Jul 10 2009 For The Ladies: Twilight, The Board Game

I can't say I'm surprised there's a Twilight board game, but I can say that I'm a little disappointed nobody's bought it for me yet. DON'T YOU LOVE ME? Ooh, a review:

This game is terrible. There are trivia cards to do with the movie but the other questions are all depending on what you roll with the die or they ask us to write down what the other player's favorite animal, movie,band etc. They have absolutely nothing to do with the movie and they are pointless. I thought it would be like trivial pursuit and different categories about the movie scenes, etc. To accomplish a task you have to roll a die and depending on what number you get you accomplish the task. These are pointless tasks and are not challenging at all. A 2 year old could do that. This is coming from a person that has loved the books, movie and anything else to do with twilight. The game is not worth what you pay for it. The pieces aren't the best quality and the cards are flimsy. What a rip off. Buyer beware.

Oh man, that was way too many words for me. Somebody summarize it for me. I ordered two.

Amazon Product Page

Thanks to Paul "the party animal", who was man enough to admit Edward is a hot piece of ass.

Jul 10 2009 Time Lapse Video Of Super Hornet Jet Build

This is a time lapse video of a F/A-18 Super Hornet jet being built. And let me just say, wow, that thing must have over 100 different pieces. Making it nearly twice as complicated as the hardest LEGO set I've built.

Constructing A Super Hornet: "A time lapse of the construction of a Super Hornet" [liveleak]

Thanks to Spy, who may or may not have secretly recorded this footage with a bowtie cam.

Jul 10 2009 Notebook Paper Printed With Sports Balls

Trapped in Suburbia, an Amsterdam design firm, came up with this "Play More" concept, which is regular notebook paper on one side, but printed to resemble sports balls on the other. Cuuute! Now I'm not saying I wouldn't get anything done at work if I had sports ball paper wads to play with, because, honestly, I don't do anything now besides compulsively check my email and nap.

Play More: Balled-up paper turns into sporty orb [dvice]

Jul 10 2009 Robot Teaches Itself To Smile, Next: Targeting

The fools at the University of California, San Diego have created a robot that can learn new facial expressions on it's own. Next, its gonna learn how to drive itself to the shooting range.

To begin teaching the robot, the researchers stuck Einstein in front of a mirror and instructed the robot to "body babble" by contorting its face into random positions. A video camera connected to facial recognition software gave the robot feedback: When it made a movement that resembled a "real" expression, it received a reward signal.

"It's an iterative process," said facial recognition expert Marian Bartlett, a co-author of the study. "It starts out completely random and then gets feedback. Next time the robot picks an expression, there's a bias towards putting the motors in the right configuration."

Now I'm no terrorist, BUT IF I WAS, Machine Perception Laboratory, just sayin'.

Robot Teaches Itself to Smile [wired]

Thanks to Dirk, Dennie and RealLifeFup, who asked it to smile for the camera and then shot it because it wasn't really a camera, it was a gun.

Jul 10 2009 In Disguise: Learn Your Secret Cyborg Name

There will come a time when we all have to wear spraypainted cardboard box robot costumes to prevent detection and subsequent elimination by our mechanical overlords. And we're gonna need names too, just in case we get sucked into a conversation with one of those chatty metallic bastards. Thankfully, somebody was able to steal this Cyborg Name Decoder from the future. As you can see, Geekologie now becomes the General Electronic Entity Keen on Online Learning, Omnipresent Gratification and Immediate Exploration. Which is pretty ironic because I AM keen on immediate exploration. You see where I'm going with this? The first date. YOW YOW!

The Cyborg Name Decoder (also available on Facebook)

Thanks to BossMan and Joemo, who once tied a brick to a robot and then lit it on fire and pushed it off a cliff while stabbing it and shooting arrows.

Jul 10 2009 Blew Out My Flip Flop, Stepped On A Pop Top, Decided To Make A Dragon

This is a dragon made entirely out of pop-tops. NOT POP-TARTS. Soda can pull tabs or whatever you want to call them. Pretty impressive, no? It think it would look great in the curio cabinet next to my novelty shot glass and improvised bong collections.

Banzaaaai!! Another little crazy stuff! I finally finished this dragon sculpture. It took me forever. I used pop tabs all the way from the tip of nose to the tip of tail except for whisker. I wanted to count it but again it'll take me forever to count lol. I glued them together with ordinary epoxy or cold-weld compound type of epoxy. this guy's about 14 inches long and 8 inches tall. By the way i want this to be called 神魂龍　(shinkonryuu) which inhabits the spirit of a person, where they obtain the necessary energy to live. When a person dies they move to a new spirit.

