GroundBot
Mobile surveillance robots are supposed to cut costs. But if they keep getting into trouble and need help, they can prove to be expensive. GroundBot is unlike any other mobile robot on the market – it was originally designed to explore other planets. In other words, the nearest helping hand would have been millions of miles away. GroundBot moves through mud, sand and snow without getting stuck. The spherical design is simplicity itself. With its large circumference, GroundBot takes all kinds of terrain in its stride. And yet its appearance is friendly and unthreatening. Continue reading »
Inside Amazon’s Very Hot Warehouse
Amazon.com did not create the notion of buying things online, but it has done more than any other retailer to move the experience into the mainstream. It has exceeded its customers’ expectations so often it must constantly struggle to top itself. “At first people were incredulous that the mouse on their computer was connected to their doorbell,” the Amazon executive Russell Grandinetti said recently. “Now they say: ‘It’s been 12 hours. Where’s my stuff?’ ”
All that stuff doesn’t magically fly to your house, even if the goal is to have it seem that way. Continue reading »
Wow! Santa Hat Brownies!
A festive dessert to get everyone into the spirit of the holidays. It really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here!
Pollution in China
Beijing authorities cancelled hundreds of flights and shut highways as thick smog descended on the Chinese capital on December 4 and 5, reducing visibility at one of the world’s busiest airports. Air quality in Beijing reached “hazardous” levels on December 5, according to the US embassy, which conducts its own measurements, while China’s state Xinhua news agency said pollution was likely to reach “dangerous” levels.
Airplanes queue to take off while shrouded in smog at Beijing International Airport on December 5, 2011. Beijing authorities cancelled hundreds of flights and shut highways as thick smog descended on the Chinese capital on December 4 and 5, reducing visibility at one of the world’s busiest airports. Air quality in Beijing reached “hazardous” levels on December 5, according to the US embassy, which conducts its own measurements, while China’s state Xinhua news agency said pollution was likely to reach “dangerous” levels. (LIU JIN/AFP/Getty Images) Continue reading »
tck tck tck Global Campaign for Climate Action
Thousands of South African youths form a giant lion head on a beach in Durban, to call for urgent action on climate change, on the sidelines of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. The event was in partnership with international artist John Quigley and supported by the “tck tck tck Global Campaign for Climate Action.” (AFP/ Greenpeace / Shayne Robinson)
Still in Steel
A member of the pro-Kremlin youth movement Stal wearing a Darth Vader mask participates in a rally in downtown Moscow. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Tuesday he’s satisfied with the performance of his party in Russia’s parliamentary election even though it lost a significant number of seats. (AP)
Cannafest 2011: International Hemp Fair in the Czech Republic
The biggest international hemp fair in the Czech Republic was held at the end of November. Cannafest introduces the best products from the field of hemp industry, starts with seeds, continues with growing technologies and ends with the final products as for example cosmetics, textiles or building materials.
Cannafest is the best way for companies from this field of interest to strengthen their positions on the Czech market, develop contacts for professionals and public but also for example to reach easier the “Eastern countries” as Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine and others as Cannafest is going to advertise totally in more then ten countries to attract as many professionals and visitors as possible. Continue reading »
From ‘Full Beards’ to ’99 Percent Beards’, Competition gets Hairy in New York
Judges Justin “Count Justidian,” left, and John Reardon, second left, inspect Kevin Cuomey’s moustache during the Second Annual Beard and Moustache Competition on Dec. 3, in Brooklyn, N.Y. Cuomey traveled from North Carolina to compete in the “Styled Mustache” category. (Claire Schneider / AP) Continue reading »
Fantastic Chromatic Typewriter
This is modified 1937 Underwood Standard typewriter, created by artist Tyree Callahan. This is fantastic – type as you draw! Please, let Tyree to win, vote for him, – just read his Facebook for details. Continue reading »
Nano Hummingbird
Named one of the “50 Best Inventions of 2011” by TIME Magazine.
AeroVironment is developing the Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) under a DARPA sponsored research contract to develop a new class of air vehicle systems capable of indoor and outdoor operation. Employing biological mimicry at an extremely small scale, this unconventional aircraft could someday provide new reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities in urban environments. Continue reading »
Madagascar’s Monster
An image from Japan’s ALOS satellite shows the estuary of the Betsiboka River, the largest river in Madagascar, flowing into Bombetoka Bay, which then opens into the Madagascar Channel. The picture was taken on Sept. 17, 2010, by the satellite’s Advanced Visible and Near Infrared Radiometer (AVNIR-2).
Art of Science 2011 Gallery
The Art of Science exhibition explores the interplay between science and art. These practices both involve the pursuit of those moments of discovery when what you perceive suddenly becomes more than the sum of its parts. Each piece in this exhibition is, in its own way, a record of such a moment.
This is the fifth Art of Science competition hosted by Princeton University. The 2011 competition drew 168 submissions from 20 departments. The exhibit includes work by undergraduates, faculty, research staff, graduate students, and alumni.
The 56 works chosen for the 2011 Art of Science exhibition represent this year’s theme of “intelligent design” which we interpret in the broadest sense. These extraordinary images are not art for art’s sake. Rather, they were produced during the course of scientific research. Entries were chosen for their aesthetic excellence as well as scientific or technical interest.
