Some theories, most notably special and general relativity, suggest that suitable geometries of spacetime, or specific types of motion in space, might allow time travel into the past and future if these geometries or motions are possible. But that's just theory. There is no proof of travelling through time. Or is there?
YouTube link
Thursday 31 October 2013
Rare Monsters From Around The World
Everyone is familiar with the classic monster dream team of zombies and vampires that come out once a year and get down the 'Monster Mash.'
So, to shake things up and find some new frights this Halloween, the Fliki Team researched a few of the rarer legendary creatues and beasts from Japan to Central America and created some wickedly spooky illustrations to haunt your imagination.
(thanks Réka)
Picking The Right Vehicle For The Zombie Apocalypse
Which category of vehicle should you pick if you wake up one morning to find that the undead masses are going to severely hamper your daily routine?
If you are prepared and make an educated choice of vehicle then, even in the midst of the Zombie apocalypse, you can still complete the school run, your commute or maybe, just maybe, survive.
Grandpa Bill's Train Town
Grandpa Bill has been building a model train town for the past 15 years, and he finally got to see it from the train's eye view. Redditor 'Im_Not_Batman' attached a GoPro camera to a couple of his grandfather's model trains and sent the camera on an amazing journey through the town. More info at The Daily Dot.
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
5 Animals With An Extraordinary Sense Of Smell
The albatross, the Eastern American mole, silkworm moths, sharks and dogs are five animals with an extraordinary sense of smell.
The Drink Responsibly Project
The Drink Responsibly Project is a new ground-breaking online campaign launched by Nathan Cooper of Rubbishcorp. Drinkers across the internet are being encouraged to consider the consequences of their boozing in a not very hard hitting campaign.
This pioneering advertising reaches out to some people on the internet and asks them to consider whether their drinking habits are healthy.
(thanks Nathan)
Serif Vs. Sans Serif Fonts: Is One Really Better Than The Other?
There is an ongoing debate among designers - both print and digital - about what makes an ideal typeface for a project. The debate almost always breaks down to a single question: serif or sans serif?
Think about all of the things you know about serif and sans serif typefaces and all the myths associated with them. Then take a look at both categories of type and try to determine if one is really better than the other, and in what circumstance.
Wednesday 30 October 2013
Mount Etna - World Heritage List
Stunning footage of Mount Etna, an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy. It is the tallest active volcano on the European continent, currently 3,329 m (10,922 ft) high, though this varies with summit eruptions.
Vimeo link
(thanks Cora)
Vimeo link
(thanks Cora)
Treats Or Tricks? Unfortunate Vintage Candy Wrappers
The notion that poison candy is routinely distributed to unsuspecting children on Halloween is a myth perpetrated by advice columnists Dear Abby and Ann Landers in the 1980s and '90s.
But historically, candy meant for young consumers has sported poisonous-sounding, WTF wrappers and packages that most self-respecting 2013 parents would be dismayed to see dumped out of their children’s trick-or-treat bags. Collectors Weekly has a slideshow featuring a number of such gag-worthy examples of unfortunate candy-wrapper branding.
(thanks Ben)
Homes & Hues
Homes & Hues is a new website created by the people behind Neatorama. The site is geared toward architecture and interior design. Homes & Hues brings the best in everything you need to make a house a home.
From architecture to interior design, unique accessories to traditional furnishings, gourmet kitchens to modern bathrooms, they've got everything you need to get inspired.
Bodies In Urban Spaces: Human Sculpture In The City
If you live in a town or city then you are probably quite used to seeing young people lounging about in hoodies and tracksuits. Yet over the last few years the inhabitants of Paris, Vienna, Seoul, Montreal, New York and Bangor (North Wales) have woken up to something of a surprise. These Bodies in Urban Spaces have taken hanging around to a new level.
Hominid
Hominid is an animated teaser based on the Hominid series of photo composites by Brian Andrews. The Hominid animation is based on a series of photo composites created from human and veterinary X-ray films in 2005. It's beautiful and disturbing at the same time.
