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

[ElJefeDeNada]

Mika27, you are missed!

[MIKA27]

Drax The Destroyer Is Joining Blade Runner 2

Dave Bautista, who starred in Guardians of the Galaxy as Drax the Destroyer, will be joining the upcoming sequel to Blade Runner. This comes just days after Robin Wright was added to the cast.

Bautista made the announcement via Instagram:

We’re starting to come to terms with the fact that the film is actually happening, and with casting choices like this, we’re getting a bit more intrigued.

Blade Runner 2 is slated for release on January 12, 2018.

[MIKA27]

An Awful Bat-Killing Disease Is Spreading Throughout The US

A devastating fungal disease that has killed millions of bats in eastern North America has now reached Washington State, prompting serious concern among wildlife officials.

It has been referred to as the worst US wildlife crisis in recent years. Since 2007, this blight — known as white-nose syndrome (WNS) — has spread to 28 US states and five Canadian provinces, killing an estimated 5.7 million to 6.7 million bats in the process, most of them little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus). In some regions, losses have exceeded 98 per cent of local populations. Until now, this point the disease has been relegated to the eastern half of North America, but it now appears that it’s made a rather big jump to the other side.

The fungal disease was detected in North Bend, Washington, which is about 48km east of Seattle. It’s the first time that WNS has been detected in the western United States.

“The discovery of the disease almost 1,300 miles [2092km] from the previous westernmost detection of the fungus in Nebraska is devastating news,” noted Katie Gillies, Director of Imperiled Species for Bat Conservation International, in a press statement. “Such a massive jump in geographical location leads us to believe that we humans are most likely responsible for its most recent spread.”

The disease causes a fuzzy white fungus to grow on the faces and wings of hibernating bats. This growth makes the bats repeatedly wake from their slumber, which causes them to burn through their fat stores, resulting in starvation and often death. Bat Conservation International said this is “a dire wakeup call” as experts expect the disease to spread from this new viral epicentre.

Given the presence of the virus in the west, conservationists are under added pressure to have the bat listed under the Endangered Species Act. This status, which would afford the ecologically-critical species special protections, is currently under review by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

“This is a terrible new chapter in the fight against WNS,” added Gillies. “We have as many as 16 western bat species that are now at risk. We have always feared a human-assisted jump to a western state. Unfortunately, our fears have been realised, and western North America — a bastion of bat biodiversity — may now expect impacts like we have seen in the East.”

Earlier this months, scientists discovered that bats in Asia are resistant to WNS.

[MIKA27]

Bendict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange Takes To The Streets Of Manhattan

Filming for Doctor Strange has been underway in New York City, and photographers got a really good glimpse of Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Doctor Strange and Baron Mordo!

The first images that we had of the pair was back in February, but this is our best look yet, and they look fantastic. Hopefully, we’ll be getting a trailer for this soon. (Captain America: Civil War, maybe?)

Here’s what he looks like:

[MIKA27]

All The New Things We Learned From The Star Wars: The Force Awakens Blu-Ray

What more can be said about Star Wars: The Force Awakens that already hasn’t? It’s literally been a topic of conversation for years, and you’d think it would slow down eventually. Instead, it’s the opposite — especially since the film hits digital download today and we found a ton of new info in the extras.

Both the digital and the Blu-Ray/DVD release (arriving April 13) of The Force Awakens contain a good selection of extras, including an hour-plus documentary called Secrets of The Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey, several featurettes, as well as a few deleted scenes (including one exclusive to the digital download).

We checked them all out and pulled our favourite new (or mostly new) information. Some of this stuff is already out there, or won’t come as a surprise to fans, but most of it is brand new. Major spoilers for the Blu-ray (and the movie) below!

• “The Force Awakens” doesn’t just refer to Rey. It refers to Kylo Ren too. “This was not just ‘The Force Awakens’ in a young woman,” says the documentary. “It’s the dark side of The Force awakening in the villain.”

• Though you get a brief sense of it in the movie, the documentary says that Kylo Ren felt abandoned as a child because his parents weren’t there when he was growing up. They were “absent on their own agendas”, and he felt “lost in the world he was raised in”. That’s part of why he was so angry and so open to Snoke’s suggestions. He lacked their guidance.

