Matt Reed, a web developer at Nashville interactive ad agency Redpepper, built a massive, real life Facebook Like "button" out of Legos, which lights up whenever someone clicks Like on his Facebook page. The programmer loves LEGOs, and draws an affinity between the legendary building blocks and engineering: "[Legos] are great for prototyping physical objects. I don’t manufacture things, but I do click blocks together. Plus, most things I deal with on a daily basis are pixelized. Legos are som...
My mind is playing tricks on me! Discover Magazine systematically dissects five fantastic optical illusions. The scientific explanations are logical:
Ever wonder why there are always crazy-looking people in World Cup soccer stadiums who wave their arms around frantically during a soccer game, and not just because they're crazed fans?
My father recently suffered a stroke. Now in Neuro Rehab at Cedars Sinai, he is enduring daily physical therapy, recreational therapy and occupational therapy sessions to help improve his balance, mobility and fine motor skills. I was initially worried about how I could incorporate his current PT regime in his daily life after he's discharged. That was until I saw the devices he used in the PT gym. Despite their "medical device" designations, the high tech stuff is remarkably similar to what ...
This 3ds Max modeling tutorial covers how to unwrap or unfold geometry. This technique is used more for texture mapping but in this tutorial we the unfolded geometry back to the view port to use for building physical models. This geometry can them be used for laser cutting. One thing to note is that since this technique is for texture mapping it can lack precision but for scaled models it works well. See how to get creative with unwrapping and modeling in 3ds Max in this software tutorial. Un...
This medical presentation discusses the management of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP). Many women who have to cope with nausea and vomiting of pregnancy endure tremendous physical hardship. This suffering may have a profound impact on family, work, and social life. Therefore, it is important for health professionals to realize that pregnant women who complain about nausea or vomiting are coming for help. Follow along with this presentation as it looks into the various aspects of NVP an...
Hi Guys, I just decided to throw this out here for anyone who might not be familiar with the utility or would like to do some reading on it.
Consistently used in many forms of physical training, the push up has been considered one of the best physical tests of muscular fitness and endurance. Namely known for its use in the military as well as other physically demanding activities such as boxing and the martial arts, the push up is necessary for any physical examination in which many struggle with.
Want to increase your creativity, attention span, intuition, self-knowledge—maybe even your sense of oneness with the universe? Start meditating on a regular basis. In addition to improving your concentration, mental health, and capacity to handle stress, regular meditation practice has also been scientifically proven to have numerous physical benefits such as lowering your blood pressure, improving your immune system, and adding more life to your years.
Jet lag is inevitable when you're traveling long distances by plane, and it can leave you feeling completely wrecked for several days to a week after you arrive at your destination.
Good stress is also known as Eustress (Short-term stress). Is the stress that keeps you alive. The motivation you have to meet a goal. Eustress is also positive stress for example, studding to pass a math test.
Cakes. They're delicious and we eat them at birthdays, weddings, and wakes (that aren't ours). In the splendorous world of culinary creations, there is no comestible that allows for such decorative flexibility as the cake. It can be simple, it can be complex. It can be amazing, it can be disastrous.
Have you guys seen this yet? Ben Purdy used projection mapping to create a "real life" Minecraft block. If you don't know what projection mapping is, it works like this:
Apple's iPhone is considered one of the best smartphones in the world. Many cell phone makers have tried to take down the juggernaut, with some Android-based devices coming close, but in order to become an actual iPhone killer, something revolutionary needs to happen in the mobile world. And Human Media Lab (HML) may be the ones to make it happen.
Norwegian designers Timo Armall, Jørn Knutsen, and Einar Sneve Martinussen visually capture invisible WiFi signals by light painting signal strength in long-exposure photographs. The trio set up a four-meter long WiFi-detecting rod with 80 LED bulbs to depict cross-sections through the WiFi networks of various Oslo neighborhoods. Armall says:
Want to keep an eye on your home while on vacation? Terrorize your family pet while at work? A homespun telepresence robot might be just the ticket! Luckily, thanks to shrinking hardware costs and the efforts of renowned hardware hacker Johnny Chung Lee, building a physical avatar has never been easier! Lee's robot has two important parts: an iRobot Create and a lightweight netbook running Skype. Notable extras include a wide-angle lens and a plastic stand to raise the computer to tabletop he...
You have two choices for keeping your living room looking fresh: A. constantly update the decor by tripping out on acid—NOT recommended—or B. paint your living room white and get two video projectors. Created by Mr. Beam:
The Weston Price Foundation is the gold standard for truly good nutrition. Weston Price was a dentist practicing in the 1930s who over the course of many summers visited fourteen different native groups and correlated the health of their teeth to what they were eating. He consistently found that as long as the people ate their traditional whole foods diet, their teeth (and the rest of their bodies) were healthy. When they started eating Westernized foods their dental and overall health deteri...
