Mysterypig

Armed With Wings 2

manofsuit — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:15:32 PST

One of the neatest Flash games I have ever seen. And a one-man job!

Water Glasses

jack — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 22:08:28 PST

Dial in your own prescription
without an optometrist

It's All Bullshit and it's Bad For You

bob — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:56:19 PST

A new George Carlin HBO special aired live last Saturday. Youtube videos of the whole thing are in the extended!

(videos have been replaced with working ones)

The no longer Secret Lens

Youness — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 12:04:02 PST

The lens allows you to capture unwitting humans of time, without triggering waves of paranoia through their spine!

The Speed Camera Pimping Game

bob — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:02:13 PST

Step 1: Print a fake license plate on photo paper with a number belonging to a peer or authority figure.
Step 2: Intentionally speed and get caught in the act by an automatic camera.
Step 3: Laugh maniacally knowing your innocent victim will be getting a ticket in the mail.

Flame by BK

bob — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:24:04 PST

Burger King has just released its new cologne! In time for the holidays!

The WHOPPER sandwich is America's favorite burger. FLAME by BK captures the essence of that love and gives it to you. Behold the scent of seduction, with a hint of flame-broiled meat.

Why You Yawn

bob — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 10:15:01 PST

Researchers at Binghamton University have developed a new theory to explain and predict yawning behavior, and successfully tested their theory on parakeets.

They claim that yawning is a cooling mechanism designed to regulate brain temperature. Sounds reasonable to me.

Yaaaaaaaaaawn!

Nine

bob — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:45:33 PST

A cool short animated film by someone called Shane Acker.

Lost your virginity? Why not text your dad!!!

Mike — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:42:11 PST

Who knows if its true, but supposedly this girl text'ed her dad after losing her virginity on a school trip. I'm sure it was an awkward conversation when she got home.

KFC employees caught bathing in sink

Mike — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 11:26:32 PST

3 girls who worked at KFC found out a new way to get fired from their jobs by taking a bath in the dish-washing sink (more like a tub). Why they wanted to take do that is beyond me, seems pretty stupid.

Plus, stupid things are always better when they photo or video document it and put it on the web for everyone to see.

Aubrey De Grey on the Colbert Report

Youness — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 17:17:57 PST

Mfund legend Aubrey De Grey from a recent interview by Steven Colbert.

A BetaMaxMas

bob — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 10:10:14 PST

Christmas 1988! If the TV is a little fuzzy, just wiggle the antennas.

Welcome to my basement, I've got it wired for Hi-Fi. Check out what's playing in the TV Guide, or flip through the channels to see what's playin'.

Happy Holidays.

The Persistence of Memory

bob — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 16:14:27 PST

A National Geographic article by Joshua Foer that discusses the current understanding of human memory through the lenses of two extraordinary people. One has a memory of perfect clarity, and the other has no memory at all.

I want to take him by the arm and shake him. "You have a rare and debilitating memory disorder," I want to tell him. "The last 50 years have been lost to you. In less than a minute, you're going to forget that this conversation ever even happened." I imagine the sheer horror that would befall him, the momentary clarity, the gaping emptiness that would open up in front of him, and close just as quickly.

Elect Stephon Marbury a All-Star Game Starter!

Youness — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:36:09 PST

Why? He calls himself StarBury! Plus I think it would be f*funny....

Let Detroit Go Bankrupt

bob — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:12:07 PST

An op-ed piece in the New York Times yesterday advocating a laissez-faire approach to the American automobile industry's current troubles.

It's well written, logical, and I find myself in agreement with most of its points. The weird part? It's written by Mitt Romney.

My thoughts in extended.

Sit Or Squat

bob — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 13:27:20 PST

It's a web and mobile service to help you find the nearest public bathroom. Complete with ratings and photos posted by other shitters.

I might have to get a smartphone just for this.

Psychedelic Optical Illusion

bob — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 11:38:56 PST

An optical illusion I had never seen before.

It's trippy... try it!

The Lego Minifig Timeline

bob — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 11:31:53 PST

Gizmodo has a huge post detailing every Lego minifig ever produced, by year. I'm not a huge Lego maniac (like some folks) but even I enjoyed this trip down memory lane.

Actually they seem to be missing a few sets that I'm familiar with, notably Blacktron and Ice Planet. But it's still cool.

Roger Shawyer's Relativity Drive

bob — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:26:49 PST

Roger Shawyer claims to have developed a spacecraft engine that turns energy into thrust with no moving parts.

Sounds like a dime-a-dozen nut case, except that he's a respected space engineer. And he has a working prototype.

It sounds to me like it violates the conservation of momentum, but my understanding of microwaves is not so good. Anyway it's a pretty good article from the New Scientist.

The Indonesian Mimic Octopus

bob — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:32:12 PST

Youtube video from some nature show about an octopus that mimics other animals.

