STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

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THE DROP – OFFICIAL INTERNATIONAL TRAILER

The first trailer for The Drop which came out a few months back made us damn excited for the coming film starring Tom Hardy and the late James Gandolfini. This latest trailer is even better.

MIKA: They wouldn't mess with Tom Hardy if he put on his Bane alter-ego

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The Mysterious and Deadly Island of Snakes

Many people have an aversion to snakes. It is a common fear that seems to be lodged in some primordial part of our minds. This fear, although it can often be overpowering, is not always totally justified. Yet, in the case of one unusual island off the coast of Brazil, there is every reason to be terrified of serpents, as it is covered by the largest concentration of poisonous snakes known to man.

Ilha de Queimada Grande is an isolated, 110 acre tropical island that lies in the South Atlantic roughly 20 miles off of the coast of Brazil. Other than its quaint beauty, the tiny, uninhabited island seems otherwise fairly innocuous and average from a distance, until one goes ashore and sees that the island is known by its other namesake “Snake Island” for a reason. For slithering through the thick vegetation, lurking in the underbrush, and even hanging from the trees, are thousands upon thousands of deadly snakes.

Ilha de Queimada Grande

The snakes on the island are of the species Bothrops insularis, known by its common name, the golden lancehead viper. The golden lancehead viper is a species endemic to Ilha de Queimada Grande, meaning it is unique to this one island, and found nowhere else in the world. The snakes typically reach lengths of around 28 inches to 46 inches in length, and are best known for the gruesome effect of their potent, hemotoxic venom, which causes flesh around the bite to actually melt in order to partially digest prey before it is swallowed.

The truly startling thing about Snake Island is not simply that venomous snakes are found there, but rather just how many of them there are. Estimates for the density of these venomous snakes on the island vary from a conservative 1 to a horrifying and perhaps exaggerated 5 snakes per square meter. The most common figure given by researchers is around 3 snakes per square meter. It is said that when stepping foot on the island you are never more than 3 feet away from a venomous viper. Since understandably very few scientific expeditions have done a thorough exploration of the island, the exact number is unknown, but it is widely considered to be more snakes per square meter than anywhere else on Earth.

The golden lancehead viper

The presence of so many snakes on the island has led to many both alleged and actual incidents over the years. Developers once attempted to make a banana plantation on the island, and slash-and-burn land clearing actually commenced before the island’s deadly inhabitants forced them to abandon the plan. Indeed, it is this account which gives the island its name, as Ilha de Queimada Grande roughly translates to “The island of the big, land-clearing fire.”

Other spooky accounts of encounters with the snakes are less verified and almost have the feel of local legend or something out of a horror movie. It is said that one fisherman drifted onto the island and went ashore to pick some bananas, whereupon he was set upon by the island’s snakes. Although the man managed to make it back to his boat, it is alleged that he was found dead in his boat, lying in a pool of blood, his body a mass of melted flesh due to the dissolving effects of so many hemotoxic bites.

Yet another story tells of a lighthouse keeper who took up residence at the lighthouse on the island with his family. It is said that one night snakes began pouring into their home, squirming their way through the windows and cracks under doors. The terrified family attempted to flee, and upon making their way outside they were faced by still more of the deadly vipers, which remorselessly continued the attack, some even hanging from the trees to strike at the hapless victims as they tried desperately to escape. They never made it. According to the account, the partially dissolved bodies of the family were found strewn haphazardly about the island by the Brazilian navy.

The lighthouse on Ilha de Queimada Grande.

The large number of snakes on the island have a ready food supply in the thousands of migratory birds that flock there to rest en route to their destinations, as well as each other, as golden lanceheads are known to be cannibalistic in nature. Even though there seems to be enough food for them, it is still a mystery as to why such an unusual number of the deadly snakes are packed so densely into such a small area. Various theories have been proposed, yet no one really knows for sure why there are so many of them in such high concentrations.

Currently the island is totally uninhabited and is off limits to visitors except the occasional special permission granted to scientists. This is not only to protect unsuspecting people visiting the island but to help preserve the population of snakes as well. It may seem surprising, but in recent years, there has been concern over the future of this unique species of snake. Despite the vast number of snakes present on the island, they are still at risk from a wide range of factors such as inbreeding and the devastating effects of wildfires in such a small area. In addition, Rogerio Zacariotti, a researcher with the Cruzeiro Do Sul University in Brazil, has made several expeditions to the island and has stated that he is certain that poachers are stealing the unique species for sale on the black market.