The magnetic field of the Earth has reversed its polarity several hundred times during the past 160 million years. Polarity reversals are known to be strongly irregular and chaotic, and the reversal durations are relatively short (typically a few thousand years) compared with the constant polarity intervals between reversals.
This image shows a simple deterministic model illustrating the geomagnetic reversals. The model is based on the non-linear interaction between two magnetic modes (dipole and quadrupole) and one velocity component of the Earth’s core flow, and the image shows typical trajectories in the 3D phase space. The corresponding strange attractor reproduces irregular reversals between two symmetrical states. (Christophe Gissinger / Dept. of Astrophysical Sciences/ Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory) Continue reading »
Protest Mural
Protesters take snapshots of a mural picturing people with eye patches symbolizing protesters wounded in clashes with security forces near Tahrir Square in Cairo. (AP)
Dancing in the Streets: Vintage Movie Musicals Posters
Film producer Mike Kaplan has been an avid collector of posters of movie musicals for years. As an exhibition of his favourites goes on display in New York, he offers a guide to the cream of his collection.
Three Audrey Hepburns in a black leotard, Fred Astaire with straw hat and cane, all dancing within four adjoining circles, plus a full colour Hepburn portrait, keep this Belgian poster for the delicious Funny Face in motion. Style in the movies was never better achieved than in Stanley Donen’s toast to romance and fashion. Continue reading »
Flying Over the Frozen Waters
A lorry and cars travel on a road over the ice-covered Vistula river near the village of Kiezmark. Photographer Kacper Kowalski took this image from a paraglider (Kacper Kowalski/Panos)
Skateboard Fashion on the Catwalk and High Street
Since the 1950s, skateboarding has been synonymous with surf culture, slacker kids and an anti-mainstream culture. Fast forward to 2011 and the baggy jeans, sneakers and caps that have become the skateboarder’s uniform have made their way to the catwalk.
From Martine Rose’s Spring Summer 2012 collection, her seventh season. This collection featured a collaboration with Icon Brand. Continue reading »
T-Brain by Toyota
Toyota Boshoku Corp.’s concept vehicle T-Brain is displayed during the press preview of the Tokyo Motor Show. The show opens to the public this weekend. (AP)
Skeleton Key
This Skeleton Key is a highly versatile precision mini-tool made in the USA by Triple Aught Design from a solid 6AL-4V Titanium billet. There are two variations available – Spanner and E-Key. The Spanner version is specialized for Strider pivots and our E-Key version is for electronic locks that usually require coins to unlock. Both variations are capable of removing a pestering nail or opening a cold drink. This tool will surely become an instrument for every day carry. Continue reading »
‘Give U My Heart’ Ring by Innopark
‘Give you my heart’ ring by Hong Kong’s Innopark design studio. Two well-placed cuts cleverly transform the continuity of a sterling silver band into a small inset heart shape, left either unfinished or plated in red. Material: sterling silver 925 with platinum plating. Continue reading »
Remembering George Harrison 10 Years after His Death
Ten years ago today, George Harrison died at age 58. To mark the occasion, MSNBC collected a few classic images of the legendary musician.
George Harrison in Hamburg, Germany, in April, 1961. (Juergen Vollmer / Getty Images) Continue reading »
Awesome and Free Birdy Twitter Icons
“After a huge success that we had with Ugly Birds for Twitter we have decided to continue development of icons that our users could use for Twitter. This time we’ve decided to cover all possible styles and implement them on the same bird’s shape. This is what we’ve come up with so far, but it is work in progress and we would like to extend this list, so if you have ideas for other interesting styles that we haven’t covered yet, do send us a tweet @designcontests and we may include it into the next release.” Continue reading »
Sand Portrait of Ponce de Leon
Mark Mason of Sarasota works on a St. Augustine-themed sand sculpture with a bust of Ponce de Leon at the West Palm Beach Waterfront Commons on Saturday. Mason’s company, Team Sandtastic, had four sand sculptors working on multiple sculptures throughout downtown West Palm Beach as part of the city’s Hot Cocoa Beach holiday festivities. “It’s a fast medium from conception to finish,” said Mason when he explained the sculpting process to onlookers. (Thomas Cordy/The Palm Beach Post)
iPhone Alarm Dock
That’s no ordinary cell phone you’re using. It’s a space age, multi-tasking, micro-computing, futuristic wonder. But once they’re out of your purse or pocket, too many iPhones become nothing more than fancy paperweights. Continue reading »
The Tipping Point
Inclined to have a cup of tea? This 2011 Red Dot Design winner will turn your break into a meditative escape, steeped in contemporary style. The teacup has an unusual angled bottom that allows it to rest in two different positions. On one side is a screened compartment in which you place your favorite loose tea leaves. Pour hot water through the screen and allow it to steep. Once it’s done, simply tip the cup in the other direction, lifting the leaves up out of the water. Continue reading »
The Space Hotel
Like a scene from Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, it looks like there’s a UFO landing in this forest. But far from being an opportunity to meet E.T. or the martians, it’s actually a place to sleep. That’s because the bizarre retro-looking 50s-style flying saucer situated near the town of Harads, Sweden, is actually a HOTEL. (Daily Mail Reporter) Continue reading »
