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

[MIKA27]

MOUNTAIN COTTAGE IN OGAWAYAMA, JAPAN

Contending for the title of the “greatest mountain hideaway,” the Mountain Cottage in Ogawayama, Japan is one of the most amazing retreats we’ve ever featured.

Nested between Yamanashi and Nagano, surrounded by nothing but massive trees and rolling hilltops, this area is one of the most popular climbing spots in all of Japan. And even if you’re not into climbing, there’s no better way to unwind than going off the grid, and connecting with nature. The little cabin in the woods was designed by Setsumasa Kobayashi (outdoor clothing and gear designer) as the perfect hideaway to put his outdoor gear to the test. The space includes a fully covered cabin to shelter yourself from the elements while a geometric rooftop dome lets you literally sleep under the stars. Across the deck, there’s even an indoor/outdoor bathtub, and a private fire pit just down the hillside.

[MIKA27]

‘Hail, Caesar!’ – Official Trailer

While you can’t always guess the quality of a movie based on those involved, it’s hard not to get excited for Hail, Caesar!, the latest movie from the Coen brothers. For starters, there are the aforementioned Coen bros, who rarely disappoint, especially when it comes to artsy comedies. Then there’s the cast, which reads like an award nominee category—Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton. The story focuses on a Hollywood fixer in the 50s working tirelessly to keep the big names in line.

[MIKA27]

CAFFLANO

Coffee lovers rejoice! The award winning Cafflano, is the world´s first all-in-one portable coffee maker that comes with a built-in grinder! As all coffee fans know, the best way to enjoy great coffee is to grind freshly roasted coffee, Cafflano includes all necessary hardwares for a great cup of joe, a grinder, drip kettle, filter, dripper and tumbler, all packed into a single unit! Perfect for life on the go.

[MIKA27]

RUSSELL'S RESERVE 1998 BOURBON

If Wild Turkey Master Distiller Jimmy Russell ever does retire, it'll be tough to top the tribute that fills the bottles of Russell's Reserve 1998 Bourbon. His son, and fellow Master Distiller Eddie Russell set this bourbon aside back in 1998 with his father in mind, and while Jimmy has yet to stop working after 61 years at the helm, the bourbon is ready for consumption right now. It aged gracefully in the Wild Turkey timber rickhouses and was bottled at 102.2 proof when Eddie deemed it ready. But only 23 barrels, or a little over 2,000 bottles will ever see the light of day, making this a turkey worth hunting.

[MIKA27]

How Dutch Investigators Used Science To Reconstruct MH17's Last Moments

The Dutch Safety Board has issued its final report into the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. The cause of the crash has been identified as a BUK surface-to-air missile fired from the Ukraine. The forensic study of the wreckage took months, and saw investigators literally piece together a plane that had been peppered with missile fragmentation to determine exactly what happened in those final moments.

On 17 July, 2014, MH17 dropped out of radar contact over Ukraine. Authorities quickly determined that the plane had been shot down by a missile fired by rebel forces, but couldn’t accurately determine the timeline of the incident and how the plane came down following the explosion.

The Dutch Safety Board was brought on to spearhead the investigation, along with representatives from several other international bodies, including the Australian Federal Police.

Investigators initially struggled to retrieve the wreckage of MH17 for study, due to its location inside an armed conflict zone in the Ukraine.

In late-Autumn and early-Spring, the investigators were able to retrieve the wreckage over three separate recovery missions, where it was then taken by train back to the Netherlands for study. Once it arrived, the wreckage fragments were tagged and photographed in front of a green screen so it could be digitally reconstructed by investigators.

Once the investigators determined that a missile had in fact been the cause of the crash, they issued a preliminary report, before working to determine the exact series of events. That’s where the hardcore forensics came in.

The first job was figuring out what the missile did to the plane at 33,000 feet, and where it went off. Investigators knew what time the flight went off radar, and knew where the explosion took place, but they didn’t know what the missile exactly did to the plane once it exploded, nor did they know where or how the missile had detonated around the plane.

