… Read More → "Viral examples of human stupidity turned into brilliant organ donor ads"

Does science fiction help us innovate? According to Arizona State University’s strange and strangely compelling Center for Science and the Imagination, the answer is, absolutely yes. The Center (yes, it’s abbreviated CSI) has joint projects with organizations like IBM and the World Bank, and it was founded on the premise that imagination is an essential component of our society’s greatest scientific and … Read More → "Can science fiction spur science innovation"

When last seen four years ago, Nigel had a distinctively crisp British accent.

But when Nigel returned home this month, the African gray parrot was bilingual, with a slight Panamanian accent and the ability to ask “¡Qué pasó?“

As perplexing, the parrot mysteriously talked about someone named “Larry.”

The bird and his British accent disappeared from Torrance about four years ago. And then, just as suddenly, Nigel recently reappeared out of nowhere.
via Read More → "Parrot with British accent missing for four years, returns speaking Spanish"

Artist Carol Milne creates remarkable glass sculptures that look like knitted yarn. She achieves the effect by knitting with pliable wax, which she then turns into a heat resistant mold. She pours molten glass into the mold to create the final sculpture. The process is described in detail in Carol Milne Knitted Glass: How Does She Do That?& … Read More → "Glass sculptures that look like knitted yarn"

When we want to leave our mark on Mars today, we simply send over a few Rovers to roll around in its red soil. But 150 years ago, scientists had very different plans for contacting the planet, including one French inventor who wanted to use the refracted light of the sun to sear a welcoming message into the … Read More → "A French inventor once proposed a giant mirror to burn a message on Mars"

Tony Dighera of Cinagro Farms in Ventura County, California, has spent the last four yearsdeveloping the perfect mold to grow these Frankenstein’s monster faced pumpkins in. This year was his first successful commercial harvest, producing 5,500 molded pumpkins, which he sold to suppliers for $75 apiece. That’s over $400,000 in profit. Next year he plans to devote his entire farm to the pumpkins (including some skull-shaped white pumpkins) and produce between 30,000 – 40,000.
… Read More → "Pumpkins grown in Frankenstein’s Monster face molds"

Lockheed Martin’s Compact Fusion technology has the potential to revolutionize life as we know it. Maybe. If it works.

After years of development at the company’s legendary Skunkworks facility, Lockheed is coming forward now to find partners in the public and private sector. The main breakthrough is having shrunk the size of the reactor into something about the size of … Read More → "Lockheed figures out fusion (maybe)"

One thing that members of social networks love is pictures of food – especially on visual platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram. With an eye on this appetizing market, Swiss company Dacuda is launching 3DAround. It’s a mobile app for iPhone that allows users to take 3D photographs, which will make online food-gazers salivate even more.

Dacuda based the app on its SLAM Scan 3D technology, which turns the iPhone … Read More → "New app dishes 3D pictures of food"

Russian artist Dmitry Morozov turns neural activity into art. He’s used brainwaves to control robotic musical instruments and harnessed psychic powers to stage performance art. His latest creation, called Solaris, works like a mood ring, moves like a lava lamp, and looks like The Matrix while making its observer feel like a Delphic Oracle.

Morozov outfits observers with … Read More → "A trippy mind-reading goo that reacts to your emotions"

This Tape Will Self Destruct is actually an art-piece by Diego Trujillo Pisanty that serves as commentary on the seemingly neverending hacks and leaks making headlines week in and week out. It prints out random texts and images from works of Cold War fiction that are mixed with excerpts from recently leaked documents. The printed results themselves make for tiny … Read More → "This printer spits out messages that actually ignite and self-destruct"