iDunzo.com

Jack the Ripper Strikes for the Last Time … Or Does He?

November 9th, 2007 by iDunzo

November 9, 1888: The mutilated body of Mary Jane Kelly is found on the bed of her squalid room in the Spitalfields-Whitechapel area of London’s East End. She is generally considered to be the fifth and final victim of the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.

In fact, Kelly — a tall, amiable young woman who dabbled in prostitution to make ends meet — may not have been the Ripper’s final victim at all.

Although five is the number accepted by most so-called “Ripperologists,” no exact body count has ever been established. The killer’s identity likewise remains unknown, defying even current research using the tools of modern forensic science.

Trying to discover Jack the Ripper’s identity remains one of criminology’s enduring puzzles. Several potential suspects exist, and have existed since the murders were committed. But the relatively primitive police work of the day — forensic science as we know it didn’t exist in Victorian England — and the loss of physical evidence over time means the mystery may never be solved.

That hasn’t prevented a cottage industry of Ripper sleuths, Ripper enthusiasts and Ripper nut balls from thriving. Books purporting to have solved the Whitechapel murders (there were 11 in all, not all of them associated with the Ripper) appear from time to time, alongside fictional accounts and more-scholarly works, but most are completely worthless except as titillation.

Whether the killer was a member of the royal family, as one popular theory has it, or a surgeon with a grudge, at least two things are certain: Jack was skilled with a knife and certainly a sexual psychopath. All the Ripper’s victims had their throats cut and all were sexually mutilated: the unfortunate Ms. Kelly worst of all. When discovered by her landlord’s rent collector, she was barely recognizable as a human being.

Nearly 120 years later, research continues. In fact, there’s more of it being done now than at any time since the case was officially closed in 1892. With modern forensic techniques, a few new details have emerged, including the fact that in carving up Mary Jane Kelly, the Ripper used an ax as well as a knife.

As to where that will lead us, who knows?

Posted in Geekery + Trivia | Comments Off on Jack the Ripper Strikes for the Last Time … Or Does He?

TiVo Lifetime Subscription: Get it While it’s Hot

November 8th, 2007 by iDunzo

TiVo is temporarily offering it’s much loved (and long dead) lifetime subscription option, the Product Lifetime Service, for the Series 3 and HD models.

It’ll cost you $400.00 USD on top of the price of the kit, but that’s it: no more monthly payments, ever.

You’ll have to be quick, though, as the offer only runs until January 2nd next year. It looks like a quick Christmas cash-in.

It also makes the $300.00 USD, three-year service TiVo Giftcard look like rather a silly Christmas present this year.

Posted in Geekery + Technology + Toys & Gadgets | 1 Comment »

Periodic Table Shower Curtain

November 7th, 2007 by iDunzo

If you don’t know your Krypton from your Kryptonite, this vinyl shower curtain is here to help.

Printed with the entire Periodic Table of Elements, peruse the atomic weight of calcium whilst simultaneously considering the limescale on the faucet.

You can purchase this geek-tastic shower curtain from Amazon.com for $30.95 USD.

As an added bonus, you can also get what looks to be the exact same shower curtain from Think Geek for $29.99 USD.

Posted in Geekery + Technology + Toys & Gadgets | Comments Off on Periodic Table Shower Curtain

What Happened to the Autonomous Heart Surgery Robot?

November 1st, 2007 by iDunzo

In May 2006, Engadget and a few thousand other sites featured variations on this headline, “Robot surgeon performs world’s first unassisted operation“.

Some of the write-ups around the web told of how the robot had been trained in the relatively simple heart surgery that stops atrial fibrillation, which is caused by chaotic electrical activity in the heart (almost like epilepsy for the brain).

To treat the condition, surgeons burn some of the heart flesh, to short-circuit the nerves causing the trouble.

Apparently, an Italian doctor, Carlo Pappone, had gotten a robot to do this surgery. The last sentence of the Engadget post contained this tantalizing promise:

Pappone, who initiated and monitored the latest surgery from a computer in Boston while it was occurring in Milan, plans to release a commercial version of the unnamed robosurgeon later this month.

But here we are, almost 18 months later, and no such robosurgeon has appeared in the market.

So, I’m putting out an APB for Dr. Pappone, the creator of the world’s only autonomous heart surgery robot.

After some exhaustive searching, I haven’t been able to find any good information on what Dr. Pappone has been up to since last May.

Did the robot encounter problems? Is it snaking its way through hearts in Italy or the 3rd world, but not in the US?

Posted in Geekery + Random Thoughts + Technology | Comments Off on What Happened to the Autonomous Heart Surgery Robot?

A Welcome Sight for Those in Peril Upon the Sea

November 1st, 2007 by iDunzo

November 1, 1859: The second lighthouse at Cape Lookout, North Carolina, is lit for the first time.

Cape Lookout is situated along the Outer Banks, a treacherous stretch of coastal shoals and storm-tossed seas that has always presented a navigation hazard to mariners.

The original lighthouse, built in 1812, proved an unreliable navigational aid, so Congress appropriated $40,000 (about $900,000 in current dollars) for the construction of a much larger lighthouse.

The Cape Lookout Lighthouse stands 163-feet high — almost 70 feet taller than its predecessor — and its powerful Fresnel lens casts a light that is visible up to 19 miles out to sea. This was a marked improvement over the original and set the standard for lighthouses up and down the eastern seaboard.

Painted in a distinctive black-and-white diamond pattern, the tower is itself a navigational aid, at least in fair weather.

The lighthouse, with nine-foot-thick walls at its base, was built to withstand the pounding made inevitable by its exposed location. It would ultimately save the structure — but from a landward threat.

Just 18 months after the lighthouse opened, North Carolina seceded from the Union. As Federal troops advanced through the Carolinas in 1862, retreating Confederates destroyed a number of lighthouses, including the Cape Hatteras light. They tried to dynamite the Cape Lookout light, but those nine-foot-thick walls defeated them. They did, however, succeed in damaging the lens, knocking the lighthouse out of service.

After the war, repairs were made, and the lighthouse has remained in continuous service since. The last resident keeper left in 1950, when the lighthouse was fully automated.

In 1972, the original Fresnel lens was replaced by two 1,000-watt aerobeacons, each measuring 24-inches across.

Posted in Geekery + Technology + Trivia | Comments Off on A Welcome Sight for Those in Peril Upon the Sea

AELight Xenide Shines a Light – Almost Half a Mile!

October 31st, 2007 by iDunzo

AELight’s Xenide flashlight doesn’t look like much. Slapped into a blisterpack in a big-box grocery store, slung up next to cheap Maglight knockoffs and overpriced clockwork LED models, shoppers might well walk past it, unaware of its lurking, immemorial power.

But this thing is $500.00 USD. Why? Because it packs metal halide lamps similar to those used in fog lights, and projects 900 lumens almost a kilometer away.

Powered by a rechargeable Li-Ion battery pack, this overpowered torch weighs a stiff 8 pounds and has a fixed-focus lens and water-resistant casing.

For your money, you also get a bundled AC charger, shoulder strap and travel box.

Posted in Geekery + Technology + Toys & Gadgets | Comments Off on AELight Xenide Shines a Light – Almost Half a Mile!