The world is full of secret and exclusive places that we either don’t know about, or simply couldn’t visit if we wanted to. This list takes a look at ten of the most significant places around the world that are closed to the general public or are virtually impossible for the general public to visit.
10
Mezhgorye
Mezhgorye is a closed town in Russia which is believed to house people working on the highly secret Mount Yamantaw. The town was founded in 1979. Mount Yamantaw stands at 1,640 metres (5,381 ft) and is the highest mountain in the southern Urals. Along with Kosvinsky Mountain (600 km to the north), it is suspected by the United States of being a large secret nuclear facility and/or bunker. Large excavation projects have been observed by U.S. satellite imagery as recently as the late 1990s, during the time of Boris Yeltsin’s pro-Western government after the fall of the Soviet Union. Two garrisons, Beloretsk-15 and Beloretsk-16, were built on top of the facility. Repeated U.S. questions have yielded several different responses from the Russian government regarding Mount Yamantaw. They have said it is a mining site, a repository for Russian treasures, a food storage area, and a bunker for leaders in case of nuclear war.
9
Vatican Secret Archives
This has been mentioned on a previous list – the archives are not secret despite their names. You can view any document you wish. But you cannot enter the archive. You must submit your request for a document and it will be supplied to you. Despite the foolishness of the recent junk from Ron Howard and Dan Brown (Angels and Demons) the documents are all available and there are no copies of suppressed scientific theories or great works that were banned. The only documents you can’t access are those which are not yet 75 years old (in order to protect diplomatic and governmental information). Indexes are available for people who want to see if a document exists in the archives. The Vatican Secret Archives have been estimated to contain 52 miles (84 km) of shelving, and there are 35,000 volumes in the selective catalogue alone.
8
Club 33
Contrary to popular belief, Disneyland has a full liquor license which is used when the place closes down to the general public to accommodate private parties. But there is one place in Disneyland that is always open to sell booze: Club 33. Club 33 is a private club located in the heart of the New Orleans Square section of Disneyland. Officially maintained as a secret feature of the theme park, the entrance of the club is located next to the Blue Bayou Restaurant at “33 Royal Street” with the entrance recognizable by an ornate address plate with the number 33 engraved on it. Fees for joining range from 10 – 30 thousand US dollars and membership comes with a car park. If you want to join the club, you have to go to the end of the fourteen year waiting list.
7
Moscow Metro-2
Metro-2 in Moscow, Russia is a purported secret underground metro system which parallels the public Moscow Metro. The system was built supposedly during (or from) the time of Stalin and codenamed D-6 by the KGB. Russian journalists have reported that the existence of Metro-2 is neither confirmed nor denied by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) or the Moscow Metro administration. The length of Metro-2 is rumored to exceed even that of the “civil” (i.e. public) Metro. (It is said to have 4 lines and lie 50 to 200 m deep. It is said to connect the Kremlin with the FSB headquarters, the government airport at Vnukovo-2, and an underground town at Ramenki, in addition to other locations of national importance. Needless to say, the fact that no one confirms its existence makes it pretty difficult to visit.
6
White’s Gentlemen’s Club
White’s is the most exclusive English gentlemen’s club. It was founded in 1693 by Italian Francesco Bianco (Francis White) to sell the newly discovered hot chocolate but eventually became a typical (but extremely private) gentlemen’s club. The club is famous for its “betting book” in which members make bizarre gambles. The most famous of which is a 3,000 pound bet on which of two raindrops would slide down the window first. So why is this club on the list? Women are excluded completely from membership, so that is half our audience out. Secondly, men who want to join this exclusive club can only do so if invited by a sitting member who has the support of two other members. Unless you are a member of royalty, or are extremely powerful in politics or the arts, you are unlikely to ever see the exclusive White’s invitation.
5
Area 51
I have put this so high on the list because it is the one place most readers are likely to expect to see. Area 51 is a nickname for a military base that is located in the southern portion of Nevada in the western United States, 83 miles (133 km) north-northwest of downtown Las Vegas. Situated at its center, on the southern shore of Groom Lake, is a large secretive military airfield. The base’s primary purpose is to support development and testing of experimental aircraft and weapons systems. The intense secrecy surrounding the base, the very existence of which the U.S. government barely acknowledges, has made it the frequent subject of conspiracy theories and a central component to unidentified flying object (UFO) folklore. The sign above states that deadly force can be used if people enter the Area 51 zone.
