When I was a kid, I loved going through my box of crayons. And the more, the merrier because you would never know when you will need one shade over another. I also loved the funny names some of the colors have. And there are some really weird ones out there too like this list (Part 1, Part 2) of twenty color names that actually exist.
(Image credit: Art by Lonfeldt/Unsplash)
The final season of the HBO hit Game of Thrones was very controversial but it has still received numerous nominations for the Emmy Awards including special effects, direction, cinematography, and leading acting awards for Kit Harrington and Emilia Clarke.
However, some actors had to do their own legwork and submitted themselves to the Emmys. That paid off and they got nominated for their supporting roles.
Most notably, Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) and Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy) both self-submitted and are now nominated for the supporting categories award. Carice van Houten, who played Melisandre, also self-submitted and has been nominated in the guest actress category.
(Image credit: HBO/IMDb)
Thread: everyone knows that medieval art is filled with snails fighting knights, but there's actually a whole medieval snail ecology and society, from snail-birds to snail-monks. And, ofc, snail-cats.
— Erik Wade (@erik_kaars) July 17, 2019
WARNING: this thread gets very very silly.
(Paris, MS. 62) pic.twitter.com/VDxqRya481
There are some strange illustrations and depictions in many medieval art and manuscripts, things whose existence we can't really begin to fathom. In one particular instance, Erik Wade, a lecturer and medievalist at the University of Bonn found an interesting saga of snail societies. From half-human or half-animal, half-snail creatures to depictions of a snail god with its worshipers, these tales are quite amusing and begs the question, who in the world thought all of this up? And what were they on?
-via Boing Boing
(Image credit: Erik Wade/Twitter)
Ofc, the existence of snail-monks implies a snail-god, but the Catholic Church repressed almost all evidence of this mysterious being. Only a few depictions of the snailgod and its worshipers remain.
— Erik Wade (@erik_kaars) July 17, 2019
(BL MS Add. 49622; Gorlest Psalter) pic.twitter.com/38YISqLg3d
It is distressing to report, but snails were often hunted by medieval humans, especially for their shells, which made fine houses.
— Erik Wade (@erik_kaars) July 17, 2019
(Morgan Library, MS M. 461, fol. 78 r; BNF, French 22971, fol. 60 v) pic.twitter.com/Eri6XBagZE
Anyone curious how they presented the Bowser gag in the Japanese version of #NintendoDirectE3 ?
— Kantopia (@maikantopia) June 12, 2019
While Bowser is known as "Koopa" in JPN, there were overlays explaining that his English name is "Bowser" to give the audience context.
The more you know!https://t.co/nNRrGszNXl pic.twitter.com/V8xoGOasug
One of the popular Mario antagonists Bowser made a special cameo appearance at Nintendo's E3 Direct conference as part of a gag to introduce Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser who presented the show instead of Bowser. However, they had to explain the whole bit to the Japanese audience.
As you may be aware, Bowser is simply known as 'Koopa' in Japan, meaning the whole Bowser/Doug Bowser link doesn't exactly work. The segment was still shown in the Japanese version of the Direct, though, so how did it all play out exactly?
Well, as explained by Twitter user @maikantopia, the Japanese show featured various overlays which not only provided subtitles, but also explained Bowser's English-language name to provide context. Lucky viewers weren't just treated to a show, but also had a quick Nintendo trivia lesson going on at the same time.
(Image credit: Kantopia/Twitter)
To be more specific, the research found some correlation between the type of people with whom we tend to hang out when we experience a certain type of mood. For example, they found that when we feel happy, we go out of our way to meet strangers. But when we feel sad, we turn to our friends and loved ones.
The study’s authors provide this portrait of what their results mean: If someone were especially unhappy at noon on a Saturday, that person would be almost two times more likely to see a friend that afternoon than if he or she were especially happy at noon.
Meanwhile, if that person were particularly happy, his or her odds of interacting with a stranger that afternoon would go up by 20 percent. Those interactions might then feed on each other, with strangers making the person uncomfortable and less happy and close friends cheering him or her up again—and make the person eager to spend time with more strangers.
These results, as the researchers mentioned, only show correlation and not causation which means that these events or patterns of behavior do not necessarily follow one after the other. So say, if a person were expecting to meet someone new, they might try to pump themselves up to prepare for the interaction.
-via Kottke
(Image credit: Priscilla Du Preez/Unsplash)
Y’all, having sled dogs has been so good for my body image. And not because mushing is a joy-filled, physical outdoor activity, although that’s true. It’s actually something much simpler than that. pic.twitter.com/PJDMtBF0Bv
— Blair Braverman (@BlairBraverman) July 13, 2019
Dogsledder Blair Braverman shared something she realized over the years she has worked with sled dogs, training and feeding them from when they were pups until retirement. She saw how these dogs were built in different ways and yet there is something so wonderful in the diversity of their bodies and how they were designed.
