Oct 29 2009 I See You!: 8x Zoom Case For Nintendo DSi

Want an 8x zoom lens for your DSi because you're secretly a spy? Me neither. Want an 8x zoom lens for your DSi because you're in love with the receptionist at the free clinic and you want to candidly take pictures of her? You've got problems. But if you've also got $25 you can have the Nyko DSi Zoom Case, a case and lens that attach to your DSi and allow up to 8x zoom. Plus, it's super inconspicuous. Goodbye bow tie camera!

Hit the jump for a shot of it's zooming capabilities and all the accessories.

Continue Reading " I See You!: 8x Zoom Case For Nintendo DSi "

Oct 9 2009 Cool!: Beluga Whales Can Blow Bubble Rings

So apparently beluga whales know how to blow bubble rings, making them perfect for children's birthday parties and arguably the smartest creatures in the ocean. You hear that merfolk? Your finned asses just got demoted!

And while they chug through the water at a sluggish 2 to 5mph, their mental power more than makes up for their slowness. Scientists don't really know why Belugas - like their fellow marine mammals, the dolphins - are fond of blowing bubbles and then chasing them. But it's likely that, just like children, they simply enjoy messing about.

Some scientists have called Belugas the most intelligent creatures on earth. But don't confuse that large forehead with a huge brain.

It is actually filled with a lump of wax, which is thought to help the whales communicate. In fact, they are so talkative - using chirps, squeals and squeaks - that their nickname is 'the canary of the sea'.

Yes, 'the canary of the sea'. Not to be confused with 'the poisonous chicken of the sea', which is the Japanese Puffer Fish. I ate twelve and still lived! NOW WHO'S THE DEADLIEST CATCH COMPETITIVE EATER?! This guy.

Hit the jump for several more of the ring-blowing fun.

Continue Reading " Cool!: Beluga Whales Can Blow Bubble Rings "

Oct 7 2009 Photosketch: Photoshop For The Unskilled

Photosketch is an intuitive computer program that makes Photoshopping pictures of yourself humping a dinosaur crushing a robot's skull even easier. You just sketch out some stick figures, add text labels, and the program does all the heavy lifting for you.

A group of researchers have put together a system called PhotoSketch which allows the user to literally sketch a desired scene (see above for an example), label each part of the scene with keywords, then PhotoSketch searches the web for photos and assembles a photographic version of the sketch.

Why the hell anybody would want a picture of themself with a strange woman on a beach with a regatta in the background is beyond me, but hey, it's possible. And you know what else is? Anything you put your mind to. I jest, you'll never accomplish anything. Kidding -- you're all winners in my book. I mean that.

PhotoSketch: Make the Internet Create Photos for You [mentalfloss]

Thanks to Richard, Jack, susan and The Superficial Writer, who only use Photoshop for counterfeiting fast food coupons. The gig is up!

Sep 28 2009 Sadness: LEGO House Gets Demolished

The LEGO house built by James May for his BBC program Toy Stories was recently demolished after nobody stepped forward to buy and preserve the plastic abode. I would have, but I don't have the money. Or pants (pants? where I'm going I don't need pants). I'm going back to the past! Anyway, this is a little gallery of the demolition. Allegedly the blocks (which were actually donated by LEGO) are going to be used for charity builds in the future. So yeah, that's a silver lining. But not a silver panty liner! Which, haha, HORF HORF HORF HORF HORF.

Hit the jump for several more shots of the sadness.

Continue Reading " Sadness: LEGO House Gets Demolished "

Sep 27 2009 Scientists To Pull Pictures From Your Brain

I know for a fact the government can pull images from a person's brain because they've been probing around in my dome for years, messing with the delicate ecosystem up there. And one time when I was being interrogated I saw a picture of a dinosaur in an agent's file folder, SO I KNOW. Anyway, apparently they've decided to make the technology public knowledge.

Having modeled how images are represented in the brain, the researchers translated recorded patterns of neural activity into pictures of what test subjects had seen.

To construct their model, the researchers used an fMRI machine, which measures blood flow through the brain, to track neural activity in three people as they looked at pictures of everyday settings and objects.

As in the earlier study, they looked at parts of the brain linked to the shape of objects. Unlike before, they looked at regions whose activity correlates with general classifications, such as "buildings" or "small groups of people."

Once the model was calibrated, the test subjects looked at another set of pictures. After interpreting the resulting neural patterns, the researchers' program plucked corresponding pictures from a database of 6 million images.

Soon, everyone will have a photo printer in the back of their head to print off worthwhile images they've seen. Me? I already have one. Don't believe me -- check this stack of pictures. What? Don't act like you've never seen a dinosaur penis before!

Brain Scans Reveal What You've Seen [wired]

Thanks to Anit, who can read minds like comic books: with incredible difficulty.

Aug 8 2009 Light Graffiti: The LED Spraypaint Can

Halo is an LED spraypaint can by French designer Aissa Logerot. Basically, instead of spraying paint (which, kids, you shouldn't huff), it has an LED that sprays light!

the LED light can change colors and brightness on the fly and while it's powered by an internal battery that can be charged by shaking of the can.

"Graffiti artists can conserve their own gesture they have with an aerosol spray. It is possible to change the color and the brightness of the led to change the graffiti's styles. If the light doesn't have enough battery, the user must shake it to have energy again."

Sure you could do the same thing with any LED, but I like the can form factor. Plus, I like shaking things. So, what should I spray first? I'm leaning towards A WAY TO YOUR HEART. Then, once you're mine, a dinosaur eating an airplane.

halo - LED Spray Paint [likecool]

Thanks to naas, who once sprayedpainted the side of an entire building with urine.

Jul 24 2009 Wait, Where'd He Go?: More Urban Camo

This is a picture of Chinese artist Liu Bolin and an assistant demonstrating his incredible skill in blending in with his surroundings. Can you see him? Me neither.

He claims they make a statement about his place in society. He sees himself as an outsider whose artistic efforts are not always valued, especially in his native country.

Standing silently in front of his chosen scene, in locations all around the world, the 36-year-old uses himself as a blank canvas.

Then, with a little help from an assistant, he paints his body to merge as seamlessly as possible with what is behind him.

Now I'm not going to point any fingers, but I swear I just heard the shower curtain cough. Okay, it just moved. I'm pointing fingers now. AT YOU, LIU! DUM DUM DUM!

Hit the jump for five more, all of which may or may not contain an artist painted as something else (I never saw him).

Continue Reading " Wait, Where'd He Go?: More Urban Camo "

Jul 18 2009 Do Or Do Not, There Is No Try: Geekologie Reader Spots Yoda Shaggin' Wagon

Geekologie Reader Dustin spotted this Yoda themed shaggin' wagon driving around in the wild and snapped a few pictures with his iPhone. Good lookin', Dustin. But seriously, next time keep both hands on the wheel. I kid, I kid, that's why God invented knees.

Hit the jump for two more shots of the van that attracts Star Wars cosplay girls like moths to a flame.

Continue Reading " Do Or Do Not, There Is No Try: Geekologie Reader Spots Yoda Shaggin' Wagon "

Jun 26 2009 Guy Fills iPhone With Cleverly Made Icons

This is a pretty exciting picture of some guy's iPhone. As you can see, he traded all the icons out for pictures he made himself. Pretty cute. Not the phone -- your dog. Can I pet it?

This iPhone is Freakin' Hilarious [gizmodo]

Thanks to greg, who traded out all his iPhone icons for nothing because WHO NEEDS BUTTONS AM I RIGHT?!

May 13 2009 Spam Emails: Now With More Illustration

This is a picture from artist Elliot Burford's series of work entitled 'Spam', which features illustrations created using the titles of spam email, most of which are for wiener growing pills. I posted a bunch more of my favorites after the jump, but there are 24 in total (so far), so take a gander if you like them. I was particularly fond of this one, for obvious reasons -- I like the smell of gasoline. Kidding, BURN IT WITH FIRE!

Hit the jump for more.

Continue Reading " Spam Emails: Now With More Illustration "

May 4 2009 X-Rays Of Video Game Controllers & Consoles

Flickr user Reintji went and took a bunch of x-rays of video game consoles and controllers, from both today and yesteryear. And also, the future. Just kidding, no future. If time machines existed you'd know it because I'd be writing steamy romance novels about the time I banged a dinosaur but was left only partially satisfied because the third member of our ménage à trois got eaten by a Megalosaurus on the way to the party. So yeah, what I just said. Boom, great tie-in.

Hit the jump for a whole bunch more (use file names for identification) and a link to the full Flickr gallery.

Continue Reading " X-Rays Of Video Game Controllers & Consoles "

Apr 16 2009 Impressive Stop Motion: Wolf Vs Pig

I'm sure this sort of thing has been done before (OLD!) but that doesn't make the feat any less impressive. Or fun to watch. Which is why I'm posting it. I DON'T NEED YOUR PERMISSION! Well, what do you say, can I? Haha, I meant touch your boobs!

At first I photographed stop motion　animation. And I displayed the photographs in my room and photographed it again.　Enjoy a connection with the world of the room and the world in the photograph.

I tried to count the number of photos used to make the video, but I lost track around a trillion. And yes, as a matter of fact that does make me the world's highest counter. Seriously, this shit's the chronic.

Youtube

Thanks to twellve, who once dressed up in a sheep costume, but I knew it was still her. You can't fool me, twellve!

Apr 3 2009 Angry Villagers Chase Off Street View Car

A group of angry villagers in Broughton, England chased off a Google Street View car because they feared an invasion of privacy and increased crime in the area.

"I was upstairs when I spotted the camera car driving down the lane," resident Paul Jacobs told The Times of London. "My immediate reaction was anger: How dare anyone take a photograph of my home without my consent? I ran outside to flag the car down and told the driver he was not only invading our privacy but also facilitating crime.

"This is an affluent area. We've already had three burglaries locally in the past six weeks. If our houses are plastered all over Google it's an invitation for more criminals to strike. I was determined to make a stand, so I called the police."

