My Z News

Omni-Directional Wheels

The Mecanum wheel isn’t perfect, but it’s amazing. While you won’t see these omnidirectional wonders on an SUV any time soon, for a variety of reasons, they’re extremely useful and popular in warehouses, and have found widespread use in the Navy, allowing heavy equipment to maneuver in the tight confines of its ships. Along with the similar-but-different Omni wheel, Mecanum wheels have also found their way into robotics, offering a range of motion that ordinary wheels just can’t match. Just don’t try to take one off-roading. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/bizarre-looking-wheels-move-sideways/

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Why you should never stand behind a table saw

If you’ve ever worked with power tools, you know that they demand a lot of attention and respect in order to operate them safely. Don’t believe us? Just watch what this table saw is capable of… Read more: http://www.wimp.com/why-you-should-never-stand-behind-a-table-saw/

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“BioUrn” Preserves The Memory Of Your Pets

Pets are an incredible addition to our lives. They bring joy, loyalty, and great memories. They become part of our family. Then, sadly, it is time for them to go. The pain we feel is equal to the love we had for them. It is never easy to say goodbye, especially to our little friends who gave so much and asked so little in return. One family experienced this loss with their dog, Maka. Her family knew they had to do the best they could to keep her memory alive. When Maka passed in 2004, the family had her cremated and kept the ashes in their home. Then, they discovered a new and lasting way to honor their furry family member. It’s called a BioUrn. It’s a special urn for Maka’s ashes that that was planted in the back yard and, within weeks, a sprout appeared on the spot. Eventually, this sprout will become a tree and honor their pet’s memory.  While losing a beloved pet is never easy, BioUrn hopes that this idea will bring happiness to the family. Whenever they look at Maka’s tree, they will have fond memories of her and know that her final rest brought new life. To learn more about BioUrn for pets, please visit their Facebook page. Be sure to SHARE this touching story with your friends and family. H/T: Lisa Brambilla Read more: http://www.wimp.com/biourn-preserves-the-memory-of-your-pets/

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Historic Rocket Landing

For decades, NASA was the only game in American space exploration, but in recent history private investment groups have started reaching for the stars. One such private group, Blue Origin, lead by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, has made history with its reusable New Shepard space vehicle. In this video you watch the New Shepard reach its test altitude of 329,839 feet, then come back to Earth for a safe landing. In a statement on Blue Origin’s blog, Bezo’s had this to say about the historic launch. “Rockets have always been expendable. Not anymore. Now safely tucked away at our launch site in West Texas is the rarest of beasts, a used rocket. This flight validates our vehicle architecture and design. Our unique ring fin shifted the center of pressure aft to help control reentry and descent; eight large drag brakes deployed and reduced the vehicle’s terminal speed to 387 mph; hydraulically actuated fins steered the vehicle through 119-mph high-altitude crosswinds to a location precisely aligned with and 5,000 feet above the landing pad; then the highly-throttleable BE-3 engine re-ignited to slow the booster as the landing gear deployed and the vehicle descended the last 100 feet at 4.4 mph to touchdown on the pad.” This launch ignites a world of possibilities for driving down the cost of space exploration, thanks to the rocket’s reusable design.  Read more: http://www.wimp.com/historic-private-rocket-landing/

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Mary Carillo’s epic badminton rant

The Olympics are a chance for us to watch the best athletes from around the world compete in a variety of sports. Whenever we attempt to play these sports on our own, however, it’s never quite as impressive… Read more: http://www.wimp.com/mary-carillos-epic-badminton-rant/

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Irish Dance Group Puts A Modern Twist On Traditional Line Dancing

Britain’s Got Talent has been on the air for quite a while now, and after all these years, there’s very little that the judges haven’t seen or heard before. Contestants of the show better be ready to bring their absolute “A-Game” if they want a shot at impressing the notoriously hard-to-please Simon Cowell, who’s built quite a reputation for his scathing critiques of performances. That’s why when this group of Irish dancers took the stage, they knew they had to put an original spin on their traditional Irish line dancing routine. Before they even begin, Simon’s already making joking references to Michael Flatley (of Riverdance and Lord of the Dance fame). They start off with traditional music, but it’s not long before the music changes to a mashup of modern hits like LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” and “Timber” by Ke$ha. This innovative combination of traditional dance with modern music impresses everyone present – even Simon Cowell, who can’t help but grin when he realizes what’s happening. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/irish-dance-group-modern-twist-on-traditional-line-dancing/

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Wingsuit Jumper Defies Death And Logic

Is it a bird? A plane? No, it’s Graham Dickinson. He is the thrill-seeker seen here flying through mountains and above trees on his wingsuit. The crazy stunt was filmed by his buddy Dario, who followed behind in a similar wingsuit capturing every twist and turn of the flight. The two friends have gathered quite the reputation as expert wingsuit divers, an activity that looks both incredible and terrifying. They love to represent their French heritage too, as evidenced by the shouts of “Vive Le France” as they leaped off the cliffs. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/crazy-wingsuit-flight-over-mountains/

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9 Dads Who Completely Dominate This Whole Parenting Thing

For some people, learning how to be a good parent takes a little while to get used to. There are those who are born with a natural ability to be a good caretaker and role model, while others have to work on it. This is especially true for men; there’s a saying that a woman is a mother when she becomes pregnant, but a man doesn’t become a dad until the baby is born. This obviously isn’t true in every circumstance, but many will tell you this is more often than not the case. Great fathers can provide all the difference in a child’s life, so watching them in action is a real treat. This four-minute compilation of great dad moments is here to celebrate the often humble task of being a father to a young child. These dads are always around to crack a joke and lighten the mood, and their kids love it. Whether it’s singing a made-up song in the bathroom with a little girl or just making silly noises, these men have the Dad thing down.  My personal favorite has to be the father who used “the force” on his kid to make her fall down over and over again. That is some great daddy-daughter teamwork. I also love hearing the laughter of the moms behind the camera. It’s a good thing they were filming, because I am going to be watching this over and over again.  H/T: KyootKids Read more: http://www.wimp.com/9-dads-who-completely-dominate-this-whole-parenting-thing/

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Grandparents Sing Frozen Duet

Here at Wimp, we’ve seen our fair share of Frozen covers and parodies. There was the guy who sang “Let It Go” in 21 classic Disney character voices, and a choir who joined Alex Boyé for an “Africanized” version of the hit song. We’ve seen families, metal-heads and even a house perform songs from Frozen – in fact, at this point I could probably buy a Blu-ray of the film and write it off as a “research expense” on my taxes. However, in all our time, we’ve never seen a Frozen video quite like this one. After all, it’s not every day that you see two people who are this in love. Emiele and Renne had been married for 26 years when this clip was taken in 2014. Like many couples who have been married for a long time, they’ve even started to match – check out their sunglasses, white collared shirts and the bright splashes of color provided by their necktie and scarf, respectively. They’re already adorable, but add a grandson in the backseat, a few choreographed hand motions and “Love Is An Open Door” on the radio and you’ve got the makings of a viral sensation.   And, speaking of “sensations,” just wait until Frozen 2 comes out. Disney announced that a full-length sequel was in the works in March 2015, but there is still no word on an official release date. While there is pressure to live up to the first film, it’s hard to imagine what could go wrong. To date, Frozen is the highest-grossing animated film of all time. It’s earned well over a billion dollars, won multiple awards and, some say, revitalized Disney for a new generation. The magic of Frozen is sure to be around for many years to come.   Read more: http://www.wimp.com/grandparents-sing-frozen-car-love-is-an-open-door/

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