Oct 30 2009 NASA's Ares Rocket Breaking Sound Barrier
This is a beautiful shot (super high-res version HERE) of NASA's Ares rocket taken earlier this week just as it broke the sound barrier. Pretty awesome, huh? Just imagine if you were sitting on top. WHEEEEE!!
What you're looking at is called a "shock egg," or the Prandtl-Glauert singularity, or a shockwave that compresses air and forces the vapor out of it. You see this kind of stuff a lot in photographs trailing behind fighter jets, but it's especially awesome when it happens to rockets. According to NASA, the shot was taken by one Scott Andrews, who used a Canon of some sort.
Hell yes, shock egg. Now tell me -- which do you think came first: the supersonic chicken or the shock egg? Trick question! Dinosaurs.
Jun 29 2009 Boom Boom: Guy Snaps Supersonic Picture
Ronald Dejarnett is the U.S. Navy sonar technician that snapped this pic of an F-22 going boom boom over the Gulf of Alaska. Quick shootin', Ronald -- I probably would have peed a little and yelled DECEPTICON! But that could be my special forces training talking.
A Picture Is Worth About $138 Million [gizmodo]
Apr 22 2009 Music To My Ears: Old Computer Parts Performing Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
Some guy went and programmed a whole bunch of old computer parts to perform Queen's iconic 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. You just have to see it to believe it. But, you can read this first if you want:
No effects or sampling was used. What you see is what you hear (does that even make sense?)
Atari 800XL was used for the lead piano/organ sound
Texas Instruments TI-99/4a as lead guitar
8 Inch Floppy Disk as Bass
3.5 inch Harddrive as the gong
HP ScanJet 3C was used for all vocals. Please note I had to record the HP scanner 4 seperate times for each voice. I tried to buy 4 HP scanners but for some reason sellers on E-Bay expect you to pay $80-$100, I got mine for $30.
Ha -- and you probably thought your computer was musically inclined. Think again, sucker -- your shit just got Beethoven'ed out of the water! I'm talked like BUM-BUM-BUM-BUM -- BUM-BUM-BUM-BOOOSHED, son!*
*That was Beethoven's 5th for you uncultured bitches.
Thanks to meeotch, Jake the Ripper, Tyson and killerabbit, whose computers can't even play video games. Sad shit, guys.
Feb 9 2009 Awwww: Cat Youth Literally NOM NOMs
This is a video of a kitten literally NOM NOM NOMing its chow. Just listen, particularly around 0:10 and 0:55. Was that not cute? It was. Not as cute as the picture I drew of a panther licking a lion with the words 'Interracial Dating' in a heart, but what is?
This post dedicated to the memories of The Little Man, Jimmy, October, and Tiny.
Thanks to Gabby, who likes to take her time and savor every NOM.
Jan 21 2009 My Turn, My Turn!: Cat Rides Subwoofer
We already discovered cats have a penchant for Roombas, but who knew the little fish-loving shit machines love riding subwoofers as well? Not me. But, as is evident from the video, its like an amusement park ride for the little furballs. Toss some catnip into the mix and it'll be just like that time I got high and puked in Space Mountain. Fun!
Cat Gets Good Vibrations From Subwoofer [gizmodo]
Oct 27 2008 Dying Is Fun!: Rocket Car To Go 1,000 MPH
In 1997 Pilot Andy Green went 763mph in the Thrust SuperSonic Car, and now, 10 years later, is building a car that will potentially hit 1,000mph. And, hopefully for him, nothing else.
"Bloodhound isn't just about building a quick car," Andy told us. "Our main concern is education - we want this to be inspire kids to get into engineering. What better way to spark-up enthusiasm than building a 1000 mph car, then building the theory behind it into the National Curriculum?"
And consider this: 1000mph is literally faster than a speeding bullet. "If you shot at me with a hand gun, the bullet would just gently nudge into the back of the car," Green says.
Wow, faster than a speeding bullet -- move over Superman! Seriously, scoot the f*** over, you just touched my leg.
Hit the jump for several more conceptual pictures, a video of the Thrust run, and a conceptual video of the Bloodhound.
Continue Reading " Dying Is Fun!: Rocket Car To Go 1,000 MPH "
Sep 24 2008 Woops: Guy Mishandles Antique
I remember seeing this a while ago, but for those of you who have yet to witness its awesomeness, here it is: some guy showing off his one of a kind antique recording. Warning: he says shit and the host of the show made me punch through my monitor. But still, totally worth a watch.