As horrifying as the island may be for some, it seems unfortunate that despite their unpleasant and vicious reputation there is a danger that this unique species of snake might disappear before we ever truly understand them or the mystery of their tropical island lair.

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The Scientific Method To Make Foolproof Eggs Benedict

The chef of the Wardolf Hotel created the Eggs Benedict in 1894 when a custumer asked for buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon and a hooker of hollandaise to cure his hangover. But everyone knows that cooking them at home is a real nightmare, well, it was. This is how to do them according to science.

How to poach the eggs

How to make one-minute Hollandaise sauce

Putting everything together

Once the eggs and hollandaise are done, you’re pretty much home free. All that’s left is to fry up some slices of Canadian bacon or ham steak (I find that frying gently in butter produces the crispest edgiest and best browning for the tastiest results), then toast a couple of split English muffins, and you’re ready to assemble the unrivalled King of Brunch.

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KILLER CLOWN PRANK PART 2

Ahh… Italy. Amazing Food. World-renowned culture. And homicidal clowns bashing people’s heads in with giant hammers. Mamma mia!

Apparently the fear of clowns is a universal one, as proved by the latest video from Italian pranksters Diego and Matteo of DM Pranks Productions. The new clips show unsuspecting (supposedly) passersby stumbling onto horrifying scenes. There’s a clown digging a grave by candlelight, and a music box that draws the mark in, before they turn around to see the clown taking a massive mallet to the “head” of a past “victim.” In each scene, the clown then starts chasing after the prankee, and that’s when we realize this prank works best in countries where people don’t pack their assault rifles for their trips to Target.

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Crazy Pilot Scoops Objects Off The Ground With His Aeroplane's Wing Tip

Watch Cesar Falistocco of the Escuadrilla Argentina aerial acrobatic team prove he is an ace with this display of control — he swoops in low and picks up a pair of flags lying flat on the ground with just a wing tip. Incredible flying.

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Scientist Discover New Material That Makes Objects Invisible To Touch

You’re looking at a new awesome nano-material invented that does the seemingly impossible: It hides things from touch. Just a thin layer of this amazing polymer will hide anything under it from being perceived by your sense of touch. In this photo you can see how it “absorbs” a metal cylinder.

How is this magic possible?

According to the the scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, this “crystalline material structured with sub-micrometer accuracy [...] consists of needle-shaped cones, whose tips meet.” It perfectly adapts and absorbs the shape of anything under it.

The metamaterial structure directs the forces of the touching finger such that the cylinder is hidden completely.

Not only your finger won’t be able to detect it, but a force feedback measurement instrument will fail too.According to Tiemo Bückmann, the lead scientists in the project, “it is like in Hans-Christian Andersen’s fairy tale about the princess and the pea. The princess feels the pea in spite of the mattresses. When using our new material, however, one mattress would be sufficient for the princess to sleep well.”

What does this mean in real life?

The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology claims that the material was developed for purely experimental purposes, “but might open up the door to interesting applications in a few years from now, as it allows for producing materials with freely selectable mechanical properties. Examples are very thin, light, and still comfortable camping mattresses or carpets hiding cables and pipelines below.”

I like that. Carpets that can perfectly hide cables is something I’d pay money for. And I’d love a camping blanket that perfectly absorbs any rock and twig on the ground, leaving a smooth surface to sleep on.

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This New Nanomaterial Can Withstand Forces 160,000 Times Its Weight

MIT engineers have taken inspiration from architecture to create a new material that combines high stiffness with low weight — by using a repeating geometric structure that’s airy, yet remarkably strong.

The new material design has been developed in a collaboration with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and uses microlattices with nanoscale features to combine “great stiffness and strength with ultralow density”. Essentially, it uses the same principles of lattice work that you find in structures like the

Eiffel Tower to provide strength with the minimum of extraneous material. The research is published in the journal Science.

Usually, stripping away material from a microstructure decreases stiffness and strength, but the researchers have mathematically determined how the geometric structure distributes and directs loads, so that they can trim material away at the nanoscale in places where it won’t be missed.

In fact, the new material, once designed, was then created using a high-precision 3D-printing process called projection micro stereolithography. A single element of its repeating structure is pictured above. In testing, its properties amazed the researchers:

“We found that for a material as light and sparse as aerogel, we see a mechanical stiffness that’s comparable to that of solid rubber, and 400 times stronger than a counterpart of similar density. Such samples can easily withstand a load of more than 160,000 times their own weight.”

In other words, it’s about 400 times stronger than most materials of the same density as it — which is insane. No surprise, then, that the researchers suggest it could be of use in space applications, where low weight is crucial, but not at the expense of strength and stiffness.

