You do the math
There's a museum dedicated to mathematics and it's billed as a fun place to visit: Go figure. The National Museum of Mathematics, or MoMath for short, opened Saturday opposite New York's Madison Square Park. Created by Glen Whitney, a math whiz and former hedge-fund algorithm manager, it hopes to draw 60,000 visitors a year. Exhibits include tricycles that roll on square wheels, little racing cars that move fastest on meandering routes, and a glass ball that lets visitors create their own 3-D shapes.
Beverage-serving bots
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A robot-like dispenser that pours drinks faster than flight attendants was given its first tryout recently aboard German airline WDL Aviation. Known as the Skytender Trolley, the machine is filled with soft drinks, juices, cocktails, tea and coffee. The attendant simply pushes a button to fill a request. The dispenser dispenses with coffee pots, water boilers and most traditional drink containers. Developed by Germany-based SkyMax, it is set to go into service on a number of airlines shortly.
Heathrow's secret Santa
Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, has hired a Secret Santa to cheer passengers during the hectic pre-Christmas rush. The jolly elf is busy dishing out surprise gifts to random fliers. Stuffed in his bag, depending on the day, are bottles of perfume, mince pies, $8,000 designer watches, iPads, teddy bears for kids at baggage carousels and survival gear for ski-bound jet-setters. Some 4.3 million people will jam the airport during the holiday period, some 105,000 on Dec. 21 alone. Clues to the daily gifts are posted on Heathrow's Secret Santa Facebook page.
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, SkyMax, Heathrow Airport.