Tag: Feedly

Radical Hydrogen-Boron Reactor Leapfrogs Current Nuclear Fusion Tech

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HB11 Energy, a spin-out company originating at the University of New South Wales, claims its hydrogen-boron fusion technology is already working a billion times better than expected. Along with this announcement, the company also announced a swag of patents through Japan, China and the USA protecting its unique approach to fusion energy generation. New Atlas reports: The results of decades of research by Emeritus Professor Heinrich Hora, HB11’s approach to fusion does away with rare, radioactive and difficult fuels like tritium altogether — as well as those incredibly high temperatures. Instead, it uses plentiful hydrogen and boron B-11, employing the precise application of some very special lasers to start the fusion reaction. Here’s how HB11 describes its "deceptively simple" approach: the design is "a largely empty metal sphere, where a modestly sized HB11 fuel pellet is held in the center, with apertures on different sides for the two lasers. One laser establishes the magnetic containment field for the plasma and the second laser triggers the ‘avalanche’ fusion chain reaction. The alpha particles generated by the reaction would create an electrical flow that can be channeled almost directly into an existing power grid with no need for a heat exchanger or steam turbine generator."
HB11’s Managing Director Dr. Warren McKenzie clarifies over the phone: "A lot of fusion experiments are using the lasers to heat things up to crazy temperatures — we’re not. We’re using the laser to massively accelerate the hydrogen through the boron sample using non-linear forced. You could say we’re using the hydrogen as a dart, and hoping to hit a boron , and if we hit one, we can start a fusion reaction. That’s the essence of it. If you’ve got a scientific appreciation of temperature, it’s essentially the speed of atoms moving around. Creating fusion using temperature is essentially randomly moving atoms around, and hoping they’ll hit one another, our approach is much more precise." He continues: "The hydrogen/boron fusion creates a couple of helium atoms. They’re naked heliums, they don’t have electrons, so they have a positive charge. We just have to collect that charge. Essentially, the lack of electrons is a product of the reaction and it directly creates the current."
The lasers themselves rely upon cutting-edge "Chirped Pulse Amplification" technology, the development of which won its inventors the 2018 Nobel prize in Physics. Much smaller and simpler than any of the high-temperature fusion generators, HB11 says its generators would be compact, clean and safe enough to build in urban environments. There’s no nuclear waste involved, no superheated steam, and no chance of a meltdown. "This is brand new," Professor Hora tells us. "10-petawatt power laser pulses. It’s been shown that you can create fusion conditions without hundreds of millions of degrees. This is completely new knowledge. I’ve been working on how to accomplish this for more than 40 years. It’s a unique result. Now we have to convince the fusion people — it works better than the present day hundred million degree thermal equilibrium generators. We have something new at hand to make a drastic change in the whole situation. A substitute for carbon as our energy source. A radical new situation and a new hope for energy and the climate."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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via Slashdot https://slashdot.org/

February 21, 2020 at 09:15PM

Healing Gear: The Stuff You Need at Home After Knee Surgery

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Recovery after surgery can be a long, bedraggled nightmare. But these products can help lift the load.

I write this as I’m at 3 weeks recovered from my first total knee replacement. It’s a big surgery with an extended period of recovery, rehabilitation, and rest. And I have another knee surgery coming up, so I’m learning from my mistakes from the first time around. After years of knee injuries and pain, I’m stoked to be on the right track.

Being a gear writer, it’s been interesting to note what I’m grabbing as I ramble through recovery. Before surgery, I scoured the internet to see which gear might be helpful for knee surgery — and little existed on the matter. Luckily, I have a platform to share with you what’s worked for me.

From compression wear to icing machines to comfort items, here’s what’s helped me out in these first few weeks.

Cold Therapy

Cold therapy is key to recovery. Not only does it reduce swelling in the joint, but it’s also a go-to for pain management. Skimping on this part of your rehab would be a huge mistake.

On advice from my doctor, I combine a cryotherapy machine with ice packs. Luckily, a friend of mine has a machine that I’m able to borrow. But you can find a ton of options online. Many people rent machines from medical device stores, but you can also buy an adequate machine for less than it costs to rent.

