Beauty is a fine line between art and science for Pe Lang, a Swiss sculptor living and working in both Berlin and Zurich. The autodidact artist specializes in graceful, hand-built kinetic sculptures made of magnetic, electrical and mechanical devices, all of which are elegant and completely mesmerizing. "Positioning Systems - Falling Objects" is one of his newest contraptions, which feels like a mix of home waterfall fountains, mechanical metronomes and a busy manufacturing plant.
It's not uncommon for nature to inspire technology and innovative products. Airplanes were inspired by birds, Velcro by burrs and dog fur, bullet trains by owls and kingfishers, and gecko tape by... well, you can probably figure that one out. And one of the deadliest fish ever to swim the oceans has also influenced its share of merchandise; Sharks made humans faster in the water with Fastswim Suits, and now they've helped make one of the most rugged smartphone cases in the world—SharkEye's Ru...
Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement, dates back to over 500 years ago and is still practiced as a highly respected cultural art form in modern-day Japan.
For most thrill-seekers, skydiving alone is an adrenaline rush worth experiencing only once, but for the death-defying, elite skydiver, the wingsuit is the next step in daring midair adventures. But thankfully, we people who like our feet planted on the ground can enjoy the thrill ride via our flatscreens, due to some fearless cinematography from the daredevils themselves. And though there is no shortage of awesome skydiving footage on the web, there is a shortage of camera angles, with most ...
Rovio's highly successful Angry Birds game has generated a slew of wannabe Angry Clones and dominated nearly every device and platform known to man—iPhone, Android, PSP, Xbox 360, Windows—and now, for the first time it's available for play directly on the web (for free). It was specifically designed for Google's Chrome OS and their new Chromebook line of laptop computers, but can play on any device in almost any web browser (like Firefox).
Nintendo's Wii Remote came close, but never has a video game peripheral garnered such adoration from the hacker community than the Kinect.
Designer Andrew Clifford Capener has made an alternative to the classic Scrabble board that celebrates the expression of typeface. It isn't in production yet, but Capener's set would offer tiles in a variety of different fonts:
It's remarkable that a gaming device (from Microsoft, no less) designed for geeky gamers has incited broad innovation in medicine and robotics. But that Kinect has captured the imagination of hackers-with-MBAs-in-mind is downright amazing.
Outstanding advancements in medicine and super creepy Androids aren't the only jaw-dropping inventions out there. Every once in a while, an incredibly random—and at first glance, seemingly useless—device comes along and strikes a chord of strangely deep satisfaction. Behold, the SWITL, a mysterious goo-scraper robot hand created by factory equipment manufacturer Furukawa Kikou: From what I can glean from a very rough Google translation, it sounds like the SWITL was developed for food producti...
Okay, look behind your shoulder. Now check behind the other. Anybody looking? No? Then read on... Here's the scenario: You're single. You're an avid Facebooker. You're tired of your sans hottie reputation, and you're yearning for some much needed street cred. Well, Facebook street cred.
One of the objectives of the writings and other media items chosen or created for the Super Small Business World is to help small business managers and potential managers obtain access to information to begin the research needed to make key decisions. Another objective is to facilitative thinking in the lines of exploring possible opportunities. A third objective is to encourage the readers and learning participates that there is hope of a brighter future and that positive reality is within r...
Entrepreneur Jason Fried is co-founder of 37signals, a successful Chicago-based software and design firm that has doubled its sales every year for the past decade. Although Fried has a degree in finance, making money isn't a skill he picked up in the classroom or a book. Practice makes perfect, and Fried's experience has taught him that excelling at making money is separate from the product or services provided. Understanding the buyer and experimenting with price models are two of Fried's ke...
After an assumedly nasty break up, Jack Weppler's ex-girlfriend decided to smite him in the most public way possible. The wronged girl uploaded a pile of defamatory images to a picture-hosting website with Weppler's name as the filename, and Google image search did its magic. Labeling this a computer prank may be a stretch—it's probably something more along the lines of psycho-angry-ex-girlfriend-goes-completely-and-utterly-nuts—but it's whip clever, it's DIY, and pretty hilarious.
Don't you love those simple little tricks that just make life easier? Like quick solution for a pesky stripped screw? Apartment Therapy says,
The exile is officially over. Let the good times roll. Unequal Technologies has just signed Michael Vick as its corporate spokesman. They have applied for 50 patents that largely employ the Dupont-created Kevlar for "shock suppression". Formally speaking, this is his first product endorsement deal since his arrest in 2007.
Now, I've already had the experience where I go to a Renaissance Faire and can identify the patterns used by various fairegoers to make their costumes. But I had an experience last week that I'm still wondering about.
Gizmodo has compiled a list of the 8 best free texting apps for a variety of smartphones. Their favorite pick? Google Voice. No charges, no ads, and doubles as a second phone line.
