odd look at news on the web
Biometric 'human washing machine' cleans, dries and adapts to your mood
2 December 2025 @ 4:33 am
Japanese company Science is commercially producing its Mirai Ningen Sentakuki – Human Washing Machine of the Future – after an overwhelming response at the Osaka-Kansai Expo this year. Only 50 models will be made, with a price tag of US$385,000.Continue ReadingCategory: Consumer Tech, TechnologyTags: Japan Display, Future, Modular magnetic command center moves app control off your screen
1 December 2025 @ 7:30 pm
With all the technology in our lives today, it can feel overwhelming trying to keep track of the apps we need to control the world around us. Chinese tech company UltraBar has spent the past few years searching for a way to reduce this digital clutter, and it's come up with an interesting solution – a modular system of smart blocks that lets you control everything at once.Continue ReadingCategory: Electronics, Consumer Tech, TechnologyBiomining viruses deliver rare earth elements but no toxic horrors of mining
1 December 2025 @ 6:00 pm
They’re gorgeous, dazzling, passionately pursued, and worth billions.Continue ReadingCategory: ScienceTags: UC Berkeley, Virus, MetalsOff-grid tiny house embraces downsizing, doesn't skimp on comfort
1 December 2025 @ 4:27 pm
This recently completed tiny house, by Vagabond Haven, packs a lot of comfort into a compact footprint. Designed to sleep two people, it's fully equipped for off-grid living and is envisioned as a vacation home or rental.Continue ReadingCategory: Tiny Houses, OutdoorsTags: Building and Construction, Review: Rugged Thor 002 offers reliable thermal imaging on a budget
1 December 2025 @ 3:03 pm
Thermal imaging has become wildly accessible, thanks to technological advancements that have made it more affordable than ever. Thermal Master's Thor 002 sits squarely in that sweet spot. And it's about a third of the price of its main competitors.Continue ReadingCategory: Consumer Tech, TechnologyTags: Thermal Imaging, It's official: Global health body makes historic call on weight-loss drugs
1 December 2025 @ 1:45 pm
The World Health Organization (WHO) has finally made its recommendations on using glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapeutics for weight loss, though it remains to be seen whether it changes their status for prescribing or their price.Continue ReadingCategory: Obesity, Illnesses and conditions, Body and MindTags: World HeBird flu has a heat-proof gene that protects it from our fever defenses
1 December 2025 @ 9:17 am
Scientists have discovered that avian influenza viruses have a gene that makes them incredibly resistant to heat, rendering our body's natural defense system – fever – powerless in fighting infection. In fact, higher temperatures actually help the viruses replicate.Continue ReadingCategory: Infectious Diseases, Illnesses and conditions, Body and MindTags: University of Cambridge,Launch mishap may knock Russia out of astronaut launches for years
1 December 2025 @ 1:25 am
Russia has suffered a major setback after the launch of its Soyuz MS-28 mission ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) caused severe damage to the country's only pad capable of handling crewed boosters.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, ScienceTags: Roscosmos, NASA, Soyuz, Sub-30-lb rooftop tent slashes price & boosts car camping convenience
30 November 2025 @ 10:04 pm
So many rooftop tents on the market weigh well over 100 lb (45 kg), with the heaviest pushing 300 lb (135 kg). The all-new Weekend from Danish camping goods company Groenberg shatters that mold and weighs in at a fraction of those figures. And for a limited time, it also prices in at a fraction of the competition, running closer to traditional ground tent pricing. Could this be the attainable, easy-to-use rooftop tent the market has been begging for?Continue ReadingCategory: Solar-powered floating airports: The missing link for air taxis?
30 November 2025 @ 8:03 pm
Air taxis might be the next big thing but they can't get very big if there's no place for them to land. AutoFlight Aviation Technology is developing a vertiport that's essentially a solar-powered barge that can go where it's needed – water permitting.Continue ReadingCategory: Aircraft, TransportTags: eVTOL, Autoflight,