Remember our very old friend the Antikythera mechanism? Well, designer and Lego aficionado Andrew Carol has decided to reincarnate the ancient Greek computer once again.

Just like the original Antikythera, which the Greeks most likely used to predict a variety of astronomical happenings, the Lego version uses a complex array of gears (illustrated in the video below) to track information such as the position of the sun and moon, and to foresee events like lunar and solar eclipses.

Video after the jump.

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Filed under: Computer, e-News | Comments Off on Oldest Computer in the World Now in
Lego Form

Tags: Computer

An artistic interpretation of cluttered Earth orbits

Tens of millions of pieces of space debris currently orbit Earth – discarded rocket engines, outdated satellites, and the fragments remaining after explosions and collisions.

All this clutter poses a threat to manned space missions, as even a small piece of debris can seriously damage a spacecraft. And while most debris will burn up in Earth’s  atmosphere, larger objects could fall to the ground intact, threatening lives.

That is why Russia’s space corporation, Energia, is going to invest $2 billion to build a space pod to fly around and knock the junk out of orbit and out of our way.

Filed under: Aerospace, e-News, Nuclear | 4 Comments »

Tags: Aerospace, Nuclear

This live-in week long camp will give students the opportunity to explore career options that help society while protecting the environment. Attendees live together in a residential hall, meet current female student leaders and professors, participate in team projects and field trips, and explore the science and engineering behind a green environment. Check the Camp Overview for more info.

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Filed under: Grades 9-12, K-12 Outreach Programs | 1 Comment »

Tags: Environmental, Programs for Girls, Summer Camps & Programs (Students)

This week-long residential program, June 6-10, 2011, is designed to provide a fun and introductory engineering, science and technology experience for girls entering 7th and 8th grades. Attendees will be exposed to the various science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers and encouraged to explore their personal interests through group projects and design competitions. Cost: $350 – $380. Application Deadline: May 30, 2011

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Filed under: Grades 6-8, K-12 Outreach Programs | 2 Comments »

Tags: Programs for Girls, Summer Camps & Programs (Students)

Brick roads, yellow or otherwise, tend to be very labor-intensive projects. But now, thanks to an ingenious Dutch machine, paving a new road with bricks could be just as easy as rolling out the red carpet.

The invention, called the Tiger Stone, can lay out an incredible 437 square yards (at 4 yards wide, that’s almost the length of an entire football field!) of road in a day. How is this possible? Well, it’s all about getting gravity on your side: First, a forklift places loads of bricks into the trough, which workers then place along an inclined plane (see below).

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Filed under: Civil, e-News, Industrial / Manufacturing, Mechanical | 4 Comments »

Tags: Civil, Industrial / Manufacturing, Mechanical