Video
grrlscientist | May 14, 2009tags: TEDTalks, Joshua Klein, birds, crows, ornithology, animal behavior, streaming video
In this video, Hacker and writer Joshua Klein talks about his fascination with crows. (Notice the gleam of intelligence in their little black eyes?) After a long amateur study of corvid behavior, he's come up with an elegant machine that may form a new bond between animal and human. (2008) [9:47]
sciencepunk | May 14, 2009
Despite what everyone will say about the boggle-eyed madness contained in the video below the fold, you have to admit science is never more fun than with a ex-Playboy model explaining how Iran and Iraq will turn your chef cells into Rambo. I'm begging for some remixes of this - get to work, people!
Hat Tip Skeptobot.
bioephemera | May 13, 2009Well, not really. Artist Carel Brest van Kempen timelapsed stills of an acrylic painting to show his work process. It's remarkable how quickly the anole comes to life!
I especially enjoy watching the glazes go on and come off - each time he blots out part of the painting, I think, "oh NO!" But that's because I work in watercolor, which is pretty near irreversible. Acrylic is much more forgiving.
grrlscientist | May 13, 2009tags: An Engineer's Guide to Cat Yodeling, pets, humor, funny, streaming video
This amusing video is a special little feature just for my Finnish friend, Juuro. Two professional engineers illustrate how to get your cats to yodel. None of the cats, humans, or engineers were mistreated in the making of this film. They were however, slightly annoyed. [6:31]
rallain | May 12, 2009Maybe you have seen this trick. Basically, you hold by supporting it with two fingers from the bottom. You then move your hand around to keep it balanced while the stick is vertical. It is really not as hard as it looks. Also, there are two things that can make your job easier. Use a longer stick, or add an extra mass at the end of the stick. Here is a video of me demonstrating this. (I forgot, this also an event in the show Unbeatable Banzuke)
Balancing a Stick Demo from Rhett Allain on Vimeo.
So, how does this work? Let me start with a stick that is mostly vertical and supported by…
grrlscientist | May 12, 2009tags: film, movies, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, streaming video
This video shows the West Wales site where two Hollywood blockbusters will be filmed this summer. Harry Potter and Robin Hood will both be filmed in Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire. [2:05]
Filming for for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is already underway. Roads will be closed in Pembrokeshire, as building for Shell Cottage begins. Shell Cottage plays a prominent part in JK Rowling's final book. Originally located on a little cliff in Cornwall, Harry, Ron and Hermione take shelter in Shell Cottage whilst on the…
grrlscientist | May 11, 2009tags: peek-a-boo, cats, humor, streaming video
This amusing video shows a cat hiding in his mistress's suitcase. She had just returned from summer vacation and apparently her faithful kitty, boots, crawled into her suitcase and was entertaining her by attacking a pen that she was scratching along the zipper [1:53]
grrlscientist | May 10, 2009tags: religion, humor, edward current, streaming video
Do you really believe that precious life comes from disgusting body fluids? The Truth is, babies are brought into the world by a pure white angel, the Stork. [3:06]
grrlscientist | May 9, 2009tags: employment, humor, satire, streaming video
A new Department of Labor report finds personal outsourcing is revolutionizing how Americans don't do their own work. [2:23]
grrlscientist | May 8, 2009tags: Cow Tipping, humor, funny,streaming video
Growing up near a dairy farm, I can tell you stories. But city boyz have a few lessons to learn: first and foremost among them is cow tipping. Cow-tipping is legendary, yet animal experts say it's nearly impossible to do. Here's how to "tip" the odds in your favor. [2:19]
grrlscientist | May 7, 2009tags: TEDTalks, Laurie Garrett, H5N1 Influenza, influenza, virology, epidemics, streaming video
Recorded in 2007, as the world worried about a possible avian flu epidemic, Laurie Garrett, author of "The Coming Plague," gave this powerful talk to a small TED University audience. Her insights from past pandemics are suddenly more relevant than ever. [21:05]
grrlscientist | May 6, 2009tags: An Engineer's Guide to Cat Yodeling, pets, humor, funny, streaming video
This amusing video is a special little feature just for my Finnish friend, Juuro, although I hope everyone enjoys it. Cat Yodeling involves cuddling the cat 'till he/she gets annoyed. Once the cat starts to "meow" just give a little "shiver" and you have cat yodeling! This does not harm the cat but I suppose it is a little humiliating. Poor kitty! [0:57]
grrlscientist | May 5, 2009tags: An Engineer's Guide to Cats, pets, humor, funny, streaming video
I've shown you this video before, but it I enjoyed it so much that I think it is worthy of an encore showing. Two professional engineers illustrate the proper care and practical benefits of cats. None of the cats, humans, or engineers were mistreated in the making of this film. They were however, slightly annoyed. [6:57]
grrlscientist | May 4, 2009tags: The Beagle Project, science, fund-raising, humor, streaming video
This strange and amusing streaming video features a self-described "fat, bearded chap with a Charles Darwin fixation" whom I know in real life, has an important purpose: Let's knock ourselves out to rebuild the HMS Beagle and use this vessel to follow Darwin's journey of discovery! [1:14]
The Beagle Project aims to celebrate Charles Darwin's 200th birthday by building a sailing replica of the HMS Beagle and recreating the Voyage of the Beagle with an international crew of researchers, aspiring scientists and science…
grrlscientist | May 3, 2009tags: Kentucky Derby, horse racing, race horses, Mine That Bird, sports, streaming video
If you are one of the other two people in the USA who, like me, don't own a television, you might be interested to watch yesterday's Kentucky Derby. I know I was interested to see it, especially because a longshot with the absolutely stupid name, Mine That Bird, won easily (but in a rather slow time). As I said yesterday, it's too bad that the impressive filly, Rachel Alexandra, wasn't in this race because I think she would have easily beaten the entire crowd of boys, which comprise a poor crop of colts…
grrlscientist | May 3, 2009tags: Edward Current, kitty heaven, religion, satire, humor, streaming video
This amusing video is by Edward Current, and it provides evidence that his cat, Miss Delilah, has been saved and is going to Kitty Heaven. Which is a good thing, because otherwise her life on Earth would be meaningless! [1:56]
grrlscientist | May 1, 2009tags: horse racing, Kentucky Derby, Run for the Roses, sports, streaming video
Tomorrow, 20 horses will run in the world-famous Kentucky Derby. This video gives you an overview of the horses that are thought to play a major role in this year's "Run for the Roses" [1:24]
rallain | April 30, 2009ZapperZ already beat me to this, but if it is worth doing once it is worth doing again. Here is a video of an electric motorcycle that can apparently go from 0 to 60 mph in 1 second.
What acceleration would this have? If you want, you can look at my stuff on kinematics, but this case is pretty straight forward. Really, as straight forward as one could get. Let me start with the definition of acceleration: (in the x-direction since this is a 1-d problem)
I know both the change in speed and the time, so this is easy. I can make it even easier using google. The acceleration is 60 mph/s.…
grrlscientist | April 30, 2009tags: TEDTalks, Margaret Wertheim, mathematics, evolution, sea slugs, coral reefs, streaming video
This interesting video discusses evolution, mathematics, sea slugs, corals and crocheting as presented by science writer Margaret Wertheim [16:37]