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


Recommended Posts

2 hours ago, Fuzz said:

I look forward to this film, as long as we get to see Tom Cruise die over and over again! :lol3:

You can just watch Tom Cruise running - thats a thing

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 13.3k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Posts

Many thanks  Yes, I think I started F1 back in 2009 so there's been one since then.  How time flies! I enjoy both threads, sometimes it's taxing though. Let's see how we go for this year   I

STYLIST GIVES FREE HAIRCUTS TO HOMELESS IN NEW YORK Most people spend their days off relaxing, catching up on much needed rest and sleep – but not Mark Bustos. The New York based hair stylist spend

Truly amazing place. One of my more memorable trips! Perito Moreno is one of the few glaciers actually still advancing versus receding though there's a lot less snow than 10 years ago..... Definit

One Of The World's First Modern Physics Textbooks Just Sold For Over $1 Million

cd4yxbj0ixesq9umclzj.jpg

Remember how you spent half your time at uni complaining about how expensive textbooks were? It could've been much worse. A few weeks ago, a copy of Galileo's Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations Relating to Two New Sciencessold at auction for just over $US790,600 ($1,073,570). Thankfully, the text is no longer required reading.

Published in 1638 as astronomer Galileo Galilei's last work, the tome is one of the first modern physics textbooks that references scientific and mathematical ideas we still use today, including Copernicus' notion that the Earth and other solar system planets revolve around the Sun. This elaborately-bound copy of Discorsi e dimostrazioni matematiche, intorno due nuove scienze attenenti alla mecanica & i movimenti locali (its original Italian name) was originally given to a French ambassador named Count François de Noailles. (The book is also dedicated to de Noailles, given his assistance in helping it get published.)

Several years earlier, in 1632, Galileo was called upon by Pope Urban VIII to publish a text that addressed Copernicus' controversial notion that the planets revolved around the Sun, and not the Earth. Instead of debunking Copernicus, Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems featured three characters discussing the merits of his ideas, including an older, slow-witted supporter of Aristotle named Simplicio, who clearly represented the church's beliefs. The book's mockery of the church's Sun-centric stance soon resulted in an inquisition, and an eventual publication ban for any of Galileo's future works.

To get around this, Galileo passed Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations Relating to Two New Sciences to Count François de Noailles who took it to Leiden, in South Holland, to be published. This particular copy, one of the first editions, was taken to Morroco later that same year, where it was sumptuously bound by the talented 17th century bookbinder Le Gascon, before being given to Count François de Noailles for his own personal collection.

The textbook appears to still be in fantastic condition given it's almost 400 years old, which only goes to show that no one bothered to crack open their textbooks four centuries ago either. At least this one kept its resale value.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Massive Lava Waves Detected On Jupiter's Moon Io
lj7katpqwyi3xiyfti2b.jpg

Io is the closest thing we have to Hell in our Solar System, a Jovian moon that features hundreds of active volcanoes and expansive lakes filled with lava. New observations suggests that the largest of these lakes, Loki Patera, produces enormous waves that repeatedly flow around the molten surface.

Thanks to a rare orbital alignment between Europa and Io, an international team of researchers has identified and tracked a pair of lava waves as they coursed around Loki Patera, which is larger than Lake Ontario, and with a surface area of 21,500 square km. The most likely explanation for this apparently periodic wave action is an overturning circulation pattern, in which cool surface crust slowly thickens and sinks, pulling nearby crust along with it in a wave that spreads across the surface. These findings are set to appear in the May 11 edition of Nature.

go6ikequip1xsvggpwgn.jpg

Loki Patera on Io (the dark horseshoe-shaped object at bottom center). (Image: NASA)

Back in the 1970s, scientists began to suspect that Io — Jupiter's fourth largest moon — featured a tumultuous and dynamic surface. When the Voyager 1 and 2 space probes visited the Jovian system in the late 1970s, these suspicions were confirmed, revealing Io as the most volcanically active object in the Solar System. This tortured moon is embroiled in a gravitational tug-of-war between Jupiter and other Jovian satellites, causing intense tidal heating within its interior.

One of the most curious things to come out of our observations of Io is the periodic brightening seen at Loki Patera every 400 to 600 days. The two prevailing theories include eruptions, which spread lava flows over a large area, or overturning waves of lava. The new study, led by researchers from UC Berkeley, would seem to suggest it's the latter.

On 8 March 2015, Europa passed in front of Io from the perspective of Earth, gradually blocking out light from the volcanic moon. In stark contrast to Io, Europa is covered in ice, which reflects very little sunlight when viewed through infrared wavelengths. This rare event was not lost on the researchers, who were hoping to track this eclipse and measure the heat emanating from volcanoes on Io's surface. To do so, they used the twin 8.4m mirrors of the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory (LBTO) in the mountains of southeast Arizona. As Europa eclipsed Io, LBTO captured the incoming infrared light.

n0mvrjyail9co8ogz6h2.gif

Europa crossing the disk of Io. Loki Patera is the bright hot spot in the upper part of the disk. Europa appears dark because water ice on its surface absorbs incoming sunlight, and because the ice on Io's surface is less absorbing of light seen at this wavelength. (Credit: LBTO)
 

"This took a while, so the heat radiating from the large expanse of Loki Patera was gradually reduced as the patera was covered by Europa, and then gradually revealed as Europa moved on," said co-author Ashley Davies of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena in an interview with Gizmodo. "The subtle variations in thermal emission as Loki Patera was covered and then revealed allowed us to map the temperatures on the surface."

