Video of robot that balances an inverted pendulum

Video of robot that balances an inverted pendulum: "Eric says This video shows a balancing robot moving with such fluidity and apparent emotion, that it almost seems alive. Magnus Linderoth and Kristian Soltesz, students of Lunds University in Sweden, posted a video last winter of their 'inverted pendulum' robot. I only found it recently because I saw a post in MAKE about double pendulums and searched for more in YouTube. The robot in the video tries desperately to keep a rod balanced in the air like a broomstick. As the researcher meddles with the robot, it responds with various tactics. Link "

How to Win at Rock, Paper, Scissors

How to Win at Rock, Paper, Scissors: "Competition playWhile you probably already know how to play 'Rock, Paper, Scissors,' there can be more to this game than simple chance. This article details some of the strategies used in competitions such as the annual Rock, Paper, Scissors World Championship. By being both observant and unpredictable, you can play like an RPS pro."

Japanese Rube Goldberg Machine Video

Japanese Rube Goldberg Machine Video: " Check out this silly video of homemade Rube Goldberg-like contraptions. The music is lovely--it's just a rhythmic voice cheering the moving part on. Like if it's rolling he's saying 'korokoro' (the sound of rolling)--that kind of thing. Via Table of Malcontents"

3D Sudoku

3D Sudoku: "A Sudoku egyre népszerűbb játék Magyarországon is. Az alapjáték lényege 1-9 terjedő számok elhelyezése egy négyzetrácson, úgy hogy sem oszlopaiban sem soraiban nem szerepelhet ugyanaz a ..."

How Chocolate Works

How Chocolate Works: "Mmmmm, chocolate...if only it grew on trees. Hey, wait a minute, it does. Learn about chocolate's origins. "

7 Deadly Sins and their Combinations.

7 Deadly Sins and their Combinations.: "Mark Frauenfelder: If you arrange the 7 Deadly Sins around a heptagon label them A-G, and connect each Sin to the others, you get 21 secondary sins. For instance Sloth + Pride = Slackers. Link (Via Neatorama) Reader comment: Ross says: I rather enjoyed the post, both from a mathematical and theological perspective. But there's no reason to stop at secondary sins. You can count all the possible ways of combining any number of the 7 Deadlies by using the binomial coefficient. The total works out to be 127 ways to put together any number of the seven sins. Or 120 ways, if you don't count each of the seven sins individually. "

Repülőszimulátort rejt a Google Earth

Repülőszimulátort rejt a Google Earth: "Töltsük le a Google Earth legfrissebb verzióját, majd váltsuk angol billentyűzetkiosztásra a gépünket. Ezt követően egyszerűen nyomjuk le a Ctrl+Alt+A billentyűkombinációt, és máris bent vagyunk. Két géppel, egy F-16-ossal és egy SR-22-essel repülhetünk. Az alap kifutópálya Katmandu. De akár a londoni Heathrow-ról vagy a Palo Altó-i reptérről is indulhatunk. Vagyis akár a Googleplexbe is benézhetünk egy F-16-ossal. Nehéz eldönteni, hogy egy igazi eastereggről vagy egy kiszivárogott, bejelentés előtt álló játékról van-e szó. Nekem elsőre egyenesben maradni sem volt egyszerű. Pedig kitartóan kínoztam a PageUp/PageDown gombokat, sikeres felszállás után. Joystickkel könnyebb. Roger."

DIY invisible bookshelf

DIY invisible bookshelf: "Collaborative DIY site Instructables posts a step-by-step for making your own invisible bookshelf. In a nutshell, you have to build a mount into a book you're not all that interested in using..."

Download of the Day: Design a virtual Lego masterpiece with BlockCAD (Windows)

Download of the Day: Design a virtual Lego masterpiece with BlockCAD (Windows): "Windows only: Unleash your inner Lego engineer with BlockCAD, a freeware application for building anything with Lego-ish bricks. Now, granted, this is not a full-on CAD program, but you can still..."

DNA Art! updated

DNA Art! updated: "DNA 11 can make custom art of your DNA. Or, the whole family of course, to prove that you are blood related (or not). How about that for a family portrait? Send in your DNA, or check out samples of...

Full post at reluct.com"

Armadillo Run physics-based game

Armadillo Run physics-based game: "Mark Frauenfelder: I'm having a great time playing Armadillo Run. It's a physics-based game in which you have to build a Rube Goldberg style contraption to make it to the next level. The simulated physics is incredible.

For each challenge, you're given a budget to buy rope, cloth, metal bars, metal sheet, and other components. Then you have to assemble a structure and adjust the tension of the component so that it will successfully deliver a basketball to a circular blue portal. The challenges get harder as you progress. The game cost $20, but you can download a 10-level demo version for free. (It's for Windows only.) Link"

wear your favorite word (map)

wear your favorite word (map): "Need a cool, personalized gift idea? You can now order a Visual Thesaurus word map on a t-shirt, mug, even a postage stamp. Simply search for a word, click on the 'Share' button on top right hand of the Visual Thesaurus window, and follow the easy steps. Cool!"

ASCII-O-Matic turns your portrait into text

ASCII-O-Matic turns your portrait into text: "Fun little Flash app ASCII-O-Matic turns any small JPG image into plain text. Upload your 60 by 50 pixel portrait ('Face photos work best') and the ASCII-O-Matic turns it into a text. ASCII-O-Matic..."

Online Generators

Online Generators: "ASCII art-tól az XML-ig, persze némelyik inkább vicces, mint hasznos."

cassette generator

cassette generator: "

Chris Glass always finds the best links. Here's one of his latest finds: Cassette Generator. Yes, silly and yes, I love it. "

Productivity killer: Line Rider

Productivity killer: Line Rider: "What crude line-art flash game is getting more search hits on Google than Kim Jong Il? It's called Line Rider, and Time.com reports that it has attracted a cult following worldwide: Part Jackass..."

A History of Computers, As Seen in Old TV Ads

A History of Computers, As Seen in Old TV Ads: "Tiny Tuba writes 'PC World's Harry McCracken pulls together a compendium of vintage PC commercials posted on YouTube. There are commercials from the 1980s right up to the present. If you are looking for a laugh, you will have fun with the Atari 400, Commodore 64 and more.' Worth it for the Shattner Vic-20 commercial alone, but the others are well-picked too. Naturally, the Apple 1984 commercial is included.

"

Resizable kids' shoes for growing feet

Resizable kids' shoes for growing feet: "Cory Doctorow:
Inchworms are kids' shoes whose size can be adjusted up to three sizes -- press a button on the underside and pull or push to change the size. Link (via Gizmodo)

"

Glow-in-the-dark bubble-bath

Glow-in-the-dark bubble-bath: "Cory Doctorow: Make your next romantic bathroom scene a little more post-apocalyptic with this $15 glow-in-the-dark bubble-bath. Link (via Gizmodo)


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Funny 1965 anti-pornography educational film

Funny 1965 anti-pornography educational film: "Mark Frauenfelder: Perversion for Profit is a 1965 anti-pornography educational film produced by the 'Citizens for Decent Literature.' It has all the delightfully hokey elements of educational films of the era, including a lush, dramatic orchestral soundtrack, and a wooden white male authority figure who delivers the facts in grave tones.

A flood-tide of filth is engulfing our country in the form of newsstand obscenity. It is threatening to pervert an entire generation of our American children. We know that once a person is perverted, it is practically impossible for the person to adjust to normal attitudes in regards to sex.
Link (Thanks, Coop!) Steve says:

Reader comment:

That's not just any old 'wooden, white male authority figure'... That's George Putnam! Putnam is one of LA's grand old newsmen, still doing commentaries after 72 years in the business. LA TV viewers remember Putnam from the 70s show, 'Talkback'- a wild talk show that commented on current events. Like Joe Pine and Wally George, Putnam really k"