Light Metal

Researchers in the US have broken the world record for the lightest structural material. The metal-based micro lattice structures are significantly less dense than the rarest aerogels and other ultra-light foams, while exhibiting high strength and an unexpectedly high ability to absorb energy and recover shape after compression- yes! These metals have memories. The materials could find use in a range of applications, from aircraft structural components to acoustic damping and shock absorption.

The structure is so fine that it is 99.99 per cent air, and around 10 per cent less dense than the lightest aerogels. Intriguingly, the micro engineered structure has remarkably different properties from the bulk alloy. The bulk alloy is usually very brittle, but when the lattice structure is compressed, the hollow tubes do not snap but rather buckle like a drinking straw with a high degree of elasticity.

Ultra-lightweight materials are an incredibly cool area of materials science, bringing us crazy substances like aerogel. And now, for the first time, scientists have produced a metal that’s so light it can balance on the fluff of a dandelion.

This stuff weighs less than one milligram per cubic centimeter, completely bounces back after compression, and is made of a repeating lattice. It has incredible potential for use as thermal insulation; acoustic, vibration or shock dampening; energy absorption and recovery; and electronic parts.

Carmen Tisch

A 36 year-old woman, named Carmen Tisch pulled down her pants, punched, scratched and profusely slid her buttocks against a painting worth more than $30 million. She has been apparently arrested by the Colorado police and accused of damage worth more than $10,000.

Carmen was said to be drunk while she behaved in such a reckless manner, as she was booked under felony of criminal mischief under a $20,000 bond. The painting was by the late abstract expressionist Clyfford Still. If this is not it, Tisch allegedly urinated as well on the picture. Since the urine did not damage the painting, she’s not been charged with it.

Snowflake

I love watching out the windows when it’s snowing but I never wondered how a snowflake really looks like. Somebody did … and here are some awesome close up photos of snowflakes

They say that every snowflake is different. If that were true, how could the world go on? How could we ever get up off our knees? How could we ever recover from the wonder of it? – Jeanette Winterson

Zoo Parking

Then, one day, after 25 solid years of never missing a day of work, he just didn’t show up; so the Zoo Management called the City Council and asked it to send them another parking agent.

The Council did some research and replied that the parking lot was the Zoo’s own responsibility. The Zoo advised the Council that the attendant was a City employee.

The City Council responded that the lot attendant had never been on the City payroll.

Meanwhile, sitting in his villa somewhere on the coast of Spain (or some such scenario), is a man who’d apparently had a ticket machine installed completely on his own; and then had simply begun to show up every day, commencing to collect and keep the parking fees, estimated at about $560 per day — for 25 years. Assuming 7 days a week, this amounts to just over $7 million dollars!

And no one even knows his name.

Dry Water

Dry water, also known as “powdered water”, is a solidified form of water, where water droplets are surrounded by a sandy silica coating. Dry water actually consists of 95 percent liquid water, but the silica coating prevents the water droplets from combining and turning back into a liquid. The result is a white powder that looks very similar to powdered sugar.

Discovery

Dry water was first created in 1968 and was immediately snatched up by cosmetic companies as it appeared to have potential applications in the cosmetics field. It was “rediscovered” in 2006 by the University of Hull, UK, and has since been evaluated and studied for its potential use in other fields. The dry water itself is easy enough to manufacture. The hydrophobic silica and water are blended together using a motor with a stirring rod and propeller that spins at 19,000 rpm for 90 seconds, which coats the water droplets completely.

Applications

Certain liquids or gases, when mixed with dry water, combine with the water – which then traps them in a silica cage. Hence, they become non-reactive, and are easily transported without worrying about accidental detonation. Dry water is currently being considered for use as a carbon sequestration agent to capture and seal away greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. Scientists consider that dry water will prove useful in the future to help fight global warming as it was found that it could store as much as three times more carbon dioxide than ordinary water. Dry water also has application for the transportation and storage of dangerous materials. It can be used as a medium for volatile compounds, as materials stored within the dry water can be reduced to powder and stabilized – reducing not only the volatility of the substance, but also its weight for transport. It has also been theorized that dry water could have potential uses in the construction of fuel cells for automobiles due to its ability to store and stabilize very large amounts of volatile gases and materials without permanently binding them. Due to its nature, dry water is classified as an adsorbent material. It has many potential uses in fields where emulsions are required or used. Recent studies have also found dry water to help jumpstart reactions or to work as a catalyst.

1. Move forward 3 units and turn right.
2. Move forward 1 unit and turn right.
3. Move forward 2 units and turn left.
4. Move forward 1 unit and turn left.
5. Move forward 2 units and turn right.
6. Repeat.

If the robot makes its turns at 90° angles, it will produce this figure:

But, remarkably, if it turns at 120° it will draw this:

Pumpkin Carving Art

Halloween includes activities such as trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, carving jack-o’-lanterns, bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films. Here are 6 more awesome carved pumpkins to give you ideas for today.

Wish you a very Happy Halloween!

Police

Don’t consent to a search

• Say “NO”, and tell the police to come back with a warrant
• If you voluntary agree to a search, they don’t need a warrant to get into your house or search your computer

Ask to see a search warrant

• If the police say they have a warrant, you have the right to see it
• Make sure they are only searching the areas the warrant authorizes them to search

You can say silent

• You don’t have to say a word to the police or help their search
• You don’t have to give your encryption keys or passwords to the police
• If you decide to talk to the police, tell them the truth. Lying to the police is a crime
• Once the police are searching your home or your computer don’t interfere or obstruct their search

Talk to lawyer

• If the police wants to search your home, your business or your electronic devices – or even just talk to you – you should talk to a lawyer before any search or discussion with the police
• A lawyer can help you deal with the police and may be able to help you get back any electronic devices the police took from you while searching

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Edna Verdin

Meet Edna Verdin.

The 47-year-old Louisianan became upset Sunday night when her bottle of “Tequila Rose,” a strawberry cream liqueur, would not fit in the freezer at her Houma home. She expressed her displeasure by removing a frozen slab of beef and flinging it at her boyfriend’s head, according to cops.

The meat hit its mark, opening a bloody gash on the face of Jerry Voisin, her live-in 51-year-old beau.

As a result, Verdin was arrested for aggravated battery, according to a press release from Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Vernon Bourgeois. Verdin, seen in the above mug shot, is currently free on bond.

Guys … remember to leave some room in your freezer for at least 1 bottle of booze