But it could be used elsewhere, too. The researchers suggest that it could be used to make portable batteries lighter, say, or any other structure that needs to offer high strength but at low weight. Regardless of where it’s used though, it’s an impressive feat of material design.

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New Ninja Turtles Trailer Shows Shredder In Action For The First Time

OK, these realistic teen turtles are way more badass than their cartoon forebears, as you can see in the second trailer for the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. You also see a little bit of the villainous Shredder in action for the first time.

I can’t wait for this movie, no matter how weird-looking Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo are this time around. The reboot of the franchise is out August 8.

MIKA: The only thing I'm unhappy about is that they have Whoopi Goldberg in it...

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A Fighter Jet's Flares Fire Off In A Shower Of Sparks

Image Of The Day: Documentary filmmaker Artur Sarkisyan captured this incredible shot of a formation of MiG-29 Fulcrums discharging flares as they streak over the 3624th Air Base Erebuni, Armenia.

According to reports from The Aviationist, these jets are just a few of the aerial reinforcements Russia’s parking at the airbase — one that’s located less than 20km from a very hostile Turkish border.

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What’s Up With That: Why So Many People Lose It Over the World Cup Ball’s Design

Every four years, people around the world get together to complain about a ball. Aside from which country’s name is the best to chant out loud (U. S. A.! U. S. A.!), the design of the official tournament soccer ball for the World Cup has become one of the biggest sources of contention during the quadrennial series.

Such disputes actually go back to the very first Mundial in 1930, when Argentina and Uruguay couldn’t agree on which soccer ball to use during their match. They eventually decided to split the difference and play the first half of the game with Argentina’s preferred ball and the second with Uruguay’s. But in recent years the arguments have gotten even louder, coming down to the way the ball behaves as it flies through the air. And that has everything to do with physics.

Say hello to the Magnus Effect, perhaps the most important physics concept in sports. In soccer, this effect is what allows players to bend the ball like Beckham. College physics students learn to calculate the trajectory of a projectile—like a cannonball flying over the Earth’s surface—by ignoring the effects of the atmosphere. But the Magnus Effect is payback for such simplification, because the direction of a ball’s spin will interact with the air to alter its arc.

1997 Roberto Carlos Free Kick vs. France

Though Isaac Newton first noted the effect while watching tennis players in Cambridge in 1672, it was the 19th century German chemist and physicist Heinrich Gustav Magnus who gave it a name. Magnus was observing the tendency of cannonballs to veer away from their expected flight path and deduced that it had to do with the way they were spinning.

Give a ball a topspin—making it spin in the same direction as it travels—and you will create a difference in the airflow above and below it. As the ball rotates, the air along its bottom edge gets shoved along quicker than it otherwise would. The air acts as a somewhat viscous, or sticky, substance. It travels along the ball’s surface and comes up the back, creating a stream with an upward force. Because every action has an equal and opposite reaction, the ball experiences a corresponding downward force.

The ball is traveling to the right in this picture.

A ball with topspin therefore curves down toward the ground faster than it would if gravity alone were acting on it. The opposite happens on a ball with backspin. The air traveling over the top and down the back generates a force in the upward direction, lofting the ball farther than it would otherwise go.

This Magnus Effect gets exploited in a wide variety of sports situations. A baseball pitcher throws a curveball by giving it a topspin or sidespin in the direction they want it to curve. When teeing off, a golfer hits their ball with a backspin to loft it a little longer and get closer to the green. A table tennis player can impart many different spins to try and outmaneuver their opponent, keeping them guessing about exactly where the ball will come down. Some engineers even tried inventing weird airplanes in the early 1900s with rotating cylinder wings that could fly slower than other designs while staying airborne.

So what does this have to do with the World Cup? Scientists who study the aerodynamics of soccer balls (which I’m sure makes for an awesome NSF grant application) have investigated how the Magnus Effect works on different designs. Since the 1970s, when Adidas began providing the ball for every match, soccer ball design has gotten quite high tech. The materials have moved from leather to synthetics while stitching and laces have given way to heat-sealed panels.

Fevernova

Adidas’ 2002 World Cup soccer ball, the Fevernova, was the subject of much wailing because advanced technology allowed it to be much lighter than the balls players were used to training with. The complaints grew even louder with the 2006 Teamgeist, which had fewer stiches to make it more aerodynamic. The kerfuffle reached a vuvuzela-like pitch with the 2010 Jabulani ball, made from thermally bonded three-dimensional panels.

