Monthly Archives: May 2010

LEGO Johnny Five is robotic perfection

by Robin Parrish
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LEGO Johnny Five is robotic perfection

The only thing more impressive than this Johnny Five from Short Circuit built entirely out of LEGO bricks? The amount of flawless detail crammed into a LEGO build this small. Every single detail of Johnny Five is absolutely perfect. There’s his three-pronged hands, his face with the eyebrows and huge eyes, the tiny little radio dish on top of his head, his hydraulics, the red toolbox he added in Short Circuit 2 (yes, I watched those movies way too many times when I was young), and treads that actually work. And did I mention that the red toolbox actually opens and has tiny tools inside? It’s so good, it makes Read more »

10 Tech Predictions I Made In 2007, But Forgot To Hit "Publish"

by James Johnson
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10 Tech Predictions I Made In 2007, But Forgot To Hit "Publish"

In 2007 I made a bunch of tech predictions that would occur no later than the year 2010. Unfortunately I forgot to hit “publish” on my personal blog. Here are those predictions, seen for the first time ever in 2010. 10. This Twitter thing might get big. Like bigger than Myspace, Nah nothing can get bigger than MySpace. 9. Steve Jobs will learn Magic. “Magic” will apparently come with 10 inches of screen realty and save Rupert Murdoch’s media empire from becoming obsolete. 8. People will be saying stuff like “did you Digg that” and “I just Tweeted that” then Facebook will decide that people only need to “Like” stuff Read more »

You'll never guess what's for sale

by Robin Parrish
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You'll never guess what's for sale

Just look at that picture. Seems like an idyllic, cozy little cottage, right? The realtor listing for this Dutch colonial riverfront property makes it sound — and look (based on the dozen other photos on the listing page) — downright charming. Only it ain’t. The realtor fails to mention the vicious, deadly ghosts that terrorize all who live in this house. This is the freaking Amityville Horror house, in New York state. And it’s for sale for $1.15 million. Situated on a picturesque quarter acre of land right next to the Amityville River, the Amityville Horror house offers three stories featuring tons of recent renovations. It has a boat house, gas Read more »

The Periodic Table of Imaginary Elements

by Noemi Twigg
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The Periodic Table of Imaginary Elements

Anyone who has had to go to chemistry class (practically all of us, I suppose) knows just how much fun the periodic table of elements can be. On the other hand, it can also be a fixture in one’s nightmares, especially when the time to sit for an exam comes. This guy, Russell Walks, has found a way to make the periodic table even more fun. He created his own version of the periodic table, with 122 fictional elements thrown in. Well, technically, some of them may not be elements but compounds. Russell says, however, that he isn’t really fixated on that point – he is an artist and “not Read more »

Hoooboy. Your housing loan should cover this Sea and Sea 7D casing

by Jayvee Fernandez
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Hoooboy. Your housing loan should cover this Sea and Sea 7D casing

Boys, it’s time to take out a housing loan. Inside that underwater housing fits the Canon 7D. That’s 8 frames per second to shoot that school of barracudas whipping away. That’s ISO 12800 for clearing out the dark blue haze to recognize that hammerhead shark in the distance. The Sea and Sea housing for the 7D is a work of art. It is made of non-corrosive material that can survive depths of up to 200 ft, although from experience of friends, they were able to take this deeper than 300 ft with the aluminum casing still surviving the strong pressure. Two interesting features: the housing comes with a Fiber-Optic Cable Read more »

Display Your "Stuff" Without Pesky Gravity Getting In The Way

by James Johnson
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Display Your "Stuff" Without Pesky Gravity Getting In The Way

Sure you could take that trinket grandma gave you and place in on your piano, fireplace mantel or a shelf somewhere, or you can really show it off by providing a bit of “anti-gravity.” Okay it’s not really Anti-gravity, but the Anti-gravity Platform does allow objects to float several inches above the displays base, objects can even rotate to give a full three-dimensional view to whatever you want to display. The toy works simply enough, the base features an electromagnet, while a second magnetic platform is used to place your trinkets. You don’t even need to plug the thing in! However, if you do plug it in to a mains Read more »

Fish Geek: Threshers use tail as whip to stun prey

by Jayvee Fernandez
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Fish Geek: Threshers use tail as whip to stun prey

This is the pelagic Thresher shark, one of the more intriguing species of hollywood-inspired fear, due to their elongated tail that at times, bears the same length as the shark’s body. For many years scientists have speculated why this odd evolutionary trait exists in this species. Off the island of Malapascua in the Philippines, there is an abundance of Thresher sharks if you’re able to catch a glimpse off a wall during the early morning dive. This is an area rich in pelagic life, with occasional hammerheads if you swim several meters off the wall into the deep blue. Just last week, documentary evidence shows that threshers do use this Read more »

This is your brain on ice

by Robin Parrish
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This is your brain on ice

Brain shaped ice cube trays. Isn’t that all you need to know? Nine bucks will net you this silicon mold that makes four ice cubes (though I guess “ice spheres” would be more apt) shaped like tiny little brains. ThinkGeek, who sells this awesome little doodad, suggests using them as novelty items at a zombie-themed Halloween party, or as an inside joke for all the nerds you work with at the science lab. That’s not really thinking outside the box, though, now is it? Come on, let’s exercise a little creative thought. (Yes, that was a carefully-placed and intentional pun. You should know by now that I have no shame.) Read more »