The pictured Aircast Cryo Cuff Cold Therapy Knee Solution ($110) is a gravity-powered option with good reviews, or you can up the ante with the motorized Polar Products Active Ice 3.0 Knee & Joint Cold Therapy System ($220).

Ice packs also prove to be invaluable as you move from place to place. I like the FlexiKold Gel Ice Packs, as there are a ton of options for sizes and packages that range from $10 to $28. Plus, ice packs are a universally good buy.

Aside from cryotherapy, you can use them to keep lunches cold or chill a wine bottle. I have four packs in rotation. It’s a thing.

Hydration

The pile of meds you’re about to take is gargantuan. And to stay on top of it, you’re going to be constantly drinking water. A small, packable water bottle becomes indispensable once you’re stuck on the couch or in bed. Plus, it saves your dutiful and helpful family members and friends from having to refill your water glass constantly.

Personally, I love the Takeya 24-ounce Actives Insulated Water Bottle ($25). Why? I can fit it in a purse. It fits into the drink holders in my truck. I can shove it into the pocket of a hoody. And I love the design of the mouthpiece. It’s also cute and comes in a ton of fun colors. But a classic Nalgene certainly holds a bit more water, or you can kick it old school and just use a repurposed Gatorade bottle.

The other side of hydration is that the meds have gifted me insanely dry skin. My PT tells me it’s just part of the game. A combo of Burts Bees Intensive Care Body Lotion ($12) and Bag Balm ($12) are seeing me through this otherwise lizard-like skin event that is surgery recovery.

Weird Medical Equipment

Here’s where things get … interesting. So my doc harped on me about getting a toilet riser, and I did. I only needed it for the first 3 days, but when you’re first out of surgery and everything in your leg is a mess, it’s honestly a lifesaver and worth the money. I went with one that didn’t have handles, but if you don’t have anything near your toilet for a handhold, I’d grab one with handles.

I also highly recommend are crutch pads ($13). Bruised armpits are no freakin’ joke. Luckily, they’re easily preventable. For under $15, you can easily avoid that and make your crutches just a bit cuter and much more comfortable. It’s a cheap, easy fix. Save your pits. Trust me on this one.

Some people like to get kits that include things to help with daily dressing or reaching stuff. I opted out. I just didn’t want to buy a ton of stuff that would gather dust. My mom helped me put on my socks. It worked out just fine.

The last thing I’ll add here is your classic tennis ball ($2). Myofascial massage has been really helpful throughout my recovery. I roll the ball as gently or as intensely as I feel like I need it around the scar and my leg muscles. The soft give of a tennis ball is easier on my rehabbing leg than a lacrosse or massage ball. And muscle soreness is such a huge part of the pain game. It helps so much.

Clothing

I’m certainly not going to tell you that you need a whole new wardrobe. But you might need a few additions. Men might have an easier time with clothes, as their workout pants are generally not yoga tights. Mine — on the other hand — were just that.

I knew I’d need wide-legged pants, and they proved harder to find than I thought. I ended up making a mistake and buying wide-legged pants without pockets. Pockets, it turns out, are the be-all, end-all of post-surgical necessities in clothing. Carrying cellphones, wallets, meds, water bottles, or any small knick-knack is a real downer when your hands are full of crutches and there are no pockets on your bod.

The pictured Basin & Ridge Plush Wide Leg Pant ($63, 30% Off) look to hit the mark, and I’ve got a pair in my cart for the upcoming surgery on my left knee.

Once you’ve graduated from wide-legged pants to regular, I find that going into the extreme opposite is most helpful. I’m talkin’ compression tights. I’ve been wearing Ridge Merino’s Crowley Compression Tight ($120), and the difference in a day with compression and a day without is huge.

Unfortunately, they’re currently sold out. But they’ll be back this summer, and a preorder should be available soon. And here’s a more affordable and highly reviewed pair for $26 currently on Amazon.

Preparing Your Home

The main thing you have to think about when prepping your home is safe mobility throughout and comfort therein. Decluttering hallways, bedrooms, bathrooms, and the living room are key to ease of movement. If you have thick rugs, you might want to consider moving them until your mobility increases.

