New Technology

While the world has been debating whether we live on a flat plain or a globe, technology has been developing at a rapid pace behind the scenes. Below are a few examples of New Technology that will change your worldview.

The first two technological advancements come from the far east. China has developed the first agricultural formula that changes desert sand into fertile land. So far they've been able to grow corn, tomatoes, sunflowers and other vegetables on over two hundred hectares of sand. This amazing feat was achievable by mixing sand, water and a paste made from natural substances found in the cell walls of plants. The substances (which are not named) are extracted from the plant wall and combined with other ingredients. Once the paste is combined with sand it has the ability to retain water, nutrients, and oxygen. All the necessary ingredients for growing crops.



The second big advancement to come out of China builds upon research that's already twenty years old. China has successfully cloned the first primates. They cloned two Macaque monkeys inside a lab. Although these Macaques are amazing and China is celebrating a groundbreaking achievement. They were not the first to clone a mammal. The first cloned animal was a sheep named Dolly. Dolly, the sheep was cloned in 1996 by a research team from Edinburgh, Scotland. The research team in China is building upon their achievements. The big difference between Dolly and the Macaques is that Macaque monkeys are primates the same as humans. This brings up big ethical questions on how close we are to cloning humans and what regulations are in place if some rogue research team actually tries it.



Next on our list is a relatively unknown device called EyeDetect. This machine has better accuracy than the polygraph and doesn't require tape and wires to be attached to the skin. EyeDetect is a high-resolution infrared camera designed to capture pupil dilation, blink rate, and focal fixation to register if you're lying or telling the truth. This non-intrusive test can tell with over 85% accuracy if a person is lying in thirty minutes. It can also give an estimation of whether they're being deceptive in five minutes. Consider this... the polygraph was invented almost one hundred years ago. This is the first successful invention since that time to actually give it competition. Since EyeDetect isn't 100% accurate it would be better utilized in conjunction with the standard polygraph to give an almost 100% accuracy rate.




Last is a device that looks eerily similar to the devices used in the 2005 action, science fiction film The Island to grow clones. There is an artificial womb that was used to grow a lamb. This device basically needs the fertilized egg and some nutrients fed through a tube to grow a full sized animal. A group of students came up with a concept incubator following that same premise. It's the incubator that looks exactly like the ones used in the film...except smaller. Is art copying science or is science being masked as art. Make your own decision. Below are videos of both the artificial womb and concept incubator. One thing I can say for sure is we're living in interesting technological times.  

Animanga: Kingdom

There's not many historical manga stories that hold my attention. Most of the stories are to much like reading a history book with pictures.

The Animanga: Kingdom is a whole different story. I started off by watching a few episodes of the anime...on a recommendation. I liked it after the third. From there I went and read the manga...all 378 chapters of it (binge reading). I can some up the rest of this post with four words "The story is dope!".

Kingdom follows the life of a young peasant boy named Shin as he aspires to become a great general in warring ancient china. The story takes place 245 BC (Before Christ) at a time when western china was broken in to 7 major countries. The lands of Qin, Chu, Zhou, Han, Yan, Wei, and Qi are all battling for domination.

Shin and his best friend Sin Hyo lived in the country of Qin. They planned to enter the army and become generals. Sin Hyo, turned out to be an identical double of the king of Qin. He was taken to the palace and used as a body double for the king. Sin was killed by assassins.

Shin discovers the details of Sins murder from the real king. His name was Sai and his dream was to unify all of western China. To due this he had to conquer all the other countries and Shin decided to help him achieve his goal. Sin died protecting the king and to honor his memory Shin took up his duty.

Aside from being a historical piece it's great action sequences, writing and character development. It reminds me of the writing style of Death Note crossed with One Piece. Where the writing and plot make you feel for the character. The battle scenes are well drawn with incredible detail. The characters fight with classic weapons from their time period. Sword, mace, ax, lance, bow and arrow...etcetera. The weapons aren't high tech but how the characters use them makes them look superhuman.

Each battle moves the story forward as Shin builds his private army the Hi Shin Unit composed of elite fighters and strategist.  At the same time his victories and failures along with the other generals of Qin propel Sai's dream of unifying China forward. If you read battle type manga like Berserk then I definitely recommend Kingdom.

The anime is on the final episode of the second season. There's no doubt in my mind that there will be a third due to its popularity. Below is a snippet from the battle between Shin and a general from the land of Wei named Rinko. Check it out.

Male Birth Control Pill

Get ready for a paradigm shift. Soon no longer will it be only women who have the convenience of having pill contraception. New science has several companies working on making the male birth control pill a reality.