Vimeo link
(via Reality Carnival)
Vimeo link
(via Reality Carnival)
The Top 10 Wackiest Names For Animal Groups
Everyone knows that a group of dogs is called a pack and that a gathering of birds is a flock, but what do you call a group or gorillas? Kangaroos? Butterflies? Official proper phrases that no one outside of nature nerds will ever use, that's what.
How Much Is G.I. Joe's Secret Headquarters Worth?
A lot of G.I. Joes's missions started from inside The Pit, his secret underground headquarters. While it was a prominent part of the comic books, there was never an official playset made based on it.
The Movoto team decided that the next best thing to owning The Pit was to figure out how much the base would cost if it were a real place.
(thanks Travis)
The Faces Behind Disney's 11 Princesses
A list of the women who gave voice to your favorite princesses, from Snow White to Rapunzel.
Tuesday 29 October 2013
Art Is Motion
Your car is an extension of your personality. But what about your driving style? Lexus teamed up with an artist, a multimedia agency, and a collector to create a real-time portrait of the driver based on their acceleration, braking, steering, and speed. And the results are spectacularly surreal.
YouTube link
(via Wired)
YouTube link
(via Wired)
The Sailing Stones of Death Valley
Death Valley, located in Eastern California, USA, hosts one of the most enigmatic geological phenomenon that has puzzled scientists for decades. In Racetrack Playa are the 'sailing stones,' which seem to glide across the flat dry desert on their own, without human or animal intervention.
Although no one has actually seen the stones in action, their movement is evident in the long tracks on the ground they left through the years.
The Ocean's Most Horrifying Monster (And You've Probably Never Heard Of It)
Imagine you're a crab. You're lingering on the shoreline, the warm sun on your back, cool water in your gills. You've reached a large size, dodging the many dangers of youth. Life is going well. But today you begin to feel strange as if there is something growing inside you, and in fact, something is.
Its roots are crawling through your tissue, your gut, your brain. It's a rhizocephalan barnacle, and it's about to take you over.
The Pale Blue Dot
The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet Earth taken in 1990 by the Voyager 1 spaceprobe from a record distance of about 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles) from Earth. The Voyager 1 spacecraft, which was leaving the Solar System, was commanded by NASA to turn its camera around and to take a photograph of Earth across a great expanse of space, at the request of Carl Sagan.
YouTube link
YouTube link
The Surprising Passions Of 11 Brilliant People
Did you know that Teddy Roosevelt was a passionate boxer and had a brown belt in judo? That Amelia Earhart collected stamps? Or that Thomas Jefferson played the violin? Here are the surprising passions of 11 brilliant people.
Horrible Bosses And How To Deal With Them
It's Monday morning. You're back at your desk. But instead of feeling happy and productive, your very soul is battered and disheartened as you hear the sound of your boss entering the office. Although there are lots of fantastic bosses in the world, there are some that make you want to crawl back under your duvet and hide from the world.
However, don't despair! There are ways to tackle horrible bosses - even the very difficult ones. Here's a list of the most common types of horrible bosses and some useful advice on how to handle each one.
Monday 28 October 2013
Hot On Your Trail
It doesn't take a top-secret government spy agency with the latest surveillance gear to gather information about you. Every day, companies are gathering and sharing your data, even when you aren't logged in.
YouTube link
YouTube link
Scroll Down To Riker
William T. Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes, is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe appearing primarily as a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Throughout the series and the series of films, he is the Enterprise first officer until he accepts command of the USS Titan at the end of Star Trek: Nemesis.
In Scroll Down To Riker you got to do just that. Scrol down to see William T. Riker say something to you. Keep scrolling up and down for another phrase.
(via Neatorama)
America's Mood Map
For a country that features the word United so prominently in its name, the U.S. is a pretty fractious place. The country splinters along fault lines of income, education, religion, race, hyphenated origin, age and politics. Then there's temperament. People are coarse or courtly, traditionalist or rebel, amped up or laid-back. And it's no secret that a lot of that seems to be determined by - or at least associated with - where one lives.
Want to know which state matches your personality? Take the test. I did and according to the test, if I were an American, I belong in Georgia.
