I want an inverse spy flick. The spy is a woman. Her whole team is made up of diverse women. All the villains are women. There is only one man in the entire movie and he is a Strong Male Character who is like 25 and decently ripped and has a scene where he slowly steps out of a pool wearing speedos because he is Confident and In Control of His Sexuality. We see his ass when he has to tug down his pants to get at the knife strapped to his thigh. His nipples are always erect for no fucking reason.
They are undercover in a nightclub. In order to keep their cover from being blown, he has to kiss another man.
He knits to relieve stress and to keep his mind sharp. It is never discussed by any of the characters.
Someone asks him how he knows how to do Traditionally Feminine Thing. “I have four sisters,” he answers.
This is also how he knows how to fight while armed with nothing but a purse, a high heel shoe, and a can of hair spray. During this fight, he is, for no apparent reason, shirtless.
My alternate version of the Battle of Warsaw events, with the marshal Józef Piłsudski in his heavy mech, on the background :)
Illustration commemorating the 95 anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw. This battle is considered by many historians as one of the most important in the world’s history, since it changed the fate of Europe and stopped the Red Revolution. After the first world war, the atmosphere in Europe was filled with revolutionary thoughts. Bolsheviks decided to take advantage of this situation and started to move forward to the west with a huge army.
Poland was the first country to really be able to show them resistance. Our independence had only been restored for two years. Even that, Polish army has defeated the Bolsheviks and pushed away the specter of the communism from the Western Europe. Anyone hardly knows about this and it is a very interesting historical period. This is also the last time cavalry was so significantly used, hope you like it!
Cheers!View this on ArtStation Jakub Rozalski on ArtStation
Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are honing the applications of a gecko-like gripping mechanism in the hope of making life a little less chaotic for those working aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The ever-inventive JPL workers have come up with a series of "astronaut anchors" for use both inside and outside the station, and have even equipped a robot with the tech, opening up the possibility of allowing it to safely operate on the exterior of the space station.
For people in developing nations or rural locations, getting clean water may soon be as simple as opening a book … and ripping a page out. That’s the idea behind The Drinkable Book, developed by Carnegie Mellon University postdoc Theresa Dankovich. Each of its pages is made from a thick sheet of paper impregnated with silver and copper nanoparticles, that kill 99.9 percent of microbes in tainted water that’s filtered through it.
Great Ball Contraptions (GBCs) are a staple of most LEGO conventions, the idea is simple create: a mechanical device to move balls from point A to point B, with a certain set standard. Then sit back and watch a) balls go flying b) kids be mesmerized for hours. It’s a challenging feet of engineering to create a mechanism that can withstand hours of continuous operation, typically the most prized honour for a GBC builder is the ‘Most Reliable’ award (or some variant). Unlike a lot of LEGO builds we see on The Brothers Bricks, aesthetics is not primary goal.
But sometimes, someone steps forward and combines all the above, and makes it beautiful, just cause. For example, Benjamin Corey (Bricktech) built this gorgeous GBC at BFVA this year:
You can watch it in action here:
You can also check out the whole GBC video from our friends at Beyond the Brick.
We’ve seen a lot of “Designed by X in X. Assembled in X” so we were try to come up with what and how to describe the Arduinos that we assemble here in the USA for Arduino.cc (we are now shipping A LOT OF THEM). We came up “Agonized over by goths in New York City” the longer version is “Agonized over by goths in New York City while listening to The Smiths“ which is exactly how all the electronics are designed, assembled and made here
Readers of a certain age may remember those old-school roller skates that were strapped on over top of the user’s regular shoes. The Cardiff Skate Company recently brought the general idea back, but using rollerblade-type wheels instead of the original steel ones. Walk Wing takes the idea further, with strap-on skates that feature retractable rubber wheels.
Joseph Marr (some artworks nsfw) is an Australian multi-media artist based in Berlin known for his anatomically perfect sugar constructions of the human body that explore issues of desire and mortality. Last year for an organ donor charity called Live Life Give Life, a special art exhibition was organized by the Skull Appreciate Society titled Celebrabis Vitae where artist were invited to create skull-themed artworks. Marr’s contribution to the macabrely tongue-in-cheek event was this life-size translucent skull made from edible raspberry-flavored sugar.
