German researchers developing electronic tires that adapt to weather conditions

Even tires considered basic are the results of massive engineering and financial investments – a single tire can include up to 20 different kinds of rubber compounds and their constructions and build techniques are so mysterious that it's easier to get a tour of the White House than a tire factory. A new tire being worked on by a team of German engineers at the University of Leipzig, however, would be a Buck Rodgers-like leap in tire tech by incorporating changeable elements to alter the shape of the tire as you drive.

The recipe for such a hoop includes "flexible actuators, piezo-ceramic actuators, shape memory alloys and 'smart materials'" that gather and process information on the road surface and weather conditions. That info would then be used to reshape the tread to optimize performance on the fly, which can mean altering groove patters and expanding and raising tread blocks. As the professor in charge said, "The driver no longer has to think about adapting their tires. The tire itself 'thinks' too."

For millions of drivers, a world in which the single word "tire" automatically means "all-terrain, all-season, high-performance tire" would be a good one. The engineers have patented their work and are showing a prototype at the Hanover Fair in Germany, yet it should come as no surprise that such a world is a long, long way off.

Guy Tech : iGrow promises to regrow hair with lasers, accessorize any wardrobe

Laser combs? Old news. The latest in laser-based hair rejuvenation is the iGrow, a stylish new wearable device from Apira Science that packs 21 laser diodes and 30 LED lights. According to the company, that matches the output of most clinical hair lasers, and it should result in "thicker, fuller and healthier" hair in just a "few short months." But that's not all. The iGrow also includes a remote that has been programmed for both men and women, and it has a built-in set of headphones that you can use with your own iPod or MP3 player -- we can't imagine why you'd ever want to take it off. Sure, it costs $695, but Apira is so confident in its miracle helmet that it's offering a six-month money back guarantee. You really have nothing to lose... but your hair.

iGrow

Apira Science Introduces the First Hands-Free, Laser Hair Rejuvenation System for Home-Use -- The iGrow

New Hair Care System Uses Clinically Proven Low Level Light Therapy to Rejuvenate and Revitalize Thinning Hair

NEWPORT BEACH, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 02/22/11 -- As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. First impressions are everything -- and hair is one of the first features that people notice on others. Looking your best can help you make a strong impact, and a full head of thick, lustrous hair can go a long way in helping to achieve that. Unfortunately, many people are not naturally blessed with enviable tresses -- genetics and environmental factors play a role, and, until now, the options available for remedying this situation were either less than effective or prohibitively expensive.

From Apira Science, one of the most respected clinical based laser hair restoration companies and maker of the highly successful Revage670™, comes the only hands-free, home-use hair rejuvenation device that is as powerful as clinical solutions. Available now, iGrow leverages a patent-pending combination of built-in laser and LED lights to enable both men and women concerned with hair loss or thinning hair to experience dramatic results. Within 12 weeks of using iGrow as directed, most consumers report that they experience the cessation of excess hair loss. The appearance of thicker, fuller, healthier hair is typical within 24 weeks.

In stark contrast to currently available solutions such as laser hair combs, iGrow addresses the limitations and inconsistencies of these products by incorporating the same scientifically proven, Harvard Medical School-documented low level laser therapy technology that is found in the Revage670. The Revage670 has been used by more than 500 doctors in over 25 countries worldwide to effectively rejuvenate shedding and thinning hair. With the new iGrow, consumers have access to the very same technology relied upon in so many doctor's offices and clinical settings -- now in the comfort of their own homes -- and at a fraction of the cost. Simple and convenient to use, the iGrow comfortably sits atop the user's head, providing continuous overall coverage and leaving them completely mobile and free to do other things while receiving treatment. The iGrow even allows for users to listen to music while their hair rejuvenates -- it features iPod/MP3 compatibility.

The iGrow features 51 light sources that include 21 laser diodes and 30 LED lights to provide full scalp coverage, while combs and other hand held devices only have 9-15 laser lights. The output from iGrow is equivalent to most in-office clinical hair lasers. Hundreds of clinical studies have shown the effectiveness of low level laser therapy (LLLT) on various conditions including hair loss, carpal tunnel syndrome and acne. "LLLT is an amazing, proven technology that can rejuvenate hair and even delay the onset of thinning hair," noted Nicholas Brox, CEO for Apira. "We have seen first-hand just how effective it is with our Revage670, and we are excited to make this same technology available to the home consumer."

Results from using iGrow are rapid and substantial. According to Lorrie Klein, MD, "The average patient using iGrow will first begin to see decreased hair loss in about six to eight weeks. Then, within a few short months, their hair should begin looking thicker, fuller and healthier. At about the nine month mark, they'll see the maximum result and then, with continued use of the iGrow, should be able to maintain those results."

Priced at $695, the iGrow is available now, and comes with a six month money back guarantee. To learn more about iGrow and how it can be purchased, please visit www.igrowlaser.com.

About Apira Science
Apira Science is an established leader and pioneer in low level laser therapy for hair loss and thinning hair. Its Revage670™ system has earned numerous accolades from doctors and patients alike for its ability to stop the appearance of hair loss and promote thicker, fuller hair. Now, Apira is launching a consumer solution that leverages the Revage670 technology in a compact, hands-free system that will enable hair rejuvenation in the comfort of one's own home. The new iGrow at home laser is also iPod/MP3 compatible, further enhancing the appeal of this easy-to-use device. For additional information please visit www.apirascience.com.

Health : Science Has Found the Best Way to Cure Your Hangover

Finally, a reason for science to exist: A researcher in Philadelphia (of course!) has discovered the single most effective cure for a hangover. And it's really pretty simple.

