A scientist at Heriot-Watt University has invented a video camera that can discern 30 times as many colors as the human eye. Potential applications are as diverse as identifying camouflage, finding mines, detecting cancer and screening babies for vision problems.

A real life scientist says that Santa Claus can too deliver toys to everyone in the world in one night. He just needs a little help from some theoretically plausible but as yet unknown tech, like relativity clouds and nanotech assemblers. [fark]

The New Atlantis has an exhaustive survey of the strengths, weaknesses and paradoxes of American military power. To boil it down to a sentence, despite it’s unparalleled technological advantages, “the combination of moral restraint and bureaucratic sluggishness that defines America’s military culture may leave the U.S. at a comparative disadvantage against nimble, networked, nihilistic enemies.” [geekpress]

What’s cooler than worms? Worms in a table. It’s almost a whole ecosystem in one stylish piece of furniture. [wmmna]

Police in Arizona are using a laser gun that can measure the distance between two cars in an effort to catch tailgaters. About effin’ time, as far as I’m concerned — I’d much rather see people getting tickets for tailgating than speeding. [slashdot]