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'Nomad' planets roam Milky Way without stars

In the search for planets, astronomers have traditionally hunted around stars. But a new study estimates that planets that don't orbit stars could be far more plentiful than previously thought.

The Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC) at Stanford reported yesterday that new methods have dramatically raised the estimate of "nomad planets" in the Milky Way. There could be 100,000 more free-floating planets than stars in the galaxy.

Though they don't have the sun's energy to support life, some of these planets could have the conditions to support--and spread--microbial life through a … Read more

DareDroid 2.0 dress dispenses fashion, cocktails

If filmmaker David Cronenberg designed a dress, it would look like the DareDroid 2.0. This cocktail-making frock looks like the union of a Madonna outfit and a cyborg jellyfish injected with the DNA of a bartender.

The DareDroid didn't come from Chanel or Versace. It sprung from the minds of a design team called the Modern Nomads, a trio that consists of Marius Kintel, Anouk Wipprecht, and Jane Tingley--a hacker, fashion designer, and sculptor, respectively. Now it all starts to make sense.

The dress isn't all tubes and white fabric. There's a lot of tech tucked in. Medical tubing and bottles hold the liquid. Custom hardware makes the dispenser function.

Related links • Martha Stewart bar app invites you up for drinks • Drinking with droids at BarBot 2010 • Mixology: The science of cocktails

Built-in sensors are triggered by proximity. Remain at a respectful distance and the dress will dispense a non-alcoholic beverage. Get too close and it will shut off. LEDs alert you to just how close you are.… Read more

Nixon Nomadic headphones too stylish for their own good

Fashion-forward audio accessories are nothing new. In the past couple of years, we've seen quite the parade of chic headphones from the likes of Phiaton and Monster Cable. Nixon, a company best known for its board-sport-inspired line of watches and other accessories, has decided to dip its toe in these waters, too, and it should come as no surprise that the company's Nomadic On Ear Headphones are among the most stylish we've come across. However, these $100 cans suffer from muted, mid-heavy audio that's hard to overlook.

Read the Nixon Nomadic review.

Where to cook: Al fresco or in casa?

Inside or out? That's the question millions of Americans will be asking themselves as they head to the voting booth next month. Not what candidate to vote for, but where they want to cook their dinner that night. For far too many Americans the choice does not exist. Families across this great nation are confined to cooking inside their own kitchens, whether they want to or not. Well, no longer! Cast your vote for this Nomad-Cook mobile-induction cooking unit and you'll be able to take your mealtime wherever you want.

Stylishly clad with glazed lava stone and available … Read more

The rise of digital nomadism
On the occasion of Independence Day, Steve Rubel reflects on the growing independence of knowledge workers in the network economy and predicts the rise of "Digital Nomads:"

"If you spend as much time on the road as I do, you're likely to run into Digital Nomads. This sector of the workforce includes both independents and corporate workers. They use web-based tools like Twitter, wikis, Google Docs, social networks and Skype to collaborate and work wherever, whenever and however they want.

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The reality is that many of the tools that workers need to do their jobs are … Read more

Are you a GNE?
In a recent article, Wallpaper magazine describes Global Nomadic Expatriates, or GNEs, as a new breed of "career expats" who move from country to country for short-term professional gigs, "with no particular loyalty to a home nation."

The magazine cites a Mercer study covering 232 multi-national corporations, stating that the numbers of GNEs have increased by more than a third in recent years and now outnumber traditional expats (who return home) and long-term expats (who finally settle in their new place).

For GNEs, home is where they're going to, not where they're coming from. … Read more