Zalipie: Poland's Painted Village
The secluded village of Zalipie in southeastern Poland is home to a charming tradition. Over a century ago the women of the village began to paint their houses: however, it was not the single, uniform color one might expect from a traditional and conservative society. The village, through the intricate and vibrant paintwork of its womenfolk, bloomed.
Monday Puzzle
The Presurfer, in cooperation with pzzlr.com, brings you a puzzle every Monday. Just to tickle your brain.
image credit: gravity_grave cc
Liam would like to take an apple to school to give to his teacher as a gift. There are 8 apples in his mother's fruit bowl from which to choose. LIam knows that all the apples weigh the same except one which is heavier. He would really like to give his teacher the heaviest apple but the problem is that they all look pretty much the same.
Luckily he has a balancing scale but is running out of time as the school bus is due at his door any minute. What is the minimum number of weighings necessary for Liam to be sure about which apple is the heavier one?
You can find the answer here.
Liam would like to take an apple to school to give to his teacher as a gift. There are 8 apples in his mother's fruit bowl from which to choose. LIam knows that all the apples weigh the same except one which is heavier. He would really like to give his teacher the heaviest apple but the problem is that they all look pretty much the same.
Luckily he has a balancing scale but is running out of time as the school bus is due at his door any minute. What is the minimum number of weighings necessary for Liam to be sure about which apple is the heavier one?
You can find the answer here.
Why Do Some People Prefer Bitter Drinks?
There's been a wave of popularity for drinks like the Aperol spritz, the Negroni, and a host of cocktails flavoured with 'bitters.' There is now a definite trend towards bitter drinks.
People are ordering whisky or gin-based drinks paired with vermouths. And there is growing interest in the US, UK and other European nations in Italian amari. Why are people turning their backs on sweet cocktails in favour of a bitter taste?
Sunday 27 October 2013
Lou Reed Dead At 71
US musician and Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed has died at the age of 71. The singer-songwriter, whose best-known hits included Perfect Day and Walk On The Wild Side, was considered one of the most influential in rock music.
The Velvet Underground became known for their fusion of art and music and collaborating with Andy Warhol. According to the Associated Press news agency, Reed's literary agent said he died of a 'liver-related ailment.'
YouTube link
The Velvet Underground became known for their fusion of art and music and collaborating with Andy Warhol. According to the Associated Press news agency, Reed's literary agent said he died of a 'liver-related ailment.'
YouTube link
Ratio
Ratio is a film by Murat Saygıner. Murat is a Turkish visionary artist who works in the fields of art photography and computer graphics, and is also known as a digital artist.
Vimeo link
Vimeo link
Who Was Dr. Frankenstein?
Was there a real Dr. Frankenstein? Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus is considered by many to be the first science fiction novel. It was written in 1816-1817, during a time when bringing the dead back to life was a serious endeavor in scientific circles.
Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (later Shelley) wrote the book as an exploration of the ethics of such experimentation and brought the question to a wider audience. The model for the character of Dr. Frankenstein could have been any, or several, of a number of actual people.
What Makes A Boomerang Come Back?
The boomerang is one of humanity's oldest heavier-than-air flying inventions. King Tutankhamen, who lived during the 14th century BC, owned an extensive collection, and aboriginal Australians used boomerangs in hunting and warfare at least as far back as 10,000 years ago.
The first boomerangs were heavy projectile objects thrown by hunters to bludgeon a target with speed and accuracy and weren't intended to return to their thrower - that is, until someone unknowingly carved the weapon into just the right shape needed for it to spin. A happy accident, huh?
The Strange Life Of Benny Hill
Benny Hill was born Alfred Hawthorne Hill on January 24, 1924. After working as a milkman and a drummer, young Alfred drifted into various performing jobs at Masonic dinners and men's clubs before graduating to night clubs and theaters. He also made several appearance on British radio in the early years. Alfred soon changed his first name to 'Benny' in honor of his favorite comedian, Jack Benny.
The Strange Life of Benny Hill.
The Red Menace: Anti-Communist Propaganda Of The Cold War
Every age has its bogeyman. If you grew up in 1950s and 60s America you would have been bombarded with anti-communist propaganda. In hindsight it is perhaps easy to raise a wry eyebrow. Yet at the time the threat was taken very seriously indeed. Here, hysteria intact, are a few of the stranger messages delivered to the American people.