Popular Science best of 2008 for computing

Mike — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:05:27 PST

Some interesting things listed. If you notice about half-way through there's Gobi, which as some may know is something I know a little about :)

Music Video by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

manofsuit — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:40:39 PST

I've just discovered that the fantastic director of "Delicatessen" and "Amelie" had earlier done a very cool music video for the Jean Michel Jarre song "Zoolook" (which I also love).

Gay marriage: the database engineering perspective

bob — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:09:29 PST

A database engineer named Sam discusses the logistical difficulties that gay marriage presents.

An entertaining read if you happen to be a database nerd.

Earthbound 2

bob — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:51:12 PST

For those like me who grew up with Nintendo and SNES, Earthbound represented the apex of the 16 bit RPGs genre.

In 2006, 11 years later, Nintendo finally released the sequel, Mother 3. But they only released it in Japan, and apparently have no plans to translate it. So fans volunteered and did it themselves, and now finally the fan translation is finished.

Main link goes to the official translation website, or see extended for a torrent of the whole enchilada.

Magnapinna - the Elbowed Squid

bob — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 11:10:55 PST

Shell Oil presents a short video captured by one of their submersibles at a drilling site a mile and a half under water. Have you ever seen a squid with elbows?

Thumb is an alien from the movie Independence Day.

Slime Molds

bob — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:32:38 PST

A gallery of photos of Russian slime molds on EnglishRussia.com. Some of the most otherworldly things you'll ever see.

And a bonus time-lapse Youtube video of slime molds and mushrooms doing their thing!

Aspirational TV

bob — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:26:45 PST

Youtube video from the BBC of Charlie Brooker talking about TV shows that make him feel inadequate. It's a pretty interesting rant.

Tilt-Shift Photography

bob — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:28:35 PST

Smashing Magazine has a list of 50 beautiful examples of tilt-shift photography used to fake miniatures.

Tilt-shift is a photographic technique in which the lens is tilted relative to the image plane. This can be used to distort the focus to simulate the shallow depth of field of a macro lens, making the image look like a miniature.

Violent Death in the Insect World

bob — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:44:13 PST

A great set of photos of insects and spiders killing, dying, eating, and being eaten.

Transmission: My choice for a Mac BitTorrent client

Carl — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:18:35 PST

After months of Vuze causing my computer to crash, I decided to go in search of a new BitTorrent Client. Apparently I was not alone, and am fairly late to discover the benefits of Transmission. However, for the benefit of anyone as out of the loop as I apparently have been, I highly recommend giving this lightweight client a try.
Screen shots in extended...

Obama's weekly Youtube address

bob — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:52:56 PST

This is his second one. It made me feel good.

We'll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing schools that are failing our children, and building windfarms and solar panels, fuel efficient cars, and the alternative energy technologies that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our economy competitive in the years ahead. These aren't just steps to pull us out of this immediate crisis; these are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long.

Mike Rowe - The Dirtiest Mind in Business

bob — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:01:49 PST

Article on Fast Company about the man behind the Discovery show Dirty Jobs. How he got his start in TV, how Dirty Jobs came to be, and the philosophy behind the franchise.

When I was your age we used video game controllers...

Erin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:05:24 PST

kiss your cordless wii controller goodbye and get ready to use telekinesis to play video games.

Bionic Arm

Erin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:58:06 PST

First woman with Bionic Arm!

Honda's new Walking Assist Device

bob — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:08:03 PST

Honda recently unveiled a new experimental device to help with walking or crouching. It's sort of a bicycle seat looking with its own set of metal legs ending with a pair of shoes. You wear the shoes and the seat goes between your legs to help support you.

Besides the disabled, this will also benefit people whose jobs involve squatting in uncomfortable positions for hours at a time. And it will be great for when I get so fat I can't stand on my own.

Microscopic Photography

bob — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:47:04 PST

The Boston Globe has an article with 32 pretty amazing microscopic photos.

UPS to deploy Hydraulic Hybrid trucks

bob — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:39:01 PST

Early next year UPS will be testing seven hydraulic hybrid delivery trucks - diesel trucks with a hybrid drive system that uses a fluid pressure differential to recycle braking energy.

I just thought this was cool because I've never even heard of this technology and it's already being deployed.

Awesome Interactive Design from The Netherlands

Youness — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:28:22 PST

A really cool blog from the Royal Academy of Art at The Hague. Check it out for consistently rad and interesting postings about new interactive design ideas and products. I recommend starting with this one.

Hermes Birkin Handbag Sells for $42,500.00

twokad — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:11:09 PST

A Hermes Birkin handbag sold for $42,500.00 to an unidentified buyer...

As you will see from looking at the two screen shots of the sale, at the bottom of this post, there are a lot of Hermes handbags for sale...

Opinions are Emotional NOT Rational

Denise — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:36:36 PST

Basically explains why you should never discuss politics or religion

“The heart has reasons that reason does not know,” -Pascal

What Science Expects of the President elect

Youness — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:29:32 PST

An excellent podcast, featuring interviews with scientists in several fields and an outline of what we should expect and not expect of the 44th President on issues such as embryonic stem cell research, global warming, education, and the space program.