-via Kottke
Get this: All bodies are different. pic.twitter.com/eZy7YGonCn
— Blair Braverman (@BlairBraverman) July 13, 2019
It may simple and obvious but her experiences with the sled dogs showed her how these dogs having different body types is just how nature intended them to be. There's nothing wrong with being built uniquely from others. In fact, the dogs don't even care how their bodies look like. If ever they were aware about that at all, they would probably not care still as long as they are fed and get to run around and have fun.
Some of them eat thousands of calories a day and are still complete stringbeans. They eat literally three times as much food as everyone else. pic.twitter.com/Qd5gzbLils
— Blair Braverman (@BlairBraverman) July 13, 2019
Some of them can eat, like, a tablespoon of kibble, and the next day they need a bigger harness. They’re easy keepers; their bodies naturally want to be bigger. Which is good! Easy keepers make great sled dogs. pic.twitter.com/tgGkbypAPe
— Blair Braverman (@BlairBraverman) July 13, 2019
Cancer cells have different ways of surviving in our body despite all our efforts into subduing, neutralizing, and eventually eliminating them. So we also have to find crafty ways to get rid of them. One such method that a team from McCormick School of Engineering used is to disguise chemo drugs as fat.
“It’s like a Trojan horse,” Nathan Gianneschi, a professor of chemistry and of biomedical engineering and materials science and engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and associate director of the International Institute of Nanotechnology at Northwestern University. “It looks like a nice little fatty acid, so the tumor’s receptors see it and invite it in. Then the drug starts getting metabolized and kills the tumor cells.”
One other advantage to this method is that it reduces the risk of side effects from the drug since it targets or is consumed by the cancer cells directly. They tested the drug delivery system by using a common chemo drug and introducing it into a small animal model with tumors.
Disguised as fat, the drug entered and completely eliminated the tumors in three types of cancer: bone, pancreatic, and colon. Even better: the researchers found they could deliver 20 times the dose of paclitaxel with their system, compared to two other paclitaxel-based drugs. But even at such a high quantity, the drug in Gianneschi’s system was still 17 times safer.
(Image credit: Brian/Flickr)
The honor was all mine. Thank you for hosting us. https://t.co/fcnLdoV4uk
— Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) July 19, 2019
Being one of the first astronauts to walk on the moon, Buzz Aldrin has a lot under his belt. But 50 years later, he laments that NASA's program has become a "great disappointment". He says this to President Donald Trump in a press conference held at the Oval Office last Friday.
“Frankly, I’m a little disappointed in the last 10 to 15 years,” he told the president during an Oval Office press conference with Michael Collins, another Apolo 11 astronaut. “We were able to achieve so much early. Now we have the number one rocket right now in the U.S., and we have the number one spacecraft, and they cannot get into lunar orbit with significant maneuvering capability. And that’s a great disappointment to me.”
There are several possible reasons as to why Aldrin has made such criticism on the agency but it most likely comes down to financial support. Furthermore, NASA has been setting its eyes on some big goals in the coming years which would require a ton of funding, although whether the results are enough to justify the investments being made, we have yet to see.
(Image credit: Buzz Aldrin/Twitter)
Just announced in Hall H at #SDCC, Marvel Studios’ THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER, an original series with Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan and Daniel Brühl. Streaming exclusively on Disney+, Fall 2020. pic.twitter.com/FmFMKWUrhO
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 21, 2019
Ever since Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home, everybody has been eagerly anticipating and speculating what's next in Marvel's massive franchise. We know that it was the end of an era but that doesn't mean the stories and characters we loved so much and grew up with over the years will just fade away from memory. Marvel has a lot more in store for us.
Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, today unveiled the Phase 4 slate of the Marvel Cinematic Universe at Comic-Con. He hit the stage at Marvel's panel in Hall, announcing a tantalizing suite of new superhero movies, set for release over the next two years. A list that included Black Widow, The Eternals, Thor 4: Love and Thunder, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
(Image credit: Marvel Studios/Twitter)
This panel is for Phase Four! #MarvelSDCC #AgentMLovesSDCC #SDCC #MarvelStudios pic.twitter.com/rhm0D5WpsH
— Ryan Penagos (@AgentM) July 21, 2019
(Image credit: Ryan Penagos/Twitter)
With all the research and space missions being done to prepare our way for one day bringing human civilization to the stars, there is a possibility that we can put up settlements on other astronomical bodies in space and build societies there. Earth's Moon is one candidate for that vision of living in space.
But if that were to happen, there will have already been many changes and new generations probably wouldn't be able to relate those of us who grew up on Earth. So here's an open letter for humanity who was able to venture out into space and find a safer haven out in the stars.
(Image credit: Bob Al-Greene/Mashable)
WiFi may be the most convenient way to connect to the internet but it's not the most reliable or the fastest. Which is why ethernet cables still have a place in our lives because having a hard connection would make sure that the signals from your modem to your computer are stable and strong.
