Oct 23 2009 CHOO CHOO!: A Little Superconductor Train
This is some French guy making a little superconductor train out of a bunch of magnets and a cup of magic potion. I have no idea what's in the magic potion but that won't stop me from chugging a whole chalice in the hopes of floating. Plus, it even works upside down which is super cool because I've always wanted to take a nap on the ceiling. I will drool on you!
Thanks to Rich the destroyer, who destroys because he's Rich the destroyer damnit, you know who he is!
Sep 15 2009 I Smell Hoverboards!: Scientists Successfully Float Mice Using Magnetic Fields
That's right folks, scientists have successfully hovered mice using nothing but magnetic fields. You read correctly: no black magic this time! (I'm still skeptical)
Scientists working on behalf of NASA built a device to simulate variable levels of gravity. It consists of a superconducting magnet that generates a field powerful enough to levitate the water inside living animals, with a space inside warm enough at room temperature and large enough at 2.6 inches wide (6.6 cm) for tiny creatures to float comfortably in during experiments.
The researchers first levitated a young mouse, just three-week-old and weighing 10 grams. It appeared agitated and disoriented, seemingly trying to hold on to something."It actually kicked around and started to spin, and without friction, it could spin faster and faster, and we think that made it even more disoriented," said researcher Yuanming Liu, a physicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. They decided to mildly sedate the next mouse they levitated, which seemed content with floating.
I want to float! Remember that time in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory where Charlie and his alcoholic grandfather drank the Lifting Fizzy Drink and then floated around the bubble room? Yeah, I did that one time when I was tripping. It was awesome. Well, until I swallowed a bubble and got the hiccups. I was hiccuping colors!
Mice Levitated in Lab [yahoonews]
Thanks to Totex, who once made his assistant hover before somebody in the audience yelled, "I can see the wires!" and ruined the illusion.
Sep 10 2009 Finally: The Buckyball Haiku Contest Winners
First of all, I'd like to apologize for taking so long to grade your haiku, but I took my time and read EVERY SINGLE ONE. I just wasn't expecting 1,600 entries, since I didn't even get that many comments ON MY BIRTHDAY. Read: everyone who entered but didn't wish me a happy birthday was disqualified. I jest. But seriously, you all did great and I'm very proud of the quality of poetry (most of) you wrote. Also, a bunch of you are clearly special needs. But that's okay, so am I. We'll have more contests in the future just as soon as people contact me with free swag to give away (I'm looking at you, Mercedes). Also, I can't stress how near impossible it was to choose winners. I haven't slept in four days trying to sort through all this awesome. And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, the winners:
Grand Prize:
407. AM
Powered by man flesh
Robots hunt down last blogger
Cry Geekologie
Runners Up (in no particular order):
1014. pellaz
Red skies born in flame
Metal masters torment us
Prophet was ignored
74. Matt
On the internet,
Dangerous to go alone...
Take Geekologie
1221. well thats nice
The Robots bring doom
So before we are all killed
Post Zelda Side Boob
There you have it, I guess I was really feeling Zelda and the robot apocalypse (but don't think I didn't enjoy your dinosaur entries -- they made me so hot!). I will be contacting the winners tomorrow. And again, it really was impossible to choose winners. I had the field narrowed down to 190 (including yours) and had to choose four. But don't worry, you'll win next time. Thanks for participating everyone, and I don't care what everybody else says: you're all winners in my book.
Sep 2 2009 CONTEST: Win Free Buckyball Magnets!
That's right folks, you wanna win your very own set of Buckyball rare earth magnets? Well you're in luck, cause I've got 5 free sets to give away!
Each set contains 216 powerful rare earth magnets that can be shaped, molded, torn apart and snapped together in UNLIMITED WAYS. Make sculptures, puzzles, patterns, shapes, stick stuff to the fridge, invent a new game--trying to find something more useful is useless.
