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My Cycloptic Worm And I…

frankie23 — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 10:32:21 +0000

When your sex-ed teacher is named Ms. Lovecraft, you know yr in for some strange shit. Tentacle sex and mother-of-pearl streams, you know? An official selection at Sundance 2005, this short film by Craig MacNeill and Clay McLeod Chapman is the very sum of every pubescent child’s most antediluvian fears.

Sex Ed with H.P. Lovecraft [Topless Robot]

Happy Valentine’s Day! I Think?

frankie23 — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 18:03:30 +0000

Courtesy of the fine folks at Aperture Labs, we here at frankie23.com are happy to help spread this wonderfully informative look at gift-buying practices on this most corporate of holidays. Enjoy!

Aperture Laboratories offers useful Valentine’s Day facts [Destructoid]

Chinese Space Babies Are Go!

frankie23 — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:33:07 +0000

In the 80s, China looked upon the superpowers with a combination of fear and envy, desperately wishing to be as modern and successful as their space-faring rivals. Chinese Posters shows us the results of this, fanciful images showing small children and cute animals soaring the skies in improbably adorable spacecraft, carrying toys and gifts for all, being smiled upon by the gods on the Bridge of Haaven. Hit the jump for two more cutely bizarre images.

Taikonaut babies of China’s space age [io9, via Chinese Posters via Metafilter]

A New (Video-Gamey) Perspective On Driving

frankie23 — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:33:17 +0000

Ever wondered what it’d be like to drive a real car like you were playing Grand Theft Auto? No, I don’t mean willfully mowing down pedestrians, I mean from a third-person perspective… while willfully mowing down pedestrians. No? Well, some guy at Rooster Teeth games sure did, and he made this video. It is both scientifically fascinating, and hilarious. What more can you demand?

Oh, piss off, Mr. Demandy-mandy-man.

Apparently driving a car from a third person perspective is much harder in real life [I <3 Chaos, via Joystiq]

Derby Girls + Science = Win!

frankie23 — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:39:46 +0000

Allow the lovely ladies of the LA Derby Dolls to explain basic principles of electricity to you, accompanied by a catchy little tune. Mmmm, I love science.

The Electrical Derby [io9.com]

Freakish Snake-Monster-Thing Found And Killed

frankie23 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:20:26 +0000

Okay, so I know I’m a few weeks (okay months) behind on this one, but I can’t just let it pass me by. In China, land of the really freaking bizarre, some old lady found this mutant snake that was sporting a full on leg. Crawling up her wall. So she killed it. From the article:

“I woke up and heard a strange scratching sound. I turned on the light and saw this monster working its way along the wall using his claw.”

She then proceeded to beat the thing to death with her shoe, and popped it into a jar of alcohol. You know, I know science would probably have loved to check this thing out, but frankly, I can’t blame the lady. If I woke up to see that freak of nature slowly creeping up my wall, I’d kill it faster than you can say “horrible snakey death”. Because I’d assume it was gunning for me. Of course.

Snake With Foot Found, Killed In China [Geekologie, via The Telegraph]

This is What That Futurama Episode Was Talking About

frankie23 — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:43:41 +0000

Oh, come on, you know the one. It was just on TV last night…

Leela: They’re going to destroy the entire Earth if they don’t see some stupid TV show about some bimbo lawyer?
Fry: It’s crazy! How could they even know about a show from a thousand years ago?
Farnsworth: Well, Omicron Persei 8 is about a thousand light years away. So the electro-magnetic waves would just recently have gotten there. You see–
Fry: Magic. Got it.

Man, do you think Zeta Reticuli is gonna be pissed when they see the Sleestaks?

The Aliens of the Star Iota Horologii Are Just Watching Captain Kangaroo Now [Gizmodod via AbstruseGoose]

“Obama-wan Barackenobi, you’re our only hope!”

frankie23 — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:27:40 +0000

Don’t get me wrong, I am so fucking pleased that Obama won, but frankly I think this was the coolest thing of the evening. Holographic projection communication! In full colour too, better than the tech they had in Star Wars!