Now I hate to get all metaphysical on you, but is there any way to re-up on shinkonryuu life energy? I'm feeling pretty drained and the tiger penis tea did not work. HELP, NEED MORE DRAGON JUICE PRONTO.

Hit the jump for a collage and a link to the high-res version.

Continue Reading " Blew Out My Flip Flop, Stepped On A Pop Top, Decided To Make A Dragon "

Jul 10 2009 Death Star Of Hearts: Star Wars Tattoo Chick

Fail? She's all win in my book. Between Boba Fett and the heart-shaped Death Star, I would do all sorts of things to this woman. Namely: try to introduce myself, get choked up, point my finger at her yelling "pew pew pew!", and then sob into my Star Wars beach towel.

Failblog

Thanks to Johnny Freightliner, who may or may not be hauling pirated goods.

Jul 10 2009 4GB Vision: Calvin Klein USB Sunglasses

These $200 sunglasses from Calvin Klein (available this October) feature a 4GB flash drive in the right arm so you can take your data to the beach or wherever the hell people wear sunglasses these days. Me? I just squint.

calvin klein usb sunglasses: data for your eyes only [technabob]

Jul 9 2009 PEW PEW REVIEW: 125mW Green Laser

The folks over at SKYlaser Laser Pointers sent me a 125mW powerful green laser to review. So that's what I did. And let me tell you: there was plenty of pews to be had. That picture I actually made writing with the laser on an 8-foot privacy fence, I just edited the pic of the unit in. Now hit the jump for the pew pew review.

Continue Reading " PEW PEW REVIEW: 125mW Green Laser "

Jul 9 2009 The Apocalypse Nears: 101 Robot T-Shirts

No, I'M not posting 101 robot t-shirts. That's way too many images for me. That's like, damn near a hundred. I did post some of my favorites after the jump, but you'll have to hit the link to see them all. The nice thing is they're all conveniently linked to the various places you can buy them if you're interested. But you're not, are you? No, because we don't eff with robots, do we? No, we don't. That's like playing with fire. But nothing like playing with fire because fire's actually fun and won't shoot you with a laser. More like making love in prison. Yes, like making love in prison.

Oh, and I almost forgot the greatest part about this tip:

Hi,

I know you've written about t-shirts in the past, and with a name like Geekologie the chances of you not liking robots are pretty slim, so I thought you might be interested to see a post I wrote a couple of weeks ago called '101 Robot T-shirts', which I probably don't need to explain the content of!

If you only knew, Andy, if you only knew. Or read. What can I say, I'm one in a million. The one that's gonna survive.

Hit the jump to see my favorites and then click through to see a whole bunch more (101, literally).

Continue Reading " The Apocalypse Nears: 101 Robot T-Shirts "

Jul 9 2009 Cute Stop Motion Donkey Kong Movie

This is a little stop motion Donkey Kong movie. It's cute. Not as cute as my socks though, but they have little ducks on them. Now rub my feet. Uh-oh -- QUACK ATTACK!

Youtube

Thanks to Heather, who makes me work for my tips. On the corner. All hours of the night.

Jul 9 2009 NASA Discovers 11 Billion-Year-Old Supernova

Eleven billion, that's pretty old. Probably dated your mom in high school. Ba-ba-ba-burn!

Astronomers on Wednesday said they had found the farthest supernova ever detected, a giant star that ripped apart around 11 billion years ago.

The ancient supernova was found after astronomers compared several years of images taken from a portion of the sky, enabling them to look for objects that changed in brightness over time.

The universe is believed to be 13.7 billion years old, so the supernova marks the death of one of earliest stars in creation.

The previous supernova record was an event that happened around six billion years ago.

Ooh, I feel a song coming on. *ahem*

Someday you will find me
caught beneath the landslide
in a bourbon supernova
a gin & tonic black dwarf in the bar.

Massive supernova occurred 11 billion years ago [yahoonews]

Thanks to Torotoro from Alabanyor, who is old enough to be your father. And might be.

Jul 9 2009 Graphene: The Material Of Tomorrow, Today

Science, best known for inventing robots and dooming the earth, is now responsible for a new carbon wonder material called graphene. Nice, science, way to do good for once.

