Nike Zoom Kobe VII “What the Kobe”

An official release date of July 7 for the Nike Zoom Kobe VII “What the Kobe”. Using a sporadic design and an assorted bag of interchangeable laces, this unique shoe is sure to cause stares and invoke the reaction “What the…?”. Be sure to get your pair from select Nike Basketball retailers. MadOne / Nicekicks

Zoom Kobe VII “What the Kobe”
Bamboo/Tropical Twist-Hasta-Seaweed
488371-200
July 7, 2012
$140

Rising sea level puts US Atlantic coast at risk

The sea level on a stretch of the US Atlantic coast that features the cities of New York, Norfolk and Boston is rising up to four times faster than the global average, a report said Sunday. This increases the flood risk for one of the world's most densely-populated coastal areas and threatens wetland habitats, said a study reported in the journal Nature Climate Change. Since about 1990, the sea level along the 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) "hotspot" zone has risen by two to 3.7 millimetres (0.08 to 0.15 inches) per year. The global rise over the same period was between 0.6 and one millimetre per year, said the study by the US Geological Survey (USGS).

If global temperatures continue to rise, the sea level on this portion of the coast by 2100 could rise up to 30 centimetres over and above the one-metre global surge projected by scientists, it added. The localised acceleration is thought to be caused by a disruption of Atlantic current circulation. The hotspot stretches from Cape Hatteras, Northern Carolina to north of Boston, Massachusetts and also includes other big cities like Philadelphia and Baltimore. Another study has shown a one-metre sea level rise to increase New York's severe flooding risk from one incident every century to one every three years. It might be a good idea to move inland from the coast. I would also advise more of my readers to keep an close eye on the climate over the remainder of the year. AFP / MadOne

Parts of Mars Interior as Wet as Earth's

The interior of Mars holds vast reservoirs of water, with some spots apparently as wet as Earth's innards, scientists say. The finding upends previous studies, which had estimated that the Red Planet's internal water stores were scanty at best — something of a surprise, given that liquid water apparently flowed on the Martian surface long ago. The scientists examined two Martian meteorites that formed in the planet's mantle, the layer under the crust. These rocks landed on Earth about 2.5 million years ago, after being blasted off the Red Planet by a violent impact. Using a technique called secondary ion mass spectrometry, the team determined that the mantle from which the meteorites derived contained between 70 and 300 parts per million (ppm) of water. Earth's mantle, for comparison, holds roughly 50-300 ppm water, researchers said.

"The results suggest that water was incorporated during the formation of Mars and that the planet was able to store water in its interior during the planet’s differentiation."  Some of this water apparently made its made to the surface in the ancient past. NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers, which landed on the Red Planet in 2004, have found plenty of evidence that Mars was far warmer and wetter billions of years ago than it is today. The two golf-cart-size robots have even spotted signs of ancient hydrothermal systems, suggesting that some places on the Red Planet once had both water and an energy source — two key ingredients for the existence of life as we know it.

While the new results should help scientists better understand Mars and its history, they could also shed light on the evolution of large, rocky bodies in a more general sense, researchers said.

"Not only does this study explain how Mars got its water, it provides a mechanism for hydrogen storage in all the terrestrial planets at the time of their formation," lead author Francis McCubbin, of the University of New Mexico, said in a statement. Space.com / MadOne

Nike LeBron 9 “Sex on South Beach”

Sneaker customization continues to be at an all time high with Twizz Customs unveiling their latest creation, the Nike LeBron 9 “Sex on South Beach” Custom. These 1 of 1 customs features the Nike Lebron 9 Elite silhouette done up in a tri-toned pink, teal and grey speckled upper. MadOne

Nike LeBron 9 "Sex on South Beach" Custom

Coming Soon to Theaters: DJANGO UNCHAINED

Coming Soon to Theaters: Resident Evil : Retribution

Nike Zoom Kobe VII “USA”

Nike Zoom Kobe VII System
White/Obsidian-University Red-Pure Platinum
488371-102
June 16, 2012
$140

As we inch closer to the Summer Olympics, sneakers of the patriotic variety begin to release. The Nike Zoom Kobe VII “USA” will go on sale at Nike Basketball retailers on June 16, 2012. NiceKicks

Nike LeBron 9 Low “USA”

