vihu

motherboardtv: This Is the Most Detailed Picture of the...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:01:21 -0700

motherboardtv:

This Is the Most Detailed Picture of the Internet Ever
(and Making It Was Very Illegal)

Finally used my sewing machine and turned my daughters artwork...

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:01:11 -0700

Finally used my sewing machine and turned my daughters artwork into reality

explore-blog: Young Albert Einstein, 1882

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 12:01:01 -0700

explore-blog:

Young Albert Einstein, 1882

sciencesoup: Opalised fossils Australia is the only place in...

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 12:01:03 -0700

sciencesoup:

Opalised fossils

Australia is the only place in the world where opalised fossils are found. Fossils are usually formed when plant or animal remains are buried after death, and are slowly encased with sediments and infused with minerals, leaving a rock-like replica of the original organic material. Opalised fossils, however, replace an organism’s organic material with shimmering, solid opal. Excellent detail can be preserved both on the surface and internally, depending on how the opal forms: it’s a hydrous silicon oxide, and begins as a solution of silica in water. If an organism completely rots away, the opal will fill the empty space and create a cast of the external features—but if an organism has left organic material behind, the solution might harden to form a replica of the internal structure too. One of the richest sources of opalised fossils is Lightning Ridge in northwestern New South Wales. The fossils paint a vibrant history of animals who lived there in the Early Cretaceous Period, approximately 110 million years ago—dinosaurs, marine reptiles, fish, early mammals, molluscs, plants… Unfortunately, the opalised fossils are often cut up for jewellery or sold overseas for their beauty and value, but as they’re of significant scientific interest, researchers and paleontologists are working to preserve them.

(Image Credit: 1, 2)

Photo

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:00:50 -0700

amandaonwriting: 6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know 1. De...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 12:01:12 -0700

amandaonwriting:

6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know

1. De Facto

De facto is a Latin expression that means “actual” (if used as an adjective) or “in practice” (if used as an adverb). In legal terms, de facto is commonly used in contrast to de jure, which means “by law.” Something, therefore, can emerge either de facto (by practice) or de jure (by law).

2. Vis-à-Vis

The literal meaning of this French expression is “face to face” (used as an adverb). It is used more widely as a preposition though, meaning “compared with” or “in relation to.”

3. Status quo

This famous Latin expression means “the current or existing state of affairs.” If something changes the status quo, it is changing the way things presently are.

4. Cul-de-sac

This expression was originated in England by French-speaking aristocrats. Literally it means “bottom of a sack,” but generally it refers to a dead-end street. Cul-de-sac can also be used metaphorically to express an action that leads to nowhere or an impasse.

5. Per se

Per se is a Latin expression that means “by itself” or “intrinsically.”

6. Ad hoc

Ad hoc, borrowed from the Latin, can be used both as an adjective, where it means “formed or created with a specific purpose,” and as an adverb, where it means “for the specific purpose or situation.”

by Daniel Scocco

From DailyWritingTips

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9gag: Candle art

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:01:12 -0700

9gag:

Candle art

jtotheizzoe: Galaxies of Genetically Modified E. coli Zachary...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:00:48 -0700

jtotheizzoe:

Galaxies of Genetically Modified E. coli

Zachary Copfer, the same bioartist behind those bacterial radiograph portraits of famous scientists, also created a series of galaxies drawn with E. coli expressing fluorescent proteins.

Here are his bacteriastronomical renditions of the Milky Way and M81 galaxies. Bacteria, some of the oldest life forms on our planet, recreating the star stuff they were seeded from, a pretty neat reminder that even in our individual bodies they are as numerous as the stars in a galaxy.

jtotheizzoe: The Elements as 118 Cartoon Men I think I just...

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:00:47 -0700

jtotheizzoe:

The Elements as 118 Cartoon Men

I think I just fell head-over-heels in love (or at least “really strong like”) with Bunpei Yorifuji’s Wonderful Life With The Elements book. Each element becomes a character, giving a cartoonish face to their particular chemical properties. Sure, some aren’t wearing pants … but minerals do as minerals want (peek through the book preview if you don’t believe me).

