david-pescovitz – Tech Today w/ Ken May

Inside Hong Kong’s insanely cramped and illegal "coffin homes"

Photographer Benny Lam spent several years documenting grim living conditions in Hong Kong where people live inside tiny “coffin cubicles” within illegally divided apartments. The images are grim glimpses of life in the city with the most expensive housing market in the world. The photo series is titled “Trapped.” From National Geographic : Pushed out by soaring rents, tens of thousands of people have no other option than to inhabit squatter huts, sub-divided units where the kitchen and toilet merge, coffin cubicles, and cage homes, which are rooms measuring as small as 6’ x 2.5’ traditionally made of wire mesh. “From cooking to sleeping, all activities take place in these tiny spaces,” says Lam. To create the coffin cubicles a 400 square flat will be illegally divided by its owner to accommodate 20 double-decker beds, each costing about HK$2000 (over $250 USD) per month in rent. The space is too small to stand up in.

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Inside Hong Kong’s insanely cramped and illegal "coffin homes"

Chandelier containing living microalgae to "purify the air"

https://youtu.be/Lxd43iH-CX0 Artist, inventor, and bio-hacker Julian Melchiorri created “Exhale, the Bionic Chandelier,” a hanging electric light that “purifies the air indoors through photosynthesis performed by living microalgae enclosed into leaf modules.” Exhale is now part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s permanent collection. From the project page: Exhale is also the first living object which continuously grows while performing biologically-driven depurative functions. The light of the chandelier illuminate the space but also stimulates photosynthesis performed by tiny microalgae, this living microorganisms feed on carbon dioxide while releasing breathable oxygen into the room. This biological process performed by the chandelier establishes and explores a new symbiotic relationship between object and people where life-giving resources are constantly exchanged, and where each other waste enables respective metabolic processes. This exchange recalls how biospheric systems work, where waste ultimately doesn’t exists but is a valuable resource for other elements in that system. Bionic Chandelier (via The Kid Should See This )

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Chandelier containing living microalgae to "purify the air"

New Super Mario movie in development with studio behind Minions

From Nintendo president Tatumi Kimishima’s corporate management policy briefing today ( PDF ) : We have started development of an animated movie featuring “Super Mario” with Illumination, the movie studio that brought films such as “Despicable Me” and “Minions.” For this project Mr. Chris Meledandri, Founder and CEO of Illumination and Shigeru Miyamoto, Representative Director, Fellow of Nintendo will co-producing the film. The film will be co-financed by Universal Pictures and Nintendo, and distributed theatrically worldwide by Universal Pictures. Further announcements on details such as release dates will be made at a later date. We look forward to providing further information about the release timing for this movie that we hope everyone will enjoy. As a part of our effort to expand Nintendo IP beyond video games, we look forward to bringing smiles to people around the world through this movie. Let’s hope it fares better than last time . (via Rolling Stone )

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New Super Mario movie in development with studio behind Minions

These are not paintings of Jupiter

Citizen scientists Gerald Eichstädt and Seán Doran amped up the color and contrast of images of Jupiter’s turbulent atmosphere as captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft . Below, for, um, comparison, Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” (1889) and Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” (1893). More of Eichstädt and Doran’s stunning work here .

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These are not paintings of Jupiter

How do you play this boardgame from 375 C.E.

This board game was found in Poprad, Slovakia inside a German prince’s tomb that dates to 375 C.E. Now, researchers at Switzerland’s Museum of Games are trying to figure out how to play it. From Smithsonian: It’s likely the board is designed to play Latrunculi or Ludus latrunculorum, which translates as “Mercenaries” or the “Game of Brigands” or some variant. That game was originally derived from an ancient Greek game called petteia which is referenced in the works of Homer. There are a handful of vague descriptions of how the game was played in ancient sources, but researchers have not successfully figured out the complete set of rules so far, though many gamers have come up with their own guesses. “There were plenty of board games in ancient times with many variants, but reconstructing the playing technique is a very complicated process that only top experts can solve,” Karol Pieta, the archaeologist in charge of the dig, tells the Spectator. ” Researchers Are Trying to Figure Out How to Play This Ancient Roman Board Game ” (Smithsonian)

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How do you play this boardgame from 375 C.E.

