Tragedy on the Sea Nymph from machine project on Vimeo.

(Video Link)

Opera has become infinitely more enjoyable since the canines have hit the stage. Watch as wig wearing hounds get dramatic, in a silent performance that will leave a mark on more than your shoe.

Link

Something dastardly is afoot in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and it is up to the guests to figure out whodunit-by completing a scavenger hunt. A company called Watson Adventures has organized a fun yet cerebral murder mystery in the museum, where the detectives must solve the crime via clues linked to works of art throughout the Met. Those who've been say that solving the crime is delightfully difficult, and feels like something you'd find in a Dan Brown novel. If you want to get in on the fun you may not have to wait very long, because Watson Adventures already has plans to bring the mystery to museums all over the country, with stories and clues created specifically for each museum's collection. Now you have an excuse to go lurking around your favorite museum after hours!

Link image via Ula Ilnytzky, Associated Press

At the Make-A-Wish Foundation, they're used to granting some of the strangest wishes one could ever imagine, but nobody has ever asked for their own video game. That is until Owain Weinert, a 9 year old who has been living with Leukemia for nearly two years, told the miracle workers that he had an idea for a video game that he wanted so see produced. The result is a tower defense game called Allied Star Police made and distributed by PopCap Games, and as if it isn't cool enough that a kid so young came up with his own game, it's free on iTunes right now. We wish little Owain all the best, and can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

Link

We’ve all experienced the pain and heartbreak associated with water-related electronics tragedies. From cell phones dropped in the toilet to laptops caught in the rain, getting your electronic devices wet used to spell destruction. Well not anymore, thanks to the Bheestie bag, which uses it's internal, pellet filled sacks to literally suck your device dry safely and completely. It might be just the thing to bring your beloved electronics back to life.

Link

One of the most amazing things about digital photography is that each image is also a file, storing the information contained in each shot along with the photo, so you can load it up and see aperture settings, shutter speed, ISO, etc. any time you want.
Do you want to become a better photographer? Just find images with the EXIF data intact and study what the pros used to make their shots look so darn pretty. Find out more about the process at Lifehacker.

Link

A new rave scene is about to kick off in your local doctors office, but this time the glow sticks won’t be the only things that are glowing-your guts will be too. That’s because researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University recently developed a fluorescent protein that will illuminate the inside of our bodies like never before, making internal organs far more visible, even if they appear downright toxic, and eliminating the need to cut the patient open in order to see what's going on inside.

Link Image via Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

These paper sculptures are so delicate they’d probably fall apart in your hands if you tried to hold them, and they definitely won’t hold any of your favorite beverages, but the appreciation of form and iconography of the classic soda can are what make these paper cans worth the while. See more intricate paper art by Yoshio Hasegawa at the link.

Link via Laughing Squid.

In this amazing month of stem cell research advancement, we have seen a replacement trachea grown from scratch, clues that may use stem cells to cure blindness, and now mice have grown transplantable molars. For those of you that are missing teeth, like me, this means that you’ll soon be able to grow your own set of choppers, your own teeth that can be easily implanted and readily accepted by your body.

Link via PopSci Image via plosONE

(Video Link)

Have you ever thought to yourself “Gee, I wonder what Bomberman would look like if he were a real person, and cast in a cheesy cop drama?” Well, your geeky prayers have been answered! Just don’t expect Oscar worthy performances, or high budget special effects, and you will definitely enjoy this tongue in cheek take on the classic console game. Take a gander at this kooky little YouTube video and revel in the ridiculousness.

If you think crime is bad in your neighborhood these days, ask yourself this: are people stealing bricks from houses on your street? If the answer is no, then your hood’s got nothing on St. Louis, Missouri, where things have gotten so bad people are literally stripping houses to the ground for a few extra bucks. There's a video all about it at Laughing Squid.

Link Image via Bill Streeter.

