Have you ever wanted one of those MagSafe power adapters like the new macbook pros have? Gizmodo has a guide to outfitting your laptop with a magnetic power adapter. It is a pretty clunky modification, but it looks like fun.

MagneRide was first available in the 2002 Cadillac Seville STS. Now Holden Special Vehicles (HSV), Buick, Audi, and Ferrari all have MagneRide magnetic suspensions from Delphi.

From the article:

The magnetic system uses a synthetic magneto-rheological (MR) oil in which teensy-weensy iron particles - much smaller in diameter than the width of a human hair - float about at random.

Hrmm.. sounds like FerroFluid.

On a smooth, straight road the iron particles are pretty much left to do their own thing in free-flowing oil, but under cornering forces, for example, they get zapped by the magnetic field and jump into line to change the consistency of the oil to that of molasses or peanut butter to firm up damping. It is this continuously variable damping force that adapts to changing road surfaces without the delays of conventional mechanical systems.

Link to the MagneRide page by Delphi
Link to a White Paper by LORD (who developed some of the MR damping technology used by Delphi).

The Bev Wizard is a new device that uses magnets to help soften wine. The idea seems to be that exposing the wine to a strong magnetic field will change the shape of the tannins, which has the benefit of making the wine smoother and less harsh. This isn't something we are too concerned about with expensive wine, but it might be a big improvement for a cheap bottle of two buck chuck.

Here is an entertaining article on the Bev Wizard.

Here is an interesting link to a page on Magnetism by David Harrison of North East Wales Institute of Higher Education.

The notes are chalk full of tidbits of interesting information about magnetism and some of the key characters who have been instrumental to puzzling out what we know so far.

I have seen a lot of magnetic matress sheets for therapy, but this project takes the cake -- the entire bed is levitating. They must have used some large magnets to get this job done.