STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

[MIKA27]

Australia's Fuel Tax To Increase Twice A Year From August 1st

Ready to pay more for your petrol? As widely expected, the Australian Government is set to increase the fuel excise in line with inflation twice a year. The government says this will generate $2.2 billion over the first four years — and be directly tied to fund upcoming major road projects.

In his budget night speech, Treasurer Joe Hockey confirmed that “the government is reintroducing fuel indexation where every dollar raised will be linked by law to the road billing budget. This will ensure there is a stable and growing source of funds to support Australian roads.”

Budget papers released by the government reveal aviation fuels (therefore airline ticket prices) won’t be affected, however “practicable, biannual indexation will commence from 1 August 2014” for car owners.

Included in the funding model is a $1.8 million allowance to increase in Ethanol Production Grants in 2014-15, administered by the Department of Industry, and a $0.7 million increase in the Cleaner Fuel Grants Scheme.

With fuel increases, deregulated university fees and doctor co-payments all in this budget — here’s hoping you’re not a uni student who drives and gets sick often…

MIKA: What a load of

[MIKA27]

Here's A First Look At The New Batsuit From Batman Vs. Superman

Director Zach Snyder just posted the first image of the new Batmobile from the forthcoming superhero sequel, tentatively titled Batman Vs. Superman. Holy crap.

Snyder tweeted the image of the Batmobile with a shot of Batman looking solemn and gloomy. Presumably that bat with strangely short ears is Ben Affleck, but it could obviously just be some stand-in as well. And just to add a little gadgety lust to the unveiling, Snyder notes that he shot it with the lux Leica M Monochrome, the company’s glorious black-and-white digital shooter. Is that probably a sponsorship of some kind? Of course! But it’s a lovely, moody photo that shows the camera’s strengths, nonetheless.

The new superhero super movie is set to drop years from now on May 6, 2016. Besides Affleck, it will star Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. This is just the first of many teasers, but damn, the flick can’t come soon enough.

MIKA: I cant wait for this!!

[MIKA27]

Archaeologists May Have Found The Wreck Of Columbus' Santa Maria

After 500 years, archaeologists believe that they have found the wreck of the Santa Maria — Christopher Columbus’ flagship — at the bottom of the sea off the north coast of Haiti. The leader of the expedition, Barry Clifford, told The Independent that all the evidence “strong suggests that this wreck is Columbus’ famous flagship, the Santa Maria.”

Anyone who paid attention during elementary school knows that Christopher Columbus took three ships and sailed the ocean blue in 1492 and ‘discovered’ America: The Niña, the Pinta and Columbus’ flagship, the Santa Maria. Most of us probably forgot what happened to those ships though. The Niña and Pinta made it back to Spain. The Santa Maria never did.

How did they find it after all these years? The archaeologists had the help of other discoveries that located the site of Columbus’ fort and used information from Columbus’ journal to narrow down where the wreck of the Santa Maria should be. And it’s perfect: the wreck that they found is exactly the spot where Columbus wrote it was, relative to his fort.

The Independent goes further:

The site is also an exact match in terms of historical knowledge about the underwater topography associated with the loss of the Santa Maria. The local currents are also consistent with what is known historically about the way the vessel drifted immediately prior to its demise.

Even more, the size of the wreck now is pretty much what you would expect to see knowing the size of the Santa Maria. Basically, this shipwreck is either the Santa Maria or some damn near identical twin ship.

The plan now is to excavate the wreck and hopefully lift it out to conserve it and put it on display in a museum in Haiti. If this is Columbus’ ship, Clifford told The Independent that it will be the “first ever detailed marine archaeological evidence of Columbus’ discovery of America.”

[MIKA27]

NASA Finds Strange, Dark, Square Hole In The Sun

The NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory has found a strange coronal hole in the sun, “almost square in its shape”. I don’t know about you, but this square phenomenon freaks me out a bit. It looks like the sun is some kind of fake LED disco ball and one panel is failing.

From NASA:

A coronal hole, almost square in its shape, is one of the most noticeable features on the Sun of late (May 5-7, 2014). A coronal hole is an area where high-speed solar wind streams into space. It appears dark in extreme ultraviolet light as there is less material to emit in these wavelengths. Inside the coronal hole you can see bright loops where the hot plasma outlines little pieces of the solar magnetic field sticking above the surface. Because it is positioned so far south on the Sun, there is less chance that the solar wind stream will impact us here on Earth.

