gas mask light painting 9, originally uploaded by stewedman.
Monthly Archives October 2008
Greek scientists use lasers to clean Acropolis
In the past two and a half thousand years, the temples of the Acropolis have suffered fire, bombing and earthquake. Now, scientists are trying to save them from a new modern enemy: pollution.
Standing on a hilltop at the centre of Athens, a city of 4 million people, the Acropolis’ elaborately sculptured stones have fallen prey to a film of black crust from car exhaust fumes, industrial pollution, acid rain and fires.
A team of Greek engineers and restorers are using an innovative laser technology system to clean the surface of the ancient monuments, uncovering colours and ornamentation hidden for decades.
DuPont: Laser technology speeds development of corn, soybeans
DuPont has unveiled an advanced technology the company said will transform seed research and considerably speed up the development of higher yielding corn and soybean varieties.
DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred introduced Laser-Assisted Seed Selection as the newest tool in its Accelerated Yield Technology (AYT) toolbox. The technology promises to increase the size and scope of the Pioneer breeding program five-fold in the next three years, said DuPont.
Laser-Assisted Seed Selection uses a 120-watt carbon dioxide laser to score a small slice from a seed to capture its genetic information while maintaining the seed’s viability for planting.
DuPont: Laser technology speeds development of corn, soybeans.
Laser gunship hits $30 million bulls-eye
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing a new contract worth up to $30 million for the next phase of development on the Advanced Tactical Laser.
The ATL is a C-130H aircraft outfitted with a 12,000-pound high-energy chemical laser module that would be used as a weapon against ground targets. It’s the smaller sibling of the Airborne Laser, a highly modified 747 under development that packs a similar weapon but that would be used against ballistic missiles.
Laser gunship hits $30 million bulls-eye | Crave, the gadget blog – CNET.
Laser acupuncture effective against headaches in children
The July 2008 issue of Pain, a prestigious peer-reviewed medical journal published by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), featured a German study conducted by eight pediatric doctors and clinicians. The researchers attempted to determine whether or not laser acupuncture would prove effective in relieving the symptoms of chronic headaches in 43 children.
Laser acupuncture effective against headaches in children.
The German researchers concluded, “that laser acupuncture can provide a significant benefit for children with headache, with active laser treatment being clearly more effective than placebo laser treatment.”
Build a laser-cut bus in 43 seconds!
WoodMarvels.com has just released an animation showing the assembly of a laser-cut bus that gets assembled in less than 43 seconds!
With close to 200 laser-cut, on demand projects to choose from, WoodMarvels.com has grown to become the largest provider of laser cut products in the woodworking industry thanks to an association with Ponoko.com. All projects are available as either blueprints (which you can cut yourself), laser-cut templates or pre-cut (with laser of course) kits. Another industry first, it has also begun producing custom soundtracks to accompany the 3D assembly animations.
Play games with a laser pointer
Alpay Kasal of Lit Studios developed a technique using a laser pointer for controlling games and applications.
Laser pens face sales crackdown
The internet trading companies eBay and Amazon are removing high-powered green laser pens from sale on their sites.
The move follows a BBC investigation which found some of these potentially dangerous products were being sold irresponsibly by individual traders.
Many listings describe the pens as toys or, in one case, “wicked gadgets”.
But RAF and police helicopters have been among dozens of aircraft targeted by these devices, which can send a beam several miles, dazzling pilots.
EBay told the Donal MacIntyre programme on BBC Radio 5 live it had become “increasingly concerned” by reports of these lasers being used for “wholly inappropriate purposes”.
Amazon.co.uk said it would “remove the listings for these products as quickly as possible”.
Apple ‘brick’
There are sources saying that the rumored Apple Brick isn’t a product, but a manufacturing process that can make high quality aluminum shells. The “brick” part comes in because the supposed technique carves these MacBook casings with lasers and high pressure water jets out of bricks of aluminum, making for a seamless and screwless design. via: Gizmodo
