Put an APB on that UFO

What precedes is police cruiser dash-cam footage of an alleged "meteor" crashing to the Earth in Edmonton, Canada. Likely cover story, Mounties. We all know that meteors, weather balloons, and gas clouds don't really exist. All of those pretty lights in the sky are actually SciencePatrol personnel returning from holiday in outer-space.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dalek Overlord Davros has no interest whatsoever in wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving. We here at SciencePatrol, however, wish you a very happy one indeed. May you and yours find a plethora of reasons to give thanks this holiday season. Unless of course you are of the turkey speices, in which case "EXTERMINATE!"

The Future is So Bright, I Manufacture My Own Spectacles

In the world of machines that really matter, few are as inspiring as robots. However, when most people imagine a robot, they see a mobile unit designed to interact with or substitute a human, or a machine designed to complete a specific task. What about a machine designed to make copies of things, even itself? Known as 3D printers, CnC machines, rapid prototypers, fabricators, or Universal Assemblers, these machines are predicted to transform the landscape of the 21st century, and indeed, are transforming the lives of a select group of geeks today. The RepRap project is designed to build and popularize such machines, and from the looks of it, they are well on their way, having recently managed to make a version which can copy itself.

It's a wonderful idea, in theory, but one may ask: once one has obtained one of these tiny automated manufacturing plants, what exactly would you do with it? Armed with knowledge of a CAD program, one can sculpt virtual objects and print them out in a variety of materials. Today, those armed with CAD knowledge and inspiration to burn can upload their designs to a new site called Thingiverse, releaseing their creations into the world.

Those interested in trying their hand at designing objects which don't yet exist should download the free Google SketchUp and get cracking.

Legoverse: Wormsign!

"We have wormsign the likes of which God has never seen."


This legoverse eventuality was brought to you by RebelRock at Brickshelf.

Now where did I put my Einstein-Rosen Bridge?

This $20 kit promises hours of fun for the prospective parallel worlds tourist. Simply by activating your device, you could have your pick of trillions of alternate universes. Then you just have to figure out how to get there. Somehow I don't think Hopstop supports this function yet.

Speaking of alternate universes, I have been getting quite a kick out of Neal Stephenson's Anathem. In a strange version of our own world, a hermetic order called the Discipline are the last to preserve the ways of logic and scholarship when the society around them has collapsed into degeneracy. The history of the planet Arbre is eerily familiar to our own, and yet, wonderfully alien at the same time. Like Stephenson's other works, every page unfolds a new treat for the questing mind. Fans of philosophy, alternate worlds, and the Hitchhiker's Guides will definitely enjoy this book.

Jeff Smith, creator of Bone, has a new title out as well, and this world-hopping adventure is definitely not for kids. RASL is the story of a scientist searching through multiple realities for the woman he loves, or something. I'm still trying to figure it out but I'm having a lot of fun along the way.