Good job trying to hide this glitch in the Matrix, NASA. Good job.

[MIKA27]

This Is The New Helicopter Of The President Of The United States

These are the first official images of the new Marine One. After much speculation, Sikorsky got the contract to build the helicopter that the US Marines will use to carry the President of the United States, a variation of its S-92 helicopter.

Sikorsky is getting $US1.24 billion to produce six VH-92 — as it will be denominated — for development and training, followed by 17 more Marine Ones by 2023.

[MIKA27]

Monster Machines: The New King Of High-Sea Helicopters Can Hoist 12 Tonnes

The Sikorsky CH-53 line of heavy-lift helicopters have been dutifully serving the US Marine Corps since the mid-1960s and even the most recent iteration of the venerable Stallion line is about ready to be put out to pasture. But Sikorsky has a new powerhouse waiting in the wings.

Sikorsky began the Stallion line back in 1966 with the original Sea Stallion. It was joined by the current-gen Super Stallion in 1981, though the OG Sea Stallion was retired in 2012 so right now the Super is all we’ve got. However, Sikorsky is not resting on its laurels. The company is currently contracted with the USMC to deliver the third generation Stallion by 2019. Hail to the King, baby.

The CH-53K King Stallion is isn’t just a simple replacement for the existing model, it’s practically a whole new chopper. Granted, the King has the same outside dimensions as its predecessor (it does need to fit into the same aircraft carrier hangers that the Super currently does) but it’s nearly unrecognisable in the cockpit and under the hood thanks to a slew of retrofits and upgrades.

The 200 or so new 53K’s ordered by the USMC will feature twice the external lifting capacity of the Super Stallions — that’s a total of 12 tonnes or two 463-litre master pallets or nearly four M777 Howizters — and three times the overall lift capacity at 16,000kg. This is made possible by a trio of 7500 SHP GE engines — each 57 per cent more powerful than its predecessor while consuming 20 per cent less fuel — and the chopper’s seven 11m long carbon composite blades. Even under load, the King Stallion’s speed will top out at 200 knots, 30 knots faster than the existing Super. What’s more, the new King will sport a 5670kg gearbox assembly — which alone weighs more than an entire Blackhawk helicopter.

The King’s interior is also receiving a 21st century update including a new digital glass cockpit with fly-by-wire controls and a new elastomeric hub system. These improvements will shrink the area consumed by control panels by 15 per cent and actually widen the cabin interior by a full 30cm.

“The rollout of the CH-53K helicopter introduces a new era in Marine Corps aviation and is an exciting milestone in our company’s 91-year history,” Sikorsky President Mick Maurer said in a statement. “The CH-53K aircraft will effectively triple the external load carrying capacity of the CH-53E aircraft — to more than 12,247kg over a mission radius of 110 nautical miles. With its 40,000kg maximum gross weight, powerful new engines, lightweight composite structure, new rotor blades and fly-by-wire flight controls, the CH-53K will have the means to move troops and equipment from ship to shore, and to higher altitude terrain, more quickly and effectively than ever before.”

http://youtu.be/oh8FuBIGkUg

[MIKA27]

HEIMPLANET MAVERICKS INFLATABLE EXPEDITION TENT

Whether you’re looking to conquer Everest or just need a night away from your wife in the backyard, the Heimplanet Mavericks Inflatable Expedition Tent is prepared to keep you safe from 100+ mph winds, rolling boulders, and cold shoulders. It can also be pitched in seconds, which is great if she’s running after you with a hot curling iron.

But seriously, at $7,000, maybe this tent is reserved for real expeditions. Its double-layer air struts aligned in diamond crystal formations promise top-notch strength, and the chamber system inside offers relief from extreme temperatures the way most other tents can only dream of. But back to the angry wife thing… if that scenario seems more likely than you hiking the Himalayas, you might wanna opt for the somewhat similar Heimplanet Cave Tent, which offers most of the perks, just with a lower wind rating and price. [Purchase]

[paulF]

Australia's Fuel Tax To Increase Twice A Year From August 1st

Ready to pay more for your petrol? As widely expected, the Australian Government is set to increase the fuel excise in line with inflation twice a year. The government says this will generate $2.2 billion over the first four years — and be directly tied to fund upcoming major road projects.