Teamgeist Germany, 2006

The problem with all these new designs is that they make a soccer ball smoother and therefore change the way the Magnus Effect behaves. Remember how I said the stickiness of the air causes it to curve around the ball and stream up or down the other side? That requires the gas to cling to the ball’s surface. Looking very closely, we would see that a rough ball creates turbulent eddies in the air, and these follow along the surface much more easily.

Now imagine a very smooth ball with topspin. Along the lower edge, the air has trouble forming eddies along the ball’s surface, flying back behind it without being deflected. But the upper edge of the ball is slamming right up against the air, and this will create small bits of turbulent flow. The air then flows down the back of the ball, creating an upward force. The Magnus Effect for a smooth ball works in the opposite way as for a rough ball, which is why soccer players want a ball to have rough stitching and paneling to bend the way they expect.

In 2010, NASA even stepped in and performed tests on Adidas’ Jabulani. They found that the soccer ball’s surface was creating small asymmetric vortices along its surface, causing it to swoop and swerve unpredictably, like a knuckleball in baseball. For this year’s World Cup, Adidas produced the Brazuca, which they rigorously tested in every way they could think. The result? So far, the news has focused on the games and not the ball.

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KFC Suggests Story of Scarred Girl Booted From Store Was a Hoax

But KFC will still donate $30,000 towards the girl's medical bills

Kentucky Fried Chicken suggested Tuesday that a family claimingtheir little girl was asked to leave a restaurant because the scars on her face from a pit bull attack were disturbing other customers actually made the story up.

The bizarre story concerns three-year-old Victoria Wilcher, who was reportedly mauled by pitbulls belonging to her family, leaving heavy scarring on her face. Her family said last month that she was asked to leave a Jackson, Miss., KFC restaurant because her appearance disturbed other customers. That claim, initially floated on a “Victoria’s Victories” Facebook page that appeared to have been taken offline Tuesday, ignited outrage on social media, prompting an apology from KFC on June 15 and a promise to spend $30,000 on Wilcher’s medical bills.

But KFC said Tuesday that it no longer believes the incident actually took place.

“Like the rest of America, the KFC family has been moved by the story of Victoria’s injuries and recovery,” KFC spokesman Rick Maynard said. “After the alleged incident was reported to us, two investigations took place, including one by an independent investigator. Neither revealed any evidence that the incident occurred and we consider the investigation closed. We are honoring our commitment to make a $30,000 donation to assist with Victoria’s medical bills. We hope everyone keeps Victoria in their thoughts and prayers. She will certainly be in ours.”

A lawyer for Victoria’s grandmother, who made the initial claim, could not immediately be reached Tuesday. “I promise it’s not a hoax, I never thought any of this would blow up the way it has,” multiple news reports cited Victoria’s aunt as writing on the GoFundMe page where her family was raising money. Those comments preceded KFC’s statement and the page was also offline late Tuesday.

When reports that Victoria was asked to leave the restaurant ignited a firestorm of criticism on social media, KFC moved quickly to tamp the outrage.

“As soon as we were notified of this report on Friday, we immediately began an investigation, as this kind of hurtful and disrespectful action would not be tolerated by KFC,” the company said at the time. “Regardless of the outcome of our investigation, we have apologized to Victoria’s family and are committed to assisting them. The company is making a $30,000 donation to assist with her medical bills. The entire KFC family is behind Victoria.”

The Mississippi-based Laurel Leader-Call newspaper, citing unnamed sources familiar with the investigation, first reported the possibility of a hoax on Tuesday. The family has raised more than $135,000 in the wake of the initial claim, according to numerous reports.

“Please do not believe untrue media,” Victoria’s aunt Rials Bates wrote on the GoFundMe page that was no longer online Tuesday, ABC reports. “I have personally watched this family go without to provide for Victoria. They have not and would not do anything to hurt Victoria in any way.”

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Luis Suarez 'bite': Uruguay striker in World Cup controversy

Uruguay's Luis Suarez has been accused of biting a player for the third time in his career after an incident with Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.

The Liverpool striker lunged at Italy defender Chiellini shortly before Diego Godin scored to give Uruguay a 2-1 win.

Chiellini pulled his shirt down to show the referee a mark on his shoulder but no action was taken by the official.

The maximum ban Suarez could face if governing body Fifa takes retrospective action is 24 matches or two years.

Chiellini pulled down his shirt to display what appear to be bite marks on his shoulder

Godin's winner means four-time champions Italy finish third in Group D at the 2014 Fifa World Cup and exit before the knockout stages for the second finals in a row.

"Suarez is a sneak," said Chiellini. "I'd love to see if Fifa has the courage to use video evidence against him.