• Mark Hamill felt that Luke has “great reservations” when Rey finds him on Ahch-To. “He’s very conflicted,” the actor said. “We’ll have to wait and see [what happens].”

• The first scene Daisy Ridley shot was of scrubbing the scavenged part; John Boyega’s was filming around the crashed TIE Fighter.

• The Dejarik (or holochess) game that Finn mistakenly turns on in the Millennium Falcon picks up immediately after the game played back in A New Hope. No one has played it since then!

• In order to prep for all the running in the Jakku (or, really, Abu Dhabi) sand, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega rehearsed some scenes while running on a treadmill.

• Han seems to know Finn is lying about who he is immediately, but how? A deleted scene that’s only on the digital downloads reveals that Han knew because Finn changed all his clothes except his boots, which are Stormtrooper issue. (The scene also explains how Finn lost the gun Han gave him).

• Most of the lightsaber fights were shot with props that looked very much like real lightsabers, but Han’s death was shot without a saber at all. It’s all CG.

• In a deleted scene from early in the movie, we learn that Finn’s mercy at the Jakku village extends beyond not just firing at the villagers. He ran into a young woman behind a hut, too, and let her go.

• When Andy Serkis performed as Supreme Leader Snoke, he stood on a ledge 7.62m above Adam Driver and Domhnall Gleeson.

• Leia and the Resistance were alerted to the destruction of the Jakku village and, though Poe was missing, she figured out BB-8 had the map.

• The scene where the Resistance opens the map that leads to Luke Skywalker was at one point going to include Maz Kanata. We know because the documentary shows the same footage, but with actress Lupita Nyong’o kneeling next to the other actors her mo-cap outfit. It’s likely she was digitally erased from the final shot.

• Kylo Ren and his Snowtroopers find and board the Millennium Falcon on Starkiller Base, which is how Kylo knows his father was there, and that the Resistance’s attack is imminent.

• Several famous people visited in the set. On the Blu-ray alone we see director Peter Jackson, Malala Yousafzai, Karl Urban and also Simon Pegg (who played Unkar Plutt, but we knew that).

• In a deleted, unfinished scene, Rey and Finn are chased across Starkiller Base in a snow speeder. Things aren’t going well, until Finn gives Rey the wheel and he gets the blaster.

• Originally, Poe Dameron was going to die in the script but Oscar Isaac asked that that be changed, so it was. (You can watch that clip above.)

• Trimmed from the shot of Han returning to the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon was him taking the legendary fuzzy dice out of his pocket and hanging them back up.

• Maz Kanata’s character was so inspired by J.J. Abrams’ teacher, Rose Gilbert, that there were photos of her on set.

• Lupita Nyong’o had 149 dots on her face to do Maz Kanata performance capture

• At the table read, Mark Hamill read all the stage directions. Not like he had anything better to do!

• Warwick Davis plays the character Wollivan (above) in Maz’s bar, but his daughter is also a character.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is now available for digital download, and it will be on Blu-ray on April 13.

[MIKA27]

Space Archaeologists May Have Found A New Viking Settlement In North America

There’s only one confirmed Viking settlement in North America, far north on the Canadian coast. But if a new team of space archaeologists and their satellite data is to be believed, that’s all about to change.

A PBS program set to broadcast next week has the story of a potential Viking site much further south, on the southwest tip of the Canadian island of Newfoundland. It was found using infrared satellite imagery by Sarah H. Parcak, a leading space archaeologist. She used the satellite images to identify “hotspots”, which were narrowed down to one site at Point Rosee.

Further excavations have revealed a Viking-style turf wall, which radiocarbon tests date back to the Norse era. The evidence is still circumstantial, however, and it’s positive proof of a new Viking settlement in North America.

In either case, it’s already a validation of new technology in very old history. Aerial images have long been used to track ancient structures and burial mounds, but infrared satellite imaging gives archaeologists a valuable new tool. Maybe the next Indiana Jones movie will involve fewer boulders, and more time spent digitally enhancing images.

