odd look at news on the web
Amazingly lifelike robofish is made for maintenance-free aquariums
27 April 2026 @ 8:33 pm
An aquarium can really add a touch of class to a home or business, particularly if it's got some fancy fish in it – but such fish can be very hard to keep. So, why not just buy a weirdly lifelike "robofish" like this one, that needs nothing more than a daily battery-charge?Continue ReadingCategory: Robotics, EngineeringTags: Smart #2 micro-EV looks straight out of a video game, and it probably is
27 April 2026 @ 6:00 pm
The Smart ForTwo was a much-loved microcar that came with an array of customization options over the years, but its biggest strength was its small footprint. It practically took up half of a parking spot, and I’m happy to say its successor follows that same recipe.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: The aérOnde flying doughnut could be Homer Simpson’s dream
27 April 2026 @ 4:30 pm
If you’re a longtime viewer of The Simpsons, then you know at least two things about Homer: he loves doughnuts, and he’s an absolutely terrible designer of vehicles. But that doesn’t mean no one should ever combine vehicle design with doughnuts, as French company aérOnde has shown us with its aérOnde (“Air-Round”) airship that looks like a giant, flying doughnut covered in white icing.Continue ReadingCategory: Aircraft, TransportStunning retro roadster is Morgan's fastest-ever creation
27 April 2026 @ 1:18 pm
In an astonishing mix of modern technology with traditional rural crafts, English specialist sports car company Morgan has just unveiled its fastest-ever model.Continue ReadingCategory: Automotive, TransportTags: Morgan, SpoOppo tempts photo pros with dual 200-MP cams and 10x optical telephoto
27 April 2026 @ 9:28 am
Oppo’s Find X9 Ultra takes smartphone photography to the next level with a 10x optical zoom telephoto and dual 200MP cameras built around a Hasselblad-tuned system, plus an externally mounted teleconverter lens option to reach even farther.Continue ReadingCategory: Mobile Technology, Consumer Tech, Nanotextured coating material shreds viruses on contact
27 April 2026 @ 1:03 am
It doesn't take much to pick up a viral infection in spaces we share with other people – whether it's from tiny droplets in the air containing these particles, or touching doorknobs and countertops in offices and hospitals.Continue ReadingCategory: EngineeringTags: Materials, Virus, Ancient practice of villain-hitting is Hong Kong's most unique experience
26 April 2026 @ 7:03 pm
Beneath the expansive concrete overpass amid the bustling hub of Causeway Bay, you'll find a bizarre and enduring tradition in Hong Kong – "villain hitting." Here, elderly women perform an elaborate ritual that involves bashing a name written on paper with a shoe, while chanting, to free people from someone causing them grief and encourage fortune and peace in their place.Continue ReadingCategory: Perovskite solar cells are the 'impure' bad boys of next-gen photovoltaics
26 April 2026 @ 5:03 pm
“Purity” is one of the many myths of perfection, suggesting that absolute conformity is the only way to produce supreme value. Just as that claim is false for human populations, new research in physics at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) shows it’s also false for solar cells.Continue ReadingCategory: Energy, EngineeringTags: 215-sq-ft tiny house goes big on comfort with hot tub and sauna
26 April 2026 @ 3:03 pm
This 215-sq-ft (20-sq-m) tiny house may be on the smaller side, but it still manages to make room for some of life's luxuries. The non-towable home features a comfortable interior for two and even has its own sauna and hot tub nearby.Continue ReadingCategory: Tiny Houses, OutdoorsTags: Nanogenerator harvests electricity from evaporating seawater
26 April 2026 @ 11:03 am
Imagine a device using an energy source the size of planet Earth, and offering nearly limitless electricity with no ecologically devastating mining required to get it. Science fiction? A lie from Big Battery? A fentanyl fantasy from the Energizer Bunny? No – it’s real, and it’s the ocean.Continue ReadingCategory: Energy, EngineeringTags: