1) "You're eating for trillions." Scientific American publishes more news on the need for microbes inside. The good news: They can be replenished.
Though I also remember that some of the methods area little...odd. Remember rePOOPulate?
2) Insect Dioramas for your delight and delectation. I'm rather fond of the sunbathing caterpillar.
3) "Edible Opera"
Michael Burton and Michiko Nitta (Burton Nitta) have created The The Algae Opera: they use mezzo-soprano opera singer Louise Ashcroft's voice--or rather, her carbon dioxide--to help grow algae which they then feed to the audience. It's meant to be an environmental statement about interdependence and food-growing alternatives, and it certainly is memorable.
I tend to trip on the statement:
"The singer has trained herself specially for this project so that she can further enhance her lung capacity to produce the best quality algae possible. The slightest changes in pitch and frequency can apparently determine the algae's color, texture and even whether it will be sweet or bitter."
Drawn from a longer, more serious article on LiveScience.
*Walks off pondering voice and taste and wondering whether the algae is served with a side-dish of cooked insect.
4) I bake a lot of bread, partly because I like the end result and partly because I enjoy the process. I love watching yeast divide, but, while I enjoy the fact that yeast is alive, I've not thought a lot about it. For example, I tend to think of it as a plant. It's actually a fungi, or rather, several fungi, that are only vaguely related. The budding stuff we use in bread is Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and it reproduces by budding (see below).
There's plenty more food for thought about all kinds of yeastsover at this Scientific American article--and maybe there's a couple things you don't want to think about. I certainly won't lose the thought of ethanol as "yeast pee" any time soon.
5) A library in Minecraft? Why, yes. Mattituck-Laurel Library in Mattituck, New York built their complete library into Minecraft, complete with clues pointing to the location of physical books, and treasure chests, and hunts.
6) Ever heard of fore-edge painting? I hadn't! It's the art of painting a picture on the book's edge in such a way that the image is only visible if the book is held at just the right angle. Some books may have more than one image! "The Secret Fore-Edge Paintings Revealed in Early 19th Century Books at the University of Iowa" has a whole collection of them, plus a couple of more videos. It's pretty amazing.
How on earth did the artists hold the books still so they could paint these? These aren't little sketches here, they're full fledged paintings!
7) And, speaking of book art, take a look at these images. Unfortunately, I can't figure out how to get a translation of the main page, but I think they're all by the live journal author in question. My personal favorite is the giraffe chewing the edge of the page. What's yours?
Showing posts with label links. Show all posts
Showing posts with label links. Show all posts
Friday, September 6, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Link List: Why cockroaches? What does a poison ring look like? Who makes toys? & Other questions and conundrums from around the web.
1) Ever wonder what a poison ring looks like? Wonder no more! There's a nice, clear picture in this io9 article on a medieval poison ring from Bulgaria. It's full of cheerful information like the fact that,
She adds reassuringly that it was probably not worn at all times.
I wonder, did the wearer have a non-poison-carrying look-alike for those occasions when he wasn't planning on killing anyone? Or did medieval men of status change their rings often enough that no one would notice? Anyone out there know?
2) Hm. Another Io9 link, this time to pictures of naturally-occurring ice sculptures. They're both stunning and odd.
3) Ever wonder why we need cockroaches? In brief: They feed rats, mice, and parasitic wasps which in turn feed other, cuter animals like cats, eagles, and coyotes. Oh, and we "we really, really need cockroach poop" for plant fertilization purposes. Remember that the next time you say "Eeew!"
And once you've said "eew," gather the squished parts of your cockroach, pop it into a mailing envelope, and send it off to the National Cockroach Project for genetic testing. The Rockefeller University has high school students (and others) making genetic bar codes of cockroach DNA. More on that here, in the livescience.com article that started this whole cockroach hunt.
4) On a peppier note, take a look at this short on toy making The Secret Story of Toys by filmmaker Anthony Ladesich and/or read the accompanying Wired article by Liz Stinson.
5) North Brother Island, New York City, once a hospital for smallpox sufferers, then a rehab clinic, is now a bird sanctuary. The buildings stand abandoned and forlorn, both beautiful and eerie.
I'm a little sad about all those left-behind books.
From: So Bad, So Good
Trailers and Entertainment News
6) And Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps on teasing us. This Level 7, focusing on Coulson, has maybe six seconds of footage we haven't seen before, but they're six good seconds!
I spotted this almost on time for last week's link list on The Mary Sue, but it was only *almost* on time; there needs to be some kind of cutoff point (except for TARDIS tours; those are special). Anyway, I also wanted to embed the trailer myself.
Got a wonderful link I missed? Contact me or leave a note in the comments to let me know.
Until next week!
according to Bonnie Petrunova, head of the dig and deputy director of the National Archaeology Institute and Museum in Sofia, that piece of jewelry has no comparison in the whole of Bulgaria.
“It’s a unique ring,” Petrunova said. “I have no doubts that the hole is there on purpose and the ring was worn on the right hand, because the hole was made in such a way so as to be covered by a finger, thus the poison could be dropped at a moment’s notice.”
She adds reassuringly that it was probably not worn at all times.
I wonder, did the wearer have a non-poison-carrying look-alike for those occasions when he wasn't planning on killing anyone? Or did medieval men of status change their rings often enough that no one would notice? Anyone out there know?
2) Hm. Another Io9 link, this time to pictures of naturally-occurring ice sculptures. They're both stunning and odd.
3) Ever wonder why we need cockroaches? In brief: They feed rats, mice, and parasitic wasps which in turn feed other, cuter animals like cats, eagles, and coyotes. Oh, and we "we really, really need cockroach poop" for plant fertilization purposes. Remember that the next time you say "Eeew!"
And once you've said "eew," gather the squished parts of your cockroach, pop it into a mailing envelope, and send it off to the National Cockroach Project for genetic testing. The Rockefeller University has high school students (and others) making genetic bar codes of cockroach DNA. More on that here, in the livescience.com article that started this whole cockroach hunt.
4) On a peppier note, take a look at this short on toy making The Secret Story of Toys by filmmaker Anthony Ladesich and/or read the accompanying Wired article by Liz Stinson.
5) North Brother Island, New York City, once a hospital for smallpox sufferers, then a rehab clinic, is now a bird sanctuary. The buildings stand abandoned and forlorn, both beautiful and eerie.
I'm a little sad about all those left-behind books.
From: So Bad, So Good
Trailers and Entertainment News
6) And Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps on teasing us. This Level 7, focusing on Coulson, has maybe six seconds of footage we haven't seen before, but they're six good seconds!
I spotted this almost on time for last week's link list on The Mary Sue, but it was only *almost* on time; there needs to be some kind of cutoff point (except for TARDIS tours; those are special). Anyway, I also wanted to embed the trailer myself.
Got a wonderful link I missed? Contact me or leave a note in the comments to let me know.
Until next week!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Link List: Flock or Swarm? The Fables Game, Blake's 7, and Other Such Items of Interest
So this week is dominated by trailers again--this time, it's game trailers, what with a Fables game coming out and the chance to explore Gaiman's Wayward Manor game site, but worry not, you can also discover the precise difference between a flock and a swarm, learn about a new species of mammal, and find out what happens to those leftover bits and pieces in second hand books (at least, it happens if Michael Popek finds them).
1) Ever wonder what the difference between a flock and a swarm is? This Scientific America article explains. In brief: Swarms are a lot less organized inside. This means the single insect has a better chance of finding a mate (probably).
2) Ooh, a newly discovered species, the olinguato, a really cute, fuzzy creature related to but smaller than the raccoon. Apparently, unlike the raccoon, it's still shy and hard to see. I wonder if it will stay that way?
3) Michael Popek, second-hand book store owner and author, keeps a collection offorgotten bookmarks, letters, recipes, pictures, and other items found in the books he sells. “Letters are my favorite thing to find,” he says, though, "Turn-of-the-century letters can be pretty dry, 'When they’re basically talking about ‘It’s time to slaughter the cow,’ or ‘Old Bessie down the road died of tuberculosis.'”
He catalogs most of them them on ForgottenBookmarks.com as well as in his books. It's only most of them: Some things are too raw, like the two-year old journal of a woman trying to get pregnant found recently. He's keeping it for her, should she ever come looking; he himself only read six pages. (Found on Narratively
4) I've mentioned insect farming before. Here's an article with a short clip on farming crickets for food. There don't seem to be any recipes, which is kind of a pity. I like the idea of insects as the new sushi.
Confession: I have eaten bugs, though not recently. I have never eaten sushi.
Trailers, Entertainment Commentary Etc.
1) An article about, and a trailer for, the upcoming Fables game, Wolf Among Us. Looks exciting and noirish, but other than, that I can't tell much. I *want* a *TV* series! I know, I know, a movie is in development, but I want the long-running, slow developing glory of it.
And if there's room for 20,000 different versions of Alice in Wonderland, there's definitely room for more than one or two fairy-tale mashup TV shows. That means we can keep Once Upon a Time as well.
2) Speaking of games, this is old(ish), but still exciting news: Neil Gaiman is working on a computer game, Wayward Manor. That's Neil Gaiman writing a game, in case you missed it. The protagonist--you--is a ghost trying to clear out all the pesky living residents of Wayward Manor, starting the roaring twenties, which are busy "roaring elsewhere," as Gaiman puts it, and running forward to the future (How far? Who knows!). Sounds like there are one or two mysteries about life and death to solve along the way. In an interview with Mashable, Gaiman adds the additional bit, "I don't want to give anything away but it's safe to say you were killed in the 1880s and you were killed for a reason."
Visit the Wayward Manor website for more images and information.
3) I haven't read this (yet), so I probably shouldn't recommend it, but, seriously: Rex Libris tells "the story of Rex Libris, the tough-as-nails Head Librarian at Middleton Public Library, and his unending struggle against the forces of darkness."