Vintage motion capture session from the making of Mortal Kombat (1992)

This 1992 behind-the-scenes footage of a Scorpion motion capture session from the making of Mortal Kombat could easily be a piece of absurdist Dada performance art. (via Uncrate )

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Vintage motion capture session from the making of Mortal Kombat (1992)

Dogs in Navi Mumbai are turning blue

A number of very unusual-looking blue dogs have been spotted in Navi Mumbai, India. Sadly, the cause is industrial waste in the Kasadi river where stray dogs often wade. From the Hindustan Times : A water quality test at Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation found the waste treatment was inadequate. The levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) — the concentration of oxygen required to sustain aquatic life — was 80 milligram a litre (mg/L). Levels of chloride, which is toxic, harms vegetation, aquatic life and wildlife, were also high…. “It was shocking to see how the dog’s white fur had turned completely blue,” said Arati Chauhan, resident of Navi Mumbai, who runs the (Navi Mumbai Animal Protection Cell). “We have spotted almost five such dogs here and have asked the pollution control board to act against such industries.” MPCB officials said they had taken cognisance of the complaint. “Allowing the discharge of dye into any water body is illegal. We will take action against the polluters as they are destroying the environment,” said Anil Mohekar, regional officer, MPCB, Navi Mumbai. “We have directed our sub-regional officer to investigate,” he added. Animal rights activists have, however, wondered whether the move comes too late. “We have only spotted blue dogs so far. We do not know if birds, reptiles and other creatures are affected or if they have even died owing to the dye discharged into the air,” said Chauhan.

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Dogs in Navi Mumbai are turning blue

Hundred-year-old fruitcake found in Anarctica in "excellent condition"

Researchers from the Antarctic Heritage Trust turned up this 100-year-old fruitcake in a Cape Adare hut. From their report : Made by Huntley & Palmers, the fruit cake is still wrapped in paper and encased in the remains of a tin-plated iron alloy tin. The cake probably dates to the Cape Adare-based Northern Party of Scott’s Terra Nova expedition (1910 – 1913) as it has been documented that Scott took this particular brand of cake with him at that time. Although the tin was in poor condition, the cake itself looked and smelt (almost) edible… “It’s an ideal high-energy food for Antarctic conditions, and is still a favourite item on modern trips to the Ice,” said the Trust’s Lizzie Meek.

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Hundred-year-old fruitcake found in Anarctica in "excellent condition"

Marijuana found packed into new Fords arriving at Midwestern dealerships

More than $1 million in marijuana was found hidden inside brand new Ford Fusions at dealerships in Ohio and Pennsylvania. The automobiles were manufactured at plants in Mexico and somewhere along the way, the spare tire wheel wells were packed with pot. Talk about a dealer incentive! “We’re aware of the situation and are taking it very seriously,” a Ford Motor Company spokesman said Saturday. “We are working with the FBI and Customs on an extensive investigation. We have confirmed that this is not happening at our plant or at our internal shipping yards.” ( CNN )

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Marijuana found packed into new Fords arriving at Midwestern dealerships

Ozzy Osbourne’s favorite metal albums

Rolling Stone magazine asked the Prince of Darkness to list his ten favorite metal albums. Here are five of Ozzy’s sure-shots: AC/DC, ‘Highway to Hell’ (1979) “I love Brian Johnson but to me my good friend, the late Bon Scott, was the best singer AC/DC ever had. This album was like an addiction to me.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l482T0yNkeo Guns N’ Roses, ‘Appetite for Destruction’ (1987) “One of the greatest debut albums of all time. There’s not a weak song in the bunch. I never get tired of hearing it.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1tj2zJ2Wvg Led Zeppelin, ‘Led Zeppelin IV’ (1971) “I’ve always been a huge Led Zeppelin fan. All of their studio albums are classics but this is one of my all-time favorites.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyivczZI5pw Metallica, ‘Master of Puppets’ (1986) “I took Metallica on tour with me after the release of Master of Puppets. The album was a milestone for the band and for heavy metal.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVR4bkyMykA Motörhead, ‘Ace of Spades’ (1980) “The album that put Motörhead over the top. The title track “Ace of Spades” is Motörhead’s “Paranoid.” It’s one of the great metal anthems and, to me, a band hasn’t made it until they have their own anthem. This is theirs.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWB5JZRGl0U Ozzy Osbourne: My 10 Favorite Metal Albums (Rolling Stone)