Cats know so many things. They definitely know the meaning of life. They are wiser than you, they are more intelligent than you, and they are generally better than you in everything. You must accept it – you’ll never be as good as your cat. But can you imagine what would happen if your cat could speak? That’s right – it would judge you. Every step of the way.
My cat always watches me with a look which says, “You’re stupid.” So this is an illustrated story about the things my cat (I presume) would say if he could speak. And it makes me think I am lucky that he can’t…
Sea slugs aren’t exactly creatures you’d consider to be adorable, but Japan’s Twittersphere has just rediscovered what is probably the cutest sea slug ever – Jorunna parva, a sea slug that looks like a fluffy bunny.
This tiny sea slug’s bunny ears are actually rhinophores, or chemosensory scent/taste organs that help them detect chemicals in the water and make their way across the ocean floor. They can be found from the Indian Ocean to the Philippines to Japan, where photos of them have become popular.
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD MY LITTLE PONY BECAUSE OF COURSE
Even if the movie wasn’t the biggest smash hit of the year, the way it should have been, Mad Max: Fury Road has certainly taken the prize for the film with the largest permeation on the internet. The number of essays and articles written about George Miller’s post-apocalyptic, people-driving-in-a-straight-line action film became a must-see for fans of cinema and discourse about gender roles, internal politics, and blind devotion. It’s also precipitated all sorts of awesome DIY projects, par exemplesome Mad Max Power Wheels.
The newest and, we admit, most absurdly awesome of these projects are custom-made (and totally unofficial, via artist Kelsey Wailes) Mad Max: Fury Road My Little Pony figurines. That’s right, two weird worlds that are even weirder together. The artist used the older variety of My Little Pony dolls, from prior to the Brony days, and Polymer clay, acrylics, leather, and faux fur to create highly-accurate equestrian representations of Max Rockatansky, Imperator Furiosa, Nux, and Immortan Joe.
They look so happy together, don’t they?
Both the Nux and the Max figures had heads that could rotate, but all four figures have the ability to drive cars (not true). I don’t know which is more impressive — Joe’s toothy face mask/breathing apparatus or Furiosa’s mechanical artificial hoof. They somehow even managed to get the look of pure chrome-fueled martyrdom in Nux’s eyes, although I seem to recall that’s just how My Little Ponies looked anyway.
The figures were available for sale at last weekend’s Awesome Con in Washington, D.C., so unfortunately that’s over, but you can still witness them in their full glory in the gallery below.
Mad Max Fury Road Ponies: Because I am a monster.
They were super fun to make and super horrifying (I’m looking at you, Immortan Joe)
Made with My Little Pony toys, Polymer clay, acrylics, leather, and faux fur.
There are few places more dazzling in the Robot Restaurant located in Shinjuku, Japan. We use the term 'restaurant' very loosely because it's more like a variety show, that you just happen to be dining at.
A visual feast for the senses, where the every which way you look is a kaleidoscope of colourful lights and relentless noise, where drummers are armed with glow sticks, cyber strippers fling themselves around neon poles and life-sizes robots go head-to-head in boxing matches.
But the fun doesn't end there, we haven't even mentioned the flying Terrordactyls, giant sharks, bigger Anacondas and the dance off between robots starring a bevy of scantily clad women, naturally.
So if you're in Japan and literally want to have your brain overloaded to the point where it's nearly melting, make sure you head to the Robot Restaurant, it's an experience you won't forget anytime soon.
It’s hard to imagine an experience more perfectly suited to Tokyo, and one less likely to exist anywhere else, than Shinjuku’s Robot Restaurant. With a stage show that stretches the definition of terms like “elaborate” and “bizarre,” the restaurant has quickly become one of the city’s most popular venues.
We were dazzled by the Robot Restaurant from the moment we spotted it. The entire facade was illuminated in blinding LED lights, and towering lady robots with giant bouncing breasts were roving about the foyer. A band inspired by Daft Punk was rocking out behind the robots, and everything was flashing and loud and over-the-top. Sensory overload? Definitely. And we hadn’t even picked up our tickets yet. I suspected that the performance was going to be more like sensory assault.
Having arrived well in advance of the evening show, we passed the extra time in the restaurant’s upstairs lounge. You’ll want to do the same, because the lounge is unbelievable. It’s as though the world’s most outrageous interior designers were given crayons, glue sticks, glitter and mescalin, and told to go crazy. Everything is mirrored and shining. On every table, there’s a robot dinosaur. On the stage, a lady-band clad in metallic bikinis and angel wings is playing soft lounge music. The drinks are cheap and the vibe couldn’t be better. You and the people around you are in a place unlike anywhere any of you have ever been, and you’re all excited and giddy and talkative. It’s a bonding experience.