Marr explains on his website that sugar only melts at a dangerously hot temperature of 366.8°F (186°C), and then cools rapidly once the heat source is removed, giving him only the slightest window to work with the maleable goo. “It’s a sensory overload, the smell, the colour, the heat and the honey like movement… it’s sharp like glass and smooth like marble and at the same time rough like concrete. Unpredictable.”
This year’s campaign organized by the Skull Appreciation Society is called the Day of the Living.
Alp Sungurtekin has built the world’s fastest unfaired Triumph 650.
Alp Sungurketin's new Land Speed Record pre-unit Triumph 650, timed at 172mph, using nitromethane breathing through new Burlen Amal GP carbs.
Over the past few years, Bonneville seems determined to reclaim its lakehood, to the great disappointment of speed fans who’ve traveled the globe to test their metal against the clock. The Speed Trials have been cancelled several times, so last weekend the SCTA - hallowed sanctioning body of speed - held its first ‘Mojave Mile’ event at the Mojave Air and Space Port airstrip, to allow all those revved-up teams a chance to redeem their substantial investments. The Mile is different from Dry Lake top speed runs, organized more like a solo drag race over the 12,500’ runway used by the Space Shuttle. There’s another ‘Mojave Mile’ event which is open to all comers, but this SCTA event was only for Land Speed Record machines which fit the appropriate specs/regulations, and fills the gap left by a wet early-August Bonneville. With no spare real estate for a typical speed run, riders are WFO from the start line, with their speed measured at the end of the run.
At El Mirage dry lake
Among the Mojave competitors was Bonneville regular Alp Sungurtekin, an Industrial Designer who has developed a pair of pre-unit Triumph twins into the most potent examples ever built for speed. I met Alp at end of the 2013 Bonneville Speed Trials, where he agreed to sit for a few ‘wet plate’ portraits. His first machine, based on a 1950 iron-head Triumph 6T Thunderbird, is legendary for recording 132mph at Bonneville, with a two way average of 127.092mph, making it the world’s fastest unfaired 650cc stock-framed Triumph in the Vintage gas class.
At speed, but not the optimal riding position due to handling issues
With the experience gained from his success, Alp built a totally new bike in 2014. “I’ve been designing this Special Construction-class bike for 2 years, thinking it over and drawing it out on the computer, and started building it in November 2013. The frame and all components were finished in March 2014 - it took 4 months to build, and was ready for the May races. My first test that May was bolting the 1950 engine into my new frame, and the bike went 139.226mph, the A-VG record, and that June it recorded 140.2mph.”
Alp developed this frame with an adjustable rear axle height and stressed-member engine/gearbox assembly
As seen in these photos, Alp’s new racing frame is built to keep the rider as low and close to the engine as possible. As a result, it’s a tiny machine, with the engine sat well back, and a very short final chain run. The engine plates were built of ½” thick 6061 aluminum alloy, which were hand cut, as Alp has no milling machine. The engine and gearbox form a structural part of the frame with their substantial engine plates.
Alp with his crew chief/girlfriend Jalika, and the 1950 Triumph he's ridden to 132mph (photo by Adam Bendig photography)
“I have a nice 1958 Buffalo Forge Drill Press that I used like a mill to smooth out the edges. Took forever, little by little. I always fabricate my prototypes by hand and test them on the race course, but all the parts that I build for my clients are CNC or waterjet cut. The frame is very accommodating; its designed to ‘complete’ the rider’s body. It’s not just about the right weight or geometry, it gives a really good weight ratio distribution for maximum traction. Another feature of the frame is adjustable axle plates that make it possible to change the ground clearance and wheelbase. It’s different ergonomically, the difference between a land speed racer and a drag bike. The sitting position won’t let you take off instantly.”
The alloy engine during assembly into the chassis
Alp’s Vintage-class iron-head 1950 Triumph Thunderbird uses the original Triumph engine cases, barrels, and that single-carb iron cylinder head, and runs on gasoline. After recording 132mph with that motor, he began work on a new engine with an all-alloy top end and twin carbs, to compete in the Special Construction “A” class. The twin-carb alloy head is post-1956 (it's a '64 head), so is ineligible for the Vintage class, but runs in the 650 A-PG/F class. Aftermarket cases are allowed in this class, and Alp is sponsored by Thunder Engineering, who supplied beefed-up cases and rods. The engine was designed to run on Nitromethane, which gives tremendous power - a supercharger in liquid form - but is known to reveal any lubrication or heat dissipation issues in a spectacular fashion. “The Nitro gave me clutch problems initially, but the good thing is I didn’t blow up the engine. My Vintage Triumph, running on gasoline, puts out 58-60hp and will hit 140+mph. But many tell me with the Nitro, my later engine probably produces more than 140hp at 160+mph.”