I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors by now that Stephen King’s Dark Tower would be coming to the big screen in an epic adaptation. Well, if this idea made you giddy and you can’t wait to see it happen, then I suggest you sit down because the Dark Tower movie has gone bust, its fate now unclear and any chance of good production value all but lost. Ron Howard was set to direct and making plans, including casting Javier Bardem and making a 2 season tv series that would show the events which took place before the books. But all is not lost, for there is still a proposed eighth book coming out entitled “The Wind Through The Keyhole” and there is the Marvel Comics series which is still going strong, so read on and imagine the movie in your mind.

Link

Genesis Medical Imaging, Inc. has allowed scientists from Chicago's The Field Museum use of a mobile CT scanner to scan their ancient discoveries, and the results have been surprising. In one mummy they found nothing but straw under the wraps, in another only a skull and legs, and although some of their findings have been disappointing overall the Field Museum has been happy to know exactly what they have in their collection. Read more about it at Art Daily.

Link

Philips aims to make our lives quite a bit brighter in the future, and their latest creation is like something out of a science fiction movie. They, along with Kvadrat Soft Cells, are in the process of making luminous textile, essentially mini LED lights embedded into material that can be hung on walls like regular wallpaper, or hung up like glowing works of art. Read more about it, and watch a short commercial style video with a shot of the ghostly wallpaper in action, over at PopSci.

Link

Engineers at MIT have been busy creating all sorts of solar powered fun, but their latest innovation promises to make the solar panel manufacturing process easier than ever before. They have discovered a process in which solar panels can be printed on an average sheet of paper, and what's more this solar cell is foldable, bendable and manufactured with a simpler vapor deposition process, a process MIT brains claim most manufacturing facilities can handle with ease. Read more about this fascinating development over at PopSci,

Link

(Video Link)

Dutch Polaroid enthusiasts calling themselves the Impossible Project have acquired an old, shut down Polaroid factory in order to make their own instant film. This video shows the manufacturing process for making their version of Polaroid film, which is quite fascinating, even if the idea of bringing back Polaroids seems like a waste of time and money.

Link

UConn Professor Andrew Moiseff has conducted research into why fireflies sometimes blink their lights in unison, and his discovery was interesting yet not surprising-males blink in unison to attract the attention of females. What is surprising, however, is that male fireflies appear to synch up with each other and blink in unison to cut down on female confusion, so she won't have any trouble finding a suitable mate. In fact, females had an overwhelmingly positive response to the males that blinked in unison, and tended to shun the non-unison blinkers altogether, which proves that female fireflies don't appreciate individuality.

Link

Have you ever wanted to see the inside of the Space Shuttle Discovery's flight deck as the astronauts see it during a mission? If you answered yes then check out this 360 virtual viewer of the inside, complete with lots of shiny panels full of buttons and switches! Head on over to BoingBoing and see it before it ends up at the Smithsonian.

Link

(Video Link)

Here's the first trailer for the upcoming Tintin movie entitled "The Secret Of The Unicorn" which is produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Steven Spielberg. Tintin looks a bit creepy to me with a realistic face, but the visual effects are quite nice.

via Guardian UK

Researchers at UC Berkeley and Smithsonian Institution paleontologists have collaborated on a study of gray whales and how they survived so many global climate changes. The result-gray whales varied their diets and adapted to a wider range of food sources in order to survive. This study shows that whales may adapt quite easily to whatever comes their way in the future. Read more about it at Art Daily.

Link

Members of the MIT Media Lab have created a python script called Minecraft.print() which will allow players of Minecraft with access to a 3D printer the opportunity to print out their creations. And while the odds of an average person having access to a 3D printer are slim, this script is a step in the right direction when it comes to programs playing nicely with 3D printers. Check out a video of the printer in action over at Forbes Online.

Link

In the follow up to the smash hit console game Arkham Asylum called (gasp!) Arkham City players will be able to play as Catwoman. Batman fans were happy to finally have a game worthy of the Dark Knight, and Arkham City promises to be a worthy successor, with the Catwoman gameplay having its own unique twist, complete with bullwhip action and stealth tactics befitting the sexy cat burglar. Check out the Catwoman gameplay trailer at Newsarama, and while you're there check out the clip for another new Batman inspired game-Gotham City Imposters, where you play as wanna-be Batmen or Jokers.

