Electronic musician Jerobeam Fenderson has created a video tutorial demonstrating how to draw mushroom-like designs on an oscilloscope signal-detecting machine using only sound. The tutorial does require some prior knowledge of the machine, but the results are still impressive even for the uninitiated.
via Laughing Squid</ … Read More → "How to create mushroom designs on an oscilloscope signal detector using sound"

The American military does a lot of work in the field of biomimicry, stealing designs from nature for use in new technology. After all, if you’re going to design a robot, where better to draw inspiration than from billions of years of evolution? The latest result of these efforts is the GhostSwimmer: The Navy’s underwater drone designed to look and swim like a real fish, and a liability to spook the bejeezus … Read More → "The Navy’s new robot looks and swims just like a shark"

Researchers say they can have computers examine body camera video footage and accurately identify a person wearing a body-mounted device in about four seconds, according to a recently released paper. The authors of the study had their software look at biometric characteristics like height, stride length, and walking speed to find the identity of the person shooting the footage. As they point out, this could have both … Read More → "4 seconds of body cam video can reveal a biometric fingerprint, study says"

Now, let’s talk about failure. No, not about Cinderella’s failure to keep her shoes on her feet, but about mechanical failure. Whenever we design something that needs to bear force, we test for various possible modes of failure and try to ensure that our object is strong against all of them.</ … Read More → "Could Cinderella’s glass slippers physically exist without shattering?"

The Cicret Bracelet is a wrist-worn wearable device that projects the screen of its wearer’s smartphone on their forearm, creating a sort of skin-based touchscreen display. The futuristic device, which is currently seeking donations, allows users to interact with their phone’s apps without removing their handset from their pocket. It’s even waterproof, so wearers can interact their smartphone … Read More → "The Cicret Bracelet, a bracelet that projects an interactive touchscreen display on its wearer’s forearm"

The British Medical Journal has published a paper investigating the lack of up to date magazines in the waiting rooms of medical practices. It’s because the new ones walk out the door.

Results: 47 of the 82 magazines with a visible date on the front cover were aged less than 2 months. 28 of these 47 (60%) magazines and 10 of the 35 (29%) older magazines disappeared (P=0.002). … Read More → "Study shows magazines in doctors’ offices are old because you keep stealing the new ones"

1. Respect their need for privacy.
2. Never embarrass them in public.
3. Let them observe first in new situations.
4. Give them time to think; don’t demand instant answers.
5. Don’t interrupt them.
6. Give them advance notice of expected changes in their lives.
7. Give them 15 minute warnings to finish whatever they are doing.
8. Reprimand them privately.
9. Teach them new skills privately.
10. Enable them to find one best friend who has similar interests & … Read More → "How to care for introverts"

Although the meaning behind these oil paintings by Atsushi Koyama is somewhat ambiguous, it’s easy to appreciate the exactness of his paintbrush that colorfully and elegantly depicts mechanical diagrams mixed with anatomical illustrations. Born in Tokyo, Koyama holds both a BFA in art from Tama Art University and a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Tokyo University of Science, so it’s no surprise to see a confluence of both … Read More → "Mechanical drawings and the human form merge in oil paintings by Atsushi Koyama"

NASA has released global maps of six of the Saturnian moons. The system has been under the intense examination of the Cassini-Huygens mission for the past decade, and the completion of the global maps represents the end of one of the legendary spacecraft’s key mission objectives. Almost all of the maps are whole, though there are currently parts of Iapetus unfinished, as well as a region of the north pole of Enceladus set … Read More → "NASA releases stunning global maps of six of Saturn’s moons"

One day, [Samy]’s best friend [Matt] mentioned he had a wireless doorbell. Astonishing. Even more amazing is the fact that anyone can buy a software defined radio for $20, a small radio module from eBay for $4, and a GSM breakout board for $40. Connect these pieces together, and you have a device that can ring [Matt]’s doorbell from anywhere on the planet. Yes, it’s the ultimate over-engineered ding dong ditch, and … Read More → "Over-engineering Ding Dong Ditch"