On-air awakening

It is not often you get to hear someone wake up ON AIR to the complete puppet show that is our political system. But this is a delightful example. Talk show host Mark Larsen interviews Mitt Romney and blows a fuse. It's beautiful.

Final score: Romney 0, Paul 1

Dean Radin, PhD, on psi phenomenon

Dean Radin is a scientist investigating the reality of psi phenomenon, and has some interesting things to say. It turns out that there is quite a lot of evidence for it, and it is starting to be less taboo, as a subject of study or even discussion.

If you want more detail, check out this longer lecture Radin gave at Google. It's quite good.

Gallery of 3D printed objects

These are items created by 3D printers, driven by captured or generated data. Mind blowing stuff! Thanks to Chriz for the link.

http://www.oobject.com/category/3d-printed-products/

This example is especially nice, the path of a moth around a light source, rendered as a single solid ribbon.

Lakota Sioux declare themselves a sovereign nation

This is one of the most amazing things I've ever read. The Sioux have renounced their ties with the US and declared themselves an independent nation. They are also promising that anyone may come and live tax free on their land. My profound admiration and best wishes go to these brave, brave people. If only the rest of us were so courageous...

Real-time avatar generation from Japan

Head tracking for VR with the Wii remote

It's pretty freaking neat. I think someone needs to write an SF love story about a couple who can't touch, but can see each other through such a virtual window. Thanks to Chriz for the link.

Chris Crumley's underwater photography...

...includes some really lovely mermaid images. It's well worth a look, here.

HRex robot conquers any terrain with manic thrashing

This demonstration video of robotic locomotion is amusingly robust.

Thanks to Chriz for the link.

Hyperspace and evil computers

Take a leap into hyperspace It's looking more and more doable.

Top 10 Evil Computers

Thanks to Mike S. for the links.

The History of LOLcats

And you thought it all began with Happy Cat's famous "I can has cheezburger?" Well, ur rwong!

The History of LOLcats

I didn't know anyone could skate like that

SWISSPASS 2 : GRIMSELL jean yves blondeau buggy rollin

Embedding has been disabled, so you'll just have to click the link to see it. This is how elves skate. At 70mph. And passing motorcycles.

Thanks to Chriz for the link.

I didn't know anyone could play guitar this well

This fellow must be an elf, to play like that. You can see by his face it is quite an effort.

Here's another for good measure. God, I love Bach.

New Golden Compass Trailer

My god it's a perfect adaptation of the book. I can't wait.

Official movie site

Teh Holiez Bibul

The Bible, translated into lolcatspeak. Need I say more? Prepare to be amused. Here is perhaps the most widely quoted passage from the New Testament, John 3:16:

16. So liek teh Ceiling Cat lieks teh ppl lots and he sez 'Oh hai I givez u my only son and ifs u beleevs in him u wont evr diez no moar, k?'
17. Cuz teh Ceiling Cat not snd hiz son 2 take all yur cookies, but so u cud maek moar cookies 4EVAR!"

Amazing laser magic

Thanks to Chriz for the link!

NYT article on lucid dreaming

I didn't know about lucid dreaming until 1998, when a coworker told me about them. He loaned me a book on the subject and within two weeks I had my first lucid dream. It's a remarkable thing to wake up and be fully conscious within your own dream, able to bend reality just like Neo in The Matrix.

If you've never had a lucid dream, you can learn to do it. I did, and I showed my daughter how to do it a few years ago. They don't happen very often, for me, but when they do they're remarkable. I can stay buzzed about a lucid dream for days. Just google the term and you're sure to find plenty of good instructional links like this one.

Anyway, here's the NYT link.

And now for something completely charming

Dancing is one of the most sublime human activities. Thanks to Lotus for the link and cheering me up!

Plasma life

Hot Gas in Space Mimics Life

"We have broken the speed of light"

This is what you get when you have the Autobahn -- no respect for speedlimits. A couple of German scientists claim to have caused light to exceed c.

We have broken the speed of light

Criss Angel videos

He does some remarkable levitation tricks. Here are two I suspect use the same basic technology:

Chriss Angel walks on water

Chriss Angel levitates from building to building

There are closeup shots in the water-walking video that suggest he's miming solid contact with the water. I don't think there is glass under there.

In the second video, pay attention to the high-speed footage of his levitation at 3:30. It has a "stepped" quality -- imperceptible in the real time footage -- that suggests he's using a computer-controlled, distributed wire rig. I'm guessing it's a specialized implementation of a flying camera system. The wires must be very thin, very lightly colored and strong, like super-strong fishing monofilaments. Notice he takes his time; the filaments can obviously take a good load so long as there are no sudden jerks.

I also like his more person-scale illusions, like walking through glass, levitating on the street (here's how he does one form of it), and pulling a woman apart in a park.