Repower America

Carl — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:05:49 PST

Gore's plan to have America running on 100% clean energy in just 10 years.

You Can Run, But You Can't... Run

bear with a hat — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:06:29 PST

The Italians make Our CrownVictorias look indeed Black and White.

"Don't even think about trying to outrun the cops in Lazio, Italy... the boys in blue are rollin' in a 560-horsepower Lamborghini Gallardo that'll do 203"

State Senator from Nebraska sues God; case is dismissed

Carl — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:45:23 PST

Finally the guilty party for "Acts of God" is almost held accountable...

OLEDs: The future of lighting?

Youness — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:14:56 PST

What would you do with thin and bendable luminescent lights attachable to any fixture?

3d Platform for Flash

Chris — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:40:07 PST

Check out this Russian programmer's progress into his 3d engine for Flash.

The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill

bob — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 12:47:48 PST

A new pet store just opened in New York... and it's a little different!

Photosafari in Chernobyl

bob — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:34:29 PST

Somebody's photo travelogue of their tour of the Chernobyl disaster area. A true post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Armed Robbery of the Year

bob — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:07:51 PST

He used Craigslist to recruit a bunch of decoys, pepper sprayed an armored car driver, and escaped with a large amount of money in a getaway inner tube.

Online Poker sites caught Ripping Off Players

bob — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:11:59 PST

Rogue employees at Absolute Poker and UltimateBet have been systematically cheating at online poker for the last 3 years, "winning" about $10 million from suckers.

Yay for Octoberfest!

Mike — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:53:17 PST

Can you say boobs? I can't describe it any better, just open the link.

The Power of Politcal Misinformation

Carl — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:19:07 PST

How do you make the crazy crazier? Tell them they're wrong. A number of studies have shown that corrections to political misinformation helps further spread the belief in that same misinformation.

The Street comes to an end

Mike — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:45:41 PST

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley have decided to pull the plug on investing and transition to deposit-taking lenders. Evidentaly they think the model is 'fundamentally broken', and it only took them $700 billion to figure that out.

What Would Dilbert Do?

Carl — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:53:05 PST

"Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic strip, commissioned a survey of over 500 economists to find out which candidate for President of the United States would be best for the economy long term."

Optical Illusions (more)

Mike — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 10:34:53 PST

These two are pretty trippy, this is the first time I've seen something like this. Check it out.

SlotMusic - Full albums on microSD cards

Mike — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:37:40 PST

SanDisk announced that they will start to sell full albums on microSD cards. There's a lot of talk as to whether or not this will actually take off, but at least someone's thinking about way to try and evolve the model. I think more interesting is the agreement that they have to distribute not just MP3's, but at a higher bitrate (320kbps) than what I've seen commonly available.

Bill Maher on the state of the Union

Youness — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 22:11:48 PST

A recent interview with Bill Maher cutting through the bullshit and talking sense. The interview centers around the upcoming election, the economy, Iraq and Afghanistan.

They don't hate us for our freedom, they hate us for our air strikes.

Western Spaghetti by Pes

bob — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 13:57:10 PST

You may remember the twisted films of Pes from this post. Now Pes is back with a new film about making spaghetti!

The Perfect Cup of Coffee

bob — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 02:19:19 PST

This is a lecture by Mark Miodownik, Head of the Materials Research Group at King’s College London. It's a 45 minute MP3 in which he walks through the entire process of making a cup of coffee, starting with the fruit on the tree.

Here's the direct download link for the MP3.

thewebsiteisdown

Mike — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:09:32 PST

Haha wow. I'm glad that I don't work IT but somehow miss it, all at the same time.

Estonian Underwater Vodka Pipe

bob — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:24:53 PST

Tax and customs officials in Estonia busted 11 people in connection with the 2km underwater pipeline they were using to smuggle vodka from Russia.

Thumb is cosmonauts drinking vodka from tubes.

30 Minute Putin Interview with CNN

bob — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:07:18 PST

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin gave CNN an exclusive 30 minute interview. Only you won't be seeing it on TV, because CNN cut almost everything away to make him sound like a crackpot. The Exile has an article about the interview with excerpts from what was cut, as well as a link to the full interview (in Russian unfortunately) on Youtube.

Barack Obama Inside "the Lions Mouth"

Youness — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:46:19 PST

Obama on the O'reilly Factor, nuff said.

National Programme on Technologically Enhanced Learning

Chris — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 05:33:21 PST

A Youtube group that publishes full video lecture sets from the Indian Institute of Technology. Some cool stuff inside!

Hadron Collider Rap

Youness — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:56:30 PST

This rap will blow your mind....scientifically speaking that is.

This is your mouse brain on drugs

rachel — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:33:26 PST

Mouse Partay!

Comcast Trying to Cap Internet Usage

Youness — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:32:20 PST

Here's a link to the story posted on the Grandview industry news site. Basically, Comcast is battling the FCC over whether or not it has the right to limit how much data its users can download each month. If Comcast wins it could set a precedent that effects the entire industry, and our individual freedom on the net.

Google eyes new data center relestate

Mike — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:48:34 PST

Google has just been granted a patent to house data centers in the ocean. The new data centers, placed 3-7 miles off-shore, would be hubs that sit 50-70m below the surface and use ocean water to cool and wind energy to power possibly self-contained hubs. Crazy idea!

Google Chrome - the Comic Book!

bob — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:28:32 PST

You may (or may not) have heard that Google is releasing their own web browser, "Chrome". It's supposed to be out today but there's no sign of it yet.

What they did release today is the Google Chrome comic book - a Scott McCloud creation that explains the features and reasoning behind Google Chrome. It's actually a really effective sales pitch... I read the whole thing and now I'm looking forward to getting the browser.

Tobacco Saves Lives!

bob — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:03:03 PST

... well it could anyway. Specifically the tobacco mosaic virus, which could soon be used as a protective case to ferry small interfering RNA molecules into the human body and inject them into their target cells.

Those siRNA molecules have tremendous potential to treat all sorts of diseases but until now have lacked an adequate delivery system.

99 cent store raises prices

Mike — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:05:56 PST

Kind of. Instead of just being 99 cents, the store announced that the max price will now be 99.99 cents. The cause of the less than one cent increase was rising gas/consumer prices. Liars, it's not really 99 cents anymore!

Freaks

bear with a hat — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:49:35 PST

real people with real problems really

Nicholas Ainley Art

Youness — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 20:00:26 PST

Inspired by Bob's great artistic findings...more cool art!

US Spies to use Social Networking Site as Tool

Youness — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:25:08 PST

On September 22nd all 16 national intelligence agencies will be able to share information using a social networking site, called A-Space. Sounds like a great idea as long as it is secure from hackers and the office of the Vice President. No word on why they chose such a lame name.

Instead of posting thoughts about the new Avenged Sevenfold album or Jessica Alba movie, CIA analysts could use A-Space to share information and opinion about al Qaeda movements in the Middle East or Russian naval maneuvers in the Black Sea.

Trippy Fantasy Art

bob — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 14:06:56 PST

If you're like me, you have an inexplicable and unwarranted love of fine art that would look right at home in the pages of a D&D manual. Here's a fairly large gallery of great fantasy art courtesy of the DMT Nexus.

Bar Tricks

bob — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:05:37 PST

A half dozen bar tricks explained in videos. These aren't so much "magic tricks" as they are "cruel tricks you can use to win money or alcohol from people in bars". As with any betting tricks, it helps if your audience/victim is somewhat naive and/or intoxicated.

Advanced Tactical Laser

bob — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 14:42:52 PST

Earlier this month Boeing announced the first test firing of its Advanced Tactical Laser, the first weapon system of its kind. It's basically a big-ass laser mounted on a plane, and it's capable of destroying targets (ie. people and vehicles) with unheard of precision.

Science Debate 2008 - Obama answers

bob — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 19:51:20 PST

You may remember this ancient post about Sciencedebate.com - a coalition of scientists, engineers, science organizations, Nobel laureates, etc. who joined together to call for a presidential debate on science.

Still no debate scheduled, but Barack Obama has answered their 14 questions in written form. McCain has also agreed to answer, but has not yet done so.

Watchmen Trailer

bob — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:32:49 PST

Will it be good? I don't know, but at least it will look good.

Claymation Epic

bob — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:22:33 PST

This might be the most awesome thing I've ever seen on Youtube. Video in extended.

Palm Vein ID Scan Makes US Debut

bob — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:42:59 PST

The Graduate Management Admission Council is going to start using palm vein scanning technology to verify business school applicant identities. Palm scanners are cheaper than retinal scanners, and more accurate than fingerprints. This is something we're likely to see a lot more of in the future.

IPhone ad banned from UK for being a lie

Mike — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:44:35 PST

According to the UK Advertising Standards Authority (or ASA), saying "all the parts of the internet are on the iPhone" is lying if you don't support Flash and Java. According to Apple, they meant that the page itself, not the content, is available, meaning no webpages are blocked by the phone/provider. Stupid argument, no websites these days are blocked unless you live in China.

The Drug of the Future

bob — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:52:06 PST

There's a Larry Niven story about a man with an implanted transformer which delivers current directly to the pleasure center of his brain. He starves to death because the cord won't reach the kitchen and he can't unplug.

What I didn't know until I read this article is that that technology is real, and has been around since 1954!

The 50 Best Pun Stores

bob — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:33:37 PST

A photoblog with 50 pictures of stores whose names are puns. An impressive collection! Made me laugh anyway.

Making Unhealty Behavior Uncool

jack — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:56:43 PST

Studies about linking behavior to a group unpopular with the individual. They will reduce the behavior so they won't be associated with a group they don't want to be part of.

When advertising goes bad (part II)

Mike — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:14:24 PST

Danny sent me a link to this blog about new Burger King artwork. One of those cases where you wonder if they actually look at something before they use it. Check out the link for the other amazing parts of this image that are just wrong.

