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A new piece of software will allow you to control your computer with your coffee mug, stapler or paperweight. The idea is that you place your preferred item onto a $20 scale designed for weighing envelopes which is connected to your PC’s USB port. Software developed by Jim Gouldstone at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab then converts the weight of each object into a function of your choice. Placing your mug on the scales might launch a web browser, for example.

A three-wheeled, compressed gas-powered vehicle may cut city pollution and traffic congestion. The 3-metre-long, 1-metre-wide tricycle has…

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