Google - Introducing the Chromebook

An advertisement video for the new Chromebook by Google appeared just recently. It was made by Devon Hong and follows the usual simplistic scheme that Google has developed over their course of existence. This new laptop or shall I say "computer-like object" will be literally cloud-based, e.i. only make the use of Internet-based applications and storage devices. Pretty neat idea, but then again there will be a strong opposition to it as well. Here is the description of the video from its creator:

"To launch Google Chromebook, we came up with this video to be stream live at the Google I/O conference. The brilliant talents at Buck brought it to life. Not to mention Antfood's incredible track. We're all so pleased with the outcome."

Google - Introducing the Chromebook from Devon Hong on Vimeo.

OMGFacts - Facts with a wow factor in them

Another recommended entertaining website with some educational value added to it. Find out plethora of random facts and the background information on them. From sex to science, all of the facts are fun and interesting to read. OMGFacts, 

Here are some of the Top Facts from the website:

• Having sex can reduce a fever because of the sweat produced. 

Hyundai Accent 3D projection advertisement

This is an amazing new concept taken in the advertisement industry. 3D projections have been around for a while now, but this commercial uses outstanding animation blended with futuristic concept of public ads showcased outside on a side of a building. Enjoy!

via: YouTube

The Science of Persuasion Answers

Here are the answers to yesterday's Science of  Persuasion quiz along with a brief explanation on each. Few people had actually guessed very close to the actual answers. Congrats to you guys! I Hope you enjoyed it and if you are interested in more such quizzes please visit Daily Planet's Mind Bender via  Discovery Channel.


1. How many times should an idea be repeated for maximum effect? 
a) 3-5

Studies have found that the maximum effect came from 3-5 repetitions of an idea or message. Repetition fails if people aren't paying attention or if an argument is weak. If an argument is strong, repetition increases its power to persuade. However, too much repetition can have the opposite of the desired effect.

The Science of Persuation

I recently was watching TV and came up on a show that listed some awesome facts about the power of persuasion. The host basically gave a short quiz about the topic and listed a few plausible choices and then revealed the correct answer. I will try to reproduce that quiz in this post and you will have to take guesses as to what the right answer should be

Pile Of Kittens (In My Mind)

Something to lighten up your day, here is a slow-motion video of a kitten playing around set to a catchy tune by ParryGripp.  Also if you liked this check out his other short songs on his YouTube channel.

via: YouTube

Ten Most Thanked for Scientific Discoveries

Here is a list of ten most important scientific discoveries of the past century. Most of these are vital in our daily lives and are used to further advance our abilities and understand the universe. These discoveries range from medicine & physics to anthropology & archeology.

The Poetry of Reality, An Anthem for Science

What is science exactly? If you have been wondering or ever asked yourself this question, here is the answer in a sing-along video format. It features 12 scientists and science enthusiasts promoting science through words of wisdom. Enjoy this work from Symphony Of Science.

via: Symphony Of Science

Powers of Ten

An awesome documentary film that depicts the relative scale of the Universe in factors of ten. The video starts zooming out of our Earth to the cosmos and then travels back to Earth and zooms in to magnify the human cells, to eventually reveal the atoms. This short movie has also been adapted into an interactive website - Powers of Ten.

via: YouTube

Water Splashes in slow motion

Here is yet another awesome timelapse video. This time its all about water splashes made by throwing rocks into a lake. Enjoy the video accompanied by fun little piano score to match.

Water Splashes in Slow Motion - 4000 fps from David Lindberg on Vimeo.

Dig holes right through the Earth

If I dig a very deep hole, where will I end up on the other side of the Earth?
If that question has ever bothered you at any time, now you can get the answer to it by checking out this map.

Here is the result of the hole made from my home city:

via: Map.TallEye.com

3-D Street Art

Art is all around us in today's society, but this type of art is literally below our feet right on the boardwalks of various streets. The video below is a collection of various street art that from a certain view give the impression of being real 3-D painting.

via: YouTube

Also head on past the break for a video of how one such art piece is created.

Bring the billboard to Life

A smart ad campaign to interest people in pursuing a career in public health. The interactive component of this billboard is that the viewer gets to "save a life" of a patient with a touch of hands (i.e. CPR). Just imagine walking into a bus shelter to wait for your daily commute and suddenly you hear series of long rapid beeps (that are usually indicative of a cardiac arrest), you turn around and press your hands against the wall as directed and in turn "save a patient's life". I'd consider that to be a pretty nice start of the day - saving someone's life at a bus-stop :D  Enjoy the video demonstration below.

via: YouTube

Four ways to make fire without matches only using chemistry!