I added an electric recliner to my small living room — less by choice of style than necessity — and it’s made a huge difference for both working remotely and comfortably as well as having a space that can easily support and accommodate the growing flexion in my knee. I also added a handheld showerhead, as I knew I wouldn’t be able to take full showers for a few weeks.

Depending on how much help you have during the day, you might want to put things like coffee cups and dishes on counters for ease of access. Some folks will keep a chair in each room so that they have someplace to rest or do chores as they’re recuperating. It’s crazy how intense your normal small walks can be in the first week of healing. So set yourself up for success.

Final Thoughts

There’s something to be said for preparing for more comfort during uncomfortable times. As much as we focus on gear that allows us to stay active, there’s that great other side of gear that simply allows us to remain comfortable, in control, and functional.

Over 600,000 people per year have knee replacements in the U.S., and that hardly touches the total number of knee operations. The good news is that you’re soon to be on your way beyond a lasting kind of pain and into the healing kind. I’m in the midst of that journey to wellness, and I wish you the best on yours.

The post Healing Gear: The Stuff You Need at Home After Knee Surgery appeared first on GearJunkie.

Outdoors

via GearJunkie https://gearjunkie.com

February 21, 2020 at 04:23PM

I feel the need to help my son with his homework

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My son is in Kindergarten.  The school has given out a competitive assignment.  The kids are supposed to do a book report poster about their favorite Dr. Seuss book.

Of course, you expect a lot of kids are going to do Hop on Pop, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, and The Cat in the Hat.

That’s fine for them.  We’re different.

It is at this moment that I am very glad I own a copy of Dr. Seuss Goes to War: The World War II Editorial Cartoons of Theodor Seuss Geisel.

Yes, it is very true that before he became a renowned children’s author – his most popular books were all published in the 1950’s – he did political cartoons promoting the war effort in WWII.

The thing is, I know, KNOW, that as soon as my son brings in his book report poster about Dr. Seuss fighting Nazis, I’m going to get a call from the school, and maybe the Alabama Office of Child Protective Services.

That’s just too bad because it really is an absolutely fantastic book.

If you don’t own a copy, you should.  It’s available on Kindle Unlimited if you have that.

No just did Theodor Seuss Geisel promote the war effort against the Nazis, but he was amazingly critical of American Antisemitism, racism, segregation, and the treatment of blacks by the war industry.

Here is a selection of some of my favorite Dr. Seuss cartoons.

Criticizing the treatment of blacks:

 

Attacking American Antisemitism:

This one is particularly interesting because Charles Lindbergh was still a national hero in the pre-War era.

 

Just a general critique of racism in general.

You can see Dr. Seuss’ continued push against racism and discrimination in his children’s stories like The Sneetches.

The lessons from this book are as important and relevant as any of his other literature.

When I saw this book years ago, I knew that I had to buy it, and reading through it gave me an even greater appreciation for Dr. Seuss.

I just have a feeling Kindergarten teachers won’t see it that way.

guns

via https://gunfreezone.net

February 21, 2020 at 10:26AM

[Review] USCCA Tennessee Online Concealed Carry Course

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Looking for something to do on a Saturday night?

Well if you live in Tennessee, and don’t have a concealed carry license yet, what could be better than an online course to get your permit?

Before We Get Started

First things first: as of January 1st 2020, Tennessee now has two types of Concealed Carry Permits: Concealed Handgun Carry Permit (CHCP); and the Enhanced Handgun Carry Permit (EHCP). 

The EHCP is actually just a new name for the handgun carry permit issued by the state before January 1st 2020, which allows for both concealed carry and open carry. 

The CHCP only allows for concealed carry.

The trade-off is that the CHCP has fewer requirements, which can be satisfied through an online-only course.

For those of you looking for the EHCP, you’ll need to attend an in-person training course approved by the State.

Everyone else only interested in being able to carry concealed with a CHCP can take an online course like the one offered by the USCCA.

So What’s Involved?

After you pay for the course (for just one easy payment of $37.97!), you’ll gain access to the USCCA online CCW course. 

Because it’s an online course, you may think that it just involves a lot of sitting back and watching videos. And you’d be mostly right. Luckily, the 90-minute course offered by the USCCA does involve some interactive portions that keep things interesting. 

