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

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A Spoiler-Free Cut Of The Spider-Man Homecoming Trailer

If, like me, you watched the latest Homecoming trailer and thought "welp, that's basically the whole movie" - here's a trailer you can safely share around that doesn't spoil the whole damn plot.

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Let The New Valerian Trailer Shove A Crazy Vision Of Space Action Into Your Brain

Luc Besson's upcoming Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets looks like it's going to be one of the trippiest sci-fi movies to come around since, well, The Fifth Element. A new trailer for the film shows off new aliens and more over-the-top spectacle than the first trailer, and that's fine in my book.

Adapted from a beloved French graphic novel series, Valerian is a huge risk for Besson and film studio EuropaCorp. With a reported budget of $US200 million ($261 million), it's one of the most expensive movies ever made in Europe. Besson's said it's the movie he's wanted to make his entire life. That lifelong passion oozes out of every frame of the new trailer. We'll get even more of it when the movie comes out this August.

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The First It Teaser Is Here, And Pennywise Looks Scary As Hell

The first teaser trailer for Andy Muscietti's It opens with the ultimate loss of innocence, when raincoat-clad Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott) chases a paper boat right into the clutches of a certain sewer-dwelling clown. It only gets darker from there.

We get missing posters, balloons drifting through classrooms, a spewing bathroom sink, kids prowling the tunnels under Derry, and a slide projector that becomes possessed — as well as the house at 29 Neibolt Street, which appears a little Tim Burton-ish next to what seems to be a fairly realistic look for the rest of the film. Wait for the end for Pennywise's big moment — is he going to be more of a lurching monster than a sly taunter, in contrast with Tim Curry's iconic portrayal? That I am certain of he will be better

It opens September 7.

 

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Rising Sea Levels Could Decimate Southern California Beaches By 2100

Using a new computer model, scientists predict that upwards of 67 per cent of Southern California beaches could be severely damaged by rising sea levels in the next 80 years.

A new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research warns that 31 to 67 per cent of Southern Californian beaches are at risk of complete erosion by the year 2100 under predicted scenarios of sea-level rise of 1-2m. In addition to devastating the local tourist economy, the lost beaches will eliminate an important defence for the 18 million people who live near the coast. The lead author of the study, Sean Vitousek from the US Geological Survey and the University of Illinois at Chicago, says massive and costly interventions will be required to preserve the 500km of coastline that's poised to be affected.

"Beaches are perhaps the most iconic feature of California, and the potential for losing this identity is real," noted Vitousek in a release. "The effect of California losing its beaches is not just a matter of affecting the tourism economy. Losing the protecting swath of beach sand between us and the pounding surf exposes critical infrastructure, businesses and homes to damage. Beaches are natural resources, and it is likely that human management efforts must increase in order to preserve them."

For the study, Vitousek and his colleagues used a computer modelling system called CoSMoS-COAST, which stands for "Coastal Storm Modelling System — Coastal One-line Assimilated Simulation Tool". This tool is specifically designed to predict how shorelines will respond to the effects of climate change in the 21st century. The model can accommodate virtually any coastal setting, including complex features such as dunes, bluffs, cliffs, estuaries, river mouths and even urban infrastructure.

The researchers used CoSMoS-COAST to look at sand transport along and across 500km of coastline, factoring in such variables as waves and the expected sea-level rise. The system also used historical shoreline positions to get a sense of how beaches change in response to waves, storms and weather cycles such as El Niño. Los Angeles' beaches were hit particularly hard by El Niño, including Cabrillo Beach which now features a predominantly rocky shoreline.

Protecting the beaches from the expected levels of erosion will be time-consuming and costly. Possible counter measures include the construction of jetties, breakwaters and wall-like structures called groins. Even the act of dumping boulders onto shorelines can help, though they're unsightly and they kill the beach-going vibe. Recently, residents of Malibu's Broad Beach spent $US31 million ($40.5 million) to add 2000 truckloads of sand to their coastline, but the sand is only expected to last about a decade. Durable textiles and control mats can also be used on the beach itself to foster the growth of erosion-fighting vegetation. Santa Monica is currently restoring its beach with native plant landscaping for this very purpose.

It's a very sad state of affairs, and a shame that local residents are having to take such drastic measures. Sadder still that the US federal government is turning a blind eye to the seemingly never-ending effects of climate change.

 

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Venom Will Be Sony's Attempt To Break Into R-Rated Comic Book Films: Report

According to Collider, Sony's suddenly fast-tracked Venom movie is also currently slated to be a R-rated film. That's an interesting plan.

A while back, Sony announced it was planning a whole cinematic universe based around Spider-Man characters. In theory, the films were going to build off its Amazing Spider-Man films, but that all got shelved when Sony made an agreement to "share" the character of Peter Parker with Marvel Studios. That led Tom Holland being cast as the high-schooler with a radioactive spider problem, and his debut in Captain America: Civil War.

The upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming is produced by Marvel Studios, with not only its signature style, but appearances from its inaugural hero, Tony Stark. And now Sony is finally going to launch the universe it hoped to start after Amazing Spider-Man 2, totally separate from what Marvel is doing with Spider-Man.

