To Kick Ass at Video Games Just Zap Your Brain with a 9V Battery

Scientists, already adept at using magnets to screw with the brain's ability to generate speech, are now sending direct current into people's brain matter to help them master video games.

Neuroscientists at the University of New Mexico asked volunteers to play a video game called "DARWARS Ambush!", developed to help train American military personnel. Half of the players received 2 milliamps of electricity to the scalp, using a device powered by a simple 9-volt battery, and they played twice as well as those receiving a much tinier jolt. The DARPA-funded study suggests direct current applied to the brain could improve learning.

DARPA! Of course! What aren't they doing in the mind control field these days, amiright?

While controversial and even a bit dangerous, this manipulation, called transcranial direct current stimulation, could actually be used to treat certain neurological disorders in the future, should it prove safe over long periods of time.

[Source]

Control your cell phone with a ring with the Nokia Nenya

When I saw this particular concept product from Finnish cell phone giant Nokia, I thought I was looking at some delayed April Fool’s Joke like the Google Motion. That, or someone really can’t wait for the Green Lantern movie (coming this summer).

Nokia’s Nenya ring allows the user to control their cell phone with a twist of the ring, like a magician. Speaking of magic, the name Nenya apparently is derived from a ring of power that was wielded by Galadriel from The Lord of the Rings.

Of course, there is no magic involved. In fact, the technology is as simple as mounting a magnet inside the ring. The ring can be twisted at 45 degree angles, which allow commands for about 8 different functions. So if you want to change tracks on your music program, or pause them, just give it a twist.

Float Table uses magnets to make magic hovering effect

This is the Float Table, and it combines some of the best technology from the seventies and the eighties, along with yet-to-be-invented hover technology.

As you can see, the Float Table has that brown wood look that was so prevalent in the disco decade. The rotary phone is also a nice touch. As for the eighties, it certainly has that Rubik’s Cube thing going on.

According to my Source, those cubes are held together by the power of magnets. These attracting and rebelling forces somehow work together to appear like blocks floating in air, but still stable.

By the way, there are steel cables attached to the blocks to keep this structure from completely falling apart. I guess that you can’t see the cables in this picture. I’m also told that this is so you can shape the Float Table into whatever you want. I really wish that I had some pictures of that, as I would have attached them to this post.

I wonder if it is possible to shift this Float Table into something that looks more like an actual table with legs. I also wonder how much weight the table can hold.

Well, this is a concept piece of furniture as of now, but you never know. I don’t even know if this thing actually works, or if this is some complicated mock-up.