Over the years both men and women have wondered why there is no pill based male contraception. The reasons vary depending on which group of scientist you speak too. One reason given is, when birth control pills were created back in the sixties along with the rest of female contraception. The minds behind it didn't think there was interest in a male version, basically saying that birth control was the responsibility of women. 

Another more scientific reason given is, the male anatomy is vastly different than the females and it's difficult for science to create a pill that doesn't have long term or permanent side effects. Men want contraception....not to be sterilized.

The real reason for no male birth control pill being on the market is money. Over the last forty years there have been several studies and experiments done on male contraception. The results always show promise and media gets people talking, but it stops there. Why? Because the costs to do experiments, gather data, and publish research may cost a couple hundred thousand dollars. The cost to bring a product from the experimental phase to a physical pill form costs a couple hundred million. The scientists that collect this research don't have the funding to make their products a reality.

A Brazilian scientist named Dr. Coutinho, did research with the Chinese in the 1970's to create a male birth control pill made from natural products. The pill was designed to increase male sexual desire, while blocking contraception. It was created by extracting proteins from fibers of Gossypol (a strain of Cotton). According to Dr. Coutinho, the pill is currently in use in China. There have been over two hundred studies published to prove it doesn't effect organ function and has no side effects. The reason the pill isn't being sold in the western world is because pharmaceutical companies won't invest in a natural product they can't patent. He lists several other reasons but you can watch the video and hear it directly from the doctor.

It's been over forty years since the days of the good doctor and it looks like change is on the horizon. Men have a lot more responsibility than they had in the 70's. Back then if you were a dead beat dad there was only garnishment of wages. Now, if you overpay your child support you can get six months in prison. That may sound like an exaggeration, but watch the video below and see my words as fact.

Recently an Australian group of scientists were able to make a group of male mice temporarily infertile, without effecting their virility or sex drive. The new research seems promising and they believe it won't be long before human trials. Watch the video below for more information on the new research and the exact science behind it.

In modern times men face severe penalties for creating children. A male birth control pill would give men more control over our sex lives and put the power of contraception in the hands of both sexes. 

Baby Cannibalism

Customs officials in South Korea have intercepted more than 35 attempts by smugglers from China transporting the powdered flesh of babies. The babies bodies were chopped into small pieces and dried on stoves before being turned into powder and filled into capsules. Since August they have captured people with around 17,450 capsules disguised as stamina boosters. 

Some people believe the capsules are a cure  for sickness and diseases. The smugglers told customs officials they thought the capsules were ordinary stamina boosters and did not know the ingredients. As of yet no charges have been made against any of the smugglers and Chinese officials are reluctant to share information about the matter.  Read more about the story here smuggled capsules contain human flesh and check the news report below. 

Tibetan Singing Bowls

While searching for a gift for my sister I came across a site that had Tibetan Singing Bowls. I never heard of bowls that sing so I did a little research into their history. 

Singing bowls were historically used in India to help align the chakras (spiritual energy) and  assist in meditation. During ancient times Buddha brought crystal singing bowls from India to Tibet while spreading his teachings of Buddhism. Since then the bowls have been used in monasteries by monks for religious rituals to reach deeper levels of meditation, relaxation and healing. There are rumors that it's forbidden for monks to speak about the singing bowls. There are also rumors that the bowls are used in secret rituals, giving them the ability to travel to different dimensions of space and time. 

Tibetan Singing Bowls are considered a powerful spiritual tool and have migrated from the monastery into the homes of practitioners world-wide. Aside from meditation they're also used for Relaxation, Massage, Yoga, Stress Reduction and Healing. To learn more about the singing bowls and their unusual history go to www.silverskyimports.com or click the link.

Human Evolution

How evolution occurs is still being highly debated by scientists. Some Darwinist believe it happens over millions of years gradually. While more modern scholars postulate the idea it happens rapidly in a short period, like an explosion.

In Dahua, southern China a boy named Nong Youhui is putting the question of evolution to the test. Youhui was born with bright blue eyes similar to what is seen on Europeans. His parents noticed when he was a week old and doctors told the parents they would change color as he grew older. A decade passed and since Youhu’s eyes worked well his parents forgot about them.

One of Youhu’s teachers noticed that if light was shined directly into Youhu’s eyes they reflected the light back like cats eyes. The teacher then contacted eye specialist who conducted tests on Youhu’s vision. They found that Youhu could see in the dark. His night vision was so precise he could catch crickets in the dark without a flashlight. The only time his eyes caused discomfort was when he played in bright daylight. The light receptors in his eyes captured to much light causing blurry vision.

Some people believe it’s human evolution. Others believe Youhui’s a hybrid mix of human and alien DNA. Regardless of what side of the fence you sit on, its interesting news. The video of Nong Youhui’s unusual tale is below. Although it sounds like science fiction it’s all true. Check it out.