After the black box flight recorders had been flown to Farnborough in the UK for analysis, investigators played all three tapes at exactly the same time to listen for the explosion. Four microphones in the cockpit all picked up the missile’s detonation outside the plane.

Using just the audio captured by those four microphones, investigators were able to analyse their waveforms down to the millisecond to determine which of them detected the explosion first. They then traced the sound of the shockwave back through the cabin to infer where around the plane the missile detonated.

That’s how investigators double-confirmed (along with the peppered fuselage) that the BUK missile exploded above the cockpit’s left-hand side.

To aid visual interpretation, the photographs snapped when the wreckage came into the hangar were reconstructed against a digital 2D representation of the plane to piece together exactly what the fuselage looked like pre- and post-explosion.

In the same way police would reconstruct a crime scene, the then team built an exact replica of a Boeing 777 frame in its hangar, and worked hard to recreate the jet with the pieces they had recovered from the crash site.

The real-life reconstruction and subsequent 3D scan served to further validate the forensic team’s findings.

800 of the tiny bowtie- and block-shaped fragments perforated the cabin when the warhead exploded, shearing the cockpit from the rest of the plane, and killing the pilots instantly. The plane fell from 33,000 feet to the deck, disintegrating on the way down, killing all 298 on board.

Forensic digital reconstructions of the detonation along with data collected about the damage to the cabin found that the missile detonated less than a metre from the cockpit.

The job of the forensic investigators is finished, but the questions about exactly where the missile was fired from and who fired it remain unanswered. The Dutch Safety Board go to some length to explain that such political questions fall outside of their investigative remit.

You can watch the full video report below.

[MIKA27]

Amazing Video Turns Apollo Archive Photos To Life With Truly Stunning 3D Effects

This is just awesome. Stop reading and start watching the video below. Tom Kucy used 3D effects and motion to bring the recently released photos from NASA’s Apollo Archive to life. The photos that document the most amazing feats of human history now feel like they’re moving videos. It is so completely awe-inspiring.

[MIKA27]

These Sorrowful Holdouts Remain In A Favela Outside The Rio Olympic Park

Brazilian officials have less than a year to prepare Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Summer Olympics. We’ve already seen disturbing photos of the water sports site from the air and shore, but these images shows how dispossessed locals are living among the ruins of their former homes, right next to the future Olympic Park.

Vila Autodromo ‘favela’, a former fishing colony, lies directly adjacent to the Olympic Park that’s under construction for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Vila Autodromo was pretty much sentenced to death: most of its residents — circa 700 families — have been forced to move out, triggering clashes between police and residents in July. Since then their properties have been demolished, and they have received some compensation for their homes.

Evictions and demolitions continue in the area, but clashes break out from time to time since a few remaining families are resisting the controversial evictions, choosing instead to remain in their battered homes. Getty photographer Mario Tama’s latest images document the situation in the area — which was once considered one of the city’s safest locations.

[MIKA27]

X-ARCADE ‘SPACE RACE’ COCKTAIL ARCADE MACHINE

When we think of arcade cabinets, we mostly think of the upright machines that are typically found in Pizza Huts all over the world. Sure, those are cool, but the top-down design of the X-Arcade Space Race Cabinet is even cooler.

It comes pre-loaded with 250 retro video games, including Street Fighter, Galaga, Joust and Pac-Man. It doesn’t require any assembly. In fact, all that you have to do is plug it in, and then you’re able to button mash to your heart’s content. The cabinet sports an impressively colorful Space Race design on the sides and on all of the available surfaces that aren’t covered with a screen or the many available buttons. It includes three joysticks (one side has two, the other side has one), a trackball on one of the sides, and numerous mashable arcade buttons. It’s available now for $2,399.99. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

THE ZEN OF KAYAKING BY TOMASZ FURMANEK

If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like to take your adventures to Norway’s beautiful landscape, an amateur photographer by the name of Tomasz Furmanek has created a photo journal, with all of the pictures being captured from a kayak.

