Disney To Close Japan Animation Studio In June

"Walt Disney Co will close in early June its Japanese unit that has handled production of hand-drawn animation, as part of a move to reorganize its animation business globally, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun learned on Wednesday.

The US entertainment and media giant is shifting from traditional hand-drawn animation to three-dimensional (3-D) productions involving computer graphics, and will consolidate its animation operations in two locations, including California, where the company is based."
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RoboDex 2003 - Robot Montage

"If you've been in a closet, robots are out there that walk, dance, kick, and throw balls"
RoboDex 2003 - Robot Montage

Recharge A Battery In 30 Seconds

"NEC Corp has developed a battery that can be recharged only in 30 seconds, company sources said. Called an organic radical battery, it can be recharged to the same level of power as that stored in nickel-hydrogen cells, which are widely used in digital cameras, portable MD players and other electronic devices.

It takes only about 30 seconds to recharge the battery enough to allow 80 hours of continuous operation of an MD player, compared with around an hour needed by conventional rechargeables, the company claims."
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Build Your Own TRON Costume

"Apparently someone used his imagination -- with plaster, some time, a drinking straw up his nose and vaseline, combining these four elements he created a fascinating Tron costume."
Tron Sector - Home

A Very Simple Fridge That Uses No Electricity

"This is Mohammed Bah Abba's Pot-in-pot invention. In northern Nigeria, where Mohammed is from, over 90% of the villages have no electricity. His invention, which he won a Rolex Award for (and $100,000), is a refrigerator than runs without electricity.

Here's how it works. You take a smaller pot and put it inside a larger pot. Fill the space in between them with wet sand, and cover the top with a wet cloth. When the water evaporates, it pulls the heat out with it, making the inside cold. It's a natural, cheap, easy-to-make refrigerator.

So, instead of perishable foods rotting after only three days, they can last up to three weeks. Obviously, this has the potential to change their lives. And it already has -- there are more girls attending school, for example, as their families no longer need them to sell food in the market."
Rolex Awards for Enterprise