Below, designer Chris Woebken's Flicflex isn't a new concept (Woebken displayed it at MOMA in '08), but still amazingly cool. And still not on the consumer market. Watch his paper thin, magazine-like "page turning": "Opening a letter, unfolding it and feeling the texture of the paper is a very tactile experience compared to receiving an e-mail. On top of the content itself, the behavior and micro-interactions adds a level of engagement to the medium. Flicflex explores the possibilities of fut...
Math is unreasonably effective in describing the natural universe. Anyone who's seen Walt Disney's Donald in Mathmagic Land knows this to be so. Well, the axiom works in reverse, too: The physical stuff of the universe can model math right back. And to great effect.
Apparently people play FarmVille and continue to play it because of the social obligations that tie you to it. According to SUNY Buffalo instructor (and student) A. J. Patrick Liszkiewicz:
Play Kinect at the four Microsoft stores around the US right now! You can even play Dance Central!From 1up:If you're itching to play Kinect, you don't have to wait until it launches this fall. The official Microsoft Store Twitter account tweeted today: "Can't wait to play #Kinect? Try it at #MicrosoftStores nationwide!" The company is using the word "nationwide" a bit loosely, though, since physical Microsoft stores are only in four locations, on or near the west coast. But if you happen to l...
Did you ever, as a know-nothing kid, push against your closed eyelids for the pleasure of the resultant light show? LCD bending takes the low-tech fun of physical retinal stimulation and updates it for the 21st century. And, as the title suggests, the end result looks very much like a sort of angelic, fractal-based fingerpainting.
I think this is a fun new product from lite panels. There are clearly some important specs still being left off this announcement, such as FC readings at different distances, initial lumens, and a better sense of the nature of this light. Can it spot and flood like a fresnel or is this just another soft source in a round housing? Hopefully this will be a nice step forward for LEDs and the slow but steady death of tungsten lighting.
Kojiro the robot has muscles, tendons and a flexible spine- just like you! Combine Kojiro with the doppelganger bot and you'll have something supremely sci-fi freaky.
The V-up is one of the more challenging ab exercises. While it may appear simple, there are several factors that make this exercise difficult to execute properly. Some of these factors include timing of the movement, counterbalancing, hip positioning, flexibility, and abdominal strength.
The crossover lunge is an advanced exercise that is used to build strength and improve flexibility in the muscles that act on the hips and thighs. The crossover step is often used as a warm-up to prepare for more dynamic exercises or sports conditioning drills.
Having a tough time trying to read your opponents in a poker game? In this how to video, Daniel Negreanu, World Series of Poker Champion, teaches you the the physical tells along with betting patterns to help you read your opponents and become a better Texas Hold'em poker player. Rely on your knowledge and your gut, along with some of these tips, and enhance your poker skills in your next game. Read your opponent when playing Texas Hold'em.
Many new phones are moving to navigation gestures from the physical buttons of the past. The idea is to maximize screen space as much as possible while still being intuitive. Something cool you should know about, Chrome for iPhone and Android has a neat little trick that pairs quite nicely with these new gestures.
If you suspect that you have some sort of food sensitivity or allergy that is giving your body negative symptoms (such as skin breakouts) or bringing down your overall well-being, you should, try going on an elimination diet.
Need a remedy for your sore muscles after going the gym? Rather than spending money on expensive warming rubs, you can whip up your own DIY, all-natural warming rub concoction in the comfort of your own kitchen using a double boiler, olive oil, beeswax, and various spices.
Metabolism is the process by which your physical body converts what you eat and drink into energy that your body needs to function.
You can certainly exercise at a fancy gym with a personal trainer and state-of-the-art equipment if you have the money and time to do so. However, if you are on a budget and don't want to waste extra time getting into your best gym clothes and driving, you can give yourself an intensive workout at home using only one dumbbell.
While breathing is a simple and automatic physical act we take for granted every moment of our lives, consciously breathing in a particular way for five to ten minutes can greatly reduce your stress, clear your head, and bring more energy to your body. Think of it as meditation through breathing.
While it may be tempting to rely on canned beans to save time, going through the process of preparing dried beans for cooking can actually be better for you in the long run—for both your physical and financial health.
No matter who you are and where you are in life, remembering the names and faces of people you've just met is an important social and professional skill to have. So what are some of the best ways to remember names and faces, especially when you're constantly meeting new people through business and social encounters?
We've seen compressed air power a homemade rocket, shoot erasers across the room, and even remove dents from a vehicle, but how about breaking a bike lock?
Cartograms are usually pretty mundane, but throw in Flickr, Photoshop, and a well-known public place and you have an artistic representation of popular colors. Much more eye-grabbing than your common map.
Our SoCal buddy Terry 'The UniGeezer' Peterson (Geezer? What? Old? No way!) pulls insane tricks we've only previously seen from fixie kids and bmx-ers. But he's tearing it up on only one wheel!
Erik at Not-Me.org is a rare spirit. He's committed to helping people protect themselves. His non-profit studio in Massachusetts focuses on training at-risk individuals in self-defense.