In an age obsessed with practicality, productivity, and efficiency, I frequently worry that we are leaving little room for abstract knowledge and for the kind of curiosity that invites just enough serendipity to allow for the discovery of ideas we didn’t know we were interested in until we are, ideas that we may later transform into new combinations with applications both practical and metaphysical.

This concern, it turns out, is hardly new. In The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge (PDF), originally published in the October 1939 issue of& … Read More → "The usefulness of useless knowledge"

Why are we fascinated by supervillains? Posing the question is much like asking why evil itself intrigues us, but there’s much more to our continued interest in supervillains than meets the eye.

Not only do Lex Luthor, Dracula and the Red Skull run unconstrained by conventional morality, they exist outside the limits of reality itself. Their evil, even at its most realistic, retains a touch of the unreal.

But is our fascination with fantastic fiends healthy?
via Wired</ … Read More → "Why do supervillains fascinate us? A psychological perspective"

GE has announced the creation of a new world-class traction motor for hybrid and electric vehicles. The new prototype electric motor delivers higher power density and better acceleration efficiency in a smaller frame at a lower cost than existing electric motors. The goal for GE is to extend the range of electric vehicles and reduce fuel consumption for hybrids using the new motor.
via Read More → "GE researchers create new prototype traction motor for hybrid and electric vehicles"

Volkswagen has all its product bases covered. Small, medium and large; micro and retro; gasoline, diesel and hybrid, even electric. But according to Christian Buhlmann of Volkswagen AG, it’s missing something.

“We still don’t have a two-seat convertible or roadster,” Buhlmann tells me on the side of the winding, mountain road that leads to Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca.

A two-door, two-seat drop-top would … Read More → "This all-electric Beetle could be Volkswagen’s next roadster"

Intel futurist Brian David Johnson continues his excellent “Tomorrow Project” with the first of a series of videos of his dialog with Bruce Sterling.
via Boing Boing

… Read More → "Bruce Sterling talks technology and science fiction with Intel’s futurist Brian David Johnson"

The Landsat satellites have been watching Earth uninterruptedly for a record 40 years. During that time they have acquired millions of amazing images of our home world, available for everyone in the planet. These are the five most beautiful ones, according to NASA.
via Gizmodo

See the rest</ … Read More → "The five most beautiful photographs of Earth according to NASA"

Check out this fun gallery of vintage pics showing the moustachioed genius at his most relaxed, taking a break from his heavy genius workload.

Buzzfeed via Neatorama

On her blog Discovering Dad, Holly Gilliam, daughter of Terry Gilliam, has been cataloguing her father’s personal archives from “pre-Python days through Python to his feature films and beyond”. What is emerging is a fascinating photographic hodgepodge of doodles, storyboards, and other artifacts from his creative life. The blog is ongoing, so be sure to check in to see what items have recently been discovered.

Read More → "Terry Gilliam’s personal archive catalogued online by his daughter"

Cities across the globe have seen unprecedented growth in recent decades. While revisiting a city after a period of time can reveal some surprising changes, the true extent of the expansion of some urban centers can only be truly appreciated from above. Way above.

The Landsat satellite program is the longest continuous archive of images of Earth from space in existence. Run by the USGS and NASA since Landsat 1 launched on … Read More → "40 years of massive city growth as seen from space"

Heh.

There’s no point to deliberately feeding squirrels since those suburban rats will raid bird feeders and anyplace else they can snag a meal. But if you absolutely must feed them, at least use this giant squirrel head feeder that will humiliate the bastards while they scrounge for supper.

If there was ever a better way to spend $15 we haven’t seen it, because you can … Read More → "Humiliate your backyard pests with this giant squirrel head feeder"