The gorgeous photos capture the awe-inspiring beauty of nature in the fjords and lakes. Many of the stills were taken in calm waters to get the perfect reflection on the glassy water. Since the pictures were taken from a first person perspective, they give the viewer an uncontrollable urge to want to be in the exact spot where the photo was snapped. While the actual technical quality of the photos might not be the best (since the kayaker mostly used a GoPro or Sony compact camera), the essence captured is what makes the photos worth a view.

[MIKA27]

CIRCLE SWING ROCKING CHAIR

Developed by Polish designer Iwona Kosicka, the Circle Swing Rocking Chair definitely stretches the definition of "rocking chair”. Designed for indoor use, the Circle Swing is an example of high quality and minimalist design, appealing to children and adults alike. Made of solid wood by the hands of experienced carpenters, this playful piece hangs from the ceiling, and easily adapts to a variety of contemporary decors. Now all you need is an open space loft...

[MIKA27]

KLOKERS KLOK-02 WATCH

No matter what time zone you're in, the minutes and seconds are the same as everywhere else. The Klokers Klok-02 Watch takes advantage of this fact, letting you check the time anywhere on Earth with just the push of a button. It does this by displaying retrograde minutes and seconds on the top half, then pairing a circular opening for hours with a second window showing the current city, and a pusher at 4 o'clock to swap between them. A Swiss-made movement powers the watch, which has a 43 mm metal polymer and faux leather case, and a 22mm leather bracelet that hooks to the watch via a patented "jewel" that makes swapping bands quick and easy.

[MIKA27]

GARDEN IGLOO

Simple to set up and environmentally friendly, the Garden Igloo is an interesting alternative to the backyard hideout. The frame of this geodesic dome is made with PVC struts and high-strength nylon joints, and covered by a transparent PVC cover. It's over seven feet tall at its highest point and nearly 12 feet in diameter, so there's plenty of room inside, and should you decide you'd rather have shade than shelter, the optional canopy cover offers added privacy from the rear and an open entrance that's ideal for warmer weather.

[Olga]

This is one cool thread MIKA! WOW!

[MIKA27]

This is one cool thread MIKA! WOW!

Thank you

[MIKA27]

These Are The American Cities That Could Be Buried Underwater By 2200

Rising sea-levels will someday put several American cities completely, or partially, underwater. Here are the U.S. cities that could be submerged by sea-levels in approximately 200 years — and what you can expect for your own city in the future.

A new study published in PNAS looked at what we can expect for our cities if carbon emissions remain unchecked up through 2100. If they do, researchers said to expect an eventual longterm sea-level rise of up to 9.9 metres that would take place in various cities along a timeline ranging from between 200-2,000 years. As a whole, researchers estimated that 20 million people in 21 different cities currently live in areas that would be submerged under that eventual rise.

The study looked at two different scenarios: one in which the West Antarctic ice sheet collapses (which is almost definitely already happening), and one in which West Antarctica manages to keep it together, through some fast carbon cuts worldwide. Even in the better case scenario, there were several cities with populations of over 100,000 that would end up completely submerged. They were:

• Cape Coral, FL
• Hialeah, FL
• Hollywood, FL
• Metairie, LA
• Miami Gardens, FL
• Miramar, FL
• New Orleans, LA
• Pembroke Pines, FL

Even more common, though were cities that would be partially submerged — and for these cities, in particular, the results of cutting carbon emissions gave them two future scenarios that varied wildly.

Climate Central made an accompanying mapping tool which you can use to compare the two different scenarios. As you can see in this map for New Orleans, the outcome for that city is largely the same, regardless of what happens to carbon dioxide levels.