"The referee saw the bite mark too, but he did nothing about it."

Suarez, who committed a handball on the line to stop Ghana from scoring at the 2010 World Cup, told Uruguayan television: "These are just things that happen out on the pitch. It was just the two of us inside the area and he bumped into me with his shoulder.

"There are things that happen on the pitch and you should not make such a big deal out of them."

After the clash between the players Suarez went to ground holding his mouth, apparently suggesting he had been elbowed.

As Chiellini, 29, ran after referee Marco Rodriguez, Uruguay forward Gaston Ramirez attempted to get the Juventus defender to cover his shoulder.

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez declined to comment before seeing the video images

Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce said Suarez has 'left himself open to severe criticism'

Italy manager Cesare Prandelli said he saw clear bite marks on Chiellini's shoulder

Fifa will wait to receive the referee's report before deciding whether to investigate, with a spokeswoman telling BBC Sport: "We will gather all the necessary elements in order to evaluate the matter."

The disciplinary committee of world football's governing body has the authority to "sanction serious infringements which have escaped the match officials' attention".

The longest ban in World Cup history is eight games for Italy's Mauro Tassotti for breaking Spain's Luis Enrique's nose in 1994 with an elbow, while Zinedine Zidane was given a three-match ban for headbutting Marco Materazzi in the 2006 final.

Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce said: "There is no doubt Luis Suarez is a fantastic footballer but, once again, his actions have left him open to severe criticism.

"Fifa must investigate the incident seriously and take whatever disciplinary action is deemed necessary."

Michel D'Hooghe, a senior member of Fifa's ruling executive committee and the chairman of the world governing body's medical commission, said Suarez should face a disciplinary commission hearing.

"I think that biting is not compatible with normal football practice," he told BBC Sport.

"This is really a serious case for our disciplinary commission."

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez tried to play down the incident and said there was a vendetta from certain parts of the media towards Suarez.

"I'd like to see the images first before making any comment. If it happened, then the referee probably didn't see it," said Tabarez.

"Despite mistakes Suarez has made, he is the target of certain media, a certain press."

Uruguay captain Diego Lugano also defended Suarez, whose two goals in the tournament so far came in the victory over England, and criticised the actions of Chiellini.

"What did you see? You saw this, really? You need to show me because I didn't see anything," said Lugano.

"Did you see it today or did you see what happened in other years? You couldn't have seen it today because nothing happened.

"The worst of everything is the attitude of Chiellini."

Italy manager Cesare Prandelli, who announced his resignation after Italy's exit, said: "I didn't see the images of Suarez but I did see the bite marks in Chiellini's shoulder."

Liverpool's Suarez was banned for 10 games for biting Branislav Ivanovic in a Premier League match in April 2013.

He was also banned for seven games for biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal's shoulder while Ajax captain in 2010.

The forward courted controversy at the World Cup four years ago when he used his hand to block Dominic Adiyiah's goal-bound shot in the 120th minute.

Suarez was sent off, while Ghana missed the subsequent penalty and went on to lose the quarter-final in a penalty shootout.

BBC Sport pundit and former England international Alan Shearer believes Suarez should be severely punished for the Chiellini incident if found guilty.

"I could not believe it," he said. "The pictures are pretty damning and, if found guilty, they should hammer him.

"He has built up his reputation over the last 12 months and to come into the tournament and do that, I am lost for words.

"I can understand why the referee did not see it clearly but they can look at video evidence and there is no way he can get away with that. It is pretty clear.

"What on earth is he thinking of?"

Former England international Chris Waddle said Suarez needs to be "severely punished".

"Let's see how strong Fifa are," he added. "There will be people who will defend him, but I don't know why. I'd make him wear a gumshield."

MIKA: Someone should muzzle that guy!

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Salamanders Give an Arm and a Leg to Help Humans Without One

While mechanical science has done wonders creating artificial limbs, medical science is far behind the animal world in figuring out how to regenerate a limb like salamanders do. Now these lizard-like amphibians may have finally shared their secret.

Salamanders are famous for their ability to lose a body part and replace it within days, including legs, tails, hearts, eyes, spinal cords and brain tissue. This remarkable regeneration ability does not diminish with age and the replacement part looks exactly the same as the one lost. How is this possible?

The progression of a limb regeneration.