Have you ever been stuck outside on a camping trip or elsewhere without matches when you need them? Well here are four science tips for starting a fire using only the knowledge of chemistry. To achieve the combustive reaction you should be knowledgeable in the handling and use of certain chemicals, now aren't you glad you didn't sleep during your chemistry lectures!

All jokes aside though, enjoy the cool science presentation from the people behind NurdRage. Also check out the detailed description to each reaction after the break.

via: YouTube

TRI▲NGLE

Onur Senturk studied traditional painting and figure drawing followed by a traditional animation degree as his BFA. He took part in several international and national collaborative exhibitions with works in both print and time-based media. He designed and animated “Triangle ” which is awarded twice by Vimeo as best motion graphics. TRI▲NGLE is a video work done for the book 'Black Material' which showcases Robert Knoke's artwork.

TRI▲NGLE from Onur Senturk on Vimeo.

Adopt a kitty today

Here is a heartfelt message from The Animal Humane Society with adorable talking cats. All that these cute kitties are asking for is nothing more than a caring home and your love. Visit The Animal Humane Society for details on how you can help.

via: YouTube

Thank YOU ALL for following, visiting and leaving comments on my blog

Illustration: Jason Lee

We are currently at 200 followers and over 4000 views. I'm very thankful to every single one of you for visiting and leaving your awesome comments, this would not be possible without you. Here is an internet high-five from me to every single one of you!
Just follow the instructions below and you'll be a real Pro at high-fiving in no time.

1. Always initiate. He who launches the high five owns the high five. Engage your upper-arm muscles, keep your wrist firm, and propel your hand like the meteor of awesome it is. (Maintain altitude and an open hand — this ain't no fist bump.) Your high-fivee can only surrender.

2. Don't look at the hand. That looming palm is a moving, unpredictable target. Instead, keep your eye on the elbow; that'll automatically line up your mitts.

3. Cup your palm. As you reach the high point of the arc, make your hand slightly concave to create that satisfying thunderclap.

How to develop good interpersonal skills in 10 steps

1. Try to address someone by their exact name. Remembering a person's name is a sincere sign of interest, is highly flattering, and never forgotten.

2. Never be afraid to make the first move, but try to be positive, not negative. Try to compliment, where possible

3. Aim to be clear, brief and courteous on the telephone.

4. Try to LISTEN more than you speak. You are likely to notice certain unspoken elements which would have otherwise gone unnoticed. Not only that, the person will feel you are genuinely interested in what they are saying.

5. Keep meetings short and interesting. Try to involve everyone present. It is easy to notice the articulate ones while you miss the ones who could really make a difference through some encouragement.

6. Praise first and criticize later, and only if you have to.

7. Make constructive criticisms, not destructive ones, bearing in mind that there are many routes to the same end. If you show colleagues how to build on what they already have it will be far more productive than destroying the foundations they've laid mainly for your own ego.

8. Try to be more persuasive than divisive. People will go to the ends of the earth for you if they feel valued and appreciated. It means you get much more done that way.

9. Always acknowledge another person's point of view, even if you disagree with it. Their view is important to them, just as yours is important to you. If there is a deadlock, think about it for a while and agree to differ, if nothing changes.

10. Above all, it is your right to express yourself freely, to support what you believe in, as long as you remember that this right also applies to everyone else and carries much responsibility for both compromise and sensitivity.

via: Elaine Sihera's arcitle at Helium.com

Amazing combustion of Mercury Thiocyanide

   Here is another chemistry related video, and this time it is combustion (burning of) Mercury Thiocyanate. This compound was formerly used in pyrotechnics causing an effect known as the "Pharaoh’s serpent" or "Pharaoh’s snake".

   It is a stable solid at room temperature that has the appearance of white powder with chunks; it can also be grey in color, depending on purity. Mercury compounds are extremely toxic and protective equipment should be used whenever working with Mercury Thiocyanate. 

   When the compound is in the presence of a strong enough heat source, a rapid exothermic reaction is started which produces a large mass of coiling serpent-like solid. An inconspicuous flame which is often blue but can also occur in yellow / orange accompanies the combustion. The resulting solid can range from dark graphite grey to light tan in color with the inside generally much darker than the outside.