For Miami, though, it is the difference between surviving, or not:

You can check out how your own city will fare at 2100 or 2050 under both scenarios right here.

[MIKA27]

OCTOVO ESSENTIALS

Octovo, craft beautiful leather goods from their home base in San Francisco. Their collection features everyday accessories, and indispensable tools for looking and traveling smart. The brand also embraces the idea that as you acquire travel experiences and stories, each item in the line will age beautifully, developing its own patina. All products are made with custom-made vegetable re-tanned Italian leather and are available in a range of rich colors.

Keep your credit cards safely stashed in this compact, three-sided zip leather wallet. Store anything from credit cards, to folded bills, to loose change, to your house key (or maybe someone elses) in the expandable internal pocket. One external slot offers easy access to your most often used card.

The essential grooming tool that’s built to last. Milled from Grade5 titanium, the same titanium that’s found in high-performance aerospace, marine and motorsport applications, the raw finished comb comes complete with its own leather sleeve. Lightweight, corrosion resistant and durable, an indispensable tool for looking and traveling smart.

This all-in-one travel essential contains necessities for any situation that may arise on your journey. Six interior pocket slots - two passport-sized pockets and four additional slots to stash credit cards, folded currency, tickets and more. This leather passport wallet comes complete with a compact, stainless steel ballpoint pen for filling out customs forms or jotting down notes.

This innovative keychain dispenses the traditional nail-breaking key ring in lieu of a titanium ring with an easy access opening hidden under the Italian leather loop. An elegant and minimalist solution.

When you think "wallet,” the Purist is what likely comes to mind. This sleek, leather model features a billfold with room for four credit cards or IDs – exactly what you need with no additional bells or whistles to bulk up your pocket.

With a padded leather interior and Italian leather cover, this case will make your MacBook feel comfortable, protected and at peace between uses. Outfitted with a small interior pocket to fit a credit card, ID or love note.

Perfect for an overnight business trip or a quick getaway, this weekender holds all your essentials and then some. Constructed of sleek leather with a waxed twill upper, the padded, quick-access sleeve eliminates the need to carry a separate laptop bag, while a generous interior stows garments and gear. Fitted with custom-machined titanium hardware.

[MIKA27]

DEER ISLE HOSTEL

Set on a bridge-accessible island off the coast of Maine, Deer Isle Hostel offers cozy accommodations that let you take a step back in time. The main building itself has both private and dorm-style rooms, and is part of a self-sufficient homestead where the owners grow the food, raise their own pigs and chickens, and cut their own lumber and granite for building. Power is provided by solar panels, water is pumped by hand, dinner is a communal event scheduled for 6:30 each evening, and the surrounding wilderness offers opportunities for hiking, canoeing, biking, and just generally unplugging.

[MIKA27]

The proof that 3 men survived their escape from Alcatraz

Source: Oliverdst via The New York Post

In June 1962, three inmates shimmied through a hole they’d chiseled into the walls of Alcatraz prison and climbed up to the roof. To mask their escape, they’d placed in their bunks realistic-looking dummy heads they’d made out of papier-mâché and human hair from the prison barber shop. The three men — brothers John and Clarence Anglin and fellow inmate Frank Morris — grabbed makeshift paddles and plunged an escape raft they made of stolen raincoats into the dark waters of San Francisco Bay.

Alcatraz officials have long stated that the men drowned, maintaining the prison’s bragging rights of no escapees. But now, more than 50 years later, new leads are being presented by the Anglin family, who are cooperating with authorities for the first time.

The escapees placed dummy heads, made out of papier-mâché and human hair, in their bunks.

They claim that not only did the brothers survive the escape, they were alive and well up through at least the mid-1970s — and may still be alive today.

The evidence is offered up by the Anglins’ nephews David, 48, and Ken Widner, 54, who are featured in “Alcatraz: Search for the Truth,” a History Channel special airing Monday.