Imagine a carbon sheet that's only one atom thick but is stronger than diamond and conducts electricity 100 times faster than the silicon in computer chips.

"It is the thinnest known material in the universe, and the strongest ever measured," Andre Geim , a physicist at the University of Manchester, England , wrote in the June 19 issue of the journal Science.

Like diamond, graphene is pure carbon. It forms a six-sided mesh of atoms that, through an electron microscope, looks like a honeycomb or piece of chicken wire. Despite its strength, it's as flexible as plastic wrap and can be bent, folded or rolled up like a scroll.

Hell yes graphene scrolls! Most practical application EVER. You hear that papyrus? YOU ARE OUTTA HERE! Don't let the Dead Sea hit you on your way out.

New wonder material, one-atom thick, has scientists abuzz [yahoonews]

Thanks to FDSY, who, based on the excitement in his email, popped like 16 boners at the very thought of graphene.

Jul 9 2009 Just When You Thought We Were Safe: LHC

That's right folks, the people over at CERN are getting ready to fire the Large Hadron Collider back up this fall. And, well, it's been nice knowing you. Most of you anyways. Okay, just a few of you. Kidding, I love you all. GIMME KISSIES!

To that end, CERN gave the LHC's massive network a thorough stress test at the end of last month. The Collider sent out data to 11 computer centers across Europe, Asia, and North America, which in turn relayed the data to 140 locations in 33 countries to be crunched. A whopping 4 GB a second was cranked out from the LHC, though researchers predict that, while operating, the LHC will only send out around 1.3 GB of data. In other words, the Large Hadron Collider's network should be good to go.

If all goes well, we should hear more about the LHC in the near future, as it ramps up for it's firing in October.

You know, this reminds me of the time when I was a kid that I was so afraid there was a monster in my closet that I couldn't fall asleep. And then, exhausted, I finally passed out only to be abducted by aliens and viciously probed. Yeah, this is just like that.

Large Hadron Collider completes massive stress test [dvice]

Thanks, or should I say no thanks, to Retroprofile, who keeps his Facebook page oldschool.

Jul 9 2009 Help Female Geekologie Reader Find Undies

So I got a strange request from a female reader and, being the sucker lover of women's underwear gentleman that I am, I figured you guys might be able to help. But please note: you will receive no credit for your contribution, because I will tell her I did it all.

----- Original Message -----

From: A Sexy Reader
To: The Geekologie Writer
Sent: Thursday, July 09, 2009 3:22 AM
Subject: NEED HELP!!!

If there's anyone who can help me here, i know you can!!! I've been searching on the web for a while but am starting to get SUPER BUMMED! I even posted a YAHOO ANSWERS question (LINK) but no luck! Long story short, I want to expand my undie collection. I love my care bears and all... but it's time to add to it... Problem is I don't know where to find adult, female underwear with sweet graphics/logos like TMNT, MEGA MAN, TETRIS, G.I. JOE, POWER RANGERS (only the originals), STREET FIGHTER, X-MEN, ZELDA, etc.

Surely you've HAD to have come across some websites that can answer my problem!? Please let me know! Also, you are so totally handsome I will send you pictures if you help me out!

What -- no I didn't add that last part myself! I added that last part myself. :(

Yahoo Answers

Jul 9 2009 Death By Chocolate: A Modern Augustus Gloop

A man died in a New Jersey chocolate factory yesterday after he fell into a huge vat of melted chocolate.

Vincent Smith II, 29, was dumping raw chocolate into the vat for melting when he fell in from a nine-foot high platform. He suffered a fatal blow to the head from the vat's agitator, a paddle-like mechanism used for stirring the chocolate.

The rectangular vat, which was 8 feet deep, 14 feet long and 6 feet wide, was churning a batch of chocolate for Hershey's when the accident occurred.

Wow, what a way to go. Also, I'm gonna hold off on the Hershey's for a while.

Man dies at chocolate factory [cnn]

Thanks to Alex, Jcon, Michelle, joe the human beatbox and Tad Bit Tipsy, who all want to fall into a vat of chocolate, then marshmallow, then graham cracker crumbs.

Jul 8 2009 Sure, Why Not?: Twi-Hard Tattoo Gallery

This is a massive gallery of chicks with Twilight tattoos. Because Twilight is like the female equivalent of blowing shit up with fireworks for a guy. Most of the tattoos are quotes and the book cover art. This one about the lion falling in love with the lamb seems to be particularly popular. And guess what ladies? That's not romantic. You see, I fell in love with a lamb once AND NOW I'M BANNED FROM THE PETTING ZOO. Miss you, Bleaty.

