Technology Straight down the toilet Flexible Uābends will stop flush toilets wasting so much water, says Janovations of North Shields, Tyne and Wear (GB 2370586). While the old trick of placing a brick in the cistern cuts the amount of water, it makes the flush less effective. Janovations says a flexible Uābend is the answer. In its normal U shape … News
Humans Washington diary EARLIER this month, NASA had something to celebrate. Independence Day, 4 July, marked the fifth anniversary of Pathfinder, the plucky little spacecraft that didn't so much land on Mars as bounce-down on it. The spacecraft used a new air-bag cushioning system to protect it after retro-rockets and parachutes had slowed its descent. The mission was … Opinion
Life's a sim and then you're deleted OF COURSE you thought The Matrix was fiction. But only because you were meant to. Do you think they're stupid enough to let us realise what's really going on? It usually takes a conspiracy theorist to hatch such a far-fetched plot. But Nick Bostrom is a philosopher at Yale University, and he believes the Hollywood … Features
Crazier than ever WHATEVER happened to that reliable scientific theory of consciousness we've been waiting for? We badly need one, not only to make sense of schizophrenia, anorexia and personality disorders, but suicide bombers and war. Conventional approaches are deeply frustrating. To see why, try the Bathwater Challenge. Kneel beside a half-filled bath, put in your hand, wait … Books & Arts
Feedback WATCHING the music and film industries get into a muddle over new technology can be a lot more fun than the entertainment they are selling. Sony recently released a CD of "music from and inspired by" sister company Columbia's Spider-Man movie. The CD carries the now familiar warning that it "will not play on PC/Mac" … Regulars