4
Room 39
Room 39 or Bureau 39 is arguably one of the most secretive organizations in North Korea that seeks ways to obtain foreign currency for Kim Jong-il, North Korea’s Chairman of the National Defense Commission. Room 39 was established in the late 1970s. It has been described as the lynchpin of the North’s so-called “court economy” centered on the dynastic Kim family. It is unknown how the name originated. Very little is known about Room 39 due to the secretive nature surrounding the organization, but it is widely speculated that the organization uses 10 to 20 bank accounts in China and Switzerland for the purposes of counterfeiting, money laundering, and other illicit transactions. It is also alleged that Room 39 is involved in drug smuggling and illicit weapon sales. It is known, however, that the organization has 120 foreign trade companies under its jurisdiction and is under the direct control of Kim Jong-il. North Korea has denied taking part in any illegal activities. Room 39 is believed to be located inside a ruling Workers’ Party building in Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea.
3
Ise Grand Shrine
The Ise Grand Shrine in Japan (which is actually a series of over 100 shrines) is the most sacred shrine in Japan. It is dedicated to Amaterasu (the Sun goddess) and has been in existence since 4BC. The main shrine is alleged to hold the most important item in Japan’s imperial history: the Naik? (the mirror from Japanese mythology which eventually ended up in the hands of the first emperors). The shrine is demolished and rebuilt every 20 years in keeping with the Shinto idea of death and rebirth (the next rebuilding will be in 2013). This ranks very high on the list of places you will never go because the only person who can enter is the priest or priestess and he must be a member of the Japanese imperial family. So unless we have a Japanese prince or princess reading the site, no one here will ever see anything more than the thatched roof of the Ise Grand Shrine.
2
Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center
This is a place that is not only closed to the public, but it is a place that the public hope to never have to enter! In most “end of the world” films we see these days, there is always a highly classified area where US government officials and a chosen few get to go in the hopes that they can escape the impending doom. The Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center is the real thing. It was set up in the 1950s due to the cold war but continues to operate today. It is a “last hope” area. For obvious reasons its operations are highly classified. It is run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The center is already functioning and even in small local disasters in the US, much of the telecommunications traffic is routed through it.
1
RAF Menwith Hill
RAF Menwith Hill is a British military base with connections to the global ECHELON spy network. The site contains an extensive satellite ground station and is a communications intercept and missile warning site and has been described as the largest electronic monitoring station in the world. The site acts as a ground station for a number of satellites operated by the US National Reconnaissance Office, on behalf of the US National Security Agency, with antennae contained in a large number of highly distinctive white radomes, and is alleged to be an element of the ECHELON system. ECHELON was reportedly created to monitor the military and diplomatic communications of the Soviet Union and its Eastern Bloc allies during the Cold War in the early 1960s, but since the end of the Cold War it is believed to search also for hints of terrorist plots, drug dealers’ plans, and political and diplomatic intelligence. It has also been involved in reports of commercial espionage and is believed to filter all telephone and radio communications in the nations which host it – an extreme violation of privacy.
The names of the months in English came from Latin words.
January
Januarius – this month was dedicated to janus. The roman god of doors. Janus had two faces, one looking back at the old year and the other looking to the new year.
July
Julius – after Julius Caesar. This month was named in caeser’s honour by markantony in 44 BC. Previously this month was called Quintilis from the word quintus, five, as it was the fifth month in the roman calendar.
February
Februarius - Februa was the roman purification festival, which took place at this time of year.
August
Augustus – named in 8 BC in honour of Emperor Augustus.
March
Martius - from mars, The roman god of war
September
Septem – means seven, as it was the seventh month in the roman calendar.
April
Aprilis – from aperire, latin for open, because plants begin to open during this month.
October
Octo – eight (as in octopus, which has eight legs) the eighth month of the roman calendar.
May
Malius – probably comes from mala, the roman goddess of growth and increase.
November
Novem – nine,the ninth month of the roman calendar.
June
Junius – either from a roman family name junius, or perhaps after the goddess juno.
