Category Archives: Technology

How walkable is your neighborhood?

Environment, Technology

Just found out about a site called Walk Score today. It uses Google Maps data to calculate a walkability score for any address based on how close it is to services like grocery stores, restaurants, schools, etc. For instance, my house got a “walker’s paradise” 91 (out of 100), while my work got only a 63. Still, not bad for San Diego.

It’s a simple but powerful idea; now I have a benchmark to use when deciding between hotels on vacation or (eventually) deciding which house to buy. Perhaps it’ll encourage more neighborhoods to become walkable…

DeLoreans go back into production?

Fun, Science fiction, Technology

The appeal of the DeLorean doesn’t seem to have diminished, according to a recent BBC story. On the contrary, the revived DeLorean Motor Company (based in Texas this time) has been doing a swift business in parts, accessories, and in some cases complete refurbishment (new parts on an original chassis).

As it turns out, demand has gotten high enough to warrant building new ones:

Demand for DeLorean cars is so high that it may go back into production, according to a US firm.

Mr Espey added: “There are guys who were in their teens when they first saw the movie, who are now in their late 30s or early 40s, who are at that point in life when they can get the car they wanted when they were a kid.

“We feel quite confident that there is a market for between 20-25 hand-built made to order cars each year, without question. Right now, we have a nine-month waiting list for cars.”

Ah, just in time for 2015 to come around! OK, who’s working on the hoverconversion technology? Mr. Fusion, anyone?

MIT team designs skintight spacesuit

Space, Technology

BIOsuitGolden-age sci-fi fans, rejoice! The future is finally here. Your skintight spacesuit has arrived:

Dava Newman, a professor of aeronautics and astronautics and engineering systems at MIT… is working on a sleek, advanced suit designed to allow superior mobility when humans eventually reach Mars or return to the moon. Her spandex and nylon BioSuit is not your grandfather’s spacesuit–think more Spiderman, less John Glenn.

Newman’s prototype suit is a revolutionary departure from the traditional model. Instead of using gas pressurization, which exerts a force on the astronaut’s body to protect it from the vacuum of space, the suit relies on mechanical counter-pressure, which involves wrapping tight layers of material around the body. The trick is to make a suit that is skintight but stretches with the body, allowing freedom of movement.

Key to their design is the pattern of lines on the suit, which correspond to lines of non-extension (lines on the skin that don’t extend when you move your leg). Those lines provide a stiff “skeleton” of structural support, while providing maximal mobility.

Let’s see… private spacecraft, check; personal cleaning robots, check; skintight spacesuit, check; wrist computer with videphone, check; bionic limbs, check; OK, who’s working on the jetpacks?

BarCamp San Diego this weekend

Events, Fun, Knitting, Technology, Web 2.0

I’ve been negligent in my event-reporting duties. This weekend (June 2-3) San Diego gets its very own BarCamp, and I’ll be there along with lots of awesome people. Topics so far include programming, photography, yoga, knitting, metal fabrication, and monkeys.  (Yes, the last one is mine.)

If you’re in the San Diego area and have a bit of spare time this weekend, stop on by! You’re guaranteed to have a great time.