The website is awesome, and gives a brief history of the Ordo Bibliotheca. Here, one may learn among other things, just how useful the library has been in foiling invasion plans:
Here, also, you may learn about the sinister secrets of the missing numbers in the Dewey Decimal System. Think that the absence of number 217 is a coincidence or an oversight? Think again!
Look for reviews of the first two volumes soon, because I am going to read them!
4) In a news-like item: The remake of Blake's 7 might actually be done by Microsoft on X-Box rather than the SyFy channel on cable TV. At least, I'd think BBC News might know what they're talking about, seeing as the show originated in their neck of the woods and all. I say "news like" because it's all "might" and "maybe," but I'm pointing it out, because I keep on following the various and sundry erratic and generally abortive attempts to remake a show that I love. Maybe one day, someone will do it, and maybe they'll even do a good job. If nothing else, they might manage that US DVD release. Please?
5)I kept debating whether or not to link to The Romantics: The Avengers of Classic Lit, complete with superhero powers for Wordsworth, Byron, Keats & co because I loved it so much I shared it all over the web the moment I saw it, but I still love it, and you may have missed it, and even if you've already seen it, you might enjoy seeing it again, so I'm adding it to the list!
6) And finally, in what might end up being the "Dave Elliott" or at least the "Weirding Willows" section of the weekly link list, Dave Elliott has provided a map of Willow Weir (no labels yet, but they are promised). Also up this week is Weirding Willows #1, in its entirety. The Comixology version is easier to read (and only 99 cents), but this free version has additional author comments below, and is therefore worth a look or two either instead of (as you decide whether or not the story has you hooked) or in addition to. I had a mild amount of trouble tracking the pages in order, so here they are, linked for your convenience:
page 1, Page 2, page 3, page 4, page 5, page 6.
Did I miss something wonderful? Let me know, either here in the contacts or by email!
1) Ever wonder what the difference between a flock and a swarm is? This Scientific America article explains. In brief: Swarms are a lot less organized inside. This means the single insect has a better chance of finding a mate (probably).
2) Ooh, a newly discovered species, the olinguato, a really cute, fuzzy creature related to but smaller than the raccoon. Apparently, unlike the raccoon, it's still shy and hard to see. I wonder if it will stay that way?
3) Michael Popek, second-hand book store owner and author, keeps a collection offorgotten bookmarks, letters, recipes, pictures, and other items found in the books he sells. “Letters are my favorite thing to find,” he says, though, "Turn-of-the-century letters can be pretty dry, 'When they’re basically talking about ‘It’s time to slaughter the cow,’ or ‘Old Bessie down the road died of tuberculosis.'”
He catalogs most of them them on ForgottenBookmarks.com as well as in his books. It's only most of them: Some things are too raw, like the two-year old journal of a woman trying to get pregnant found recently. He's keeping it for her, should she ever come looking; he himself only read six pages. (Found on Narratively
4) I've mentioned insect farming before. Here's an article with a short clip on farming crickets for food. There don't seem to be any recipes, which is kind of a pity. I like the idea of insects as the new sushi.
Confession: I have eaten bugs, though not recently. I have never eaten sushi.
Trailers, Entertainment Commentary Etc.
1) An article about, and a trailer for, the upcoming Fables game, Wolf Among Us. Looks exciting and noirish, but other than, that I can't tell much. I *want* a *TV* series! I know, I know, a movie is in development, but I want the long-running, slow developing glory of it.
And if there's room for 20,000 different versions of Alice in Wonderland, there's definitely room for more than one or two fairy-tale mashup TV shows. That means we can keep Once Upon a Time as well.
2) Speaking of games, this is old(ish), but still exciting news: Neil Gaiman is working on a computer game, Wayward Manor. That's Neil Gaiman writing a game, in case you missed it. The protagonist--you--is a ghost trying to clear out all the pesky living residents of Wayward Manor, starting the roaring twenties, which are busy "roaring elsewhere," as Gaiman puts it, and running forward to the future (How far? Who knows!). Sounds like there are one or two mysteries about life and death to solve along the way. In an interview with Mashable, Gaiman adds the additional bit, "I don't want to give anything away but it's safe to say you were killed in the 1880s and you were killed for a reason."
Visit the Wayward Manor website for more images and information.
3) I haven't read this (yet), so I probably shouldn't recommend it, but, seriously: Rex Libris tells "the story of Rex Libris, the tough-as-nails Head Librarian at Middleton Public Library, and his unending struggle against the forces of darkness."
The website is awesome, and gives a brief history of the Ordo Bibliotheca. Here, one may learn among other things, just how useful the library has been in foiling invasion plans:
With the innovation of the teleportation crystal in 1921 by Litteratus Magi Rex Libris, a whole new era in lending opened up: interstellar book loans became possible. By 1960, over ten thousand volumes of extraterrestrial origin had been collected and stored at the Middleton Book Repository, a ceramic encased bunker deep beneath the Middleton Public Library. It remains one of the most important reference collections of xenognomic material, and is often used by the Pentagon during alien invasions.
Here, also, you may learn about the sinister secrets of the missing numbers in the Dewey Decimal System. Think that the absence of number 217 is a coincidence or an oversight? Think again!
Look for reviews of the first two volumes soon, because I am going to read them!
4) In a news-like item: The remake of Blake's 7 might actually be done by Microsoft on X-Box rather than the SyFy channel on cable TV. At least, I'd think BBC News might know what they're talking about, seeing as the show originated in their neck of the woods and all. I say "news like" because it's all "might" and "maybe," but I'm pointing it out, because I keep on following the various and sundry erratic and generally abortive attempts to remake a show that I love. Maybe one day, someone will do it, and maybe they'll even do a good job. If nothing else, they might manage that US DVD release. Please?
5)I kept debating whether or not to link to The Romantics: The Avengers of Classic Lit, complete with superhero powers for Wordsworth, Byron, Keats & co because I loved it so much I shared it all over the web the moment I saw it, but I still love it, and you may have missed it, and even if you've already seen it, you might enjoy seeing it again, so I'm adding it to the list!
6) And finally, in what might end up being the "Dave Elliott" or at least the "Weirding Willows" section of the weekly link list, Dave Elliott has provided a map of Willow Weir (no labels yet, but they are promised). Also up this week is Weirding Willows #1, in its entirety. The Comixology version is easier to read (and only 99 cents), but this free version has additional author comments below, and is therefore worth a look or two either instead of (as you decide whether or not the story has you hooked) or in addition to. I had a mild amount of trouble tracking the pages in order, so here they are, linked for your convenience:
page 1, Page 2, page 3, page 4, page 5, page 6.
Did I miss something wonderful? Let me know, either here in the contacts or by email!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Link List Addendum: Explore the TARDIS via Google Maps
 |
| The TARDIS image via GoogleMaps |
Because I'm a curious sort, I had to go & figure out what the address to type in really is. You can either follow the directions above, or you can go to maps.google.com and type in
Police Telephone Box
Earl's Court Rd, London, Greater London SW5 9RB, United Kingdom
And then click on the image of the TARDIS that shows up below the address.
*Off to explore some more.
Link List: The Life Cycle of a library book, the promise of singing dragons, and more!
1) Here's a beautiful little essay by "a librarian" about "The Life of a Library Book" describing the cycle a book takes from the moment of purchase to the final visit to the repair shop and out to the library bookstore.
As a frequenter of both libraries and library book stores, I had to say "awwww."
2) Books on Bikes: A librarian pedals his books to the farmer's market in Seattle.
*Pauses in admiration
He hauls a trailer full of books so people can check out library books while they do their grocery shopping. He also carries an iPad linked to the library system so they can get their library cards.
3) And here are some gorgeous photos of native bees. I've seen the metallic green bees. Now I'm going to have to start keeping my eyes open for some of the others. Ever noticed how you don't see some things until you know to look for them?
Sometimes the week's links skew toward arts and entertainment, of the geeky sort.
1) Check out this article on Collider.com on Bret McKenzie's newest project, a comedy that Involves “Singing Dragons and Monsters".
Do I have to tell you why singing dragons are awesome?
I doubt it! Oh, and there's more:
McKenzie revealed that he’s currently writing a film of his own that he describes as “a fairy tale comedy musical.” The Muppets co-writer and director James Bobin is helping McKenzie develop the property, which will involve singing dragons and monsters and draws on elements from both The Muppets and The Princess Bride.....
I want to make a comedy musical with singing dragons and monsters and stuff. [It’s] live-action, so it would be a mixture of The Muppets and The Princess Bride.”
That's the Muppets, Labyrinth, and Princess Bride that just got name-dropped. I don't know about you, but I'm excited!
There's also a video interview with him in the main article.
2)Curious about cover development? Here, Dave Elliott talks about cover design for the upcoming A1 Annual and reveals how the coffee got there.
I always enjoy this kind of behind-the scenes discussion. Books-as-objects are interesting in their own right, and this adds a bit about making the cover work digitally (as a non-object??) as well as on the bound book.
3) And in case you've missed it, the trailer for Thor: Dark World came out. I am not quite in the breathless excitement phase of looking forward to this; I liked Thor, but in a "Yes, that was fun" way rather than in a "I must see more at once!" fashion. On the other hand, I loved The Avengers with a great and astonishing "must see again!" love, and now that the "origin story" (of sorts) is out of the way, Marvel can go roaring ahead to tell a grand space opera. Oh, and it has Loki in it. No one does the "crazed villain" grin like Tom Hiddleston!
4) And we got maybe two seconds worth of new material in the latest Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. trailer, spotlighting Skye. This did not stop me from watching it several times. I am in breathless excitement mode for this show. As I may have mentioned, I loved The Avengers, Agent Coulson is awesome, and I like team shows (even if the S.H.I.E.L.D. folks are "not exactly a team").
Did I miss something awesome? Let me know in the comments or by using the "Contact Me" button up top!
Til next week!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Link List: It Sounds Better in the Original Klingon, Eating Grubs, Libraries, Libraries, and More Libraries
1) There are times when only the original Klingon will do. Netflix wants to make sure their Klingon and Vulcan subtitles are accurate, so they're taking down Star Trek III: The Search for Spock until they can get the translations right. Apparently, dubbing just annoys people, and Netflix figures it can get the translations done within a week.