Now, however, it’s showtime. You and your new friends head into the underground theater, take your seats, and await the spectacle. Soon, the lights go out, the speakers switch on, and giant vehicles appear on either side of the narrow stage, ridden by ladies dressed as Amazonian war princesses from the year 3000. They’re pounding on drums, rotating around the stage, screaming and dancing to the music, and you’re just… confused. What the hell is happening? It’s hilarious, pointless, impressive and overwhelming in equal measure.
And that’s just Act One! By the end of the show, which stretches out across seven or eight acts, you’ll have perhaps seen boxing robots. Women riding huge mechanical cows. An alien-eating shark robot. Huge motorcycles and airplanes with pole-dancing lady passengers. A tank, I think. There was definitely a freedom-fighting panda. The shows change frequently, so you might see other things entirely, things which no sane human would ever be able to predict.
We had fun from the moment we entered the Robot Restaurant, and I’m not sure my brain has yet been able to process everything we saw. Almost as much as the show, we enjoyed watching the spectators sitting across from us. Without exception, they had their eyes wide open and huge smiles plastered across their faces. I’m sure it’s how we looked, too.
You've Already Seen A Few Of Them In The Fellowship Of The Ring!
The Hobbit
Whether you’re in the group that loves or in the group that hates the Hobbitmovies, there’s no denying that these were pretty big films that made A LOT of money! Even though the movie was called The Hobbit, most of the attention was focused on the dwarves and their epic quest to retake the Lonely Mountain from the dragon, Smaug. We spent three movies watching these dwarves fight for what was rightfully theirs, so it’s hard not to get attached to some of them.
But have you ever wondered what happened to the dwarves after all was said and done? Dwarves live for a while, so where were these characters during The Lord of the Rings trilogy? The answers for some of them might not be exactly what you wanted to hear!
Let’s dig in!
The Fate Of The Dwarves
Oin
Forty-eight years after being settled in the Lonely Mountain, Oin made his way back to Moria to reclaim the realm for the Dwarves. It was five years later that the orcs attacked, and when he could not escape over the Bridge of Khazad-dûm, Oin tried to exit through the Hollin Gate. It was there he was killed by the Watcher in the Water, a creature that Frodo and the rest of the Fellowship would later encounter.
UNLEASH THE KRAKEN!
Gloin
Ah yes! Gimli’s father. His life was much longer and more peaceful than his brother’s. He remained at the kingdom under the mountain and was also sent at the Council of Elrond when the Fellowship was formed. He would later die naturally at the age of 253.
Dwalin
Dwalin was a smart one. He decided to stay at the Lonely Mountain where he lived out the rest of his life, dying at the ripe, old age of 340. He lived through the war of the ring, but it was never revealed if he or Gloin ever took part in it.
Balin
Good ol' Balin. In the Hobbitmovies he was always one of the most liked Dwarves. In fact, he ended up leading an expedition to Moria where he later became The Lord of Moria for some time – until the orcs attacked and he was killed by one of their archers. Remember that Tomb in Fellowship of the Ring? Yup. That was Balin’s tomb.
Poor, old Balin 🙁
Bifur & Bofur
Bifur has an axe in his skull, I think he’s had to deal with enough stuff in his life to be bothered with anymore violence. He also stayed back in the Lonely Mountain and lived out his life. His age at death is unknown. Ditto for Bofur. He also lived out his life in the mountain.
You know, for a place called the Lonely Mountain, it doesn’t seem quite so lonely there, does it?
Bombur
Bombur, like many of the others stay behind in the Lonely Mountain and enjoyed the rest of his life…a little too much. Bombur had grown SO FAT that it eventually took the strength of six dwarves to lift him to the dinner table.
Dori & Nori
Dori and Nori also stayed in the mountain where they grew their wealth and lived rich, and happy, for the rest of their lives.
Ori
Like Dori and Nori, Ori – the lovable idiot – also stayed in the mountain where he lived out his life peacefully with a wife and children.
EXCEPT THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN!
Ori actually joined the expedition to Moria and after burying Balin he was killed by the onslaught of orcs that attacked. Remember that morbid diary entry Gandalf read in the Fellowship of the ring? That was Ori’s diary.
And that’s Ori...
