- Latest Popular Stories, Instablogs Community by O_rio

Could Solar Power Satellites Beam Down Gigawatts of Energy?

Rio — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:59:03 +0000

How pie-in-the-sky is Ben Bova’s space satellite scheme? Mr. Bova, the president emeritus of the National Space Society and a prolific science fiction author, penned a column in last Sunday’s Washington Post calling on the next president to build an armada of solar power satellites (SPS) — basically large accumulations of solar cells — to help meet a substantial chunk of our energy needs.

Japan feeds animals recycled leftovers

Rio — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:10:09 +0000

With animal feed and fertilizer prices at record highs, Japan’s food recycling industry is seeing greater demand than ever before for pellets for pigs and poultry made from recycled...

Self-Stirring Cup of Tea Puts My Left Hand Out of a Job

Rio — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:00:53 +0000

The cup, called Ceramic For Mix, has a protruding base that bulges out—imagine a boa constrictor after an all-you-can-eat sheep buffet—and a ceramic ball that goes in the bottom. Pour in the PG Tips, add the milk, spoon in the sugar (if that is how you take your tea) and then swill the cup. Gravity ensures the ceramic ball doesn’t bop you on the nose when you drink, apparently.

Penis Envy No More. Ladies Step Right Up. Wii!

Rio — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:57:15 +0000

Prepare yourself by strapping on the included belt harness and jacking in your Wiimote. A series of toilets are presented on screen and the challenge is to tilt your body to control a never-ending stream of pee. Get as much pee in the toilets as you can while spilling as little on the floor as possible. Sounds easy eh? Well the toilets open and close whack-a-mole style and occasionally the stray cat or other cute critter pops up. Spray a cat for extra points. Get too much pee on the ground and your game is over.

Stocks, dollar plunge in market turmoil

Rio — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:12:11 +0000

World markets suffered fresh turmoil Monday as investors dumped both stocks and the dollar on fears more US banks could be vulnerable to the credit crisis that crippled Bear Stearns, dealers said.

They said an emergency cut by the US Federal Reserve to its discount rate and a weekend deal for JPMorgan Chase to buy Bear Stearns at a fire-sale price had added to a sense of crisis sweeping through global financial markets.

The volatility spilled over into commodities Monday as oil prices soared to fresh highs and gold prices jumped as investors looked to safe-havens.

Tokyo stocks plunged by more than 4.0 percent at one point before recovering some ground to close 3.7 percent lower, ending below the key 12,000 points level for the first time since August 2005.