Author Archives: Soph

With built-in DVD drives deemed outdated and piracy fines skyrocketing, watching a film on your computer is getting more and more difficult. But Dan Colman can help: the director of Stanford’s continuing studies program has built an online database called Open Culture, a compilation of links to public-domain resources deep in the internet. “I startedContinueContinue reading “How to watch a (legal) film for free | WIRED UK”

This is Sky Caliber: the world’s first safe vertical-loop water slide, according to its creators Skyturtle Technologies. Gravity-defying loops have traditionally been seen as too risky, but Canadian designer Lance Fisher, 36, came up with a solution in his sleep. “I realised that being in a vehicle inside the slide lets you do a verticalContinueContinue reading “This is the world’s first safe vertical-loop water slide | WIRED UK”

Squarepusher uses his songs to paint pictures. The Essex-born musician, aka Tom Jenkinson, was bored with the pointless pyrotechnics that accompany many electronica gigs these days, so he directly shapes his live visuals by his music and the environment. Source: Squarepusher’s new live show is generated by the city | WIRED UK

First, devices were installed in your car to monitor how safely you drive. Now, health insurance companies are using wearables to track your day-to-day health. Curious about how last night’s kebab could have affected your premiums? Ask these guys. Source: Your insurer is tracking you | WIRED UK

Cern’s particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider, is one of the best-known physics experiments, but in Italy, researchers are using the technology for something else: cancer treatment. Doctors at the National Centre for Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO) in Pavia have treated almost 500 adult patients since 2013, and because of the procedure’s low toxicity and reportedContinueContinue reading “The Hadron Collider is helping to treat cancer | WIRED UK”

We look behind the scenes of Brooklyn-based spacesuit maker, Final Frontier Design. Unlike big space operators such as Nasa and the United LAUNCH Alliance, Final Frontier Design has just four employees. “It’s a long road from a couple of guys in a closet to sending suits into space,” says Brooklyn-based co-founder Ted Southern. Although itsContinueContinue reading “WIRED takes a tour of spacesuit maker Final Frontier Design’s studio | WIRED UK”

Helen Marriage wants artists to think a little bigger. Her London-based arts non-profit Artichoke produces exhibitions on an epic scale: taking over cities, not galleries. Source: Artist Helen Marriage’s non-profit Artichoke builds epic works of art, uniting people across social divides | WIRED UK

Nigel Ackland: Bioprosthetic pioneer Source: Bionics can restore the human | WIRED UK

The journey into Seattle’s new tunnel ends abruptly after 311 metres. The world’s biggest tunnel boring drill — Bertha — could not get any further. Source: The tricky task of rescuing the world’s biggest tunnel drill | WIRED UK

Our phones don’t do much while we sleep, but Vijay Pande, a biomedical scientist at Stanford University, has a use for them: scientific research Source: The app that cures cancer while you sleep | WIRED UK