Saturday 26 October 2013
The Bookmobile - The Library On Wheels Of Yesteryear
Long before Amazon was bringing books to your doorstep, there was the Bookmobile. A travelling library often used to provide books to villages and city suburbs that had no library buildings, the bookmobile went from a simple horse-drawn cart in the 19th century to large customised vehicles that became part of American culture and reached their height of popularity in the mid-twentieth century.
(via Everlasting Blort)
Step Inside The Russian Spacesuit Factory
The town of Tomilino, 16 miles southeast of Moscow, is rather unassuming about its role in the history of space exploration. A snack kiosk and a shaky sign for a bus stop are about all there is to greet a visitor getting off the commuter train.
There is no statue of the world's first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, in his bright-orange spacesuit waving to earthlings after his successful landing. But that's a shame, because Tomilino is the home of the world's few workshops where space travelers can get their outfits.
What's The Origin Of The Word Dude?
Dude is an American English slang term for an individual. It typically applies to males, although the word can encompass all genders. Dude is an old term, recognized by multiple generations although potentially with slightly different meanings.
From the 1870s to the 1960s, dude primarily meant a person who dressed in an extremely fashion-forward manner or a citified person who was visiting a rural location but stuck out. In the 1960s, dude evolved to mean companion, a meaning that slipped into mainstream American slang in the 1970s. Current slang retains at least some use of all three of these common meanings.
From the 1870s to the 1960s, dude primarily meant a person who dressed in an extremely fashion-forward manner or a citified person who was visiting a rural location but stuck out. In the 1960s, dude evolved to mean companion, a meaning that slipped into mainstream American slang in the 1970s. Current slang retains at least some use of all three of these common meanings.
How Did Ancient Greek Music Sound?
It is often forgotten that the writings at the root of Western literature - the epics of Homer, the love-poems of Sappho, the tragedies of Sophocles and Euripides - were all, originally, music. Dating from around 750 to 400 BC, they were composed to be sung in whole or part to the accompaniment of the lyre, reed-pipes, and percussion instruments.
The music of ancient Greece, unheard for thousands of years, is being brought back to life by Armand D'Angour, a musician and tutor in classics at Oxford University.
Friday 25 October 2013
Emma, Le Trèfle
Funny commercial from Le Trèfle, a French toilet tissue maker. The question is, will the digital tablet ever replace the comfort of paper? The answer: No, not always.
YouTube link
(via Humanyms)
YouTube link
(via Humanyms)
Concorde 10 Years On
Concorde captured the imagination of aviation enthusiasts and passengers across the world, even if it never lived up to its original commercial promise. For decades the supersonic airliner carried those who could afford a ticket between New York and London in three hours.
Yesterday it was 10 years ago that Concorde made its last commercial flight from New York to London. The Telegraph looks back at the history of the supersonic airliner, the Paris crash in 2000, and how it was able to cross the Atlantic in three hours.
The Disturbing World Of The Street Monkeys In Jakarta
A disturbing series of photographs about the world of street monkeys in the city of Jakarta, Indonesia, created by Finnish photographer Perttu Saska.
Trained and dressed as humans to ask for money to passersby, these monkeys have now become real objects, even wearing doll heads to accent mimicry, turning them into real living toys. A cruel phenomenon that leaves a strong sense of unease.
(via Dark Roasted Blend)
Return To 'The Crypt': Jack Davis Resurrects The Crypt-Keeper For Halloween Art Show
When iconic 'Mad Magazine' illustrator Jack Davis launched his career in the early 1950s, he made a name for himself drawing nightmarish images for EC Comics titles such as 'Tales From the Crypt.' But ask the 88-year-old artist today how he felt when he was creating these ghastly cartoons, and he reveals a side of himself that may disappoint hardcore gore groupies. 'Oh, I didn't particularly care for it.'
Starting today, Mondo Gallery in Austin is hosting an art exhibition, featuring work that pays tribute to 'Tales From the Crypt,' both the comics and the TV show. In an interview with Collectors Weekly, Davis gives the inside scoop on his horror-comics beginnings.