Venom is slated for a US release date of 5 October 2018, so the studio better get a move on. According to Collider, the Venom script by Dante Harper is going to launch a universe while also being R-rated.

Of the two movies that Sony's announced — Venom and Black Cat and Silver Sable — Venom can totally work with an R. It lets the villain's violence be cruder and bloodier. Of course, it also opens up comparisons to Deadpool and Logan, which are both R-rated comic book movies that have done very well, critically and commercially.

Collider's Dave Trumbore stressed that the plan could change at any time. Sony had no comment on the story — which could mean that, yes, for now, an R-rated Venom is in the works.

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Groundbreaking Sun Observation Could Help Us Prepare For Massive Solar Storms

Space weather forecasting — predicting the kind of energetic particles the Sun will throw at us — is years behind weather forecasting here on Earth. As solar physicist Scott McIntosh put it, "Our current model of space weather forecasting is, 'oh shit a sunspot happened eight minutes ago, now we have to figure out what's going to happen.'" It's a shame we're not better at predicting space weather, since it can bust up satellites and even electronics on Earth.

New observations led by McIntosh, director of the High Altitude Observatory at the National Center for Atmospheric research (NCAR), might change that. From 2010 to 2013, McIntosh and his team used a trio of satellites to observe the entire solar surface at once for the first time. They watched as bright magnetic spots moved around the Sun, making the first real observation of a behaviour lots of scientists have expected to see its surface. The so-called Rossby waves the team observed will hopefully give us a useful new tool to predict solar weather — energetic particles blasting the Earth from magnetic events on the Sun — with several days or more advance notice.

"The Earth has these jet streams at the interfaces of air masses," McIntosh, whose findings are published today in the journal Nature Astronomy, told Gizmodo. "We think there's similar behaviour going on at the interior of the Sun — and that the sunspot cycle is a manifestation of that."

Rossby waves are a natural result of spinning planets with variable topography and moving air masses. Weather in the US is governed by a cold polar air mass and a warm tropical air mass, with the jet stream, a boundary of fast, eastward-blowing wind a few kilometres above the surface, marking their border. Natural boundaries like mountains cause the jet stream meander northwards or southwards, creating Rossby waves. The Earth spins more quickly at the equator than the poles, causing those north and southward winds to twist into swirls, for the same reason that your body would rotate if you laid perpendicularly on a pair of parallel moving walkways moving at different speeds.

McIntosh's team found a similar behaviour on the Sun, but with magnetic activity instead of air masses. They did so by observing the way brighter patches on the Sun travelled. Individual clusters of bright spots, like the air mass swirls caused by Rossby waves on Earth, seemed to slowly meander from east to west, while groups of these clusters moved in the opposite direction. You can think of the groups of clusters like a train travelling in one direction, and the individual clusters as passengers all running through the train in the opposite direction.

Solar scientists have been gossiping about these results for a while, and several experts told Gizmodo the observation was a really big deal. "There were several papers before claiming [to observe] magnetic Rossby waves on the Sun, but we had no evidence," aside from a disputed paper that came out back in 2000, said Teimuraz Zaqarashvili, researcher at the Space Research Institute in Graz, Austria. "After this paper, we have firm evidence that the Rossby waves are on the Sun. This is an important finding."

Others were less convinced. "It is an interesting effect and Rossby waves are a possibility," Jeff Kuhn, professor at the Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, told Gizmodo. "Part of the problem is that the effect is just sort of barely detectable" in the graphs that McIntosh's team used. It's a faint signal that that just barely differentiates itself from random behaviour. Kuhn did note that the waves might be a signature of the rotational slowdown he recently discussed with Gizmodo.

What would even produce these magnetic Rossby waves? "Rossby waves are observed in planetary atmospheres partly because the interaction of the fluid that makes up the atmosphere with land," Mitzi Adams, NASA solar astronomer, told Gizmodo. "On the Sun, of course, there is no solid surface" for the outer levels to interact with. The waves, Adams suggested, could result from the outermost layer of the Sun interacting with the layer beneath, but scientists will need to do more modelling work to be certain.

Kuhn and Adams both agreed that we need more data. Unfortunately, that won't be possible for a long time. The key to making an observation like this was the Earth-orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory, along with the Sun-orbiting STEREO satellites, which let scientists observe the Sun from all sides at the same time. But NASA lost contact with STERO-B, the satellite on the opposite side of the Sun, in 2014. It regained contact briefly in September 2016, but hasn't had contact with the spacecraft since then (although it's still trying).

That hasn't stopped McIntosh's team from making and testing predictions about the Sun's activity using his observations and theory. They think these Rossby waves could be used to foretell coming sunspots and increasing solar activity levels, which could lead to an uptick in space weather here on Earth. One paper accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal (pre-print here) demonstrates that McIntosh and his colleagues successfully forecast some of the Sun's magnetic activity in predictions published several years ago. Their new paper also predicts the behaviour of solar cycle 25, the next cycle in a pattern of solar magnetic activity that repeats itself every 11 years, and that's expected to begin anew in 2019.

And McIntosh's solar weather predictions involving Rossby wave observations really do seem so be working.