In his budget night speech, Treasurer Joe Hockey confirmed that “the government is reintroducing fuel indexation where every dollar raised will be linked by law to the road billing budget. This will ensure there is a stable and growing source of funds to support Australian roads.”

Budget papers released by the government reveal aviation fuels (therefore airline ticket prices) won’t be affected, however “practicable, biannual indexation will commence from 1 August 2014” for car owners.

Included in the funding model is a $1.8 million allowance to increase in Ethanol Production Grants in 2014-15, administered by the Department of Industry, and a $0.7 million increase in the Cleaner Fuel Grants Scheme.

With fuel increases, deregulated university fees and doctor co-payments all in this budget — here’s hoping you’re not a uni student who drives and gets sick often…

MIKA: What a load of

Exactly, load of bull! They complain about carbon tax adding to the burden on families and then they go and do this!!! Everything will get even more expensive!!!!!

[MIKA27]

Exactly, load of bull! They complain about carbon tax adding to the burden on families and then they go and do this!!! Everything will get even more expensive!!!!!

Yep, bunch of hypocrites IMO.

[MIKA27]

Push to make Melbourne a smoke-free city

MELBOURNE would be one of the world’s first cities to have a smoke-free CBD under a radical plan for a total smoking ban within three years.

Melbourne City councillor Richard Foster said most of the council supported the moves to make Melbourne one of the world’s healthiest cities.

Smoking would be illegal for pedestrians, footpath diners and even building site workers anywhere in the Hoddle grid bounded by Flinders St, Spencer St, Spring St and the Queen Victoria Market.

Smokers would have to gather in designated shelters.

City lane The Causeway is already a permanent no-smoking zone and council has approved up to six more.

Cr Foster said the final step would be an entirely smoke-free CBD, which could take effect before October 2016.

City shop manager Betty Karlis, 48, a smoker, was unimpressed.

“I think there should be sections where people can smoke,” she said.

“I think it has got to be fair for everyone, but have a bit of respect for other people who are having lunch,” the Glen Waverley woman said.

Cities around the world ban smoking in certain public areas, but it’s believed a CBD-wide ban would be a first.

Cr Foster, a former smoker, said he could see Melbourne becoming a smoke-free city in this term of council.

Motions at Melbourne City Council need the support of six of 11 councillors to pass, and Cr Foster said he was confident he had majority support.

Some councillors could not be reached.

Others expressed differing levels of support for the scheme.

Cr Jackie Watts said a citywide ban with designated smoking areas was inevitable.

“As a public safety and public health issue, one imagines it would be the direction thinking people might go,” she said.

“Most people don’t smoke and all people should not be subjected to passive smoking.”

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said his mother died of lung cancer so he didn’t need to be recruited to the anti-smoking cause.

But he said any policy change should be incremental.

“If we can show traders and businesses, just as happened in pubs and restaurants, that this doesn’t detract from your business ... then bit by bit we will win that battle. But our aim this year is to do six (no-smoking zones),” he said.

Council set aside $340,000 to expand smoke-free areas in its latest budget. A total ban may cost a further $500,000.

Environment portfolio chairman Cr Arron Wood said a ban would be hard to enforce but he’d support smoke-free alfresco dining areas “pending all the detail stacking up”.

Green Rohan Leppert said council was heading for a city-wide alfresco smoking ban, but a state ban would be better.

Council’s sole smoker, Ken Ong, said he’d back bans only in special and justified cases, but not in popular alfresco dining precincts like Lygon St.

MIKA: The area I work in at Southbank have already made the vicinity smoke free between three towers which encompass a small business district of cafes and the like and in the past three weeks, business has been terrible for these peoples business. I'm not a cigarette smoker, but I have nothing against anyone who lights one up. Smoking, tobacco, is not illegal and I'm sick and tired how it's being portrayed here.

I still believe inhaling exhaust fumes on your daily commute and or walking through the CBD is far worse for ones health than smoking.