Or maybe they've managed? Any brave readers out there with a) Netflix accounts and b) fluency in Klingon, Vulcan, or both who can tell me? Is it improved?
2) Speaking of Klingons, Industrial designer Katharina Unger’s Farm 432 has figured out what to feed your friends when they visit: They've designed a grow your own grubs kitchen appliance that lets you turn one gram of black soldier fly eggs turn into two point four kilogram of larvae protein in a mere four hundred and thirty-two hours--or eighteen days, for those of you who, like me, wondered and, like me, need a calculator to figure these things out.
When I shared the news at first, people kept asking "But what do you feed them?"
According to Farm 432, while the "Black soldier fly adults don´t eat, the larvae can be fed on bio waste, therefore the production almost costs no water or CO2." So: kitchen scraps to tasty, fried larva in just over two weeks! Yummy!(?)
This has all kinds of benefits. Not only can you save the environment by eating a low-impact protein, you can lose weight on a low-fat diet, and you can serve it raw to your Klingon and Ferengi friends while lightly crisping it for the less-adventurous humans. It's a win-win-win scenario.
See more: Farm 432 found first at NY Daily News.
3) Speaking of multi-legged creatures (at least, potentially so; you're supposed to eat the flies before they hit that stage), I continue my obsession with spiders Wired just posted a gallery of spider photos by Nicky Bay, and they are indeed "Exquisitely Weird.".
4) Spiders aren't just eight-legged bug-killing machines. It turns out they have different personalities, and in social colonies, take on different roles. Some run to attack, some stay in the center, where they presumably are doing something useful, though the studies described in this Wired article haven't gotten to that yet. Perhaps they are dreaming up different web designs? Or just wanting to be left alone to read for a while, undisturbed by graduate students thinking up new and creative ways to simulate insect landing. Hm...maybe the spiders that attack under those situations are not so much "bold" as "gullible and insanely optimistic."
5) Jack Longino, a biology professor at the University of Utah, recently published a paper on thirty-three new species of ant found in Central America and the Caribbean. He describes them as "horrifying to look at up close" and named most of them after various Mayan demons. This is from someone who likes the creatures! They are pretty cool-looking, I have to admit. See also this article from the University of Utah news for more detail and images.
6) You can always count on The Mary Sue for good stuff. Here, the staff has found some awesome noir Star Wars posters by Dean Reeves. My favorite is "This Gun for Hire" though "The Big Sleep" comes close! What about you? Got a favorite?
Libraries, Libraries, and More Libraries
6) Libraries are awesome! Libraries in airports? Even better! Some libraries are still pretty much the local library: You need a card to check books out and had better return them on time. Others are more relaxed: Travelers can take books with or without promise of return, although (and this does wonders for my faith in the human race) many people do return the books, even if they have to mail them back.
7) Got an abandoned Walmart? Turn it into a library! That's what McAllen, Texas did. It's gorgeous! Take a look. I'm very fond of the libraries around here, but I'm almost jealous.
8) Have you read about the Little Free Library movement yet yet? If not, take a minute to do so! Or, just accept that they are little boxes where individuals share books with their neighbors, with no expectation said books will actually be returned, and where sometimes complete strangers add more books. It's also organized.
Now that you know that, take a look at this gallery of 5 of the Coolest Little Free Libraries on BookRiot.
9) And here is a gallery of "62 of the World's Most Beautiful Libraries" on MentalFloss. Why 62 and not 60 or 37 or some other number? Who can say?
I admit to some mild disillusionment on one count: It doesn't look like the author, Jill Harness, actually did a worldwide photographic tour of libraries herself, which would've been awesome and would have made me wonder how I could get such an assignment, but hey, it is a great collection of images all the same.
10) And while we're counting, here's "25 hilarious street art and mural works" courtesy of ebookfriendly.com. Several of these are about libraries and many are on library walls. Me, I like the Dr. Seuss mural best. How about you?
Miscellany (As opposed to the rest of the chatter up there).
By the way, remember Arwen Spicer of Hour Before Morning? The film well on its way to completion and has been submitted to various festivals (more on that later). She's now working on another film, The Eater, so if you're in and around Eugene and want to contribute your skills as a costume designer to an exciting and interesting independent project, contact her. To find out more about the job, check her advertisement here. The movie also has a Facebook page where you can look at concept art and see updates on its development.
Or maybe they've managed? Any brave readers out there with a) Netflix accounts and b) fluency in Klingon, Vulcan, or both who can tell me? Is it improved?
2) Speaking of Klingons, Industrial designer Katharina Unger’s Farm 432 has figured out what to feed your friends when they visit: They've designed a grow your own grubs kitchen appliance that lets you turn one gram of black soldier fly eggs turn into two point four kilogram of larvae protein in a mere four hundred and thirty-two hours--or eighteen days, for those of you who, like me, wondered and, like me, need a calculator to figure these things out.
When I shared the news at first, people kept asking "But what do you feed them?"
According to Farm 432, while the "Black soldier fly adults don´t eat, the larvae can be fed on bio waste, therefore the production almost costs no water or CO2." So: kitchen scraps to tasty, fried larva in just over two weeks! Yummy!(?)
This has all kinds of benefits. Not only can you save the environment by eating a low-impact protein, you can lose weight on a low-fat diet, and you can serve it raw to your Klingon and Ferengi friends while lightly crisping it for the less-adventurous humans. It's a win-win-win scenario.
See more: Farm 432 found first at NY Daily News.
3) Speaking of multi-legged creatures (at least, potentially so; you're supposed to eat the flies before they hit that stage), I continue my obsession with spiders Wired just posted a gallery of spider photos by Nicky Bay, and they are indeed "Exquisitely Weird.".
4) Spiders aren't just eight-legged bug-killing machines. It turns out they have different personalities, and in social colonies, take on different roles. Some run to attack, some stay in the center, where they presumably are doing something useful, though the studies described in this Wired article haven't gotten to that yet. Perhaps they are dreaming up different web designs? Or just wanting to be left alone to read for a while, undisturbed by graduate students thinking up new and creative ways to simulate insect landing. Hm...maybe the spiders that attack under those situations are not so much "bold" as "gullible and insanely optimistic."
5) Jack Longino, a biology professor at the University of Utah, recently published a paper on thirty-three new species of ant found in Central America and the Caribbean. He describes them as "horrifying to look at up close" and named most of them after various Mayan demons. This is from someone who likes the creatures! They are pretty cool-looking, I have to admit. See also this article from the University of Utah news for more detail and images.
6) You can always count on The Mary Sue for good stuff. Here, the staff has found some awesome noir Star Wars posters by Dean Reeves. My favorite is "This Gun for Hire" though "The Big Sleep" comes close! What about you? Got a favorite?
Libraries, Libraries, and More Libraries
6) Libraries are awesome! Libraries in airports? Even better! Some libraries are still pretty much the local library: You need a card to check books out and had better return them on time. Others are more relaxed: Travelers can take books with or without promise of return, although (and this does wonders for my faith in the human race) many people do return the books, even if they have to mail them back.
7) Got an abandoned Walmart? Turn it into a library! That's what McAllen, Texas did. It's gorgeous! Take a look. I'm very fond of the libraries around here, but I'm almost jealous.
8) Have you read about the Little Free Library movement yet yet? If not, take a minute to do so! Or, just accept that they are little boxes where individuals share books with their neighbors, with no expectation said books will actually be returned, and where sometimes complete strangers add more books. It's also organized.
Now that you know that, take a look at this gallery of 5 of the Coolest Little Free Libraries on BookRiot.
9) And here is a gallery of "62 of the World's Most Beautiful Libraries" on MentalFloss. Why 62 and not 60 or 37 or some other number? Who can say?
I admit to some mild disillusionment on one count: It doesn't look like the author, Jill Harness, actually did a worldwide photographic tour of libraries herself, which would've been awesome and would have made me wonder how I could get such an assignment, but hey, it is a great collection of images all the same.
10) And while we're counting, here's "25 hilarious street art and mural works" courtesy of ebookfriendly.com. Several of these are about libraries and many are on library walls. Me, I like the Dr. Seuss mural best. How about you?
Miscellany (As opposed to the rest of the chatter up there).
By the way, remember Arwen Spicer of Hour Before Morning? The film well on its way to completion and has been submitted to various festivals (more on that later). She's now working on another film, The Eater, so if you're in and around Eugene and want to contribute your skills as a costume designer to an exciting and interesting independent project, contact her. To find out more about the job, check her advertisement here. The movie also has a Facebook page where you can look at concept art and see updates on its development.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Link List: July 30, 2013
Scientists dropping cats, John Williams scoring Star Wars, robotic octopi, hermit crabs carrying crystalline cities, and other wonders come your way on this week's link list!
1) In the 19th century, many of the most brilliant scientists around were fascinated by...dropping cats and watching them land on their feet.
It's complicated.
No--really, it is. Read the article!
2) John Williams is going to be writing the music for Star Wars VII! There's also a short interview with him about the work, which is great.
I've been more-or-less indifferent (in a sort of once-burned kind of way) to the news of the new movies, but--John Williams is writing the score. For that, I'll start paying attention.
3) The robot of the future may look more like an octopus than a human. At least, some roboticists are looking forward to duplicating the octopus's flexibility and mobility.
Says Carmel Majidi, of the Soft Machines Lab at Carnegie Mellon University “Like an octopus squeezing through a narrow opening . . . a soft robot must adapt its shape and locomotion strategy for a broad range of tasks, obstacles and environmental conditions.”
We're not there yet, but it's intriguing.
The above link is to the Scientific American article; Io9 cites the article in an oddly titled article "Your Cyborg Octopus is Almost Ready" --and they, of all people, know the difference between a cyborg and a robot. However, all is forgiven because they had the good sense to include an incredible space-octopus illustration by benttibisson (Also, I have to admit, it is a catchy title). In addition, they have a video of the Octopus Integration Project work on duplicating a single tentacle.