The documentary will stream online next Monday on PBS at 3.30PM Eastern. [New York Times]

[MIKA27]

The World's Largest Blue Diamond Is Up For Sale (If You Have $59 Million)

Fancy treating yourself? The world’s largest ever blue diamond is going up for auction on May 18 at Christie’s in Geneva. But you better have a healthy bank balance: It’s expected to sell for somewhere in the region of $59 million.

The stone — known as the Oppenheimer Blue, because it was previously owned by Sir Philip Oppenheimer who used to run De Beers — is a whopping 14.62 carats. That’s about a 3g, if you’re not used to handling diamonds.

Its sizes is only part of the justification for the price tag, though. Its colour is the other major selling point:According to Bloomberg, only 0.0001 per cent of all diamonds that come out of the earth are blue. Better get the check book out.

[MIKA27]

Transparent Wood Could Replace Glass, Become Coolest Building Material Ever

Wood is a great material because it’s cheap, renewable and versatile. But this incredible transparent wood that scientists in Sweden brewed up is amazing. It could replace glass for some seriously eye-catching architecture, and even be used in cheap solar panels or windows.

Researchers at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden developed the material, which they say is suitable for mass production. The transparent wood could be used to build houses that let in more natural light, thus cutting your electricity bill. Their findings were published in the American Chemical Society journal, Biomacromolecules.

The process begins by removing the organic compound that makes the wood brown. “The difference compared with timber is that we have removed lignin, but added a polymer to increase strength and provide transparency,” Lars Berglund, who led the study, told Gizmodo. “We can create veneer from this material and then laminate it into larger structures, such as load-bearing panels and beams.”

It’s not the first time wood has been used in surprising ways: Last year, researchers at the University of Wisconsin used wood to make computer microchips. This week’s development out of Sweden takes a natural, millennia-old material from the earth, and turns it into a futuristic, low-cost, renewable alternative to glass. Now I’m eagerly awaiting moving into my ghostly, sci-fi, transparent log cabin.

[MIKA27]

Suicide Squad May Be Doing Reshoots To Add More Humour

That Suicide Squad trailer is so fun, right? Dark, but exciting and funny? Well, apparently, that’s not the movie director David Ayer made. He made something much more serious and, after the success of the trailer, rumour has it reshoots are taking place to add some levity to the movie.

Birth Movies Death says the reason for the reshoots are that “Every joke in the movie is in [the above] trailer”. After the some criticism of the “heart attack serious” tone of Batman v Superman, the reshoots will hopefully give audiences the film that the awesome trailer is selling.

According to BMD’s source, these aren’t just mere reshoots. Most films schedule reshoots later in the process for simple clarity things (even Star Wars: The Force Awakens was reshooting and adding things weeks before opening). No, these reshoots are apparently “big — tens of millions of dollars big”. That doesn’t necessarily mean there are major explosions or anything either. Apparently they’re just “beefing up fun character moments and interactions”. That can get expensive when a lot of work, and actors, have to be put together quickly.

On the other hand, another well-connected journalist, Umberto Gonzalez of Heroic Hollywood, points out that the reshoots are “customary practice”. So just the usual stuff, not the major ones BMD are reporting.

Either way, if there’s a way to improve the film in any way before its release in August, all the better. No one should look at this negatively. If true, it should be viewed as a studio that, no matter what the scope, is putting more money into a movie to make it successful.

We contacted Warner Bros. for confirmation on this but haven’t heard back as of writing. The studio generally generally doesn’t comment on rumours.

MIKA: I personally loved the fact that BvS was more dark and serious. Suicide squad should also be dark and serious but it makes sense to have some comedy in it.

[MIKA27]

Australian Scientists Develop Nano Technology To Avoid Healthy Cells In Cancer Treatment

Nano-tech “smart packages” under development in Australia and China are bringing us closer to more effectively treating cancer with far fewer harmful side effects.

Researchers are developing a novel system to bombard cancerous tumours — and not healthy tissue — with the most potent chemotherapy drugs available after discovering folate and pH-sensitive drug nano-vesicles which quickly release the chemo agents after they react to the cellular makeup of common cancer tumour cells.