Cell Change Keeps Organs Young

bob — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:07:38 PST

Researchers at Yeshiva University in New York have found a combination of gene modifications that combats the decrease in efficiency of protein recycling in the liver that occurs in old age.

When examined at two years old, the liver cells of these mice were far more effective at recycling protein compared with normal mice.

Hacking the hackers

Mike — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:51:56 PST

Reporters at this year's Black Hat conference decided to venture into the 'hacking-free' network that was installed for the press with a nice little attack using ARP poisoning. The result: they hacked at least two corporate accounts of their competitors. Once they were discovered, which probably didn't take very long in a conference full of hackers, they were escorted out of the conference.

2057 - The Discovery Channel Series

Youness — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 20:52:33 PST

If you haven't seen this show yet, its worth checking out. The story line is a bit cheesy but the technology they're discussing rocks! I've only linked to one show, but they're all available online.

Educational video about what scientists and technology developers have accomplish and plan to have accomplished by 2057. Hosted by Michio Kaku.

6.6 degrees of seperation

Youness — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:13:37 PST

A new study concludes that people around the world (at least on msn messanger) are separated by an average of 6.6 degrees of each other. Whats really trippy about this is that 6.6 is equal to Pi*Phi + 1.02!!! (ok maybe I'm stretching the importance a little bit)

The Gym: Finally in Pill Form!

Carl — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:00:02 PST

It's Wednesday night, time for our weekly workout... or pill swallowing.

Don't talk to police!

bob — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:18:26 PST

A couple of excellent videos of a lecture on why it's never ever a good idea to talk to police.

One is by a law professor and former defense attorney, and the other is by a police officer. So you get both sides of the story.

José González - Teardrop

bob — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:10:54 PST

An accoustic cover of the Massive Attack song Teardrop by a guy named José González. There's a bizarre but really cool video to accompany it.

Reprap - the Self Replicating Machine

bob — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:07:51 PST

Based on a paper by Adrian Bowyer at the University of Bath, the Reprap project is working to design an inexpensive fabrication machine that can be used to make copies of itself.

And they've done it, sort of. Reprap 1.0 can make close to 60% of its parts. And the rest are (mostly) inexpensive, off-the-shelf parts.

The piggy-back ride to space

bear with a hat — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:42:53 PST

WhiteKnight2 is Virgin Galactic's newest concept for launching the SS1, twelve of which are now in production.

The original WhiteKnight carried SS1 into the upper atmosphere before releasing it at 48,000 feet. The SS1 then fired its booster and flew to an altitude of over 110,000 meters (69 miles), well past the Kármán line, which is commonly used to define the edge of space.

What happens when you crap in outer space?

bob — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:29:15 PST

Finally! Chris Hadfield, Canadian Astronaut, answers the question we've all been dying to ask.

Think of this next time you see a shooting star.

Passive Aggressive Notes

bob — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:34:07 PST

It's a blog that collects peoples' passive aggressive notes. Kind of a voyeuristic thrill.

Beijing 2008 Preparations - Three Weeks to Go

bob — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:57:07 PST

A photo-journal of the preparations going on in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic games that will be starting in 3 weeks. They've done some pretty impressive building!

Gore's Plan to Save the Planet

Youness — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:32:18 PST

A Time article investigating Gore's 10 year plan to transform the U.S. to a 100% renewable energy society.

I think its an interesting article, though somewhat pessimistic. If the scientists the author refers to and Gore are right, that we have about 10 years to reverse what we're doing to the planet before its to late...than what do we have to lose in trying to meet this 10 year deadline? Even if it doesn't seem currently achievable.

Romp in the Reef

Chris — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 03:30:23 PST

Oi! Some pictures from my trip to Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Brian Dettmer's Book Autopsies

bob — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:37:01 PST

Brian Dettmer carves old books into sculptures.

Grimjack: the Manx Cat

bob — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:13:28 PST

Grimjack was a comic book published by First comics in the mid 80s. Now the character is back in a new series by the original creators, published exclusively online for free. It's pretty good if you like that kind of thing.

GrimJack is the street name of John Gaunt, a sword-for-hire, ex-paramilitary, war veteran and ex-child gladiator. He operates from Munden's Bar in the Pit, a slum area of Cynosure, a pan-dimensional city to which all dimensions connect.

Land of the Free

bob — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:41:40 PST

A gallery of photos by Steve Schofield of costumed nerds in their natural habitats. Trekkies, stormtroopers, and injuns abound.

Some of these are really great photos. His commissioned portraits are not bad either.

Here comes Dr. Tran!

Mike — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:30:17 PST

I don't know what else to say except that it's all about hickory smoked horse anus.

There's also more videos on their website.

Red Cross finds Bush Administration Guilty of War Crimes

Youness — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:19:05 PST

A follow up to the earlier post on torture by Bob.

A new book claims that the International Red Cross has done a study on Gitmo and difinitively ruled that some of the treatment the US has dealt out to its detainees is 100% certifiable torture.

This may never happen but it would be nice to see the international community hold the bush administration accountable for their crimes. Especially since Congress isn't ever going to have the political will power to do so.