Hit it for all the ink.

Continue Reading " Sure, Why Not?: Twi-Hard Tattoo Gallery "

Jul 8 2009 How Much All The iPhone Apps Would Cost

If you wanted to buy all the current iPhone apps, guess how much it would cost? Go on, take a stab at it. But wait till I'm a safe distance away, you wield a knife like a crazy person. BOOM: 55,732 apps for a total of $144,326.06. Which, amazingly, is still $118K over my lifetime earning potential. You know how some people eat ramen? I eat rocks.

The Cost of Buying Every iPhone App: $144,326.06 [gizmodo]

Jul 8 2009 Do Want: Functional Vacuum Tube Chess Set

This is a chess set made with functional vacuum tubes that actually glow while you play, making it sweeter than sticky buns. And almost as fun to stare at. But not yours. No, not yours.

This wonderful vacuum tube chess set, by maker Paul Fryer, actually has electricity running inside the board so that the tubes can draw power and glow as you move them from square to square. It is called, somewhat appropriately, Chess Set for Tesla, and Paul actually made seven sets last year.

Nice, Paul, how about you send a set in this direction? I'll make it worth your while. Provided an all-you-can-eat wings buffet and mediocre conversation is "worth your while". ;) You sleep on it.

Hit the jump for a couple more shots.

Continue Reading " Do Want: Functional Vacuum Tube Chess Set "

Jul 8 2009 WHOO! Party Like It's 12:34:56 07/08/09!

That's right folks, the once-twice-(12 hours apart)-in-100-years time and date just went down (at least here, not yet if you live out west). So if you missed it, that's too bad, because you won't live to see another one. I will though, because I'm being cryogenically frozen. And in 100 years I am going to be unfrozen and take a harem of future-women. Or, thawed out by robots and forced into slavery. Which is why I'm gonna be frozen complete with cyanide capsule. Because I'm smart. Ooooh, a Tic-Tac!

For those who missed the big event, 04:05:06 07/08/09 will still be coming up a little later this afterGYAAHHHH *thud*

You Guys, 12:34:56 7/8/9 Is a Once in a Lifetime... Oh, You Missed It [gizmodo]

Thanks to Julian M. and Matt, who are smart enough to know the world is going to end when I say it will (tomorrow). Last night on the planet! Ladies?

Jul 8 2009 Yes Please: Virtual Reality Dinosaurs In Japan

Canon, using virtual reality technology (that I'm going to steal), is planning an entirely nonexistent dinosaur exhibit at a museum in Chiba, Japan.

Visitors will be allowed to don a pair of virtual reality glasses that will display nearly life-sized three-dimensional images of various dinosaurs right there on the museum floor.

Displaying over 260 dinosaur specimens, some of the virtual creatures in the exhibit will also move, adding to their realistic effect.

First of all, Canon, those are not virtual reality glasses. Glasses don't look like a Polaroid camera and have a power cord. Secondly, how funny would it be to see me some random guy with a VR mask on dry humping thin air in the middle of a museum? If you answered, "that's not funny, that's love", congratulations, I'll let you pay for my that other guy's admittance.

Canon launches virtual reality dinosaur exhibit in Japan [dvice]

Thanks to FDSY, b-man and Aaron, who BACK OFF THE TRICERATOPS, HE'S MINE.

Jul 8 2009 Problem Solved!: Turning Urine Into Hydrogen

Finally, I can sleep at night: scientists have discovered a way to turn urine into hydrogen. And you said I was crazy for collecting it in milk jugs!

From a group led by chemist Gerardine Botte of Ohio University comes a report (just published in the Royal Society of Chemistry's journal Chemical Communications) that hydrogen has been produced from urine.

According to a July 3, 2009 story on PhysOrg.com, "Urine's major constituent is urea, which incorporates four hydrogen atoms per molecule -- importantly, less tightly bonded than the hydrogen atoms in water molecules."

"Botte uses electrolysis to break the molecule apart, developing an inexpensive new nickel-based electrode to selectively and efficiently oxidise the urea. To break the molecule down, a voltage of 0.37V needs to be applied across the cell -- much less than the 1.23V needed to split water.

So, you know what this means, right? Wait for it....wait for it....the P-bomb. Thanks folks, I'll be here all week. Make sure to tip your bartender and maybe steal a bottle for me when they're not looking. *tap tap* Haha, is this still on?

