Where to find Thor

Thor can be found at his eponymous Web site, which has pointers to the nooks and crannies of the Web where he has been known to roam.

self-replicating robots

This is old news, but very cool regardless.

"Although the machines we have created are still simple compared with biological self-reproduction, they demonstrate that mechanical self-reproduction is possible and not unique to biology," the researchers say.

Cornell News: self-replicating robots

Bunny!

This is an English Angora Rabbit. There are more such freaks of nature at the site on this page for the 2004 All Breed Best In Show/Reserve in Show.

Via Kate Rutter at Adaptive Path

Mmmm, bananas!

I'm on the fence about banana flavored anything, but I have a feeling I'd like this:
Don't ask me what it's called or where you can get it. All I know is that it's Japanese.

brand new world

300 Islands... 300 Opportunities... This is your invitation to own a piece of The World.

Man-made islands formed in the shape of the natural continents. Very exclusive: "...we require more details about your company and investment intentions to ensure The World is a balanced mix of commercial developments and private investment. Only selected investors will be considered for this unique and limited opportunity."

The World

face is the place

Great article in the New York Times today about the debate sparked by the face transplant in France...

Some quotes:

"Mr. Westerfeld said...'There will come a day when having extreme cosmetic surgery will be like buying a $1,000 Gucci bag, an indication that you are a member of the privileged class.' "

"As Hanif Kureishi has his hero observe in 'The Body,' his 2004 novel about a 60-year-old writer whose brain is transferred into the fresh corpse of a young man, 'It seems logical that technology and medical capability only need to catch up with the human imagination or will.' "

"There is increasing acceptance that 'as human beings we get to choose who we are,' he [Westerfield] said. 'And the line between what you get to choose and don't choose is moving all the time.' "

"Off screen, in real life, some argue, a medical procedure that necessarily tampers with identity might take an unacceptable psychic toll. 'The implications are shudder-worthy,' said the writer Daphne Merkin. 'Can you borrow someone else's features and still be you?' "


Read the full article here. If you don't have a NYTimes membership, msg me and I'll send you my pword.

Impossible things in bottles

This dude stuffs objects into bottles like no other.
http://www.johnrausch.com/PuzzleWorld/toc.asp?t=_des/he001.htm&m=des/he000.htm

Panoramic Head

What would a head look like if it was peeled off the skull and flattened? Something like this apparently:

Ship of state

This is right out of a Neal Stephenson novel. A city-sized ship, complete with airport on top.

Building the future in the 50s

James Bond's domecile as visualized by Oscar Niemeyer. Actually, it's the Congresso Nacional, Brasilia, Brasil, and it may have been a direct inspiration for the bad guy's lair in the Incredibles, the superhero Pixar film with the oh-so-mid-century aesthetic. So much optimism implicit in its progressive lines. The future is now!



This building looks straight out of the Incredibles, the Pixar film with the oh-so-mid-century aesthetic. So much optimism implicit in their progressive spirit. The future is now!