Old man breaks one of a kind antique [googlevideo]
Thanks to chaosthirteen, who agrees there's just nothing funnier than another person's misfortune.
Sep 10 2008 Mythbuster Inhales Sulfur Hexafluoride
Helium is 6x less dense than air and makes your voice sound like you just got kicked in the pickle. But sulfur hexafluoride is 5x denser than air and makes you sound like a badass supervillian. You've got to hear it to believe it. And while Adam made me promise at the beginning of the video I wouldn't try it at home, I had my fingers crossed. I hope I die!
Hit the jump for two more MUST SEE physics videos, one a supersonic jet creating a halo of water vapor, and one of sound waves on fire.
Aug 11 2008 The Telemegaphone Is Now Accepting Calls
The telemegaphone is a combination telephone and megaphone, hence the clever name.
Telemegaphone Dale stands seven meters tall on top of the Bergskletten mountain overlooking the idyllic Dalsfjord in Western Norway. When you dial the Telemegaphone's phone number the sound of your voice is projected out across the fjord, the valley and the village of Dale below.
Telemegaphone Dale is wind powered and self-reliant. Recently however, the weather has been exceptionally calm in Dale and there has been a massive amount of people calling.If the Telemegaphone doesn't pick up, just give it a few hours to recuperate and try again. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Awesome -- finally somebody who will listen to me. Hello, Dale? Are there any pretty birds around? TWEET TWEET! Here birdy birdy! How's the view? Is it as awesome as I'm imagining? Is there a rainbow? I bet there's a rainbow. There is, isn't there? Shit, was that just Bigfoot? Haha, made you look. Quick, a unicorn! Jesus, you're gullible. *flush* What? No, I'm not calling from the bathroom. Wait, don't hang up! I need you. You're my only friend. You and the woodland creatures are all I have. Will you stay on the line until I fall asleep? Please? Okay, now let's so goodnight at the same time. Ready? Goodnight! Oh, you were off, let's do it again. Hello? HELLO?
Thanks to Abraham, the OG Emancipation Proclamater.
Jul 16 2008 Non-Newtonian Fluid On Subwoofer
This is a video of a non-Newtonian fluid on a metal sheet set atop a subwoofer. It's pretty cool to watch. In case you forgot (or never knew) what non-Newtonian fluids are, I've copy/pasted some Wikipedia below, and posted another video of some people running across a pool of the stuff after the jump.
A non-Newtonian fluid is a fluid whose flow properties cannot be described by a single constant viscosity. An inexpensive, non-toxic example of a non-Newtonian fluid is a solution of corn starch (corn flour) and water, sometimes called oobleck. The application of force - for example by stabbing the surface with a finger, or rapidly inverting the container holding it - leads to the fluid behaving like a solid rather than a liquid. This is the "shear thickening" property of this non-Newtonian fluid. More gentle treatment, such as slowly inserting a spoon, will leave it in its liquid state. Trying to jerk the spoon back out again, however, will trigger the return of the temporary solid state. A person moving quickly and applying sufficient force with their feet can literally walk across such a liquid.
Mix cornstarch to water in a 2:1 ratio to make your own. But if you don't have any cornstarch handy you can just use pancake batter.
UPDATE: Okay, who believed me and used pancake batter? Anybody, anybody? Suckers! This is the interwebs, folks -- you can't go around believing everything you read. And on an unrelated note, does anybody know how long it typically takes for a Nigerian prince to transfer funds into a U.S. bank account?
Hit the jump for a video of people running across a non-Newtonian fluid.
Jul 15 2008 Shouting Vase Turns Yelling Into A Whisper
The shouting vase is a $79 jug that you yell into after you stub your toe on the coffee table or your wife cooks your eggs the wrong way. It drastically reduces the volume of your screaming, as is evident from the scientific picture in the bottom right.
Turn your loudest, most urgent frustrations into mere whispers with the Shouting Vase. The plastic jug is designed to fit over the contours of your mouth and absorb your screams and shouts, "storing" them in the vase and emitting a softer version of your angry cries through the tiny hole at the base. Ideal for when you feel like shouting, but know that speaking softly is more likely to do the trick. Or the perfect gift for the loud one in your life.
The loud one in my life, huh? Why don't you just come out and say "your wife"? Because that's obviously what you meant. I'd get one, but $79 is kind of expensive for a plastic freaking scream jug. Let me know when they're under $20, until then I'm sticking to pillow biting.
THANKS FRANK, THIS THING REALLY WORKS WONDERS!!!
Jun 18 2008 Wow: Radiohead's Nude Played On Old Computer Parts Is Really Freaking Good
The Imperial March on a floppy disk is still cool and all, but this video takes the concept to a whole new level. It's Radiohead's Nude being played on all kinds of computer parts. It was made by James Houston, a student from the Glasgow School of Art's visual communication program. And not only is the music amazing well created, but the video is legit as well. The instruments are as follows:
Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Guitars (rhythm & lead)
Epson LX-81 Dot Matrix Printer - Drums
HP Scanjet 3c - Bass Guitar
Hard Drive array - Act as a collection of bad speakers - Vocals & FX
Let it load and then skip to a little after 1:00 for it to get started. Otherwise you have to listen to a minute of static and watch some flashing color bands that may or may not be trying to hypnotize you. They only gave me a boner though. I love static. And flashing colors? Don't even get me started. *shivers*
Big Ideas (don't get any) [vimeo]
Thanks Michael Jackson, but stay the f*** away from my kids
May 8 2008 The Tetris Theme Played On Empty Bottles
First the RC car Mario theme, and now this. It's a video of the Tetris theme "as arranged in the Dr. Mario & Tetris SNES video game". It's played by three people and a bunch of empty bottles. It seems like they originally recorded it at half speed and then sped the video up (it sounds like there's a metronome clicking in the background too). But I could be wrong (I've been wrong before). All I know is that these kids have some serious talent and I want to support them. By, uh, drinking all the booze out of the bottles they need. I'm what's considered a "generous patron of the arts". I bet you didn't know that about me did you? What about the nipple on my back?
Youtube
Thanks Shawn, how about you and I split a bottle of bourbon? I'm buying.
Apr 15 2008 Mario Theme Played With RC Car And Bottles
In this world there are two kinds of things: those that are awesome, and those that make me want to kill myself. This is an awesome one. AN AWESOMELY AWsome one. That was me yelling. I know, I'm a little hoarse (but not the kind that kids ride around at birthday parties, those ones smell and shit everywhere. Actually, maybe I am). This is a video of an RC car playing the Super Mario theme by driving by and hitting bottles with a little metal whacker. I've watched it ten times and it's still cool. I can't believe the guy can drive the car that straight. Or that they found an empty parking garage to do it in. The parking garage around here is a scary place. The last time I had to store my car there I saw no less than two vagrants peeing in corners, some raunchy couple doing it in the back of a compact car, and what may or may not have been a dead hooker stuffed under an SUV (I didn't have the courage to poke her with my tire iron).
A big thanks to Daniel and Tombo, both of whom could write books about being cool, for the tips
Apr 8 2008 Best Infomercial Ever, I Mean That, EVER
Now we've seen a lot of awesome freaking commercials here at Geekologie, but this one may take the cake. It's for the $600 Beamz Laser Music System (Beamz Lazer Muzic Zyztem was already taken). It's basically six lasers, and anytime you break a beam with your fingers/hands a different sound is triggered. You positively HAVE TO WATCH the entire 3:00 video (after the jump). Now I've been known to set up a camera and film myself doing stupid things before, but never have I ever looked this ridiculous. It's almost too much to bear thinking these people are real and can wake up in the morning and face themselves in the mirror. That said, the laser thing they're playing is the awesomest freaking thing I've ever seen.
MUST SEE VIDEO after the jump.
Continue Reading " Best Infomercial Ever, I Mean That, EVER "
Apr 2 2008 Surround Sound Chair Looks Ridiculous
There's a lot of things I'd do for awesome surround sound. These things include, but are not limited to: selling myself in the back of a U-Haul, lying, stealing, cheating on my taxes, drinking a gallon of milk in under an hour, and jumping out of a tall tree. However this D+S Surround Sound Chair just doesn't do it for me.
