Zing

  • Move over X-ray glasses; here come the T-rays

    Humans are blind. Really, think about all the things we cannot hear, see, smell, feel. Our world is so small. So when a device comes along that reveals a new part of the sensory spectrums we use, then I say, “cool!”

    Of course, when I was a kid, you’d see ads for the X-ray glasses in all the boy magazines along with ads for Sea Monkeys and whoopee-cushions.

    X-ray glasses

    Well, now they’re not just gimmicks. You’ve heard of x-rays, gamma rays, ultraviolet rays, infrared–well, here are t-rays.

    T-rays are emitted by all the objects around you, but they cannot be seen by humans. T-rays can go through just about anything except metal and water. People who spend serious time thinking about T-rays say this ability, the result of their short wavelengths, make them ideal candidates for certain types of medical imaging.

    Among other potential uses imagined are: safer versions of X-rays; scanning baggage at airports; identifying large biological molecules such as proteins, viruses and bacteria; and even measuring the effectiveness of facial moisturizers. Read article here.

    Here’s where t-rays fit on the electromagnetic spectrum.

    Light Sources

    And here’s the article that sparked it all today: Britain makes camera that “sees” under clothes. I guess one of those egg-head boys grew up and decided to make his dream come true, all in the name of science, medicine, and the Queen, of course.

  • Anti Monkey Butt

    Sometimes words fail me…

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  • Ugandan Monkey Boy

    Ugandan Monkey Boy - John Ssebunya

    I thought all such things were hoaxes.  Above is a picture of John after having been found and saved.

    John Ssebunya, the Ugandan Monkey Boy
    Date found: 1991
    Age when found: 6
    Location: Uganda
    Years in the wild: 3
    Animals: monkeys

    John ran and hid in a forest, about 2-3 km from his house after witnessing the murder of his mother by his father. His father was known to be an alcoholic and violent.

    John says he was so frightened of his father that he stayed in the forest. It is possible that he had some degree of mental handicap at that time and this may have contributed to the fact that he did not understand that he should have sought help from other adults.

    He was aged roughly 4 or 5 at the time that he was found in 1989 according to witnesses like Mrs Milly Sseba who found him in the forest. There is no birth certificate…

    John identified the mokes as Cercopithicus Aethiops (the common African Grey or Green Vervet Monkey). This is very significant as this is one of the very few species of mammal that lives in social groups and will accept and tolerate a lone individual of another species of monkey living alongside their group. Other monkeys and apes will not do this — chimpanzees for example would simply eat a human child.

    Read more here.

    Indeed zing, but heart wrenching.

  • The blessings and horrors of manure lagoons

    California cows start passing gas to the grid

    By Nichola Groom, Tue Mar 4, 2008 6:30pm EST

    RIVERDALE, California (Reuters) – Imagine a vat of liquid cow manure covering the area of five football fields and 33 feet deep. Meet California’s most alternative new energy.

    Read the full article

    Man drowns after falling into manure pit

    By Ben Winslow Deseret Morning News Published: January 19, 2008

    A man apparently drowned after falling into an iced-over manure pit at a Cache County dairy, authorities said….Deputies said the pit is about 8 feet deep and is filled with cow manure, moisture and ammonia from the urine, giving it a “soupy consistency.” “It is loose quicksand is what it is,” Bilodeau said. “You can’t swim in it. You’re almost completely incapacitated in it.”

    Read the full article