Here they are — the top most-visited stories from the past week. A 10-engine battery-powered plane that can take off like a helicopter, fascinating facts about USB OTG, a flexible computing prototype for electronic skin, a detailed look at the “Prostate Cancer Jungle,” free Windows 10 upgrades, hidden rock structures deep beneath East Asia, and an experiment that proves reality does not exist — at least until it is measured — are all among the top hits.
Experiment proves Reality does not exist until it is Measured
The bizarre nature of reality as laid out by quantum theory has survived another test, with scientists performing a famous experiment and proving that reality does not exist until it is measured. Physicists have conducted John Wheeler’s delayed-choice thought experiment, which involves a moving object given the choice to act like a particle or a wave. Wheeler’s experiment then asks — at which point does the object decide?
Earthquakes Reveal Deep Secrets beneath East Asia
A new work based on 3-D supercomputer simulations of earthquake data has found hidden rock structures deep under East Asia. Researchers used seismic data from 227 East Asia earthquakes during 2007-2011, which they used to image depths to about 900 kilometers, or about 560 miles below ground. Notable structures include a high velocity colossus beneath the Tibetan plateau, and a deep mantle upwelling beneath the Hangai Dome in Mongolia.
Windows 10 available as a Free Upgrade on July 29
Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will be available July 29 in 190 countries. The company has said that Windows 10 will deliver ongoing feature innovations and security updates. It will be available as a free upgrade to people using Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, enabling hundreds of millions of people around the world to upgrade to Windows 10 for free.
Prostate Cancer Jungle: Navigating Diagnosis and Treatment Options is Daunting
What do Rudolph Guliani, Robert Diniro, Dennis Hopper, James Brown, Arnold Palmer, Joe Torre, Dan Fogelberg, Colin Powell, John Kerry, Johnny Ramone, Francois Mitterand, Robert Frost, and Frank Zappa have in common? They have lived with, or died from, prostate cancer. Every 19 minutes, an American man dies from prostate cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death among men and is the most common cancer in men…
Age of Wearable Computing Delivers BioStamp Electronic Skin
MC10 is developing a technology that will allow digital circuits to be embedded in bendable, stretchable materials, which allows exploration of entirely new form factors for electronics — including a form of “electronic skin.” MC10 has overcome the rigidity of normal electronic components by printing them in very small pieces and arranging them in wavy patterns. BioStamp, a flexible computing prototype, can be worn constantly.
10-Engine Electric Plane Prototype Takes Off
A team at NASA’s Langley Research Center is developing a concept of a battery-powered plane that has 10 engines and can take off like a helicopter and fly efficiently like an aircraft. The prototype, called Greased Lightning or GL-10, is currently in the design and testing phase. This photograph captures the GL-10 prototype taking off in hover mode like a helicopter.
On-the-Go! Fascinating Facts about USB OTG
No, as much as it might be needed, this column doesn’t address how to deal with the numerous frenetic projects that we are tasked with handling every day. On-the-Go is an extension to the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard, more commonly seen as USB OTG. We’ll forgo trying to determine who came up with a name like this and, instead, take a look at some of the fascinating things it allows us to do.