[MIKA27]

This Bluetooth Buckle Adds Smart Functionality To Mechanical Watches

Ask any serious watch aficionado why they’re hesitant to switch to a smartwatch, and their reasons will have nothing to do with functionality — but everything to do with how ugly the current crop of smartwatches are. The Modillian, a replacement strap buckle that adds Bluetooth, hopes to fix that by adding basic smartwatch capabilities to more stylish timepieces.

It doesn’t take pictures, let you read email or even control your music. But with a Bluetooth connection to your Android device, and eventually iPhone and iPads too, the Modillian will provide custom vibrating alerts so without looking at a screen you can tell if you’ve just got an email, text message or need to answer your phone.

Set to launch on Indiegogo starting on June 10, the creators of the Modillian are targeting a $US200 price point, with various sizes eventually being available. Since it’s designed to replace the standard ardillon buckle on a leather or fabric strap, it won’t work with watches using a metal bracelet, but the creators are optimistic that if the first version is successful, they will introduce new models later that can make any mechanical watch even smarter.

[MIKA27]

This Little Kid Is Better At Yo-Yo Than I Am At Anything

I should just give up. Call it quits. It’s over. This cute little kid is better at doing yo-yo tricks than I am at doing anything. Yeah, even things I’ve done pretty much all my life, like breathing or drinking water or cutting my toenails.

Even worse for me, he looks so cool (and cute!) doing it. He has so much control over the yo-yo that it looks like it’s under some sort of boy wizard spell. You do you, kid. Who cares if the rest of us adults feel bad about ourselves.

The clip shows six-year-old Kazuya Murata (also known as Yo-Yo Baby) during the Asia Pacific Yo-Yo championships last year. The action starts around the 30-second mark.

[MIKA27]

Quadriplegic Racer Will Steer Stingray With His Head At Indy 500

It takes a special breed to enter the Indy 500, but to attempt to do so without the use of your arms or legs is simply out of the question. Until now that is. With the aid of his semi-autonomous race car, former Indy Racing League driver Sam Schmidt is in it to win it — or at least the four promotional laps he’ll be racing before the actual event.

Schmidt, who became a quadriplegic after crashing at Florida’s Walt Disney World Speedway in January 2000, is now racing as part of the Arrow SAM (semi-autonomous motorcar) Project. This collaboration brings together Arrow Electronics, Ball Aerospace, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the nonprofit Falci Adaptive Motorsports in an attempt to return the ability to drive to physically disabled motorists.

The car, a 2014 Corvette C7 Stingray, has been retrofitted with a number of new systems ahead of the race, most notably the ingenious steering and speed controls. The system actually works much the same way as the Eurofighter Typhoon’s helmet HUD does: an array of helmet-mounted reflective infrared markers allow a series of overhead cameras to track and measure the movements of the driver’s head. Tilting his head left or right, Schmidt steers the car in the same direction; tilting his head back accelerates while biting down on a mouth tube applies the brakes. These commands are fed through an on-board computer which activates servos that physically turn the wheel and work the pedals.

The SAM has already been certified safe for the race. Its GPS warning system will alert Schmidt if he strays within a metre of the edge of the track and forcibly correct his steering if the car continues to drift. What’s more, a safety officer will be riding shotgun and will be able to take control using driving instructor controls if necessary. And if they are both somehow rendered incapacitated, the car can also be controlled remotely from the pit.

Arrow hopes to one day integrate these systems into everyday automobiles as well as in industrial and military applications, but first, Schmidt’s going to need to drink some milk.

[MIKA27]

US Army's New Helmet Design Comes With A Built-In Air Conditioner

It’s starting to look like the soldiers of the future could almost fight in space. The US Army’s latest helmet concept, specifically designed for chemical-biological protection, includes a respirator that keeps the air clean and cool, like a mini air conditioner built right into the mask. It also looks very badass.

Well, to be more specific, it looks like a real-life Halo helmet (or a motorcycle helmet). It also looks like the US Army really does have a bit of a thing for Halo, since the last helmet update we saw looked equally as inspired by the game.

But this new design is all about functionality. Respirators are awesome for helping soldiers avoid breathing poison gas, but they also tend to be bulky and heavy. The technology built into this helmet weighs less and uses less power. A hose connects a blower unit and battery to the mask, which keeps a steady stream of cool air on the soldiers face.

