using less toilet paper, using a bidet also saves you money (especially if you rent your home and your landlord pays your water bill).
At first blush it might seem like the extra water a bidet uses with each flush would be wasteful, but compared to the manufacturing of toilet paper, a bidet is gentler on the environment. According to one estimate, it takes 37 gallons of water to create a single roll of toilet paper, and Tushy reports that Americans use 57 sheets of toilet paper every day. Compare that to the 1.3 gallons of water a week it takes for the typical user to splash themselves with the bidet, and the winner is clear.
Lest you leave the restroom dripping wet, a little bit of toilet paper is necessary to dry yourself after using the bidet. But if you are really looking to be eco-friendly, Tushy sells towels to replace your toilet paper. For someone who has used toilet paper for decades, the prospect of wiping your bum with a reusable towel (especially one that’s 100 percent bamboo fiber and soft enough to become your favorite face cloth) is horrifying. How is this sanitary?
In search of answers, mental_floss reached out to the company’s PR team. According to Tushy’s Elliot Friar, many people who have “mastered using Tushy” only wash their towels every few days. If you clean yourself thoroughly with the bidet, the only thing standing between you and truly green washroom habits is your own adherence to cultural bathroom norms. “They’re definitely something new and go against the booty belief systems we’ve created as a culture for hundreds of years,” Friar says.
In short: If you love your butt, get the bidet. A Japanese toilet that heats up and plays music may be overkill, but you can find bidet attachments on Amazon for as low as $20. Tushy’s bidets are more stylish than your average attachment, and the price reflects that. Either way, your bum and Mother Nature will thank you.
December 20, 2016 – 3:00pm
The Christmas Tree Worm Has Eyes on Its Gills
G. P. Schmahl, NOAA FGBNMS Manager via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain
The Christmas tree worm, Spirobranchus giganteus, has some flashy gills. While the worms bury themselves in coral, only their colorful fir-shaped radioles—appendages they use for respiration and eating—are visible. They also make the world visible to the worm: That’s where their eyes are located.
Their bright-orange eyes are hidden inside the creature’s gills. If you look very closely, you can see them tucked away in the darkest-colored part of the animal like Christmas presents with neon wrapping paper.
The Christmas tree worm’s obscured peepers might be the only example of eyes located on gills in the animal world, as marine biologist Michael Bok told ScienceNews. Unfortunately for the worm, eyes shrouded by branch-like gills can be limiting. The Christmas tree worm can only see what’s directly in front or behind it, and when a shadowy predator passes by, the worm sucks its radioles down out of sight. Bok calls the worm’s eye position “really silly.” But, since most other fan worms don’t even have eyes at all, the Christmas tree worm is actually pretty far ahead in the visual acuity game.
Scuba divers from the Indo-Pacific to the Caribbean are fond of spotting the creatures on coral reefs, but they have to maintain a little distance lest they spook the worms into hiding. Earlier this year, scientists from UCLA studying this hiding behavior among Christmas tree worms in Mo’orea, French Polynesia, found [PDF] that the animals don’t seem to find strength in numbers: The more worms in an area, the more time individual worms spent hidden in the coral. Conversely, worms with only a neighbor or two spent more time in the open. It’s possible that a lot of eye-catching radioles in one place make the worms far too conspicuous to their predators, which include sea urchins, sea stars, flounders, and stingrays.
December 20, 2016 – 2:30pm
8 Must-Have Products for Dog and Cat Owners
Cat and dog lovers will want to put these items on their wish lists (or buy them themselves).
1. ZUS PUPPY-PROOF SUPER-DUTY CHARGING CABLE; $20
When I adopted my cat Pearl three years ago, I was horrified to discover that she was a cord chewer—and that she loved my phone charging cord most of all. If one was dangling and I wasn’t paying close enough attention, she’d get her little teeth into it, and bye-bye, cord. I could have used this 4-foot-long cable. It’s wrapped in Kevlar—the same super-strong material that’s used to make bulletproof vests—which means cats, dogs, and toddlers are no match for this cord. It comes in three versions (Lightning, MicroUSB, and USB-C) and has a lifetime warranty.
Find it: ThinkGeek
2. PETCUBE PLAY; $199
We included the Petcube Play on our gifts for cats list, but it’s also a great gadget for helicopter pet parents like me. Setup was easy, and by logging on to the app, I can check in on my cats no matter where I am, at any time of day, to make sure that they’re fine (and that our apartment isn’t burning down). The camera streams in 1080p HD video, is equipped with night vision, and has a 138-degree wide angle view and a 300x zoom; the app is compatible with iOS and Android phones. You can set up sound and motion alerts and record video to the cloud.
