By JB Sanders<\/p>\n
Some new odd links in this new odd year.<\/p>\n
Make it Yourself<\/a><\/strong> Mmm, Airships<\/a><\/strong> Printed Dinner<\/a><\/strong> You Already Know What This Link is About<\/a><\/strong> Doctor Who: Master of Weird Connections<\/a><\/strong> Once Forgotten Caves Laser-mapped<\/a><\/strong> Tiny Dioramas of Weirdness<\/a><\/strong> Odd Word of the Month: Cryptoforests<\/a><\/strong> Doctor Who Nesting Dolls<\/a><\/strong> It’s Only Sort-of Genetic<\/a><\/strong> Plus there’s a sidebar about how brains change depending on activity.<\/p>\n
\nBy “make it”, I mean print it and by “it”, I mean pretty much anything. Heard about those neat 3D printers that cost the moon to buy? Forget about them! This website has instructions for building a 3D printer yourself for about $2500 (less if you source the parts yourself). The website is the front porch of an organization trying to create personal fabrication technology for the masses. <\/p>\n
\nHere’s another link to another airship, this time in a MUCH larger prototype and looking to be in full-size vehicles by the summer. It’s not science fiction anymore! (And yes, it uses helium.)<\/p>\n
\nOk, yes, two 3D printer stories practically in a row. Too bad, this is different and cool. Researchers at Cornell University are building a food printer. Which they hope will one day be as ubiquitous as the microwave oven.<\/p>\n
\nA hugely respected scientist has been conducting experiments on ESP. Nothing new, right? Well, it appears that he has (proof pending) repeatable experimental proof of people being effected by events that they haven’t experienced … yet. Spooooky!<\/p>\n
\nDavid Tennant (quite likely one of the best Doctor Who actors ever) is marrying the woman who played the Doctor’s clone-daughter in the series. Not weird enough for you? She’s the real-life daughter of Peter Davidson, who you may recall played Incarnation #5 of the good Doc. Life — stranger than fiction.<\/p>\n
\nA series of caves, now thought to be a sand-mine, were recently laser-mapped, providing smoke-like maps of their winding, twisty corridors. It’s thought the “caves” were a working sand mine in the 1700’s and were re-discovered in 1892. Some basements in Nottingham actually open onto the caves. Be sure to watch the movies — there’s a virtual fly-through.<\/p>\n
\nSo, this artist builds dioramas of movie scenes and photographs them. That’s it. And it’s … surreal.<\/p>\n
\nNot sure what they are? I’m not entirely sure either, but I guess they’re isolated bits of forest in an urban landscape.<\/p>\n
\nNo, really! And no, you can’t have too many Doctor Who posts and\/or links.<\/p>\n
\nNeurologists and geneticists have been studying genius. They’re reaching the conclusion that genetics predetermines only so much, and that each of us has a potential genius talent.<\/p>\n