"I'd never thought I would say this, but I think it might in fact be time for the United States to be held internationally to a tribunal. I never thought in my lifetime I would say that."

A fitting monument

Youness — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:12:06 PST

San Francisco to vote on naming sewer after George Bush! This made my day...I guess in small ways, there is justice in this Universe.

Del Mar Concerts this Summer

Youness — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:08:11 PST

Here's the list of the free concerts and other events going on this summer at the Del Mar Racetrack.

Of note Gnarles Barkley is playing on Saturday, July 26th, The Wailers are playing Friday, August 15th, and there's a Microbrew festival accompanying Devo on Saturday, August 30th.

Interesting Web Sites for You Freeloaders!

Youness — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:30:03 PST

Neighborow is a website where you can lend and borrow books, movies etc. to people in your neighborhood.

Ride Amigo tries to connect people looking to carpool to save on gas. It has search options for one-time or continuos ride sharing.

The Future of Solar Power

bob — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:41:44 PST

Scientists at MIT have found a way to use specially treated glass panes to replace expensive solar cells and sun tracking devices. The dye-treated panes channel light to their edges where it is collected by smaller conventional solar cells.

Astoundingly, the process increases the amount of power output by a factor of over 40, and is simple enough that they believe they'll be market ready within 3 years!

Fallout 3 is coming

bob — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:57:02 PST

I've been looking forward to this for a long long time. There are three clips: one is an awesome trailer and the other two show actual gameplay. The emphasis in the gameplay videos is on the combat system and 3d engine, but the trailer gives me hope that they've put enough effort into the story to make the game live up to the standard set by Fallout 1 and 2.

Believe Me, it's Torture

bob — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:36:41 PST

Christopher Hitchens gets waterboarded and writes about the experience in the latest Vanity Fair.

Street Balloon Animals

bob — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:19:56 PST

Joshua Allen Harris makes animals out of trash bags and animates them with the help of air from city subway vents. There was a video floating around of a dog-like creation of his a while ago. Now New York magazine has a video interview with him that shows some of his newer work.

What You Spent Your Rebate On

bob — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 13:25:08 PST

An internet market research company in a certain industry has identified an "uncharacteristic increase" in spending correlated to the tax rebate checks sent out for Bush's "stimulus package".

Can you guess which industry?

Chess Boxing

bob — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:25:51 PST

Chess boxing is a new sport which hybridizes chess and boxing. It starts with four minutes of chess, then three minutes of boxing. Repeat for up to 11 rounds!

Fighting is done in the ring and wars are waged on the board.

Does anyone know of a good internet archive source?

Youness — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:34:21 PST

The reason I ask is because of this post I found on digg, which if real, sums up everything I hate about the national media. Unfortunately I couldn't confirm it with any archive websites that I found. The main link for this post takes you to a site with some sources, but I couldn't find anything that takes me back to CNN.com as of December 17t, 2007 @ 10:00 pm EST.

Tupelo by John Lee Hooker

bob — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:38:58 PST

My Dad sent me a link to this video of John Lee Hooker singing a song about a flood.

This guy is so cool, I have a magnet of him on my fridge.

Slaughterhouse 1945

bob — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 14:44:49 PST

The latest issue of Newsweek features a letter that Kurt Vonnegut wrote to his father in 1945 after his release/escape from a Nazi POW camp.

Like all his work, it's brief but interesting.

Arrested Development movie confirmed

bob — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:32:11 PST

Jeffrey Tambor has confirmed an Arrested Development movie. No word on when yet.

Video of Jason Bateman and David Cross on Olbermann in extended.

FireFox 3 : all about robots

Mike — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:50:53 PST

For those FF users who are used to about:config or about:blank, there's a new page in town. about:robots is, you guessed it, all about robots! Haven't upgraded yet so I haven't tried it out but has anyone else given this a shot? Oddly enough it makes upgrading more appealing.

Moving Skyscraper planned for Dubai

bob — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:45:42 PST

In yet another example of spending their barrels of oil money on awesome forward-thinking projects, Dubai is planning to build the world's first fully wind powered, dynamic moving skyscraper.

More about Oil Futures

bob — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:16:59 PST

In one of the comments to this post, Youness linked to an article defending the oil futures market. I think it's interesting enough to deserve its own post, so I'm reposting it here, with my (somewhat lengthy) comments in the extended.

To Live and Age in LA

Youness — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:10:48 PST

A wired article about Aubrey De Grey's progress in getting the 'fight against aging' recognized as legitimate by the scientific community, and mention of a conference on Aging being held at UCLA today and over the weekend.

Bike rider vs. bear

Mike — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:32:52 PST

For all the bikers out there just be glad you don't live in Colorado. This guy was riding an estimaged 45mph down a canyon when suddenly a 500 lbs. bear jumped in front of him. A bear! What are the odds of that? Evidentially pretty good. This was the 2nd biker/bear accident in that particular canyon alone in the last 2 years. Glad I don't live in CO.

