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IMEC working with holograms, mirrored pixels to prevent 3D movie headaches
Let's face it, 3D movies are amazing but there are times when you'll walk away with a killer headache. A group of researchers at IMEC believes that holographic video might be the best way around this problem and has been working on a means of constructing holographic displays by shining lasers on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) platforms capable of moving up and down like small, reflective pistons. Here's the cool part: each pixel would have a spring-like mechanism attached to it that could be moved by applying voltage to it. In the first stage of the technology, a laser is bounced off a MEMS-less chip containing an image, the diffracted light interfering to create a 3D picture. From here, the team can adjust the image by replacing pixels with small, mirrored platforms that can alternate their direction to create a moving projection. It gets technical after this, but you can take a gander at the video after the break for a full demo and explanation.
Zelrix electronic anti-migraine patch heads to the FDA for review
We've seen some electronic devices that promise to cure migraines in the past, but NuPathe's Zelrix patch certainly seems to be among the most practical, and it's just gotten one step closer to the US market. The company recently announced that the FDA has accepted its filing for a New Drug Application, and it says it now has a target date of August 29, 2011 for the FDA to complete its review. As for the patch itself, it's a single-use patch that relies on a mild electrical current to "actively transport" the anti-migraine drug sumatriptan through the skin using a process called iontophoresis. That, NuPathe says, not only allows for a more consistent and controlled delivery of the drug, but it also circumvents the nausea and vomiting that can occur when taking the medication orally -- which the company notes can be enough to cause some folks to avoid taking the medication altogether. Head on past the break for the complete press release.
Officers' Quarters: A scheduling headache
Every Monday Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership.One of the big annoyances of raiding is finding the right schedule. This time of year is particularly bad for many guilds, as last week's Officers' Quarters column proved. Students of all ages have finals. Working adults are traveling more often or spending more time away from the PC. When you have a small crew, the loss of even one person for a few weeks can mean all your raids are put on hold. This week, one officer wants to know how to figure out a raiding schedule despite some uncooperative individuals. Dear Scott, I am the co-leader of a casual 10-man raiding guild on Lightning Hoof. Despite only raiding once a week, we've managed to down ten of the bosses in Ulduar and we're proud of that accomplishment. Lately though, it has been almost impossible to get everyone together on the same night to work on progression. Quite a few of our raiders have school or work requirements, and it is very difficult to time every one's lives around raiding. We try our hardest, and for a good while it was working out perfectly. Lately though, I feel that our raiders are beginning to demand the raid schedule be built around them, rather than trying to make time in their own week to come. Since we are such a small guild, it happens quite often that when one person can't/doesn't show, we are not able to raid. This then wastes the entire night, and it becomes almost impossible to re-schedule.
Migraine zapper stops headaches before they start
The BBC reports that a group of researchers lead by Dr. Yousef Mohammad of Ohio State University Medical Center have developed a device that can stop migraine pain at the first signs of a headache -- and, no, it doesn't work by clobbering someone over the head with it. The device, called the TMS, actually works by creating a short-lived electromagnetic field that interrupts the "aura phase" of a migraine before it leads to a serious headache. The researchers also say that they device can be effective in treating nausea, and noise and light sensitivity, but that further study is necessary before the device gets put into widespread use. Still, the early results look fairly encouraging, with 69% of the patients treated with the TMS reporting mild or no pain, compared to 48% of those in the placebo group. Stranger still, however, is the 2% of the control group who experienced exploding-headitis when using this device. Eh, go figure.
FoxTrot: Run Windows on your iFruit
Even Jason from FoxTrot wants a shiny new Intel Mac. Today's comic illustrate's the boy bugging his mom for "one of those new Intel-powered iFruits... because you can run Windows on them," to which she replies "I don't want to run Windows. It'd just be a big headache." It's always nice to hear that Apple-nut sites like TUAW aren't the only ones who 'get it.' However, I don't want to ruin any more of the strip than I already have, so check it out for yourself.[thanks, Logan Rockmore!]
