Bunker.jordan

dennys:

With abs these hot he’ll never have to spend money on skillets again.

All hail Nedesem for this brilliant, brilliant image. Now we all need to make sure to keep George R.R. Martin far away from mules until he's finished writing the series.

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70sscifiart:

Peter Elson

During a secret Cold War spying mission in 1947, a B-29 Superfortress made an emergency landing in northwest Greenland. It lay there undisturbed until 1994 when a botched mission to repair and return it failed. NASA recently caught a glimpse of its charred remains.

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This morning, astronomers observed an incredibly powerful x-class solar flare erupting from the sun, only to be surprised by what they saw happen just about an hour later: a second x-class flare.

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So cool! Pavel Sinev is a Bulgarian artist who makes amazing sculptures from coiled electrical cables. Via inhabit.

Bulgarian artist Pavel Sinev creates amazing sculptures by tightly coiling electrical cables into the form of skulls, puppies, and all sorts of shoes. Each of Sinev’s electro-art sculptures is made from a single continuous length of cable that has been molded with the help of zip ties.

Pavel Sinev graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, Germany. His carefully coiled works shine new light on common materials available in supermarkets and drug stores. From a watering can made from a length of garden hose to an entire car made from electric cables, his clever sculptures show new possibilities for re-using everyday materials.

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Robot jellyfish takes to the air via Philip Ball at nature.com

Its transparent wings fixed to a delicate wire framework recall the diaphanous, veined wings of an insect. But when the flying machine rises gracefully into the air, the undulations of its conical form resemble nothing so much as a jellyfish swimming through water, the device’s electrical power lead trailing like a tentacle. It is, in short, like no other flying machine you have seen before.

This contraption1, built by applied mathematicians Leif Ristroph and Stephen Childress of New York University, is not the first small ornithopter — a flying machine capable of hovering by a flapping-wing motion, such as that of dragonflies and hummingbirds. But what distinguishes Ristroph and Childress’s craft from those such as the flapping insectoid robots reported by researchers last year2 is that it can remain stable in flight using the movement of its wings alone, without the need for additional stabilizers or complex feedback control loops to avoid flipping over.

The jellyfish-like ornithopter has four droplet-shaped wings of Mylar plastic film about 5 cm wide, arranged in a cone. The wings are connected to an articulated carbon-fibre framework driven by a tiny motor (see video below), and the whole machine weighs just 2.1 grams in total. It can execute forward flight and stable hovering, and can right itself automatically from tilting. The researchers say that the motion of the wings generates a downward jet, as do the undulations of a jellyfish bell. The absence of this strategy among flying animals, they say, remains a mystery. The work is reported today in Journal of the Royal Society Interface1.

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Via Boing Boing. Check out more from the show here.

Skateboarding and Star Wars are two of the biggest creative endeavors and commercial outlets of the past 40 years. Both gained immense popularity going into the 1980’s creating generations of devoted fans and successful consumer related brands that continue to thrive. As part of our June exhibit “Deathstar Blues” we will be hosting a “First Look” of new Star Wars merchandise from two iconic American brands – Vans Shoes and Santa Cruz Skateboards. We will also have an exhibit of Star Wars inspired artwork featuring Axel Geittmann, Sket-One, RYCA, Hari & Deepti and The Gropes.

Vans Shoes is a long time American brand that also gained popularity in the early 1980’s and continues to be influential today. From skateboarders, moms to kindergarteners Vans have been sold across the world for over 40 years. Star Wars and Vans have joined forces to create a limited production line of classic Vans shoes styled with iconic Star Wars imagery.

Santa Cruz Skateboards is the longest operating skateboarding company and another highly influential brand spanning generations. Skateboard culture has many aspects that have crossed into the mainstream but one of the most widely referenced is the graphic and design elements found on the boards and related merch. The addition of Star Wars graphics to boards creates the perfect item to be either used or displayed with pride.

Star Wars has been in the heads of adults going back almost 40 years. Many of the kids from the late seventies have entered into careers and some have become artists who have been heavily influenced by Star Wars.

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Assimilating and becoming a Borg from Star Trek doesn’t need to cost a lot of money. Jodi assembled one by shopping at Goodwill and a surplus store and spent less than $50 on materials. He picked up old electronics from a Goodwill Outlet where you can purchase things by the pound, and then he broke items like phones, alarm clocks, and a coffee maker down to use the various parts. While the end result isn’t exactly a screen accurate replica of any Borgs we’ve seen, it looks close enough to one that it’s easily identifiable. Here’s how he put together the costume.