What is the Enron Loophole?

bob — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:51:02 PST

Keith Olbermann discusses John McCain's connections to the Enron Loophole - an amendment to an appropriations bill a few years back that gives energy traders free reign to fix markets and screw everybody.

I had never heard of this.

New Documentaries: Religulous and Gonzo

bob — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:39:29 PST

Two new documentaries coming out that look interesting:

First up is Religulous, in which Bill Maher travels the world and interviews people about religion.

Next is Gonzo, about the life and times of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.

Main link is for Gonzo, trailers for both in extended.

Maglev speed trains coming soon! (maybe)

Youness — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:40:15 PST

A short article about the future of speed trains in the US.

The Art of Jim Denevan

bob — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:27:22 PST

Jim Denevan recently claims the world record for the largest freehand drawing. Reminds me a bit of Kirkos except a little bit more into self promotion. Anyway some of his desert sand drawings are pretty cool.

To Play Us Out

manofsuit — Mon, 12 May 2008 09:45:48 PST

A young Bill O'Reilly demonstrates the level-headed intellect which helped him become one of our country's top political commentators.

Latest security risk? Your coffee!

Mike — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:34:16 PST

An internet-capable coffee machine that allows, among other things, hacking via the internet. Add in the ability to take over the connected host PC and you get a lot of bang for your buck. For $2000 I would expect something a little more solid though.

Geography Quiz Time!

bob — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:31:46 PST

OK kids, it's quiz time. Read the name of the country, then click it on the map to prove you know where it is. Post your scores to compare!

Absent-minded product developers

Mike — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:55:30 PST

I really hope this isn't real. If it is someone should be fired. If I were some sort of pervert or from Nevada there would be a lewd joke here about children consuming these by the mouthful, but I'm not. Plus then I'd have to un-check the 'safe for work' box and I'm way too lazy for that.

Big Science - the Large Hadron Collider

bob — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 02:47:53 PST

National Geographic article (from March 2008 - the FUTURE) about the Large Hadron Collider. It's an enormous underground ring 17 miles in diameter that's going to unlock the secrets of matter and energy. Or create a black hole. Or do nothing.

Trevor Paglen and the 189 Secret Satellites

bob — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 11:58:50 PST

Trevor Paglen is a guy who makes his living photographing things that officially don't exist, like secret military bases. His latest exhibit features astronomy photographs of 189 satellites that do not appear on any officially recognized charts.

"The National Reconnaissance Office cannot classify Kepler's laws of planetary motion," Paglen says. "They just work ... and they're unbelievably accurate."

Ice on Mars

bob — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:57:48 PST

In case anyone hasn't seen this yet... pictures taken by the Phoenix lander show chunks of white stuff disappearing over a 4 day period, which can only mean that they are chunks of ice sublimating. Water on mars!

How to Reset your Body Clock

bob — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:31:12 PST

Researchers at Harvard Medical School have discovered a new way to effectively reset your body clock: Fast for 12-16 hours before the time you want to be waking up, then eat to break your fast. This engages a secondary body clock that overrides your circadian clock.

Doesn't sound like much fun, but it could prove useful if it works.

Writing for the Lazy Reader

bob — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:23:05 PST

Article from Slate called "How we read online." It's interesting and written in a way that makes it easy to skim.

One idea per paragraph

Half the word count of "conventional writing"! (Ouch!)

Sega toys to unleash the worlds first robot girlfriends

Youness — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:09:19 PST

The future is now!

A Japanese firm has produced a 38 cm (15 inch) tall robotic girlfriend that kisses on command, to go on sale in September for around $175, with a target market of lonely adult men.

Tammy Wynette

jack — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 03:07:21 PST

Singing "Stand By Your Man" in a Red Sequin Dress on the Back Porch. This is country music.
Hope you like it.

Create your own electoral map

manofsuit — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:11:54 PST

An interesting, simple program from the LA times, allowing us politically-minded folks to experiment with possible outcomes in the upcoming presidential election.

Scientist catches E-coli in the act of evolution

bob — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:06:30 PST

Richard Lenski of Michigan State University has been watching twelve colonies of E-coli bacteria evolve for twenty years, through over 44,000 generations. Around the 31,500th generation one of the colonies suddenly gained the ability to metabolize citrate, a trait unheard of in E-coli.

The awesome thing is: Lenski has been saving samples every 500 generations. So he's able to go back and replay the mutations that lead to this evolutionary change.

Julian Beever's incredible pavement drawings

bob — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:57:07 PST

He does these amazing tromp-l'oeill optical illusion chalk drawings on public streets. For a couple of them there are pictures of what they look like from the wrong side, which is totally bizarre.

Lion vs. ???

Chris — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:50:25 PST

Somehow I got into a "Lion vs. ???" mood on youtube, late last night.

Crazy guy destroys office

Mike — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:21:18 PST

Think Office Space, but actually done in the office with everyone there.

ISS construction animation

Mike — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:26:30 PST

Would be better if they were actual pictures but the animation is still cool to see the progress and sequence of how things are built. The number of components that they add temporarily just to move them later is pretty cool, the whole thing is very modularly designed.