What’s more, because it’s a browser-based course, the interface is very user-friendly, with a simple and clean look.

Mixing things up with short videos and interactive portions.

The course consists of video segments followed by text portions that review the material addressed in the videos.

Some portions of the course also require user interaction to make sure you’re following along and not just letting the video play in the background while you watch TV.

Most importantly, unlike most online courses we’ve come across, you can’t just sit through the videos and scroll through the text and expect to complete the course. 

Certain points throughout the course require you to answer some simple questions on the topic before you can proceed to the next section.

At the very end of the course, there is a 50 question quiz to make sure you actually learn something!

As long as you score 80% or higher, you’ll pass.

Honestly, just paying attention and going through the course should get you easily over the 80% requirement.

Overall, with the way the short videos and interactive portions are structured, it actually broke up the course into good-sized chunks so things never got boring.

In fact, only two or three of the videos ever exceeded 5 minutes, with the average video length being only about 1 to 2 minutes. 

What’s Covered?

Because the course meets the state requirements for a CHCP, the topics covered aren’t really any surprise.

Everything from handgun basics, including the basic safety rules of firearms, to the difference between semi-automatics handguns and revolvers, and even single action vs double action are all covered in the course. 

Since it’s a concealed carry course, important topics like holster selection and even clothing are covered as well.

Basically, if you come into this course knowing nothing about firearms at all, at the end of the 90-minute lesson you’ll have a basic understanding of firearm safety and function, the laws surrounding use of deadly force, and some practical information for going about carrying concealed.

So What’s The Verdict?

Overall, the USCCA course definitely provides some value to shooters of all skill levels, from those with no skill at all, to experienced shooters with lots of range time under their belt. 

For those of you looking to get a CHCP from Tennessee, then this is definitely a great option you can do from the comfort of your home. 

This wouldn’t be a complete review, if we didn’t point out the one big issue that we came across. Near the end of the course, as the instructor went over the rules for carrying concealed, he stated that you have a duty to inform an officer that you were carrying concealed.

This actually isn’t true, as there is no duty to inform an officer unless you are asked. Not a huge deal, though still an important piece of information you want to make sure you are aware of. 

*Update* 2/25/2020: USCCA read this post and fixed the issue! Now that’s some fast response time.

Finally, keep in mind that just because this course meets the requirements for receiving a CHCP, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to get some range time with your handgun of choice. 

No amount of online learning can ever replace time spent actually handling and manipulating a firearm.

If nothing else, you’ll be able to figure out which holsters and what clothing works best for your new life as a CCW permit holder. 

What kind of class will you be attending? Think online classes are too easy or will they make CCWs more accessible? While you’re at it, you may also want to consider getting some CCW insurance too. Take a look at our reviews to see which works best for you. Oh…and Best Concealed Carry Holsters!

The post [Review] USCCA Tennessee Online Concealed Carry Course appeared first on Pew Pew Tactical.

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February 20, 2020 at 02:08PM

Microsoft To Bring Its Defender Antivirus Software To iOS and Android

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Microsoft said today it plans to bring its antivirus software, Defender Advanced Threat Protection, to phones and other devices running Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. From a report: The software, also called Defender ATP, is already available on Windows and MacOS. It offers features like preventive protection, post-breach detection and automated investigation and response, according to Microsoft. When it comes to mobile devices, Microsoft’s Rob Lefferts said that the Defender software could help companies protect employees from things like malware and phishing attacks. Apple’s and Google’s app stores are "pretty safe," Lefferts said, but "malware does happen on those platforms."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

geeky

via Slashdot https://slashdot.org/

February 20, 2020 at 04:34PM

Watch This Jetpack Pilot Zip Around Like a Real-Life Iron Man

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geeky,Tech

via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com

February 17, 2020 at 08:45PM

Researchers See Eagle Torturing Bat by Repeatedly Dropping It in the Ocean

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geeky,Tech

via Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com

February 19, 2020 at 04:42PM

Hearing on HB 425 Duty to Notify Bill Scheduled for Wednesday, Feb 19, 2020

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guns

via Buckeye Firearms Association https://ift.tt/2h9uK1x

February 17, 2020 at 05:17PM

What are the Top 7 PHP IDEs and Code Editors a Web Developer Uses?