December
Decem – ten, the tenth month of the roman calendar
The belief that no. 13 is unlucky comes from time immemorial. The Romans believed that no 13 was a symbol of death and destruction. The Norse people who lived in ancient medieval Scandinavia or modernNorway,Sweden,Finland,Iceland, andDenmarkbelieved that the 13thguest at a feast is a spirit of evil. The Christian belief that the no 13 brings bad luck comes from the painting the “Last supper”(Leonardo da Vinci), when Christ sat down with his 12 disciples-making 13 people, the day before he was crucified.
It is also believed that the first person to leave a dinner table at which there are 13 dinners will die before the end of the year. The popularities of these believes inItalycan be seen asParishas no building that bears the no. 13. AlsoItalyomits the no 13 from its national lottery.
Some instances that suggest that 13 is in fact an unlucky number are as follows-
The 13th Apollo space mission was known as Apollo 13. On 13 April 1917 there was a explosion on board and the space craft began to leak oxygen. This happened 2 days after it took off at 13:13 Hr. the spacecraft only just made it to back to earth.
On Friday 13 September 1928, a hurricane killed 2000 people in Puerto Rico, Florida and the Virgin Islands and caused approximately $25 million worth of damage.
The 13 of the month costs the usa about $ 1 billion a year through cancellations on trains and plane, absenteeism from work and reduced business activities.
No human has yet set foot on any space body other than earth and the moon. But unmanned spacecrafts have taken photographs, made scientific readings, and gathered data either by flying past or landing. Pluto is scheduled for its first visit in 2015.
Astronomers have never seen this side of Mercury until now. The image was taken from a Nasa spacecraft 125 miles away
Well, the answer of this question, "one must first understand the basic concept of information technology as a whole".In its most basic form, information technology's aims is to help communication between computers and users. This form of technology can be completed via input, processing, output, and various other communication types. Essentially, the history of IT can be split into four periods:
(1)premechanical
(2) mechanical
(3)electromechanical
(4)electronic
Before we delve into each category, remember that the key word here is "communication."
Prior to any form of mechanics, the very first humans sought to communicate through very simplistic sketches that we now call "petroglyths." For the most part, these drawings were in the form of pictures, and often they depicted daily life. Around the year 3100 B.C. the Sumerians came up with the cuneiform language, and this became the very first type of written language. After the Sumerians, along came the Egyptians with their papyrus plants, and they took communication to a whole new level when they began to use a form of the modern pen with papyrus as a type of paper.
Now, let's skip ahead to the Mechanical Age (1450-1840). Johann Gutenberg invented the first sort of movable metal-type in 1450. After this machine was invented, books began to pop up and the concept of a computer was born. Once this was conceived, there was no stopping civilization and around the end of the 18th century, telecommunication really began to grow stronger. Beginning with the Voltaic Battery and ending with the telephone and the radio, communication was really on a role. Once the computer was invented (many years later), the history of IT took an entirely different sort of path.
The flow of information has changed the way of our living in today world. Into thye other words we can say that "Information is the backbone of every system". Every morning when we read a newspaper having out so much information we came to know the latest happening in the world , yeah you are right even the internet edition also. This is just a very basic example of IT in our daily life. All our Railways, Air and even sea travelling networks are connected with the help of IT. The information about these thing we can get into very short time. Even if we have do not have information for one minute it may result into a big disaster.We can take the example of banking. It is very to transact any amount of money from part of the world to other with help of e-commerce. We can purchase anything online with help of debit and credit cards. This has made our lives more and more simple.Now days if we want to buy to something and are not getting it nearby store then we can simply search for that thing on internet and then order it on the internet. We will get it delivered at our doorstep with just few clicks of mouse.IT is very good friend of human at present time. Similarly if we want to travel around the world we can book airline tickets online and even book rooms into five star hotels. People are working on the internet without really having to go outside to their workplace.IT has changed the whole scenario. IT Companies can share there technologies onlineEven the doctors can guide the other doctors while operating on a patient with the help of Information Technology. A whole new world is coming in front of us by the IT. Today, almost everyone has some sort of involvement with a computer, though those people who work in this field they can often work many different jobs. Humans have always found a way to effectively communicate (as we have seen), which makes this type of technology one of the oldest trades on the face of the earth.