The US Army is still perfecting this design. They’d like to build a helmet with a responsive respirator that’s only on when it needs to be on, and presumably, the helmet should also feature the same functionality we’ve seen in previous concepts. That means a heads-up display with live targeting, GPS battle mapping, and incoming video. Because without all that, it would just be a head bucket, wouldn’t it?

[MIKA27]

238 Dead, Hundreds Trapped in Turkish Coal Mine

A man kisses his son who was rescued from the mine, May 13, 2014

At least 232 people were killed and an estimated 200 others are thought to be trapped after an explosion and fire at a coal mine in Soma, south of Istanbul. 787 people were working in the mine when the accident occurred

The death toll caused by an explosion at a coal mine in Turkey on Tuesday has risen to at least 238, the country’s prime minister said on Wednesday. An estimated 200 people are believed to be still trapped inside as of early Wednesday.

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said early Wednesday that 787 people were working in the mine when the accident occurred, the Associated Press reports. Yildiz also said that carbon-monoxide poisoning was the cause of most fatalities. A local administrator said the explosion and fire were caused by a power-distribution unit.

“Time is working against us,” Yildiz said, noting that close to 400 people were involved in the recovery efforts, which had rescued 363 of the miners so far.

An official told NBC News that rescue teams were inside the mine, providing oxygen to those still trapped.

The company that owns the mine, located in Soma, approximately 250 km (155 miles) south of Istanbul, confirmed that some of its workers were killed but would not give a specific number. The poor safety conditions of Turkey’s mining industry make accidents common.

[MIKA27]

'Miracle' US baby survives 11-storey fall

A baby in the US state of Minnesota has survived an 11-storey fall from an apartment balcony, local media report.

Musa Dayib, one, has two arm fractures and is breathing with the help of a ventilator but is expected to live, after slipping through a railing.

His doctor said his youth as well as the softer ground he landed on helped contribute to his survival.

Family and friends in Minneapolis's Somali community say the family is in shock.

"When people found out he survived, no one could believe it," community activist Abdirizak Bihi told the Star-Tribune newspaper.

"I'm more concerned about his dad and his mother," Mr Bihi said. "They're devastated. They can't even speak."

Dr Tina Slusher, who treated Musa, said an adult who fell from that distance would almost certainly be dead.

"Little [children] are more flexible and don't break as easily as we do and he also fell in a very small patch of mulch [loose material put on soil]," she told local broadcaster KARE.

But she added it was "definitely a miracle. It's God's gift to his family. Kids don't fall this far and make it often."

Musa fell 11-storeys from a high-rise building in Minneapolis

[MIKA27]

Why Russia’s Proposed 2020 ISS Shutdown is Good News

When Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin announced earlier this week that Russia would stop supporting the International Space Station (ISS) after 2020 due to tension between his country and the United States, I thought of an old joke. You know the one:

“Doctor, will I be able to play the piano when the bandages come off?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“That’s funny; I wasn’t able to play it before.”

And I thought of that joke because conventional wisdom had it that Russia would probably shut down the ISS well before 2020—and given recent events, it wouldn’t have been unrealistic to expect the Russian Federal Space Agency to rush up the schedule a little bit. Now we’ve got a soft guarantee that Russia will continue to support the ISS for another six years, which gives it a much longer lifespan than anyone could have reasonably predicted when the first sections of the station were put into orbit in 1998.

Many commentators were ready to retire the station in 2004, and they had good reasons for doing so. Keeping it operational through 2020 would be an amazing feat. Skylab only got six years; Mir got 15; it looks as if the ISS, which was not designed for longevity, will get 22. And that’s something worth celebrating.

And when the ISS is dismantled, that won’t be the end of its story. Parts of the station are already slated for incorporation into future orbiting space station projects. If their durability improves on the ISS to the degree that the ISS improved on Mir, some ISS components are likely to remain operational for decades to come.

[MIKA27]

Pass Out the Cigars – Milky Way’s Star Nurseries Found

If J.J. Abrams was producing yet another remake of “A Star is Born,” he might look for inspiration not in Hollywood but in Bonn, Germany, where astronomers at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy are studying detailed maps of the Milky Way to find the hidden birthplaces of massive stars.

