Awesome

Human brains can be better at visual-pattern recognition than even the best computers. And that's the idea behind a fun new puzzle game with the not-so-fun name Phylo: A Human Computing Framework for Comparative Genomics (Phylo for short). It lets players race against time to match moving blocks into like patterns that actually give scientists insight into genetic code.

Pieces in the game, created by bioinformaticians at Canada's McGill University and officially launched yesterday, represent parts of the human genome. By solving each puzzle, a person is actually helping create multiple sequence alignments, which are arrangements of sequences of DNA, RNA, or protein that identify regions of similarity. The idea is that biologists can then gather genetic data about the strands that the puzzles represent to find genetic links between species.

The puzzles get harder as the game goes on, making for good replay. People play against the computer, as well as others, to get the best possible score on each puzzle, with scores depending on how the colored shapes are arranged. There are no concrete prizes, but it's still a fun and challenging way to get bragging rights (the only gripe I had while playing is that the orange and green blocks can be confusing for those of us who are color blind). … Read more

Being that I'm a famous geek-culture Internet celebrity, people send me gifts all the time. Why, just today I walked out of my apartment to find an eye patch, chopsticks, a John Elway coffee mug, and a power supply for a PowerBook 1400cs. Thank you, readers, for your kind gifts!

But not everyone can be a well-known blogger. Take, for example, Paul Hunkin, a Ph.D. student in New Zealand. He set up an Internet bot to randomly buy low-priced stuff, with free shipping, from an online auction site. Paul, you see, likes to get packages. This way, he … Read more

Mozilla is looking for a few good people to join its army.

The new Army of Awesome program unveiled yesterday is designed to bring together Firefox experts and browser users in search of technical help.

Anyone with a Twitter account can join Mozilla's Army of Awesome. Volunteers just browse through a list of recent tweets from users that stream on the Army's Web page. If a volunteer spots a tweet that he or she would like to respond to, the volunteer just clicks on it. Firefox will open a window in Twitter in which the volunteer can choose … Read more

When a nearby college, Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., started offering classes on Star Trek's place in popular culture years ago, the old guard shook their heads in confusion and disgust. Had I a starship and a wormhole, I'd perhaps go back and offer up a new course that will be available at the University of Baltimore: Zombies 101.

As part of the advanced English course, students will learn about zombies from Arnold Blumberg, a renaissance geek who already teaches about comic books at the University of Maryland and has written or co-written books on Doctor Who … Read more

Model rocketry isn't the cheapest hobby in the world, but it's a lot of fun. As a kid, I built my first rocket from this Estes Space Shuttle kit. It launched fine and then exploded halfway to its zenith, setting our neighbor's new boat on fire. It was the end of my rocketry days until I was old enough to buy my own kits.

I wish I'd known Kevin Shoemaker when I was a kid. The Chicago-area rocketeer and overall home tinkerer belongs to Adventure Guides, a group of parents and kids who do all kinds … Read more

Let's say I've got this huge industrial robotic arm in my garage collecting dust, and I'm wondering what to do with it. Well, it looks like I can use it to make a bad-ass Ferrari F-1 simulator. I mean, if scientists at Germany's Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics can do it, why can't I?

The project, headed up by Paolo Rubuffo Giordano, is using just such a setup to research how the brain perceives motion. By running simulations and monitoring the players test subjects, the team can amass data on how we deal with … Read more

For years, we who partake in fast food have been stuck with a dilemma when it comes to dunking our fries in ketchup: We'd have to empty the packet onto the paper on the tray. Or put it on a napkin that may have already been touched by lord knows who. Tasty, tasty way to catch H1N1 perhaps!?

Thankfully, the good people at Heinz have--after 30 years--heard our plea. They have redesigned the ketchup packet, and there shall be much rejoicing in the streets.

The new packet can be opened in not one, but two ways. The end can … Read more

I'll be the first to admit I'm a Star Trek fiend. I loved J.J. Abram's new movie and I'm currently re-watching the original series on Netflix via my Xbox. But that's telling: I'm using the latest real-life tech to experience the earliest fake tech. I love the tools of the Star Trek universe, and one that I love most is the phaser.

They can be set to stun, kill, or vaporize. It's a badass weapon for a badass time. Now, thanks to the how-to that one laser whiz, Jayrob, posted on Laser Pointer Forums, … Read more

I honestly can't remember the last time I sent something using conventional mail, but it may have been more than three years ago. I hate licking stamps and envelopes and risking a paper cut in one of the worst places I can imagine. But after spotting these Mmmvelope bacon-flavored envelopes from "bacontrepreneurs" J&D's, I might start looking for reasons to send random stuff out. And for as little as three packs of 25 for $14.99, I can send a lot.

The No. 10 envelopes themselves are regular paper but the glue has a … Read more