(thanks Lisa)
New South China Mall, Living City
Six years after the 2005 opening ceremony of the South China Mall in Dongguan, its 892,000 square metres still afford it the title of the largest shopping centre in the world. Yet less than 1% of the 2,350 planned shops are occupied.
Vimeo link
(thanks Cora)
Vimeo link
(thanks Cora)
Mission Mars One
Mars One, led by Dutch entrepeneur Bas Lansdorp, is a non-profit organization that plans to establish a permanent human colony on Mars by 2023. The first flight with a crew of 4 astronauts will depart in September 2022 for a one-way mission.
The first round of the Mars One Astronaut Selection Program began on April 22 and closed on August 31, 2013. In just 4 months, Mars One received 202,586 applications from 14 countries to become the first human settlers on the red planet.
(thanks Sophia)
Friday Cartoon By Mark Anderson
Mark Anderson is a professional cartoonist from the Chicago area. His cartoons have been published in Reader's Digest, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Woman's World and the Saturday Evening Post, to mention just a few. Among his clients are GM, General Electric, FedEx, Microsoft, and IBM.
The Game Of Thrones Travel Guide
The locations used in the filming of The Game of Thrones are nothing short of astounding. Though they have to add in some of the landmarks with a digital paintbrush, the basic landscape is often real.
This infographic will show you where you can visit Westeros sites in real life across countries such as Ireland, Scotland, Malta, Morocco, and more.
Thursday 24 October 2013
Honda Illusions, An Impossible Made Possible
Honda's new CR-V 1.6 diesel film demonstrates that not everything is what it first seems.
YouTube link
YouTube link
The Animals That Defy Belief
50 Four In The Mornings
Fifty examples chosen more or less at random from the museum of four in the morning collection.
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
Inside 9 Of The Planet's Creepiest Abandoned Cottages
The cottage: cosy, homely, comfortable. Unless it's been abandoned in a hurry, that is. Holiday cottages might be all pretty gardens and gorgeous furnishings, but cottages that have long since been left behind are altogether different.
For a growing number of urban explorers and photographers, venturing into unoccupied buildings is the perfect pastime. The results? Compelling images of decay and desertion, many with an edge of eerie beauty.
7 Things You Might Not Know About Calvin And Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes is a daily comic strip that was written and illustrated by American cartoonist Bill Watterson, and syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. It follows the humorous antics of Calvin, a precocious and adventurous six-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his sardonic stuffed tiger.
Here are 7 things you might not know about Calvin and Hobbes.
Here are 7 things you might not know about Calvin and Hobbes.
The World's Only Galloping Insect Runs Like A Race Horse
Most insects walk with an ambling, tripod gait, keeping at least three legs on the ground while the others move. But somewhere along the line, three species of dung beetle decided to break away from the alternating-leg pack, developing the only gallop in the insect world.
Instead of moving legs on each side separately, Pachysoma endroedyi, P. hippocrates and P. glentoni move each set of legs in synch, like a bounding rabbit or a speedy horse. Why exactly these beetles might have developed this gallop is unclear.
Wednesday 23 October 2013
Caminito Del Rey: The Most Dangerous Pathway In The World?
At first glance many might think they might like to have a go at doing that. Then you look down. For most people, 'might like' quickly turns into 'would never', ever in a million years. Welcome to Spain's Caminito del Rey, quite possibly the most dangerous pathway in the world.
How To Say Cheese In Other Languages
Cheese is the great uniter. Cheese brings together people from all walks of life. Cheese does not discriminate. Cheese is love! How to say cheese in 21 other languages. Dutch is not included in the list. But if you want to know, it's 'kaas.'
A History Of Experimental Planes And Flying Machines From The 1950s
A selection of the experimental flying oddities dreamed up by aeronautical engineers since the 1950s, many of which were built without the help of the advanced computing technology and sophisticated wind tunnel modelling used today.
While craft like the saucer-shaped Avrocar and the Vertijet, an aeroplane with the ability to take-off vertically, were cancelled and others failed to make it past the prototype stage, they nevertheless helped push forward the possibilities of the technology.