BONUS ROUND
Bard Bowman
NOT Will TurnerBard rebuilt his ancestral town of Dale at the foot of the Lonely Mountain. He eventually became its king, establishing and maintaining good relations with the dwarves, where he lived peacefully and his son Bain succeeded him after his death.
Tauriel
I should save this for when I do my Hobbit 'Based On' video eventually, but I need to vent it here. Kili never fell in love with an Elf, much less meet Tauriel because she wasn’t even a character in the book. Peter Jackson created her just for the movie so he could force in an awful dwarf/elf forbidden relationship to emotionally manipulate the audience (it didn't work). Evangeline Lily was great in her role, but her character felt unnecessary and only weakened the story in my opinion.
--
So there you have it, the fate of the dwarves! The adventures that happened inThe Hobbit definitely impacted what would eventually take place in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, mainly due to it being how Bilbo found the ring of power. While, at times, there were unnecessary moments in the films, there were also moments that captured the magic of Middle-Earth and made you want to be part of it!
iOS bug lets people crash others' iPhones by sending them one line of text
Though the effects of the prank can be fixed, there doesn't seem to be a way of stopping it happening
iPhones can be crashed if they receive a text containing one specific line of Arabic characters and symbols.
Sending the letters in a text message causes the phone to crash and then power off, leaving the Messages app unusable once the iPhone turns back on. Users have found a way of fixing the problem once it has happened, but there appears to be no way to keep phones from being vulnerable to it happening again.
If users open the Messages app and the problem text is still open, users can just send a reply to fix the problem. If it's not, users must either receive a message or send a message to themselves, using Siri or by texting from the "share" option that can be found in many apps.
The problem appears to come from the way that the phone tries to show the message in notifications. The characters cause that system to break, so that it briefly tries to show it before crashing and then re-setting the phone in an attempt to fix it.
It doesn't turn it off, it just crashes it. If ur jailbroken, it sends you to safe mode and if ur non-jailbroken, it just resprings your device.
effective.
Power
لُلُصّبُلُلصّبُررً ॣ ॣh ॣ ॣ 冗
Send that to someone with an iPhone it turns their phone off
Copy all above the line and text it to another iPhone and it will shut it off.
I wonder what other things we can control with this, rather than just "power off the device."
Any ideas?
Edit 1: you don't need that first line, plus i fixed it
edit 2: a list of things we discovered so far
it only seems to work if your phone is not onsafe mode
on a jailbroken phone it shoots you into safe mode...could means that it might be related to a Springboard vulnerability
it doesn't work if the person you are sending is looking at your texts, they can be anywhere else on their iPhone
edit 3: something i've noticed, apple changes the api with every new ios, right? maybe it has something to do with that?
edit 4: what's weird is I'm on iOS 8.1.2 and it crashes my phone as well...
edit 5: we found out what it is. it is due to how the banner notifications process the Unicode text. The banner briefly attempts to present the incoming text and then "gives up" thus the crash creds to /u/sickestdancer98
The text was found by Reddit users, who also discovered how the problem was affecting phones. The issue seems to have been around since iOS 6, users said, which was released in 2012.
Apple's engineers are aware of the problem and are looking to fix it, according to Twitter users. Members of the site also found what was going on to make it work.
This “Kettle” Rod Is a Brilliant Energy-Saving Way to Make Tea
Do you use an electric kettle to make tea? Then you’re using way too much water and too much power heating an overfilled vessel. But! We found this cool new Kickstarter project that saves energy and looks sleek in a kitchen.
It kinda looks like a thick, chic Frisbee, and it’s a pretty ingenious idea. Instead of heating a big kettle, you plop your mug on the device, and heat only the amount of liquid you’ll drink right then and there. This saves water and energy, since smaller amounts of water (or whatever) is heated at a time.
It’s called Miito, and it describes itself as “the sustainable alternative to the electric kettle.” It’s already raised over $340,000—more than double its goal.
The Kickstarter page quotes sustainability strategist Leyla Acaroglu’s TED Talk: “One day of extra energy use [from overfilling electric kettles] is enough to light all the streetlights in England for a night.”
You can also use it to warm up bowls of soup, glasses of milk, mugs of hot chocolate, whatever. Here’s how it works: Put your filled tea cup on the small induction patch on the “kettle,” which is entirely cool to the touch. Slip in an induction rod. The induction patch heats the rod, boiling the liquid from within.