Watch and be amazed by science!

via: YouTube

Galactic Timelapse

Here is a great time-lapse video of the sky at night. The beautiful imagery is set to an awesome music from the movie Bladerunner by Vangelis - "Rachael's Song". Enjoy!
Also check out another beautiful timelapse video of NYC.

via: YouTube

Symmetry & Words

   Everynone is a filmmaking team based in New York. Two of their many works that are awe inspiring and very creative are: "Symmetry" and "WORDS".

   In our daily lives we see symmetry in almost everything around us. This video shows us the symmetry of difference. This can be seen in simple objects such as fries & ketchup, peanut butter & jelly, day & night, fire& ice; or in a more complex human way by means of social interactions between: a police officer & criminal, men & women, newborn & elderly, laughter & crying, birth & death.

Symmetry from Everynone on Vimeo.

Hardest World Languages

   Lets face it in our vastly interconnected world which is mostly caused by globalization, nowadays many people know more than one language. This can be very beneficial because one can easily communicate with others when they are abroad and can pretty much find their way around that new city easily. I, myself know three languages, in which I can fluently converse; they would be: English, Ukrainian and Russian.

   If anyone is interested in learning a new language for themselves, there is a vast amount of free tutorials, videos and lessons on the internet. One great resource is book2 - a website with hundreds of free mp3s that let you learn a new language anywhere you are ("The 100 lessons help you to quickly learn and use a foreign language in various situations").

   This leads to my next point - I wanted to find out what languages would be the hardest to learn from an English speaking perspective. My search led me to this great pictograph:

Masturbation in the Animal Kingdom

According to many scientists Homo sapiens are not the only species that engage in masturbation. Here are some interesting facts about self-pleasure among humans and the animals on our planet.

"For one, many animals that masturbate don't continue the deed until orgasm (humans seem to be rather goal-oriented on this point). That means that some of the best theories for why masturbation evolved in humans are off the table for other animals. 

For example, studies have found that masturbation can increase a man's sperm count by getting rid of old semen that's lost its vitality, and therefore boosting the chances that young, lively sperm will be ejaculated during intercourse. 

But since this discharge doesn't seem to occur as often in animals, then there must be some other benefits to the practice, scientists say."

Happy Star Wars Day!

Today is the unofficial Star Wars Day. That being said here is a short video to commemorate this day.

May The Fourth Be With You!

via: YouTube

cncntrc, an artistic monthly archive

cncntrc is a tumbler page that caught my attention while browsing for some cool images on the internet. It contains pictures, short videos, animated images as well as short eloquent quotes. The biggest factor that made me bookmark this page is the sheer quantity of very emotive and picturesque art that is archived chronologically by each month. The very minimalistic layout and the pure quality of the artwork posted there is majestic. This blog is a sure keeper in my bookmarks, so if you like my previous art-related posts you will definitely love cncntrc.

Here is just the tip of the iceberg of the amount of art that can be found over at the said blog:

Canadian Elections

Today is a big day for Canada. The federal elections are slated to end today and the results will be published at around 10 Pm EDT. The Canadian federal elections of 2011 were caused by an unprecedented motion to dissolve parliament (after the House of Commons passed a motion of non-confidence against the government) which has not happened anywhere in all of the Commonwealth of Nations (i.e. Australia, Canada, Ghana, India, Jamaica and New Zealand).

Here is the data from the latest Election Opinion Polls:
Latest National Poll

CON	36%
NDP	33%
LIB	19%
GRN	6%
BQ	5%

Poll: Forum - May 1, 2011

via: SFU Political Science Department

*Update:
So it seems that the Conservative party has won the most seats in the Parliament and so they gained majority in the government.

Party	Elected	Leading	Total
	167	0	167
	102	0	102
	34	0	34
	4	0	4
	1	0	1

Needed for Majority: 155

via: CP24 News

Failblog - Epic Fail Funny Videos and Funny Pictures

Here is another iteration of funny site reviews. Today we will examine the FailBlog. This site consists of videos, pictures and .gif images. The site also prominently features pictures and videos of someone or something failing at something. All the content is captioned with the words "fail", "epic fail", "X Fail", "X; You're doin' it wrong" (X being the activity at which the subject has failed), "Things That are doing it", "M thru F; fails in the workplace", and "Probably Bad News", although occasionally there are some cases of "wins".

Without further adieu, here are my Top 5 Fails: