When technology meets music, interesting things can happen -- for better or worse. In the case of Stanton's standalone SCS.4DJ Digital DJ Mix Station, anyone can try their hand at DJing. Notable hardware features include two weighted slabs with touch sensitivity, a 4.3-inch LCD, four USB ports for hooking up HDDs (two of which are hidden in handy storage slots), and a mic input for spitin' and spinnin'. If you're lacking in pro skills, the unit can automatically sync the tempos of whatever tracks are queued up, or even mix on its own like a player piano for your favorite block rockin' beats. Lastly, there's support for WAV, MP3, and AAC files, and any regrettable Lady Gaga and Skrillex fusion fun party mixes you make can be recorded live for transfer off the device. If you're psyched to start scratching, the SCS will be available for pre-order from Best Buy's website this month for $500 (pre-packaged skills don't come cheap), and in retail stores this July.
As you may know, crafting a katana is a delicate process that involves carefully constructing a razor-sharp high-carbon edge around a soft shock-absorbent core. One day though, smiths and forging fires could be replaced by electrode-wielding mad-scientists, with the technology to selectively harden and soften metal at will. At least that's what we envisioned when we read about Jörg Weißmüller's breakthrough research in the field of nanomaterials. The German scientist discovered that by placing precious metals in acid he could create tiny ducts through corrosion. Once those channels are flooded with a conductive liquid, electrical currents can be used to harden the material and, if you change your mind about the brittle results, the effect can easily be reversed to make it soft again. The tech could eventually lead to self-healing vehicle armor or scratch-resistant cellphones -- but, really, we just want to zap our way to a high-quality samurai sword. Physorg
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