Hologram reporter with Blitzer [CNN.com]

Kaiju Anatomy Lessons

frankie23 — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:10:16 +0000

imply fascinating, as the good Mr. Spock might say. Vintage images from a Kaiju art book showing anatomical cutaways of some of our favourite giant monsters. Apparently Godzilla’s flame breath comes from “a “uranium sack” and “nuclear reaction sack” that produce radioactive fire-breath and energize the body.” That’s pretty swift, if you ask me. Mothra and Anguirus are tucked below the cut. Follow the link to the originator for more, including Gamera!

Kaiju Anatomy: Internal Organs that Allow Giant Monsters to Breathe Fire [io9.com, via Pink Tentacle, via modern_fred]

Mothra’s big weapon is its’ “elongated silk-producing organ.” Heh heh. Elongated organ…

Look, Anguiras has extra brains, just for his legs! Amazing. I mean, he’s still stupid as all hell, but he has extra brains for those stubby little legs of his!

X-Ray Awesome

frankie23 — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:12:08 +0000

Is that… semen? I think that’s supposed to be an x-ray of semen, yeah. Anyhow, I found this awesome site; a photographer by the name of Nick Veasey takes x-rays of atypical stuff. There’s some very creepy shots of a baby doll, some awesome animal x-rays, and the coolest of all is the insect images. Exo-skeletons make for some very interesting x-ray results. YOu really should go check this out.

Oh, if you’re wondering why, if the insects are so cool, I used the image I did, wel, I’m not going to tell you why. I have a good reason though. Trust me.

Nick Veasy – X-Ray Photographer

“Emma, Ready The Airship… We’re Going North!

frankie23 — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:15:26 +0000

Aerospace behemoth Boeing has announced that it will build a hybrid airship/helicopter combination aircraft, able to lift heavy loads across long distances. Boeing will work with Canadian firm SkyHook International.

Finally, the industrial-corporate hegemony has seen the value of lighter-than-air craft! Oh, how I’ve yearned for a world where giant zeppelins drift silently through the sky, like massive lofty whales of the aether. Thank you Boeing, for making this young man’s dreams a wonderful reality. Now, I just need to convince someone that these are needed in Vancouver…

Boeing to build combo airship-copter flying cranes [The Register]

Welcome To… The Future!

frankie23 — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:12:40 +0000

Ah, the bright shiny future! come my friends, and view the glories of the time to come, 1960! This video clip is a visual document of The Futurama, a exhibit/ride at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Sponsosred by General Motors, The Futurama is a perfect example of the type of optimistic idea people had about the future back then. Admittedly we now know it’s all lies and cookies, but think what could have been! Automated highways, “gyro-coptors”, and suburbs that don’t suck you of the will to live. Oh, shiny future, where’s my fucking flying car?

Retro Futurism: The Great Metropolis of 1960 and What Criswell Found There [io9.com]

134 Marios

frankie23 — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:44:09 +0000

Who says video games can’t teach you anything? This video demonstrates the many-worlds theory of quantum physics by using a hacked, super-difficult version of Super Mario World called Kaizo Mario World, and a customized emulator to overlay 134 different playthroughs of a single level. It’s really quite an enjoyably fascinating little bit of footage, and the write-up that goes along with it is definitely worth a read to see the inspiration behind the experiment. Science, art, and fun, all rolled into one package. Ebert, eat your heart out.

Super Mario World Explores Quantum Physics [Kotaku, via Mechanically Separated Meat]

Science Needs Your Help!

frankie23 — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 05:55:39 +0000

One of my favourite neuroscience bloggers, Miss Shelley Batts, is currently one of twenty individuals competing for a $10,000 Student Blogger Scholarship. Now, I think this girl is hella smart, and is working her way toward a PhD which will inevitably help all of mankind, so I’d like to see her win. What does this have to do with you, and why aren’t I wearing any pants, you might ask? Two good questions! Unfortunately for you, I can only answer one of them! To win the scholarship, Shelly needs VOTES. So, follow the linky-poo, and vote for Shelly Batts. She’s currently in second place, so your vote will make a difference, unlike in your typical government election. What are you waiting for!