When completed in late 2013, the $2.2 billion Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System will power 140,000 California homes.
The Mojave Desert is blooming. Construction crews are erecting mirrors —each measuring 70 square feet—at a rate of 500 per day across some 3,500 acres. When completed in late 2013, the $2.2 billion Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System—the largest of its type in the world—will power 140,000 California homes.
Unlike photovoltaic technology, which converts solar radiation directly into electricity, the Ivanpah facility generates heat. More than 170,000 mirrors will gather tremendous amounts of sunlight and focus it on three towers filled with water, raising temperatures to more than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit and producing steam that spins turbines that generate electricity. The Oakland-based company BrightSource Energy, which is overseeing construction by the Bechtel corporation, says that using sunlight instead of fossil fuels to power the turbines will reduce carbon emissions by more than 400,000 tons annually. The desert region—thanks to its elevation and clear, dry air—receives reliable sunlight 330 to 350 days per year.
Not everyone thinks the solar plant represents a brighter future. Environmentalists warn that the construction threatens the desert ecosystem, while the heated plumes of air from the towers could singe migrating birds.
But more than 75 percent of Californians say they support using desert lands for renewable energy production. And come next year, when Ivanpah flips the on switch, it will nearly double the amount of solar thermal energy produced in the United States.
Demo of Hand Free 3D Angry Birds game prototype: This game uses the Tobii X120 Eye Tracker to control the bird and blink detection to launch the bird from the slingshot.
Sony continues by stating that the gesture sensor may be a standard or 3-D video camera. It will be appreciated that multiple cameras and/or depth may be used to determine the user's gestures. Sony states that "In one particular embodiment, the gesture sensor is the Kinect device or a similar Kinect-like device," which is why Sony listed the Tobii products that we linked to above. In February we noted in one of our reports that Microsoft was in talks with Sony to license Kinect.
Digits takes motion control to a new level. Photo courtesy of Microsoft Research
Yes, Microsoft rolled out Windows 8 yesterday and yes, it’s the company’s biggest high-stakes launch in a long time and yes, it’s its first real plunge into the world of tablets and smart phones. Plenty of others are already covering that ground. I’d rather talk about a little device Microsoft unveiled earlier this month, something far lower on the hoopla scale.
It’s called Digits and it’s one special bracelet. But this is not some flashy bangle that dangles; this is a wrist sensor capable of turning your hand into a control unit.
Created by a team of Microsoft researchers in Great Britain, Digits uses sensors and an infrared camera to put a little Kinect device on your wrist. But the key is that it’s not tethered to a game system, plus it’s focused entirely on your hand and anything you do with it.
Motion slickness
Digits is the latest thing in motion control, tech that creates a 3D model of your hand in real time, allowing you to point to items or content on a screen rather than moving a cursor around with a mouse. Or it could, as some think, evolve into the device that ultimately replaces the TV remote.
As David Kim, one of its inventors, explains: “People can interact while moving from room to room or running down the street. This finally takes 3D interaction outside the living room.”
Now you may ask, “What are you going to do with a wrist-mounted sensor when you’re running down the street?” This is a good question. Not sure if even anyone at Microsoft could give you a good answer. The point is that this is a device that goes with you, a virtual controller that one day could allow you to interact with any number of screens–whether it’s to control a TV or dial phone numbers or play video games.
For now, it’s a clunky thing--Steve Jobs would never have permitted the public even a glimpse of something so devoid of sleekness. But Digits is much more about function than form. It’s still a prototype, one whose focus is more about working well than looking good. Eventually, though, Microsoft hopes to be able to scale it down to something that looks and feels more like a watch.
And maybe then we’ll be able to take the bold step of losing the TV remote with forethought, and perhaps a little malice.
