- Tech News
Watch Magnetic Tape Fall Like Water In This Hypnotic Video
Japanese artist Ei Wada, who was born in 1987, belongs to a generation that spent middle school feverishly poring over cassettes to make mix tapes—until, of course, they were quickly outmoded by CDs, and then MP3s. Now, Ei makes art using the outmoded technologies he grew up with. At the Media Arts Festival, the young … Continued
- io9
Infographic Reveals How Tourism Has Changed Over 150 Years
The mid-19th century represents the dawn of modern tourism for Americans and Europeans, but the destinations to which Victorian era tourists flocked are a bit different from the hot spots of today. Hotelclub.com has a great infographic comparing tourism 1863 and now. It covers everything from common complaints, cost, time, currency, and technology. They even … Continued
- Tech NewsDesign
Maritime Maps by the Harbour
Part topography, part bathymetry, part meteorology, the Hong Kong Maritime Museum has one intense carpet. Two hundred square meters of the museum are dedicated to this maritime map of the Hong Kong harbour. Hong Kong Harbour is of major importance for shipping logistics, as well as the location of the museum. The carpet design ties … Continued
- Tech News
How 3D Printing Will Create On-Demand Swarms of Disposable Drones
New advances in 3D printing are making it not only possible but also viable to manufacture cheap, print-on-demand, disposable drones designed simply to soar off over the horizon and never come back. Some British engineers did just that, and this is only the beginning. The team hails from the Advanced Manufacturing Research Center (AMRC) at … Continued
- io9
A Globe Can Help You Understand How Space Can Be Curved
There are theories out there that space itself can be curved. This is a confusing idea for some people. A quick exercise with a globe can make it a little more understandable. If you hangout among physicists long enough, you’ll hear about curved space, higher dimensions, and the possibly weird shape of the universe. What … Continued
- Tech NewsFacebook
Facebook Ditched a Fancy Redesign Because Your Computer Sucks
Last year Facebook debuted a nice redesign that featured big, beautiful pictures, seen above. But Facebook never rolled it out. Why? Because most people have crappy old computers. Entrepreneur Dustin Curtis had claimed that the reason for the redesign abandonment was because it didn’t drive enough advertising dollars. But Facebook product designer Julie Zhuo said … Continued
By Leslie Horn - io9
Vintage Science Illustrations Get Animated In This Trippy Music Video
The music video for Fanfarlo’s “Cell Song” is made of vintage images from science journals, encyclopedias, and magazines that have been animated and remixed into surreal trip through cells, space, and more. Ewan Jones Morris directed and animated this video, and it’s great fun—a warped science illustration fever dream. [via Directors Notes]
By Lauren Davis - io9
During The Monster Apocalypse, A Scared Girl Falls In With The Undead
In the webcomic The Last Halloween, young Mona’s father refuses to take her trick-or-treating, which is probably for the best since the monsters of the world have risen up against humanity. When she finally finds a group of allies, it turns out that they’re monsters, too. Abby Howard’s The Last Halloween is a gleeful blend … Continued
By Lauren Davis - Tech News
What It’s Like to Taste Frozen Food for a Living
Understandably, there is some point in life where getting paid to stuff your face with french fries might sound like a desirable thing. For most people, this point quickly passes. A former professional frozen food taster tells all in a gross and engrossing interview at The Billfold. Matthew is a 24-year-old freelance illustrator who picked … Continued
By Sarah Zhang - Tech News
That Time the Whac-A-Mole Inventor Accidentally Blew Up His Warehouse
It was lunch time on a muggy late September day in 2013 when an explosion shook downtown Orlando, Florida. A warehouse on west Jefferson street was the casualty. Police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks were already on their way by the time Tim Roth, a good Samaritan, was on the scene. As he searched through … Continued
Matt Blitz - Today I Found Out - Tech NewsSploid
I can’t believe how fast this amazing two-legged dog runs
Technology is great but, when it comes to awesome, nothing can beat nature. Just look at Duncan Lou Who, the famous boxer who got his two back legs amputated because of a genetic malformation. He learned to walk with his two arms—and this video shows he’s now running faster than ever. None of this video … Continued
By Jesus Diaz - Tech NewsSploid
Sydney looks like the perfect city in this beautiful miniature video
I have to confess I know little about Sydney but—judging by this tilt-shift time-lapse short by Filippo Rivetti—it looks like a perfect city with nice architecture and beautiful beaches. I wish I were there right now. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on Facebook
By Jesus Diaz - Tech News
This Week’s Top Comedy Video: Pin It
Pinterest is great! You just hop on, search through fun pictures, and pin the images, recipes, and projects you love! And keep scrolling and pinning. And scrolling. And pinning. Until you just can’t stop. Check out the rest of this week’s top comedy videos over on Splitsider. Now for the week’s comedy news! We reviewed … Continued
Splitsider - io9
Check Out These Tits (The Birds, That Is)
Artist Jada Fitch cheekily invites us to get to know the members of the Paridae family of birds, better known as tits. If this tickles your inner ornithologist, you can buy a print of this poster. Fitch also has a number of other beautiful bird paintings, many of which are available as prints through Society6. … Continued
By Lauren Davis - ScienceSpace
The Inside Story of the Crazy Rocket Research at Jet Propulsion Labs
Everybody knows the cowboy reputation associated with early astronauts, the test-pilot swagger immortalized by Apollo 13 and The Right Stuff. But the rockets that took those astronauts to space were built by a group with an equally cinematic image: the nearly-unhinged, completely unfettered mad scientists at Jet Propulsion Laboratories. Mika McKinnon brings us a fascinating … Continued
- io9
Amazing Cyberpunk Beer Commercial By The Makers Of Ghost In The Shell
In a grim cyberpunk future, a group of sword-wielding warriors traverses the neon-lit city in search of…Murphy’s Irish Stout? If you were in the UK during the late 1990s, chances are that you’re already familiar with the one-minute short film “Last Orders,” an anime commercial for Murphy’s Irish Stout. For the rest of us, this … Continued
By Lauren Davis - Tech News
Hearing Trick Convinces People Their Arms Are Made of Stone
If your arm falls asleep for a while, it can sort of feel like it’s made of rubber. But how do you make your arm feel like it’s made of marble? According to Italian researchers, all you need is the sound of a hammer tapping stone. And some psychological trickery. You may be familiar with … Continued
- Tech News
Earth Hour: a perfect time to stargaze!
As cities shut down their lights for Earth Hour at 8:30 to 9:30 pm local time tonight, you will have a brief respite from light pollution. Join the hour. Flip off your lights, head outside, and look up. Even if not everyone goes dark, you’ll see something. As a whole lot of you pointed out … Continued
- io9
These Bioluminescent Deep-Sea Mermaids Are Utterly Terrifying
Ariel they are not. In the depths of the ocean lurk a different sort of mermaid, those who share the monstrous qualities of the fearsome fish who light the dark. Artist Iguanamouth (a.k.a Lauren) has posted a full series of mermaids that combine the female form with deep-sea animals, and the results are wonderfully grotesque. … Continued
By Lauren Davis - Tech NewsDesign
Amazing Martin Luther King, Jr. Portrait Made From 4,200 Rubik’s Cubes
This project is from 2010, but it’s such an amazing and unusual achievement it’s still worth sharing today. Artist Pete Fecteau created a huge mural commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. out of more than 4,000 individual Rubik’s cubes, with each square on each cube hand-arranged to create the detailed image you see above. On … Continued