Crew chief Jalika with the 172mph LSR Triumph
“I first tried the new all-alloy engine in the 1950 frame; running on Nitromethane we hit 149.279mph. That’s with a stock Triumph frame! But I didn’t realize that I’d bent the frame, and the rear fender mount shredded the rear tire and slowed me down – I was on my way to 160mph. The existing record was set in 1995 by the Tatro Machine Special Harley-Davidson – Many fellow SCTA racers told me he blew up many engines to get that speed. He heard that I’d broken his record, and is coming back in October!”
Alp's frame was designed to accomodate the rider's body
“With the alloy engine in the new frame, I was recorded at Mojave doing 169.1mph -within a standing-start mile, with an exit speed of 172mph. As you know, we’re running a pre-unit 650cc open-class motorcycle with no fairing! This is a speed no other naked vintage or pushrod 650cc motorcycle has ever achieved in the history of Land Speed Racing. Our speed is faster than the 650cc/750cc partial streamline APS-PG/F bikes and 750cc / 1000cc open pushrod ‘fuel’ bikes as recorded by any sanctioning body – SCTA/AMA/ECTA.”
At the start line with the 1950 Triumph
“The success of a racing bike is the whole package, not the parts. I designed my frame for this engine, and I balanced the engine and crankshaft for this frame. Howard Allen, who used to race at Bonneville and El Mirage in the 60’s/ 70’s with Triumphs and Harleys is one of my greatest inspirations, he was always there when I needed help. For speed, my cylinder head is the key. Doug Robinson, builder of the BMRRoadster (the world’s fastest naturally aspirated roadster at 290mph) told me the only secret to speed is how you get the air in and out of the cylinder head – it’s a pump. I’ve probably redesigned and built between 15-20 heads in the past few years; how I modify them is probably my only tuning secret. I’m using NOS cast pistons (which I wouldn’t recommend), buying them oversized and shaping them by hand – they look really funky and organic.”
The first iteration of the 1950 Triumph, with girder forks, from 2011
“We had some interesting problems – the special construction frame has a rake of about 39deg with about 4-5” trail; it’s meant to go straight at high speed. The problem showed up while under load, wide open; the runway at Mojave isn’t flat, like Bonneville, it has a crown and the bike pulled to the right, so I had to slow down several times, just trying to stay on the course. This is a rigid frame, and on this course it bounced like crazy! El Mirage and Bonneville are much nicer without the paving. Bonneville is truly flat; I believe going straight is still better with a hardtail frame, even in the semi-saturated spots - it still wants to go straight. On the runway, without suspension, every time there’s a bump it pushes you to the side, and the very center has a seam in the paving, which is pretty dangerous at 150mph. The course was tough, but even so, the bike was still pulling at 172mph; don’t be surprised if I do 175mph, unless I destroy the bottom end!”
My wet plate portrait of Alp at Bonneville in 2013, on his 1950 Triumph
Alp's two racing engines; the new cases with 1964 cylinder head at left, and the 1950 6T engine at right
Jalika tending the early version of the 1950 bike
How low, how small can you get? Not much of either, in this case. Alp spends much time and research on cheating the wind, one of the secrets of his success. He doesn't need a wind tunnel, but has developed a system for very accurate feedback, measuring the effect of minor position changes on speed. My lips are sealed!
Robotic design project by Frank Kolkman explores the idea of open source medical technology and whether an approach would be disruptive:
The OpenSurgery initiative investigates whether building DIY surgical
robots, outside the scope of healthcare regulations, could plausibly
provide an accessible alternative to the costly professional healthcare
services worldwide. The project aims to provoke alternative thinking
about medical innovation by challenging the socioeconomic frameworks
healthcare currently operates within.
You can find out more about the OpenSurgery project here