This data was sliced into one-eighth-second intervals as the limb, or edge, of Europa slowly advanced across Io. The researchers compiled a two-dimensional thermal map showing the temperature distribution along the patera, and at a resolution better than 10km.

Analysis of the data showed that the surface temperature of Loki Patera steadily increased from one end to the other, suggesting that lava had overturned in two waves that swept from east to west at a rate of 1km per day. Observations also showed that the overturning was initiated at different times on the two sides of the cool island at the centre of the patera, hinting at complex geological processes beneath the surface.

 

"The velocity of overturn is also different on the two sides of the island, which may have something to do with the composition of the magma or the amount of dissolved gas in bubbles in the magma," lead study author Katharine de Kleer said. "There must be differences in the magma supply to the two halves of the patera, and whatever is triggering the start of overturn manages to trigger both halves at nearly the same time but not exactly."

"The 'overturning lava waves' phrase needs some explanation," said Davies. "These aren't (as far as we know) waves as found in the oceans of Earth (that is, think of ships bobbing up and down). Rather we have a crust forming on a lava lake... which, as it cools, thickens. Eventually, the crust density causes the crust to sink, and this systematic crust sinking propagates in a 'wave' across the entire lava lake."

Fascinatingly, as the crust breaks apart, it's possible that magma spurts upward in fire mountains, similar to what's seen on a much smaller scale in lava lakes here on Earth.

Looking ahead, the researchers are hoping to make more observations to confirm the patera is indeed a lava-filled lake, to confirm the cyclical nature of its overturning waves, and to possibly capture similar events in other pateras. Thankfully, the researchers won't have to wait terribly long. The next occultation event between Europa and Io is scheduled for 2021.

"It will be fascinating to see what is happening then, and if our model explains any new results," Davies told Gizmodo. "Also, there are other hot spots (active volcanic centres) in the LBT dataset still awaiting analysis."

Still, Davies said, in the long run "what we really need is a spacecraft mission dedicated to examining Io's volcanism, to look at Loki Patera up close, to establish without any doubt what is happening there."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Dark Tower Trailer 

Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), the last Gunslinger, is locked in an eternal battle with Walter O’Dim (Matthew McConaughey), also known as the Man in Black. The Gunslinger must prevent the Man in Black from toppling the Dark Tower, the key that holds the universe together. With the fate of worlds at stake, two men collide in the ultimate battle between good and evil.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

SWEDEN UNVEILS WORLD’S WEIRDEST SAUNA IN A GOLD-PLATED EGG

Solaregg_lkab_mountain-960x580.jpg

Scandinavian design is a well-versed art form within the confines of four walls. It’s been heavily documented amongst the pages of D’Marge but now we have an anomaly – striking Scandinavian minimalism taken to the great outdoors of Sweden’s snowy city of Kiruna.

The Solar Egg is the latest project from design duo Bigert & Bergstrom and it’s essentially a geometric gold plated egg which also doubles as a public sauna. Crazy? Perhaps. The Swedes just like to justify its existence in the name of art. Take that, Kim Jong-Un statue. The cool installation features a number of gold plated steel panels designed to reflect the surrounding environment and city. This ensures that the Solar Egg can also capture the Arctic climate of the northern region as light and darkness dramatically alters the landscape.

10_C7A4199-HDR-1-e1493869257106-960x580.jpg

Step inside Solar Egg and guests will be greeted with beautifully appointed wooden oasis complete with an intricate fireplace made from iron and rocks to mimic the human heart. And yes, get it hot enough and it will glow red.

Keen sauna hunters will need to queue up for a go since the 5 x 4 metre structure can only accommodate eight people at a time. Not a bad way to sinter away the cold winter days up north at all.

And FYI, the Solar Egg is also a metaphor for rebirth and new opportunities – something you’ll definitely be feeling after a short stint.

saunasweden-960x580.jpg

Solar-Egg6-960x580.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

SHIKI-SHIMA TRAIN

shiki-shima-train-1.jpg

Experience the beauty of the Japanese countryside and the outstanding service that the island nation is known for aboard the Shiki-Shima Train. This ten-car sightseeing train was designed by Ken Okuyama, the former Pininfarina Design Director responsible for the Ferrari Enzo, and offers a host of delights for its passengers. Those include a dining room serving cuisine from Eastern Japan, an airy lounge, two window-lined observation cars, and suites that combine traditional Japanese design with modern touches. Itineraries ranging from a one-night-two-day tour to a three-night, four-day excursion, but unfortunately, it's already booked for the rest of the year, and to get a ticket, you'll need to fill out a form and enter a lottery that determines who gets the privilege of climbing aboard.

shiki-shima-train-2.jpg

shiki-shima-train-3.jpg

shiki-shima-train-4.jpg

shiki-shima-train-5.jpg

shiki-shima-train-6.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The New Star Wars Crossover Comic Is Heading To Some Weird Places

nbijcrxryx99kwez3813.png

Marvel's Star Wars and Dr. Aphra comics kicked off a new crossover event this week, Screaming Citadel, and it's a realisation of something the comics have been doing for a while, quite unlike any other aspect of Lucasfilm's new Star Wars comic: it's digging into some really weird corners of the galaxy far, far away.

Before it was shuttered in the wake of Disney's acquisition of Star Wars, the Expanded Universe delved into all sorts of crazy concepts puttering about the corners of the Star Wars galaxy. From clones to biotech alien invaders to the true nightmare that is The Courtship of Princess Leia, the EU was never afraid to get downright freaky.