In theory, we could play with the cats using the Petcube’s laser, which you move by dragging your finger across your phone screen, but my cats were only mildly interested in it (you can watch me trying unsuccessfully to engage Pearl with the laser here while Olly watches). They’re more interested when we fire up the two-way speaker, which allows us to talk to them. Dog owners should consider pre-ordering the Petcube Bites, which dispenses treats to waiting puppers when you’re checking in on them or when you schedule it.
Find it: Amazon
3. DIRT DEVIL QUICK FLIP PRO; $59
Keeping an apartment tidy when you have a pet or two feels like a near Sisyphean task: I’ve no sooner swept up stray cat litter than Olly and Pearl are in and out of the box, tracking litter all over the place again. Fur builds up in corners. Pulling out the big vacuum to deal with it every single day is annoying.
Enter the Quick Flip Pro. This cordless, lightweight handheld vac easily sucked stray litter up off of hardwood floors and rugs alike. Its Quick-Flip Crevice Tool allowed us to get stray cat hair out of every nook and cranny, and the upholstery attachment restored the cats’ tower to its previous unfurry glory:
The vacuum has a 16-volt lithium-ion battery, so it charges fast and runs long, and features like XL easy empty dirt cup and a rinsable filter make it a cinch to clean. I’ve never loved a vacuum so much.
Find it: Amazon
4. TURDLEBAG; $18
There’s nothing more awkward than carrying a plastic bag filled with stinky dog poop while you search for a trashcan to toss it in. The Turdlebag helps you keep it classy: It attaches to your leash and holds poop-filled plastic bags in a sealed pouch until you can throw it away. It also has a pouch for storing cash, credit cards, and your phone. You can bet I’ll be sending this to all the people whose dogs I pet-sit.
Find it: UncommonGoods
5. NITE IZE DOOHICKEY HAIR & LINT REMOVER; $9
It’s an inevitable truth of being a pet owner then you’ll be covered with your animal’s fur all the time, no matter what you do, even when you’ve lint-rolled yourself before leaving the house. This Nite Ize device is made of rubber—which attracts fur and lint—and has a comb on one side (for use on heavy fabrics) and grooves on the other (for lighter fabrics). It attaches to your keychain, making on-the-go fur removal easy.
Find it: Amazon
6. WHISTLE GPS PET TRACKER; $56
Many pet owners harbor anxiety that their pet will get out of their home or away from them at the park and disappear. The Humane Society estimates that 10 million pets are lost or stolen every year. And while microchips are great (they increase the odds of your dog making it back to you by 238 percent, and your cat by 2000 percent), they’re passive—your pet first has to be found, and then taken to a vet or shelter, to make its way back to you. But with the Whistle GPS collar, you can track your animal’s location in real time via an app (compatible with iOS and Android). Set up a safe zone for your animal, and when your pet leaves that area, you’ll get a notification on the app or via text. The rechargeable, waterproof device attaches to collars and harnesses up to an inch wide and requires a monthly membership, which costs between $7 and $10.
Find it: Brookstone
7. PETSAFE SMART DOOR; $90 TO $235
Pet doors are great, provided it’s only your pet that comes through and not, say, a raccoon. Keep wild animals and strays out of your pad with the Smart Door. The system includes a door and a SmartKey (both battery operated). The key goes on your pet’s collar, and the door and the key communicate using radio frequencies. Set the door to automatic, and it will swing open when it detects your pet’s key (and swing shut when the key is out of range). The doors come in two sizes and are programmable for up to five pets.
Find it: Amazon
8. CURIO LITTER BOX; $199 TO $299
Litter boxes are the bane of a cat owner’s existence. They’re big, ugly eyesores that we try to hide away. (I’ve spent more time than I care to admit looking at hacks of IKEA furniture that conceal litter boxes.) This is not the case with the CURIO, a handcrafted litter box designed by Heather and Damian Fagan. “When we adopted our two cats … we were surprised by the lack of design-minded litter box options on the market,” Damian told mental_floss earlier this year. “Many were just decorative litter box covers that didn’t improve upon the litter management aspect and many were very expensive. We felt there was a real need for a functional and stylish litter box that was more affordable.”
CURIOs come in three designs—Maple, Walnut, and Walnut+Pattern—and have an opening on the side to allow cats to discreetly jump in and out. Inside is a custom-designed litter liner (sold separately) with high sides and handles to make it easy to lift out for cleaning.
I loved the box so much, I bought one—and it’s so well designed that when a friend visiting from out of town saw it, she exclaimed, “this is a nice new piece of furniture! What is this?” Imagine her surprise when I told her it was a litter box. Until you train your cats to use the toilet, this is the most subtle and elegant way for them to use the restroom. (And it’s not a bad hideaway for small pups, either.)