Long, long ago, people sailing away from their homes worried about falling off the edge of the Earth. They truly believed that the Earth was flat, and before we had satellites and space travel and world traveling, it wasn’t that crazy of a thing to believe. But there are some people today who claim to still believe that the Earth is flat. Life’s Little Mysteries explains the main theory:
The leading flat-earther theory holds that Earth is a disc with the Arctic Circle in the center and Antarctica, a 150-foot-tall wall of ice, around the rim. NASA employees, they say, guard this ice wall to prevent people from climbing over and falling off the disc. Earth’s day and night cycle is explained by positing that the sun and moon are spheres measuring 32 miles (51 kilometers) that move in circles 3,000 miles (4,828 km) above the plane of the Earth. (Stars, they say, move in a plane 3,100 miles up.) Like spotlights, these celestial spheres illuminate different portions of the planet in a 24-hour cycle. Flat-earthers believe there must also be an invisible “antimoon” that obscures the moon during lunar eclipses.
As a side note, it’s actually not true that most people long believed the Earth was flat. In fact,according to this note in the Irish Times, we’ve known about the roundness of the Earth for quite a while:
The roundness of the earth was well known to the ancient Greeks, as it was to educated Romans, Arabs and medieval Christian monks. Thomas Aquinas, writing in the 13th century, took for granted that his readers would already be familiar with this fact: “the same scientific truth belongs to different sciences: thus both the physicist and the astronomer prove the earth to be round.” All this is, of course, well before the advent of “science” in the current sense of the word. The era of modern science is generally accepted to have begun around the beginning of the 17th century, with the work of Kepler, Galileo and Newton – who would all have been as familiar with the roundness of the earth as we are today.
That context makes today’s flat earthers even more unusual: Not even the Ancient Greeks thought the Earth was flat. The question arises: are these people serious? Well, according to Life’s Little Mysteries, yes, they are. The site spoke with Michael Wilmore, the vice president of the Flat Earth Society:
“The question of belief and sincerity is one that comes up a lot,” Wilmore said. “If I had to guess, I would probably say that at least some of our members see the Flat Earth Society and Flat Earth Theory as a kind of epistemological exercise, whether as a critique of the scientific method or as a kind of ‘solipsism for beginners.’ There are also probably some who thought the certificate would be kind of funny to have on their wall. That being said, I know many members personally, and I am fully convinced of their belief.”
Wilmore counts himself among the true believers. “My own convictions are a result of philosophical introspection and a considerable body of data that I have personally observed, and which I am still compiling,” he said.
And flat-earthers don’t really fit into the usual conspiracy theory group —the kinds of people who think that the moon landing was a hoax or that aliens walk among us. Instead, they’re just concerned about the shape of our home planet. And while they’re wrong—wronger than even the Greeks were about the nature of the world—they really do believe.
People fear Hitler for many reasons, the Holocaust and death of millions of civilians comes to mind when you utter his name. Aside from his freaky action, brutality, and complete insanity, here are ten more reasons to fear Hitler.
Shitheads Come in All SizesScumbag
Just The Facts
Hitler never took of his coat in public. He definitely had a lot to hide.
His mother considered aborting him, only to be convinced otherwise by her doctor (dick!)
Hitler gave the world the blow-up dolls
10 Things Why People Feared Hitler
1. Hitler never took of his coat in public. He definitely had a lot to hide.
2. Alois Hitler, Hittler's brother always feared his brother will revoke his liquor license.
3. Any many who does not have interest in sports or working out, Hitler showed no such interest and that's not his worst offense.
4. His mother considered aborting him, only to be convinced otherwise by her doctor (dick!) Hitler had one testicle and with that he went one to slaughter millions on innocent civilians.
5. He likes to view wild animal acts only if females' performers are in danger. Also he liked King Kong so much that he would celebrate victories by pounding his chest, insulting King Kong himself.
6. He liked Jewish and gypsy music singers and enjoyed Jewish comedians, but that would not stop him from butchering them and their families. Had he resented them, what would have happened?
7. He enjoyed viewing videos of torture and executions where he instructed his own staff to film those for him. Hitler enjoyed watching pornography. (No, that does niot make you evil for your pornography addiction.
8. He liked sugar a bit too much; Ernst Hanfstaengl once witnessed Hitler adding spoonfuls of sugar to a glass of red wine. Of course you have to be super hyper to be as crazy this Hitler.
9. Hitler had sex with his niece, who will later commit suicide or so we are told.
10. Hitler gave the world the blow-up dolls in his efforts to meet the sexual needs of his soldiers-yes, the blow up dolls had to be white.