Incidentally: Isn't the "Octopus Integration Project" a great name?
Aaand, for those of you who missed it the first time around, here's a link to Robugtix's "Bio Inspired 3D Printed Spider Octopod Robot" It has nothing to do with the octopus project as such, being quite thoroughly solid and skeletoned and all the things they don't want their prototypes to be, but it's kind of cute--a sort of a cross between a spider and an octopus, and it dances.
4) Ooh, look at these designer hermit crab shells. Japanese artist Aki Inomata used 3-D printing to create crystalline cities for hermit crabs to wear.
See more of her work on her website.
I have a soft spot for anyone who takes her parakeet with her to French language-lessons. I can't find the video that's supposed to be there, though. Anyone else see it?
5) Fourteen facts about Beatrix Potter. She kept sheep. She self-published her first book...
I've never quite fully gotten the charm of the Potter books, but she is one of those lynchpin authors who inspire all sorts of interesting other stories. Also, these little snippets about her life are interesting in their own right.
Something to read
6) And, speaking of Beatrix Potter, Dave Elliott has some Weirding Willows shorts up on his site. Russel's Son; "Origins of Evil part 1 (featuring the Cheshire Cat!) and "Origins of Evil" part 2.
If you don't get the Potter reference: Elliott's Weirding Willows is, among other things, a wonderful mashup, mixup, and retelling of multiple nineteenth century tales. Benjamin Bunny is a significant character and assorted other Potter creations show up.
1) In the 19th century, many of the most brilliant scientists around were fascinated by...dropping cats and watching them land on their feet.
It's complicated.
No--really, it is. Read the article!
2) John Williams is going to be writing the music for Star Wars VII! There's also a short interview with him about the work, which is great.
I've been more-or-less indifferent (in a sort of once-burned kind of way) to the news of the new movies, but--John Williams is writing the score. For that, I'll start paying attention.
3) The robot of the future may look more like an octopus than a human. At least, some roboticists are looking forward to duplicating the octopus's flexibility and mobility.
Says Carmel Majidi, of the Soft Machines Lab at Carnegie Mellon University “Like an octopus squeezing through a narrow opening . . . a soft robot must adapt its shape and locomotion strategy for a broad range of tasks, obstacles and environmental conditions.”
We're not there yet, but it's intriguing.
The above link is to the Scientific American article; Io9 cites the article in an oddly titled article "Your Cyborg Octopus is Almost Ready" --and they, of all people, know the difference between a cyborg and a robot. However, all is forgiven because they had the good sense to include an incredible space-octopus illustration by benttibisson (Also, I have to admit, it is a catchy title). In addition, they have a video of the Octopus Integration Project work on duplicating a single tentacle.
Incidentally: Isn't the "Octopus Integration Project" a great name?
Aaand, for those of you who missed it the first time around, here's a link to Robugtix's "Bio Inspired 3D Printed Spider Octopod Robot" It has nothing to do with the octopus project as such, being quite thoroughly solid and skeletoned and all the things they don't want their prototypes to be, but it's kind of cute--a sort of a cross between a spider and an octopus, and it dances.
4) Ooh, look at these designer hermit crab shells. Japanese artist Aki Inomata used 3-D printing to create crystalline cities for hermit crabs to wear.
See more of her work on her website.
I have a soft spot for anyone who takes her parakeet with her to French language-lessons. I can't find the video that's supposed to be there, though. Anyone else see it?
5) Fourteen facts about Beatrix Potter. She kept sheep. She self-published her first book...
I've never quite fully gotten the charm of the Potter books, but she is one of those lynchpin authors who inspire all sorts of interesting other stories. Also, these little snippets about her life are interesting in their own right.
Something to read
6) And, speaking of Beatrix Potter, Dave Elliott has some Weirding Willows shorts up on his site. Russel's Son; "Origins of Evil part 1 (featuring the Cheshire Cat!) and "Origins of Evil" part 2.
If you don't get the Potter reference: Elliott's Weirding Willows is, among other things, a wonderful mashup, mixup, and retelling of multiple nineteenth century tales. Benjamin Bunny is a significant character and assorted other Potter creations show up.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
The Link List--July 27, 2013
Welcome to the link list! Here's the weird, wonderful, and strange rounded up for your enjoyment and delectation! Here, you may envision free-falling from the Eiffel Tower, seeing life through a peahen's eyes, wearing dresses made of book pages, a Dr. Seuss version of the Call of Cthullu, and much more!
1) Does free-falling from Eiffel Tower sound like fun? An 1891 French inventor, Carron, apparently thought so it did. He designed a padded vehicle that would cushion riders as they plummeted from the top into a champagne glass-shaped pool at the bottom. Read more on Io9.
There's no evidence anyone ever actually tried the ride.
2) What does a Peahen want, anyway? Michael Platt, a neuroscientist at Duke University, uses an eye-tracking camera to watch what a peahen watches as a peacock tries to impress her. Evidently, the tail width and tail-shaking are more important than the eyespots--maybe.
They covered one eye for this, for tracking purposes. Do two-eyed peahens track differently? Presumably they let the poor thing get used to walking around one-eyed and with a helmet on before they started in on the experiment.
I was also intrigued by the video of eye-tracking as someone made a peanut butter sandwich (Peahens not included). The person making the sandwich often flicked her eyes to the next step while making the sandwich. I admit, though, I was doing some eye-flicking myself and thinking things like "Is she going to drink juice with that?" at least as often as I was thinking "Oh, look. Her eyes are on the jam now. She must be planning the next step." Do actual scientists have this kind of a problem? How often do they watch each video before drawing conclusions? Inquiring minds would like to know.
3) House sparrows are endangered in England? House sparrows?! Wow. I thought people and sparrows went together like, well, like peanut butter and jelly. There's a problem, though: As people get better at insulating houses, they also get better at locking sparrows out. So, Aaron Dunkerton, an England-based designer, has designed a brick (actually five bricks properly arranged) that has holes just the right size for bird nesting. They haven't really been tested out in actual buildings, but he hopes that ultimately they'll be required in buildings, making house sparrows un-endangered again.
*Looks outside at the bird bath.
It's hard to believe they ever could be in danger of disappearing around here, but it would be a shame if they did!
4) The Call of Cthulhu for Beginning Readers is up on DrFaustusAU's Deviant Art page. It turns out that Dr. Seuss's style is admirably suited for twisted, nightmare architecture.
I've only been able to "properly" (Ie: using link buttons) share a page at a time, but you really should at least look at the whole thing. It's hilarious--in a might drive you insane kind of way.
5) The highest living animal in the world? A spider, of course! To be precise, it's the Himalayan Jumping Spider (and the bugs it eats) lives at 22,000 feet. It's a jumping spider, which means it's completely adorable as well as being highly impressive.
PBS.org has a video of the the Himalayan Jumping Spider jumping, right here. I'm linking rather than embedding for those few of you who (unfathomably) won't find it cute.
6) Scissors that cut a perfectly straight line? Without a ruler? I want! I want! Tamás Fekete, who is studying industrial design at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Hungary, got tired of using multiple tools to cut a single line. Over a six-month period, he designed a wonderful pair of straight-line scissors that also angle the paper to prevent paper cuts.
They're not commercially available yet, though. Too bad! As someone who struggles to get the pencil line straight in the first place and who wages an ongoing and not-entirely successful battle with paper-cutters, I can't tell you how awesome I think these are!
7) Someone recently made a dress entirely of books. I wonder which ones? Anyway, it's impressive! Even more impressive is the fact that, according to my source, (GalleyCat--found via Quirk Books), a Google Image search for "dress made of books" yields scads of book dresses. Part of me is horrified--these are books you're talking about! Part of me is really, really impressed. These are dresses made of books! Or--most of them are. The search could use a little refining, but it's worth looking at anyway.
Highlights from the Google search:
Just look at this impressive gown designed by DJ Gramann. That's a stunning train there. Just looking at the image, I thought it was a wedding dress (which would be incredible, don't you think?). Instead, it's was for "Monday's Ivy Awards." Which Monday not quite specified, but it was sometime last year.
Or here is the Golden Book Gown. Remember those?
A search for "wedding dress made of books" did not give me any actual wedding dresses, but it did yield a lovely gown made out of Angela Carter's Book of Fairy Tales for a fairy tale reading. Close enough!
8) Check out Io9's collection of London Smog photos! More and more I'm struck by how recent this was. I tend to think of it as "back in Victorian times," but the truth is, it stuck around much longer than that.
Note: Some of you may have seen this already under another title. I meant to post this Tuesday. Obviously, my scheduling skills need work! Rather than leave a dead-link, I'll just say "Hey, have TWO lists this week, aren't I kind?" ;)
1) Does free-falling from Eiffel Tower sound like fun? An 1891 French inventor, Carron, apparently thought so it did. He designed a padded vehicle that would cushion riders as they plummeted from the top into a champagne glass-shaped pool at the bottom. Read more on Io9.
There's no evidence anyone ever actually tried the ride.
2) What does a Peahen want, anyway? Michael Platt, a neuroscientist at Duke University, uses an eye-tracking camera to watch what a peahen watches as a peacock tries to impress her. Evidently, the tail width and tail-shaking are more important than the eyespots--maybe.
They covered one eye for this, for tracking purposes. Do two-eyed peahens track differently? Presumably they let the poor thing get used to walking around one-eyed and with a helmet on before they started in on the experiment.
I was also intrigued by the video of eye-tracking as someone made a peanut butter sandwich (Peahens not included). The person making the sandwich often flicked her eyes to the next step while making the sandwich. I admit, though, I was doing some eye-flicking myself and thinking things like "Is she going to drink juice with that?" at least as often as I was thinking "Oh, look. Her eyes are on the jam now. She must be planning the next step." Do actual scientists have this kind of a problem? How often do they watch each video before drawing conclusions? Inquiring minds would like to know.