The evidence has pumped life into the cold case, and has investigators lining up new interviews and planning to search South America for signs of America’s most notorious escapees.

“This is absolutely the best actionable lead we’ve had,” Art Roderick, the retired US marshal who was lead investigator on the case for 20 years, tells The Post.

In 2012, the US Department of Justice released images of what the prisoners might look after aging, alongside their Alcatraz mug shots. Above is Clarence Anglin.

John Anglin

Frank Lee Morris

The Anglin family sat on those leads for years because, they say, they were spied on and harassed by the FBI for years. But a desire to see the case solved before Marie Anglin Widner — the Widners’ mother and the escapees’ sister — passed away, combined with the cockiness of Alcatraz officials, inspired them to come forward.

“[Alcatraz officials] were not willing to . . . say, ‘Maybe [the escapees] did make it,’ ” David Widner says. “That gave me the motive to prove them wrong.”

First there were the Christmas cards, signed with Clarence and John Anglin’s names, that were delivered to their mother during the three years after the escape. They arrived without postage.

In the History Channel special, the nephews take the cards and other evidence to Roderick, who retired in 2008 but is still working on the case. Though the handwriting matched, the investigators were unable to pinpoint the exact date of the cards.

But the nephews also came forward with a photo — which will be revealed on the show — that proves the Anglins may have been alive in the 1970s. That really caught Roderick’s attention.

“When you work these types of cases, there’s a feeling you get when stuff starts to fall into place,” he says. “I’m getting this feeling now.”

The next big piece of evidence was buried — about six feet in the ground. The family finally let investigators dig up the remains of the Anglins’ other brother, Alfred, who was electrocuted during his own escape attempt from an Alabama prison. They needed his DNA: Authorities had discovered a set of bones that washed ashore north of San Francisco in 1963, which they said may have belonged to one of the escapees.

But the DNA proved to not be a match, bolstering the Anglin family’s claims that the two may indeed still be alive. (The bones could still belong to Morris, though; he has no living relatives to test.)

David Widner says he’s working on a book that will contain more evidence not included in the TV show. That includes a surprise guest star: Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger, who met the future escapees in Alcatraz. Bulger, in a 2014 letter to Ken Widner, said he instructed John and Clarence on how to navigate bay currents, and dropped a key piece of advice about being a fugitive.

“He taught them that when you disappear, you have to cut all ties,” Ken says. “He told me in a letter, ‘This is the mistake that I made.’ He told me, ‘These brothers undoubtedly had done exactly what I told them to do.’ ”

A Christmas card signed with Clarence and John Anglin’s names that was sent to their mother during the three years after their escape.

The nephews hope the special rewrites the history of Alcatraz, and cements their uncles and Morris as the only people to successfully escape the island, out of the 36 who tried.

Roderick has lined up 10 new interviews since seeing the evidence, and is talking to US marshals about investigating in Brazil, where the Anglins may have ended up. If they are still alive (both would be in their mid-80s by now), international laws may not even allow extradition to the US.

Nonetheless, Roderick would want to sit down with them to figure out how they did it.

If they died and their bodies can be found, however, Ken and David want to bring the Anglin brothers back to the family plot in Ruskin, Fla.

Says David, “We should get ’em a place ready.”

An undated photo of the Anglin brothers.

[oliverdst]

The proof that 3 men survived their escape from Alcatraz

Source: Oliverdst via The New York Post

In June 1962, three inmates shimmied through a hole they’d chiseled into the walls of Alcatraz prison and climbed up to the roof. To mask their escape, they’d placed in their bunks realistic-looking dummy heads they’d made out of papier-mâché and human hair from the prison barber shop. The three men — brothers John and Clarence Anglin and fellow inmate Frank Morris — grabbed makeshift paddles and plunged an escape raft they made of stolen raincoats into the dark waters of San Francisco Bay.