"So far, everything is behaving exactly the way we expected it to," McIntosh said, noting that his team has correctly called out flares in solar behaviour and predicted that the current solar cycle would have less activity than average. "We said we'd see a solar minimum soon, and that new sunspots would show up in 2019. Everything seems to be tracking perfectly," he said. "But whether we're lucky or actually tracking something, that's up to other people."

The results have plenty of other implications besides space weather predicting. Rossby waves on the Sun might mean other stars also have temporary clusters of bright points that traverse the surface with regularity. "One might mistake [a star with Rossby waves] to be a planet of some distance," said Orkan Umurhan, a research scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center. He thought that some of the distant exoplanets scientists have catalogued might actually just be Rossby waves on those stars. "There's going to be interest from the astronomers as well for this reason."

The ultimate goal is to use these observations to forecast sunspots and flares in solar behaviour with more than a few hours of lead time, allowing NASA to rotate satellites to minimise damage, or helping us prepare for a potential power outage. McIntosh will continue making predictions and hoping they play out as he expects. He's confident about his observations, but definitely needs more data, which will require more satellites. "I've been working on this for 30 years but that doesn't mean that it's right," he said.

 

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Final Ghost In The Shell Trailer Shows More Hints Of A Big Conspiracy

Lots of bodies in bags... well, if you're making successive iterations of cyborgs, you have to get the raw material from somewhere, right?

There's a bit more story teased in the latest clip for Ghost in the Shell, which has higher-ups talking about the Major as a threat to the status quo of the film's overbuilt future world. Scarlett Johansson's character has been told one thing about her new bio-mechanical existence but that's clearly not the entire truth. Not the most original premise for a science-fiction movie, but we'll see if Ghost in the Shell finds a way to make this plot beat its own when the film opens on March 30.

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Largest-Ever Dinosaur Footprint Found In Australia's Jurassic Park

Nineties kids who've always wanted to visit Jurassic Park to meet Jeff Goldblum — and dinosaurs — are in for a treat: A team of palaeontologists from the University of Queensland in Brisbane is claiming to have found the largest-ever dinosaur footprint in a region dubbed "Australia's Jurassic Park". While there hasn't been a Jeff Goldblum sighting (yet), the researchers have identified 21 different types of dinosaur tracks within a 25km region of the Dampier Peninsula coastline, including a gigantic one measuring 1.75m in length.

According to the study's lead author, Steve Salisbury, the huge footprint is probably from some kind of sauropod dinosaur. Fossils of the these long-necked, large plant-eaters have been found on every continent except Antarctica, so they're not terribly uncommon. Clearly, the footprint is remarkable because of its size. But the diversity of early-Cretaceous dinosaurs represented in this ancient stomping ground is equally astonishing. Salisbury and his team's findings were published online in the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology on March 24.

"The tracks provide a snapshot, a census if you will, of an extremely diverse dinosaur fauna," Salisbury told Gizmodo. "Twenty-one different types of dinosaurs all living together at the same time in the same area. We have never seen this level of diversity before, anywhere in the world. It's the Cretaceous equivalent of the Serengeti! And it's written in stone."

Salisbury and his team spent roughly 400 hours over five years in this stretch of land, known as Walmadany, painstakingly documenting dinosaur tracks, which number in the thousands. In addition to finding a freakishly large footprint, the team discovered five different types of predatory dinosaur tracks, six types of tracks from armoured dinosaurs, and the first evidence of stegosaurs ever found in Australia. The team estimates that the tracks to be 115 to 90-million-years-old.

"It's such a magical place — Australia's own Jurassic Park, in a spectacular wilderness setting," Salisbury said in a statement.

 

 

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Residents Are Returning to Japan’s Nuclear Ghost Towns

On March 11, 2011, residents of the many towns surrounding the critically-injured Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant had to evacuate their homes and businesses with little to no warning due to the danger of radiation spewing from the meltdown of the plant’s crippled reactors. Some of those individuals might now be coming back to the radioactive wasteland that they know as home sweet home. On April 1st, the Japanese government will lift the quarantine placed on one town, Namie, which lies just three miles (5 kilometers) from the doomed Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Most of the town was flattened by the 2011 tsunami which caused the nuclear meltdown, and the majority of its 20,000 thousand inhabitants have been in temporary housing ever since.

Despite the severity of the accident, only two deaths have been attributed to the meltdown.

Namie was situated just inside the “Red Zone,” the area of worst radioactive contamination surrounding the plant and tsunami flood zone. While radiation levels continue to spike and pose a deadly threat to some of the areas closest to the failed reactors (not to mention the danger posed by those pesky radioactive boars), officials assure Namie citizens that their city is ready to be reclaimed from the radiation left by the meltdown.

Regulatory officials had been warned of the threat of tsunamis in the past.

Despite those reassurances, many Namie natives refuse to go back to the areas around Fukushima. A government poll last year showed that fifty-three percent of Fukushima residents have chosen to never return to their homes. Ken Nollett, director of radiation medicine at Fukushima Medical University, told New Scientist that this is because many of them are skeptical about trusting the government’s science and assurances:

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It’s very difficult to convince the public that it is safe to return. They don’t accept the scientists’ view, because they see us as nuclear allies.

