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Wonder Leia

(Photo: Savannah)

Wonder Woman is now ready to save the entire galaxy in this cosplay display by Hakuchan that mixes the DC character with Leia in her iconic slave costume. Leia strangled Jabba the Hutt with a chain in Return of the Jedi, but this time she'll use the Lasso of Truth to interrogate him, then kill him.

-via Fashionably Geek


Invisible Bike by Jimmy Kuehnle

When artist Jimmy Kuehnle decided to invent an invisible bicycle, man, does he go (almost) all the way. Notice the invisible clothing and invisible helmet. Just be thankful he didn't invent invisible underpants!

Yes, the cycle is completely transparent, except for the chain and bearings. Constructed of Lexan or "bullet proof glass," the bike exists in a dual reality as sculpture and transportation. Once again the outfit compliments the bicycle sculpture this time as a clear vinyl suit. Citizens of Austin and San Antonio saw all or nothing since the bike and the suit were "invisible."

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How Emperor Penguins Survive the Cold

This psychedelic image of Emperor penguins is not a fancy blacklight poster (although it would make a good one), but a thermal image taken to help find out how penguins stay warm in the Antarctic. THe surprising find was that while the birds generated heat inside like all warm-blooded animals, a large part of the penguins' outer feathers were actually colder than the surrounding air! How can this adaptation possibly help them?  

The penguins do lose internal body heat to the surrounding air through thermal radiation, just as our bodies do on a cold day. Because their bodies (but not surface plumage) are warmer than the surrounding air, heat gradually radiates outward over time, moving from a warmer material to a colder one. To maintain body temperature while losing heat, penguins, like all warm-blooded animals, rely on the metabolism of food.

The penguins, though, have an additional strategy. Since their outer plumage is even colder than the air, the simulation showed that they might gain back a little of this heat through thermal convection—the transfer of heat via the movement of a fluid (in this case, the air). As the cold Antarctic air cycles around their bodies, slightly warmer air comes into contact with the plumage and donates minute amounts of heat back to the penguins, then cycles away at a slightly colder temperature.

Most of this heat, the researchers note, probably doesn’t make it all the way through the plumage and back to the penguins’ bodies, but it could make a slight difference. At the very least, the method by which a penguin’s plumage wicks heat from the bitterly cold air that surrounds it helps to cancel out some of the heat that’s radiating from its interior.

When you're trying to get through the winter at the bottom of the world, every little bit counts. Read more about the research at Smithsonian's Surprising Science blog. Link

(Image credit: © Université de Strasbourg and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Strasbourg, France)


Ice Balloons

This is what might happen when you have a birthday party in winter. Freezing rain covered the balloons, then they deflated somewhat in the cold. The ice remains as evidence of the original balloon size. Someone needs to do this on purpose, with thicker ice, and make transparent snowmen out of the resulting balls! Link  


The Reality of Google Glasses

The Joy of Tech guys know what will happen when Google Glasses go on the market. They want you to think the product will magically open up the wall between the real world and the virtual world. Not so fast! Link  -via Tastefully Offensive


Should You Ride Your Bike or Take the Train? Consult This Barometer

Richard J. Pope has one simple question at the beginning of his day: should he take his bike or the Tube to work? This gadget is a barometer that checks the weather--but also a lot more:

The bicycle barometer takes data about the weather, the status of the tube lines I use to get to work, and whether my local station is open or shut.

It then reduces all that data down to a single value and displays it on a dial with a bike sign at one end and a tube sign at the other.

For example, if it is raining a bit the dial will move a bit towards the tube sign, but if the tube is suffering delays, it will move a bit back in the other direction.

Different data points get different weightings. E.g. snow is more important than a bit of drizzle; the tube station being shut trumps everything.

Link -via Technabob


Common Physics Misconceptions

(YouTube link)

Minute Physics quickly lets us in on some slight but important differences in what we thought we knew and what really is. Since I never studied physics, a lot of this was new to me.  -via Daily of the Day


U.S. Space Team's Up Goer Five

There are around a half-million words in the full Oxford English Dictionary, though most people use only a few thousand in everyday communication. Randall Munroe of xkcd explains the Saturn V rocket using only the 1,000 most commonly-used English words. This comic grew out of Munroe's journeys into Simple English Wikipedia. You can see another example here. If you want a taste of how difficult it is to explain things using only the thousand most common words, The Up Goer Five Text Editor will point out any words you use that are too uncommon. However, if you are going to explain something to children or people who are learning English as a second language, the simpler the better. Link -via Metafilter


What Is It? game 250

It's time for the 250th edition of our collaboration with the always amusing What Is It? Blog. Can you guess what the pictured item is? Or can you make up something interesting?

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many guesses as you'd like in separate comments. Post no URLs or weblinks, as doing so will forfeit your entry. Two winners: the first correct guess and the funniest (albeit ultimately wrong) guess will win T-shirt from the NeatoShop.

