Christmas Science

New Year's Eve, 2009.

One of the things my wife and I enjoy doing on this day, when we get the chance, is to go back over the calendar and reminisce about the year gone by. It's surprising how this simple exercise allows you to feel how much you've lived, and not so much like, "where did the year go?"

One of the things that 2009 brought us is something they're calling "augmented reality." Cell phone software, GPS technology, and data from the Internet were being combined in new ways this year. For example, you point your cell phone camera down a street, the software and GPS figure out where you're at and which direction you're pointing, then provide data about the businesses and shops on that street, or tell you where the nearest subway station is located.

The Christian Science Monitor is all over this, and if you click the link at the end of the article, you can see some videos about how this all works and what it looks like. Golly, even the U.S. Postal Service uses it these days.

Happy New Year, and party responsibly tonight!

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WAYS SCIENCE CAN "IMPROVE" THE CHRISTMAS EXPERIENCE

Cat-repelling force fields for Christmas trees.

A V-chip that blocks television ads for toys in households with young children.

Biodegradable Christmas lights. Put 'em up, never take 'em down! They're still gone by mid-January!

Christmas trees built like umbrellas; room for more presents underneath.

Ejector seats in couches for guests who overstay their visit.

Battery Zapper: instantly drains the batteries of any device that emits an annoying sound.

[selected from Chris White's Top Five on Science]

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WISDOM for YOUR WEEK: "These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ." (Colossians 2:17)

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