Nevertheless, many others have chosen to move back into their ruined homes and pick up the pieces of their lives exactly where they left them six years ago. Some Fukushima locals told the SBS in Australia that they have even refused to wear protective gear in an attempt to regain a sense of normalcy to their lives. Whether or not the radioactive ghosts of the world’s second-worst nuclear disaster will come back to haunt them will surely be seen in the coming years.

 

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GUCCI BRINGS A TOUCH OF STYLE & COLOUR TO BASELWORLD 2017

Gucci is the name synonymous with high-end fashion but little are aware that the brand’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, has also been responsible for this year’s vibrant Baselworld collection.

Featuring unorthodox silhouettes, textures and bold colour combinations, the G-Timeless from the 2017 collection plays well into the hands of the world’s fashionistos and stylish watch aficionados. The G-Timeless features an automatic movement housed within a 40mm slim stainless steel case. On the brushed chrome dial resides Gucci’s unmistakable snake motif which forms the GMT hand to represent the watch’s second time zone. This unique design extends to the indexes which highlight the traditional numbers with a bee, a star and a heart.

The art-inspired Quartz Moonphase variant of the G-Timeless comes in two sizes of 36mm and 40mm steel cases to suit most wearers and is paired with a classic mesh bracelet or exotic skin strap. Similar to the standard G-Timeless, the Moonphase model comes with the same bee, star and hear motifs on a black dial.

All G-Timeless models from Gucci are crafted in Switzerland in order to maintain exacting levels of craftsmanship without interfering with Gucci’s signature styling. As such the watches also afford a 50 metre water resistance rating to ensure practicality is met.

 

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THIS WATCH IS HIDING AN EXPENSIVE SECRET: THE WORLD’S OLDEST WHISKY

If you were blessed with the world’s oldest whisky, what would you do with it? Drink it? Sell it? Save it for a rainy day?

If you’re luxury collectibles connoisseur Wealth Solutions, you put it in a watch. The Polish company made the bold, and borderline insane, decision to team up with Swiss watchmaker Louis Moinet for a timepiece that contains a single drop of Old Vatted Glenlivet 1862, the oldest whisky on the planet.

The ‘whisky watch’ will be available starting April 8 and comes in two versions. The first features a steel case and will retail for around US$18,000. The second features a gold case and is priced around US$46,000. Fifty watches will be made in all – 40 steel, 10 gold – each containing a glass chamber that houses the drop of luxe liquor.

“Whisky Watch is a unique watch that not only measures time in hours, minutes, and seconds but is also a genuine time capsule,” the Wealth Solutions website says. “Thanks to the watch you can feel the spirit of the 19th-century Scotland and travel in time to the period of steamers, the early days of railway, and the Industrial Revolution.”

A bottle of this calibre isn’t just popped open in the kitchen. This particular Old Vatted Glenlivet 1862 came courtesy of Sukhinder Singh, a famous British collector of rare alcoholic beverages and owner of The Whisky Exchange. It was opened during a ceremony held in a 5-star hotel in the presence of a Notary Public, surrounding by luminaries in the spirits business.

As bonkers as a whisky watch sounds, it’s not the first of its kind. In fact, the venture is the latest in a series of high-end spirit watches from Wealth Solutions. A Cognac Watch – containing a drop of what is thought to be the world’s oldest Cognac, Gautier 1762 – was previously issued, as was a Rum Watch, containing the world’s ‘oldest’ rum, Harewood 1780.

We finally have the answer to “What do you buy the man who has everything?”

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WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE: MEZCAL VS. TEQUILA

Among those of us who frequent our neighborhood watering holes but not our neighbors to the south, our closest interaction with Mexico comes in the form of spirited food and beverage consumption; especially tacos and tequila. And for those of us residing within the confines of the United States, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who would say “no” to such an indulgence. Ask anyone about their experience with tequila and colorful stories of dancing, late nights, and adventure normally follow suit. Though the horror stories of overindulgence are there, when enjoyed responsibly, tequila can be a fascinating spirit.

As for its cousin, mezcal, the reputation of this liquor is only growing in popularity thanks to the resurgence of the craft cocktail scene. However, mezcal has been around for centuries, buried (literally) deep within Mexican culture and only surfacing occasionally in the U.S. in the form of cheap knock-offs fused with gimmicks (we’re looking at you, worm). Fortunately, we’re becoming more aware of the drink and giving it the respect it deserves. In fact, it’s quite possible that, given a continued growth in consumption, the popularity of mezcal could someday surpass that of tequila. Though there is a long road ahead, the smoky and more earthy drink is odd enough to keep us interested, yet storied enough to tell a great tale. But what exactly is the difference between the two? Quite a bit actually. From the region in which it’s made, to the process used to make it, to the taste, variations mean a very different but still quite similar drink that we should all try at least once.

HISTORY - Traditional Methods Still Used To This Day

Just like the term whiskey is used to describe any spirit distilled from grain, the word mezcal is used to describe any alcoholic beverage made from the agave plants native to Mexico. Therefore, tequila is actually a type of mezcal. It’s just produced in a different region through a different method. It’s rumored that fermenting this plant came about through the Spanish conquest of the area when conquistadors looked for new ways to make a distillable mash from the omnipresent plant.

