Katy Dempsey
Monday-Friday: 10a-2p
0
The Governor’s New Clothes
Thursday, November 10th, 2011
A TU scientist is developing a technology to create a real life invisibility cloak.. delighting not only Harry Potter fans the world over but given Rick Perry’s performance in the debate last night, politicians as well.
We aren’t talking any emperor’s new clothes conspiracy theories, this is the real deal.
Here comes the science..
Ali Aliev uses carbon nanotubes–which look like pieces of thread–and then heats them up rapidly until the objects beneath them effectively disappear.
So how do the threads work? In a paper published in Nanotechnology in June, Aliev explains that the invisibility cloak exploits the “mirage effect.” A highway can become so hot that small circles that look like puddles of water appear in the road. That happens when the road is so hot that the surface bends the light around it, so that the driver sees the reflected sky instead of the pavement. The carbon nanotubes create a similar effect.
But for now, Aliev only has the capacity to make tiny sheets from a few threads. Luckily, many other scientists around the world are also working hard on this technology. In England, scientists are working to create temperature-controlled plates to attach to tanks that would make them disappear when viewed through night-vision goggles.
Note: this is all waaaaay too high tech for me so I just copied and pasted the Info.
What would you do with an invisibility cloak? What WOULDN’T you do with an invisibility cloak?
sidenote: man puberty was awkward for Daniel Radcliffe.
-Katy
Muppets Take .. the Oscars?
Thursday, November 10th, 2011
Sorry for all those wishing for a Klump reunion, Eddie Murphy has dropped his role as Oscar host.
But this means that now they need to name a new host.. and as of now, there is no definite frontrunner to replace him.. or is there?
An internet campaign hoping to see The Muppets take on the role has begun to gain traction on Facebook. The choice of Kermit, Miss Piggy et al would make a certain sense as Jim Henson’s creations have a new film out – their first in 12 years – later this month.
And who cares if it’s only a PR stunt? That would be awesome!
What do you think? Would you be down to see the Muppets host the Academy Awards? If not, who would you want?
-Katy
Emergency Messages That Would Have Been Cooler..
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
You’ve been hearing the ominous commercial about the big nation wide test on November 9, 2011 at 1 pm and how everyone just HAD to clarify that it was only a test.
Most people assumed this meant the message was going to include some sort of doomsday cry comparable to “War of the Worlds.” We even considered an office pot to determine which type of crisis would be hypothetically recorded then broadcast.
1:00 pm rolls around: and NOTHING. There weren’t even words. Just the annoying standard beeping tones you hear on a boring non-hyped EAS test.
So, I’ve decided to create this thread for you to post the emergency message topic that would have been cooler than the one we heard. Any disaster *even imaginary* will work.
Mine? A message about the impending zombie threat. You know it’s coming..
Submit yours here, on our facebook page, or email ‘em to me.
The threat is real.
And, can I just add, if that had been a national emergency.. we’d all be @#$%ed.
-Katy
RIP Cd’s
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
Get ‘em while you can my friends.. big labels are trying to kill our beloved cds.
I can still remember my first one: Britney Spears- Hit Me Baby One More Time.
Music just sounds better on a cd.. and no, I don’t mean that in a pretentious hipster and vinyl kind of way.
I have just always been one of those people who enjoys buying cds over downloading music.. probably because everytime I attempt to make a cd full of downloaded music it usually craps out after a few plays.
So naturally, I was floored by this news I read on the music site Side Line. The major record labels are planning to kill off the CD format by the end of next year to make way for digital downloads only. The only CDs that will go on sale through 2013 and beyond will be special editions and albums from the biggest artists..
The news has not yet been confirmed by any major record label.
Do you still buy cds? Or are you an ipod/zune/whatever/intergalacticplanetary/ digital all the way? What do you think about this predicted death of the cd?
I feel the sudden urge to hit up Best Buy..
More here (including a gut wrenching update) 
-Katy
Relationship Red Flag
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
Don’t get too excited if your significant other starts losing weight.. it’s probably not for you.
According to a new study when people in steady relationships start to actively work out or diet to fight flab, it’s because they are preparing to drop their other half.
Sociologists claim there’s no pressure to look attractive if you’ve already snagged your better half.. and as such you apparently start to let yourself go and feel less inclined to worry about things like expanding waistlines.
So if your boyfriend or girlfriend starts to develop an insane obsession with the gym or dieting, be afraid. It’s most likely in preparation to join a competitive dating market where people like to look as thin and attractive as possible.
What do you think about this? I’ve known people do this very thing.. but then I also know people who lose weight for themselves to be healthier. And then what about the couples that lose weight together?
Thoughts?
-Katy