Researchers have known for several years now that video games can distract people from pain. Now one virtual-reality game, developed for burn patients, has added a conceptual boost to this idea; the action takes place in a snowy landscape populated by penguins and snowmen. Wounded soldiers who have played the game (wearing VR goggles to help block out the sight of their burns being treated) report a reduction in pain of 30-50%. "Patients reported feeling less pain when playing Snow World, and had greater range of motion in their burnt limbs as their muscles relaxed. Less pain medication was also required, meaning patients were lucid for longer periods of time." In this video, one wounded vet talks about how the game has helped him.
posted by GrammarMoses on Dec 4, 2008 - 34 comments

You Have To Burn The Rope (Flash)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 on Apr 4, 2008 - 38 comments

Watch the K Foundation burn a million quid. Google Video link to the full documentary, skip to 13:30 for the "money shot". [more inside]
posted by lazaruslong on Sep 22, 2007 - 40 comments

The La Contessa, the Spanish galleon that roamed Lake Lahontan, is gone.
posted by fandango_matt on Dec 11, 2006 - 19 comments

Free piano, slight fire damage.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane on Aug 13, 2006 - 53 comments

Burned: a photoset on Flickr "In 2001 I met a burn survivor who allowed me to photograph her. She told me that she wanted to be photographed so that people could stare at her without feeling embarrassed. It was such an extraordinary experience that a few months later I flew to a burn conference and set up a makeshift studio in a hotel room, and asked people to let me know if they would like their portraits made. I was astonished at how many people did. What I learned from this extraordinary experience was that every burn survivor has a tale of courage to tell, and that the burns have their own eerie beauty." Amazing, unsettling, inspiring.
posted by mathowie on Jun 30, 2006 - 48 comments

Burn some time. But first, you'll have to find the flint, the rock, and the tinder, then combine the three. Think like a caveman. And watch out for the sabretooth tiger. (Friday Flash Shockwave Fun)
posted by leapfrog on Mar 26, 2004 - 5 comments

Rip Mix Burn? The issue here isn't the usual, "Did they sell out?" It's more a case of, Is this stellar groups saying Napster is OK (in a roundabout way), or did they just need the cash?
posted by raysmj on Mar 19, 2001 - 28 comments

A portable CD player that plays CDRs with mp3s burned on them. I want one of these *now*! It looks like outpost.com is taking preorders for it, and the price isn't that bad.
posted by mathowie on Dec 31, 1999 - 1 comment