It sounds like the device won’t be wireless, at least at first, which is kind of a bummer. But if it means nuking stale coffee won’t involve a loud microwave caked with sauce stains, we’re all for it. Take my money and start heating my single serving of English breakfast, please.
” …immediately after spacecraft separation, a series of telemetry problems were detected… “
In recent weeks some at the Russian Federal Space Agency – Roscosmos(re-branded in 1992) have seriously started to doubt their ability to conduct even the simplest of tasks in the ever commercializing space
industry. The agency’s loss of Progress 44 in 2011, and now the same for Progress 59 in April of 2015 to a similar incident, have been costly.
This is added to the fact that Roscosmos has also lost six Proton
rockets in the last three and a half years at $55.5 million a piece (not counting contents/cargo). These setbacks have pushed some Russian physicists, engineers, and even program managers to question the very existence of their jobs.
“Almost immediately after spacecraft separation, a series of telemetry problems were detected with Progress 59,”
“After the rocket exploded all I could think was, not again.”
– Russian scientists told a NASA spokesman
The Russian Federation’s Proton-M rocket is the primary competitor of SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket. Both of these delivery systems can transport approx. four and a half tons into geostationary orbits and have the ability to dock with the ISS. These
are huge loads for today’s standards. The problem the Proton-M has repeatedly faced is its ability to successfully escape the Earth’s gravitational pull. This is key for space operations and a problem Russian scientists have battled for decades.
“Everything appears to be working correctly and then, bam, – it is a fireball!” – Systems control specialist Dimitri Matviyenko told one reporter.
In 2001 Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX traveled to the Russian capital of Moscow to discuss purchasing a couple of ICMB’s –
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (minus the ballistics hopefully). This is how SpaceX was really born. Before him there were others as well.
The general consensus of the InternationalSpaceCommunity has been overwhelmingly similar. When will Russia sell it’s space program? It wouldn’t be the first time the former communist
The totalitarian state sold its rockets to the highest bidders. It’s all simple economics. In the world of technology and transportation, it’s sink or swim. Russia had a good run and helped pave the
way as a pioneer in the industry of space exploration. Bankrupting yourself twice in half a century doesn’t seem like the best economical decision though.
Could a transfusion of young blood REALLY rejuvenate old people's brains? Vampire-like treatment could stave off the effects of ageing, say researchers
Blood transfusions helped mice to perform as well as memory tests as rodents a third of their age
Scientists are hopeful the findings could apply to humans and ease burden of ageing population
It might sound like something from Dracula, but old brains have been made sprightly again thanks to young blood.
Giving ageing mice blood from much younger animals rejuvenated connections between brain cells and improved memory, experiments have shown.
The treatment is so effective that 18-month-old animals did as well in memory tests as those of only four months. Mice usually live to between 18 months and two years.
Scientists suggest blood jabs from younger adults could help pensioners stay mentally alert
If the treatment is shown to be safe and as successful in humans, it could be used to stave off the ravages of old age.
Those in middle-age could be given regular jabs of blood donated by 20-somethings, a conference heard. Diseases such as Alzheimer's could also be held at bay.
Researcher Saul Villeda told the Society for Neuroscience's annual conference in New Orleans: 'Do I think that giving young blood could have an effect on a human? I'm thinking more and more that it might.
'It's not a drug that will have deleterious effects. It's just blood. We do it all the time for blood transfusions.'
Scientists from Stanford University in the US 'sewed together' two mice of different ages.
They created connections between their veins and arteries that allowed young blood to flow into the older animal's body, and vice versa. The younger animals' brains appeared to age. But in the older animals, young blood boosted the number of connections between brain cells. The connections, which are thought to be vital to memory, were also stronger.
Dr Saul Villeda from Stanford University thinks his exciting findings in mice could apply to humans
The older mice also did just as well as the younger ones in memory tests. The treatment is now being tested on mice with an Alzheimer's-like disease. Experts said that if the research continues to bear fruit, it could lead to treatment that brings even greater benefits than penicillin.
Other work suggests an infusion of young blood could be good for the muscles, liver and immune system. However, the work is at an early stage and it will be some time before it is tested on humans.
It may be possible to identify the compounds in blood that are rejuvenating the brain and turn them into a pill.
Professor Andrew Randall, a brain disease expert from Exeter and Bristol Universities, said: 'Although this may suggest that Dracula author Bram Stoker had ideas way ahead of his time, temporarily plumbing teenagers' blood supplies into those of their great-grandparents does not seem a particularly feasible future therapy for cognitive decline in ageing.
