Eclectic junk from the four corners of the ‘Net. And pictures too!
Remember when we would play with those little balsa wood planes and try to tweak them for better flights? Well this guy has pretty much taken that to a whole new level. I love the attention to detail like giving the wings more lift by warping them with water and an Ace bandage. The video of his flight makes it well worth the effort.
Part of me wants to think that this is just a hoax but no, I think it’s real.
So how this works is that you sign up on Facebook to let Facedeal use your info. Now every time you walk into a store that has a Facedeal camera that can scan your face you get offers and junk sent to your smart phone.
“Facial recognition cameras are installed at local businesses. These cameras recognize your face when you pass by, then check you in at the location. Simultaneously, your smartphone notifies you of a customized deal based on your Like history…The Facedeals app must be authorized via your Facebook account. With your help, the app verifies your most recent photo tags, using those to map the physical appearance of your face. Our custom-developed cameras then simply use this existing data to identify you in the real world. Personalized deals can now be delivered to your smartphone from all participating locations—all you have to do is show your face.”
I can’t help but think that this is going to freak people out or at least prompt folks to wear Nixon masks when they post self pics to Facebook and walk around in public. Another use for the ‘V for Vendetta’ masks? Read more about this ‘wonderful’ new technology at the L.A. Times:
Facedeals checks you in with facial-recognition cameras – latimes.com.
Video from Facedeal…
If you happen to live in the United Kingdom you can partake in these postal stamps celebrating some famous wizards…
If you happen to live in the United Kingdom you can partake in these postal stamps celebrating some famous wizards. (Should have had a Moist von Lipwig stamp, it would have been quite fitting)
You don’t usually hear the phrase ‘astounding coin animation’ these days do ya? Have a look at the video all the way to the end, the makers show the secret behind how it was made. No elves were involved, I promise! (I like the old PET computer in the background. nice!)
Sometimes the simple things are the best:
The PrimoGraf is a hand cranked drawing machine. Using wooden gears with prime number based gears an infinite array of drawings can be made. It comes complete with 7 gears, 2 set of rods and penholders so you can create many variations. Different setups can be achieved instantly by simply picking different holes.
Made of walnut, basswood, and solid brass and hand crafted in Portland, Oregon.
[via Boing-boing]
I’ve waited a long time for someone to run this experiment!
The giant dragonflies of ancient Earth with wingspans of up to 70 centimeters (28 inches) are generally attributed to higher oxygen atmospheric levels in the atmosphere in the past. New experiments in raising modern insects in various oxygen-enriched atmospheres have confirmed that dragonflies grow bigger with more oxygen, or hyperoxia.
I can hardly wait for more work to be done in this field. I expect that after many generations of insects being raised in a hyperoxic environment there might be some substantial differences between them and their low O2 brothers. Maybe they should try this on fruit flies due to they rapid reproductive rate. The stated goal should be a humming bird sized fruit fly within 20 years. Quite safe outside the lab due to the extra oxygen needed unless someone invents a tiny SCUBA system for them to wear… Please don’t tell DARPA about this one!
Raising giant insects to unravel ancient oxygen