The new canon, less so. Although there's definitely some more outlandish things simmering beneath the surface, and major works like Rebels and The Last Jedi seem to at least be touching on concepts about the Force that exist beyond the rigid Light and Dark the franchise has long abided by, so far the Disney canon has largely stuck to what could be considered "standard" fare for Star Wars, as standard as a universe of laser swords and magic powers can be.

That is, except for the comic books. Marvel's Star Wars line has repeatedly been unafraid to dive into all sorts of weird concepts, from the Poe Dameron series' opening arc circling around a Force-based religious cult guarding a giant monster egg, to the Obi-Wan and Anakin miniseries being set on a weird steampunk world, to even the main Star Wars book featuring a whole arc about Yoda dealing with a giant sentient mountain. Star Wars: Screaming Citadel, by Kieron Gillen, Jason Aaron, Marco Checchetto, Andres Mossa, and Joe Caramagna, the first issue of which released yesterday, continues with that fine tradition of the comics getting their freak on in stylish fashion.

ljz2sfdkxa81aumficcf.png

The premise that brings together Dr. Aphra — the sometimes good, sometimes bad archaeologist adventurer that used to hang around with Darth Vader before he tried to kill her — and Luke Skywalker together in Screaming Citadel is definitely up there in weirdness.

Aphra is not only aware of the fact Luke is Force sensitive and training to be a Jedi, but she has found a magical ancient crystal that apparently houses the "archived personality" of a Jedi named Rur. Aphra strikes a deal with Luke: come with her to the planet Ktath'atn to activate the crystal, a once-in-a-year opportunity from the world's Queen in favour of being shown a unique example of organic life.

Aphra, who believes the crystal holds great archaeological interest, thinks Luke's Force sensitivity makes him the ideal offering to the Queen, and in return, Luke would get to learn the ways of the Jedi from Rur.

Access to the Queen is a tough thing, requiring Luke and Aphra to muck it up with fancy alien guests at a banquet — and for Luke to wear some truly hilarious-looking Star Wars formalwear — before queuing up to offer their sampling to the Queen of Ktath'atn for judgement. If this wasn't already strange enough this, by the way, is what the Queen and her retinue look like:

nalhnnjwfj1fnliivvki.png

Yeah.

At first, Luke is rapidly passed over by the Queen, because Luke and Aphra are both terrible at pitching themselves. But when one of the guests harasses Aphra, Luke unwittingly lashes out with the Force — revealing his powers and grabbing the attention of the Queen immediately, to the point that she dismisses every other potential winner of her favour. Aphra and Luke both think this is great, but unlike the audience, they don't find out why the Queen is so eager to get her hands on the young Skywalker.

Drawing upon the lifeforce of Ktath'atn's populace — through her own retinue, who mystically (and painfully) seem to draw it out of nearby civilians in the city below the titular citadel in preparation for a "Harvest," the Queen prepares herself to do something she's apparently not done in a long time:

wrktgpin4frg3f5xmnwy.png

She's kind of a lifeforce sucking, Jedi eating, evil vampire space alien queen. I told you things were getting weird. I'm kind of excited to see where it all goes next.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Grab Your Flamethrowers, Michael Myers Won't Be Immortal In Halloween Reboot


qemlqfr1rbojohtzeyrg.jpg

If there's one complaint about the later Halloween movies (though, realistically, there are several), it's how damn indestructible Michael Myers became. The masked killer escaped death so many times, he basically turned into a god. Well, writer Danny McBride has promised this won't be the case in his planned Halloween reboot.

In an interview on the EMPIRE podcast, McBride revealed that he and co-writer/director David Gordon Green plan on undoing most of Michael Myers' supernatural tendencies that were established in previous films and books. Instead of making the guy a mythic figure "of superhuman strength who cannot be killed by bullets, stab wounds, or fire," as Nicholas Rogers described him in his 2003 book Halloween: From Pagan Ritual to Party Night, McBride thinks it's scarier to have him be some weird dude who likes to murder people.

Quote

I think we're just trying to strip it down and just take it back to what was so good about the original. It was just very simple and just achieved that level of horror that wasn't corny. And it wasn't turning Michael Myers into some supernatural being that couldn't be killed — that stuff to me isn't scary. I want to be scared by something that I really think could happen. I think it's much more horrifying to be scared by someone standing in the shadows while you're taking the trash out as opposed to someone who can't be killed pursuing you.

During the interview, McBride mentions how they wanted to bring the character back to John Carpenter's original vision, having it take place around and after his first two films. But to be honest, I'm not sure exactly what the means. In his 1978 debut, Michael Myers is stabbed through the neck with a knitting needle and shot several times and the second one ends with him getting blown up.

Since the movie takes place after the first two, this means all those near-death experiences would still be canon. Carpenter himself has called Michael Myers "almost a supernatural force." So, wouldn't that mean the character, at his core, is supernatural?

It also becomes weird when you look at the 1979 novelisation of the first film, where the prologue detailed this ancient Celtic man named Enda who murdered the Druid princess Deirdre and her lover for revenge, and got cursed by a shaman to relive his crime for eternity. Both Michael Myers, and his murderous great-grandfather, have nightmares about Enda and Deirdre. If that doesn't seem supernaturally inspired, I don't know what does.

I'm guessing what will happen is the movie will be taking away the Curse of Thorn and other overly supernatural elements that were established in later films, but leaving ambiguity over Michael Myers' strength and vulnerability. After all, if Michael Myers is only a regular guy, there's no way he'd survive a giant fire. Carpenter will serve as an executive producer for the film, and maybe provide the score.