Dr. Timea Csengeri of the institute reports in a new study on research using ATLASGAL (the APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy) to find areas in the Milky Way hidden from other telescopes where stars begin their lives. These are the coldest places in the galaxy and the new stars are in dust cocoons so dense that they absorb their radiation, thus camouflaging them from visible and infrared wavelengths.

The 12-metre APEX telescope is in Chile and can make observations at the submillimeter wavelengths. Looking at ATLASGAL data which covers 97 percent of the inner Milky Way, Dr. Csengeri says the researchers were able to pinpoint the signatures indicating the location of these cold, dense star nurseries.

Our team has used the ATLASGAL data to generate the most comprehensive sample of the previously hidden birthplaces of massive stars. We found a large number of new potential locations where these stars are currently forming in our Milky Way.

Part of ATLASGAL survey showing cold pristine massive clump nursery (upper left inset), young massive star (upper right inset) and position of solar circle in Milky Way (lower right insert).

It’s already known that the lifespan of massive stars is 1,000 times shorter than that of less dense stars the size of the Sun. The new data reveals that the star-birthing time for massive stars is also faster than that for smaller ones, a process taking on average only 75,000 years.

[MIKA27]

Thomas Edison and the Cult of Sleep Deprivation

Thomas Edison listening to a wax cylinder phonograph at the Edison laboratory in Orange, New Jersey.

The March/April issue of Bethesda Magazine, a regional publication that covers a wealthy area of Washington, D.C., drew some unusually heavy attention on the web for a profile of Melissa “Missy” Lesmes, “a veritable supermom.”

“A fit, petite, vivacious blonde, Missy is at age 46 a wife, a mother of four kids ranging in age from 11 to 18 and all in separate schools, a partner at a prestigious Washington, D.C. law firm ... a party maven always up for a gathering at her Chevy Chase home, a longtime friend to women who profess she’s always there when they need her, and a woman who still manages to give back to the community.”

She's super, Q.E.D.

The title of the piece was “We Don’t Know How She Does It.” But how she does indeed do it became clear when the magazine described Lesmes’ daily schedule:

“Missy rises at 5:30 a.m. to run on the Capital Crescent Trail or head downtown to work out with a personal trainer. She’s back home by 7 to make sure the kids are awake and getting ready for school.

... “Arrives at her spacious office by 8:30 or so”

... “gets home between 7:30 and 8”

Then: dinner, which the couple eats standing up, homework help, and climbing into bed at “10 or 10:30”—to finish a brief. Lights out at midnight.

As the definition of modern success inflates, one way Lesmes and other high-achievers accomplish the impossible is by cutting back on sleep.

Sleep loss by income quintile.

For some, sleep loss is a badge of honor, a sign that they don’t require the eight-hour biological reset that the rest of us softies do. Others feel that keeping up with peers requires sacrifice at the personal level—and at least in the short-term, sleep is an invisible sacrifice.

The problem has accelerated with our hyper-connected lives, but it isn't new. Purposeful sleep deprivation originates from the lives and adages of some of America's early business tycoons.

Lesmes told Bethesda Magazine she worked her way through high school and college. “That was the point I realized I wanted to keep busy,” she said. And “once I started down that road, I started to realize I like having [money], so that motivated me a lot as well.”

Still, she feels inadequate: “I can’t be the perfect mom. I want to be, but there’s just not enough time, not enough hours.”

You don’t need Arianna Huffington to tell you that most adults should sleep seven to nine hours per night, but they don’t. A 2010 CDC survey of more than 15,000 adults found that 30 percent of workers sleep six or fewer hours a day. And although sleep deprivation is particularly common among those who work graveyard shifts, traditional, but long, working hours can also be a problem. A2009 study of British civil servants found that those who worked more than 55 hours a week, compared with 35 to 40 hours, were nearly twice as likely to be short on sleep.

Sleep loss is most common among older workers (ages 30 to 64), and among those who earn little and work multiple jobs. Still, about a quarter of people in the top income quintile report regularly being short on sleep, and sleep deprivation across all income groups has been rising over the years. A group of sleep researchers recently told the BBC that people are now getting one or two hours less shut-eye each night than they did 60 years ago, primarily because of the encroachment of work into downtime and the proliferation of blue-light emitting electronics.