Any type of mezcal (again including tequila as a subcategory) was – and still is – made in the same traditional methods that were developed centuries ago. That is, cooking the heart of the agave plant (called the piña) and fermenting the juices that are released. The liquid is referred to as the “elixir of the gods,” stemming from a cultural myth. What it demonstrates is that the enjoyment and perceived “healing power” of the drink permeates deep throughout Mexican culture. In fact, in Oaxaca, where the majority of mezcal is produced, there’s a saying which makes the claim that the drink is both a healing tonic for every illness and a celebratory beverage for every occasion outside of its medicinal use: “Para todo mal, mezcal, y para todo bien, tambien.”

Ilegal Mezcal Reposado: ($49)
El Jolgorio Wild Madrecuixe Mezcal: ($135)
Del Maguey Pechuga Mezcal: ($188)

MEZCAL - A Fusion of Smoke and Earth

As a spirit that can be produced from up to 28 varieties of agave, mezcal (stemming from the word “Mexcalmetl,” meaning over-cooked agave) can impart a variety of flavors and drinking experiences based on the types of agave used. However, the most common variant of agave featured here is Espadin agave. Historically and legally, Mezcal is produced in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, through recently this has expanded into the surrounding regions of Guerrero, Durango, San Louis Potosi, and Zacatecas.

In terms of production, the methods remain the same as day one with the utilization of in-ground pits. Once the agave is harvested, the hearts (piñas) are then cooked in one of these pits for several days. Typically the pits are about ten feet wide by ten feet deep and lined with volcanic rock. Then, a wood fire is started at the bottom heating up the rock. Piñas are then piled on, filling the hole, and then covered with about a foot of earth. This smokey oven cooks the piñas, caramelizing them in the process. The cooked agave is then crushed and fermented over the course of about 6 days – after which the mash is distilled and then the mezcal is born. Because of this unique artisan process, which often takes place on a large agave farm called a palenque, mezcal is a smokier spirit, boasting complexities and earthy notes that aren’t found in tequilas. There are, of course, cheaper and less quality versions out there, but the handcrafted nature of true mezcal is worth every penny.

Pueblo Viejo Orgullo Tequila Anejo: ($38)
Siembra Azul Tequila Anejo: ($54)
ArteNOM Seleccion de 1146 Tequila Anejo: ($60)

TEQUILA - Everyone's Favorite Mistake

Much more familiar to all of us, tequila needs little introduction or explanation. One of the main differences here, though, is that tequila can only be made from blue agave – similar to how single malt scotch can only be made from malted barley. It’s also mostly produced in Jalisco, where the town of Tequila is located, naturally. In terms of production, the agave piñas are still used to make the spirit, but the cooking process is much different. With tequila, the agave is steamed cooked inside ovens before the mash is fermented. This process leads to a less earthy and smokeless flavor profile. The process is one that began much later that traditional mezcal – during the late 19th century, to be exact – so it stands to reason that tequila is the youngest member within the entire mezcal family.

From here, tequila is distilled 2-3 times – depending on the distillery – and then aged in oak barrels for anywhere from 2 months to over 3 years. Each stage of the aging process then warrants a different name for the style of tequila, as well. For instance, 0-2 months aged makes a Blanco tequila (known as Joven for mezcal). 2 months to a year aged makes it a Reposado. And a tequila aged between 1-3 years is known as an Anejo. There is such as thing as a super Anejo that’s aged for more than 3 years, but these tend to be on the rarer side.

NEED TO KNOW: AGE CATEGORIES

For any tequila or mezcal, the amount of time each distilled spirit spends within a barrel correlates to the drink’s hue and, naturally, its flavor profile. From here, tequila and mezcal fall within three distinct categories based on age:

Blanco (Joven for mezcal): Aged no longer than 2 months.
Reposado (“rested”): Aged between 2 months and 1 year.
Anejo (“aged”): Lives in barrels anywhere 1-3 years.

Of course, the longer a tequila or mezcal rests in the barrel, the smoother the overall profile will be. Anejos can oftentimes be sweet and smooth thanks to the type of wood in which they’re aged, while Blancos and Jovens tend to be a bit harsher on the palate.

THE WORM - Fact or Fiction

We’ve all heard stories of people eating the infamous Mezcal worm – a task in which only the bravest of souls bent on a psychedelic mission dare to take part. Well, we’re sorry to burst that bubble, but there is no hard evidence to support that this is even remotely true. In fact, the “worm” isn’t even a worm at all. It’s actually a larvae – either red, white or gold – that takes up residence in the root, heart, or leaves of the agave plant.

The actual practice of placing the “worm” in mezcal wasn’t even initiated until 1950, when it was put into practice in order to help mask the taste of a poorly-made spirit. A bit of a bummer, we know, but let it be a sign of an undesirable beverage. As for the rumors of hallucinations or aphrodisiacal properties, consider them a clever marketing ploy in conjunction with an over-indulgence of booze. Regardless, you should save your money for quality brands that, unsurprisingly, leave the worm out of the equation when bottling.