The Halloween reboot is set to come out late 2018.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Newly Declassified Document About Spy Satellites On The Space Shuttle Leaves The Sexy Bits To Your Imagination

s3zotn75gxmpb7t6lwnq.jpg

What's the first thing you think about when you think of NASA's space shuttle program? Sally Ride? Spinning in microgravity? The Challenger explosion? That episode of The Simpsons? You might not think about the US military and intelligence community launching spy satellites, but you should. NASA's shuttles were designed specifically to carry US spy satellites to orbit. And we got our hands on a newly declassified document about the top secret plans.

Before you get too excited, all the juiciest bits are redacted. I filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the document with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), and it leaves way more questions than it answers. But it's precisely those redactions that make it such an interesting document.

The 17-page document is titled "Declassifying the 'Fact of' the NRO's Use of the Space Shuttle as a Launch Vehicle". And it's exactly what it sounds like.

g2qjkww3f4yhuwscfxd7.jpg

Excerpt from a newly declassified document titled Declassifying the 'Fact of' the NRO's Use of the Space Shuttle as a Launch Vehicle, with highlighting added by Gizmodo (National Reconnaissance Office/FOIA)

 

The document, which I've uploaded to Scribd in its entirety, was produced in July of 2001 to determine whether the highly secretive US National Reconnaissance Office should even acknowledge that it not only regularly used the space shuttles to launch spy satellites, but that it helped design the shuttles for this purpose.

The NRO isn't as well known as the CIA or the NSA, but the agency plays a pivotal role in keeping an eye on the planet for America's intelligence community. They're the folks that keep tabs on the entire planet from above using more advanced cameras and satellites than civilians could even dream of. Officially, the NRO's budget is a secret, but it's estimated to be at least $US10 billion ($13.5 billion) per year.

The document I obtained through a FOIA request was produced in 2001, but there was no announcement made about any of it at the time. The entire purpose of the document, as you'll see by the end, was to basically address what would happen if this information ever became widely known. It wasn't until a decade later that it did, as the existence of NRO satellites launched by the shuttle, like the Hexagon, was declassified.

But the American public is still largely in the dark about how NASA is used for spying and military purposes.

btbn3laabee1mfgaycja.jpg

Two former NRO employees Fred Marra, left, and Bob Zarba describe the camera operation of the Hexagon KH-9 secret spy satellite, which was launched using the space shuttle, in a file photo from when the program was declassified in December 2011 

The document starts with an executive summary that gets to the heart of the matter: While it's fine to declassify the simple fact that the NRO used the space shuttle to launch spy satellites, absolutely none of the specifics should be released yet:

Quote

Following analysis of key risk areas, the declassification of the "fact of" NRO's use of the Space Shuttle as a launch vehicle is an appropriate result of evolving classification policy. All related programmatic data, however, should maintain appropriate classification. No other information beyond "fact of" should be declassified.

Everything from engineering data, to operational data, to management data was to be withheld, and areas where this document gets near those subjects are redacted. But the brief summaries about NRO and the military's deep involvement with NASA are interesting nonetheless.

One excerpt from the document explains that the NRO was involved in designing the space shuttle program to ensure that it met their needs:

Quote

Air Force and NRO officials participated in the design of the Shuttle throughout the 1970s, in particular the sizing of its manned orbiter payload bay to accommodate anticipated spacecraft growth. The Air Force also contributed funds to its development during this time. The Space Shuttle was expected to meet the launch requirements of both NASA and the Department of Defence (DoD). In January 1977, President Ford's departing Deputy Secretary of Defence Clements executed a "NASA/DoD Memorandum of Understanding" that pledged the Defence Department to use the Space Shuttle as its "primary vehicle for placing payloads in orbit." President Carter's incoming Air Force Under Secretary, Hans Mark, who favoured plans to use the Space Shuttle as the primary launch vehicle for National Reconnaissance Program (NRP) payloads, further reinforced this sentiment.

But it's not long before we get to the stuff that's still classified. For instance, the date when the NRO launched its first satellite on the space shuttle? Redacted.

b2yxhe8ual63uneeoj5j.png

Excerpt from a newly declassified document titled Declassifying the 'Fact of' the NRO's Use of the Space Shuttle as a Launch Vehicle (National Reconnaissance Office/FOIA)

utrhnslspkfaqkaspyya.png

Excerpt from a newly declassified document titled Declassifying the 'Fact of' the NRO's Use of the Space Shuttle as a Launch Vehicle (National Reconnaissance Office/FOIA)

It's during this period that it becomes clear, despite the redactions, that things had gone wrong with the US military's plans to use the space shuttle as a dependable way to get assets into space.

bqkq7y9iopj9jsiiexia.png

Excerpt from a newly declassified document titled Declassifying the 'Fact of' the NRO's Use of the Space Shuttle as a Launch Vehicle (National Reconnaissance Office/FOIA)

The NRO and Air Force clearly have to start making alternate plans, which is something that James E. David's 2015 book Spies and Shuttles touches on in some detail.

kizp5vkpql6vymhv7vxs.png

Excerpt from a newly declassified document titled Declassifying the 'Fact of' the NRO's Use of the Space Shuttle as a Launch Vehicle (National Reconnaissance Office/FOIA)

The next few pages raise questions of everything from the consideration of foreign arrangements and treaties, to the possibility that people will start submitting Freedom of Information Act requests to unmask the details of these programs to put spy satellites in space using what was ostensibly a civilian agency with a peaceful mission, NASA.

lv9imz8tkd6nbrjlsjqj.png

Excerpt from a newly declassified document titled Declassifying the 'Fact of' the NRO's Use of the Space Shuttle as a Launch Vehicle (National Reconnaissance Office/FOIA)