Nike LeBron 9 Low
White/Obsidian-University Red
510811-101
June 16, 2012
$150

A USA-themed sneaker while holding a summer-friendly low-top cut is what the Nike LeBron 9 Low “USA” brings to performance sneakers. This patriotic-themed pair will go on sale at Nike Basketball retailers on June 16, 2012. NiceKicks

MADNESS PREMIERE: Kanye West - Mercy

Microsoft's Kinect test in Army Helicopter Cockpits

Kiowa Warrior

Motion-tracking game technology found in American living rooms has a shot at making its way into U.S. military helicopters. The Army envisions Microsoft's Kinect system as a low-cost solution for smarter cockpits that track what pilots see or do — opening the door for smarter war machines capable of responding quickly to human needs during combat. The Microsoft Kinect for Xbox can already recognize gestures, faces and voices under almost any ambient light conditions for about $150. Such off-the-shelf gaming technology looks like a bargain next to expensive military helmets that track a pilot's head movements or eye gaze based on infrared detectors or magnetic sensors. 


New technology from the gaming world has the potential to substantially reduce the cost of adding head tracking to conventional helicopters, as well as the ability to do body tracking and gesture recognition to support future intelligent cockpits. Such intelligent cockpits may feature "Minority Report" virtual controls and displays, automatically identify targets a pilot is seeing outside the cockpit, report on damage based on where a pilot looks, or even monitor a pilot's mental and physical health based on his or her motions. That futuristic vision starts with motion-tracking technology. 

Having cheaper and more capable motion-tracking technology could especially help military helicopters missing head-tracking systems, such as the Blackhawk, Kiowa Warrior and Chinook. But the same system could also end up helping soldiers inside ground vehicles or at work stations, as well as commercial airline pilots and civilian drivers. If it succeeds, the Army would only be the latest in a long line of people who have hacked into the Microsoft Kinect's cheap but powerful capabilities. Geeks have harnessed the Kinect's power to make virtual clothes-fitting rooms and rescue robots. Archaeologists have even turned the gaming device into a 3D scanner for exploring ancient cities and burial grounds. Technews Daily

Police warn of new drug: Cloud Nine

Miami police have warned of a potent new mind-altering drug called "Cloud Nine," after a snarling homeless man threatened to eat two officers a week after a grisly face-gnawing attack. The ecstasy-like drug is part of a new line of over-the-counter "bath salts" implicated in an attack last week in which a growling naked man chewed off most of a homeless man's face before being shot dead by police. The police department is now warning officers to be extremely cautious around disorderly homeless men and telling the public to call police immediately if they see anyone showing signs of being on the new drug.

In the latest incident, police took Brandon De Leon into custody after he entered a restaurant shouting obscenities and initially resisted arrest. On the way to the station he slammed his head against the plexiglass barrier in the patrol car, shouting to the officers: "I'm going to eat you!" Later, the 21-year-old growled and grunted like an animal, and tried to bite an officer's hand, police said, prompting them to fit him with a bite mask and leg restraints. In addition to the Cloud Nine, police also believe De Leon finished off a bottle of rum and was working on a beverage called Four Loko, which combines alcohol and caffeine. He tested positive for marijuana, Xanax and alcohol. The case "bears resemblance to an incident that occurred in the city of Miami last week, when a male ate another man's face. AFP

EPA drones spy on farmers in Nebraska and Iowa

The Environmental Protection Agency has been accused of violating the privacy of cattle farmers in Nebraska and Iowa by using drones to spy on them. Last week, Nebraska’s congressional delegation submitted a joint letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson expressing concerns about the surveillance and questioning its legality. The EPA responded that the use of drones is legal and cost-effective. 

The surveillance has so far covered Region 7 (Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri), but has focused on Nebraska and Iowa because of the high concentration of livestock feeding operations in a watershed that has a history of contamination. “Nebraskans are rightfully skeptical of an agency which continues to unilaterally insert itself into the affairs of rural America,” The agency said that “courts, including the Supreme Court, have found similar types of flights to be legal (for example to take aerial photographs of a chemical manufacturing facility)” and that the EPA “would use such flights in appropriate instances to protect people and the environment from violations of the Clean Water Act”. So far, seven flights have taken place over Iowa, and nine over Nebraska. Yahoo / MadOne