3) House sparrows are endangered in England? House sparrows?! Wow. I thought people and sparrows went together like, well, like peanut butter and jelly. There's a problem, though: As people get better at insulating houses, they also get better at locking sparrows out. So, Aaron Dunkerton, an England-based designer, has designed a brick (actually five bricks properly arranged) that has holes just the right size for bird nesting. They haven't really been tested out in actual buildings, but he hopes that ultimately they'll be required in buildings, making house sparrows un-endangered again.
*Looks outside at the bird bath.
It's hard to believe they ever could be in danger of disappearing around here, but it would be a shame if they did!
4) The Call of Cthulhu for Beginning Readers is up on DrFaustusAU's Deviant Art page. It turns out that Dr. Seuss's style is admirably suited for twisted, nightmare architecture.
I've only been able to "properly" (Ie: using link buttons) share a page at a time, but you really should at least look at the whole thing. It's hilarious--in a might drive you insane kind of way.
5) The highest living animal in the world? A spider, of course! To be precise, it's the Himalayan Jumping Spider (and the bugs it eats) lives at 22,000 feet. It's a jumping spider, which means it's completely adorable as well as being highly impressive.
PBS.org has a video of the the Himalayan Jumping Spider jumping, right here. I'm linking rather than embedding for those few of you who (unfathomably) won't find it cute.
6) Scissors that cut a perfectly straight line? Without a ruler? I want! I want! Tamás Fekete, who is studying industrial design at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in Hungary, got tired of using multiple tools to cut a single line. Over a six-month period, he designed a wonderful pair of straight-line scissors that also angle the paper to prevent paper cuts.
They're not commercially available yet, though. Too bad! As someone who struggles to get the pencil line straight in the first place and who wages an ongoing and not-entirely successful battle with paper-cutters, I can't tell you how awesome I think these are!
7) Someone recently made a dress entirely of books. I wonder which ones? Anyway, it's impressive! Even more impressive is the fact that, according to my source, (GalleyCat--found via Quirk Books), a Google Image search for "dress made of books" yields scads of book dresses. Part of me is horrified--these are books you're talking about! Part of me is really, really impressed. These are dresses made of books! Or--most of them are. The search could use a little refining, but it's worth looking at anyway.
Highlights from the Google search:
Just look at this impressive gown designed by DJ Gramann. That's a stunning train there. Just looking at the image, I thought it was a wedding dress (which would be incredible, don't you think?). Instead, it's was for "Monday's Ivy Awards." Which Monday not quite specified, but it was sometime last year.
Or here is the Golden Book Gown. Remember those?
A search for "wedding dress made of books" did not give me any actual wedding dresses, but it did yield a lovely gown made out of Angela Carter's Book of Fairy Tales for a fairy tale reading. Close enough!
8) Check out Io9's collection of London Smog photos! More and more I'm struck by how recent this was. I tend to think of it as "back in Victorian times," but the truth is, it stuck around much longer than that.
Note: Some of you may have seen this already under another title. I meant to post this Tuesday. Obviously, my scheduling skills need work! Rather than leave a dead-link, I'll just say "Hey, have TWO lists this week, aren't I kind?" ;)
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
The Return of the Link List!
I don't actually promise this will be weekly. Sometimes I run into lots of really awesome stuff I just have to share; sometimes--I don't.
But anyway, the Link List is back!
1) Feeelings..., or at least, a sense of touch, may be coming soon to a robot near you! It uses electrical conduction to detect how much pressure was placed on the sensor. It can also detect humidity and temperature. Ultimately--with adaptation and careful integration--it might be useful for artificial limbs.
2) News on an Underwater Museum put up to protect reef life. The article is interesting, but it's missing pictures, so take a look over at Jason Taylor's website, which has pictures and slideshows galore. Actually, I'm pretty sure I've already linked to it at least once, but it's worth looking at more than once, and I'm pretty sure some of those images are new since the last time I looked.
3) In Saturn's Rings. This is old, but still good: A beautiful montage of solar-system images,to be a film in 2014. You really have to watch it; it's gorgeous. If you've watched it already, watch it again. It's that good!
4) The spider-tailed viper. Exists. Don't watch the video if you aren't a fan of spiders and snakes both. Otherwise, watch it and be happy. The original National Geographic post disappeared, but I did see it there and there are several massive lists of link corrections, so I'm thinking something happened to the site, not the snake--also, I found other references while searching, but the Io9 page has the video!
5) Alex Wild Photography my new go-to site for macro photography of insects & spiders & other such crawlers and fliers.
You know, I used to just say "bugs" when I meant creepy-crawly, multi-legged, generally neat, creatures, but now I've read too many books that solemnly assure me that "bug" is it's own category and cannot just be generally used to mean all multi-legged, chitinous critters, so I don't know what to call them (and I still want the brontosaurus back. I'm cantankerous).
6) The Mary Sue had an article on Catherine Roselle's beautifully creepy embroidery--complete with spiders and (shudder) centipedes. It's amazing.
Also check here to see her blog and more pics (I've linked to the Insectomanie gallery). The blog is in French, but the pictures will work in any language.
7) Stories like this one about mockingbirds attacking people in Brooklyn Park make me wonder: What sort of thing triggers bird attacks on people? The article mentions defending the nests, which makes sense, but surely that is only part of the story. There are scads of mockingbirds in this neighborhood, and it's definitely a bad time to be a crow or a cat around here just now, but they don't seem to dive bomb people. So what sets them off? Population density? Noise? Certain colors? Shorter breeding seasons? Or maybe people in New York are more obsessive about cleaning out birds' nests, so humans-in-general get marked as "Evil predators" while people around here leave them be and are marked "mostly harmless"?
8) Sunbathing birds. Lots and lots of wonderful pictures of birds enjoying the sun.
Interesting upcoming stuff
1) Quirk Books, publisher of William Shakespeare's Star Wars, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is at it again! Hollow City, the sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home, is coming out in January of 2014. Hurray!
Yes--this is more than "interesting" upcoming stuff. I think it's more in the "jumping up and down and squealing" category of news.
But anyway, the Link List is back!
1) Feeelings..., or at least, a sense of touch, may be coming soon to a robot near you! It uses electrical conduction to detect how much pressure was placed on the sensor. It can also detect humidity and temperature. Ultimately--with adaptation and careful integration--it might be useful for artificial limbs.
2) News on an Underwater Museum put up to protect reef life. The article is interesting, but it's missing pictures, so take a look over at Jason Taylor's website, which has pictures and slideshows galore. Actually, I'm pretty sure I've already linked to it at least once, but it's worth looking at more than once, and I'm pretty sure some of those images are new since the last time I looked.
3) In Saturn's Rings. This is old, but still good: A beautiful montage of solar-system images,to be a film in 2014. You really have to watch it; it's gorgeous. If you've watched it already, watch it again. It's that good!
4) The spider-tailed viper. Exists. Don't watch the video if you aren't a fan of spiders and snakes both. Otherwise, watch it and be happy. The original National Geographic post disappeared, but I did see it there and there are several massive lists of link corrections, so I'm thinking something happened to the site, not the snake--also, I found other references while searching, but the Io9 page has the video!
5) Alex Wild Photography my new go-to site for macro photography of insects & spiders & other such crawlers and fliers.
You know, I used to just say "bugs" when I meant creepy-crawly, multi-legged, generally neat, creatures, but now I've read too many books that solemnly assure me that "bug" is it's own category and cannot just be generally used to mean all multi-legged, chitinous critters, so I don't know what to call them (and I still want the brontosaurus back. I'm cantankerous).
6) The Mary Sue had an article on Catherine Roselle's beautifully creepy embroidery--complete with spiders and (shudder) centipedes. It's amazing.
Also check here to see her blog and more pics (I've linked to the Insectomanie gallery). The blog is in French, but the pictures will work in any language.
7) Stories like this one about mockingbirds attacking people in Brooklyn Park make me wonder: What sort of thing triggers bird attacks on people? The article mentions defending the nests, which makes sense, but surely that is only part of the story. There are scads of mockingbirds in this neighborhood, and it's definitely a bad time to be a crow or a cat around here just now, but they don't seem to dive bomb people. So what sets them off? Population density? Noise? Certain colors? Shorter breeding seasons? Or maybe people in New York are more obsessive about cleaning out birds' nests, so humans-in-general get marked as "Evil predators" while people around here leave them be and are marked "mostly harmless"?
8) Sunbathing birds. Lots and lots of wonderful pictures of birds enjoying the sun.
Interesting upcoming stuff
Yes--this is more than "interesting" upcoming stuff. I think it's more in the "jumping up and down and squealing" category of news.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Link List: Glowing Millipedes and Efficiently Dunked Oreos
1) Glowing Millipedes Found on Alcatraz". Apparently, California is the only place to possess millipedes that "are bioluminescent, meaning they produce their own light. . . These species, in the same family as the Bay Area millipede, make a beautiful white light that is actually quite bright." It's good to be famous for something, I suppose.
I'm also impressed by the scientist who collected some and "On a recent trip, Rowland collected several of these glowing millipedes and brought them back to his hotel room, putting them on his bed. "I cut out the light, and once you do, the animals emit a bright, neon, white light," he said. "They go around tapping their antennae until they get to an obstacle, like when I pushed my covers up into a hump, until they find a way around. It's spectacular. It sure beats any TV program you could have on at night." That is devotion!
2) Jumbo Squid on camera. I'm particularly taken by this bit of information: "Attaching a quart-sized device with a camera and sensors to a squid presents some technical problems. The trick is to find a big enough squid and fix the Crittercam onto a child's bathing suit so that it can be slipped over the creature's fins like a spandex sleeve." Simple, elegant, and matter-of-fact.
3)Bees may use electricity to communicate". They build up a charge while they fly, and they may use it to exchange information. Not only do they dance and see infrared, they sense electricity.
4) The best way to dunk an Oreo? Design the perfect Oreo-dunking cup, of course!