The fact that military and intelligence community personnel were working at NASA is also a sensitive subject. In fact, a portion of the document refers to "ongoing efforts", which you can be sure are still part of virtually everything America does in space.

qmtzhwldbfeteexfz9hv.png

Excerpt from a newly declassified document titled Declassifying the 'Fact of' the NRO's Use of the Space Shuttle as a Launch Vehicle (National Reconnaissance Office/FOIA)

The document ends by explaining that the NRO won't be releasing any kind of statement about the fact that it's declassifying the existence of spy satellites launched by the shuttle program. But it does have a guide for public relations.

w3sf0j7ewhr5lhgd7eb7.png

Excerpt from a newly declassified document titled Declassifying the 'Fact of' the NRO's Use of the Space Shuttle as a Launch Vehicle (National Reconnaissance Office/FOIA)

The Q&A portion of the document for NRO employees, should anyone ask them about the program, can be boiled down to "that's classified":

Quote

 

Q: To what extent has the NRO used the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Space Shuttle to launch reconnaissance satellites?

A: The NRO has used the Space Shuttle as a launch vehicle. This was in accordance with national space policy of the time.

Q: Which Space Shuttle Missions carried NRO payloads?

A: That information is classified.

Q: Why can't you explain details of NRO's use of the Space Shuttle? The NRO announces today's launches?

A: The NRO, with certain exceptions (Corona, Argon, and Lanyard) has not acknowledged any of its launches prior to December 1996.

Q: How extensive is the NRO relationship with NASA?

A: In addition to the NRO's past use of the Shuttle as a launch vehicle, the NRO, NASA, and USSPACECOM representatives convene regularly for Partnership Council meetings to discuss issues of mutual interest.

Q: Does use of the Space Shuttle mean NASA plays an active role in intelligence operations?

A: No.

 

You can read the entire document here. With any luck, we should get those redacted parts in 50 years or so. But for now we're left to try and read between the lines and figure out what happened where and with whom.

Sometimes I feel like if I stare at the redacted portions long enough they will just peel off and reveal themselves. A guy can dream, can't he?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Elbow cassette player

Elbow Cassette Tape Player | Image

This interesting concept will take you on a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Elbow is a clip-on cassette player (similar to the tonearm of a vinyl record player) that snaps onto a cassette tape, grabs the cassette’s spools in its elbow arms, and sits against the exposed magnetic tape. You can then turn the device left to play the cassette and turn up the volume, or turn right to fast-forward the tape. Audio is output via a standard 3.5mm headphone plug, and it features a micro USB for charging. The minimalist player is incredibly small and leaves most of the cassette exposed for your visual enjoyment. 

elbow-cassette-tape-player-2new.jpg | Image

elbow-cassette-tape-player-3.jpg | Image

elbow-cassette-tape-player-4.jpg | Image

elbow-cassette-tape-player-5.jpg | Image

elbow-cassette-tape-player-6.jpg

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ORKNEY KIRKJUVAGR ARKH-ANGELL GIN

Orkney Kirkjuvagr Arkh-Angell Gin

There's one way to improve on the already popular Kirkjuvagr Gin from Orkney: distil a more potent version. Orkney Kirkjuvagr Arkh-Angell Gin is named after the fishing boat that belonged to the late father of one-half of the Orkney management team and is also a reference to its use of a locally grown variety of Norwegian angelica called Archangelica. It's bottled at 114 proof, a level of gravity commonly referred to as "navy strength" in the gin industry but cleverly dubbed "storm strength" by Orkney. Each bottle is hand numbered, and the batch is limited to 1000 bottles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Judge Dredd: Mega-City One TV Series "In Development"

_94677661_ezquerracover.jpg.496088ef834be9349cf203fa0732c86f.jpg

British comic book icon Judge Dredd is to star in his own TV show.

Rebellion, which prints the character's stories in 2000 AD, is teaming up with studio IM Global to produce the "big-budget" series.

It is the first time the futuristic lawman's on-screen escapades are being overseen by the Oxford-based publisher.

Rebellion said development of the project, titled Judge Dredd: Mega-City One, has begun, with the cast to be announced at a later date.

The programme will be filmed in the UK, a spokesman said.

'Seminal sci-fi property'

Jason and Chris Kingsley, the owners of Rebellion, said: "We're very excited to be beginning the journey to get more of Judge Dredd's Mega-City One on the television screen.

"Thanks to the legions of fans who have kept up pressure on social media, and a lot of background work and enthusiasm, we aim to make a big budget production that will satisfy both our vast comics audience and the even greater general screen-watching public."

_96000777_a7c9308e-c55b-442c-8572-77c3b9dd7b98.jpg.c992f479744d395c62dad40d6dd74dc2.jpg

Judge Dredd patrols an over-populated metropolis in the 22nd Century, where he has the powers of a judge, jury and executioner.

Created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra in 1977, his satirical stories took inspiration from hard-edged cop movies and the punk movement.

He has previously been portrayed in films by Sylvester Stallone in 1995 and Karl Urban in 2012.

Mark Stern, executive producer on the show, previously worked for the Syfy channel on Battlestar Galactica.

He described Dredd as "one of those seminal sci-fi properties that seems to only become and more relevant with age".

He added: "Not only is it a rich world with biting social commentary, but it's also fun as hell.

"As a fan of the comics and both films, it's a dream come true to be able to work with Jason and Chris in adapting this for television."

IM Global's previous productions include the Oscar-winning Hacksaw Ridge and Martin Scorsese's Silence.