The magnets regularly sell for $30 plus $6 shipping (buy two get free shipping), but the first 40 people to order and use promo code "geek" will get 20% off.
As for winning a free set, I'm holding a haiku contest. If you don't know what a haiku is go HERE (no seasonal reference necessary). To read Anticlown's contest policy go HERE. Then, enter your best Geekologie themed haiku IN THE COMMENTS. I will be choosing one grand prize winner to win two (2) sets, and 3 runners up to each receive one (1) set. I will be judging based entirely on my own sense of theology and geometry.
ONE POEM PER EMAIL ADDRESS. I WILL CHECK TO SEE IF YOU'VE ENTERED MORE THAN ONCE IF YOU WIN. So go open a million different Gmail accounts. Contest ends 5 PM Eastern, Sunday, September 6th and winners will be announced that night. I have provided the haiku below to get you all started.
The Geekologie Writer
Never Touched A Girl
There you have it, now GO GO GO!
UPDATE: CHECK YOUR POEMS, 5-7-5 SYLLABLES FOLKS, NOT WORDS. Not following proper format will result in disqualification and me whipping your ass.
UPDATE UPDATE: STOP SENDING THE HAIKU AS TIPS ENTER THEM IN THE COMMENTS I WILL KILL YOU ALL.
May 22 2009 Retro Gaming Refrigerator Magnet Sets
Looking for some retro-gaming flair you can stick to the fridge? Enter MagnetGames' Etsy shop. Seen here is a small sampling of a 22-piece, $30 Super Mario magnet set. Mario not doing it for you? Hit the jump for some Zelda, Pac-Man and Tetris action. Shit, there might even be an $8 cheeseburger coaster set. And no, I didn't just post this because I threatened the maker with future defamation of character unless I got a complimentary Zelda set. Susan, I hope you're reading this.
Hit the jump for a whole bunch more and link to the store.
Apr 29 2009 WHEE!: Fun With Fridge Magnet Letters
Want to play with those magnetic letters you stick on the fridge but stuck at work? No problem! Enter Lunchtimer's Letters 'game', where you can arrange a bunch of the colorful plastic letters to spell whatever you want. The only problem is, you have to do it in a room with 2-50 other people, so while you're trying to spell 'GEEKOLOGIE', other people are trying to change it to 'DICKOLOGIE'. Good times. There's also a game called Scratchpad where everyone doodles together like in Microsoft Paint. Obviously, both games fill up with penises and cuss words pretty quickly. Also, somebody kept drawing a pretty good Pedobear.
Hit the jump for a more common scene.
Apr 15 2009 Floating Cloud Sofa Looks Comfy, Conceptual
The Cloud is a levitating sofa that floats thanks to magnets and, I suspect, a tiny wizard. Unfortunately, it's only conceptual. Which, for those of you who don't know what conceptual is, means really soft. You should buy one.
Cloud is a sofa concept designed for ultra comfort and relaxation. The soft floating upper part is supported by the magnetic force generated by the bottom base. No matter if you want to work and sit with comfort or simply a power nap to release the stress, you can always enjoy your time to relax on the floating cloud.
Designed by D.K. Wei (no relation to that barrel throwing bastard), the Cloud recently won honorable mention (3rd loser) in a relaxation design contest. Which, wait a minute, relaxation design contest -- WTF is that? Fifth of gin and a handful of Valium. BOOM, blue ribbon.
Cloud magnetically levitating sofa is the greatest couch concept, ever
Mar 6 2009 FAKE!: Magnetic Photoshop Picture Boards
From meninos, the same company that's bringing us tampon flash drives, comes some Photoshop/Illustrator picture boards. They're basically magnetic whiteboards that come with magnet sets that look like the various Photoshop/Illustrator toolboxes. The toolbox magnets for either program will set you back $25, $65 with a 20" magnetic board, and $80 with a 30" board. So buy one for your cubicle, and then start hanging all your memos/emails. That way when your boss comes by to ask why you haven't done jackshit for the day, you can tell him the most recent memo was clearly a fake, and has been Photoshopped -- you could tell because the shadows were all wrong. You will then be applauded for your detective skills and promoted. Or fired. Hopefully fired.