According to a study published in Stem Cell Reports this week, Dr. Max Yun at theUniversity College London Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology and a team of researchers used red-spotted newts (Notophthalmus viridescens) to study the ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinases) pathway – a chain of proteins inside a cell that carries signals from the surface to the DNA in the nucleus. In salamanders, this pathway is constantly active in and around the area where a body part is cut off, sending reprogramming information to the nucleus to form new cells which grow into the new body part. According to Yun, it could work the same in humans:

Say you lose most of your arm; you need to generate enough cells to create a new arm. The way [these proteins] do it is to reprogram the adult cells that remain in the stump, and those adult cells proliferate to make more of themselves and differentiate to make new tissues.

Unfortunately, human and mammal cells can only briefly activate the ERK pathway. Yun’s team was able to stimulate the pathway in human cells for up to two hours, far short of the time needed to create a new limb. However, the knowledge of the ERK pathway will help future scientists unlock the process, according to Yun.

We’d have to find ways of activating the ERK pathway in the adult tissues in humans, in this case to regrow an arm. There are probably other things that we have to manipulate for the process to go well, but this is quite an important part of it.

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WIDER 42 TRANSFORMER YACHT

Yacht builders are constantly having to innovate in order to meet the demands of their clients. Typically this involves building a bigger boat, but Wider Yachts decided to think outside of the box designing a yacht that can actually expand and contract – because let’s face it, you don’t always need that extra space.

The Wider 42 is packed with matching 370 horsepower engines helping the boat reach speeds of up to 44 knots, but it’s in the construction design where the real magic lies. The lounge area of the boat can be expanded to 18 square meters within a matter of seconds (literally 12 seconds) offering up more party room for you and your guests. The boat measures in at 12 meters in length, but doesn’t skimp on the luxury amenities, equipped with a living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. There’s even a jetski parked in its own stall at the rear, perfect for hitting the local beaches.

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SEALANDER | AMPHIBIOUS CAMPER

Sealander takes camping to a whole new level, your camping adventure won´t end at the shore anymore... The innovative and mobile accommodation lets you travel on land and on water, it can be used as a customary caravan, or you can use its amphibian characteristics to travel on water! Inside it offers a table and seating for six people that can be transformed into a large bed. The fully-equipped interior includes cooking/washing module, cooler, heater, toilet and sound system. Cool! escape daily grind on your very own "island” through your chosen waters without requiring any special license.

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PLAYBULB

PlayBulb is a light bulb and a Bluetooth speaker in one. Simply screw the wireless speaker light bulb into any common lamp socket, and remotely control it via the included app. You can adjust the light brightness and operation, plus stream music from any Bluetooth enabled device. You can even set PlayBulb to turn on/off and wake you up by playing your favorite music.

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VICTORINOX MAVERICK SPORT COLLECTION

Victorinox has added eight new references to the Maverick Sport Collection four three-handed watches and four chronograph models. All models feature 43 mm diameter stainless steel cases and are available in four different material and color combinations. Each watch comes with either a NATO strap or a metal bracelet. Available this Fall/Winter 2014.

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NASA Detects Mysterious Signal 240 Million Light-Years Away From Earth

Astronomers have detected a mysterious signal 240 million light-years away from Earth, in the Perseus Cluster (top), one of the most massive objects in the Universe. The unidentified signal is a “spike of intensity at a very specific wavelength of X-ray light.” Scientists don’t know yet what is the origin.

One of their theories is really interesting: It may be “produced by the decay of sterile neutrinos, a type of particle that has been proposed as a candidate for dark matter.” According to Esra Bulbul, at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts:

We know that the dark matter explanation is a long shot, but the pay-off would be huge if we’re right. So we’re going to keep testing this interpretation and see where it takes us.

They are now working in finding confirmation of this interpretation, which would be a major breakthrough as nobody has been able to directly detect dark matter yet, even while astronomers estimate that dark matter constitutes 85 per cent of all matter in the Universe. Some scientists are even suggesting that the origin may not be sterile neutrinos. Instead, they say, “different types of candidate dark matter particles, such as the axion, may have been detected.”

Listening to the music notes of the Perseus Cluster

A team lead by Bulbul went through 17 days worth of observations of the Perseus Cluster taken over ten years with NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA’s XMM-Newton.

This cluster is a titan of the skies, one of the most massive known objects in the Universe. It houses “thousands of galaxies immersed in a vast cloud of multimillion degree gas.” It’s not the first time that scientists have detected cool stuff here. Back in 2003, researchers “listened” to “one of the deepest notes ever detected,” one that has an oscillation period of 9.6 million years .That’s “57 octaves below the keys in the middle of a piano.”

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What Gives Paper/Plastic Money Its Actual Value?

Money is just tinted paper printed with different numbers on it. So what gives the ol’ greenbacks its value? The bills used to be tied to the gold standard, but now it’s up to the Federal Reserve to control how many bills there are. So why can’t they just decide to print out ridiculous amounts of bills to make everyone rich?

