Nikola Tesla, the geek's geek

Nikola Tesla relaxing with a book under his coil.

Thanks to ThinkGeek for posting this amazing comic about Nikola Tesla, brought to you by The Oatmeal:

Why Nikola Tesla was the greatest geek who ever lived:  http://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla

>> new crush forming >> sorry, Thomas Dolby, I'm afraid you'll have to make room.

* also this nice & comprehensive blog post about how Tesla basically invented everything.

Tech: Jamming Robots, Rubbers, and Cornstarch-filled Pools

A jamming robot can grip delicate things precisely.

WBEZ broadcast a fascinating story yesterday on its Clever Apes segment, talking about the jamming phenomenon - how granular materials become more rigid as they become more densely packed (think of a brick of ground coffee being cut open).  Jamming has use in the design of "squishy" robots, with some interesting and potentially very useful applications.  Incredibly fun to listen to, plus the closing music - Kraftwerk's "The Robots" from The Man-Machine - earned it a big thumbs-up from me.


Jamming Links!  Jamming has been observed in a number of materials and contexts:
Condoms, or as they're charmingly referred to here, rubbers
Grain escaping from a silo
Cornstarch/water - check out this hilarious video of two guys running across a pool filled with cornstarch and water.  The slurry behaves like a solid under certain conditions and a liquid under others.
Marley's Theory of Jamming