Left Turn at Albuquerque

The newly designed $100 bill will feature 3D technology. Here is a quote from the website NewMoney.gov that explains this process.

The blue 3-D Security Ribbon on the front of the new $100 note contains images of bells and 100s that move and change from one to the other as you tilt the note. The Bell in the Inkwell on the front of the note is another new security feature. The bell changes color from copper to green when the note is tilted, an effect that makes it seem to appear and disappear within the copper inkwell.

“The new security features announced today come after more than a decade of research and development to protect our currency from counterfeiting. To ensure a seamless introduction of the new $100 note into the financial system, we will conduct a global public education program to ensure that users of U.S. currency are aware of the new security features,” said Treasurer of the United States Rosie Rios.

More @ NewMoney.gov.

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In case of an emergency, walk do not run to the nearest exit. We see them at restaurants, stores, movie theaters and just about any indoor public place we visit. Exit signs are there to let you know how to simply leave a building but more importantly they’re designed for you to easily spot in case of an emergency. However just because we’re used to the red exit sign doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best possible way to display that information. For example what if the person trying to rush out of a building is all alone and can’t read English? That sign won’t mean much to them unless they’re used to seeing it.

Perhaps the somewhat universal green running man sign makes more sense to more people because it’s just an icon and easier on the eyes. We may see the green man exit signs pop up more as they slowly make their way to the states in the next few years. To read more click on the topic, click the link below.

More @ Slate.

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We all know that the mail never gets delivered on Sunday but now Saturday may be a no mail day as well due to less demand for snail mail. In addition to this there may soon be an increase in postage and postal office closures. The Postal Service experienced a 13 percent drop in mail volume and lost $3.8 billion last year.

More @ The Washington Post. If you don’t get it, you don’t get it.

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Following the 2009 bicentennial pennies that were released last to celebrate 200 years since Lincoln was born, the U.S. mint is releasing an updated penny with a similar look to what we’re used to. Not much changes on the heads side. The tails side gets a slight redesign but also looks somewhat familiar.

Specifications:

• Composition: Copper-Plated Zinc: 2.5% Cu, Balance Zn
• Weight: 2.500 g
• Diameter: 0.750 in., 19.05 mm
• Thickness: 1.55 mm
• Edge: Plain

More @ usmint.gov.

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in 1989 a Puppet Master came out, a movie that so far has 9 sequels. The special thing about Puppet master are the puppets that come to life, each with unique weapon and killing abilities.

Blade Blade is in every Puppet Master movie ever made making him the most popular puppet. Although he has a great relationship teaming up with the other puppets, he is alaso independent compared to the others.
Jester Jester has a multi-paneled face, which will spin until he has decided which face best fits his mood. Jester doesn’t have any real weapons which makes him vulnerable so he does not wander around by himself often. He is very small and fast and can fit into tight places.
Leech Woman Leech Woman’s weapon is to vomit up leeches which will suck the life out of her enemies. You don’t want to mess with her. It does however take a while for her to fully vomit a leech so she is better at fighting enemies that are already weak and on the ground.
Pinhead Pinhead is the strongest and largest of the group of puppets but not necessarily the smartest. Although loyal to all the puppets, he spends a lot of time with his best friend Jester.
Tunneler Tunneler is a deadly puppet who uses a drill on his head to drill into the enemies. Although he prefers drilling into the head of victims for a faster kill, he can also be seen drilling into other body parts in movies.
Six Shooter Six-Shooter gets his name from his six arms, each with a handgun that shoots at his enemies. Before he is about to attack his bandana falls to cover his mouth.
Torch Torch is a dangerous puppet that shoots fire out of his right arm. He has a bad temper and is offended easily.

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You may wonder how a chess set that looks like a scale model of a city skyline is actually a chess set for beginners. The grooves in the pieces actually remind the player of the move pattern which that particular piece is allowed to do. Also the red wooden pieces on top of the grey wooden board doesn’t hurt in making this set attractive.

More @ The Design Blog.

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There are already hundreds of editions of Monopoly out there but hold on to your hats for yet another one. To celebrate Monopoly’s 75th anniversary, Monopoly is releasing a new circular board. In addition to the new board shape, this edition of Monopoly will also feature a banking system which works on credit, not cash. It looks as though also the game tokens and property cards have also been redesigned. This edition of Monopoly should be coming out later this year.

More @ Wired.

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Even wonder how Crayola came up with so many colors for their crayons? The website Weather Sealed has posted a graphic of how Crayola colors have multiplied from 1903 – today. Originally there were only 16 crayon colors until 1935 when the number doubled. On average the number of colors doubles every 28 years which means that by 2050 there will be over 300 different crayon colors.

More @ Weather Sealed.

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Tonight will mark the first time you can watch The Simpsons in HD. On top of that, there will be a new show introduction which seems a bit long (see above). Of course if you’re interested in watch full episodes in SD right now, you can always check out Fox on Demand.

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Google has finally added their street view service to the Baltimore/DC metro area. The service lets you view pictures to scope out areas for whatever reason using Google Maps without actually traveling there. The service has been available for a while now in other cities but was just recently turned on in the area. I heard the reason it didn’t come to the area sooner was for security reasons but according to the Fox 45 news it is because they were shooting hi-res pictures which delayed the process. Whatever the reason, it’s nice to see they added the area.

More @ Google Maps.

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I love coins. Something about the jingle of them in my pocket excites me. I love feeling the grimy metal run through my fingers. But I hate pennies. Think we should do away with the things and just round up to the nickle. The U.S. Mint disagrees with me though as they have just recently unveiled the first penny redesign in 50 years to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The first of four pennies celebrating Lincoln’s life will be released on February 12th, 2009 which is Licoln’s birthday. The other designs will be introduced in three-month intervals after.

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