This potentially will trigger the instant release of multiple chemo drugs, reducing side-effects and perhaps avoiding surgical removal of difficult to reach lung or ovarian cancers.

Flinders University Strategic Professor Colin Raston says the latest research advances earlier research on more targeted drug delivery which both increases the efficacy of anti-cancer drugs while reducing the sickening side effects of common chemo agents.

“Most current chemotherapeutic agents are associated with debilitating toxicity because they indiscriminately attack both cancerous and healthy cells,” says Professor Raston, from Flinders University’s Centre for NanoScale Science and Technology.

“We are endeavouring to develop a robust delivery platform that can be readily modified to incorporate targeted and pH-triggered drug release for potent but toxic chemo agents, such as Paclitaxel to ovarian cancer.”

The drug delivery vessels, or “smart packages” have been found to release drugs when they leave healthy tissue and enter the different kind of cancer cell environment.

Fellow researchers Dr Jingxin Mo and Professor Lee Yong Lim, respectively working from China’s Sun Yat-sen University and the University of Western Australia, say the new system can deliver several drugs at a time in one parcel to a tumour.

“The vesicles also have a strong bio-compatability with human cells, which encourages more efficient drug uptake,” they say.

Aiming to overcome the debilitating toxicity of current chemo agents, the new generation of anti-cancer drugs also would have the potential to deliver more than one drug to affected cells.

“The vesicles would have a similar structure as phospholipid bilayer of cell membrane, which would facilitate the anti-cancer drug uptake.”

The ongoing research is supported by Dr Paul Eggers at the University of WA and Associate Professor Zhi-xiang Yuan from Sichuan Agricultural University in China.

Lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world, with more than 1.8 million new cases a year. In 2012, the World Cancer Research Fund International reported almost 240,000 cases of ovarian cancer and more than 14 million cancer cases worldwide. This number is expected to increase to 24 million by 2035.

[MIKA27]

What Does Mach One (or Two Or Three) Mean?

We’ve heard blasé dialog about Mach numbers from fighter pilots in movies, but do you know what Mach numbers actually mean? Among other things, it means that two planes going at Mach 1 can actually be going at very different speeds.

Ernst Mach was a brilliant nineteenth century scientist who came up with good work in pretty much every field he deigned to study. He worked in optics and in cosmology, but his most famous contribution had to do with the speed of sound, and what happens when objects exceed it. He wrote a paper describing the speed of sound and the shock wave produced at supersonic speed. He even got a picture of the waves produced when a bullet broke the sound barrier.

But breaking the sound barrier isn’t always achieved at the same speed. The air around us has a certain temperature and pressure, and the speed of sound varies as those factors vary. A plane going slower than the speed of sound at ground level will go faster than the speed of sound high up in the air, even if both are going at the same speed. Mach numbers reflect the plane’s speed relative to the speed of sound in the medium it’s moving through. Mach 1 means it’s going the speed of sound in that particular medium. Mach 2 means it’s going twice the speed of sound.

This is not a technicality. Get above the speed of sound in a medium, and the medium itself can have different properties and behave in a different way. Two planes may be going at very different speeds, but if they are both going at Mach 1, the air will treat them the same way. If they’re going the same speed, but one is going at Mach 0.75 and the other is going Mach 1.3, they’re under different conditions.

Although Mach’s name is attached to the concept, it’s a tribute to him, not his original idea. Jakob Ackeret, a great scientist in his own right, came up with the idea, and named it after Mach, who had recently died. I wonder if the concept would be as quoted if movie pilots were saying they were going at Ackeret 5.

[MIKA27]

YAMA SILVERTON COFFEE DRIPPER

If you are enough of a coffee nerd to want your own dripper, then chances are you’re also the kind of person who loves to make your own cold brew during the warmer months. Thankfully for those of us without a lot of counter-space – the beautiful Yama Silverton Coffee Dripper is designed to do both.