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Confused to use PHP or any other web development languages? Are you looking for PHP website development?

And not being able to select between best IDEs and code editors to build your PHP web design? PHP is preferred over other programming languages based on the project requirements. Here in this blog, we are going to briefly describe top 7 PHP IDEs and Code Editors, PHP developers can use for web development.

Surely, this post will help you find the best IDEs for your project. Still, you find any confusion and don’t want to take a risk. You can hire PHP web developer from the best PHP web development company, who is skilled and has worked on the latest trends. He will not only help you select the best IDE tools considering your project requirements but also will give the physical form to your project.

PHP is the acronym of Hypertext Preprocessor which is a general-purpose programming language and written at the server-side. It is widely used for developing dynamic and interactive web pages. It is free and easy to use programming language. If you are a newbie and want to learn PHP, there are several tutorials available online which will ease up learning PHP for you.

For experienced, when it comes to the exact definition of an IDE and a code editor, they still get confused. So firstly we will find out the difference between IDE and Code Editor and then move ahead to discuss the top 7 PHP IDEs and Code Editors a web developer uses.

Let’s start with!

IDE vs Code Editor: Learn PHP Programming Language

Writing code is one of the common skills among developers. However, they do find it difficult to differentiate between the definition of an IDE and a code editor. The crossover of features between the two could be considered as the reason behind such confusion.

To understand IDE, it is an Integrated Development Environment that comes with a self-contained package that allows developers to write, compile, execute and debug code in the same place. Whereas, a code editor is a text editor enriched with features enabling writing code using native capabilities or via optional plugins.

IDE allows writing code in a specific language. You can even compile/interpret and perform debugging as well. Whereas code editors are more general in purpose, they can work on different programming languages. Also, there is a limitation of just writing code with the code editors.

However, Code completion, highlighting a section of code, hints and custom folding of sections of code are a number of common features between the IDE and code editors. Which one do you choose out of IDE and Code editors? It totally depends on your personal choice, the programming language you are working on and workflows as well.

Here is the list of web development tools that hold high priority among the developers. I hope this blog will help you choose an appropriate one for your projects in 2020.

1. PHPStorm

PHPStorm is one of the most popular IDE tools, developers used for PHP web development. It is updated with all the latest features to enable you with rapid web development. JetBrains is the authority behind its development and release in 2009. PHPStorm is written in Java since its launch and has been among the first choices of developers for writing code in PHP.

PHPStorm is compatible with working with all the key frameworks such as Symfony, Yii, CakePHP, Zend Framework and Laravel. Also, it allows working on Content Management Systems (CMS) including WordPress, Drupal, and Magento.

PHPStorm not only manages backend tasks but also gives you the liberty to work on the front end. It includes working on CSS, HTML5, Sass, Typescript, JS, CoffeeScript, Less, Stylus, etc. using Unit testing, code refactoring and debugging.

If you are using this platform with Zend Debugger, you can easily integrate it with databases like SQL and composers, vagrant, rest client, remote deployment and command tools.

2. Eclipse

Eclipse is another name that comes to the mind of the developers when asked for the most widely used IDE in the field of web development. It was launched in Nov 2001 and is a cross-platform tool that can be utilized for any operating system whether for Windows, Linux or Mac. Most of the developers used this IDE for Java and Android development, however, the efforts of Eclipse community developers made it possible to use for other development languages using plugins.

If you want to develop a PHP web application using Eclipse, you have to download it and install the Eclipse package for PHP developers. It is an open-source and free to use tool which comes packed with all the capacity to support PHP languages like Git client, XML Editor, and Mylyn.

Some of the important features of Eclipse comprises code formatting, syntax highlighting, code assist, code navigation, refactoring, PHP debugging, code templates, syntax validation, and eclipse ecosystem.

3. NetBeans

NetBeans also makes its way to the list of world’s most popular IDEs for PHP web development. It is feature-rich, free, and supports multiple languages like English, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Brazilian, and basic Chinese. A wide range of developers uses this open-source IDE for PHP website development.

