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Starting today, it will be a lot harder to vape if you're under 18
In May, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced plans to regulate e-cigarettes like it does regular tobacco products. Today, those changes go into effect. First, the new regulations make it illegal to sell e-cigarettes and other vaping supplies to anyone under the age of 18. As we reported when the FDA first revealed its plans, the age limit was already being enforced in some places, but now it's the rule nationwide. Retailers will be required to ask for identification from any customer who appears to be under the age of 27 and are prohibited from providing free samples to minors.
Bottle-brush robot to clear pipelines the world over
Not like this is a new concept or anything, but Zhelong Wang and Hong Gu of China's Dalian University of Technology have created a "bristled pig" in order to clean the clogged pipes that traditional pigs simply can't. In most scenarios, unclogging devices (or pigs, as it were) are pushed through pipelines by force, though certain bends and changes in size can hamper their effectiveness. These bottle-brush styled bots can climb through portals on their own power and adjust to changes in order to make "unpiggable" pipes clean again. It's a dirty job, but something's got to do it.[Via CrunchGear]
Mega Man rocks the pipes
We love a good dose of video game art, especially when it involves Mega Man and some ingenuity. This piece by 8-bit Artist made use of 23 pipes, each of which are painted 360-degrees around. On the opposite side is Mega Man in his red and orange Heat Man suit (though we prefer the Blue Bomber suit, ourselves). The pipes are also just shy of two feet, making this a good size for some wall hanging (or not, as it's two-sided). Unfortunately, if any of you collectors out there were hoping to do so, it won't be happening since the piece already sold. While we love the idea of using the pipes as a canvas, a part of us wonders whether this would be an idea better suited for Mario. Mario is, after all, an Italian plumber who often uses pipes to get where he's going. It's still cool, nonetheless, so check after the break to see some more pictures.
iPhone-Free TUAW feed
Inspired by Engadget and by popular request, here's an iPhone-free feed of TUAW posts courtesy of Yahoo Pipes for all of you who are sick to death about all things iPhone. To subscribe, click the Subscribe button at the top left (just under "Edit Source") and select from Get as RSS, My Yahoo, Add to Google, Sub Bloglines, Royo, Netvibes, Newsgator, My AOL or Get results by Email or Phone.Of course, you'll be missing out on all the excitement but sometimes it's nice to lead a simpler, less-complicated life. Enjoy the feed.
The plant has his time
We've played through enough Super Mario Bros. games to have learned that no pipe should be approached without caution. After a lifetime of suffering piranha plant attacks, always at the least opportune moments, we've trained ourselves to scrutinize every green tube before hopping over it. We'll sit there for up to two minutes, staking out the pipe to make sure there isn't a hidden fly trap hoping to dupe us with its delayed pattern. Sometimes, we'll even see their eyes poking out, anxious to see why we haven't jumped yet.These guys seem to pop up everywhere! In addition to their appearances in almost every Mario-related title over the past two decades, the piranha plants extended their roots to Tetris Attack and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening! They've also been spotted in last Wednesday's Extra Life comic, illustrated by the always-awesome Scott Johnson. It's a predictable punchline, but no less hilarious because of it. We implore you to check it out!
