Friday, December 16, 2011

Our Weekly List of Top 10 Twitter Posts — Week 50


Got all your holiday shopping in the bag? Yeah, neither do we. But you've got one more weekend before the big holiday of the year! In the meantime, keep yourself entertained and informed during this final week of pre-holiday goodness by following us on Twitter @BWCnews.

Credit: Fast Company
1. Suit Simulates the Effects of Aging on FastCoDesign.com: Ever wonder what it feels like to be 70 years old (if you aren't already)? Well some researchers at MIT have created what they're calling an "empathy builder," a suit that limits mobility, vision and speed the same way aging does. Talk about walking a mile in someone else's shoes ...

2. The Graily Dind via @GrailyDind: We're workaholics but still chuckled at these slacker tweets filed under a Spoonerism'd handle. It's an entire Twitter feed dedicated to jokes, quips, quotes and other tidbits about life as a working stiff. Whether you love your job or not, there's a gem in here for everyone. Our faves? Some of the cheesier jokes: "What did the papa buffalo say to his son before leaving for work? 'Bison.'" Or "Any tool, when dropped, will always fall to the least accessible corner." Teehee!

3. Inspiring the Next Generation of Female Engineers on Manufacturing.net: How do we encourage young women to pursue manufacturing degrees and careers? Professor Cristina Amon, a Dean of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto, has made it her mission to inspire her young counterparts to stick with science. She gives a good interview here — and it's interesting to see how she moved from one accomplishment to the next.

Credit: DailyInfoGraphic.com
4. What's Santa's Carbon Footprint? on DailyInfoGraphic.com: Is Santa a carbon-glutton? According to this fancy infographic, the old man inflicts more than his fair share of environmental damage. Instead of leaving lumps of coal, for one thing, the guy could leave some form of alternative energy like a mini wind turbine pinwheel, the graph suggests. Jeez, Santa, who's the naughty one now?

5. Engineer's Motion Control Library on MotionControlBlogger.com: Where do you find some of the latest white papers on motion control systems? Right here in one convenient spot thanks to this blogger. They update this online library several times a year. We'll definitely keep checking back!

6. Promoting 'Rage-Free' Packaging on Bloomberg.com: Some retail giants are putting the heat on manufacturers to come up with more user-friendly packaging, especially in time for the holiday shopping season. Sounds like a fine idea to us — 'cause seriously, how many times have you had to whip out a pair of scissors to open up a blister-packed pair of new ones?

7. Top 12 Hot Design Technologies for 2012 on DesignNews.com: Wonder what's about to blow up in the coming year, design-wise? Well here's a cool little preview of some of the latest technological trends you'll start seeing pop up in the headlines in coming months, from wireless sensor networks to cell phones doubling as electronic wallets to new applications for super-strong-and-conductive graphene. Exciting stuff!


8. How Cheap WiFi Can Help Dissidents Evade Censorship on Wired Magazine: A government grant-funded project to create a wireless network that anyone can tap into has moved its testing grounds to the Occupy DC encampments. The idea is to give protesters around the world their own wireless network that oppressive government regimes can't censor or tap into. Will it work out?
Credit: 300House.com

9. The $300 House on the Bishop-Wisecarver Daily: Here's another brilliant idea that could help the less fortunate — designing a super-cheap home for the otherwise homeless. The folks behind 300House.com are asking thinkers and creators to help them refine the idea. We hope it works out — and we'll keep tabs on the idea as it evolves!

10. Wacky Office Supplies on ThinkGeek.com: It's almost Christmas, so a bunch of us here at the "Bee-Dub-Cee" are perusing the offerings in Think Geek's office supply section. Should make for an interesting post-holiday work week with all those crazy "cube warfare" prank gifts on the loose! Should we be nervous?