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KITCHENAID COLD BREW COFFEE MAKER

Don’t let cold brews from the local cafe ruin your budget this summer. If you go in for something like this KitchenAid Cold Brew Coffee Maker, you’ll save a bundle and stay caffeinated while you’re at it.

Intended to sit on your refrigerator shelf, this stainless steel and glass warm weather essential serves as both a brewer and a tap for your coffee. An included kitchen grade filter fits perfectly inside the 28 ounce container, allowing you to steep your grounds for as long as you want. Once done, you can pull the filter out out, clean it, and set it aside to reuse after you down all of your cold brew. Since the brewer can make up to 14 servings at a time, we presume that could be for as long as two weeks – but if you’re anything like us here in the office, it could just be a few days until you pull it back out and start grinding your beans. Prices are set at $100. [Purchase]

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Wear the Kapten & Son Midnight Mesh Watch with Any Outfit

There aren’t many outfits an all black watch wouldn’t go well with. Suits of any color, at tux, shorts and a t-shirt, the ragged scraps of an international vagabond. They all get classed up with a bit of matte black. It’s why the Midnight Mesh watch from Kapten & Son is a smart investment. The watch is a stylish, versatile accent to any outfit, thanks to the matte anthracite black strap and case. The face is simple, with tick marks for hours and minutes, with 12 and 6 o’clock indicate by two large Roman numerals, and is available in both black and white. There’s nothing overly complex about this watch, which is exactly why we like it.

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There are Only a Couple Days Left to Back the LIV Rebel, the Watch That’s Raised Over $1.5 Million

There’s a reason LIV is smashing all Kickstarter records for Swiss watches. Built out of incredibly tough materials and featuring bold and unique designs, the watches have been massive hits with men looking for attractive Swiss timepieces that won’t break the bank.

The latest is the LIV Rebel, an automatic chronograph that’s already raised well over a million dollars. Boasting an innovative rectangular stadium face that’s machined from a single piece of 316L stainless steel, each Rebel watch features top-of-the-line materials like genuine sapphire crystal that’s scratch resistant and finished with an anti-reflective coating, a three-dimensional dial, and BGW9 luminescence that brings the time to life.

You can also choose the perfect Rebel for you, as there are four different models, all offered in a variety of colors and with a range of different straps. Hurry, though, as the Kickstarter campaign ends Thursday. Take a look and see why the LIV Rebel was fully funded in nine minutes. From $259

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MAKING A DUGOUT CANOE

Master woodworker and Latvia native Rihards Vidzickis has a passion for creating things from man's most-used material. Rihards is a sculptor as well as a carpenter, crafting a park of wooden sculptures and classically-styled furniture. Here, Rihards months-long process for creating a traditional dugout canoe using mostly hand tools is detailed, starting with stripping the bark from the tree to finally launching the completed canoe.

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The Man Who Is Impervious To Pain

Tim Cridland — better known by his stage name “Zamora the Torture King” – is an American sideshow performer who makes a living mutilating himself on stage. His most famous acts include walking barefoot on razors, applying electric shocks to his face and skewering various body parts with meat hooks and needles. (Rumours that he can step on Lego barefoot remain unfounded.)

Needless to say, Tim isn’t the kind of person who makes a big fuss over stubbing their toe. For all intents and purposes, he is a superhero impervious to pain. Here are his secrets.

Laughing at pain through the ages

History is filled with queer tales about people who cannot feel pain. Perhaps the most famous were the berserker warriors of the Viking Era who feared neither fire nor iron. Some historians think beserkers were psychologically conditioned to ignore pain while others believe hallucinogenic drugs and alcohol dulled their senses. Either way, there are numerous historical records detailing their imperviousness to pain – which is a handy skill to have in the heat of battle.

Hundreds of years before Vikings were reaving the coastline of Europe, the Spartan warriors of Ancient Greece were the hardest soldiers around. Their rigorous military training program – called agōgē – specifically involved pain tolerance. This included extreme fasting and deprivation of footwear to toughen the feet. This prolonged exposure to physical and psychological pain honed the Spartans into some of the greatest warriors of the ancient world.

The Immortals Army of Ancient Persia were similarly fearless in battle which led to the legend they could not be killed. In reality, their strength was kept at exactly 10,000 men, with killed or injured soldiers immediately replaced with fresh members. While their reaction to pain is undocumented, they did inspire the Unsullied from Game Of Thrones, which just about warrants their inclusion here.

The science of painlessness

In more recent times, scientists have begun to explain why some people are impervious to pain. Usually, the culprit is congenital analgesia, a rare genetic disorder that effectively dulls or deadens the pain receptors found in skin, muscles, bones, blood vessels, and organs.

The condition is caused by mutations in a protein-encoding gene essential for initiating pain signals between neurons. While people with this condition still have a sense of touch, they do not experience pain the way normal people do.

While this might sound pretty handy – particularly for any bloke who’s ever been kicked in the bollocks – it can lead to serious unintended injuries. For example, a person with congenital analgesia would not instinctively remove their hand from a hot plate until their noticed the smell of burning flesh. By that point, they could already have a third- or fourth degree burn.

People with the condition have even been known to accidentally bite their own tongue off or to die from heat stroke on hot days. Even something as simple as sitting down can lead to serious injury as they haven’t learned how to lower their bodies with due care.