Just to be fair, I broke into Mr. Jacob's home and stole his valuables and last bowl of cereal just to prove that, even without Street View, The Geekologie Writer will still rob you blind. But seriously, Paul, if you could pick up some more Raisin Nut Bran, that would be awesome.

Gang of villagers chase away Google car [cnn]

Thanks to Brad, who once chased a Google Street View car six blocks before he realized it was a pizza delivery guy.

Apr 2 2009 Good Stuff: Remakes Of The Peekaru Picture

Remember Peekaru, the $80 vest that makes it look like a young mutant is bursting forth from your bosom? Yeah, well the folks over at Emptees have a huge gallery of Photoshopped versions. I've included a few of my favorites after the jump, so check them out. Then hit the link at the bottom to see the entire Emptees gallery, which is slightly NSFW because there are two with boobs. But honestly, I barely noticed them. And I definitely didn't print them out in color. And I definitely didn't forget to go pick them up from the print....uh-oh.

UPDATE: What bullshit, printing out a picture of a boob IS NOT sexual harassment. I swear, some people. Oh well -- anybody hiring?

Hit it, toots.

Continue Reading " Good Stuff: Remakes Of The Peekaru Picture "

Mar 30 2009 Time-Lapse Video of Mushrooms Growing

This is a highly erotic time-lapse video of some Psilocybe cubensis "gold cap" mushrooms growing. It was created using 1,661 photos over the course of 5 days, 18 hours and 25 minutes. I really liked the zoom-out effect during the video, I thought that was a nice touch. Also, one time I thought I was a superhero and had a slow-motion fight with my friends in their college apartment. That wasn't mushrooms though, that was Robitussin. But seriously kids: drugs are bad, and I'm living proof. Living proof of awesome, RAWR! Whoa -- did you hear that? Sounded like a dinosaur.

Youtube

Thanks to leftRIGHTleft, who found this video even sexier than I did, which is saying a lot because my pants caught fire.

Mar 20 2009 Now Now, Play Nice: Aliens Vs. Predator Ads

This is a set of print ads run by a New Zealand cable channel advertising its upcoming showing of Aliens vs. Predator. As you can see (if Geekologie hasn't burnt out your retinas yet) they feature an Alien vs. Predator playing together civilly. This one is chess, but hit the jump to see pool and swingball. And speaking of swingball -- go ahead, give them a kick. Go on -- I can take it. Wait wait wait, I'm not rea--OH OFFFFOW OWW OWW OWW OOOOOOOWW OWW OW OW OH STOP OH STOP UHHH UUHH UUHH I CAN'T BREATHE STOP UHHH UUHHHH. Oh yeah, that's the stuff.

Hit it for the others.

Continue Reading " Now Now, Play Nice: Aliens Vs. Predator Ads "

Mar 10 2009 Awwwwh, How Cute: ATilla The Pet AT-AT

This is a little photo gallery of flickr user NickIsConfused's new pet, ATilla the AT-AT. As you can see, it's adjusting to it's new home quite nicely. Awwwwwh. You know, this really makes me want to bring home a little bundle of joy. Yeah, a brown paper one from the liquor store. It's a boy! Aaaand another boy! ZOMG, Jack and Jim -- twins!

Hit the jump for several more and another link to the flickr gallery.

Continue Reading " Awwwwh, How Cute: ATilla The Pet AT-AT "

Mar 6 2009 Eye Candy: The Best Of Google Street View

This is a gallery of some of the best of Google Street Views. Most of the pictures are unexplainable, so feel free to make up your own story as to what's happening. Here, I'll get you started.

"THAT'S MY BIKE PUNK!"

Hit the jump for 14 more of the craziness.

Continue Reading " Eye Candy: The Best Of Google Street View "

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 "

Mar 3 2009 Cool!: Albino Dolphin Spotted In The Wild

A pink bottlenose dolphin was spotted swimming in Lake Calcasieu in Louisiana. It is believed to be the only of its kind.

'The mammal is entirely pink from tip to tail and has reddish eyes indicating it's albinism. The skin appears smooth, glossy pink and without flaws. I have spotted it about 40 to 50 times in the time since the original sighting as it has apparently taken up residence with its family in the Calcasieu Ship Channel.

'As time has passed he has grown and sometimes ventures away from its mother to feed and play but always remains in the vicinity of the pod.

'Surprisingly, it does not appear to be drastically affected by the environment or sunlight as might be expected considering its condition, although it tends to remain below the surface a little more than the others in the pod.'

ZOMG, how cute! And by cute I mean pink. I LOVE PINK DOLPHINS! Look, I just drew one and slid it into the cover of my Trapper Keeper. What can I say, I'm sensitive. And also, hungry. Did somebody say sushi? My stomach did! And also, "the number you are trying to reach has been disconnected". Shit, I ate my phone!

Hit the jump for two more of the magical beast.

Continue Reading " Cool!: Albino Dolphin Spotted In The Wild "