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Hawking: It's outer space or die for humans

Stephen Hawking says he's an optimist. Perhaps theoretical physicists have an idiosyncratic definition of the word.

For in an interview with BigThink, Hawking suggested that unless the human race begins to inhabit outer space, it will disappear.

His tinge of optimism is painted in quite muted colors. "If we can avoid disaster for the next two centuries, our species should be safe as we spread into space," he told BigThink.

But those two centuries might well be fraught with far more crises than ever before, he said.

Hawking is worried about the way humans are eating up … Read more

The school bus that goes 367 mph

Sometimes when people do crazy things, you just look at them and think: "You're crazy. You should be locked up, the key thrown away, and the meals to consist of only tofu."

However, there are times when people do crazy things and have such beautiful, persuasive explanations that you can't help but be disarmed to the point of wanting to be that crazy yourself.

Such is the case with Paul Stender, an Indianapolis man who, together with his friends at Indy Boys, Inc., decided to equip a nice yellow school bus with an engine from a … Read more

Lucas backs off wicked 'lightsaber' lawsuit

When it comes to the somewhat wicked Spyder III Pro Arctic laser, described by the manufacturer as the "most dangerous laser ever created" and by others as something of a lightsaber, Lucasfilm, creator of "Star Wars," seems to have experienced a script change.

Enthusiasts of bellicosity might recall that Lucasfilm recently sent a cease and desist letter to Wicked Lasers, suggesting that its product was not only dangerous but also a little too similar to Luke Skywalker's weapon.

Wicked Lasers had made no mention of "Star Wars" or Lucas in its marketing of … Read more

Space Elevator one step closer to heaven?

There's a feeling I get When I look to the west And my spirit is crying For leaving

Yes, there is excitement in the air--high in the air--at the prospect of an elevator being built, one that ascends into outer space and allows humanity to go beyond its dreary earthly penthouses.

The International Space Elevator Consortium is giddy at the prospect. Indeed, it has released information to inform the world that at the 2010 Space Elevator Conference, held August 12-15 at the Microsoft Conference Center in Redmond, Wash., the two men who are most au fait with developing an … Read more

Police to experiment with blinding 'Dazer Laser'?

Perhaps "Don't Dazer Laser me, bro" doesn't quite trip off the tongue. However, police in the Northwest may soon be experimenting with the Dazer Laser, a tool which, well, shoots, blinds, and disorients.

The Dazer Laser is a gun that emits a green light at suspects and causes them to temporarily lose their sight and wonder whether they might have been transported to an alternative galaxy. And, according to King 5 News in Seattle, police in the Northwest might soon be the first to experiment with zapping a green light at a suspected evildoer.

The Dazer Laser, allegedly, has less deleterious side effects than tasers and enjoys a greater distance of use than pepper spray. "You need minimal training. It's not hard to aim a light at somebody," Officer Tom Arnold of the Lakewood Police Department told King 5.

Within the next month, the first 1,000 Dazer Lasers will be ready for action at the the North Carolina factory of Laser Energetics.

But perhaps the most extraordinary claim is that these little babies might be efficacious from not merely 3 feet but up to one and a half miles.… Read more

Reports: Ellison fails in bid for NBA's Warriors

The NBA's most beautifully dysfunctional franchise has not, reportedly, fallen into the hands of Oracle CEO Larry Ellison.

According to reports from both the Bay Area News Group and CSN Bay Area, the winning group has, as one of its pillars, Joseph Lacob, managing director and partner at Silicon Valley venture capital company Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

CSN Bay Area reports that Lacob will be the front man for a group that is co-led by Peter Guber, the chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment, while the Bay Area News Group suggests that Lacob, currently a part owner of … Read more

And now for the flying SUV

It seems that the latest movement in vehicular design is the movement that sends roadworthy machines into the sky.

A couple of weeks ago came the news that the FAA was giving a regulation break to a flying car prototype, the Terrafugia Transition, allowing it to be classified as a light sports aircraft with heavy airbags.

Then it was said that the Marines might take possession of their own flying four-wheeler, courtesy of Logi Aerospace.

But now I bring joy to the privileged and pouty who will only drive labels that show their deep-seated power and class. I mean, naturally, … Read more

Woman jailed for reporting bogus text threats

There are days when I really don't like myself very much. Sometimes, I even curse the very ground I tread and the being that I have willfully become.

However, if I write these feelings down, I try to make sure that they're in a very private corner of my laptop or, at the very least, hidden in one of the self-help books in my bookcase.

It seems, though, that Jeanne Mundango Manunga, a 25-year-old woman from Santa Ana, Calif., took a slightly different philosophical approach.

According to the Orange County Register, Manunga wanted to make people believe that … Read more

Lucas threatens wicked 'lightsaber' maker

This is what happens when the Force comes down upon you.

Just a few weeks ago, there was much stimulation around a product called the Spyder III Pro Arctic Laser.

This sweet little object does bear a passing resemblance to a "Star Wars" lightsaber. In addition, it can burn your skin and permanently blind you. And that's not all. The manufacturer, Hong Kong-based Wicked Lasers, proudly tells you on its Web site that it is "the most dangerous laser ever created."

Some people have been a little concerned that this fine laser might bring the nasty side of celestial wars rather closer to Earth than is healthy.

"Star Wars" creator George Lucas seems not to be a fan. According to CNN, he and Lucasfilm sent a cease and desist letter expressing, among others, the following concern: "It is apparent from the design of the Pro Arctic Laser that it was intended to resemble the hilts of our lightsaber swords, which are protected by copyright."

The letter added that the Pro Arctic is "a highly dangerous product with the potential to cause blindness, burns, and other damage to people and/or property." It demanded that the product should be recalled.

In a press release, Wicked Lasers offered that there are several differences between a lightsaber and its own bright idea.… Read more

Blind person to drive at Daytona

A blind person will soon be driving at Daytona.

No, I didn't begin my Independence Day celebrations a week ago. Please, bear with me a little. We'll get to Daytona shortly.

You see, the Associated Press has offered the information that the National Federation of the Blind and Virginia Tech University have come together to develop technology that will allow blind people to get behind the wheel of a car and go wherever they like.

2011 should see the debut of a prototype vehicle equipped with "nonvisual interfaces." This technology transmits information to blind drivers about … Read more