Alcatraz officials have long stated that the men drowned, maintaining the prison’s bragging rights of no escapees. But now, more than 50 years later, new leads are being presented by the Anglin family, who are cooperating with authorities for the first time.

The escapees placed dummy heads, made out of papier-mâché and human hair, in their bunks.

They claim that not only did the brothers survive the escape, they were alive and well up through at least the mid-1970s — and may still be alive today.

The evidence is offered up by the Anglins’ nephews David, 48, and Ken Widner, 54, who are featured in “Alcatraz: Search for the Truth,” a History Channel special airing Monday.

The evidence has pumped life into the cold case, and has investigators lining up new interviews and planning to search South America for signs of America’s most notorious escapees.

“This is absolutely the best actionable lead we’ve had,” Art Roderick, the retired US marshal who was lead investigator on the case for 20 years, tells The Post.

In 2012, the US Department of Justice released images of what the prisoners might look after aging, alongside their Alcatraz mug shots. Above is Clarence Anglin.

John Anglin

Frank Lee Morris

The Anglin family sat on those leads for years because, they say, they were spied on and harassed by the FBI for years. But a desire to see the case solved before Marie Anglin Widner — the Widners’ mother and the escapees’ sister — passed away, combined with the cockiness of Alcatraz officials, inspired them to come forward.

“[Alcatraz officials] were not willing to . . . say, ‘Maybe [the escapees] did make it,’ ” David Widner says. “That gave me the motive to prove them wrong.”

First there were the Christmas cards, signed with Clarence and John Anglin’s names, that were delivered to their mother during the three years after the escape. They arrived without postage.

In the History Channel special, the nephews take the cards and other evidence to Roderick, who retired in 2008 but is still working on the case. Though the handwriting matched, the investigators were unable to pinpoint the exact date of the cards.

But the nephews also came forward with a photo — which will be revealed on the show — that proves the Anglins may have been alive in the 1970s. That really caught Roderick’s attention.

“When you work these types of cases, there’s a feeling you get when stuff starts to fall into place,” he says. “I’m getting this feeling now.”

The next big piece of evidence was buried — about six feet in the ground. The family finally let investigators dig up the remains of the Anglins’ other brother, Alfred, who was electrocuted during his own escape attempt from an Alabama prison. They needed his DNA: Authorities had discovered a set of bones that washed ashore north of San Francisco in 1963, which they said may have belonged to one of the escapees.

But the DNA proved to not be a match, bolstering the Anglin family’s claims that the two may indeed still be alive. (The bones could still belong to Morris, though; he has no living relatives to test.)

David Widner says he’s working on a book that will contain more evidence not included in the TV show. That includes a surprise guest star: Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger, who met the future escapees in Alcatraz. Bulger, in a 2014 letter to Ken Widner, said he instructed John and Clarence on how to navigate bay currents, and dropped a key piece of advice about being a fugitive.

“He taught them that when you disappear, you have to cut all ties,” Ken says. “He told me in a letter, ‘This is the mistake that I made.’ He told me, ‘These brothers undoubtedly had done exactly what I told them to do.’ ”

A Christmas card signed with Clarence and John Anglin’s names that was sent to their mother during the three years after their escape.

The nephews hope the special rewrites the history of Alcatraz, and cements their uncles and Morris as the only people to successfully escape the island, out of the 36 who tried.

Roderick has lined up 10 new interviews since seeing the evidence, and is talking to US marshals about investigating in Brazil, where the Anglins may have ended up. If they are still alive (both would be in their mid-80s by now), international laws may not even allow extradition to the US.

Nonetheless, Roderick would want to sit down with them to figure out how they did it.

If they died and their bodies can be found, however, Ken and David want to bring the Anglin brothers back to the family plot in Ruskin, Fla.

Says David, “We should get ’em a place ready.”

An undated photo of the Anglin brothers.

