[From WSAZ-TV in West Virginia; the story features a 3 minute video]    Apr 7, 2010 The Future of Mine Safety Training Days after one of the worst mining disasters in U.S. history, one group is hoping to change the way coal miners get their safety training. Brad Myers HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ-TV) — Just days after 25 miners died in an apparent mine explosion in West Virginia, the push is already on to take safety training for miners to the next level. “One of the tragedies of having a disaster of this sort is to see the human suffering,” West Virginia…

[From the New York Times] TV Sports In 3-D, Masters Does Have Extra Dimension By RICHARD SANDOMIR Published: March 31, 2010 If the test footage shot recently at the Augusta National Golf Club is an authentic gauge, the Masters in 3-D will look terrific. Only a few thousand early adopters with 3-D television sets will be able to see the tournament in this manner, but they will be fortunate: one look at Augusta in 3-D will make high-definition seem obsolete.…

[From Gizmag] First advanced prototype revealed for the Australian bionic eye By Loz Blain March 31, 2010 Researchers at Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) have produced a prototype version of a bionic eye implant that could be ready to start restoring rudimentary vision to blind people as soon as 2013. The system consists of a pair of glasses with a camera built in, a processor that fits in your pocket, and an ocular implant that sits against the retina at the back of the eye and electronically stimulates the retinal neurons that send visual information to the brain. The resulting visual…

[From the Pink Tentacle blog; watch a :42 minute video here] [Pictured: Geminoid F and her human counterpart, wearing outfits by fashion designer Junko Koshino] Geminoid F: Remote-control female android 05 Apr 2010 Researchers from the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory at Osaka University have teamed up with robot maker Kokoro Co., Ltd. to create a realistic-looking remote-control female android that mimics the facial expressions and speech of a human operator. Modeled after a woman in her twenties, the android — called Geminoid F (the “F” stands for female) — has long black hair, soft silicone skin, and a set of lifelike teeth that…

[From The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Tweed blog] April 2, 2010 Our Math Class Was Never Like This Matthew Weathers, the Biola University faculty member whose Halloween stunt made us smile last fall, has done it again for April Fools’ [watch the 2:13 long video here]…

[From Jaunted (“The Pop Culture Travel Guide”)] Tour Pennsylvania’s Civil War Trails From Inside Google Earth April 2, 2010 at 5:05 PM | by Omri If you’ve ever wanted to tour Pennsylvania’s historic Civil War sites but can’t imagine navigating the perennially-unfinished death trap that is the Turnpike, we’ve got good news! A new project spearheaded by the Pennsylvania Tourism Office aims to deliver the state’s Civil War Trails right to your desktop, blending Google Earth technology, historical information, and incredible high-def GigaPan panoramic photos. The images are so detailed that you can literally zoom in on gravestone inscriptions, to…

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