Drone-O-Gram! Amazon Secures Patent For Air-Based Deliveries

Like it or not, drone technology is here to stay.  Besides providing for brutally asymmetric warfare, however, they could also be pretty useful for delivering things other than bombs.  Since we all know the surveillance state isn’t about to let anything get actually lost anymore, it only stands to reason that a new patent could provide drone-docks all around your neighborhood…

Just make sure they use lots of bubble wrap in the packing...
(Image courtesy dailymail.co.uk.)

Space Station Sunday: New Hearts And Spare Parts

Good afternoon, space fans!  It’s been another wonderful week aboard our favorite orbital observatory!  Here’s what was up!

It's not like there's any rest stops up there!
The Progress 64 is loaded with goodies for a special space delivery
before departing Kazahkstan.
(Image courtesy NASA.gov.)

Get Your Kicks (And E-Car Charges) On Route 66!

It’s immortalized in song as “the highway that’s the best” for a reason…and now, even more so!  The United States' storied stretch of roadway, Route 66, will be going green in a major way…

Oldschool neon can now be lit by futuristic solar power...
what a trip!
(Image courtesy e-spaces.eu.)

Big Brother In Mother Russia: Putin's New Anti-Terror Bill Wants ALL The Data

Oh, Vlad.  Just when the rest of the world is getting really good at pretending we want to value human rights and raise awareness, you have to go and sign into law an anti-"terrorism" bill so rights-infringey, even some of the pro-Kremlin crowd thinks it goes too far…

Big Comrade is watching you...
(Image courtesy thetimes.co.uk.)

Do Androids Dream On Electric Pillows? Because Now, You Can...

“Smart” devices pervade our culture, giving everything from your car to your medicine cabinet a mind of its own.  Now, even when your own mind is shut off for the night, a smart device can be there to keep you informed of your sleep stats.  Ladies and gentlemen, this is totally not a joke.  Meet the smart pillow.

If you like death metal and your partner likes dubstep,
now you can both snooze to your own tunes!
(Image courtesy kickstarter.com.)

Space Station Sunday: Expedition 48-49 Moves On Up

Good afternoon, space fans!  It’s been another week of spectacularity from those humans spinning around the planet!

So long, Soyuz!
From Kazahkstan to the stars...
(Image courtesy NASA.gov.)

Bomb 'Bots Vs. Bad Guys: How Explosives And Xbox Controllers Can Take Down Terrorists

We may joke a lot about the impending horrors of how robots are coming for our jobs, but many times, for the most part, these replacements ultimately will bode well for the labors of the industrial or commercial world.  More importantly, at the top of the line, in each of these instances, the robots are being deployed by human beings capable of critical thinking and (theoretically) feeling emotions.  Now, we will find ourselves being increasingly placed in difficult situations where there are strong arguments both for and against the usage of robots in delicate human-induced situations…

A bomb robot in Arlington, TX, during the 2011 Super Bowl.
Will more such machines quell our quandaries?
(Image courtesy qz.com.)