A Day For Making A List, Checking It Twice

by Kevin Burton    In the aftermath of a Boeing B-17 plane crash in 1935 administrators and pilots invented a way to make sure all safety procedures have been followed, and stopped relying on the pilot’s memory.    This was the birth of the mighty checklist, according to the National Day Calendar.  Today is national …

Corneas Made From Pigskin Restore Vision

by Kevin Burton    Fourteen blind people had vision restored after receiving cornea implants made from pigskin, according to published reports.    Three of those people had perfect vision after undergoing a new surgical technique developed by Swedish researchers, wrote Sarah Kuta in Smithsonian Magazine.    The cornea is the clear outer layer that protects …

So Long Old Fridge, Good Riddance

by Kevin Burton     It’s a little-known fact that the stork who brings babies also delivers kitchen appliances.     We’re having a stork visit of the appliance variety next week. We are replacing the old refrigerator.  My emotions are decidedly mixed.    One of the few bright spots to come from our emergency trip to …

A Little Good News Is Good For The Heart

by Kevin Burton    And all my floors do is squeak. Check this out:    Researchers in Switzerland are developing floors that use your footfalls to generate energy.    They have improved their “nanogenerator” with the use of a silicone coating and embedded nanocrystals to produce “a device that was 80 times more efficient, enough …