A Terrifying Staircase To Nowhere Provides Dizzying Views Of the Alps

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-terrifying-staircase-to-nowhere-provides-dizzying-vie-719205070

Apparently, stunning views of one of the most picturesque mountain ranges in the world aren't enough for visitors of the Dachstein Glacier resort in Austria. So the facility has installed a 14-step 'staircase to nothing' leading to a glass-bottomed viewing platform that juts out from the side of the glacier, and a 328-foot suspension bridge that hangs 1,300 feet over the mountains.

Although awe-inspiring, neither attraction is designed for the faint of heart. However, if you've ever dreamed of scaling a mountain but barely have enough upper body strength to put on a warm jacket, this is the closest you'll get to the stunning views enjoyed by mountaineers—unless they eventually install a staircase on Everest. [Der Dachstein via Spiegel Online]

Images by Dachstein and Spiegel Online

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A Magical Window That Blocks Noise But Lets Breezes Pass Through

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-magical-window-that-blocks-noise-but-lets-breezes-pas-703615179

It's a warm summer night in the city, but instead of sleeping with the windows open to let a breeze in, you've got them all closed to keep your bedroom quiet. It's a 'lesser of two evils' decision that people living in crowded urban centers might soon not have to make. Researchers in South Korea have developed a remarkable new type of window that dampens sound while still allowing air to pass right on through.

Developed by Seong-Hyun Lee at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials and Sang-Hoon Kima at the South Korea Mokpo National Maritime University, the nitty-gritty of how the window works is detailed here. But in layman's terms, the windows are made up of two plates of transparent acrylic sitting 40mm apart that work as a resonance chamber, diminishing the energy of sound waves passing through. And to maximize the window's efficiency, it's perforated with 50mm holes that allow more sound to enter and get trapped, without obstructing breezes.

The exact science of how the windows work is of course far more elaborate and worth a read if you've got a few moments, but in testing it's been found to reduce sounds by an impressive 20 to 30 decibels—enough to turn a traffic-filled street into a sleep-friendly murmur—across various frequency ranges depending on the size of the perforations.

So in addition to soundproofing and cooling an office or a home, in theory, the materials could even be used to make ultra-quiet fans or other hardware. [Cornell University via MIT Technology Review]

Image by Stockelements/Shutterstock

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Garmin's $130 smartphone HUD limits distractions with line-of-sight directions

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/08/garmin-head-up-display/

We've become so dependent on GPS that a three-minute drive often means frequent glances at an in-car navigation companion. But taking your eyes off the road can be very dangerous, even if it's only for a moment. If you're fortunate enough to have one, a head-up display will let you get to your destination efficiently and safely, and Garmin's got a new aftermarket solution to keep you cruising on the cheap. The company's new HUD projects bright directions onto a transparent film mounted on your windshield, serving up guidance within your regular line of sight. The simple interface displays your current speed and the speed limit, turn arrows, the distance until your next turn and an ETA. The Garmin HUD is compatible with Bluetooth-equipped smartphones running Garmin StreetPilot and Navigon apps. It's expected in stores this summer with a MSRP of $129.99.

Filed under: Displays, GPS

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China Beaches Are Green With Smelly 'Sea Lettuce' Algae Due To Record-Breaking Bloom [PHOTOS]

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-algae-beach-pollution-2013-photos-2013-7

Massive, recording-breaking blooms of the algae Enteromorpha prolifera have been washing up on China's beaches in Shandong province, near Qingdao.

The bloom is the size of Connecticut and officials have already removed 19,800 tons of algae from beaches. This is the largest bloom since 2008, which covered 5,000 square miles. That year, the algae cost $30 million to clean up and according to a 2011 report, cost about $100 million in damages to fisheries in the area, since the algae soaks up oxygen in the water, choking off other marine organisms.

The blooms first started in 2007, and researchers aren't sure if they are cause by pollution or by changes to seaweed farming practices to the south of Qingdao.

The algae beach is located in Qingdao, in Shandong province in Eastern China.

The city has a population of more than 8 million, and tourists flock to the coasts during the summer months.

That's also when blooms of the algae Enteromorpha prolifera, peak.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Your Next Smartphone Screen Will Be Able to Disinfect Itself

Source: http://gizmodo.com/your-next-smartphone-screen-will-be-able-to-disinfect-i-677470656

Your phone is filthy. Anything that's getting rubbed by your grimy little fingers on a ridiculously regular basis is going to be far from pristine. But Corning can help. Its newest revision of Gorilla Glass is not only ridiculously resilient, it also kills pesky germs all by itself.

Corning discussed its upcoming display tech at the MIT Mobile Technology Summit, and it sounds incredible. The anti-microbial coating being used on the new glass—a first for the display industry—can kill virtually all nasty microbes on the screen's surface over a course of two hours. It's not instantaneous, but it's way better than having a pocket petri dish.

And that's not all, either. Corning is also whipping up a new transparency treatment that will make the next revision of Gorilla Glass tens of times more transparent than purified water. What's that really mean? Seeing your phone in broad daylight is about to get way easier. Here's what that improvement looks like, the circle in the center is the new stuff:

And of course, that's all on top of the ridiculous strength we've come to expect from Gorilla Glass. Unfortunately, there's no word on exactly when these sort of features will be rolling out to new devices; Corning has simply said some time in the next two years. Until then, licking your phone screen is probably a good habit to stay out of. [Technology Review via Phone Arena via Talk Android]

Image by Michelangelus/Shutterstock

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