An interesting picture here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11927025/Did-three-men-actually-survive-the-escape-from-Alcatraz.html

[MIKA27]

An interesting picture here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11927025/Did-three-men-actually-survive-the-escape-from-Alcatraz.html

history-channel-al_3471014b.jpg

As if there was never a chance they could have survived in the first place. I always believed they all did and if not all, at least one or two. Impossible to think all 3 perished.

[MIKA27]

There's Something Odd In The Shadows Of The Curiosity Rover's Selfie

Look at Curiosity. Now, look at Curiosity’s shadow. Notice anything?

Yep, there’s a very large part of the shadow, that big zigzag shape, that doesn’t seem to be there in its actual robot counterpart. But don’t panic, nothing is stalking our favourite robot across the empty plains of Mars in its latest photographic dispatch. Instead it has to do with the problems of space photography itself.

When Curiosity takes a selfie it’s not (just) for vanity or (just) for commemoration — it’s also a way for the techs here on Earth to make sure that all’s well with all the component parts of Curiosity (its wheels, its outer hardware).

Because of that, having part of the rover cropped out is a big problem. So, instead of one selfie, Curiosity extends its robotic arm over itself and snaps photos from every possible angle, which are then stitched together into a single super-selfie. It doesn’t move while doing this — except for contorting its arm. This would make the final image blurred over by the movements of the arms, so NASA edits it out.

The shadows, however, remain untouched, meaning that although its arm may be missing in the photos, we can still almost catch a glimpse of it.

[MIKA27]

How 17th Century Artists Helped Make The Microscopic World Visible

Science fans love to nerd-gasm when it comes to popular culture. Witness the countless recent articles analysing the science versus the storytelling of The Martian. That tension between accuracy and artistic licence is not unique to modern society. It’s been present throughout history, including depictions of the earliest observations made with microscopes.

As part of a research project into the early visual practices of London’s Royal Society, Katya Morgunova has been delving into the work of an 18th century Dutch draper named Anthonie van Leeuwenhoek. He built more than 500 microscopes in his lifetime, and worked closely with contemporary artists to accurately illustrate what he saw with those instruments.

Van Leeuwenhoek didn’t invent the microscope. That honour belongs to a Dutch eyeglass maker in late 16th century Holland named Zacharias Janssen. (Some historians credit a fellow Dutch eyeglass maker, Hans Lippershey, with concurrent, though independent, invention.) The key evidence: a letter by Dutch diplomat William Boreel, a longtime family friend of the Janssen family, to the French king in the 1650s detailing the microscope’s origins some 50 years earlier.

Nor was van Leeuwenhoek the first to try to illustrate the wondrous tiny world he observed. As Morgunova notes at The Repository (the blog of London’s Royal Society), Robert Hooke had been making his own illustrations (drawing on his background as a draughtsman) of what he saw under the microscope for decades by the time van Leeuenhoek came along, publishing the incomparableMicrographia in 1665 — possibly the first popular science bestseller.

In fact, Micrographia inspired van Leeuwenhoek to start making his own microscopic observations. Therein lay his particular genius: he was incredibly skilled both in lens-grinding, and in adjusting lighting, enabling him to achieve unprecedented (at the time) magnifications. His microscopes were basically handheld magnifying glasses: just a single lens mounted in a tiny hole in a brass plate. He would mount the specimen he planned to study just in front of the lens, adjusting position and focus by turning two screws.

Some of the things he studied included protozoans found in pond water, animal and plant tissues, mineral crystals and fossils. He was the first to see living sperm cells of animals. And he memorably studied the plaque between his teeth, as well as the teeming hordes of bacteria in the mouths of two elderly men who claimed they had never once cleaned their teeth — the first recorded observation of living bacteria ever recorded. He was still dictating new observations on his deathbed in 1723.

