Imprecise Science Search Results

News: Minority Report, Kinect-style

Here's another cool hack using the Kinect, albeit one beyond the reach of most of us. Some students, staff, and professors at MIT have developed "hand detection" software using the Kinect's motion sensor. Below is a demonstration of this software. It recalls Tom Cruise's iconic scenes from the movie Minority Report.

HowTo: Make Dragon's Beard (AKA International Cotton Candy)

Known as Dragon's Beard, Pashmak, or Pishmaniye, hand pulled cotton candy is more than just a carny treat- it's a worldwide delicacy. The French Culinary Institute's Cooking Issues demonstrates how to make a delicious, exotic rendition of the classic American cotton candy without a machine. All it takes is a little food science and worldly know how.

HowTo: Make a Jenga Pistol

Not only will this wood-block pistol make you the terror of your next family activity night, it'll actually improve your Jenga game! Through science! For, you see, the faster you can knock a block out of a Jenga tower, the shorter the amount of time over which it can exert a frictional force on its neighbors. Which means the whole kit-and-caboodle is much less likely to come tumbling down. Want one? You'll have to build it yourself. Which is fitting because the word "jenga" actually means som...

News: People Are Awesome

Usually there's something semi-dissatisfying about greatest hits compilations on YouTube, but People Are Awesome is pretty amazing. And being this is WonderHowTo, we are all about celebrating people doing amazing things. (*In fact, if you're continual reader, you will see many familiar faces below.)

HowTo: Make a Mac-o'-Lantern

Outfitted with a glowing MacBook sleep indicator, this Mac-o'-Lantern gives new meaning to the phrase "sleepy hollow." Interested in making your own? The folks at Evil Mad Science Laboratories offer a complete write-up of the build process on their blog. Be forewarned, however, that, unless you use a smaller-sized pumpkin, people may just assume that you've stuffed a Mac Mini in there!

News: Human Superman Flies Under the Arms of Christ

Wingsuits are an invention of the Gods. Why? Because they give human beings incredible superhuman powers. First in the gallery below, a compilation of world renown daredevil Jeb Corliss' most amazing jumps. Second, Jeb's epic flight under the arms of Rio's gigantic Jesus Christ. Previously, Adrenaline Rush vs. Death: The Science of Risk.

News: Why would I buy a video camera. Tell me, Canon, please.

So the Canon 5d mkII, iirc, can shoot video that looks like 35mm film, due to its huge sensor and ability to use all of the Canon still lenses. The Canon XH-A1 can't do that. The Casio Exilim ex-f1 can shoot up to 1200 fps looking... ok well not so hot but seems to look good at slightly less fast framerates, letting moms and dads shoot slo-mo video in their backyards. The Canon XH-A1 can't do that. Of course folks have to go through a big rigamarole to get sound synched with the 5d and it has...

News: Meticulously Hand Drawn Photorealistic Hair-Art

Amazing series of charcoal/graphite drawings and oil paintings by Hong Chun Zhang. "Twin Spirits are large charcoal hair drawings, self-portraits of my twin sister and me. I use long hair to exaggerate our major characteristic and as a metaphor to reveal something that is beyond the hair. These drawings are presented as scroll paintings in order to accentuate the length of the piece and the flow of long hair..."

News: Mutate Your Garden Spoils

Horticulture mad-science offers a slew of marketing possibilities. How is it that our grocery stores aren't filled with Mickey Mouse shaped melons or, as in the case of Chinese farmer Hao Xianzhang, baby shaped pears? Xianzhang isn't the first to come up with the idea of young produce grown into a specifically shaped mold; the Japanese have been growing square shaped watermelons for the purpose of refrigerator space efficiency. And (as pictured below), decades ago an Ohio farmer grew a real-l...

How To: DC Versus AC and the Diode

Direct current (DC) by definition flows in one direction. Alternating current (AC), on the other hand, periodically changes direction, or reverses polarity. It is indeed possible for a portion of a circuit that is normally DC to periodically change direction, or reverse polarity like an AC circuit.

News: Photograph Beams of Light

More science-geek-art: amazing photographs by Alan Jaras. Apparently the images have not been altered in any way (computer generated or color treated) and are true reproductions of light refraction patterns captured on film.

News: Blow anti-gravity floating bubbles

Defy logic and gravity with this quick magic-science illusion. All you need is lighter fluid, a bowl and some bubble solution. The butane gas from the lighter sinks to the bottom of the bowl, below the oxygen. The bubbles then float in the oxygen atop the heavy butane creating a magical hover effect!

How To: Dissect a sheep brain to compare to a human brain

This seven-part video tutorial will take you through the steps necessary to dissecting a sheep brain so we can learn and compare it to a human brain. You'll learn about the different kinds of memory in the brain, and that's not all. So, for this science anatomy of the brain dissection project, go down to the local slaughterhouse and get yourself a brain. Abattoirs are a great place for brains. Dissect a sheep brain to compare to a human brain - Part 1 of 7.

News: Dissecting a Human Head Through Anatomical Illustrations

Human anatomy is something every physician must undergo as a medical student. Some move on to become great doctors, some move on to become great artists, helping to better educate students and improve upon many illustrated representations of the human body since the days of medieval medicine. But thankfully, you don't have to be in the medical profession to enjoy the beautiful art of the human body created for teaching purposes.