It’s estimated that congenital analgesia occurs in about one in one million people worldwide. Interestingly, recent studies into congenital analgesia sufferers could help to produce new and infinitely more effective pain killers for ordinary people. Hopefully, we will all soon be able to shut off our pain receptors by popping a pill.

Zamora’s torture tips

Surprisingly, Zamora the Torture King does not have one of the aforementioned genetic conditions. Rather, he has managed to increase his pain threshold though rigorous training – just like the Spartan warriors of old. The pain caused by external stimuli is still there, but Cridland has the psychological fortitude to shrug it off. In other words, it’s a learnable skill – although why anyone would want to learn it is beyond us.

In various interviews, Cridland has explained that he was always fascinated by the Indian mystics and street performers who would put real pins through their bodies. To Cridland, then a budding magician in elementary school, this was much closer to “real magic”, and he attempted to emulate them by sticking sewing pins through the skin of his forearm.

“I always feel pain. I’m just able to control it and feel it in a different way,” Cridland once explained in a Men’s Health article. “I can reduce the way it affects me, what I call the feedback loop of pain. I'm aware of sensations; it’s not like I’m totally numb.”

Cridland claims he has been studied by scientists who have verified his ability to “change” the way his brain perceives pain. If Cridland can be believed, this is something almost anyone is capable of achieving.

“The main thing is to basically change your relationship with pain,” Cridland explains. “You can visualize pain in different ways, and gain control over it. It’s not to say that you’ll be completely free of pain, but the more you feel trapped by pain, the more it controls you. If you can get out of that feedback loop, you’ll reduce the experience of pain, or at least keep it deep in the background, as opposed to being front and center.”

According to Cridland, the key is not to ignore the pain by trying to think of something else, nor to focus on it above everything else. Rather, you need to find a middle ground – acknowledge it and work with it, but don’t let the sensations consume you.

 

 

[MIKA27]

The New War For The Planet Of The Apes Trailer Sets Up The Future We All Know Is Coming

War for the Planet of the Apes is a movie that is very aware that the story it's telling is the creation myth of 1968's Planet of the Apes. And in this new trailer, multiple elements are propelling the story toward the human-ape confrontation that we know leads to a Planet of Apes.

In addition to Caesar's (Andy Serkiss) own growth into a leader and becoming something like a legend in his own time, we also get glimpses of Bad Ape (Steve Zahn) explaining that there's something out there that's making the humans dumber while the apes get smarter, and more time with the little girl named Nova (Amiah Miller, playing the same character Linda Harrison played in Planet of the Apes).

But I'm kind of fascinated with Caesar's conversation with the ape working for the humans. He makes a good point and I hope the movie goes into why the ape stays with them. It's a dense, intriguing trailer:

War for the Planet of the Apes will be in theatres July 27.
 

[MIKA27]

Australia Hit By Real Life Sharknado

Queensland was hit hard this week by a vicious tropical cyclone. And while there has been property damage, thankfully no one was seriously injured by Cyclone Debbie. Well, no one, unless you count this 1.5m long shark that was found dead yesterday near the floodwaters

The bull shark was found in a puddle in the town of Ayr, just north of where Cylcone Debbie made landfall. Queensland Fire and Emergency Services shared photos of the poor shark on Twitter, warning people to stay out of the flood waters that are currently swamping the area.

But nobody seems to want to call this what it is: A real life sharknado. The sharknado is, of course, when a cyclone that has become infested with sharks exacts destruction on a populated area. The rare phenomenon gained public attention after the 2013 movie Sharknado.

Queensland Fire & Emergency Tweeted the above: Think it's safe to go back in the water? Think again! A bull shark washed up in Ayr. Stay out of floodwater. #TCDebbie #ifitsfloodedforgetit

Heavy rains are continuing in the region and emergency crews are still performing rescue operations for people trapped in the flooding. The hardest hit areas of Queensland have seen over 38cm of rain and roughly 50,000 homes have been without power. As many as 400 schools will remain closed today.

Sharks and schools aside, Australians were perhaps most devastated when they learned that the chaos of Cyclone Debbie had caused the beloved XXXX Brewery to catch fire on Tuesday. But Australians have been told not to worry — the fire won't affect the beer supply.

Which is good. Because after the flood water recedes everyone is going to need a drink to tell the story of where they were when a sharknado hit Australia. Because it did. This was a sharknado. Don't question science.

 

[MIKA27]

The World's Fastest Dodgem Car Is Your Childhood Dreams Come True

Dodgem cars are awesome, but they never really seem to go fast enough. Until now, that is.

100 mp/h is fast enough, yeah?

Here's how it was made:

 

 

[MIKA27]

Joss Whedon Is Set To Direct A Standalone Batgirl Movie

Batgirl is coming to DC's cinematic universe, and she's got one hell of a name directing her: Joss Whedon himself.

