If you have had a fascination with Buck Rogers, Sleeper, FUTURAMA or any other scifi movie/t.v. series about someone who is frozen and wakes up in the future, here is a story you can obsess over:

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, thinks that short-term suspended animation can be used to help stabilize trauma patients on their way to the hospital. In his new TED talk, Roth explains how his technique differs from the cliche of freezing people until science finds a cure for their disease, and how it might drastically increase survival rates both on the battlefield and at home.

When in a suspended state, the body can better cope with the deadly oxygen deprivation that results from shock, massive blood loss, and heart attacks.

[ted id=796]

As a kid there were two things I asked Santa Claus for every year:
1. a robot clone that would do my homework and clean my room and
2. A hovercraft of my very own

** Yes, I ordered the one advertised in the back of the comic book and was sadly disappointed when it was too small to actually fly around in. However, that dream could soon be realized!! At least the second one – and I tell you what, if I come across $13K in the next year – and find somewhere to park the thing in NYC – I am definitely going to buy one! Imagine flying over the traffic in NYC’s rush hour! Ahhh, to dream a little dream… this is exactly one of those things that makes life worth while!!

The hovercraft functions as a stand-alone vehicle, but with the detachable wings in place it becomes a small aircraft capable of a top cruising speed of about 60 miles per hour. While it doesn’t fly very high, the 1.8-liter engine pushes the craft to a ceiling between around 10 feet — plenty high to clear fences, cars and the inevitable slack-jawed onlooker — and has a range of 140 miles.