I'm also impressed by the scientist who collected some and "On a recent trip, Rowland collected several of these glowing millipedes and brought them back to his hotel room, putting them on his bed. "I cut out the light, and once you do, the animals emit a bright, neon, white light," he said. "They go around tapping their antennae until they get to an obstacle, like when I pushed my covers up into a hump, until they find a way around. It's spectacular. It sure beats any TV program you could have on at night." That is devotion!
2) Jumbo Squid on camera. I'm particularly taken by this bit of information: "Attaching a quart-sized device with a camera and sensors to a squid presents some technical problems. The trick is to find a big enough squid and fix the Crittercam onto a child's bathing suit so that it can be slipped over the creature's fins like a spandex sleeve." Simple, elegant, and matter-of-fact.
3)Bees may use electricity to communicate". They build up a charge while they fly, and they may use it to exchange information. Not only do they dance and see infrared, they sense electricity.
4) The best way to dunk an Oreo? Design the perfect Oreo-dunking cup, of course!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Link List: Robot Actors, Bees, and Printed Body Parts
1) Robotic Actors share the stage with humans in plays by the Japanese Robot Theater Project. Figures it would be a Japanese idea--and I wish I could go see one!
2) Using 3-D printers to grow ears. This is amazing! And one of those things that might happen soon, not "in the next twenty years or so."
3) Amputee to Get an Artificial Hand with Feeling. I've kept some tabs on the controlling-limbs-with-the-mind tests, but not close enough, evidently, because this is miles past where I thought we were!
4)Bumblebees Sense Electrical Fields in Flowers. Bees build up a positive charge as they fly; when they visit flowers, the flowers become more positively charged. Other bees, it turns out, can sense this and use it as a way to tell which flowers have already been visited and won't have nectar.
2) Using 3-D printers to grow ears. This is amazing! And one of those things that might happen soon, not "in the next twenty years or so."
3) Amputee to Get an Artificial Hand with Feeling. I've kept some tabs on the controlling-limbs-with-the-mind tests, but not close enough, evidently, because this is miles past where I thought we were!
4)Bumblebees Sense Electrical Fields in Flowers. Bees build up a positive charge as they fly; when they visit flowers, the flowers become more positively charged. Other bees, it turns out, can sense this and use it as a way to tell which flowers have already been visited and won't have nectar.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Link List: Killer Asteroids & Runnaway Goats
1) "How to Deflect Killer Asteroids with Spray Paint". i) Very slowly and ii) With really special paint, but it still should work, given enough time.
2) A goat escapes from a slaughterhouse in Brooklyn and runs down the street, evading NYPD officers send to recapture it and banging frantically on doors in an attempt to get away. Finally, it meets a former goatherd from West Africa (query: Where? Africa's a big continent!) who helps everyone calm down. Goat captured--but not returned to the slaughterhouse.
3) Butterfly Wings from Another Planet, plus more bug pictures by Alex Wild on his Google+ page.
4) The Periodic Table of Elements as Cartoon Characters. Yes, it's a blog. Yes, it's as cool as it sounds--beautiful and scientifically accurate. Who could ask for more? Found via The Mary Sue.
5) Two leopards seeing a mirror for the first time.
2) A goat escapes from a slaughterhouse in Brooklyn and runs down the street, evading NYPD officers send to recapture it and banging frantically on doors in an attempt to get away. Finally, it meets a former goatherd from West Africa (query: Where? Africa's a big continent!) who helps everyone calm down. Goat captured--but not returned to the slaughterhouse.
3) Butterfly Wings from Another Planet, plus more bug pictures by Alex Wild on his Google+ page.
4) The Periodic Table of Elements as Cartoon Characters. Yes, it's a blog. Yes, it's as cool as it sounds--beautiful and scientifically accurate. Who could ask for more? Found via The Mary Sue.
5) Two leopards seeing a mirror for the first time.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Link List: Creepy Robots, Science by Gaming, Quantum Shorts, and Etc.
1) Meet Roboy, a humanoid robot with tendons. He is 1) an incredible accomplishment (to be) and 2) incredibly creepy. That unmoving, smiling face? *shudders.* On the other hand--artificial tendons? Awesome!
2) Citizen Science, EyeWire. EyeWire A Citizen Science project/game designed to map the J cell, "a particular type of retinal neuron." I love the idea of citizen science, and the idea of using games to help develop scientific concepts (this isn't the first), is fascinating. I do wish the blurb had said more about what sort of game it is or what game play is like.
3) Quantum Shorts. Four short videos dramatizing quantum physics. I'm with Jennifer Ouellett; The Cat, featuring Schroedinger's cat and the Quantum Killer is the best.
4) Off-Duty Natural History Exhibits courtesy of Io9. The photographer, Klaus Pichler, has more here, in Skeletons in the Closet It's in slideshow format, so the whole can take a while to view. I'm rather fond of The Cobras myself!
2) Citizen Science, EyeWire. EyeWire A Citizen Science project/game designed to map the J cell, "a particular type of retinal neuron." I love the idea of citizen science, and the idea of using games to help develop scientific concepts (this isn't the first), is fascinating. I do wish the blurb had said more about what sort of game it is or what game play is like.
3) Quantum Shorts. Four short videos dramatizing quantum physics. I'm with Jennifer Ouellett; The Cat, featuring Schroedinger's cat and the Quantum Killer is the best.
4) Off-Duty Natural History Exhibits courtesy of Io9. The photographer, Klaus Pichler, has more here, in Skeletons in the Closet It's in slideshow format, so the whole can take a while to view. I'm rather fond of The Cobras myself!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Link List: Tigers in the Snow, Creatures in the Sea, Dung Beetles by Starlight, and Other Unexpected Wonders
1) Tigers playing with Snowmen. I don't think I need to say anything else, do I?
2) I wasn't sure the whale sharks really needed models next to them to make these photos worthwhile, but the article does explain it: Kristian Schmidt and Shawn Heinrichs were trying to get people who don't normally admire seaside creatures to stop and look. This...sort of helps, though I remain dubious. The whales, though, are gorgeous and they've done some amazing things with the lighting.
3) These pictures, by Arctic biologist Alexander Semenov are spectacular, with no caveats. They're definitely for those of us who already stop to look at sea creatures--or at least, photos thereof. I do wish it were possible to look at them at a slightly smaller size--a couple went clear off my screen--but that's a small price to pay for such unexpected beauty.
4) Speaking of photos here are some National Geographic photos.. Stunning. I'm trying to choose between lightning in Dubai and a Moss-Covered Trunk in Michigan, but they're all gorgeous. Wallpapers -- Visions of Earth -- National Geographic
5) Dung beetles navigate by starlight? Really? And I want to frame that photo.
6)What's a microbe to do when it storms?. Go up into the clouds, evidently.
7) I read Mary Mycio's Wormwood Forest: A Natural History of Chernobyl some time ago--probably about the time it came out--and was just remembering it the other day & wondering how the unexpected wildlife sanctuary is doing. Today, I found her followup article here, on Slate, complete with a gallery of photographs by Sergey Gaschak. The answer is: Surprisingly well, actually. Individual animals may be dying or mutating, but the populations as a whole are strong.
2) I wasn't sure the whale sharks really needed models next to them to make these photos worthwhile, but the article does explain it: Kristian Schmidt and Shawn Heinrichs were trying to get people who don't normally admire seaside creatures to stop and look. This...sort of helps, though I remain dubious. The whales, though, are gorgeous and they've done some amazing things with the lighting.
3) These pictures, by Arctic biologist Alexander Semenov are spectacular, with no caveats. They're definitely for those of us who already stop to look at sea creatures--or at least, photos thereof. I do wish it were possible to look at them at a slightly smaller size--a couple went clear off my screen--but that's a small price to pay for such unexpected beauty.
4) Speaking of photos here are some National Geographic photos.. Stunning. I'm trying to choose between lightning in Dubai and a Moss-Covered Trunk in Michigan, but they're all gorgeous. Wallpapers -- Visions of Earth -- National Geographic
5) Dung beetles navigate by starlight? Really? And I want to frame that photo.
6)What's a microbe to do when it storms?. Go up into the clouds, evidently.
7) I read Mary Mycio's Wormwood Forest: A Natural History of Chernobyl some time ago--probably about the time it came out--and was just remembering it the other day & wondering how the unexpected wildlife sanctuary is doing. Today, I found her followup article here, on Slate, complete with a gallery of photographs by Sergey Gaschak. The answer is: Surprisingly well, actually. Individual animals may be dying or mutating, but the populations as a whole are strong.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Link List: Song and Sound
1) Oooh, a Huge Animal Sound Archive Goes Online". "An archive of tens of thousands of animal sounds has just gone online." The Machaulay Library sound collection is free, searchable, and just plain fun; the comments with the recoding are also interesting. There are also plans for a guide to North American Bird sounds sometime this spring, so it's definitely worth watching. I drove my lovebird nuts listening to blackbird calls.
The library also has a side link for Sound Analysis software (quite free), but I haven't gotten to try it out yet because the internet had a bad case of the slows. All I can say is, it looks like a neat idea.
2) And here, on Wired's GeekDad, is Music and Science Combine for the Win With Songs for Unusual Creatures" by Michael Hears and the Kronos Quartet. There's an embedded video there of the second song, featuring the Aye-Aye.
3) Or you can "Listen: the Music of a Human Brain", work done by Jing Lu and Dezhong Yao of China’s University of Electronic Science and Technology. Their work "translates a brain’s electrical fluctuations to pitch and blood flows to intensity." I just wish the samples weren't so short.
The library also has a side link for Sound Analysis software (quite free), but I haven't gotten to try it out yet because the internet had a bad case of the slows. All I can say is, it looks like a neat idea.
2) And here, on Wired's GeekDad, is Music and Science Combine for the Win With Songs for Unusual Creatures" by Michael Hears and the Kronos Quartet. There's an embedded video there of the second song, featuring the Aye-Aye.