Ted-Ed explains how the total number of currency in circulation can’t increase too much faster than the total value in goods and services in the economy because each bill will only buy a smaller amount of things they could before (inflation). But the opposite of inflation is bad too! And the video below explains why.

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Why Has Curiosity Slowed Down Its Course During Its First Mars Year?

The Mars Curiosity Rover has completed its first Mars year in the Red Planet — 687 Earth days exploring and drilling on its way to its first destination — Murray Buttes. Overall, it’s been a Mars year full of successes, even if we haven’t found proof of life in Mars yet. But the rover has slowed down significantly. Why?

Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are worried about wheel damage, which has been worse than expected. According to NASA, the damage has “prompted a slow-down in driving late in 2013, the mission team has adjusted routes and driving methods to reduce the rate of damage.”

Here’s the complete map of its progress through the surface of the Red Planet.

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Watch The Moto 360 Smart Watch In Action

Can’t be at Google I/O? That’s cool. Motorola put together a nifty little hands-on demo for you to gawk at.

Arguably the most compelling thing about the Moto 360 is that is’s circular, rather than square. All of the smart watches we’ve seen on the market so far have had square faces, which might be a reason nobody really understood them until now.

Everything on the Moto 360 works either with a swipe up or down or with your voice to ask something of Google. You can answer calls, read notifications and check cards from Google Now on the face of the watch.

Unfortunately, the Moto 360 isn’t available for pre-order just yet. It’s coming around September from what we’ve heard.

[MIKA27]

How This Couple Ended Up With The Most Dramatic Wedding Pictures Ever

Photographer Josh Newton captured these dramatic wedding photos earlier this month in Oregon — after a small fire in the vicinity grew out of control and the fire brigade arrived to evacuate all the guests halfway through the ceremony. He told us how everything happened.

No one was in any real danger – the fire was 6 miles away. Right before the bride walked down the aisle in the middle of the ceremony, the firefighters came and told us we had to be evacuated now. The dad had to come down to all the guests and announce that we had to leave now and couldn’t do the ceremony, but the coordinator talked to fireman into letting them get married if we shortened it all. But man it was so nerve-racking! Everyone was on the edge of their seats.

I actually did shoot the photos that we had planned originally, first, before we left and got the wildfire photos along the road. I wanted them to be happy with their photos even though all the craziness was going on… I honestly took them thinking, I hope the couple doesn’t dislike them or me for taking them, as its a pretty big reminder they had to move their whole reception!

As I was taking the photos that you’ve seen, thats when I realised that what we were doing was pretty sweet. I still didn’t know if they were going to like them, but I showed my couple the back of the camera and they were stoked. So that made me happy and excited to post them!

The bride and groom were totally game – they had the best attitudes throughout the entire thing, which is probably the main reason why I was able to get such incredible photos with them being so in love.

I doubt I’ll ever be able to top the dramatic aspect of the photos, as it was a chance of a lifetime. However, I do hope I can continue to get incredible photos for all my clients in the future! I’ve gotten a number of wedding inquires from it, so hopefully they aren’t expecting a wildfire.. I did get an inquiry for a wedding in Kenya however – maybe they will be up for getting some awesome photos in a national park though!

Josh readily admits that perhaps these are most dramatic wedding pictures he may ever take. I would say that they are pretty much the most dramatic wedding pictures ever — other than taking wedding photos in the middle of a volcano eruption or as a zombie apocalypse rages on, there are not many situations that would end in this kind of fiery infernal backdrop.

[MIKA27]

Google Cardboard Turns Your Android Into A DIY Virtual Reality Headset

Want a virtual reality headset, but can’t afford the hefty price tag on most existing models (or to hold out for the future)? Google dropped an inexpensive solution today following its I/O keynote: Google Cardboard, an app that lets Android users transform their phones into VR headsets with the help of a DIY cardboard viewer.

It’s not exactly the Oculus Rift, but who cares what the outside looks like if the virtual reality experience is any good? The Cardboard app lets users watch YouTube, virtually carouse on Google Street View or virtually scale the Himalayas with Google Earth, among other immersive demos. But first you have to put your cardboard viewer together. Google provided directions to put together the viewer, which is made from cardboard, Velcro, magnets and lenses (NFC tag optional).

If you’re curious, the app is available in the Google Play store, and cardboard is available at your local hardware store, and probably some local recycling bins. Google recommends using corrugated cardboard, so your headset will probably look wonky if you try to use something you actually found in the garbage.