Still, the fact of the matter is that a wired connection is still objectively better for just about anything that requires an internet connection. Sometimes the benefits are subtle, but sometimes they're life-changing.
For example, WiFi is notoriously fickle. Thick walls and metal objects can totally throw off the signal emanating from your router and turn what should be a perfectly connected household into a depressing dead zone.
(Image credit: Thomas Jensen/Unsplash)
Before you're tempted to say, "it's summer, what do you expect?", consider the forecast highs each day. The dark orange and reds here show where high temperatures will be well above normal. This heat, combined that with high humidity, mean heat index values well above 100 °F! pic.twitter.com/x4pzzdqyTA
— National Weather Service (@NWS) July 18, 2019
Europe had experienced smoldering temperatures several weeks ago but now it is possible that it may go through a second one as the US and Canada are also experiencing their own. Temperatures are expected to climb to over 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
More than half of the mainland United States, from the Rocky Mountains to the East Coast, has been engulfed by extreme temperatures and high humidity since early this week. The National Weather Service on Thursday said the “widespread and dangerous” heat wave will persist into the weekend.
It is expected that occurrences such as these would increase in the future as climate change continues to take its toll on the weather and the environment. If things were to remain the same, we might be in for some really extreme and unpredictable weather patterns.
(Image credit: National Weather Service/Twitter)
Like the flag that was smuggled into a NASA space flight, there are quite a few things that shows how the people working at NASA are still human. In fact, during the Apollo 11 mission, they almost forgot to bring a US flag along with them. Well, with so many things on their hands, nobody can blame the people at NASA.
At no point — right into the middle of 1969 — had anybody at NASA paused and thought about how to celebrate landing on the moon. Somebody at headquarters actually called NASA in Houston and said: "You've got to do something about this, we're gonna have to celebrate somehow." And NASA created the Committee for Celebrations of the First Lunar Landing on the Surface — it sounds like a NASA committee.
A guy named Jack Kinzler, who was a senior technical manager in Houston, came to the meeting with this plan for a flag. He said we've got to plant a flag, you don't go to the moon and not plant a flag. And in order to make it fly on the moon, with no air, and no atmosphere at all, we're going to have to have a vertical flagpole, and ... hinged to it at the top, a horizontal flagpole. And then we're just going to slide the flag out, like a curtain.
And the senior officials who were on the committee ... said: "Jack, that's a great idea. You go make that flag."
They bought off-the-shelf flags. It's pretty clear they bought those flags at Sears.
This and many other behind-the-scenes moments leading up to the Apollo 11 flight and return were documented in a new book by Charles Fishman, "One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon".
(Image credit: Neil Armstrong/NASA; Wikimedia Commons)
Apollo 11 was undoubtedly a success and its contributions have paved the way for more crewed space missions to be launched. However, there was one thing that the Apollo 11 team missed which could have led to an untimely demise. Only when they returned to Earth did they realize it.
To quote from Nancy Atkinson's book, pilot Frank A. Brown, flying about 450 miles (725 km) away from the re-entry point, reported the following:
I see the two of them, one above the other. One is the Command Module; the other is the Service Module. . . . I see the trail behind them — what a spectacle! You can see the bits flying off. Notice that the top one is almost unchanged while the bottom one is shattering into pieces. That is the disintegrating Service Module.
Fortunately for everyone, none of the debris resulting from the Service Module's re-entry impacted the Command Module, and the astronauts all arrived safely back on Earth.
Different from how it should have gone, the Service Module should have thrusted away from the Command Module upon re-entry so as to shift its trajectory and avoid collision with the latter. However, it didn't happen that way. Despite that minor mishap, thankfully it didn't lead to a major disaster since none of the debris from the Service Module hit the Command Module.
However, upon investigation, they found that the same thing happened in previous missions Apollo 8 and Apollo 10. So to prevent any big disaster from happening in the future, they changed the procedure for the separation of the two spacecrafts.
(Image credit: NASA/Wikimedia Commons)
And we're not talking about Wall-E. For now, it doesn't really have a name either but we can call it a "micro-bristle-bot" because it's very tiny, measuring only two millimeters long. What's most special about it is what it can do.
Unlike many robots, which run on electricity, this bot is powered by vibrations. Built in a four- or six-legged configuration, it’s 3D-printed with a super tiny actuator. When the frequency is perfectly in-tune with the robot’s onboard components, the device comes to life. That also means it won’t move from random sounds in the environment—the robot only responds to a single perfect pitch.
The team from Georgia Institute Technology built the micro-bristle-bot and says that these tiny robots could one day be programmed or even "coordinated to move together like a swarm of ants", similar to how Ant-Man communicates with and makes ants do his bidding. But there are other ways to make use of this technology.
The research team imagines them working as environmental sensors, or even making their way into the human body to repair tissues. Because they’re small, fast, and require no battery or other electricity, they are particularly well-suited for extreme environments like the human body.
(Image credit: Allison Carter/Georgia Tech)