I ended up hot gluing on all sorts of parts and pieces to get a good look. It was still missing something though so I headed over to a surplus store and had a look around. I found a “finger light” and pair of goggles that were perfect for the head piece along with a bunch of tubing. All for less than $10. I looked at everything and decided it was too colorful so I got some flat black and gray spray paint. Everything was spray painted black and I used just a bit of gray to highlight and break up the black.

The makeup was easy, I used white everywhere except the eyes where I used black and gray. I also used a bit of gray to create some shadows on the face to make it look a bit more gaunt. We already had the contacts and they were a nice addition but it also looked great without them. All in all it was really easy to do and only took a few days to put together. It was a HUGE hit wherever we went!

Read more at Coolest Handmade Costumes.

As 3D printing technology matures, scientists can foresee that one day we could just print entire replacement human organs ready for transplant. But Dr. Ibrahim Ozbolat, assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering and co-director of the University of Iowa's Advanced Manufacturing Technology Group, says that we may one day bio-print an organ that can generate electricity within the body, pushing the technology even farther.

This article Scientists say we are close to 3D printing brand new organs that generate electricity is first published at 3ders.org.

The MagSafe power connector for Apple MacBooks is probably one of the handiest features they developed — we’re not too sure why it hasn’t been integrated onto iPhones yet. [Tony Hoang] isn’t sure either, but that didn’t stop him making his very own!

Due to the size of the MagSafe adapter, it’s simply not possible to integrate it directly into an iPhone, so [Tony] took his trusty Otter-box case and modified it instead. He’s using a Qi wireless charging receiver on the inside of the case, because it has a very slim ribbon cable to the USB. Modifying that he was able to solder on the MagSafe adapter directly to the ribbon cable. In order for it to fit nicely through the case, he 3D printed an adapter bracket for it to stay nice and secure.

From there it was just a matter of soldering the MagSafe power cable onto a 5V USB power brick, and boom-bada-bing, he’s got a MagSafe compatible iPhone. Previously he’s done this mod to a Samsung Note II, and plenty of other people have added it to laptops and ultrabooks!

Filed under: Cellphone Hacks

LegoWyrm has started creating adorable LEGO chibi characters, based on a style originally developed by legendary Japanese builder Moko. Here is his version of the titular heroine from the videogame American McGee’s Alice (click here for bonus gory version).

He’s also churned out some beautifully chibi-fied characters from other games and anime. See if you can name any of them (regular readers should be able to name the last one by now). And tell me that these figures don’t immediately put a huge smile on your face! Just remember to turn away before your head explodes from all the cuteness…

 

 

Illustrations of the possible positions of a foetus in the womb, from Muscio’s Genecia (Gynaecia), a treatise of gynecology dating to c. AD 500, preserved in a manuscript of c. AD 900.

When your wig needs a little something extra, add an octopus! DeviantArt user deeed took that approach, and as you can see, it’s beautiful. Besides being inventive, the creation shows how an elaborate wig can make a costume. All you’d have to wear with octopus-hair like this is a simple black dress, and you’ll still make an impression. She used a wig, wefts, and a foam sphere to make the piece come to life. Here’s some of the process:

1. The piece isn’t completely made of hair. There is a foam shape at the core. In this case I used a Styrofoam sphere that I hollowed out on one side to create the bulbous part of the body. I used expanding foam that I then carved to create the eye and upper-leg portion.

2. To make it easier for the hair welfts to stick to the shape I covered the whole shape with felt. Use a colour that’s similiar to what hair colour you’re going to be using. It’ll also take a HEAP of tacky glue and a day to dry. (in this picture you can see I started covering it in yellow wefts but I later decided to go with just orange.)

3. Start adding wefts! Ok, so I separated my wefts into sections 4-5 inches wide, folded the sewn part over itself so it’s three layers thick and glued the sewn end together with hot glue. I then used hot glue to attach this part to the underside of the foam shape (where I had carved the Styrofoam out). The hair is stretched over the felt-covered shape and secured down with some tacky glue. You can dilute this if your’s is very thick. I used pins and bobby-pins to hold the hair in shape while it dried. Be prepared for this to take several days, allowing sections to dry overnight.