NetBeans was released in 1996 which initially supported only Java and was pretty slow, but now it becomes much faster than others and supports multiple languages like PHP, C/C++, and HTML5. Not even this, you can use it for a range of PHP frameworks and WordPress CMS.

NetBeans is one of the most preferred IDE tools due to its features like code templates, smart code completion, quick fixes, getter setter generation, hints, and refactoring. Other than this, it avails developers with functionalities like formatting, rectangular selection, code folding and try/catch code completion.

4. Zend Studio

Zend Studio is among the top commercial PHP IDE for PHP website development. It targets professional web developers and currently enjoys a clientele of over 40,000 developers for the development of PHP websites.

Some of the key features which make Zendio Studio more preferable among others is its fastest performance, validation while coding and searching the PHP Code.

Not even this, Zend Studio allows mobile app development based on existing PHP apps and server backend. This way, you can easily coordinate between current websites and web applications with mobile-based apps.

5. Komodo

ActiveState developed Komodo IDE in the year 2000. Now it has become a highly preferred PHP MySQL development and functional tool. Komodo inherits most of its functionalities from the Python interpreter. It is compatible with Mozilla and Scintilla because the number of features and functionalities among them are similar and utilizes common languages as well.

Komodo uses numerous extensions and pipe features which turned it down as a huge success.

With Komodo, you can start CGI Environment Simulation and build a holodeck web server. It replicates all the activities on a real web server. The CGI Environment Simulation enables its fast installation.

6. Sublime Text 3

It is another PHP development that is very useful to perform like a pro text editor, i.e. for prose, markup, and code. Sublime Text 3 comes with an amazing feature- a custom UI toolkit that allows users to play across words, symbols or lines using particular key shortcuts for the activity.

In addition to this, the user can make changes to any section of code at any time. Such facilities of Sublime Text 3 make it the most customizable and flexible text editor that exists.

Being a lightweight, cross-platform development tool, Sublime Text 3 works on different operating systems like Linux, Windows, and OSX.

You can easily convert this text editor into a graceful Sublime PHP IDE with the help of different plugins and packages that are available in the market. Some of the popular names which are most helpful in doing so are package control, xDebug client?—?CodeBug, Sublime PHP companion, Simple PHPUnit, PHPCS, CodIntel, and PHPDoc.

Converting a text editor into a PHP IDE using add-on packages, avails developers with the ease of PHP development. They can enjoy the classiness of sublime text and the sturdiness of PHP at the same time.

7. Atom

Atom is a free, open-source text and source code editor from GitHub. It is one of the best cross-platform development tools that support working on various OS like Windows, OS X, Red Hat Linux, Fedora 22+ and Debian Linux. Atom consists of a dedicated ecosystem that is supported by a vast community. The availability of numerous plugins and packages in the market improves its functionality to the next level.

When it comes to PHP, the Atom editor can easily be converted into a fully-featured PHP IDE using packages available free of cost. These packages turn atom editor more effective than any other commercial PHP IDEs in the market. It includes hyperclick-php, php-cs-fixer, atom-autocomplete-php, linter-php and php-integrator-base.

Conclusion

PHP is one of the most preferred programming languages for web development. There are a number of PHP IDEs available in the market which are getting better day by day. Here in this post, we covered most of the PHP development tools which come with different functionalities. However, the universal objective behind is transforming web development into a convenient platform to write scalable code swiftly.

Still, confused? Not being able to select the best PHP web development tool for your PHP web application. You can contact a dedicated team of experienced PHP programmers. You can hire a PHP developer to help you choose the right tool for your web development considering your project requirements.

via Noupe https://www.noupe.com

February 17, 2020 at 11:00AM

Tranquilizer Dart Slow-Mo

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Link

“How do you stop a rhino from charging?” The Slow Mo Guys take on one of their more unusual subjects – the kind of dart used to tranquilize animals. To demonstrate how these unique medicine delivery vessels work, they filled samples with food coloring, then watched the pressurized fluid release as it met its subject.

fun

via The Awesomer https://theawesomer.com

February 17, 2020 at 01:15PM