Bonus: In New York alone, a phone book had 22 Hitlers prior to WWII. Once the war was over, the NY phone book had 0 Hitlers after WWII.
Cellphones define our times in the way that cars defined the early 20th century: They're the clearest, most tangible sign that we truly live in the Future. Impressive new cellphone technologies are being developed each week, and there's no telling what wonderful procrastination possibilities our portable speak-boxes will have in a few years.
Because we're telling you right now, some of this stuff borders on magic ...
#6. Touchscreens With the Texture of Fur, Sand or Anything Else
Modern cellphone technology offers all manner of audiovisual achievements, and even the ever-elusive Smell-a-Vision seems bound to make an appearance sooner or later. Yet there's one sense that even the most accomplished smartphone is unable to stimulate: touch. Sure, the manufacturers try, but at the end of the day, the vibration function is just a buzzer and the touchscreen is just a hunk of glass that you tap while it autocorrects your words into nonsense. But what if they made the touch feedback system so good that the screen under your fingers would turn into fur, or sand, or brick? That shit isn't science, it's witchcraft.
But Science, maintaining careful eye contact, courteously flips that statement the bird. Because not only do they have the technology all figured out, but it's totally going to hit the market within a few years.
You could be TouchSkyping your grandpa by 2015.
In fact, there are two different ways of achieving the seemingly impossible. A company called Immersion is developing a more sophisticated version of the vibration function. Using a set of advanced, localized vibrations, the technology is able to manipulate your sense of touch to make you think that the smooth touchscreen has ridges and bumps. Add a correct set of vibrations to a picture of, say, a tiled wall, and you'll be able to feel all the bumps and cuts of the surface as if it were real.
Getty Which is great news for everyone with a kitchen tile fetish.
Another, even more impressive version of the technology is under development by a new company called Senseg. Their approach utilizes the Coulomb force, better known as the static electricity that causes a balloon to stick to your hair when you rub it. Manipulating the electrostatic forces between the touchscreen and your skin, Senseg can induce sensations of different surfaces, but the technology also actually enables the user to push a virtual marble around the screen and make it feel like a real object.
Guardian "Alright, that's enough rocks. Bring on the taint page."
Think of the applications of this technology. For one thing, forget about people who still insist on slide-out keyboards for their phones -- this could mimic the feel of plastic buttons under your fingers. People who have lost their sight could operate their iPads without a problem -- all they'd have to do is switch the language to Braille. Virtual cats and dogs could be petted just like real ones. And let's not even discuss the hordes of inevitable iBoobs apps, because otherwise we'll be here all night.
#5. Phones That Can Smell and See Disease
Whenever cellphones and cancer are mentioned in the same sentence, said sentence tends to exist on a view-hungry news site and include the words "may cause." Researchers at NASA decided to approach the issue from the other direction: Wouldn't it be cool if we could diagnose cancer with our phones? After all, they're essentially small computers that we constantly keep about our person. They then proceeded to bring their dream to reality in the strangest way possible: by giving your phone the ability to smell disease.
Getty "You have (1) new message and (4) new strains of hepatitis."
They achieved this by devising a tiny sensor that, once installed in your phone, is able to pick apart the chemical compounds in your breath. The chip is about the size of a nickel and works with 32 sensors that allow it to "smell" predetermined levels of various chemicals. Said chemicals, incidentally, include chlorine, carbon monoxide, ammonia and methane -- so it really does seem like we're going to also wind up with a fart-detection app in the process.
Gizmodo And then it'll scream "IT WAS STEVE" and send a text to everyone.
By analyzing the chemical levels in someone's breath, the phone will be able to determine whether they have a number of diseases, including lung cancer and diabetes.
The application comes with a catch, though: All those pictures have to be from different angles and you must be butt naked. So unless you're really flexible, or really really handy with the camera timer, you're going to have to ask a friend to help you out.
Getty "Hey man, could you take a picture of my taint? It's for cancer research this time, I promise."
#4. Cameras That Scan Your Food for Bacteria
Tens of thousands of people are affected by E. coli every year, and anyone who has witnessed the ... splashier elements of the situation tends to make sure to cook the hell out of meat before eating it from then on. But what about when eating at restaurants? You may keep your kitchen sterile, but can you say the same for Taco Bell?