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize, okay? May we suggest the Science T-Shirt, Funny T-Shirt and Artist-Designed T-Shirts?

See all this week's mystery objects at the What Is It? Blog. Good luck!

Update: the pictured object is a vintage brass trigger guard for a gun. The first comment, from Anker, had the correct answer, which is good for a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! The funniest answer came from The Professor, who gave an explanation of how to "point Percy at the Porcelain," which may be a little racy for delicate sensibilities, so you can go read it for yourself, and maybe even give it a ♥. So he wins a t-shirt from the NeatoShop as well! Find the answers to all this week's mystery items at the What Is It? blog.


What Is It? game 245

W00t! It's time for another collaboration with the always-excellent What Is It? Blog. Can you guess what this strange object is used for?

Place your guess in the comment section. One guess per comment, though you can enter as many guesses as you'd like. Please do not post any web link or URL - doing so will void your entry. You have until the answer is revealed on the What Is It? Blog tomorrow.

Two prizes: the first correct guess and the funniest yet wrong one will win a T-Shirt from the NeatoShop.

IMPORTANT: Please write your prize selection alongside your guess, so visit the NeatoShop and take a look around. If you don't write your prize selection, then you don't get the prize. I think you'll like the selection of funny t-shirts and science t-shirts -or even t-shirts of your favorite blogs and websites.

For more clues, go to What Is It? Blog. Good luck!

Update: the pictured object is an exact replica demonstration model of the original Telstar satellite, launched in 1962. The real satellite was only about twice as big. Craig Clayton knew that, and wins a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! The funniest answer came from The Professor, who won a t-shirt when he said, "This is the Death Star's lesser known cousin, the Mildly-Irritating Toothache Star." There were a lot of other great guesses; you should read them all. See the answers to all this week's mystery items at the What Is It? blog. And thanks for playing along!


Click and Drag

How big can one webcomic panel be? Randall Munroe pushes the limits in one xkcd panel. Click and drag to explore the world, but be aware of the passing of time. I still haven't seen it all! Link  -via John Walkenbach


What Is It? game 243

It's time for our collaboration with the always amusing What Is It? Blog. Put on your thinking cap and figure out what the pictured item is -or just make up something ridiculous!

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many guesses as you'd like in separate comments. Post no URLs or weblinks, as doing so will forfeit your entry. Two winners: the first correct guess and the funniest (albeit ultimately wrong) guess will win T-shirt from the NeatoShop.

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize, okay? May we suggest the Science T-Shirt, Funny T-Shirt and Artist-Designed T-Shirts?

For additional pictures of this object, check out the What Is It? Blog. Good luck!

Update: the pictured object is an electrical connecting device for neon signs for connecting the luminous tube electrode to an electrical conductor, patent number 2,072,042. The first person who knew that was Tofui, who wins a t-shirt! Although I suppose it could also make a good egg separator. The funniest answer came from ColShorts, who declared it to be The "One Cup At A Time" moonshine still. (Good to the last drop) ;). That's good for a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! Thanks to everyone who played, and thanks to the What Is It blog, where you can find quite a few mystery items every week and the answers on Friday.


Cucumber Jalapeño Popsicles

Simultaneously cold and hot, Steve's popsicles will give you a delicious if confusing experience. They're made of just cucumbers, peppers, sugar and lime juice.

Link -via Tasteologie


IBM Scientists Distinguish Individual Molecular Bonds

IBM scientists in Zurich, Switzerland, who captured the first close-up image of a single molecule (a pentacene back in 2009), and the charge distribution of a single molecule, has scored another scientific first: they were able to distinguish chemical bonds in individual molecules using noncontact atomic force microscopy.

"We found two different contrast mechanisms to distinguish bonds. The first one is based on small differences in the force measured above the bonds. We expected this kind of contrast but it was a challenge to resolve," said IBM scientist Leo Gross. "The second contrast mechanism really came as a surprise: Bonds appeared with different lengths in AFM measurements. With the help of ab initio calculations we found that the tilting of the carbon monoxide molecule at the tip apex is the cause of this contrast." [...]

The individual bonds between carbon atoms in such molecules differ subtly in their length and strength. All the important chemical, electronic, and optical properties of such molecules are related to the differences of bonds in the polyaromatic systems. Now, for the first time, these differences were detected for both individual molecules and bonds. This can increase basic understanding at the level of individual molecules, important for research on novel electronic devices, organic solar cells, and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In particular, the relaxation of bonds around defects in graphene as well as the changing of bonds in chemical reactions and in excited states could potentially be studied.

Link | Images from IBM Research's Bond-Order Discrimination by Atomic Force Microscopy Flickr photoset


Playboy Apron


Playboy Apron - $19.95

Are you looking for a way to get into the true spirit of spring?  Try the Playboy Apron from the NeatoShop.  Nothing says it's spring like a good bunny costume.

This little number is perfect for baking Pie!

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more Apron fun!


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