You can see all of the steps in the below image and read more details over at DeviantArt.

via Nerdcore

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have developed a new graphene-based supercapacitor that uses a nanoscale architecture to double its energy and power performance compared to commercially-available alternatives. This breakthrough is another important step toward making supercapacitors viable for use in fast-charging, high-performance electric cars and personal electronics. .. Continue Reading High-performance supercapacitor doubles performance of commercial alternatives

Section: Science

Tags: Energy, Nanoparticles, Supercapacitor, University of California

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Zen rock gardens are typically composed of carefully placed rocks, surrounded by sand that is raked to represent water ripples. They’re supposed to inspire a meditative state of calm and relaxation. They’re not supposed to inspire hunger and a sudden urge to put it in your mouth. Except this one does because it’s made of entirely edible ingredients. “In cities today, people do not have the luxury of gazing at gardens,” says Japanese designer Tomonori Saito, lamenting the loss of one his nation’s most relaxing pastimes. So he decided to create “Shin-an-ji Rock Garden” made from black sesame (the rocks) and sugar (the sand). Now you can have your garden and eat it too. (syndicated from Spoon & Tamago)

A survey conducted by astronomers at Cornell University has taken into account the characteristics of 637 known exoplanets and elaborated a Biological Complexity Index (BCI) to assess the relative probability of finding complex life on them. Their data supports the view that as many as one hundred million planets scattered around the Milky Way, and perhaps more, could support life beyond the microbial stage... Continue Reading The Milky Way may host over 100 million planets supporting complex life

Section: Science

Tags: Cornell University, Exoplanet, Extraterrestrial, Planet

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NASA scientists have installed the largest heat shield ever created for the intention of atmospheric re-entry, onto the crew module of its next generation spacecraft, Orion. The shield, made of the same base material as that which protected Apollo-era astronauts from re-entry conditions over four decades ago, is set to be tested to the extreme later this year as Orion's maiden flight blasts off. .. Continue Reading Largest heat shield ever constructed installed on NASA's Orion spacecraft

Section: Space

Tags: Apollo, Atmosphere, Lockheed Martin, NASA, Orion Spacecraft, Protection, Shield, Temperature, Thermal

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Researchers at the University of Toronto have manufactured and tested a new type of colloidal quantum dots (CQD), that, unlike previous attempts, doesn't lose performance as they keep in contact with oxygen. The development could lead to much cheaper or even spray-on solar cells, as well as better LEDs, lasers and weather satellites... Continue Reading Quantum dot breakthrough could lead to cheap spray-on solar cells

Section: Electronics

Tags: Nanoparticles, Photovoltaic, Quantum Dot Solar Cells, Solar Cell, University of Toronto

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• Bacteria combined with gold to produce "living material"

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 107 million blood donations are collected around the globe every year, most of which goes on to help save lives. However, while the need for blood is global, much of that which is donated is not accessible to many who need it, such as those in developing countries. And of the blood donated in industrialized countries, the amount often falls short of requirements. To help address this imbalance, scientists at the University of Essex are developing an artificial blood substitute that would provide a benign, virus-free alternative for blood transfusions. .. Continue Reading Artificial human blood substitute could help meet donor blood shortfall

Section: Medical

Tags: Biotechnology, Blood, University of Essex

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A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips – or so the saying goes. UK-based food inventor Charlie Harry Francis is looking to challenge the idea that the sensory delight offered by our favorite foods need live on in the form of bulging waistbands. He recently launched his Edible Mist Machine that is capable of producing inhalable mists, ranging in flavor from smoked bacon to apple pie. .. Continue Reading Edible Mist Machine offers a guilt-free flavor hit

Section: Health and Wellbeing

Tags: Chocolate, Food, Food technology, Taste

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The European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft, which back in January awoke from 957 days hibernation on its way to rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, has now started its first instrument observations. Included in these instruments are three NASA science packages; MIRO, ALICE, and IES, all of which have started sending science data back to Earth... Continue Reading Rosetta Comet chaser starts observations with NASA instruments

Section: Space

Tags: Comets, ESA, JPL, NASA, Rosetta, Solar System, Spacecraft

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It’s not a trick of the light or camera sensor artifacts, there are actually geometric lines etched into the lunar surface in the image above, captured by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. But these aren’t the work of ancient aliens (or Richard Hoagland’s favorite Photoshop filters) –  they’re tracks left by the Soviet rover Lunokhod 2 during its exploration of the Moon in the first few months of 1973, immediately following the end of the Apollo missions.

Lunokhod — which means “Moonwalker” — made a detailed traverse around the small crater in the center of this image, and the dark spots at the end of the tracks made by its eight wheels are where it stopped and pivoted to take panoramic images.

Although not highly publicized in the U.S. during such a politically competitive era, Lunokhod 2 was a remarkably good rover, covering an impressive 39 km during its nearly four-month journey across Mare Serenitatis. (Thanks to measurements made by LRO the rover’s exact distance is now known and the 39 km estimate is agreed upon** by both U.S. and Russian researchers.) And while it became trapped in a small crater, ending what could have been an even longer run,* Lunokhod 2′s laser reflector was angled to face Earth and thus was able to be used by researchers as recently as 2005. (Source)

Both Lunokhod rovers and their Luna landers have since been spotted by the LROC, still in the exact locations where they ceased operating in 1971 and 1973, respectively.