_95998229_mc1_poster.thumb.jpg.b3b321a7181daae5805796bd553242d5.jpg

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

Judge Dredd: Mega-City One TV Series "In Development"

_94677661_ezquerracover.jpg.496088ef834be9349cf203fa0732c86f.jpg

British comic book icon Judge Dredd is to star in his own TV show.

Rebellion, which prints the character's stories in 2000 AD, is teaming up with studio IM Global to produce the "big-budget" series.

It is the first time the futuristic lawman's on-screen escapades are being overseen by the Oxford-based publisher.

Rebellion said development of the project, titled Judge Dredd: Mega-City One, has begun, with the cast to be announced at a later date.

The programme will be filmed in the UK, a spokesman said.

'Seminal sci-fi property'

Jason and Chris Kingsley, the owners of Rebellion, said: "We're very excited to be beginning the journey to get more of Judge Dredd's Mega-City One on the television screen.

"Thanks to the legions of fans who have kept up pressure on social media, and a lot of background work and enthusiasm, we aim to make a big budget production that will satisfy both our vast comics audience and the even greater general screen-watching public."

_96000777_a7c9308e-c55b-442c-8572-77c3b9dd7b98.jpg.c992f479744d395c62dad40d6dd74dc2.jpg

Judge Dredd patrols an over-populated metropolis in the 22nd Century, where he has the powers of a judge, jury and executioner.

Created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra in 1977, his satirical stories took inspiration from hard-edged cop movies and the punk movement.

He has previously been portrayed in films by Sylvester Stallone in 1995 and Karl Urban in 2012.

Mark Stern, executive producer on the show, previously worked for the Syfy channel on Battlestar Galactica.

He described Dredd as "one of those seminal sci-fi properties that seems to only become and more relevant with age".

He added: "Not only is it a rich world with biting social commentary, but it's also fun as hell.

"As a fan of the comics and both films, it's a dream come true to be able to work with Jason and Chris in adapting this for television."

IM Global's previous productions include the Oscar-winning Hacksaw Ridge and Martin Scorsese's Silence.

_95998229_mc1_poster.thumb.jpg.b3b321a7181daae5805796bd553242d5.jpg

 

 

Awesome!  Love Judge Dredd.  The comics and the two movies.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If Pixar Made A James Bond Movie...

It would probably look like Agent 327, a project by Blender Animation studio. It's based on the comics of Dutch artist Martin Lodewijk, and it actually looks fantastic.
It's gritty and funny and weird and just... inventive.

Blender Animation Studio is currently seeking funding to make this movie. I hope someone ponies up the cash. They might even consider crowdfunding because I'd pay a bit of cash to see this thing made.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Powers Boothe Has Died At 68

According to his publicist, actor Powers Boothe died in his sleep last night in his Los Angeles home due to natural causes at the age of 68.

Boothe was known for his roles in Deadwood, Sin City, Tombstone, and most recently in the Avengers movie and Agents of SHIELD where he portrayed Gideon Malick, a key figure in Hydra who eventually turned on the organisation. His iconic voice made him a favourite choice to play such villains, and he even voiced Gorilla Grodd in the Justice League animated series.

Boothe is survived by his wife Pam, whom he'd been married to for 48 years, and their two children Parisse and Preston.

MIKA: Brilliant actor IMO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, MIKA27 said:

Powers Boothe Has Died At 68

 

According to his publicist, actor Powers Boothe died in his sleep last night in his Los Angeles home due to natural causes at the age of 68.

Boothe was known for his roles in Deadwood, Sin City, Tombstone, and most recently in the Avengers movie and Agents of SHIELD where he portrayed Gideon Malick, a key figure in Hydra who eventually turned on the organisation. His iconic voice made him a favourite choice to play such villains, and he even voiced Gorilla Grodd in the Justice League animated series.

Boothe is survived by his wife Pam, whom he'd been married to for 48 years, and their two children Parisse and Preston.

Damn, I liked him.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

‘The Mummy’: New Featurette Reveals Russell Crowe’s Transformation into Mr. Hyde

Universal Pictures has unveiled a new behind-the-scenes featurette for The Mummy, and it’s all about Russell Crowe’s Dr. Jekyll…and of course Mr. Hyde. The film will mark the beginning of an interconnected universe of Universal Monsters movies, with Bill Condon recently coming onboard to helm Bride of Frankenstein while other pics like Van Helsing and The Wolfman are in the works. And it appears that the major connective tissue from The Mummy to these other future films will be the Dr. Jekyll character.

Tom Cruise leads The Mummy as Nick Morton, who unleashes Sofia Boutella’s powerful Mummy character and must seek the help of Dr. Jekyll, who specializes in studying monsters. Jekyll heads up Prodigium, a society dedicated to analyzing and fighting monsters, and this featurette gives us some footage of the interactions between Nick and Dr. Jekyll as Cruise, Crowe, and director Alex Kurtzman discuss these character dynamics. And towards the end of the clip, we get a brief glimpse of Crowe’s transformation from Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde.

It feels like Prodigium is being set up as the driving force behind the various monsters that might arise in future films, which is smart. Crowe can be sort of the Nick Fury of the Universal Monsters Universe, with Prodigium also grounding the creatures in a science-based reality of sorts. It’ll be curious to see if heroes like Cruise will carry over into other films as well, or if this interconnected universe is more about the creatures themselves. Either way, Cruise is one of our most reliable performers, Crowe is an excellent actor, and the potential here is strong, so I’m incredibly excited to see what The Mummy has in store for audiences.