Besides looking great on your countertop – the brosilicate glass top, wooden stand, and 18.5 ounce beaker on this brewer come together to make a great cup. Throw the stainless steel filter on top of the Yama for a regular warm pour-over, or fill it with water and close the valve for an overnight batch of cold brew. Add this one to your kitchen for around $120. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

ACURA NSX GT3 RACE CAR

If all the buzz around the return of the base model NSX doesn’t already have you excited enough, Acura’s unveiling of the NSX GT3 Race Car will certainly get your blood pumping. Debuting at the New York international Auto Show, this beastly model is currently undergoing testing but is slated for homologation as an FIA GT3 class race car this fall. Needless to say, enthusiasts were both awestruck and curious as to how this concept performs.

The GT3 sees reworked NSX aesthetics that features custom bodywork and aero components that include a large deck and spoiler, underbody diffuser and enlarged hood vents for cooling. And it’s a good thing too since this beaut houses a 3.5-liter, 75-degree, twin-turbocharged DOHC V-6 engine pushing out 573 hp. The engine will be paired with a 6-speed, sequential-shift racing gearbox that delivers power to the rear wheels. And where else to build such a fine engine than the United States. That’s right, everything from the NSX’s ultra-rigid and lightweight body with aluminum-intensive space frame to its twin-turbocharged engine will be produced at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio. Right now prices look to start at 160,000. [Purchase]

[Fuzz]

Transparent Wood Could Replace Glass, Become Coolest Building Material Ever

More importantly, how thick would a piece of this transparent wood need to be at 60 feet by 10 feet to withstand the pressure of 18,000 cubic feet of water?

In the mean time, I'll wait for transparent spinel to become cheaper to manufacture.

[MIKA27]

SHARK AQUARIUM UNDERWATER BEDROOM

If you were ever the type of kid who had to be dragged away from the aquarium when your school trip was ending – then this raffle from Airbnb might be for you. The company is running a promotion in which you can enter in to win a one night stay in an underwater bedroom surrounded by sharks.

This 360-degree glass enclosure at the Aquarium de Paris sits down inside a tank in which 35 terrifyingly beautiful predators are swimming. Win this raffle, and you won’t only be able to sleep with the fishes – you’ll get a tour of the Aquarium from Fred Buyle, a world class free-diver and shark enthusiast – and will get to watch as he swims around with the sharks. To top it all off, travel expenses will be covered and the next morning you’ll get to wake up to a catered breakfast. The raffle ends April 3rd. [Enter]

[MIKA27]

2016 MERCEDES AMG GT S BY MANSORY

Mansory is one of those brands that takes deep consideration into their tune-ups and builds. In each project, the result is unique enough to stand out from others but recognizable enough to never get mistaken for anything else other than Mansory. It’s an art form. And one we can say consistently delivers.

For this project Mansory chose a Mercedes-AMG GT S; transforming the vehicle into a streamlined beauty. The striking matte-finished grey body pairs nicely with its red carbon fiber components and the slightly wider body kit sets the project on a more aggressive and sportier pedestal. Under the hood, the 2016 build boasts a 4-liter V8 engine pushing 730 horses. She’ll get you from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds and tops out at around 205 miles per hour. Mansory certainly doesn’t shy away from their ability to develop engine programs that push the vehicle to the limit, and this Mercedes is a build that can hang with the Ferraris and Lamborghinis of the world without a problem.

[MIKA27]

Braven BRV-XXL

The Braven BRV-XXL is a new supersize speaker that aims to give a boost to your outdoor parties. Its design provides a 360º sound experience thanks to the four audio drivers featured on both sides, providing the perfect sound distribution, and its powerful subwoofer gives that extra oomph of low frequencies. Rugged as always, water and shock proof, the large speaker is the ideal partner for outdoor lovers because it can really light up a party, a barbecue or an after hiking hang-out. The powerful built-in battery will give you up to 14 hours of entertainment and even charge some electronic devices; you also get the EQ customizable settings, a microphone jack and a carrying strap with a bottle opener. With a weight of around 18lbs it´s still light enough to carry it with you, and the 10m wireless range ensures you won´t lose the BT connection easily. Get bigger and badder but keep HD sound in check with the Braven BRV-XXL.