"We are the supremely arrogant species; we feel we can abandon four billion years of evolution and ignore the fact that we have evolved under a light-dark cycle,” Oxford University Professor Russell Foster said. "And long-term, acting against the clock can lead to serious health problems."

These problems include well-documented correlations with heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and accidents. A March study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that long-term sleep loss was associated with permanent brain damage in rats.

Some people stay awake because they can’t or don’t want to sleep—they have insomnia, or their Netflix queues beckon. But surveys suggest that at least for some workers, sleep is the first thing to go when there’s pressure to get more done. A quarter of Americans say that their current workday or routine doesn’t allow them to get as much sleep as they’d like.

Indeed, profiles of the rich and productive are riddled with humble-braggy quotes about how little they rest. Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer reportedly sleeps just four to six hours per night. She makes up for it, she says, “by taking week-long vacations every four months.”

MSNBC’s Willie Geist, former host of the 5:30 a.m. show “Way Too Early,” used a psychological trick to fool himself into thinking he was well-rested, even on no sleep: “If you catch your body at a weak moment, as I often do, it might actually believe you when you tell it after four hours of sleep that you actually slept a full night and you feel like a million bucks.”

Jack Dorsey, founder of both Square and Twitter, once said he spends up to 10 hours a day at each company. The remaining four, presumably, are for sleep and whatever else.

Years ago I covered start-ups, and rarely did an interview with an entrepreneur not include some mention of 3 a.m. coding sprees (followed by 8 a.m. VC pitch meetings, natch). One man told me he stayed up till the wee hours reading trade publications about retail—the industry he was intent on “disrupting.”

As if it weren’t enough that our devices, our kids, and our schedules keep us up, certain white-collar sectors seem to demand this type of sleepless hyper-performance. “Our consumption-oriented economy profits more when people are awake longer,” Charles Czeisler, head of the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, told the Boston Globe.

An unusually pithy Donald Trump might have summed up the rich man’s sleep conundrum best: “How does somebody that's sleeping 12 and 14 hours a day compete with someone that's sleeping three or four?"

So it’s perhaps no surprise to learn that the idea of "manly wakefulness," as Penn State labor history professor Alan Derickson describes it, also has its roots in the life of a famous entrepreneur.

Thomas Edison, John Burroughs, and Henry Ford at Edison's home in Florida.

It’s fitting that Thomas Edison, the father of artificial light, was also a staunch opponent of sleep. As Derickson writes in his book Dangerously Sleepy: Overworked Americans and the Cult of Manly Wakefulness, “Edison spent considerable amounts of his own and his staff’s energy on in publicizing the idea that success depended in no small part in staying awake to stay ahead of the technological and economic competition.”

No one, Derickson argues, “did more to frame the issue as a simple choice between productive work and unproductive rest.”

Early newspaper accounts touted Edison’s willingness to work “at all hours, night or day,” to frequently rack up more than a hundred hours of work in a week, and his tendency to select his subordinates based largely on their physical endurance.

In an 1889 interview with Scientific American, Edison claimed he slept no more than four hours a day, and he apparently enforced the same vigilance among his employees.

“At first the boys had some difficulty in keeping awake, and would go to sleep under stairways and in corners,” Edison said. “We employed watchers to bring them out, and in time they got used to it.”

Edison’s assistants were “expected to keep pace with him,” John Hubert Greusel wrote in 1913. “When they fell from sheer exhaustion he seemed to begrudge the brief hours they were sleeping.”

Over time, children’s books and magazines began to promote this type of Edisonian asceticism. “One juvenile motivational text featured a photo of Edison with a group of workers identified as his Insomnia Squad,” Derickson writes. Early 20th century biographies of Edison featured him interviewing job candidates at 4 a.m. and cat-napping on lab benches between marathon work sessions.

Some short-sleepers might have shrugged and said they were simply biologically lucky. But Edison encouraged all Americans to follow his lead, claiming that sleeping eight hours a night was a waste and even harmful.

“There is really no reason why men should go to bed at all,” he said in 1914.

Charles Lindbergh

As Edison hero-worship hit its peak, Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic in 1927, a feat that required him to remain alert and piloting for 33 hours straight. When he landed, he claimed he had experienced “no trouble keeping awake.”