Coffee and aspirin. That's it! So much simpler than my current cures of "building a time machine and preventing myself from drinking the night before," and, if that fails, "staring at the wall until the day is over." This is all according to Thomas Jefferson University's Michael Oshinsky, who, no joke, gave rats hangovers:

Ethanol brings on headaches thanks to a chemical acetate it can produce and even low doses can affect some people more than others, said the study.

Professor Michael Oshinsky, of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, induced headaches in rats using small amounts of ethanol.

He then gave them doses of caffeine and anti-inflammatories to find it blocked the acetate and relieved the headaches.

Is this real? Well, it's science, so it has to be! But what does it mean?

For one thing, that dehydration isn't the cause of hangovers—the rats Oshinksy got drunk weren't dehydrated—so don't worry about coffee further dehydrating you. For another, all the weird cures your roommate is always trying to make you take—"A raw-egg-and-vodka wheatgrass shot? And I have to drink it from the opposite side of the glass? Are you sure about this?"—aren't even as effective as what your grandfather (and grandmother) were taking.

But, okay, okay, I know you have the best cure, no matter what this Oshinsky fraud says, and all you need is a pound of bacon, a single eagle feather, a willing human sacrifice, and DVDs of the second season of Battlestar Galactica.

Photos : Cool Shots of The Lunar Eclipse

Lunar Eclipse Over Washington

A full moon winks at Washington, D.C. during last night's total lunar eclipse. Pictured alongside the business end of the Washington Monument, the moon is shown just shy of totality, when the entire orb is engulfed by Earth's shadow and takes on a rusty glow.

Coinciding with the winter solstice for the first time since 1638, the December 21, 2010, lunar eclipse was anything but ordinary.

Around 1 a.m. ET, the moon began going slightly shady, marking the arrival of Earth's faint outer shadow, or penumbra. Shortly after 1:30 a.m. ET, the first signs of a dim "bite"—Earth's dark umbra—began advancing across the moon from the left.

Totality began at about 2:40 a.m. ET, turned the moon a photo-friendly red, and lasted a little over 70 minutes. The full show—the moon's passage through penumbra, umbra, and penumbra again—lasted about three and a half hours.

Heavenly Sight

A statue atop St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City last night appears poised to catch the totally eclipsed moon, in all its crimson splendor.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon, Earth, and the sun all line up, with Earth in the middle. During the eclipse, Earth's shadow is cast onto the full moon, dimming—but not completely obscuring—its surface. Unlike solar eclipses, the lunar varieties are safe to view without any special eyewear.

Shuttle Snafu Eclipsed by Sky Show

The full moon—or at least a slice of it—shines on the space shuttle Discovery, headed for a fuel tank inspection, in the first hours of December 21, 2010.

Pictured at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, the NASA craft was stalled during journey from launchpad to Vehicle Assembly Building, but the winter solstice lunar eclipse had nothing to do with it. En route to the hangar, the shuttle's crawler-transporter had suffered a malfunction.

Must See Pic! First X-Ray Picture of Lightning Taken

Think, for a moment, about lightning. With all our talk of sci-fi and high-tech, we often forget that, in our world, since long before the dawn of man, rays of fatal electricity have shot down from the sky to stab the earth. Crazy. And it's crazier still to think that we've never tamed it -- never used it to power our personal hovercrafts. Of course, before the other day, we'd never taken an X-ray image of lightning, either...

Military : DARPA aims to make soldier of tomorrow impervious to sneak attacks with 360 degree vision

DARPA is currently soliciting proposals for the development of Soldier Centric Imaging via Computational Cameras, also known as SCENICC for those who prefer brevity. This latest project is a visual enhancement system that seeks to meet all of our armed forces terrorist-hunting and war-waging visual needs. The system, which is purely theoretical at this point, will provide a 360 degree, three-dimensional field of view for soldiers in the field. This optical omniscience is obtained through the use multiple cameras, including images from airborne drones. Soldiers will have real time 10x zoom capabilities and can operate everything via voice commands. As if that weren't enough, SCENICC employs augmented reality to identify and track targets in a way (we presume) not unlike your garden variety T-800. As this bit of kit is years from production, our commandos will have to make do for now with smartphones and wrist displays to keep an eye on enemies of the state.

Lunar Eclipse Over New York City

As most New Yorkers slumbered and slept early Tuesday morning, the moon transformed from bright silver to red in the night sky over the city.

The total process took three and a half hours, and the totality phase – when the moon is completely immersed in the earth’s shadow – lasted 72 minutes.

While portions of Europe and Asia only caught part of the eclipse, spectators with clear sky views in North and Central America were able to watch the entire celestial phenomenon.

The total lunar eclipse, which occurs when the Earth casts a shadow on the moon and blocks sun rays that otherwise reflect off the moon’s surface, coincided with the winter solstice. The last time this coincidence occurred was more than three centuries ago on Dec. 21, 1638.

The next total lunar eclipse will occur in June 2011 and will not be visible from New York City — or anywhere in North America.

Kinect admits itself to hospital, treated for gesture control of medical images

At this point, we all have a serious question to ask: is there anything the Kinect can't do? While Microsoft has managed to move quite a few of the camera-laden tubes, a good amount of 'em have been put to use in applications not named gaming. Take the Virtopsy Project, for instance. This particular setup uses the Kinect camera bar to control a PACS system (OsiriX, in this case), and it relies on software based on "ofxKinect, libfreenect and open frameworks." That's a lot of technobabble for sure, but as they say, the proof is in the YouTube video. Ever dreamed of swirling medical images around with hand gestures? Head on down and mash play -- fantasyland awaits.