But unlike Hooke, van Leeuwenhoek wasn’t particularly artistically inclined. He had to collaborate with artists to illustrate what he observed. This meant striking a balance between conveying the details accurately, and making useful analogies, the better to communicate those details to a public that had never seen such things before. As Morgunova writes:

n the 17th and early 18th centuries the process of producing illustrations was very complex. If the researcher was not skilled in the visual arts, as was the case with Leeuwenhoek, he had to have artists produce the images for him. Furthermore, the published images were in engraving, but in most cases a drawing was created first and then traced onto a copper plate for subsequent engraving by an engraver, and the plate was then printed. Thus three different people were usually involved in producing one image — the researcher, the draughtsman and the engraver.

It is not always straightforward to draw or engrave a previously unseen microscopic object: there is room for interpretation of the details, and different artists resolved this issue in their own ways. Leeuwenhoek’s artists often turned to imaginative analogies, such as comparing parts of specimens to buttons, flowers or branches, as can be seen in this description of the carnous fibres in beef muscles: ‘Amongst several pieces of Flesh, where the carnous Fibres were cut transversely, I happen’d on one piece with its Branches so plain, that the Membranes and Fibres look’d like so many Boughs of Trees, with the Leaves on them, as may be seen…’ (1720). This analogy is visually expressed in the illustration produced, as the piece of flesh very clearly resembles a tree branch [pictured above].

It seems van Leeuwenhoek was ok with a little artistic licence, and sometimes even suggested useful analogies of his own — as long as the final images were sufficient accurate.

[MIKA27]

Apple Found Guilty Of Using University Of Wisconsin Patent In Its Chips

Apple has been found guilty of using a technology, patented by the University of Wisconsin-Madison way back in 1998, in its chips without the proper permission — and it could cost it close $US1 billion.

Reuters reports that Apple has been using technology that’s described in this patent to improve the efficiency of its A7, A8 and A8X processors. Those slabs of silicon are found in the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus, as well as a number of iPad models.

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation filed a case against Apple in January of this year over the mis-use of the patent, and now a Madison, Wisconsin jury has deemed the claims to be reasonable — Apple used the technology without permission. Now, the trial will move forward to determine the damages that the university is owed. However, the judge presiding over the case has suggested the figure could reach as much as $US860 million.

That’s a lot for a University, though relatively less for Apple. Still, the folks at Cupertino may well be wary of the litigious academics: last month, the university filed a similar complaint, accusing Apple of using the same technology in its A9 and A9X chips without a licence. Looks like things could get rather expensive.

[MIKA27]

This Animation Teaser For The X-Files is So Awesome

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R1WiuzIQbM

This animation teaser for the upcoming return of The X-Files is so good that it totally should be the title sequence. It’s perfect because nothing is as it first seems, things change depending on how close or far you’re looking and what you think is going to happen, doesn’t always happen.

[MIKA27]

The US Issued Special Banknotes In Case Japan Invaded Hawaii

If you went to Hawaii during World War II, you probably notice something a little funny about the money. Every greenback had a big bold “HAWAII” plastered across it. Why? In case of a Japanese invasion, of course.

In the months after Pearl Harbour, the United States government issued a set of special Hawaii-specific banknotes. It wasn’t particularly eye-catching, but the money’s unique design was intended to enable the Federal Reserve to devalue the state’s currency in the event of Japanese occupation, rendering it worthless. The implementation also led to a recall of all the regular banknotes in Hawaii. Each household was allowed to keep $US200, while business could keep $US500. The rest of the money was burned.

The special issue banknotes looked just like regular dollars, except “HAWAII” was emblazoned on the back in block letters. The state’s name was also featured in more subtle form on the front of the bills.

Japan never occupied the state, but the “HAWAII” bills remained in circulation years after the war ended. As Atlas Obscura points out, you can now buy the bills from collectible currency vendors. Some of the bills are also on display at the Museum of American Finance. And when you marvel at Hawaii’s close call with the Japanese Empire, be sure to remember that other countries didn’t have such luck. Japan issued its own currency in invaded territories like Burma, Malay, and the Philippines.