Want to know more about Lunokhod 2′s traverse? Read more on Arizona State University’s (recently redesigned!) LROC website here, and learn more about the first Lunokhod rover mission here.

Image credit: NASA/ GSFC/ Arizona State University

*Note: as a reader correctly pointed out, Lunokhod 2 didn’t wind up trapped in a crater per se, but the soil it inadvertently picked up while exiting said crater got dumped onto its radiators shortly afterwards, likely resulting in overheating during the following lunar days. 

**One estimate announced by Russian news in 2013 had stated the distance as 42 km.

Tagged: Apollo, LRO, LROC, Lunokhod, moon, Soviet, space

It’s Friday, so here’s whacky animated short from Helene Marchal who vastly improved this footage of a seabird poking around along the seashore with a few animated flourishes and a quirky soundtrack. On behalf of the internet would like to request many, many more of these.

When most people board a plane they’re usually leaving home. But not if you’re Bruce Campbell, an innovative engineer who rejected the standards of traditional housing and decided to engage his flight of fancy. He purchased a retired Boeing 727, complete with wings and landing gear, for about $220,000 and situated it in a suburban wooded area outside Portland, Oregon. After many years of work the plane is now a makeshift home with electricity, a shower and kitchen. It’s like a young boy’s dream come true!

Want your own airplane home? “You need to acquire two things: An airliner, and suitable land to host it.” Well, it may not be quite that simple but Campbell has a how-to guide on his webpage to shed light on the process. According to the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA) there will be 500 – 600 aircrafts retired annually over the next two decades. That’s 10,000 – 12,000 potentially new aircraft homes coming on the market. Better start making plans now! (via Bored Panda and Huffington Post)

John F. sent in his very cool Dr. Who project that debuted at Phoenix comicon last weekend. Great build John!

Hi, I just completed a replica of Handles from Doctor Who. I used an Arduino Uno, Wave shield, Proto-Screw shield, triple axis accelerometer, and class D stereo amplifier. All of which came from Adafruit.com. There’s a you tube video of Handles in operation at http://youtu.be/4csFD8Vasz8

Handles will be making his appearance in public at this weekend’s Phoenix Comicon. While Handles is not technically a wearable for Wearable Wednesdays, he will likely be hanging off my shoulder from a strap for many hours at Comicon. Enjoy!

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Featured Adafruit Products!

Adafruit Wave Shield for Arduino Kit: Adding quality audio to an electronic project is surprisingly difficult. Here is a shield for Arduinos that solves this problem. It can play up to 22KHz, 12bit uncompressed audio files of any length. It’s low cost, available as an easy-to-make kit. It has an onboard DAC, filter and op-amp for high quality output. Audio files are read off of an SD/MMC card, which are available at nearly any store. Volume can be controlled with the onboard thumbwheel potentiometer. Read more.

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Proto-Screwshield (Wingshield) kit: The next generation Proto-ScrewShield is a dual-purpose prototyping shield. Now only does it have a large 0.1″ grid prototyping area but it also extends the Arduino pins to sturdy, secure, and dependable screw terminal blocks. You even get a few bonus terminals for extra GND and four ‘free’ terminals for whatever connections you wish! Read more.

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Arduino Uno R3 (Atmega328 – assembled): The new Uno is the latest version after the Duemilanove, with an improved USB interface chip. Like the Duemilanove, it not only has an expanded shield header with a 3.3V reference and a RESET pin (which solves the problem of how to get to the RESET pin in a shield) AND a 500mA fuse to protect your computer’s USB port, but ALSO an automatic circuit to select USB or DC power without a jumper! The Uno is pin and code-compatible with the Duemilanove, Diecimilla and older Arduinos so all your shields, libraries, code will still work. The new R3 (3rd revision) of the UNO has a few minor updates, with an upgrade to the USB interface chip and additional breakouts for the i2c pins and an IORef pin. For more information about the UNO, the R3 and what the updates mean, please check our UNO FAQ! Read more.

A newly-released picture taken by the Hubble Telescope is adding more color to the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF) image by detecting thousands of galaxies in the ultraviolet spectrum. The study, called the Ultraviolet Coverage of the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (UVUDF), directly imaged stars and other celestial bodies that would have been impossible to observe on the ground, and gives astronomers critical information that will prove useful as the launch of the more powerful James Webb Space Telescope approaches... Continue Reading Hubble captures the most comprehensive image of the universe yet

Section: Science

Tags: Exoplanet, Hubble, JWST, Space telescope, Star formation, Telescope, Ultraviolet

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