Check out the new The Mummy featurette below. Scripted by Christopher McQuarrie (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) and Jon Spaihts (Passengers), the film also stars Annabelle Wallis, Jake Johnson, and Courtney B. Vance. The Mummy opens in theaters on June 9th in 3D, 2D, and IMAX 3D.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Mummy:

Quote

Thought safely entombed in a tomb deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient princess (Sofia Boutella of Kingsman: The Secret Service and Star Trek Beyond) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.
 
From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, The Mummy brings a surprising intensity and balance of wonder and thrills in an imaginative new take that ushers in a new world of gods and monsters.

the-mummy-russell-crowe-mr-hyde

the-mummy-poster-tom-cruise

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Aviary Cocktail Book

The Aviary Cocktail Book

If you’ve never been to The Aviary in Chicago, you don’t know what you’re missing. The Grant Achatz cocktail joint has won more awards and developed more influential cocktails and products than we could ever hope to mention. When—neigh, if—you manage to get into The Aviary, your mind will be no less than completely blown by the cocktail selection available at the restaurant. The Aviary Cocktail Book combines everything that Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas (creators and owners of Alinea, which is essentially The Aviary’s parent restaurant), along with Allen and Sarah Hemberger (California artists that set out to create all the recipes from the original Alinea cookbook) learned throughout the years of designing, building, creating and re-creating recipes. By their powers combined they created a fantastic cocktail cookbook that highlights the creative process that goes into each of the cocktails—along with everything else from the service ware and the process behind it—that goes into each delicious beverage. Want to up your home bar cocktail game? You need a copy of this book.

The Aviary Cocktail Book

The Aviary Cocktail Book

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Watch Adam Savage Combine Chewbacca And C-3PO Into One Glorious Costume

World-class Star Wars nerd Adam Savage is a particularly big fan of Chewbacca. But he's also an electronics expert in addition to being an incredibly talented creator and props master, so really, it makes sense that he'd combine a Wookie suit with an animatronic Threepio for the ultimate Empire Strikes Back cosplay.

This is a one-day build from Savage, combining two previous projects into one. That doesn't change the fact that it's really cool, though, and it's a great use of your lunch hour — grab a snack and sit back and enjoy.

Bonus Video:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This Logan Noir Trailer Is A Straight-Up Johnny Cash Music Video

k0syzocgnxrqfrwtnx3q.jpg

When the very first trailer for Fox's Logan dropped last year, it was the ad's careful use of Johnny Cash's haunting "Hurt" that suggested the movie would have an emotional weight and depth to it unlike any other X-Men flick. The song was always perfect crystallisation of the older Wolverine's painful struggle, but in this new trailer for the movie's black-and-white version, footage from the film becomes the emotionally-devastating visual aspect to what's basically the most badarse Johnny Cash music video ever.

In the months since Logan's release, that early read of the film's energy has proven correct and the use of Cash's music has only become more brilliant in retrospect. Not only do Cash's vocals map perfectly onto the look and feel of the film, but the trailer itself strongly echoes the haunting original music video for "Hurt" from 2002:

Both feature men looking back on their legacies, and seeing only the pain they have inflicted on others — especially the people they love. And how, even now, they don't feel themselves capable of doing anything else.

The remastered movie will be available on Blu-ray June 7.

MIKA: Me personally, I'm not a fan of the movie in black and white because as it is, the movie Logan was pretty dark as it was. This grey scale is mostly gimmick IMO for a movie that already is brilliant.


 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Final Trailer For War For The Planet Of The Apes Does Not Skimp On The War

Everyone's angry at everyone else in the last War for the Planet of the Apes trailer, which makes sense, as the excellent prequel trilogy has always been building up to one final battle for the fate of human and simian kind. By the looks of it, it's going to be one hell of a fight.
This last trailer is packed with new footage of glorious ape-vs.-human action, but still doesn't tell us much about the wider story of War for the Planet of the Apes. We get a few hints at the strange young girl Caesar and his retinue pick up on their journey — who is meant to be Nova from the classic first Apes movie — and we get a little more insight into the desperation of the surviving remnant of humanity. But it's mainly about both sides being backed up against a wall, and each deciding a bloody, costly war is the only way they can survive.

It's also kind of about monkeys with hand grenades, too. Seriously, there's a lot of wild-looking action going on here.

War for the Planet of the Apes hits theatres July 27.
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This Time Lapse Video Of The Grand Canyon Will Give You An Existential Crisis

What better way to start off your day with a nice, hot cup of existential uncertainty? Forget everything you think you know about yourself or reality, because a gorgeous new video of the Grand Canyon is about to irrevocably mess you up. In a good way, I think.

fdwwuhdtw1a42kt6d9gc.jpg

The video is part of a project called SKYGLOW, which aims to educate viewers on the dangers of urban light pollution in North America. In collaboration with the International Dark-Sky Association, SKYGLOW's two-person team has recorded some of the most stunning views of the night sky in recent memory, including a time lapse of the stars over Hawaii, and another of radio astronomy observatories around the US. But this new video captures a rare phenomenon that demands to be seen.

xx9oss2vqdoezh6pronr.jpg

"Cold air is trapped in the canyon and topped by a layer of warm air, which in combination with moisture and condensation form the phenomenon referred to as the full cloud inversion," SKYGLOW photographer Harun Mehmedinovic explained in an email to Gizmodo. "We were extremely lucky to be there to capture it, and it's a collection of unique footage not found anywhere else."