'Instead this fascinating work suggests there may be significant benefit in working out what the “good stuff” is in the high octane young blood, so that we can provide just those key components to the elderly.'
Professor Chris Mason, an expert in regenerative medicine from University College London, added: 'The important questions are; what is in the blood of the younger mice that impacts the ageing process, and is it applicable to humans?
'Even if the finding leads only to a drug that prevents, rather than reverses the normal effects of ageing on the brain, the impact upon future generation will be substantial – potentially outweighing other wonder drugs such as penicillin.'
Dr Villeda said: 'Our findings open the possibility of utilising young blood towards future therapeutic interventions aimed at reversing cognitive impairments in the elderly.
'It now becomes a promising prospect to test whether this extends beyond normal ageing towards reversing cellular and cognitive decline in those suffering from age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's diseas
Well now, where shall i begin to tell you about my Infest 2012. I don't think anyone who was there would argue that the turn out this year was well down on usual, I don't doubt tough economic times may have played a part for some, having Resistanz early next year also may have informed some regulars decisions but I think that this years line up may have had a large part to play, hmmm to go or not to go that was the question, the one part of me wanted to go 'cos, well it's Infest and not only the event but the chance to catch up with friends I only get to see when we're there. I did want to see Suono and of course Suicide Commando, now you understand this is just my opinion and of course I don't expect you to agree but the rest of the line up didn't set me on fire and so after a degree of mming and erring booked tickets, accommodation and stuff and prepared
to party.
Friday saw us arrive at the venue at around 3pm and it's no exaggeration to say it was very quiet. Spacebouy provided synth pop with a modern twist and though noise isn't really my thing Dirty K managed to bring both rhythm and noise together, yeah it's noise but good noise. As more of our friends and aquaintances arrived we tended to get caught up in the usual drink, greet, gossip, drink scenario and so the rest of Friday past without us spending too much time in the main room.
Saturday saw another fairly quiet start and instead of needing to be down front at least 15 minutes befoe kick off there was still loads of room at 5 minutes to go. We got well up front for Suono at 5pm and in hindsight 5 was way too early for them to be on as they were the "dark horses" of Saturday if not the weekend and for me personally saved the day! Having seen them I know what people mean when they say their studio sound doesn't quite yet catch the essence of their live performance but man do those boys deliver when you do see them live !! I've heard them compared to Sam and XRX and I get that but if you have had doubts about seeing them live, my friends, doubt no more and if you missed them then you missed a treat. Their boundless infectious enthusiasm and techno dance beats soon had everyone partying along, I just wish that there had been more in the room to see them, I can see them rapidly becoming firm favourites not least for the music as I distinctly heard the comment from behind me "oohh they are cute boys too" Suono, you heard it here first !
Sunday seemed for the most part a more chilled affair during the day, I think a lot of us had partied pretty hard on Saturday and were taking things a bit steady, however as the day wore on and various "hairs of the dog" pulled everyone round an air of anticipation began to build, no surprise really as headlining - drum roll, Ladees and Gentlemen, Infest gives you for one night only, the one, the only, Suicide Commando !! cue storms of applause and rush for the front !! and rush we did as it was the only time of the weekend you had to be down front half an hour before - and we were.
Right from the first storming song, Johan pounded around the stage at once admonishing us with the famous waggy finger whilst encouraging us to "Come on and hate Me" Attention Whore had everyone pounding up and down (was it meant for all of us? of course it was ! we know what we are) along with Die Motherfucker Die and classics such as Time, but for me, the highlight was being forehead to forehead with the man himself yelling Bind, Torture and Kill an experience which will stay with me for quite some time. After two encores the set came to a sweaty, shouty, excitable end way too soon for all of us, leaving the lovely Tails (Tales) ?? sorry man, forgive me, I don't know which way to spell it our world famous M.C. to announce the raffle and the prize of prizes must surely have been the wonderful Beer Can Headpiece, for those who saw it you know what I mean, finally a big shout out to The Infamous Rubber Nun, Das TinTin and Zombie Chris - you know who you are ...........
As always Infest delivered on many levels, the Jager, the stalls, the crowd and the bands, if there is just one small comment I would make it would be that what Infest does Brilliantly is give lesser known and new artists a platform but for next year we need a few more names please, in the current crappy economic climate in this country and with Resistanz snapping at Infest's heels we need bands to pull us all in and keep Infest what it is, well Infest, let's face it if you've never been before you really need to come along next year and to everyone who always is, see you there next year motherfuckers !!!
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