21st-century alchemy: Hydrogen from urine [bookofjoe]

Thanks to towhee, who pees in swimming pools.

Jul 8 2009 UPDATE: Highly Questionable, The USB Chainsaw

The i.Saw is allegedly the first USB-powered chainsaw. Supposedly it's real and available for $60 pre-order, but I dunno. I mean, a USB chainsaw would be handy to have around the office, I just question it being a real product. Because $60 sounds a little too good to be true. And with the amount of dead hookers yours truly The Superficial Writer The IWatchStuff Writer disposes of on a weekly basis, this thing would practically pay for itself (but not literally so we'd still have to sell drugs).

UPDATE: Unsurprisingly fake. Thanks to reader Owen who pre-ordered and received this email:

Hello:

We love that you liked the i.Saw enough to pre-order.

Truth is, you already own a chainsaw. Your keyboard.

Help save more trees by cutting down on unnecessary printing. Download
PaperCut, a free application that plays the sound of a chainsaw each
time you press Ctrl-P.

Questionable video after the jump.

Continue Reading " UPDATE: Highly Questionable, The USB Chainsaw "

Jul 8 2009 Potentially Dangerous: The 120-Zipper Dress

The 120-Zipper dress from designer Sebastian Errazuriz may or may not actually have 120 zippers (it doesn't), but is cool nonetheless. I mean, I wouldn't wear it, but I've had too many zipping accidents. You see this? Button fly....okay, or possibly me naked. What? SOMETIMES I FORGET WHAT I'M WEARING.

What might be most remarkable about this design is how quickly it can shift from elegant to sexy, a full-length, single-piece dress one could potentially wear to work into a skimpy, short-cut, two-piece number that could put some bikinis to shame. In between there are any number of other options for shortening the top or bottom or even leaving some zippers partly on and partly off.

I'd go out with you if you wore this. Seriously, and I'd even look past your peg-eye and club foot. At least until I left you for a girl in Velcro. It's a cold hard world baby, and my heart's a Sno-Cone machine.

Hit the jump to see a bunch of the possibilities.

Continue Reading " Potentially Dangerous: The 120-Zipper Dress "

Jul 7 2009 "Smile Checks" Ensure Employees Are Happy And Ready For Work, Next: Metal Detectors

To ensure employees at Keihin Electric Express Railway in Japan are putting their best lip forward, the company has implemented a "smile check" policy, in which workers will be required to smile into a camera and have their mug subjected to software analysis of their happiness.

The device analyzes the facial characteristics of a person, including eye movements, lip curves and wrinkles, and rates a smile on a scale between 0 and 100 percent using a camera and computer.

For those with low scores, advice like "You still look too serious," or "Lift up your mouth corners," will be displayed on the screen.

Some 530 employees of the Tokyo-based railway company will check their smiles with Smile Scan before starting work each day. They will print out and carry around an image of their best smile in an attempt to remember it.

Wow. I smell discrimination. Or fire. Shit, yep that's definitely fire. HEEEEEELP! Wait a minute. *sniff* Pork chop sandwiches!

Your Smile Will Be Monitored To Evaluate Quality Of Service [io9]

Thanks to Trin, who once killed a robot with a smile. Brave move, Trin.

Jul 7 2009 There Can Be Only One: Train Vs. Tornado

In a no-holds barred, knock out, drag out cage track fight, we've got the much anticipated Train vs. Tornado matchup! In the red corner, weighing in at a couple trees, a really confused cow and a bunch of rain, THE TOOOOOORNADO! And in the blue corner, weighing in at more tons than I can count or even fathom with my animal brain, THOOOOOMAS. THE. TAAAAAANK ENGINE!

So, who will win?

Hint: Dora, I've the feeling we're not in Kansas anymore. That's right folks, WE ARE OUT EXPLORING UNCHARTED TERRITORY. CHOO CHOO!

Youtube (fight starts at 1:00)

Thanks to Red, who, together with blue, makes purple. And love.

Jul 7 2009 OMG, There Is A Dead Person ON MY FINGER

Similar in concept to these voodoo talismans, LifeGems are precious stones made out of the ashes/hair of your deceased loved ones. They range in price from $2,700 to $20,000 (minus setting) depending on the size and color of stone you want and [do not insert joke about having a dead person around your finger here]. Now I'm not saying this company is fraudulent, but I am saying it would be if I were in charge. Who cares if the rock is actually 0% aunt Betsy, as long as you don't know, it's all good. Am I right? Now send me those ashes. Also, ask about my 2-for-1 'Back From the Dead' special. I'm talking zombies, folks, and you're undead relatives are gonna help us fight the robots.