Getty Just grill it a little longer.
Well, one of those E. coli sufferers was apparently a researcher at UCLA, and between bouts of rage-diarrhea he made a sacred vow to combat E. coli with all the science he could muster ... however, the entirety of his scientific might revolved around cellphones. Or, you know, maybe UCLA just happened to be dabbling in the the area of portable bacteria readers. Whatever the backstory may be, UCLA has created a handy cellphone add-on that can be easily attached to the phone's camera.
Much like Instagram, you use it exclusively to take pictures of your food. Unlike Instagram, it will then proceed to potentially save your life.
Getty E. coli is so played out. #lunch #hospital
Through several filters and something called a "quantum dot," the device uses fluorescent imaging to detect the level of dangerous E. coli strands on your food. If you're of a sci-fi mindset, the fact that you'll get to start every meal by scanning it with a purple-light-emitting gadget is a bonus.
RSC Publishing "Honey, please put the phone down and start eating." "In a second, just one more time!"
An even bigger bonus is the fact that the device mercifully neglects to notice any other bacteria you have on your food ... because honestly, if you saw the truth, you'd probably never willingly eat again.
3. Apps That Act as Your Therapist
Depression is a massive bastard to diagnose and treat, not to mention actually endure. When your mood is sinking and your thoughts are as black as Norwegian metal, there can be times when nothing seems worth doing anymore. You haven't left the house for days ... and then, out of nowhere, your phone rings and a recorded message tells you to get off your ass and go meet a friend.
Getty "Maybe take a shower, too. Just a suggestion."
It's called Mobilyze, it lives in your phone and it can tell what your mental state is. It watches your whole life: The system gathers data from GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and accelerometers -- all standard fare in most smartphones. Through special algorithms, Mobilyze uses this data to determine if you're showing signs of depression, and reacts accordingly.
So if your phone's GPS says you haven't been leaving the house, or your Wi-Fi displays abnormal activity, Mobilyze will start sending you motivational texts and recorded messages in an attempt to get you to pick yourself up and venture out into the world. If that sounds trite and silly to you, the research says the process actually works. Like a boss.
Researchers at Northwestern University installed Mobilyze in the phones of several seriously depressed patients. By the time the experiment period was over, each and every participant was showing a much better mood. Alhough we're not sure whether this is because of the messages Mobilyze was sending them or if they just regained their energy by hating that goddamn phone that rings every five minutes.
#2. Phones That Unlock Your Doors (Without Touching Anything)
We've all faced doors the hard way: coffee in one hand, a bag in the other, hot dog wedged in your mouth, desperately fumbling for the key while attempting to keep the scalding-hot liquid from spilling down your pants. But what if the tiny cellphone in your pocket could save you from those nasty espresso burns by unlocking the door for you? And what if it could do so without any commands, byreading tiny vibrations that run through your body?
Getty "Oh God. Science, hurry the hell up."
Through the use of piezoelectric technology, researchers at AT&T have developed a smartphone that tells your door who you are. When you touch the doorknob, the phone sends vibrations -- so subtle that you can't feel them -- through your bones and up into the doorknob, opening the lock. Each phone will have a unique vibration "key" that resonates with the corresponding door.
Innovation News Daily "One day, burglars will be able to breach houses with naught but a tuning fork!"
They're still working on the technology, so don't go throwing all your keys into the ditch screaming "FUCK YOU, KEYS, I'VE WAITED FOR THIS ALL MY LIFE!" just yet. However ... if you do have the desire to turn your phone into a door-opening device right the hell now, you can always buy theLockitron system app for a measly $300. It doesn't quite manage the whole "good vibrations" thing, but nevertheless does a fair job at opening your locks from afar -- much like your car's remote key.
"
Still, until they work their way through most kinks of the modern, power-draining smartphone, it might be a good idea to think twice before storing the only way to enter your house inside the device with the perpetually dying battery.
#1. Scanners That See Through Solid Objects
Getty
X-ray vision features pretty high on everyone's " Superpowers I'd Like to Have" list, although almost entirely for nefarious reasons. In fact, normal human life is only possible because other people can't see through closed doors, file cabinets and our clothing. Until now.
