The Calculator That Actually Makes You Smarter!

This is no ordinary calculator.

This is the QAMA or the “Quick Approximate Mental Arithmetic” calculator. Designed by scientist-physicist Ilan Samson, it’s designed to make students — and heck, adults, too — *actually smarter* in math.

At first, it seems like it behaves like a regular calculator…except that before the QAMA gives you the answer, IT MAKES YOU ESTIMATE IT FIRST, which means the QAMA relies on *you*to know basic math, such as multiplication tables or how basic exponents work, for example.

If you estimate close to the answer (and the “closeness” is relative, depending on the level of difficulty of the problem), the QAMA will then give you the correct answer. If you are not close (again, relative to difficulty), then the QAMA makes you estimate again.

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t done calculus since high school, so this calculator intrigues me.

Thoughts??

[Source: QAMA Calculator / Via Forbes]

Dark Knight…Meet Pee-Wee Herman [Video]

If you’re like me, you can’t even contain your squee at the release of “The Dark Knight Rises” next week!

And apparently, Pee-Wee Herman can’t get enough of the trailer, either, as Jimmy Fallon revealed on his show Thursday night.

[Source: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon]



San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2012 in Pictures: Day 2 [Gallery]

You’ve already seen the pictures from day one (and if you haven’t, they’re here!), so here are some of the best shots our photographers Hayley Sargent and Bill Watters caught on day 2. We’ve also added a few other cc-licensed pictures from photographer San Diego Shooter on top of these. Enjoy!

Edit: Our gallery for day one is here, day three is here, and day four is here. If you’ve missed them, be sure to check ’em out!

[Hayley Sargent | San Diego Shooter | Bill Watters]

“Super Golden Friends” Offers Glimpse Into Superhero Retirement [Video]

Crime-fighting would take its toll on anyone — and as we’ve seen through decades of movies and comics and TV shows, superheroes have it especially rough.

So, don’t our favorite characters like Superman and Batman deserve some relaxation in their golden years?

Designer Kevin Bapp thinks so! He created these “opening credits” for an animated series I wouldn’t mind watching. (Can you spot all the “Golden Girls” references?)

[Source: Kevin Bapp / Via YouTube]