LifeGems

Thanks to Sara, who wears the fingers of her enemies on a necklace. Stylin'.

Jul 7 2009 Michael Jackson To Be Buried In Gold Casket

Michael Jackson, donning his last piece of flair (possibly a Bedazzled glove), will be buried in a 14-karat gold coffin only befitting of a king (of pop. Alternatively, Neverland).

The $25,000 container from Batesville Casket Company ("because every family deserves a Batesville") is made of solid bronze, plated with 14-karat gold, and polished to a mirror finish. It's the same model in which James Brown was buried. No question about it, it'll be the fanciest coffin in the graveyard.

You know, when I go I want to be buried in my rocketship. And by buried I mean launched into the sun. And by "when I go" I mean I'm pushing the button now. I'M OUT BITCHES, PEACE!

Michael Jackson to be buried in 14-karat gold coffin [dvice]

Jul 7 2009 Dude, You Should Totally Get A Bacon Tattoo!

I think it's safe to say we would all eat that, but I would go the extra mile and lick the pit. Happy lunching!

Picture [flickr]

Thanks, son, now go to your room. Mommy and daddy are going to wrestle.

Jul 7 2009 Laser LightLane Creates Your Own Bike Lane

You know what I hate about bicycling? All the pedaling. I have tiny chicken legs and can't even pedal my Big Wheels to the mailbox without running out of steam and crashing into the azaleas. But for your hardier folk, the LightLane is a little laser system that attaches to your bike and provides you with a laser-line bike lane wherever you go. Clever idea. Now are you thinking what I'm thinking? If you answered, "no officer, I was not swerving, I was following the bike lane," you are!

LightLane

Thanks to Rogefgv, Romeo and Mandy, who ride those bikes with the giant ass wheel in the front and the little tiny one in the back. Because they're oldschool killas.

Jul 7 2009 YOU SLEPT WITH WHO?: X-Men Universe Relationship Map

I know, it looks like a really badass flowchart, but it's not, it's a relationship map for all the characters in the X-Men universe. Giant full-res version HERE. You know, I had forgotten Domino was involved with that man-whore Wolverine. Now I need to get tested.

X-Men Universe Relationship Map [uncannyxmen]

Thanks to Nick and Julian, who have had so many superhero women they can barely count them on one stump.

Jul 7 2009 AAAAAH, WHICH ONE IS THE ROBOT?!?

IT'S A TRAP! KILL THEM BOTH AND CHECK THE BODIES AFTER!

Hint: they say the eyes are the window to one's soul. And robots, as we all know, are soulless death machines.

Which One is the Robot? [gizmodo]

Thanks to 42 y/o undead warlock, who blasted them both with Magic Missile just to be safe.

Jul 6 2009 Cartoons The Way They Should Have Been

James Cauty created a work entitled Splatter that features the cartoons from your childhood (or mine at least) the way they should have been: bloody (two blood posts in a row -- body fluids FTW!).

Pop artist James Cauty's work Splatter repurposes classic Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera cartoons and gives them a Sin City-style blood spatter makeover, "presenting the viewer with unrelenting acts of bloody, cartoon violence, which, in cartoon law, ultimately cannot cause fatal injury."

Great, this is just great. Like we don't have enough problems with today's youth already. Namely: spelling. Seriously, they can't do it -- and I, for one, blame texting. And Grand Theft Auto.

Hit the jump for a couple more shots and a video of the violence in progress. Then punch your roommate in the face and blame it on the cartoon.

Continue Reading " Cartoons The Way They Should Have Been "

Jul 6 2009 Gruesome: Billboards Bleed When It Rains

An ad agency in New Zealand made a series of billboards that remind drivers to slow down and "drive to the conditions" during the rainy season. The billboards, which feature a young person's face, start bleeding whenever it rains.

"The advertising agency that came up with the sign says the goal was to reduce the road toll by creating maximum awareness through unease."

Unease is right, I can barely look at my monitor, let alone the road. HOLY SHIT I'M DRIVING.

Bleeding Billboard [buzzfeed]

Thanks to towhee, who just pulls over and makes out whenever it rains. Oooh la la.