Pop on some Enya (No don't do that)  and watch a sea of clouds fill one of the most epic canyons on Earth. Try not to question your reality too hard.
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How Does A 110-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Still Have Its Skin?

irzdhzskgoytyuc1rdge.jpg

An arresting image of a "mummified" dinosaur went viral this weekend after National Geographic broke the story of the 110-million-year-old armoured plant-eater, a newfound species of nodosaur whose exquisite remains are now on display in the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, Canada.

The ancient animal is obviously a remarkable specimen — not just a few battered bones, but an entire creature, transformed into stone with bits of the original soft tissue still preserved. When I first saw images of the beast, which was photographed for the June issue of National Geographic, I had to know how it came to be so well-preserved — and if there are other dino mummies like it. So I called up Caleb Brown, one of the palaeontologists who has been studying the fossil since it was first unearthed from the Alberta Tar Sands in 2011.

He was quick to emphasise just how special this specimen was.

"This is one of the best preserved dinosaurs in the world," Brown said. "The skin is made up of individual scales — kind of hexagonal or octagonal polygons, interspersed with osteoderms, which are body armour. What sets it apart is each of those osteoderms has a layer of keratin — the same stuff your fingernails are made of. That is almost never preserved."

Quote

"This is one of the best preserved dinosaurs in the world"

Brown added that while his team can't see the skeleton — because it's beneath hundreds of kilograms of petrified dinosaur flesh — they are currently using CT scanning to analyse the innards as much as possible. "We might eventually be able to tell a bit about its internal organs, even its last meal," he said.

So, how does a massive lump of flesh manage to elude decomposition for 110 million years, last meal and all? Obviously, we can't turn back the clock and find out. But knowledge of the environment that the nodosaur lived and died in has allowed Brown and his colleagues to reconstruct a likely scenario.

According to Brown, back in the early- to mid-Cretaceous, Alberta would have been a very different place. "A large, inland sea stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean — very warm, and very shallow. Most of the dinosaurs we find are preserved near the coast," where big river systems sent loads of sediment rushing into that inland ocean, trapping and fossilising bits of ancient animals that died along the way.

But this dead dino wasn't found along a coastline, where it would have munched leafy greens in an environment similar to the Florida Everglades. It was found offshore, at the bottom of an ancient sea bed. "The animal was preserved in an environment it didn't live in," Brown said. "It would have been living on land, and washed out to sea," probably after it died.

By the time the armoured carcass arrived in the ocean, the decomposition process would have begun — trillions of bacteria breaking down its cells and releasing noxious gases. Its body would have started to inflate like a great, stinky flesh balloon, buoying it along on the warm shallow sea. Bloat and float, marine biologists call it. The putrid hot pocket would continued on its merry way, until eventually, something caused it to explode.

"At some point, it would have burst and sank rapidly," Brown said. "We know that because we have this impact crater preserved where it was found."

After smashing unceremoniously into the seafloor, the deflated nodosaur was probably buried under a thick layer of mud, protecting it from scavengers. Low oxygen levels at the bottom of the ocean could have also impeded decomposition. Eventually, the beast became petrified through and through, hard minerals replacing its squishy soft tissues. Although according to Brown, the soft bits don't seem to be entirely gone.

Quote

"I guess the take home message is — whenever you are excavating rock for a road cut, mine, whatever, be on the lookout for these important fossils."

"It's not just the texture of the skin, some of the organics" are still there, he said, adding that he couldn't go into details on the chemistry of the dino mummy just yet, as the results are pending publication. "Most of the body has become petrified — my co-author likes to joke that it's in a sarcophagus."

And as for whether there are other dino mummies out there, waiting to be unearthed from the ancient seas? Brown emphasised that the conditions which led to this nodosaur becoming petrified whole are extremely unusual. More unusual still is humans happening to stick their shovels in precisely the right spot to find such a creature. But he doesn't doubt there are more petrified beasts of the Cretaceous out there, swallowed whole by the Earth by some strange combination of death and physics.

"There are almost certainly more out there," he said, noting that the nodosaur mummy was discovered by chance by a heavy equipment operator, who was excavating in an Alberta mine for the energy company Suncor. "I guess the take home message is — whenever you are excavating rock for a road cut, mine, whatever, be on the lookout for these important fossils."
 

 


 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Trench Lighter

The Trench Lighter

The trench lighter was a military innovation originally crafted from spent bullet casings and pieces of metal in the early 1900s. Soldiers in the First World War would carry the lighters wherever the fight took them. This Trench Lighter is modeled after those iconic pieces. Simply slide up the flame protector so you can light it and slide it back down to snuff out the flame. You can even use the Trench Lighter when the wind is whipping, like it would be in a trench. The keyring loop on the back end is attached to a screw cap that secures the lighter fluid. Consider it a bit of military history for your EDC.

The Trench Lighter

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glycine Airman Watch

Glycine Airman Watch | Image

Glycine is a Swiss wristwatch manufacturer, they became a noteworthy watch maker in the early 1950s for the introduction of their Airman model, a 24-hour watch favored by both military and commercial pilots, but also frequent travelers, thanks to the introduction of multiple time-zone watches to the market back in 1953. Now, in addition to regular local time, world time was available at a glance. The impressive and distinctive Airman line has never been absent from the Glycine collection, and is, today more than ever, the spearhead of the range.

glycine-airman-watch-2.jpg | Image

glycine-airman-watch-3.jpg | Image

glycine-airman-watch-4.jpg | Image

glycine-airman-watch-5.jpg | Image

glycine-airman-watch-6.jpg

glycine-airman-watch-7.jpg

glycine-airman-watch-8.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

Community Software by Invision Power Services, Inc.