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A short and sad animation by Ilias Sounas. One of the linked animations from the collection entitled 25 Brilliant Animated Short Movies. Link -via the Presurfer

WR 104 is a binary star 8,000 light years from Earth. Both stars are on the brink of exploding, possibly into gamma-ray bursts, which can send a narrow beam of destructive gamma rays to far away planets. Since the pole of the spiral disc formed by the two stars seems to point at us, there has been some speculation that earth would be in the path of such a beam. Phil Plait at Bad Astronomy Blog explains the phenomenon and why we shouldn’t worry about it. Link

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If Star Wars was filmed two decades earlier and Saul Bass did the opening title sequence, it might look like this...

This was a school project. The song is "Machine" by the Buddy Rich Band off the album Big Swing Face (1967).

Saul Bass designed title sequences for 60s movies Anatomy of a Murder, Exodus, and It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World, among others. -via Cynical-C

National Geographic currently has a movie playing in IMAX theaters called Sea Monsters, A Prehistoric Adventure. In conjunction, they have the Sea Monsters Interactive Timeline online. Click on a time period, then on different areas of the world map to see prehistoric sea monsters, some with 3D views. Link -via the Presurfer

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Be careful what drink you select at the Kunstbar! It means "Art Bar" in English. This surreal animated short was produced by The Petrie Lounge. -via Ursi’s Blog

Throughout history, astronomers have observed heavenly bodies or some evidence of them that later “vanished”. Or did they? Hypothetical planets include:

* Vulcan, the intra-Mercurial planet
* Mercury's Moon
* Neith, the Moon of Venus
* The Earth's Second Moon
* The Moons of Mars
* The 14th Moon of Jupiter
* Saturn's Ninth and Tenth Moons
* Six Moons of Uranus
* Planet X
* Nemesis, the Sun's companion star
* References

Each has a story. Link -via Dark Roasted Blend

(image credit: NASA)

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The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain cannot agree on what song to perform. But it doesn’t really matter, as long as the songs all have the the same basic structure. -via Metafilter

Previously: Smells Like Teen Spirit

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I had never seen a Sand Cat {wiki} until today. From the Metacafe entry:

The Sand Cat is indeed the cutest cat in the world. The Sand Cat (Felis margarita) lives in the deserts from north Africa and throughout Asia. Sand Cats are about the size of a small house cat. They are lised as a near threatened species, but experts feel numbers (like most wild felines) are declining. By protecting wildlife habitat we can save great animals like this cute little cat. Thanks. *this sand cat is named Canyon and he lives at Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Fl. Poceeds from these videos help go towards various animal conservation efforts.

-via Un monde nouveau s'offre à moi

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This adorable mountain-dwelling relative of the rabbit is a pika {wiki -and I love how Wikipedia warns not to confuse pika with Pikachu}. Sir David Attenborough narrates a clip about how pikas prepare for winter. -via reddit

We’ve seen ice trays that produce ice in all kinds of shapes. Here’s a set that makes ice in the shape of letters. But that’s not all- they are also baking pans! Made from silicone, they are oven safe and dishwasher safe, and they fold up for storage. With Letter Ice, your birthday cupcakes can spell out “happy birthday”! Link -via Dump Trumpet

A gene that blocks the HIV virus and the onset of AIDS has been discovered by a research group at the University of Alberta.

Stephen Barr, a molecular virologist in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, says his team has identified a gene called TRIM22 that can block HIV infection in a cell culture by preventing the assembly of the virus.

"When we put this gene in cells, it prevents the assembly of the HIV virus," said Barr, a postdoctoral fellow. "This means the virus cannot get out of the cells to infect other cells, thereby blocking the spread of the virus."

The next step is to find out why this gene doesn’t work in people who have HIV, and investigate possible ways to activate it. Link

Melbell makes and sells hair barrettes in the shape of thought bubbles! There are lots of thoughts available, both geeky and non-geeky, or you can get your thoughts custom made. Link -via Everlasting Blort

The first subway in America was not a train, but a pneumatic people mover! Opening for business in 1870, the subway worked on the same principle as the pneumatic tubes we use at a drive-through bank. Giant fans at either end provided pressure to blow a carriage through Manhattan.

For a fare of two bits per passenger– all of which was donated to a charity for soldiers' orphans– twenty guests at a time could take a ride on the pneumatic carriage. The custom-built, fifty-ton blower was situated in an adjacent chamber, separated from the waiting area by a long corridor. The Æolor blower was twenty-one feet high, sixteen feet long, and thirteen feet wide, and it contained two colossal lengthwise paddles which rotated to draw air in one side and out the other. The magnificent blower was outfitted with a special set of adjustable baffles which allowed her to switch from suck to blow without reversing rotation. By tapping a telegraph wire, the conductor signaled the boiler engineer to engage the 100 horsepower steam engine. Atmospheric pressure increased by "a few grains per inch," pressing the carriage into the tunnel as the air rushed to escape through the vent at the far end.

Financial problems led to the closing of the carrier in the 1870s. The tunnel was sealed until 1912, when it was reopened for the installation of an electric subway line. Link

The Consumerist reports that a customer who requested Comcast cable to stop sending direct mailers found a $1.99 “change of service” fee on his bill.

I had in fact called Comcast a few weeks earlier and asked them to stop sending me anything except a monthly bill. They were happy to do so, but had not told me that they would try and stick me for $2.

Fortunately, he was able to get this charge removed via an online chat with customer service. But how many people would never notice the extra fee? Link - via J-Walk Blog

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Maybe they just didn’t have enough cable. Or an axe. Or sense. -via Arbroath