Hit the jump to see closeups of the two magnet sets.
Continue Reading " FAKE!: Magnetic Photoshop Picture Boards "
Feb 19 2009 Guy Loses Finger To Neodymium Magnets
What you're looking at there is a dude's fingernail and the remains of a finger that got crushed between two Neodymium magnets. Brutal! Sweet!
Dirk had an accident. It took 1 1/2 hours of surgery to remove the shattered bones and repair the damage. Medically speaking, he crushed his right index finger distal phalange. The magnets had a 50 cm (20 inch) separation when they decided to fly together.
He is lucky that he only lost a finger tip as opposed to his whole hand. The block Neo below is about 4" by 2" by 2" N45 with a pull force of around 700 lbs (320 kg). The disk is about 3" dia. by 2 1/2" thick N45 with a pull force of about 400 lbs (180 kg). That is his fingernail and some of his finger tip caught between the magnets.
Holy hellfire. Hit the jump to see the graphic photos and a link to the whole story. Which amazingly didn't include heavy drinking and/or a bet. Seriously though, Neodymium magnets are not playtoys (unless you got the really small weak ones, in which case, whee!). Remember what they taught you in Boy Scouts: if you can't stand the heat, too many chefs spoil the broth. Life wisdom, folks, I'm full of it.
Hit the jump for graphic pictures of a bloody stump.
Jan 18 2009 No, Absolutely Not: A $64,000 Turntable
We've already featured $19,000 and $300,000 turntables here on Geekologie, but what about something for the average guy -- you know, a mid-range record player? Enter the Angelis Labor Gabrielle Turntable.
The Gabriel is made from aluminum, bronze and stainless steel and can be customized with up to four arms. Each arm is made in a Modena, Italy, factory that also builds Ferrari parts. A one-armed model costs about $27,000, while a four-armed version runs for $64,000, including installation.
Why would anyone want four arms on their record player? Different pickup cartridges produce different types of sound, and some audiophiles like to match their record players' arms to different genres of music without going through the hassle of swapping cartridges."When I look at it," said Placido Pappalardo, co-owner of maker Angelis Labor, "the only word that comes to mind is love."
Really, Placido, love? I was maybe thinking spaceship or PEW PEW, but certainly not love. Unless, of course, you meant LOVE love, in which case, I'd hit that shit like a Laserdisc player.
Hit the jump for a bunch of closeups.
Continue Reading " No, Absolutely Not: A $64,000 Turntable "
Oct 30 2008 Oh My God, I'm Floating!: A Hover Chair
The Lounger is a $9,600 floating chair that will be on display at Britain's Stuff Live gadget show this weekend.
Inventor Keith Dixon, of Sussex-based Hoverit Ltd, said he was inspired as a child by the anti-gravity Landspeeder vehicles in the "Star Wars" films.
"The sensation you feel as you lie back and close your eyes is totally different -- like floating on a cloud," said a Stuff Live spokesman. Its 6,000 pound ($9,620) price tag may bring visitors back down to earth with a bump, however.
Floating on a cloud, huh? More like floating on a piece of hard molded plastic. Last time I felt like I was floating on a cloud I was getting my wisdom teeth pulled and high as Benjamin Franklin's kite on laughing gas. I jusht bit frew muh lip!
Rise above economic woes with the hover chair [reuters]
Thanks to Jack, who can hover without magnets. He's a magician!
Oct 16 2008 Magnet Case Keeps Your iPod Stuck To You, And Also, This Is How You Sell Products
The iStik is a $27 iPod case that has neodymium magnets on its two parts so you can stick it to your bikini or running shorts (one magnetic piece goes on the inside, case goes on the outside). Pretty clever. And also, based purely on the above imagery, I just bought a dozen --and I don't even own an iPod! Now that's how you sell products. Advertisers take note: when in doubt, T&A. A letter, a symbol, and another letter to live by.