Link

Jim Henson wasn't all puppets and special effects, sometimes his mind wandered into strange places, and this clip from the TV special The Cube illustrates that his genius knew no bounds. This surreal show aired 2 episodes on NBC during their Experimental Night Of Television in 1969.

Climatologists have found that the bomber planes used in World War II may have changed the temperature of the ground below with the contrails they left in their wake. Contrails are air vapor trails left by certain aircraft, and they affect climate by trapping heat below like a thermal barrier while reflecting incoming solar heat back up into the atmosphere. Research has shown that, by measuring the contrail information which was tracked by pilots, climatologists can measure the effect they had on global climate.

Link

Naoshima is an island town which is home to some of Japan's finest museums and architecture, yet those who have shaped the face of the island have made it less touristy and more like the Japan of yesteryear, albeit with a modernist twist. Simplicity is key in the construction and aesthetic of the island's two biggest attractions: Chichu Museum, which incorporates installation pieces into the very structure of the building, and Benesse House, the hotel with no TV or internet access but loads of visual interest and a modern art style. Read more about it at the Guardian.

Link

Space Invaders is such an iconic video game, not just because it's one of the first, and fan tributes have taken many forms over the years. From murals to t shirts to street artists putting tile mosaics on city walls in the shape of pixel aliens, Space Invaders has definitely had an impact on popular culture, but will it make a good movie? Producers di Bonaventura and Pritzker think so, and that's why they're adding Space Invaders to their list of 80s throwback/tribute films, which includes G.I. Joe and Transformers and an Asteroids movie also in the works. Read more about it at the Hollywood Reporter.

Link

Ever wanted to tour the inside of Spain's Casa Batllo in Barcelona, but can't afford the hop overseas? Well, worry no more because Arounder has a virtual tour you can take of Gaudi's masterpiece without leaving your couch! And while you're there check out more of the virtual city tour of Barcelona, which includes Placa Reial, Museu Picasso and a panorama of Tibidabo, among other wondrous and beautiful sights, but be sure to view them in fullscreen to avoid distortion.

Link

Heston Blumenthal is the mad genius behind the wild and experimental menu at the Fat Duck restaurant in Berkshire. People from all over are clamoring to try Heston's weird and wonderful delights, such as egg and bacon ice cream, salmon poached in licorice sauce and snail porridge, and the restaurant claims 30,000 calls come in a day to inquire about reservations, which must be made 2 months in advance. If you opt for the tasting menu, be prepared to sit for around four hours and shell out 160 Euros per person. But Heston's menu promises not to disappoint, and prospective diners see eating at the Fat Duck as a life experience, and not just another gourmet meal.

Link

Swedish surgeons at Karolinska University Hospital have successfully grown a donor free trachea and transplanted it into a patient, who is now recovering and doing well. The organ was created using the patients own stem cells, which were harvested from his bone marrow, and was grown in just two days. Using stem cells in this manner means the body is less likely to reject the organ, and lab grown organs could be grown as needed, in a very short amount of time. Read more about the future of medicine over at PopSci.

Link

A road crew in Dorset, England found a mass grave of Viking bodies that appear to have been slaughtered by Britons, as their heads, torsos and legs were buried in separate graves and no weapons, equipment or clothing were found. The bones showed signs of utter brutality being delivered upon the poor fellows, but more intriguing is the fact that the Vikings teeth had horizontal lines deliberately filed into them. Archaeologists feel that this was done in order to appear more fearsome in battle, and that the excruciating filing of the teeth must have been done by a master craftsman.

Link

Researchers at Duke University have developed a cloak made of perforated plastic sheets that successfully dampen sound. The cloak is designed to prevent sound from traveling forward by guiding the sound waves through holes in the plastic sheets, thereby stopping the waves cold and registering the cloak as nothing more than a wall. Steven Cummer, the researcher who came up with the project proposal, concluded that electromagnetic waves function just like acoustic waves, so since they'd already made metamaterial capable of bending microwaves they should be able to use it to bend sound waves in a similar manner. Read more about it at Science News.

Link