Early psychologists, such as Colgate University’s Donald Laird, relied on celebrity examples like Edison and Lindbergh to make the case that less sleep was more. (At one point, Laird argued that “99 percent of cases of sleeplessness are a blessing,” Derickson wrote.)

Self-help gurus ran with the message from there. “We don’t even know if we have to sleep at all!” chirped Dale Carnegie in How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.

The enthusiasm for insomnia didn’t taper until the booming late 1950s, when few felt the need to go without, including without sleep. But sleeplessness ramped up again with the uber-competitive economy of the late 1970s and 80s.

“From the end of the second World War to the mid-70s, America is riding high and people could lead a more reasonable life,” Derickson told me in an interview. “But the party ends in the mid-70s. You have the oil shock, the rise of the Japanese economy, and an upturn in globalization. America starts freaking out.”

In Derickson’s estimation, our sleep-deprived mania has only worsened since then. He quotes The Accidental Billionaires, Ben Mezrich’s Facebook creation story, as evidence:

“Eduardo [saverin] was pretty sure Mark hadn’t slept much in the past week,” Mezrich writes. “He had been working round the clock, light to dark to light.”

[MIKA27]

TERRA WIND AMPHIBIOUS MOTORCOACH

If James Bond and Wilford Brimley had to build a vehicle together, you might get something like the Terra Wind Amphibious Motorcoach.

Created by CAMI (Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International), this RV could literally let you make a cross-country trip straight across the center of America, thanks to its aluminum-hull and the ability to drive from the road into the water and still keep chugging. Reaching speeds up to 80 mph on the highway and 7 knots in rivers and lakes, the Terra Wind features a fully loaded kitchen, home theater, and even a mirrored ceiling, which clearly was the idea of Mr. Bond. The rear porch that doubles as a swim deck? I'm thinking that was Brimley’s doing. Just scrounge up about $650,000 and it’s yours.

[MIKA27]

JAG GRILL BBQ TABLE

Nothing says summer quite like crowding around the barbecue with friends and family, and the Jag Grill looks to bring on a whole new meaning to the idea.

Shaped like a giant octagon, the Jag is like a communal grilling station. Not only is there a massive grilling area in the center, but there are also eight different individual grilling stations for all your guests. In addition to the private grilling areas, there’s also a wooden table-top to enjoy your barbecued meats and veggies. Expect to spend around $2,500 if you’re looking to bring your friends together for a joint barbecue session this summer season. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

MACHINE ERA WALLET

After an amazingly successful Kickstarter campaign(raised almost $250,000!), the Machine Era Wallet is now available for purchase. The minimalist wallet is carved from a single piece of metal(choice of aluminum or brass) and holds up to 6 cards and cash, easily strapped on the back or front for easy access with a simple elastic band. The sleek, ultra light(weighs 1.3 oz) wallet is barely noticeable in your pocket.

[MIKA27]

BREMONT MB WATCH

British timepiece makers Bremont are certainly geared toward adventure, their stunning Bremont MB was designed to be quite simply the ultimate aviation watch. Named after "Martin Baker” the world leader in the design and manufacture of ejection seats, the Bremont MB watch had to withstand the same rigorous testing as the seats themselves. It is available three models: the MBI, MBII and MBIII, all equipped with a nylon and velcro military-style strap.

[MIKA27]

GROWER'S CUP COFFEEBREWERS

Make yourself an excellent cup of coffee wherever you go with these Grower's Cup Coffeebrewers.

Filled with freshly ground single estate specialty coffees — that isn't Maxwell House in there — these smart pouches let you pour hot water into the pouch, then wait for 2-4 minutes as the pouch uses the pour-over method to brew up a great cup of joe with the rich taste of a French press. When it's ready, simply take the cap off the spout, grab your favorite mug, and pour — and you can even put the cap back on to keep the rest of it warm. Combining on the go convenience and terrific quality, they're the best of both worlds.

[Fuzz]

JAG GRILL BBQ TABLE

Not only is that table expensive, but you're gonna go through a huge load of charcoal or briquettes for the amount of food you'd be cooking. Plus, there doesn't seem to be an easy way to extinguish the leftover charcoal for future use.