Confirmed by Variety today, Whedon is closing in on a deal to write, direct and produce Barbara Gordon's entry into DC's cinematic universe. There's no other information on the movie at all — other than the fact that other Gotham-based characters could appear alongside Barbara — but Variety describes the project as Warner Bros' "second" female-led DC superhero movie after Wonder Woman, which might seemingly indicate that this movie is coming sooner than David Ayer's planned Gotham City Sirens spinoff from Suicide Squad. Variety also notes, however, that plans are still in the very earliest stages — apparently the project has only begun moving forward at Warner Bros. within the last month.

While the news of Barbara Gordon getting her movie dues is definitely welcome, there's mixed feelings to be had about Whedon's role in guiding the character — especially in part because of the backlash he received for the treatment of Black Widow in Avengers: Age of Ultron, a character Whedon has expressed a desire to return to despite the intense controversy over his decisions with her storyline in that movie. Plus, unfortunately there's something to be said in that a movie starring one of DC's most popular female heroes is, unlike Wonder Woman, potentially being helmed by a man.

We'll bring you more about Warner Bros.' plans for Batgirl as we learn them.

[MIKA27]

$1300 Reward If You Know Who Stole Death Valley's Missing Fossils

National Parks exist for everyone to share and enjoy. And when something like a fossil or footprint goes missing, it stinks for everyone, including both the public and scientists who need to know the footprint's location to help understand the animal that made it.

A footprint fossil went missing from a lakebed at Death Valley National Park on the border of Nevada and California. This week, investigators are taking the search wide, asking park goers if they'd seen anything suspicious or recognise the backpackers in the above photograph, and offering a $US1000 ($1305) reward for information about who might have taken the priceless fossil.

"I'm sure they could be sold on the black market," Linda Slater, the Death Valley National Park's chief of interpretation, told Gizmodo. "But I have no idea what the value would be — the value is to the public. Like the National Parks, it's something that belongs to all of us."

Investigators have reason to believe the men pictured above may have information about the fossils. Additionally, one of the backpackers has a visible metal detector in the photo, pointed out a Death Valley Facebook commenter. Metal detecting is forbidden in National Parks.

The scientists discovered the three to five million-year-old footprints missing when they visited the site for research last month. Investigators are now planning to interview folks who had visited the park during that time who may have some information or said something.

Slater wasn't sure of what kind of animal the fossils came from, but they were likely smaller animals more likely to leave prints on the lakebed during the time period.

And it sucks that the fossils aren't in their current location. Part of fossils' importance to scientists is being able to tell the story of the place they're from, and something like a footprint can elucidate how animals interacted with and travelled around their environments.

And Death Valley fans just want the vandalism and thefts to stop.

"There's a lot of people who really love Death Valley," said Slater. "People are unhappy about it. There's been a lot of vandalism or intentional desecration over parts of the park in the past few months."

[MIKA27]

MEET THE WORLD’S STRONGEST COFFEE: BLACK INSOMNIA

With 702 milligrams of caffeine per 12-ounce serving, Black Insomnia is four times stronger than the average cup of joe. Because #SleepingIsCheating.

Australia invented a coffee that could literally kill you, but the award for world’s strongest coffee goes to South Africa. Cape Town-based Black Insomnia Coffee, launched last year, packs a whopping 702 milligrams of caffeine per 12-ounce serving, making it four times stronger than the average cup of joe.

The last coffee to be crowned king in the strength game was the appropriately named Death Wish, which has 660 milligrams of caffeine. An independent lab in Switzerland reportedly confirmed that Black Insomnia’s beans are 6.3% stronger than the beans from Death Wish.

For perspective, a standard 12-ounce cup of coffee has around 150 milligrams of caffeine, and a Red Bull boasts around 108. With only 34 milligrams, a can of Coke might as well be Ambien.

Black Insomnia writes that its coffee is “roasted and brewed by Dr G, one of the world’s foremost baristas,” who is the “mastermind behind getting your coffee as good as a ‘hug from your grandma’ while still being able to deliver that Chuck Norris roundhouse kick of caffeine goodness.”

Oh, and it has “a nice walnut and almost sweet taste profile,” but let’s be honest here, you’re not drinking it for the flavour. Learn more on the Black Insomnia website.

[MIKA27]

NVIDIA SHIELD TV MEDIA PLAYER

These days, ordinary cable television is vastly becoming an antiquated utility in the household. With streaming services and on-demand television serving as the status quo, media junkies across the nation are seeking out streaming media players as opposed to satellite discs or digital cable providers. And if you happen to be one of these individuals in the market for a streaming device, allow us to introduce the NVIDIA Shield media player.

With this nifty device, easily stream movies, TV shows, and games in 4K HDR. You’ll also have access to the Netflix, Amazon Video, Youtube, HBO, Sling, Pandora, Spotify and any other streaming apps you can think of downloading. The Shield also casts PC games in high-resolution 4K and with the help of Google’s voice search, you’re never more than a request away from downloading your favorite apps. Each package also comes equipped with a remote and controller with voice search and private listening. Take control of your entertainment system. It’s available now for $200. [Purchase]

[Fuzz]

1 hour ago, MIKA27 said:

MEET THE WORLD’S STRONGEST COFFEE: BLACK INSOMNIA

 

Gonna have to try some of this stuff. I've been drinking Killer Coffee (430mg caffeine per 250ml cup). Pretty good, but after a day or two, you get used to the caffeine level.