Hit the jump for another product shot.
Oct 3 2008 Magic Hat Makes You Smarter, Look Stupid
This thinking cap promises to make its wearer smarter. How?Using a magnetic coil to send juice to portions of the left side of the brain, researchers claim that they can turn anyone into a savant, improving memory and creativity by incredible amounts.
Being a skeptic, I went ahead and rigged up my own cap on their design. I made it out of aluminum foil, a bunch of refrigerator magnets, and a car battery. Here goes nothing!
UPDATE: I smell toast.
Sep 24 2008 We're Saved!: LHC Shut Down Temporarily
The Large Hadron Collider won't be doing any colliding until next spring due to a magnet failure that allowed a ton of helium to leak out one of the tunnels.
Cern said the most likely cause of the equipment failure was a faulty electrical connection between two of the accelerator's magnets. This connection melted during testing of the machine and caused a huge leak of super-cool helium.
We're saved! There will be a Christmas after all! Just kidding, the robots are coming. Let's just say Thanksgiving won't be so thankful this year.
On a side note, your friend the Geekologie Writer is going through a really tough time right now (divorce). Please don't give up on him, he'll be back to rocking the shit out of shit as soon as possible.
Collider halted until next year [bbcnews]
Thanks to Flash, Josh, Daniel, and Dave, who all know the only good collisions happen at the demolition derby.
Sep 3 2008 World's Strongest Magnet Being Built
Scientologists at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Florida are building the world's most powerful magnet. When finished, the fridge rapist "will reach a power of 100 tesla when it's complete, which is a whopping 67 times more powerful than the magnets in a typical MRI." Impressive. So what do you use such a powerful magnet for? "(To) test the properties of newly discovered high-temperature superconductors like iron oxyarsenide, which may improve the performance of MRI machines and high-voltage power lines while lowering their cost." Sure, why not. I have relatives in Florida, so I'm gonna arrange a tour next time I'm down there.
UPDATE: Forgot to take the Prince Albert out first. Looks like an M-80 detonated in my pants.
Jun 5 2008 Magnetic Accelerator Kit Fires Ball Bearings
The $30 Magnetic Accelerator from Thinkgeek uses black magic to launch ball bearings at your roommate when he refuses to fetch you a beer from the fridge even though he's closer. The kit can be assembled in just a few minutes and requires no glue (so there's little chance of bonding your hand to your genitals again). "Set the metal ball at the end of the track and watch as the energy transfers and multiplies down the track of magnets and metal balls until finally the last ball zooms off." Whee, what fun -- I love zooming balls, provided they're not my roomate's buzzing in for a teabag because I passed out on the couch. Seriously, you had your fun, now take the pictures off Facebook.
Hit the jump for a short video of the weapon in action.
teabagging the roomie!
In this photo: The Geekologie Writer (photos), my balls (photos)
Added May 29, 2008
Continue Reading " Magnetic Accelerator Kit Fires Ball Bearings "
Jun 4 2008 Thanks NASA!: Visible Magnetic Fields
NASA, who should be focusing their efforts on a way to blast me out of the solar system, is instead making movies with visible magnetic fields. Not sure how this is gonna help me bed an alien chick, but whatever, it's freaking awesome so I'll let it slide.
Scientists from NASA's Space Sciences Laboratory have made (magnetic fields) visible as "animated photographs," using sound-controlled CGI and 3D compositing. It makes the fields, as explained by the scientists, dance in an absolutely gorgeous movie called Magnetic Movie.
Be sure to check out a ton more pictures and the movie after the jump, it's some serious eye candy. Now NASA needs to get to work on making a pair of glasses that can do this in real time. Then we could all, you know, get high and make Magneto put on a light show.