Find it: Etsy
December 20, 2016 – 2:00pm
5 Facts About Adolf Hitler
Which other name in world history is more synonymous with tyranny, genocide, destruction, and being a political insult? It may not come to anyone’s surprise that such an award belongs to Adolf Hitler, leader of the Third Reich from 1933 to 1945. Despite starting the Second World War in 1939, and causing the Holocaust, here are a few things that you may not have known about the most infamous man in human history. Hitler planned to raze and rebuild Berlin Adolf Hitler never admired Germany’s capital city. The metropolis was previously a place of sexual vice and leftist politics and
The post 5 Facts About Adolf Hitler appeared first on Factual Facts.
The Luminous Story Behind TV’s Yule Log
YouTube
The Yule Log, a looped video of a wood-burning fireplace set to classic Christmas songs, has been a holiday staple for 50 years. But in a TV landscape dominated by angry pundits and Real Housewives, how did the sleepy footage become such cherished Christmastime viewing?
In 1966, Fred Thrower, the manager of WPIX-TV Channel 11 in New York City, wanted the station to do “something a little different and special” that Christmas Eve. On November 2, he circulated a memo to his station’s staff, proposing that the station cancel all programs and commercials in order to air a WPIX Christmas Card, consisting of a video loop of a holiday-inspired fireplace. Thrower also suggested asking WPIX’s affiliated radio station, WPIX-FM, to provide an accompanying festive soundtrack.
Thrower’s concept came to life on December 24, 1966, when WPIX first aired three hours of a continuous 17-second film loop of an ornate fireplace. WPIX had filmed the fireplace at Gracie Mansion, the home of New York City’s mayor, and paired the film loop with Christmas hits from singers like Percy Faith and Nat King Cole. The Yule Log was a huge ratings success, and turning viewers’ TVs into makeshift fireplaces also turned out to be a win-win: New Yorkers in apartments without fireplaces could feel cozy and warm, and more WPIX employees could spend Christmas at home with their families instead of working at the station.
A few years later, in 1970, realizing the original 16mm film of the Gracie Mansion fireplace was deteriorating, WPIX filmed a similar-looking fireplace in Palo Alto, California. Shot on 35mm film, the new video was seven minutes long, making the fireplace loop footage less jerky than the original. For the next two decades, WPIX aired the Yule Log every Christmas—and won its time slot year after year.
Fred’s son, Mitch Thrower, told mental_floss that his dad “was the most creative man I have ever known.” Explaining the log’s appeal, Mitch says the program came to have “sentimental value for millions of people … The Yule Log allowed us all to gather around the same fireplace, and listen to the same music. There has always been something uniquely comforting in that shared moment.”
FANNING THE FLAMES
In 1990, the Yule Log’s fire finally went out after network executives deemed the commercial-free program too expensive to air. But folks who grew up beside the log’s glow just couldn’t let go. Fast-forward a decade, and fans of the Yule Log created an online petition, appropriately titled “Bring Back The Log.” In December 2001, nostalgia won out, and WPIX resumed airing the Yule Log. Since 2003, WPIX’s parent company, Tribune Broadcasting, has aired the show not just in New York City, but on stations across the country.
In 2009, the Yule Log expanded from a three-hour program to four hours, after Lawrence “Chip” Arcuri produced a new fourth hour of classic Christmas music for the WPIX show.
Over the years, the Yule Log has taken on a life all its own. Besides ambient fireplace copycat videos on YouTube, Netflix, and iOS/Android apps, the Yule Log now has a strong social media presence. Whatever device you watch your Yule Log on, the flames are an annual opportunity to pause and reflect, to be together with family, and to feel the (figurative) warmth of the holiday season.
December 20, 2016 – 1:00pm
A Soft Robot That Can Move Like a Human Thumb
Soft, pliable robots are charting new terrain in engineering, allowing machines to replicate the flexibility of biological appendages like octopus limbs and human hands. Now, a new robot design created at Harvard is even more dexterous than previous technologies. It can replicate the uber-complex movements of human joints, bending and twisting like a finger, wrist, or knee.
When you bend your thumb in toward your wrist, it’s not just a single movement; that makes it difficult for a machine to mimic. Recreating organic movement in an artificial body requires multiple actuators, the part of a machine that controls a movement. “The design is so complicated because one actuator type is not enough to produce complex motions,” Fionnuala Connolly, one of the paper’s authors and a graduate student in Harvard’s engineering program, said in a press statement. “You need a sequence of actuator segments, each performing a different motion.”
The Harvard engineers tackled this problem by created a mathematical model of a fluid-powered movement. They used this model to design a finger-like soft robot that can bend and twist at the same time in response to only one pressure source.
This type of robotic design could be used in the future to create robotic arms or wearables that assist with human movement. The research paper is available in PNAS.
December 20, 2016 – 12:30pm