Professional Can Tossers

A video of guys tossing cans into garbage cans in a variety of impossible distances and ways.

Welcome to Lauer Custom Weaponry

Welcome to Lauer Custom Weaponry

Pamukkale

The Wikipedia article on Pamukkale (Turkish meaning "Cotton Castles"), a mineral spa that is rather spectacular. Click on the Stromboli link on the bottom for more pictures.

Floating bed

From Yahoo! News comes an article about a designer who has created a floating bed, that can also double as a dining table etc.

Thanks to C. Junceau for the lead.

Naoshima: Japan's "Art Island"

A Flickr photoset of Naoshima an island in Japan that features art and architecture.

Bump keying

A somewhat unnerving video of bump keying, a process by which it seems most cylinder locks will open with a key blank and a good jolt.

You are what you like

An interesting site that tells you a little bit about your personality based on a series of choices of photos that you are given to choose from. After doing a bunch of pictures click on the brain to see what things it will tell you!

The Best Excrement Disposal Accessories

An interesting review of Excrement Disposal Accessories (i.e. toilets) that are high tech, strange, or just, uh, interesting.

Idiot's Guide to Neural Networks

So you've watched Star Trek The Next Generation, and you love Data, the android, and have always wondered what makes his brain tick. A neural net we are told... Surely that is just fiction? Well a quick websearch tells you that neural networks are not fiction, but getting someone to tell you about them in English is really, lreally hard! Well, Richard Bowles' Idiot's Guide to Neural Networks tells you about these computer models that are based on the neurons in the human brain which scientists make behave intelligently and learn from experience. For the true geek there are computer models that you can upload to see them in action.

The Megapixel Myth

An article by Ken Rockwell called "The Megapixel Myth" which talks about why sometimes more megapixels isn't necessarily better in digital cameras depending on your use and printing ability.

Rainbow Gallery

This is the Rainbow Image Gallery from a site called Atmospheric Optics which is interesting because it talks about all kinds of different atmospheric effects, from sundogs, to moonbows to rays and shadows. It is also takes the time to describe the actual atmospheric phonomenon and what causes it.

The gallery also has a great picture of nacreous or "mother of pearl" clouds in Antartica, which has been in the news as of late for their surreal look.

Free movies and films online

These are older movies and films available online legally as they have fallen out of copyright.

Darn it! What was that song just now on the radio?

Well now you can find out on yes.com.

The Alliance to Rescue Civilization

A somewhat operatic name, but one that seems to have some legs. The Alliance to Rescue Civilization's purpose is to ensure human survival should the earth be destroyed and was just featured in a NY Times article.

Iron Man Beware! Exoskeletons, Future Soldiers and Liquid Armor

A news article from NY1 about a powered exoskeleton developed in Japan which allows the user to lift 10 times his original ability. Be sure to click on the link to the video.

On a similar note, check out the Wikipedia article on powered exoskeletons / armor, and an article from The Engineer on future soldier soldier programs across the globe, including the US Army's Integrate Future Force Warrior project.

Speaking of armor, from BusinessWeek, comes an article about liquid armor. Early next year Armor Holdings Inc. aims to start selling "liquid armor" -- garments constructed from layers of tough fibers and fluid polymers.

Abstracted: Today's body armor is composed of 20 to 30 layers of synthetic fibers and is bulky and can't stop high-velocity bullets, or all bomb fragments. Armor Holdings' product is a liquid that stiffens instantly into a shield when hit hard by an object and reverts to its liquid state just as fast when the energy from the projectile dissipates. Armor Holdings' new vests, in which the substance would be sandwiched between layers of ballistic fibers, would be lighter than current versions, which weigh four pounds or more. Liquid armor seems tailor-made for combat personnel or police, but it can also protect from stabbings, something even a top-of-the-line bulletproof vest can't do.

Global Birth and Death Rate

An interesting graphical representation of how fast the population of the world is growing by showing births and deaths.

Napoleon and the Google Microsoft war

An interesting article by an electrical engineer about how history can teach and inform about current events. Specifically, the article addresses the current war between Microsoft and Google and Napoleon's military strategies.

Ice Sculpture

This is a video of an elaborate outdoor ice sculpture nearing completion... In fact, the video shows that all the sculptor has to do to finish is to remove 4 left over ice supports and it will be done...

Coke, Soda or Pop?

I grew up calling fizzy drinks like Coca Cola "pop" and was rather interested to know that in the US some call it soda or just Coke (regardless of the actual drink). Here is a map that shows who calls it what and where in the US (click on the map for a larger, more readable version).



The original site's version of the map is interactive, showing the splits in the counties after you click on the state on the map.

Long Exposure Penlight Animations

These pictures from a Japanese blog show long exposures capturing people with penlights making freehand animations.