http://fringehog.com Ideas on the Verge Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:40:02 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Dubbed the most-complex structure in the universe, perhaps nothing is more mysterious, more enduringly elusive, than the human brain.  In the 19th century the ‘new science' of phrenology promised to unlock the secrets of the human brain by studying the shape of a person's head. A century later researchers started ... http://fringehog.com/2009/01/09/fringehog-friday-five-the-future-of-the-brain/ (note: this post is cross-posted on the Pop!Tech blog)  At first glance, the Rosetta Disk might be mistaken for a small CD - except for the fact that it's made of titanium and nickel, of course.  Well, that and the fact that it contains no digital data, but instead has 13,500 pages ... http://fringehog.com/2008/12/08/the-rosetta-disk-one-small-disk-for-man-one-giant-artifact-for-mankind/ (Image courtesy of Worth1000.com; thanks David for the heads up!) More thoughts on the Swiss Army Knife of the Future: Lee Shupp sez: "For me, it's not so much a Swiss Army knife as a next generation iPhone, with new features like: Air quality monitor that lets me know if I've come across major ... http://fringehog.com/2008/12/01/the-swiss-army-knife-of-the-future-take-three/ Note: this is a follow-up to this post, where I invoked the power of the Lazy Web to consider the future of the world's most famous tool. Originally developed in 1897, the Swiss Army Knife (SAK) is an icon of design and a brand legend. It's one of those rarified objects ... http://fringehog.com/2008/11/30/the-swiss-army-knife-of-the-future-take-two/ I'm in DC this week, arguably the command center for the world's most powerful military, the epicenter of geopolitical power (for now), a city where "war" is just another word for Monday morning. Like it or not, our cultural (some would say human) fascination with war is endless. While the ... http://fringehog.com/2008/11/21/fringehog-friday-five-future-wars/ Let me start by saying that I'm not a big fan of reblogging. I think there's a fine line between greedily sucking at the spigot of Googlejuice by lazily link-posting (on the one hand) and hyperlinking into the central nervous system of the blogosphere to share a really cool story ... http://fringehog.com/2008/11/20/if-it-looks-like-a-rat-and-smells-like-a-rat-it-just-might-be-a-landmine/ Weather maps and search engine queries are the latest tools in the fight against global health threats. In 2003 a new, highly contagious form of pneumonia began to spread throughout China.  Over the course of nine months over 8,000 cases of "severe acute respiratory syndrome" or SARS were reported in more ... http://fringehog.com/2008/11/17/predicting-the-next-pandemic/ A friend of mine just excitedly alerted me to the fact that the new version of the Swiss Army Knife now comes with a laser pointer and a USB drive. Being a professional futurist, however (not to mention an avid beer and wine drinker) I was already well aware of this ... http://fringehog.com/2008/11/14/the-swiss-army-knife-of-the-future-take-one/ Which is more iconic New York: the Empire State Building or a band of dirty pigeons?  While visitors to the Big Apple may or may not experience the city through its architectural landmarks, it's a pretty sure bet that any trek through Mnahattan will involve an encounter with a pigeon ... http://fringehog.com/2008/11/11/abcedarium-nyc-seeing-the-city-thru-words/ Last year we highlighted five extraordinary women in the Pop!Tech community.  Well, the idea was such a good one we decided to do it again.  This week's Friday Five looks at some of the amazing women that made Pop!Tech 2008 special. Photo by Kris Krug HEATHER FLEMING, Catapult Design Some speakers use animated ... http://fringehog.com/2008/11/07/fringehog-friday-five-the-women-of-poptech-%e2%80%9808/