Hit the jump for a ton more awesomeness. Oh, and even though it sounds like it, the woman in the video does not say "hairy balls" at 0:45, she says hairball. This is science people, get your heads out of the gutter.
May 1 2008 OLD!: Ferrofluids Are Amazing To Watch
Here, I'll help: OLD! Methuselah probably watched this in his 8th grade science class. But here it is anyway. I'm mainly posting it because ferrofluids are freaking awesome and you may not have seen them. That, and I secretly like posting old things because it reminds me of my childhood when life was carefree and I didn't have to worry about this rash.
A ferrofluid (from the Latin ferrum, meaning iron) is a liquid which becomes strongly polarized in the presence of a magnetic field. It is a colloidal mixture comprising extremely small magnetic particles suspended in a liquid. The particles are coated with a soap or detergent to prevent them from clumping together.
Basically it's a magical black liquid that makes a lot of spikies in response to magnetic stimuli and is amazing to watch.
UPDATE: I just got an email from a very reliable metal expert, and he has something he wants to say about ferrofluids.
From: Magneto@menwithmetaldongs.com
[mailto:thegeekologiewriter@sexybloggers.com]
Sent: Thurs 2008-05-01 12:58
To: Writer, The Geekologie
Subject: Ferrofluids
Geekologie Writer,
I really want to stick my metal rod in that ferrofluid.
Best,
Magneto
Youtube (links on page to other ferrofluid videos as well)
Thanks to Amy, a rare-earth magnetic beauty herself, for the tip
Apr 30 2008 NeoCube Alpha: 216 Rare-Earth Magnet Balls
I thought this video was pretty freaking neat. It almost made me buy a NeoCube ($30), but I figured I'd wait until you of you did and gave me the real scoop.
Composed of 216 INDIVIDUAL high energy rare-earth magnets, the NeoCube Alpha is capable of a nearly infinite number of possible solutions making the NeoCube Alpha perfect for gaming, expression, stress relief, boredom busting, dual hemispherical brain stimulation, and hours of fun.
Awesome, I could play with that for hours. However, such incredible fun comes with several warnings:
The strong magnets in the NeoCube can damage or destroy some electronic devices. Therefore it should never be put close to or directly in contact with electronic products (including medical devices). Never attempt to burn the NeoCube. The NdFeB material which is the magnetic material in the NeoCube is a relatively new material, and long term effects of direct skin exposure are therefore unknown. Although there have been no studies which indicate that it is in any way transdermaly toxic, there have been studies that prove the Geekologie writer is a sexy, sexy man. This product is not intended to treat, diagnose, or cure any diseases. This product contains small balls.
I'm a little scared now. But I think the fun I'd have playing with the NeoCube would outweigh any adverse health risks. I mean I can play with little magnetic balls for hours. Same goes for mercury.
Product Page
via
The NeoCube [albotas]
Mar 4 2008 Little Boy Calls Himself 'Magneto Man', Breaks Computers, Is Proud, Thinks He's Famous
Joe Falciatano III (of the Falciatano dynasty) is 12-years old and has broken 12 computers in his school's computer lab. They thought it had something to do with magnetism, but it's now believed to be a static issue related to his over-insulated shoes. Personally, I think it's because his mom banged Magneto while the X-Men were on vacation. That's just my theory though (which is correct). He even calls himself "Magneto Man", despite being 12-years old and unable to produce facial hair. Finally some brainiac, whose intelligence is undoubtedly up there with the likes of Einstein, suggested he wear an anti-static wrist strap. Lo and behold the problems stopped! Now, call me crazy, but why did it take 12 broken computers to finally get the kid to wear a freaking wrist strap? Wow, computer lab teacher. Wow. If a kid broke one computer in my lab they'd be wearing a lot more than a wrist strap. Namely a size 12 Puma up their ass. I love kids.
Video report after the jump.
