The latest do-it-yourself project from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories is this footstool made in the shape of a 555 timer chip. It's a heavy-duty design, made from plywood, glue, and paint. Link -via Laughing Squid

A meme finds its way into toenail art. I honestly envy anyone who has the time to do something like this. Link

The Marble Caverns, as the name translates to English, are in General Carrera, a lake that straddles the border of Argentina and Chile. The lake has thrown gravel against the blue marble cliffs for millions of years, gradually carving these beautiful grottos. See more pictures at Environmental Graffiti. Link -via Dark Roasted Blend

(Image credit: Flickr member Nicolas Aracena)

Police in Brandenburg, Germany found a plot of marijuana plants. Upon inquiry, they talked to an elderly woman who said she had been feeding the weeds to her pet rabbits.

“The rabbits really like it,” the woman told officers who called on her in the village of Golzow near Belzig, according to Saturday’s Tagesspiegel.

A police officer had seen the healthy, metre-high plants from the road while on his way to work and told his colleagues, who visited the plot’s owner – the elderly woman.

She told them that she had not grown the plants herself, but that they had simply started growing there, and had proven to be excellent rabbit food. Not only did the rabbits love eating the plants, they grew back very quickly after she cut them down, she told the investigating officers.

Officers did not charge the woman, but did cut the plants down. Link

(Unrelated image credit: Flickr member shesaleo)

(YouTube link) I've never watched the TV show MasterChef, but if it were edited like this, I might make the effort to tune in. This video is a Swede Mason production. -via Arbroath

Christine de Pizan wrote Othea's Epistle to Hector (the Book of Knighthood) around the beginning of the 15th century. She is considered to be the first female professional writer. In 1460, a manuscript of the Book of Knighthood was commissioned, written in Middle French and illustrated with miniatures. Sixteen of those miniatures are reproduced for your pleasure at BibliOdyssey. Link

Designer Kunihiko Morinaga is taking the resolution down a notch or two, all the way down to the pixel level. In his collection called Low (low resolution, that is), you'll find dresses, jackets, sportswear, hosiery, shoes, and accessories all rendered in what appears to be 8-bit patterns. Where would you wear these pixelated pumps? See lots more pictures at Gamma Squad. Link

While some internet groups ignore their very existence, Forces of Geek addresses the growing visibility (if not growing numbers) of geek girls. We have always been here, and it's nice to be included, or even noticed. FOG has posted a list of Geek Girl Commandments, loosely styled after the Biblical Ten Commandments. That is followed by the Geek Girl Bill of Rights, which says (in part):

I have the right to be taken seriously for my interests and not be accused of getting into video gaming, comic books, science, or other traditionally male-dominated geek interests to impress a guy.

I have the right to enjoy non-geeky things without losing geek cred.

I have the right to send angry emails to retailers that only offer geeky shirts in men’s styles and sizes.

I have the right to bare arms, abs, and legs. I can dress as any superhero I want to without being touched, harassed, or being accused of inviting sexual advances. I also understand that dressing provocatively will draw attention, and I will deal with unwanted but harmless attention with class and dignity.

Oh yes, there's more, which you can read at the post. Link

(YouTube link)

Just when I thought I was getting tired of supercuts, Harry Hanrahan strung together the greatest exploding bridge scenes in cinema history, with a satisfyingly appropriate soundtrack. -via The Daily What

Once again, it's time for our collaboration with the always amusing What Is It? Blog. Do you know what the pictured item is? Can you make a wild guess?

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many as you'd like. 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 more clues, check out the What Is It? Blog. There's another picture of this item at a slightly different angle there. Good luck!

Update: the object in question is a mailing machine for putting addresses on newspapers and magazines. Villaridge knew that, and won a t-shirt from the NeatoShop. Meanwhile, DocKami said, "it's a .... IT'S A TRAP !" which made me laugh, so he wins a t-shirt for the funniest answer. It does kind of resemble a trap, doesn't it?

I also want to remind you of the "one guess per comment" rule, because we had a lot of people with multiple guesses this week, and that's not really fair to everyone else. Of course, you are welcome to leave as many comments as you want.

The date today is 6/28, which is Tau Day. The number Tau is 2pi, or 6.28 (followed by many more decimals). Geek Are Sexy has an explanation of tau, which is kind of like pi, only more so. And since tau is 2pi, you should celebrate Tau Day by baking two pies. One for me, and one for you. And not to throw at each other! Link

See also: The Pi is a Lie

The U.S. Mint is manufacturing, and will continue to manufacture, one dollar coins that just pile up in the Federal Reserve because no one wants to use them. They've already stockpiled over a billion dollars in coins, and may reach two billion!

In 2005, Congress decided that a new series of dollar coins should be minted to engage the public. These coins would bear the likeness of every former president, starting with George Washington. There would be a new one every quarter. So, far, the Mint has produced coins through the 18th president, Ulysses S. Grant.

Members of Congress reasoned that a coin series that changed frequently and had educational appeal would make dollar coins more popular. The idea came from the successful program that put each of the 50 states on the backs of quarters.

The reserve also has plenty of Susan B Anthony and Sacagawea dollar coins. If the public does not want to use dollar coins, why are they being made? The answer is a bit complicated, and is explained in this article at NPR. http://www.npr.org/2011/06/28/137394348/-1-billion-that-nobody-wants?sc=fb&cc=fp -via Breakfast Links

YouTube took the original Nyan Cat video down, and in its place there is a notice that "This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by PRguitarman." However, PRguitarman says he did not file a copyright claim. He is having trouble straightening this out.

Funny how someone can easily make a complaint but to actually prove it the owner has to jump through all of these hoops. FUN TIMES! But seriously, there is a lot of work involved here and it's pretty stressful.

Meanwhile, people are flagging my videos on Youtube and giving me death threats just like upstanding Internet citizens usually do. Good job.

Anyway, I've been working at this for about two or three hours and have done the most I can for now. Saraj00n, Daniwell, and Youtube have been contacted and I am just now waiting for each of their replies so we can work on getting the video back up.

The cat is still available in the original .gif format at his site. Link -via The Daily What

Mr Whaite made this animated image of Stanley Kubrick and his films patterned after a Rubik's cube.

Kubrick’s films are meticulously pieced together like intricate puzzles, so this seems like an appropriate way to portray the great director - hidden within his own work. Also, Kubrick rhymes with Rubik and I’m a sucker for wordplay.

Also available as a print for film lovers. http://mrwhaite.tumblr.com/post/6900170853/rubikkubrick -via Buzzfeed

Does this remind you of a certain Imperial Walker from the movie The Empire Strikes Back? In 1962, General Electric conceived the Cybernetic Anthropmorophous Machine (CAM), which became known as the Walking Truck.

The Army liked what GE had been testing and awarded a contract for building the experimental vehicle in 1966, a year after America began sending troops to Vietnam. But the same super-sensitive, hand-and-foot-controlled hydraulics that enabled the CAM to casually push aside a jeep, or gently paw a GE light bulb without breaking it, also made it impractical for prolonged battlefield use. Operators found the constant manipulation of the controls very fatiguing, leading the project to be mothballed.

In additional to the fictional AT-AT, this reminds us of BigDog from Boston Dynamics. See more pictures of the CAM at GE Reports. http://www.gereports.com/where-jules-verne-meets-star-wars-ges-walking-truck-of-the-1960s