It's Paper
An animation project by Danish visual effects artist Pingo van der Brinkloev. It's called 'It’s Paper,' despite not being paper at all. He says: 'I wanted to make some infinite loops for istockphoto and I wanted to make a paper shader. The finished clips are actually only 4-5 seconds long but they can go on for ever. Everything is straight out of cinema4d.'
Vimeo link
(thanks Cora)
Vimeo link
(thanks Cora)
The Seven Most Incredible Telescopes In Existence
When China completes its newest telescope project in 2016, the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope, it will have a dish nearly half the size of a country (OK, only the world's smallest country, Vatican City, but still).
With FAST, scientists will be better equipped to study the universe and its mysteries, but other telescopes help research study the cosmos too, regardless of their size. Bigger isn't always better. Here are six other telescopes making astronomy better in ingenious ways.
20 British Words That Mean Something Totally Different In The U.S
In the United States they speak the same language as in Great Britain, but they don't always speak it the same way. Here are 20 words that have pretty different meanings in Great Britain than they do in the U.S.
The Strange Floating Garbage Piles Of Masakatsu Sashie
Masakatsu Sashie, a painter from Kanazawa, Japan, created huge spheres of urban detritus ripped from junkyards and apartment towers, floating above the ground like hot-air balloons made of rusted metal, household appliances, and effervescing TV screens.
Masakatsu's latest show opened this weekend at New York City's Jonathan LeVine Gallery; it's titled 'Coacervate,' which the dictionary calls an 'aggregate of colloidal droplets held together by electrostatic attractive forces.'
Tuesday 22 October 2013
Mercedes - Autonomous Driving On The Highway
The truly self-driving car will be reality by 2020. The most prominent car at the Frankfurt Auto Show was the Mercedes-Benz S500 Intelligent Drive research vehicle, which a month earlier retraced the first road trip, 103 km (64 miles), taken by the first passenger car in 1888.
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
Thomas Edison's Eccentric Job Interview Questions
Thomas Edison had an encyclopedic memory, and by the early 1920s, he had become increasingly frustrated by the fact that college graduates applying to work for him didn't have a wealth of knowledge comparable to his own.
To test the mental mettle of incoming job seekers, he administered to each a series of 150 questions, tailored to the position for which they were applying. Some were specific to the industry, while others were mysterious. Here's a cheat sheet to help you master some of the finer points.
What Happens To Coins Tossed In A Fountain?
Ever wondered about what happens to coins that are thrown into water fountains? Countless people all around the world toss coins into fountains to make wishes and for good luck. Well, the coins are removed - at least in most cases.
Japanese Wine For Cats
Japanese Pet supplement company B&H Lifes is rolling out 'wine exclusively for cats' that is called 'Nyan Nyan Nouveau.' The wine doesn't have any alcohol in it. The drink does contain juice made from Cabernet grapes, Vitamin C as well as catnip for a beverage that supposedly tastes like red wine.
The Ultimate Smartphone Photobooth
To showcase the power of Snapdragon processors, Qualcomm turned 130 Snapdragon-powered HTC One smartphones into The Ultimate Smartphone Photobooth.
YouTube link
(thanks Meg)
YouTube link
(thanks Meg)
Powerful Ads Use Real Google Searches to Show The Scope Of Sexism Worldwide
Here's a simple and powerful campaign idea from UN Women using real suggested search terms from Google's autocomplete feature. Campaign creator Christopher Hunt offers this summary: 'This campaign uses the world's most popular search engine (Google) to show how gender inequality is a worldwide problem. The adverts show the results of genuine searches, highlighting popular opinions across the world wide web.'
Since its creation, autocomplete has become a popular device for social debate but these ads do a stellar job driving home the daunting fact that enough people around the world share these vile opinions that Google has come to expect them.
Sleeping Like a Log Pillow Cushions
Not all of us always sleep like a log. But now you can relax your head and neck with a lightweight Sleep Like a Log Pillow. This novelty pillow looks like a log, but (thank goodness) doesn't feel like one. Instead it has a soft cover and fluffy stuffing. It's made from lycra fabric and styrofoam.
(thanks Cora)
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