Posted by samzenpus on Thursday April 21, @01:29PM

from the because-you-can dept.

kkleiner writes"In his continuing obsession with all things Lego, robotic, and awesome, Chris Shepherd recently constructed the Lego Quad Delta Robot System, a full working model of an industrial robotics line in a factory. The Lego Quad Delta Robot System has four flexing arms that can move in three dimensions, each equipped with a pneumatically driven gripper. Those arms pick up blocks moving on two conveyor belts marked with special light sensors that detect the block's position and color. The system can move 48 of these blocks per minute. Oh, and the whole darn thing, including the impressive support frame, is made out of Lego!"

Chili Fumes Poison Neighbors in Australia

Published April 20, 2011

| NewsCore

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Aussies are famed for their love of barbecues -- but one would-be chef's attempt at outdoor cookery ended up poisoning his neighbors with chili fumes, Melbourne radio station 3AW reported Wednesday.

A number of people needed medical attention -- with symptoms including nausea and respiratory problems -- as the fumes spread down the street in Cranbourne, Melbourne.

Paramedics rushed to the scene amid confusion as to what was causing the widespread sickness.

"At one stage there was a large number of people standing in the street and we didn't know what had caused them to become ill," medic David Llewelyn said. "We had up to 10 people who were coughing and were dizzy and nauseated."

With households up to 500 feet away affected, paramedics and firefighters went house-to-house searching for the source of the stink.

"It emerged that someone was drying out strong chilies in the backyard and that's what caused the fumes," Llewelyn said.

E-Book Sales Have Tripled In the Last Year

Posted by Soulskill on Friday April 15, @10:08AM

from the now-we-only-kill-trees-out-of-spite dept.

destinyland writes"The Association of American Publishers revealed today that e-book sales have tripled in the last year. Sixteen publishers reported that in February e-book sales totaled more than $90.3 million, a 202.3% increase over e-book sales in February of 2010. Meanwhile, sales of adult hardcover books have dropped 43%, while mass-market paperback sales dropped 41.5% (earning just $46.2 million and $29.3 million, respectively). The book publishing association acknowledged that readers have 'made e-books permanent additions to their lifestyle,' arguing that publishers 'are constantly redefining the timeless concept of "books"' and identifying new audiences they can serve through emerging technologies. 'It's nice to see that book publishers are aware of the changes rocking their industry,' notes one e-book blog, 'and that they're approaching it with a sense of history.'"

Barnes & Noble treats Nook Color to Froyo; unveils Nook Apps

By Rachel King | April 25, 2011, 5:30am PDT

Summary

Just as promised, Barnes & Noble rolled out a major update for the Nook Color on Monday, which has the 7-inch slate looking even more like a tablet than an e-book reader now.

Neat Stuff

Monday, April 25, 2011

Working Model Factory Made With Lego Robots