This chair prevents sound from reflecting off the walls and the ceiling and thus prevents it losing its vital character. The Chair has two speakers in front of you which is mounted on an adjustable tubing that can be fully adjusted. Two flared sound vents sit just next to your ears and look more like small trumpets. Two more circular speakers above your head complete the speaker quartet. And for some thumping bass, you have a nice sub woofer that sits neatly beneath the chair.
It costs $3,000. But if you're interested I would recommend waiting to pay until there are actual photographs proving its existence. Like those Bigfoot pictures. I was a complete non-believer until I saw those. Now, not only do I believe in monster trucks, but I think they're totally awesome.
D+S Surround Sound Chair puts normal speaker setups to shame [bornrich]
Mar 24 2008 Robot Drummer Is Cute, Makes Me Emotional
Whenever I see a cute robot I always get a little emotional. Mostly because of that movie with the little robots in it where the one gets injured and dies. Or maybe it doesn't die, I can't remember. I just know I was sadder than hell. What was the name of that movie? Let me do some searching. BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED! *sniffle* Oh my God somebody give me a box of tissues.
Okay I'm holding it down. Meet Yellow Drum Machine. He's a little robot that cruises around the room running into things. When he hits something that seems like it might make a pretty noise he bangs on it a couple of times and takes audio samples. If he likes what he hears he busts out with a little beat using his metal tinker and another butt bopper. He was constructed by robot hacker fritsl out of a bunch of random parts, including, but not limited to: a PICAXE 28 microcontroller, a sound sampler, and a cheese crate. Damn is he cute or what? If I do ever have a child with my Roomba mistress, I can only hope he comes out looking half as handsome. And with treads. So I can ride on him like a tank. Tankboy, take me to the liquor store.
Two worthwhile videos after the jump, one of him playing a glass of fruit punch, and another of him playing the wall in somebody's bathroom.
Continue Reading " Robot Drummer Is Cute, Makes Me Emotional "
Mar 11 2008 Song Made With Only Sounds From Mac OSX
Well last week was the song made exclusively with sounds from Windows 98 and XP, and now comes the Mac version. Made with only sound effects from Mac OSX, it sounds like lots of der-ders, ding dings and clickity clicks. That said, it's kind of growing on me. Now I would like to take this time to open for discussion who made the better song -- the Windows or Mac user. Okay, discussion closed. And the winner is...they both wasted their time.
Youtube
Thanks to Jesse, who I give a big thumbs and a wink to, for the tip
Mar 10 2008 Microsoft MySong Generates Music To Singing, Is Questionable, I Still Want
MySong is a program from Microsoft Research that puts instrumental music to your singing. Now I'm not going to bore you with all the details of how it does that or anything, just know that if you have a mouth and tongue, you're basically going to be a famous musician. You just sing into your microphone, and presto, the program adds musical accompaniment. No need to pay musicians to play actual instruments, their days are numbered! That being said, the program seems to lay down the same boring-ass piano riff no matter what you sing. Even after adjusting the "Happy Factor" control down to a minimum and cranking up "Jazz Factor", the resulting song still smells like a cat's ass. To the program's credit though, the people demoing are clearly no-talent assclowns.
NOTE: Skip to about 2:45 in the video for the start of the demos, hit the link to read more about how the program works.
MySong, from Microsoft Research, makes singing sound a lot better than it really is [istartedsomething]
Thanks to Scott, who doesn't need a program to produce songs that make women swoon, for the tip
Feb 15 2008 Teenager Alarm May Be Banned In England
If you haven't heard (!) yet, stores and malls in England have been using a device called the Mosquito Alarm to keep kids from loitering. It's basically like a dog whistle, but for kids. The device "emits high-frequency noise which is audible — and annoying — to young ears, but generally not heard by people over 20." Apparently it's the same frequency that kids have been using for cell phone rings to avoid adults hearing incoming calls when they're using them places they shouldn't. Now England's commissioner for children and a civil liberties group are joining the fight to ban the alarm devices. I, for one, don't live in England but am all for the use of these devices. Hell, I want one installed in the house. My son just isn't getting the hint. I turned his room into an office, changed the locks to the house, and the asshole still hangs out on the lawn. I mean Jesus, he's 14, time to leave home already.
High-Pitched, Anti-Teen Gadget Under Threat [therawfeed]
Thanks to Delphine, who is beautiful and can't hear these noises, for the tip
