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Worldwide wrap

Joanne Carew
By Joanne Carew, ITWeb Cape-based contributor.
Johannesburg, 25 Oct 2013

In this week's wrap, a new dating app adds an element of bribery to the mix; and reports have surfaced that Instagram users are selling guns via the photo-sharing application. Get the details on these stories and more below.

Bribery meets dating with new app

An MIT graduate has developed a dating app that allows users to bribe potential suitors. The app is called "Carrot Dating" and is essentially an online match-maker app that allows users to "dangle a carrot" in front of potential suitors in an effort to entice them into a date. The "carrots" can be absolutely anything - dinner at a fancy restaurant or a pair of designer shoes. The app was created by self-confessed geek Brandon Wade, who argues that bribery is the "best way to get your foot in the door in the competitive world of online dating".

Responses to the concept have been mixed - with many expressing concern that the app reinforces the belief that people will exchange their dignity for some sort of compensation. According to professor Edward Deci, a leading researcher in the study of human motivation, trying to form a relationship based on bribery is bound to end in failure. "It is easy to get people to do things by paying them if you've got enough money and they've got the necessary skills... But they will keep doing it only as long as you keep paying them."
Via: Independent

3D-printed horseshoes

The latest product to jump on the 3D-printing bandwagon is the horseshoe. And these particular horseshoes may hold a little extra luck for the racehorse that is fitted with them. A team of Australian researchers claim to have created a "super horseshoe" thanks to their 3D-printed titanium shoes. The researchers believe this special horseshoe has the potential to give racehorses a major advantage. The hooves of the horse in question, which is nicknamed 'Titanium Prints', were scanned with a handheld 3D scanner and 3D modelling software was used to design a lightweight racing shoe.

Horseshoes are traditionally made from aluminium and can weigh up to 1kg. "Any extra weight in the horseshoe will slow the horse down," said Titanium Prints' trainer, John Moloney. "These titanium shoes could take up to half of the weight off a traditional aluminium shoe, which means a horse could travel at new speeds."
Via: Daily Mail

News behind the wheel

Reading and driving is never advisable - be it a text on your phone or the latest news in the newspaper. A new app, called Dragon Drive, is looking to simplify the reading/driving equation by reading articles out loud while you drive. The app was designed by Nuance, a voice-recognition software company, for Mercedes-Benz vehicles, with the aim of helping drivers compose and listen to texts and e-mails while behind the wheel. The app also allows users to request articles published by media outlets, with Nuance's text-to-speech software streaming an audio recording of the article through Mercedes-Benz's COMAND system.

"We believe that providing high-quality read-out of news articles is, in many situations, a very convenient way of consuming news," Fatima Vital, Nuance's director of marketing for automobiles, said. "From maps and music to phones and messaging, it is critical that the industry collaborate to find a safer, smarter way for consumers to access their content."
Via: Mashable

#Instaguns for sale

Instagram has become a thriving marketplace for amateur gun sellers. This week, reports surfaced that people are using the platform to pedal guns. While this may seem sinister, US-based users who are involved in these activities aren't breaking the law by doing so, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

While Instagram does block tags that are overly sexual or could promote self-harm or eating disorders, the application allows hashtags like "#gunsforsale", "#forsalegun" and "#gunsfortrade". And Instagram isn't the only site where gun sales are occurring, as people have been known to advertise firearms on Facebook and Twitter. Neither platform regulates posts about gun sales.
Via: Huffington Post

Moody car

The humble mood ring you had as a child may just have met its match. In the UK, an automotive body shop, called Auto Kandy, has coated a car with temperature-sensitive paint, effectively turning it into a "mood car". When the weather is cool, the customised Nissan Skyline appears black, but as soon as things heat up, the colour gradually changes to orange. The paint is thermochromatic, which means its appearance is dependent on temperature.

Auto Kandy is accepting pre-orders for the temperature-sensitive paint, priced at $320 per litre. But consumers should note that the paint only has a four-month shelf life for application, and once it is applied, the colour-changing properties degrade with time.
Via: Oh Gizmo

Giant vacuum cleaner to curb pollution

Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde plans to build and test a pollution-collecting system to combat the smog problem in Beijing. Dubbed an "electronic vacuum cleaner", the set-up uses copper coils buried under the ground to create electrostatic fields and attract smog particles from the atmosphere. Once the pollution has been pulled from the sky, the particles can be compressed and repurposed. And the city's mayor is keen on the concept, allowing Roosegaarde to test the giant hoover in a park in the city.

"For me, design is not about chairs and lamps or tables, what you know Dutch design to be. I like thinking of designs that enable and improve life," said Roosegaarde.
Via: Gizmodo

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