Vote for Shelly right here! Science will thank you!

Shelly Needs Help! [RetroSpectacle]

Meguro Parasitological Museum

frankie23 — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 05:36:02 +0000

Try to think about parasites without a feeling of fear, and take the time to learn about their wonderful world of the Parasites

Such is the mission statement of sorts from the official website of the Meguro Parasitological Museum. A small little institute based in Tokyo, the museum boasts over 45,000 specimens, each beautifully encapsulated and mounted for display. They claim to be the only parasitological museum in the wold, and I’d be very surprised to find out otherwise. Admission is free, which would probably partially account for the fact that it is apparently a rather popular date spot; I can only think of a few ladies that I would take to such a place, but I’m quite certain they’d all love it terribly.

I’m absolutely fascinated; this is definitely going on the list of “Things To Do” when I make it to Tokyo, and I suspect it’ll place highly in my treasured memories. I love me some parasites, oh yeah.

Meguro Parasitological Museum [Coilhouse]

Artificial Life, Artificial Undeath

frankie23 — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 19:03:38 +0000

Craig Venter, the controversial DNA researcher involved in the race to decipher the human genetic code, has built a synthetic chromosome out of laboratory chemicals and is poised to announce the creation of the first new artificial life form on Earth.

The announcement, which is expected within weeks and could come as early as Monday at the annual meeting of his scientific institute in San Diego, California, will herald a giant leap forward in the development of designer genomes. It is certain to provoke heated debate about the ethics of creating new species and could unlock the door to new energy sources and techniques to combat global warming.

Well, it’s come down to this now. I mean, really, this is just not a good idea. We don’t really have much of a clue as to what we’re doing with genetics yet; as it is we’re basically monkeys fucking around in nature’s kitchen. Sure, we might manage to make some brownies, but it’s likely that those brownies will kill you. This is the beginning of the end, my friends. Next thing you know the dead will be rising from the earth, shopping for shoes and eating your skullfillings for a laugh. Zombies with fat asses, right next door. Think about that, won’t you?

I am creating artificial life, declares US gene pioneer [Guardian Unlimited]

These brains cost $300 [YouTube, via Starchy]

Adelson’s Checkerboard Illusion

frankie23 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 22:37:55 +0000

I’m told that Square A is the exact same colour as Square B. I can’t see it really, but apparently this is a scientifically recognized principal, published by Edward H. Adelson in 1995. From the Wikipedia article,

“When interpreted as a 3-dimensional scene, our visual system immediately estimates a lighting vector and uses this to judge the property of the material.”

Fascinating, really. I’ve always known that what we see is only a rough interpolation; as it is, my eyes see certain blues differently when viewed with one or the other. This sort of thing just blows me away though. Some people say if you squint you can fool your brain into seeing them as they truly are, and I can almost make it, but there’s still some variation. See? You literally cannot trust what your eyes tell you! How’s that for paranoia inducing truth?

Adelson’s Checkerboard Illusion [bioephemera]

Jurassic Park IV: Jurassic Harder

frankie23 — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 22:13:16 +0000

An interesting bit of news from Cinematical passed through the desk today, in regards to the plot for the in-development Jurassic park sequel:

“We’re told that the film is about the government who has trained dinosaurs to carry weapons and use them for battle purposes.”

While I’m sure this news will probably convince Michael Crichton to top himself just so he can start spinning in his grave, I for one am greatly enthused. Ever since seeing Dino-Riders as a young child, I’ve wanted to see more armed reptiles. Why should we stop at guns though? Rocket-launcher equipped Tyrannosaurus Rex! How about a ~~Brontosaurus~~ Apatosaurus as a mobile launcher for S/A missiles? Suicidal strike teams of Compys wired with C4 charges! The options are endless. Hell, instead of spending all this money on the “War on Terror”, I think the US should pull back, drop the dime on cloning, and get these suckers up and running! I mean, they’re not going to resurrect (and arm) themselves, are they?

‘Jurassic Park 4′ to Feature Gun-Toting Dinosaurs? [Bloody Disgusting : Cinematical]