The Mechatronics Lab at the Mie University in Japan subjected the ERS-110 and ERS-210 models under radiography to get a better understanding of how Sony created them. There's a joke in there somewhere about a dog and a CAT scan, but I won't stoop so low. [Mie University via PlasticPals]

Too cute. [Google Japan via Ian9outof10 via Katiesol]

The idea is to cloak an object and disguise it with the use of light rays, like a "carpet mirror", as described in the Science publication by Tolga Ergin, a scientist from the German Karlsruhe Institute of Technology working on the project.

Using polymer crystals with minuscule rods, Ergin found success with his "invisible cloak," making it invisible to light wavelengths:

"By changing the thickness of the rods, you can change the ratio of air to polymer.

Since the refractive index of air is about one and the refractive index of the polymer is about 1.52, in principle, we can get any refractive index between those two numbers"

Anyone looking at the object assumes the area is flat, and that there's nothing hidden there—and it could theoretically hide any object, even a house. There are obviously limitations involved with the science, not least the length of time it takes to create the 3D cloaking structure. [BBC]

Designed by Zhang Shouze, it's called the "Playing By Heart" laptop and has a handy kickstand that transforms into the handle for carting around. I can definitely see ASUS adding this feature to an Eee PC at some point. [Yanko Design]

April 10th is said to be the date they'll pull out of the country, but according to the China Business News newspaper, Google will make the announcement next Monday, March 22nd. A former Google staffer, Peter Lui, has been quoted as saying:

"[They've] burnt bridges and they've burnt the Google brand in China...there is no way Google can ever come back."

Yesterday Bloomberg got in touch with 22 of the 27 companies who allegedly sent a letter to Google demanding compensation if they upped and left, leaving their purchase of advertising keywords dead, and confirmed that none of them had signed the letter nor even knew of it. [Bloomberg]

Image credit: 9GAG

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Slyd3z

Recently, our babysitter was struck by a car just a few steps from our front door. Luckily, none of her injuries were life threatening. Her cell phone, however, was brutalized beyond recognition.

Before heading to the emergency room, I climbed into the back of the ambulance where I asked her if she wanted me to call her boyfriend. She said she did, but she didn't know his telephone number. It was lost along with her now obliterated cell phone, and she had never committed the number to memory.

I remember the phone number to the very first house I lived in, when I was 4, even though I haven't used it since I was in first grade. But I could not tell you my father's cellphone number, which has remained unchanged for at least 5 years. (Mark helpfully explains why this is.) [Tweetage Wasteland via Daring Fireball]

Memory [Forever] is our week-long consideration of what it really means when our memories, encoded in bits, flow in a million directions, and might truly live forever.

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