Very Large Squid Caught on Video

Chris — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 18:03:24 PST

Scientists capture an already large humboldt squid in hopes it will lead them to an even larger squid. Incredibly, it works.

David Byrne plays an entire ferry terminal

bob — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:57:54 PST

Byrne has retrofitted the Battery Maritime Building in New York to be a gigantic acoustic instrument controlled by an antique organ.

Main link goes to an NPR story, or visit Byrne's own site for more info.

The Giant Pool of Money

bob — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:47:35 PST

"This American Life" is a radio show on NPR. A couple of weeks ago they did a show about the credit crunch, tracing it back to where it started and interviewing a lot of people at a lot of different levels. Normally I'm not a big fan of its touchy-feelie approach to news, but this episode is really good. Download the mp3 and listen at your leisure.

Getting Ahead of Advertising

bob — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:51:43 PST

Somebody has been going around London decapitating billboards. Some seriously awesome graffiti.

Vadrum Shreds Super Mario Bros. 2 on Drums

bob — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:04:49 PST

Youtube video of an Italian dude playing drums along with the theme music to Super Mario Bros. 2. Normally I wouldn't post something like this, but he's just so good... Seriously, it's awesome.

The best part is the underground theme.

Italian Spiderman Returns

bob — Sun, 25 May 2008 14:40:48 PST

Finally Alrugo has followed up on the promises made in their Italian Spiderman trailer by releasing Part 1 of the Italian Spiderman movie!

Follow-up to this post.

Music Video Threepeat

bob — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:13:19 PST

I'm in a music video mood, so here are three gems. "Straight Out of Canton" by the Notorious MSG and "Baby's Got A Temper" by the Prodigy are in the extended, and the main link goes to "Stress" by Jim's Big Ego because it's not Youtube so I couldn't embed it.

Seen any good music videos lately? Be cool and post them in the comments.

Tree People

bob — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:02:33 PST

In 1995, photographer George Steinmetz went to Indonesian New Guinea to document clans of tree-dwelling people speaking Korowai and Kombai.

Marked NSFW due to cultural differences on the subject of modesty, but well worth seeing for their awesome tree-based existence. Be sure to check out the rest of his photos too.

Bioscientists photoshop their cultures to fake results

Chris — Fri, 30 May 2008 09:03:22 PST

"Researchers often use Photoshop to clean up the images they produce in the laboratory. If the experiment didn't go quite right, a bit of tampering can make a gel look like things did work."

Italian Spiderman

bob — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 13:28:09 PST

The next big summer blockbuster.

Una fantastic voyage du spidermafication!

A Use for Crows

bob — Sun, 25 May 2008 14:52:34 PST

Joshua Klein has built a vending machine for crows. They put in a quarter and get a peanut.

Main link goes to his site, TED talk video in extendd.

Rice Boy

bob — Mon, 26 May 2008 15:40:56 PST

Rice Boy is a surreal comic by Evin Dahm. The complete 5 book epic is free to read online, and does not disappoint.

GRAIL to probe lunar gravity

bob — Sat, 24 May 2008 13:26:27 PST

The moon's gravitational field is lumpy. Subsurface mass concentrations (called mascons by busy scientists) make its gravitational field so messed up that virtually every satellite sent to orbit it has eventually crashed. Now NASA is planning a mission to precisely map that gravitational field.

Here's how it works: GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft, one behind the other, around the moon for several months. All the while, a microwave ranging system will precisely measure the distance between the two satellites. By watching that distance expand and contract as the two satellites fly over the lunar surface, researchers can map the moon's underlying gravity field.

Beating the Flu

bob — Sat, 24 May 2008 13:12:15 PST

Walter Fliers is a molecular biologist at Ghent University in Belgium who is working on a vaccine for the flu. The vaccine, which targets a protein called M2e, could be the first vaccine for influenza which is not affected by seasonal mutation.

Keep your Rifle Clean

bob — Sat, 17 May 2008 13:48:06 PST

A comic book style guide for proper care and feeding of the M16A1 rifle issued to GIs in the Vietnam war. Interesting because it's illustrated by Will Eisner, progenitor of the modern comic book and the man from whom the Eisner Award takes its name.

Idiots dig up grave for skull bong

Mike — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:40:49 PST

From his head to yours, just take a nice long hit off the skull. I've said it before and I'll say it again, people are stupid.

hree teenagers were arrested after two of them told police they dug up a secluded grave north of Houston, removed the skull from the coffin and converted it into a marijuana bong.

Give your brain to science - NOW!

bob — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:55:38 PST

Scientists at UW have developed a game called FoldIt that lets ordinary folks tackle real life protein folding problems. Instead of using supercomputers to brute-force protein folding, they're relying on human problem solving ability. The future is here.

Eventually, the researchers hope to present a medical nemesis, such as HIV or malaria, and challenge players to devise a protein with just the right shape to lock into the virus and deactivate it. Winning protein designs will be synthesized in Baker's lab and tested in Petri dishes.