Jud Turner writes, "'Hive (middle class colony collapse)' is the latest in my series of sculptures depicting hallucinatory factory scenes, and ponders the loss of bees and an ever-shrinking middle class, both likely results of modern industrial methods and monopoly capitalism."
Read the restEtsy seller Wizard at Work makes delightful solid lotion bars in a variety of shapes, most notably this Doctor Who two-pack featuring a Dalek and a TARDIS. Made with only four ingredients (sweet almond oil, beeswax, shea butter and cocoa butter) and $8 per set. (via Geeky Merch)
DiscussJeff sez, 'Scientists consulting with companies that sell brain games "falls in the same kind of category as medical researchers' taking money from drug companies,' says a Harvard educational-neuroscience professor.
Read the restFrom my friend Brent Bushnell of Two Bit Circus: A modern take on the traveling circus, STEAM Carnival is a crazy reimagining of the classic carnival using high-tech amusement and amazing inventions.
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Just one of the many outstanding creations of Eva Senín Pernas, a talented make-up artist. (via Seanan McGuire)
Read the restOn This Week in Science:
Kiki talked stem cells; not the controversial side of things, but the straight up science of figuring out more about these populations of cells as they exist inside our bodies throughout our lives.
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"Spawn of Gerrymander" is a series in which some of our favorite illustrators use their talents to help us see the true shape of political mapmaking in the twenty-first century:
Over the course of this week, this series will present graphic visualizations of six gerrymandered U.S.
Read the restWe had a lovely time chatting with author Delilah S. Dawson about her struggles with Ikea furniture, brilliance on Twitter and the coining of Whimsydark.
Read the restA phenomenon that had long been suspected, but never directly observed, now finally videoed by a World Wildlife Federation photographer in Sichuan province.
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At least one gunman and a soldier are dead today after exchanges of fire in and around Parliament buildings in Ottawa, Canada.
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And here are the photos to prove it.
Discuss"How can you be sure [the patient wasn't alive] Doctor?" "Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar."
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I liked this a lot.
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Megahex, by Simon Hanselmann, is a collection of his Megg and Mogg strips, first featured on his Girl Mountain Tumblr.
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Artist emiko oye has been making Lego jewelry since 2006.
Read the rest"Microsoft Mobile's website is filled with words," writes Pete Pachal, "but one that you won't find is Nokia"
Apart from images and a single reference from a module powered by the Nokia Facebook page (which apparently hasn't yet gotten the message), the Nokia brand is entirely absent.
Read the rest“Yellow,” an online branded short film for Adidas was the last thing Neill Blomkamp directed before “District 9.”
Read the restAdobe is the second major US tech firm to blunder into Gamergate, the hashtag crusade aimed at female game developers, feminists, and the journalists accused of helping them ruin manly game culture.
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[video link, via Reddit]
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I'm math-brain handicapped, and wish I'd had this all my life.
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FINALLY, A HOLIDAY THAT MAKES YOU SHOUT FOR JOY! (VIA METAFILTER)
(IMAGE: INSETO (3), JEAN MARCONI, CC-BY)
DiscussFrom designer Nendo, "the geometrical shapes make the bands easy to find in a drawer and easy to pick up." Eye-watering pricetag, though: about $10 for three from Mark's.
cubic rubber-band (via Colossal)
(Image: Akihiro Yoshida)
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Black Dynamite is Scott Sanders' 2009 action comedy that parodies 1970s blaxploitation films. Adrian Younge composed the psychedelic soul score that's as good as almost anything from the era it attempts to mimic, and now he's released a vinyl LP containing the instrumental versions of those killer cuts. Above, a documentary about the making of the score.
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In this Rolling Stone interview, Def Jam founder and legendary producer Rick Rubin returns to the New York University dorm room where his career began in the early 1980s and reminisces about the birth of hip hop. For more on this history, might I suggest...
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In the 1940s and 1950s, photographer Fred Lyon, now 89, magnificently captured the enticing noir decadence of San Francisco's Barbary Coast and the majesty of the rest of the city.
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Michael says, "'The Conversation' has been in Australia for a couple of years: writing by academics, for a lay audience, which aims to be readable and relevant.
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books
Martin Holst Swende maintains a free/open tool for testing software that uses the (notoriously flawed) Iclass Software, which is used by Inside Secure for its RFID-based access systems.
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Autonomous sensory meridian response is a weird superpower/idiosyncrasy that makes you really (really!) enjoy soft noises and other gentle stimulus; in a guest cartoon on the awesomely dirty Oh Joy Sex Toy, Grace Allison offers some practical tips for exploring the erotic side of ASMR.
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Nova Scotia’s Oak Island hides a famously booby-trapped treasure cache — or so goes the legend. In this episode of the Futility Closet podcast, we review the many attempts to recover the treasure and wonder who could have engineered such a site, what might be hidden there — and whether, indeed, it contains anything at all. We also puzzle over what a woman’s errands can tell us about how her husband died.
DiscussIt began on a hot summer day with a cold wave of numbness that washed up from my thigh up into my groin; it ended six months later with a permanently damaged limb and a lifetime regimen of blood-thinning medication. By Gammy Hamhock Read the rest
Carl Hiaasen's novels are treasures of hilarity, violence, comeuppance and ardent love for Florida wilderness. The very best of them feature "Skink," a wild man of the woods with a fantastic history and a twisted sense of justice. With Skink No Surrender, Hiaasen brings his greatest character to a new generation by transforming the violent, profane anti-hero into the star of a young adult novel. Read the rest
Tom the Dancing Bug, IN WHICH fun facts about the city of Boston are Did You Known. Read the rest
Jessica Joslin uses animal bones and found objects to create delicate, expressive sculptures. Read the rest
Hoverboards are now a reality thanks to a Silicon Valley think tank. Caroline Siede chats with inventor Greg Henderson about the board's design and the company's newly launched Kickstarter campaign. Read the rest
Copywriter Nicole Dieker on how a convention creates a welcoming space with language Read the rest
Introducing the future CEO into the Hip Hop Family Tree. By Ed Piskor Read the rest
The mainstream media finally discovered the Internet's latest subculture of hostile, cynical, easily-led youngsters. Matt Binder on the narcissists, grifters and creeps arriving in its wake. Read the rest
Dan Lewis explores the deep, dark world... of presidential barbering. Read the rest
Jon Seagull reviews a classic auction game. Buy castles, jewelry, precious artwork. The person who dies with the most toys wins. Read the rest
A look into the deep, dark, strangely complicated world of Simpsons mathematics. By Simon Singh. Read the rest
This week, Xeni, Mark and Jason talk TSA-friendly backpacks, aromatherapy to help you sleep, and two travel must-haves for your phablet and vehicle batteries. Read the rest
Street Angel searches for Dr. Pangea's secret lair, with the help of her friend, the Bald Eagle. By Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca Read the rest
Mark Dery talks with the critic and psychoanalyst about the terrors of reading. Read the rest
As Steve Hoefer's uncle would say, "I cut it twice and it's still too short." Read the rest
In the 1970s, a new wave of bands looked beyond the drugginess of psychedelia to classical music as the true guide. Peter Bebergal explores the occult roots of the prog-rock genre. Read the rest
This is the real reason we dress up like zombies giant bottles of catsup. David Ng and Ben Cohen present a survey to determine your favorites in anticipation of this year's all-important hierarchical delineation of candy goodness. Read the rest
David McRaney explains why placebo buttons surround you, pretending to do your bidding. Read the rest