3) Or you can "Listen: the Music of a Human Brain", work done by Jing Lu and Dezhong Yao of China’s University of Electronic Science and Technology. Their work "translates a brain’s electrical fluctuations to pitch and blood flows to intensity." I just wish the samples weren't so short.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Link List, Even More Miscellaneous Than Usual: Giant Squid, Classical Hairstyles, and Poop
1) The giant squid was filmed for the first time. They're saving the film for TV, but here are some photos. And, while you're at it, check out this squid photo album.
2) Want to braid your hair like a Roman Vestal Virgin? Janet Stephens, a "Baltimore hairdresser and amateur archaeologist," has figured out how; she even includes a video. And, for those of us who do not have waist-length hair, and/or who are merely curious, here is her series of videos on other classical styles.
3) So far, I haven't gotten hold of the books mentioned in the terracotta warrior article I linked to earlier, but I have found a good PBS documentary on China's Terracotta Warriors on Secrets of the Dead. The whole video is up online. One interesting bit: They used face recognition software to confirm that each of the eight thousand soldiers they scanned is, in fact, an individual. No mass production there!
4) It's not often you get to be both awed and amused. Everyone involved in this program to make fake poop seems to be in that state. Read about it in Christie Wilcox 's article in Scientific America: Fake Feces To Treat Deadly Disease: Scientists Find They Can Just Make Sh*t Up. And, no, it's not just her. There's no way anyone brewing rePOOPulate in a RoboGut isn't laughing--and, yes, it also helps treat a deadly disease, and it's pretty impressive.
5) And while we're on the subject, here's a nice Io9 article on Why coffee makes you poop. Actually, some bits of this are rather "eeew," but it's kind of interesting and it fit waaay to well with rePOOPulate to ignore.
6) It turns out that there were upstairs, indoors privies in Pompeii. See "Ancient Pompeians Could Go Upstairs to Pee on LiveScience for details. I include this partly because of the theme that inadvertently got started back there and also because it tends to get too easy to assume that "those people" who lived long ago were somehow less adept than we nice, civilized modern people. Of course they weren't.
The article also includes a link to a 2011 Gallery of the World's Toilets. Why not?
So, go forth inspired! (or something). Oh, and Thursday's review? That was already scheduled, and I'd forgotten it was for this week.
2) Want to braid your hair like a Roman Vestal Virgin? Janet Stephens, a "Baltimore hairdresser and amateur archaeologist," has figured out how; she even includes a video. And, for those of us who do not have waist-length hair, and/or who are merely curious, here is her series of videos on other classical styles.
3) So far, I haven't gotten hold of the books mentioned in the terracotta warrior article I linked to earlier, but I have found a good PBS documentary on China's Terracotta Warriors on Secrets of the Dead. The whole video is up online. One interesting bit: They used face recognition software to confirm that each of the eight thousand soldiers they scanned is, in fact, an individual. No mass production there!
4) It's not often you get to be both awed and amused. Everyone involved in this program to make fake poop seems to be in that state. Read about it in Christie Wilcox 's article in Scientific America: Fake Feces To Treat Deadly Disease: Scientists Find They Can Just Make Sh*t Up. And, no, it's not just her. There's no way anyone brewing rePOOPulate in a RoboGut isn't laughing--and, yes, it also helps treat a deadly disease, and it's pretty impressive.
5) And while we're on the subject, here's a nice Io9 article on Why coffee makes you poop. Actually, some bits of this are rather "eeew," but it's kind of interesting and it fit waaay to well with rePOOPulate to ignore.
6) It turns out that there were upstairs, indoors privies in Pompeii. See "Ancient Pompeians Could Go Upstairs to Pee on LiveScience for details. I include this partly because of the theme that inadvertently got started back there and also because it tends to get too easy to assume that "those people" who lived long ago were somehow less adept than we nice, civilized modern people. Of course they weren't.
The article also includes a link to a 2011 Gallery of the World's Toilets. Why not?
So, go forth inspired! (or something). Oh, and Thursday's review? That was already scheduled, and I'd forgotten it was for this week.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Link List: Clever Crows, Parasitic Wasps, and Other Such Delights
Take a look at these beautiful photos by Annie Marie Musselman during her six years at the Sarvey Wildlife Care Center: "Wild-Animal Photos Capture Calm in Crisis", published in Wired. If you're interested, there are more photos and some more of her story on her kickstarter page, where she is working to raise money to publish Finding Trust as a book of photos.
I'm particularly impressed by the second photo in the image; the juxtaposition of eagle and meditating volunteer is stunning.
2) More artistic news; Artist Michael Anthony Simon uses spiderwebs to make sculptures, from Io9. There are a few additional webs here, on Beautiful Decay. Supposedly, he has a website somewhere, but I can't find it. If you do, let me know!
3) I've seen this BBC snippet before, but it's still pretty amazing: Wild crows in Japan use cars as nutcrackers. Some of them even know how to wait for the light to change. Crows in other parts of the world have used the same technique and other variants, so it's not a one-time deal. This PBS documentary, A Murder of Crows talks about it somewhere, but I don't remember the time stamp. Of course, I think the whole program is worth watching anyway.
4) And on a revolting, but fascinating, note, here's a Nature article on a Wasp Larva that Disinfects Its Roach Host. That's right. The emerald cockroach wasp (Ampulex compressa),a parasitic wasp, exudes disinfectant while it munches its unwilling host. There's even a video on the site because the scientist who decided to study this, Gudrun Herzner of the University of Regensburg in Germany, installed a plastic window in the paralyzed cockroach so she could view the proceedings.
5) On a more peaceful note, here's a New York Times article about The Immortal Jellyfish, the scientist who studies them, and he town where he lives. The Turritopsis dohrnii doesn't die when it gets old; instead, it becomes a polyp and grows up all over again. At the moment, the only person actively raising the jellyfish (which need a lot of attention if they aren't going to die ordinary, starvation or filth-induced deaths) is Shin Kubota, in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The jellyfish is interesting in itself, but so is the article, which was just plain fun to read.
I'm particularly impressed by the second photo in the image; the juxtaposition of eagle and meditating volunteer is stunning.
2) More artistic news; Artist Michael Anthony Simon uses spiderwebs to make sculptures, from Io9. There are a few additional webs here, on Beautiful Decay. Supposedly, he has a website somewhere, but I can't find it. If you do, let me know!
3) I've seen this BBC snippet before, but it's still pretty amazing: Wild crows in Japan use cars as nutcrackers. Some of them even know how to wait for the light to change. Crows in other parts of the world have used the same technique and other variants, so it's not a one-time deal. This PBS documentary, A Murder of Crows talks about it somewhere, but I don't remember the time stamp. Of course, I think the whole program is worth watching anyway.
4) And on a revolting, but fascinating, note, here's a Nature article on a Wasp Larva that Disinfects Its Roach Host. That's right. The emerald cockroach wasp (Ampulex compressa),a parasitic wasp, exudes disinfectant while it munches its unwilling host. There's even a video on the site because the scientist who decided to study this, Gudrun Herzner of the University of Regensburg in Germany, installed a plastic window in the paralyzed cockroach so she could view the proceedings.
5) On a more peaceful note, here's a New York Times article about The Immortal Jellyfish, the scientist who studies them, and he town where he lives. The Turritopsis dohrnii doesn't die when it gets old; instead, it becomes a polyp and grows up all over again. At the moment, the only person actively raising the jellyfish (which need a lot of attention if they aren't going to die ordinary, starvation or filth-induced deaths) is Shin Kubota, in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. The jellyfish is interesting in itself, but so is the article, which was just plain fun to read.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Link List: Oddities and Wonders
Happy New Year!
I debated whether or not to post anything today, but I decided a link list of oddities and interests might just be a good way to ring in the new year.
1) The Most Amazing Science Images of the Year, on Wired. There are some marvels here! I'm especially taken by the spider in amber myself, though the single-cell algae is a close second.
2) Villa Epecuen: The Town That Was Submerged For 25 Years. An Argentinian village was submerged for 25 years before the water subsided and left some haunting ruins--and one man determined to move back in (found via io9).
3) And, because I can't resist parrots, here are two articles on parrot music preference. The io9 is titled The One Type of Music That All Parrots Everywhere Despise, which seems a bit misleading because both the io9 and the Telegraph article it cites, Parrot Listens to Scissor Sisters' Music, mention only a couple of parrots, and parrots have varying personalities. I am curious about this, though, and hope to follow up on it. My own lovebird likes music, but not oldies. These liked music but not electronic dance music. Who knows if there is a universal like or dislike?
Note: Kizuri's preferences aren't nearly as scientifically studied as those of the birds in the article. She doesn't have her own radio or web connection, though I think she'd enjoy it. She is however very good at making her pleasure or displeasure known; she'll sing along with music she especially likes, and (if on my shoulder) has been known to nip my ear if I change to music she doesn't like. I will also add that her tastes don't always reflect mine. I do like oldies, at least sometimes, and I'm not that fond of opera. Fortunately, both of us like a good range of classical music.
4) And on another note, LiveScience has a great article here on China's Terracotta Warriors. I knew they were multitudinous and elaborate. I did not know that the army included acrobats, and that those acrobats were posed enough that researchers can guess that "they are not indigenous to central China, but probably come from the south – probably the Burma area." I'm going to try to get hold of at least one of the books mentioned.
5) And worms, common garden worms of the sort used for composting, "can turn metals into semiconductors", if, that is, someone feeds them the right metals--cadmium chloride and sodium tellurite), to be precise. In detoxifiying themselves "The worms ended up making tiny particles of cadmium telluride, a crystalline compound that is also a semiconductor. Those tiny particles — called quantum dots — were then taken out of the worms' tissue." Since another spot in the article mentions the worms excreting toxins, I'm wondering if a more patient researcher might be able to wait for the worms to do their thing and harvest them, much as one harvests "worm gold" in the garden. There isn't enough detail in the article, though, for me to be clear on that point.
6) Oh, yes, and in October of 2012 a shark fell from the sky onto a golf course.
Probably a peregrine falcon or an osprey dropped it, though no one knows. Also strange--and wonderful--is that the workers at the golf course did their level best to save it and drove it back to the ocean, where it swam away, possibly to tell tales of strange sights to other sharks. Or maybe it only warned against birds, but one hopes that it at least lived.