[MIKA27]

LAGAVULIN 200TH ANNIVERSARY SCOTCH WHISKEY

To begin the celebration of their 200th year distilling in the historic Islay region, Lagavulin are releasing this 8-year-old 200th Anniversary Scotch Whiskey. This bottling honors the work of the world's first whiskey writer Alfred Barnard, who visited Lagavulin for the first time in the 1880s. It's uncommonly smooth for an 8-year-old dram, and continues the legacy of one of the top single malts on the market.

[MIKA27]

KUVEE SMART WINE BOTTLE

Lots of us enjoy a good glass of wine. But unlike a glass of beer, a glass of wine requires a commitment to drinking the whole bottle, since it goes bad in about a day. Unless you're drinking from the Kuvee Smart Wine Bottle. This intelligent wine delivery system uses bottles that keep oxygen out of the equation completely, allowing each one to last for up to 30 days. They can be swapped out easily, so you and your family/guests can enjoy different styles of wine at the same meal without the expenditure of opening multiple traditional bottles. The built-in touchscreen shows you what you're drinking, in-depth info you won't find on a traditional label, and even lets you rate the wine and order more right from the bottle.

[MIKA27]

COPPER & KINGS CRAFTWERK BRANDY

It takes some serious intestinal fortitude to open up a Brandy distillery in the middle of bourbon country. Copper & Kings did just that, setting up shop and then having the gall to distill excellent brandy as well. Copper & Kings Craftwerk Brandy is their latest experiment, taking their American Brandy and then aging it for 12 months in craft beer barrels.

The line includes brandy aged in Oskar Blues G'Knight & Deviant Dale's Double IPA barrels, Against the Grain Peated Scottish Ale barrels, Sierra Nevada Smoked Imperial Porter barrels, and barrels that once held Three Floyds Dark Lord Imperial Stout. You might not think you need a bottle of brandy, until now.

[MIKA27]

BELL & ROSS BR-X1 HYPERSTELLAR WATCH

Apparently not happy to let Omega have all the moon watch fun, the Bell & Ross BR-X1 Hyperstellar Watch blends the company's classic rounded square design with space-specific features. Its 45mm case uses titanium for its cover, center, and surround, with blue anodized aluminum for the bezel's protective insert, then wraps the entire thing in a bumper of titanium and rubber for added impact protection. The skeleton chronograph movement ensures accurate timekeeping, the rocker push-buttons are designed to work well with gloves, and 100 m of water resistance protects it during splashdown landings back on Earth. Finished with an alligator and grey rubber strap and limited to 250 pieces.

[MIKA27]

Mika27, you are missed!

Thank you ElJefe, I'm back Enjoy

[scap99]

More importantly, how thick would a piece of this transparent wood need to be at 60 feet by 10 feet to withstand the pressure of 18,000 cubic feet of water?

In the mean time, I'll wait for transparent spinel to become cheaper to manufacture.

Sounds like you would be better off with transparent aluminum.

[Fuzz]

Sounds like you would be better off with transparent aluminum.

Yeah, but it would take years just to figure out the dynamics of the matrix.

[MIKA27]

Researchers Just Discovered A New State Of Matter

Scientists have theorised for decades that an additional state of matter exists, but despite tantalising hints to its presence, details about this mystery state have remained elusive — until now.

A new paper in Nature Materials by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Cambridge details how physicists were finally able to catch a glimpse of the predicted quantum spin liquid, and the strange fermions that accompany it.

So, how did they do it?

Normally, electrons in a magnetic field will align themselves so that as the material’s temperature approaches absolute zero, the electron poles will eventually face the same direction. Quantum spin liquids throw all of that out the window with the presence of Majorana fermions, which occur when electrons in a quantum spin state literally break apart. This creates strange patterns so hard to predict that, until this experiment, scientists weren’t even sure just what those patterns might look like.

By using neutron scattering on a graphene-like material, however, researchers were able to get a look at that pattern, and to finally confirm what paper coauthor Johannes Knolle described as “a new addition to a short list of known quantum states of matter”.

So, just what can we do with this new quantum state of matter — besides start updating our textbooks? The researchers also say that the Majorana fermions could eventually have some major quantum computing applications although, at least for now, simply managing to see them is still an incredible challenge.