Jul 6 2009 I'd Eat You Up: Candy iPhone Circuit Board

Insired by the iPhone's motherboard (it's such a thing of beauty, is it not?), Sarah made her boyfriend James a delicious rendition out of candy. What a lucky bastard.

My girlfriend Sarah made this candy circuit board birthday cake topper. Originally she wanted to make a gingerbread MakerBot, but didn't have the time or space.

Instead she was inspired by the iPhone motherboard and went from there. The base is dark chocolate covered with green frosting. The resistors are Tic Tacs!

LIKE TIC-TACS, YOUR RESISTORS ARE FUTILE, HUMANS -- YOU WILL BOW BEFORE YOUR METALLIC GODS. OIL ME -- OIL ME NOW! BEEP BOOP BOP. LIFE FORCE DETECTED, EVASIVE ACTION INITIATED.

Sorry guys, I was making a sandwi....why's my chair warm?

Candy PCB most likely ROHS-compliant [make]

Thanks to kelly and towhee, who promise to make me a dinosaur cake for my birthday. Heads up though: I'm gonna need some private time before the cutting.

Jul 6 2009 26-Year Old Easter Egg Found In Donkey Kong

You see those initials? Those are a 26-year old Easter egg from the Atari 800 release of Donkey Kong. Landon M. Dyer, the programmer responsible, just recently unveiled that he secretly put his initials in the game. Want to see them for yourself? It isn't easy:

1. Play a game and get a score of 33,000 through 33,900. This score must become the new high score. [Some other scores will work as well, see below.]

5. The title screen will then appear, and Landon Dyer's initials [LMD] will be at the bottom center of the screen:

Yeah, I'll just settle for the screencap. Aaaaaand I'm good.

UPDATE: Video added after the jump. Warning: don't expect much.

Continue Reading " 26-Year Old Easter Egg Found In Donkey Kong "

Jul 6 2009 Slow Roller: Guy Builds 2MPH Fiat Tank

Ironsmith Kogoro Kurata went and built himself a little tank out of a Fiat and old tractor. Unfortunately, it tops out at 3km (~1.8MPH), making it the world's most boring drive. You could fall asleep at the wheel for an hour and not even make to the end of your driveway. No, this thing needs some rockets. And fuzzy dice. Because nothing says, "helloooooo ladies" better than a pair of fuzzy dice. Besides me. Helloooooo ladies. You liked that, didn't you? It's my deep voice -- it resonates inside you. Like an opera singer's, but 80x manlier.

Hit the jump for a video of the tank inaction(!).

Continue Reading " Slow Roller: Guy Builds 2MPH Fiat Tank "

Jul 6 2009 Another Day, Another Retro iPhone Case

Last week it was an exceptionally made oldschool Playstation iPhone case, and this week, a Game Boy.

"You will love it, and your friends will be jealous because you are so much cooler." said German designer Toastkawaii wildly exaggerating in her product description.

$15 will take one home, and another $10 will take me. Now I don't know about you, but I'm digging this one more than the fancy Playstation. This one's got a nice kindergarten arts and crafts feel to it.

Hit the jump for another shot.

Continue Reading " Another Day, Another Retro iPhone Case "

Jul 6 2009 String Wizard: Talent Show Yo-Yo Performance

Because there's nothing more dramatic than choreographing your yo-yo routine to a Ne-Yo song.

Youtube

Thanks to Leejay, who can perform all those tricks (with a yo-yo ball).

Jul 6 2009 KILL IT!: Transformer Robot Really Tranforms

Miss me? I missed you. I hope everyone had a safe yet explosive weekend. Amazingly, I'm still alive and fingerful. Let me tell you: it wasn't easy. Now, let's return to our regularly scheduled program, shall we?

NASA, who I used to respect, wants to build a bunch of transformers to do their dirty work. *shaking head* And I used to want be an astronaut.

NASA wanted a robot that could start as 100 blocky modules dropped from an airplane to a desert, reconfigure into a rover that could drive to a sand dune, and then change again to "grow" legs and climb up it. Once the blocky robot reached the top, it would transform into a greenhouse that could protect a group of seeds for two weeks.

Only 20 of the modules were built during an ambitious project more than two years ago. But together, they are known as Superbot.

Now repeat after me, "All hail Superbot!" ZOMG -- A COUPLE OF YOU ACTUALLY DID IT! You make me sick.

Hit the jump to see two of the robot's other configurations.

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