Periods are divided by their odd haircut choices, and the age of the element since discovery via facial hair. Other physical and chemical characteristics are evident by attire and appearance. If you’re looking for an early Christmas present for your favorite science blogger, just go ahead and put it in the mail with my name on it.

So wonderful.

(via io9)

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Sun, 09 Jun 2013 12:01:03 -0700

archiemcphee: Meet Zeus, an awesome Great Dane...

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 12:01:00 -0700

archiemcphee:

Meet Zeus, an awesome Great Dane from Otsego, Michgan who holds the Guinness World Record for ‘Tallest Dog‘. He weight 155 pounds and measures 44 inches from foot to shoulder. But when standing on his hind legs, Zeus measures a whopping seven foot four. And he can drink directly from the kitchen faucet!

Visit Laughing Squid to watch a video in which Denise Doorlag, Zeus’ human companion, describes her family’s enormous dog and shares the history behind his name.

If you’re in the mood for even more world records, the 2013 edition of the Guinness World Records book is now available.

[via Laughing Squid and Telegraph.co.uk]

noahkalina: 9848

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:00:43 -0700

noahkalina:

9848

"If you stop when you are stuck, then you are in trouble!"

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 12:00:48 -0700

“If you stop when you are stuck, then you are in trouble!”

- Roald Dahl (via amandaonwriting)

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Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:01:00 -0700

play: Stills by Sølve Sundsbø.

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:00:41 -0700

play:

Stills by Sølve Sundsbø.

"Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely..."

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 12:01:00 -0700

“Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it, and above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light.”

- Joseph Pulitzer

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Sun, 02 Jun 2013 12:00:52 -0700

teachingliteracy: mythologyofblue: Abelardo Morell, Book...

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 12:00:50 -0700

teachingliteracy:

mythologyofblue:

Abelardo Morell, Book Damaged by Water, 2001

sciencesoup: The Anti-Laser The laser is used in everything...

Fri, 31 May 2013 12:00:54 -0700

sciencesoup:

The Anti-Laser

The laser is used in everything from CDs to nuclear fusion, but now it’s met its match: the anti-laser. Developed at Yale University and called the Coherent Perfect Absorber (CPA), the anti-laser is capable of trapping and cancelling out laser beams. Conventional lasers take in electrical energy and emit an intense, narrow beam of light in a perfectly aligned wavelength, while the anti-laser completely absorbs these wavelengths and converts them into heat or electrical energy. “Others discovered independently that there’s an optimal condition where they can have the best absorption,” says Hui Cao, a co-researcher. “But they didn’t realize this was a time-reversed laser. They didn’t know they can get, in principle, perfect absorption.” The anti-laser works by splitting a laser beam in two and directing them into a cavity containing a millimetre-thick silicon wafer, where the different crests and troughs align in such a way that they’re trapped, bouncing around indefinitely until the wafer absorbs them and converts them into heat. Only one wavelength can be absorbed at a time, but it can be adjusted by changing the thickness of the wafer. The anti-laser can theoretically absorb 99.999% of incoming light, and has applications in fields from medical imaging to optical computers—it could image tumours through opaque human tissue, or could be used in optical switches for superfast computers that use light instead of electrons.

sciencesoup: A Strange Kind of Taxidermy These techni-coloured...

Thu, 30 May 2013 12:01:13 -0700

sciencesoup:

A Strange Kind of Taxidermy

These techni-coloured cadavers are a weird combination of science and art, created by Iori Tomita, a Japanese artist and a lifelong fisherman. As an undergrad, he studied ichthyology—the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish—where he first saw a fish turned transparent. Since then, he has combined classical preservation techniques with staining methods to create thousands of beautiful but eccentric shells of marine creatures, gradually mastering the nuances of refining form and colour. His process can take up to a year, but it produces a brilliant result. He begins by preserving creatures in formaldehyde, then removes the scales and skin and leaves the creature to soak in a mixture of blue stain, ethl alcohol, and clacial acetic acid. Next, he uses the digestive enzyme trypsin to break down the proteins and muscles—stopping the process before the creature loses its form, but just after it becomes transparent. The bones are then soaked in a mix of potassium hydropxide and red dye, and the creature is preserved in a jar of glycerin. Tomita calls the series “New World Transparent Specimens”.

Visit Tomita’s website