Happy New Year, everyone. Here's hoping your coming year is full of wonder and strangeness and beauty and sudden small joys.
I debated whether or not to post anything today, but I decided a link list of oddities and interests might just be a good way to ring in the new year.
1) The Most Amazing Science Images of the Year, on Wired. There are some marvels here! I'm especially taken by the spider in amber myself, though the single-cell algae is a close second.
2) Villa Epecuen: The Town That Was Submerged For 25 Years. An Argentinian village was submerged for 25 years before the water subsided and left some haunting ruins--and one man determined to move back in (found via io9).
3) And, because I can't resist parrots, here are two articles on parrot music preference. The io9 is titled The One Type of Music That All Parrots Everywhere Despise, which seems a bit misleading because both the io9 and the Telegraph article it cites, Parrot Listens to Scissor Sisters' Music, mention only a couple of parrots, and parrots have varying personalities. I am curious about this, though, and hope to follow up on it. My own lovebird likes music, but not oldies. These liked music but not electronic dance music. Who knows if there is a universal like or dislike?
Note: Kizuri's preferences aren't nearly as scientifically studied as those of the birds in the article. She doesn't have her own radio or web connection, though I think she'd enjoy it. She is however very good at making her pleasure or displeasure known; she'll sing along with music she especially likes, and (if on my shoulder) has been known to nip my ear if I change to music she doesn't like. I will also add that her tastes don't always reflect mine. I do like oldies, at least sometimes, and I'm not that fond of opera. Fortunately, both of us like a good range of classical music.
4) And on another note, LiveScience has a great article here on China's Terracotta Warriors. I knew they were multitudinous and elaborate. I did not know that the army included acrobats, and that those acrobats were posed enough that researchers can guess that "they are not indigenous to central China, but probably come from the south – probably the Burma area." I'm going to try to get hold of at least one of the books mentioned.
5) And worms, common garden worms of the sort used for composting, "can turn metals into semiconductors", if, that is, someone feeds them the right metals--cadmium chloride and sodium tellurite), to be precise. In detoxifiying themselves "The worms ended up making tiny particles of cadmium telluride, a crystalline compound that is also a semiconductor. Those tiny particles — called quantum dots — were then taken out of the worms' tissue." Since another spot in the article mentions the worms excreting toxins, I'm wondering if a more patient researcher might be able to wait for the worms to do their thing and harvest them, much as one harvests "worm gold" in the garden. There isn't enough detail in the article, though, for me to be clear on that point.
6) Oh, yes, and in October of 2012 a shark fell from the sky onto a golf course.
Probably a peregrine falcon or an osprey dropped it, though no one knows. Also strange--and wonderful--is that the workers at the golf course did their level best to save it and drove it back to the ocean, where it swam away, possibly to tell tales of strange sights to other sharks. Or maybe it only warned against birds, but one hopes that it at least lived.
Happy New Year, everyone. Here's hoping your coming year is full of wonder and strangeness and beauty and sudden small joys.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Link List: More Miscellany
1) Another case of parrot cleverness. Here's a Live Science video of a pet parrot controlling his own robot scooter.
2) A truly stunning gallery of altered book sculptures by Jodi Harvey-Brown. I first came to it via this short article about her work on io9.
3)Fabulous pictures of the Earth at night as seen from space posted on Wired. They're all gorgeous, but if I had to pick one, I'd say this this one, of Africa, with the crescent, is my favorite.
4) An interesting Nature article: "City Birds Use Cigarette Butts to Smoke Out Parasites". Birds often use plants that repel parasites when they build their nests; cigarette butts, particularly smoked cigarette butts, have a lot of nicotine which repels arthropods (Remember all those British stories where the man of the house is sent out to "smoke the roses"?). Anyway, it's possible city birds have taken to finding used cigarettes useful. If so, it may be a useful, intelligent adaptation on their part: Or it may be causing them other problems because of carcinogens and pesticides.
5) And speaking of codes (which I did on the last link list! I'm sure you remember
): Try these 7 Codes You'll Never Break" on Wired. I love the flower manuscript (The Voynich Manuscript, to give it it's correct name).
6) Why do wounds take so long to heal? It's a matter of conserving energy. Physics, meet biology. Biology: Physics.
7) Christmas photos around the States "Christmas Superfan Photos Reveal a Nation Full of Care and Kitsch", posted on Wired. The article also has a link to Jesse Reiser's Christmas page, which I really do want to see but could not, for the life of me get to load. I'm guessing a lot of other people wanted to see it, too.
2) A truly stunning gallery of altered book sculptures by Jodi Harvey-Brown. I first came to it via this short article about her work on io9.
3)Fabulous pictures of the Earth at night as seen from space posted on Wired. They're all gorgeous, but if I had to pick one, I'd say this this one, of Africa, with the crescent, is my favorite.
4) An interesting Nature article: "City Birds Use Cigarette Butts to Smoke Out Parasites". Birds often use plants that repel parasites when they build their nests; cigarette butts, particularly smoked cigarette butts, have a lot of nicotine which repels arthropods (Remember all those British stories where the man of the house is sent out to "smoke the roses"?). Anyway, it's possible city birds have taken to finding used cigarettes useful. If so, it may be a useful, intelligent adaptation on their part: Or it may be causing them other problems because of carcinogens and pesticides.
 |
| Photo from Wired |
5) And speaking of codes (which I did on the last link list! I'm sure you remember
): Try these 7 Codes You'll Never Break" on Wired. I love the flower manuscript (The Voynich Manuscript, to give it it's correct name).
6) Why do wounds take so long to heal? It's a matter of conserving energy. Physics, meet biology. Biology: Physics.
7) Christmas photos around the States "Christmas Superfan Photos Reveal a Nation Full of Care and Kitsch", posted on Wired. The article also has a link to Jesse Reiser's Christmas page, which I really do want to see but could not, for the life of me get to load. I'm guessing a lot of other people wanted to see it, too.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Link List: Web Comics
My latest find is Gaia by Oliver Knörzer (Novil) and Puri Andini (Powree) has only been going for about a year, so even with regular publication (hurray!), it's not very far into the story, but it's a promising start. It begins just as final exams are beginning at a large and elaborate academy that apparently teaches both military and magical skills to its students. The focus is on a small group of friends and rivals is taking their exams and somewhat nervously planning for their futures. Unfortunately, the last night's celebration is interrupted by an attack that leaves several dead and one framed (probably) as the assailants' accomplice. Several of the others set out to rescue her, recruiting allies they know little about and… that's where it ends, so far.
The characterization is strong and the story intriguing, and my only regret is that I've caught up on it, so now I have to wait for updates. The art is sort of manga-ish, which means everyone has huge eyes and, to me, looks about twelve. I'll get used to it. People who actually do read manga or watch lots of anime will look at me cross-eyed and say "What's the problem?"
For another, more thorough review (the one that brought Gaia to my attention), see Io9's review.
Girl Genius: Always, forever, and still. It's a steampunk (or as the Foglios call it, and who's to argue?) "gaslamp" fantasy. Mad science really works; the trouble is mad scientists are all, without exception, some level of crazy. This can be hard on everyone else. I have raved about it elsewhere, but thought I'd include it in this list because it's good. Really, really good, with lots of suspense, loads of strong, well-developed characters, and plenty of unpredictable insanity. Also, I had to remove the link and image in my sidebar because various feeds thought that was my image, and it isn't, so I'm sad that I can't remind everyone of its awesomeness incessantly any more.
A particular favorite panel lately was this one. Tarvek is such a gentleman!
Girl Genius comes out regularly, three days a week. That's not nearly often enough, but I suppose the Foglios have to sleep sometime. They also make strange references to having "lives" over on their livejournal and Facebook pages.
The Order of the Stick by Rich Burlew. What if you lived in a Dungeons and Dragons type world with all the role-playing rules and regulations and rolls of the dice this implies? What if you knew it? The Order of the Stick is a crazy, fun, and oddly absorbing (I never knew I'd get this attached to stick figures!) comic featuring the adventuring group, The Order of the Stick, as they struggle to save the world from the evil lich, Xykon. One of my favorites, and one easy to show even non-gamers, is Their Concierge Service is Heavenly, which has a wonderful, terrible pun included.
The characterization is strong and the story intriguing, and my only regret is that I've caught up on it, so now I have to wait for updates. The art is sort of manga-ish, which means everyone has huge eyes and, to me, looks about twelve. I'll get used to it. People who actually do read manga or watch lots of anime will look at me cross-eyed and say "What's the problem?"
For another, more thorough review (the one that brought Gaia to my attention), see Io9's review.
Girl Genius: Always, forever, and still. It's a steampunk (or as the Foglios call it, and who's to argue?) "gaslamp" fantasy. Mad science really works; the trouble is mad scientists are all, without exception, some level of crazy. This can be hard on everyone else. I have raved about it elsewhere, but thought I'd include it in this list because it's good. Really, really good, with lots of suspense, loads of strong, well-developed characters, and plenty of unpredictable insanity. Also, I had to remove the link and image in my sidebar because various feeds thought that was my image, and it isn't, so I'm sad that I can't remind everyone of its awesomeness incessantly any more.
A particular favorite panel lately was this one. Tarvek is such a gentleman!
Girl Genius comes out regularly, three days a week. That's not nearly often enough, but I suppose the Foglios have to sleep sometime. They also make strange references to having "lives" over on their livejournal and Facebook pages.
The Order of the Stick by Rich Burlew. What if you lived in a Dungeons and Dragons type world with all the role-playing rules and regulations and rolls of the dice this implies? What if you knew it? The Order of the Stick is a crazy, fun, and oddly absorbing (I never knew I'd get this attached to stick figures!) comic featuring the adventuring group, The Order of the Stick, as they struggle to save the world from the evil lich, Xykon. One of my favorites, and one easy to show even non-gamers, is Their Concierge Service is Heavenly, which has a wonderful, terrible pun included.
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