Looptaggr is an ingenious drive-by tagging device by Ariel Schlesinger and Aram Bartholl. It's cheap, quick and easy to make, and even speedier to use. Cities and small towns across the world may be littered with graffiti mayhem in no time at all... From Looptaggr, how to make your own:
In 1782, an English plumber named William Watts came up with a clever method for making shotgun ammo. Watts constructed a six story "shot tower", consisting of a series of perfectly lined up holes, drilled into all six floors of the structure. Watts then poured molten lead through a sieve from the top story, through the holes of each floor, finally landing on the bottom floor in a pool of water. The cushioned impact resulted in a perfectly formed bullet.
Here at WonderHowTo, we are often presented with morally questionable HowTo's. When it comes to stocking our library, we have to weigh in the community value of indexing tutorials with potentially negative repercussions. Where is the line when it comes to areas like weapons, sex, and drugs?
This was done for the contest on the forums. I had great plans, but due to needing to keep the blogs up to date and some personal life complications, I didn't get as much done as I needed to in time.
Android-enabled mobile devices are taking the world by storm, giving Apple's iPhone a run for their money. And if you're holding an Android cell phone in your hand, getting accustomed to all the flashy features can be daunting, especially if you're new to multimedia smartphones.
There are endless possibilities for eReaders, and lots of amazing things are already happening. But wow-worthy visual tricks aside, how can technology really change the way we consume books? In the video below design company IDEO presents three separate concepts for virtual consumption: Nelson, Coupland and Alice. IDEO groups their virtual experiences into three separate concepts: Nelson, Coupland and Alice. Core77 breaks down each concept:
Born in 1975, the world's first digital camera used a standard cassette tape to record images, rather than today's standard data cards.
When it comes to both simplicity and efficiency, the bottom bouncer rig is one of the best fishing rigs you can use. It's great for crappie fishing, along with catfish, white bass, black bass, and other panfish and bottom-dwelling sportfish. Wade Bourne of MyOutdoorTV shows you how to fish a bottom bouncer rig.
Toy Story 3 has received rave reviews across the board. Curious, a couple of us here at WonderHowTo went to see it last night. We found it to be decent. Not fabulous. The opening was exhilarating. Full of action and humor and a thoroughly dynamic use of 3D, but the rest of the movie didn't exude the same energy. The story was sweet and touching, and the characters were as lovable as ever. However, I was looking for a little more action.
Here's another home hack for you (1, 2, 3). The perfect way to make bacon? Ditch the frying pan. Instead, try Apartment Therapy's recipe for perfectly cooked, oven-baked bacon.
You may be familiar with the graffiti art practice of light painting, or light writing (1, 2, 3, 4). Essentially, it is a practice that employs the manipulation of light, photography and stop motion animation.
One of the greatest innovations in the DSLR revolution is not only being able to execute shots you never dreamed possible, but you'll find it's affordable, too. I can't think of a better example than this remote controlled DSLR helicopter rig, designed specifically for the Canon 7D and 5D. Advertised as "high definition, low altitude photography and videography," HeliVideo's founder, Eric Austin combines his experience and love of remote controlled helicopters with his knowledge as a videogra...
Researchers Hiroto Tanaka and Isao Shimoyama (of Harvard University and University of Tokyo) have constructed a tiny replica of the swallowtail butterfly. The crudely made model uses just balsa wood, rubber bands, and a steel wire crank. The goal is to better understand the biomechanics of butterfly flight. Via Wired,
Hey San Francisco OLers, check it out! Farmers Market Happy Hour TONIGHT! Who: CUESA & San Francisco Chapter of United States Bartenders Guild
Wow, kids and their wild imaginations... Monster Engine is a gallery of kids drawings copied by painter Dave Devries. The project began in 1998, when Devries posed the simple question: What would a child's drawing look like if it were painted realistically?
The Job Board is a weekly entry of the most ridiculous Cinematography related jobs posted online. Note: This posting was from a year ago.
As if air travel wasn't filled with enough fees and baggage levies, we've got our prized quiver. Why Renting Boards Sucks
Ginger Pear might be her best. She has experimented with Apple and marzipan. But it is not about the cake or the pie. It is about the process. And it is kinda hard to explain to anyone who has not personally witnessed.
Make your own 3D movie with this easy camera hack: record with two cameras simultaneously. Next, use video software to overlap the images, making it viewable through 3D glasses. Very clever (and cheap) concept by Ron and AmyJo Proctor. Check out their site for more details.
Felix Baumgartner plans to leap a record 120,000 feet, breaking four world records. If all goes well, Baumgartner will set records for highest altitude freefall, longest distance freefall, highest manned balloon fight, and fastest speed freefall (he will actually break the sound of speed!).
No exaggeration in today's headline, design student Anna Schwamborn has actually designed a jewelry line made from the hair and cremated ashes of dead loved ones. Human hair sure makes a nice accent to the black bone china (note the word "bone" - human ashes are mixed in).
Diego Stocco is back (previously, the incredible Music From a Tree). This time Stocco has created the experibass:
And by hottest, I mean most popular. These ladies have got skills. I want to be as good as them, and I've already begun my research. If you're also interested in joining the ranks of hottest bubble gum blowers, go here for some beginners tips.
