December 2012

Building Bicycle Superhighways: A Visionary Plan to Reclaim City Streets

The Observation Deck, WIREDx / By

Building Bicycle Superhighways: A Visionary Plan to Reclaim City Streets Summary The City of London plans to build bicycle roads connecting underground stations, which would be overhead with walls or fences on two sides, and riders would pay to access them similarly to the subway system. Though initial designs are beautiful and promising, it remains …

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New Explosive at University of Michigan and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: A Fascinating Combination of Science and Purpose

The Observation Deck, WIREDx / By

New Explosive at University of Michigan and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: A Fascinating Combination of Science and Purpose Summary Researchers at the University of Michigan and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory created a new explosive using two existing explosives, HM and CL2. The combination resulted in a crystal sandwich with a faster detonation velocity, but with …

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Navigating the Spatiotemporal Aspects of Urban Life: Insights from a New York City Cab Driver

The Observation Deck, WIREDx / By

Navigating the Spatiotemporal Aspects of Urban Life: Insights from a New York City Cab Driver Summary This Q&A article is based on a conversation with a New York City cab driver who provides insights into the spatiotemporal aspects of urban life. The cab driver talks about the recent radical changes in New York City streets, …

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Giant Humanoid Robots: A Flawed Weapon for Fighting Kaiju

The Observation Deck, WIREDx / By

Giant Humanoid Robots: A Flawed Weapon for Fighting Kaiju Summary In this blog post, we discuss the flaws of using giant humanoid robots in fighting kaiju. The primary concern is their instability due to bipedalism, which makes them vulnerable to attacks from the monsters. We also explore the cockpit placement in such robots and the …

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Why the Second Movie is Always Better: An Argument for Hollywood to Keep Making Second Movies

The Observation Deck, WIREDx / By

Why the Second Movie is Always Better: An Argument for Hollywood to Keep Making Second Movies Summary The concept of the “Rule of Two,” which suggests that the second movie in a trilogy or series is often the best, is something that many people believe in, and it has led one person to recommend that …

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The Importance of Cities in the 2012 US Presidential Election

The Observation Deck, WIREDx / By

The Importance of Cities in the 2012 US Presidential Election Summary This article explores the demographic breakdown of the 2012 US Presidential Election results using maps and data analysis. It reveals that the urban areas overwhelmingly voted for President Obama, while the rural areas voted for Mitt Romney. Furthermore, the author argues that the importance …

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The Fascinating World of Skyscrapers and Gravitational Time Dilation

The Observation Deck, WIREDx / By

The Fascinating World of Skyscrapers and Gravitational Time Dilation Summary The completion of the Tokyo Sky Tree, the world’s second-tallest building, at 2,080 feet has captured people’s imagination once again. In this article, we explore the allure of skyscrapers and their functions, as well as their role in giving us access to an entirely different …

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The Search For Chemical Signatures: From Conflict Minerals to Human Odors

The Observation Deck, WIREDx / By

The Search For Chemical Signatures: From Conflict Minerals to Human Odors Summary This article explores the idea of chemical signatures and the quest to identify unique chemical signatures in various materials. From the search for human odor print to the detection of conflict minerals, researchers are applying various techniques to identify chemical signatures that could …

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Why We Can’t Figure Out What’s in the Booze of Science Fiction Universes

The Observation Deck, WIREDx / By

Why We Can’t Figure Out What’s in the Booze of Science Fiction Universes Summary Science fiction has given us many iconic concepts, but it seems to have fallen short in depicting how alcohol works across different universes. In different works of fiction, we see different types of beverages, from Romulan ale in Star Trek to …

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Albinism: A look into the genetics and characteristics of albino animals

The Observation Deck, WIREDx / By

Albinism: A look into the genetics and characteristics of albino animals Summary Albinism is a rare genetic disorder that inhibits the production of melanin, which gives color to our skin, hair, and eyes. While albinism can appear in any vertebrate, it is rare due to the recessive trait and the inability of albinos to camouflage …

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