[Habana Mike]

How This Couple Ended Up With The Most Dramatic Wedding Pictures Ever

Photographer Josh Newton captured these dramatic wedding photos earlier this month in Oregon — after a small fire in the vicinity grew out of control and the fire brigade arrived to evacuate all the guests halfway through the ceremony. He told us how everything happened.

No one was in any real danger – the fire was 6 miles away. Right before the bride walked down the aisle in the middle of the ceremony, the firefighters came and told us we had to be evacuated now. The dad had to come down to all the guests and announce that we had to leave now and couldn’t do the ceremony, but the coordinator talked to fireman into letting them get married if we shortened it all. But man it was so nerve-racking! Everyone was on the edge of their seats.

I actually did shoot the photos that we had planned originally, first, before we left and got the wildfire photos along the road. I wanted them to be happy with their photos even though all the craziness was going on… I honestly took them thinking, I hope the couple doesn’t dislike them or me for taking them, as its a pretty big reminder they had to move their whole reception!

As I was taking the photos that you’ve seen, thats when I realised that what we were doing was pretty sweet. I still didn’t know if they were going to like them, but I showed my couple the back of the camera and they were stoked. So that made me happy and excited to post them!

The bride and groom were totally game – they had the best attitudes throughout the entire thing, which is probably the main reason why I was able to get such incredible photos with them being so in love.

I doubt I’ll ever be able to top the dramatic aspect of the photos, as it was a chance of a lifetime. However, I do hope I can continue to get incredible photos for all my clients in the future! I’ve gotten a number of wedding inquires from it, so hopefully they aren’t expecting a wildfire.. I did get an inquiry for a wedding in Kenya however – maybe they will be up for getting some awesome photos in a national park though!

Josh readily admits that perhaps these are most dramatic wedding pictures he may ever take. I would say that they are pretty much the most dramatic wedding pictures ever — other than taking wedding photos in the middle of a volcano eruption or as a zombie apocalypse rages on, there are not many situations that would end in this kind of fiery infernal backdrop.

Looks like a Hell of a ceremony!

Faust himself couldn't have done better

[MIKA27]

This Is How NASA Could Have Rescued Astronauts Stranded In Space

The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, which killed all seven astronauts on board, effectively ended the US Shuttle Program. Now, a former engineer is proposing a radical (albeit hypothetical) solution to rescuing stranded astronauts that was inspired by the disaster.

The plan proposed by David Baker is no less ambitious than the one that brought Apollo 13′s crew safely back to Earth. Conceived originally by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board and further developed as part of his research for an upcoming lecture at the British Interplanetary Society, the rescue plan would essentially involve launching and docking a second shuttle, the Atlantis, with the disabled first — something never before attempted. However, for the plan to have worked during the Columbia crisis, mission control would have needed to know exactly how bad the damage was from the start.

As the BBC explains, the hypothetical rescue would go something like this:

On day two of the STS-107 mission, the Columbia astronauts are alerted to the danger. Systems are powered down, exercise is restricted to reduce the production of carbon dioxide and food is rationed. Meanwhile, with the world’s media looking on, Atlantis is rushed towards launch. With just hours to spare, and with carbon dioxide levels on Columbia rising to dangerous levels, the second shuttle blasts into orbit with four crew on board.

Once the spacecraft reaches the stricken craft, the Atlantis pilot positions his shuttle above and at right angles to Columbia to avoid the tails hitting each other. “You need to keep about 20ft feet (6m) away for two days,” says Baker. “Two crew members on board each shuttle would do that.” This would have involved exceptional piloting skills. With each spacecraft spinning around the Earth at seven kilometres per second, a small lapse in concentration could have resulted in catastrophe.

Meanwhile the other two Atlantis astronauts begin the first of many spacewalks, delivering lithium hydroxide canisters to the Columbia crew to bring down life-threatening carbon dioxide levels. They also deliver two spacesuits. Next, the Atlantis astronauts position an extendable pole between the two Shuttles. This will be used to guide the Columbia crew across the handful of metres between the two spaceplanes.

With everything in place, two at a time, Columbia astronauts are helped out of the airlock, across the gap and into the Atlantis airlock. “They would have then had to take their suits off and repeat the process again to husband out the next two,” Baker explains.

Forty-eight hours later — after all, space suits take nearly an hour to get on and off — when the last crew member is safely aboard the Atlantis, mission control would take over guidance of the Columbia and chuck it into the atmosphere to burn up. The 11 astronauts now aboard the Atlantis would then have their own wild ride to endure during the unprecedented rescue return.