RTFA: http://blog.kiwitobes.com/?p=51

The other day at work, I made this video showing the opening of Wal-mart retail locations over time. It’s pretty fun to watch how it starts very slowly with the first location in Arkansas in 1962 and then spreads into different regions over time.

(you can download a high-resolution AVI version here)
It actually is built entirely from data that’s in Freebase, including the map itself.
Here’s how it works:
Freebase has a topic for every zip code, along with it’s longitude and latitude. Here’s one example. One query pulls out all the ZIP codes along with their longitudes and latitudes. You can turn longitudes and latitudes into graphical coordinates with some simple transformations (which will vary based on the region you’re plotting and how big your image is) - here are the ones I used:

x=(longitude+127)*16
y=(50-latitude)*20

If you plot all the ZIP codes using a library like PIL, you get a nice map with dots that roughly match population density, which has the advantage of looking a little bit like a night-time satellite photo of the United States.

Cool video. Great method! This general algorithm can be applied in so many ways.

RTFA: http://citp.princeton.edu/memory/

Abstract Contrary to popular assumption, DRAMs used in most modern computers retain their contents for seconds to minutes after power is lost, even at operating temperatures and even if removed from a motherboard. Although DRAMs become less reliable when they are not refreshed, they are not immediately erased, and their contents persist sufficiently for malicious (or forensic) acquisition of usable full-system memory images. We show that this phenomenon limits the ability of an operating system to protect cryptographic key material from an attacker with physical access. We use cold reboots to mount attacks on popular disk encryption systems - BitLocker, FileVault, dm-crypt, and TrueCrypt - using no special devices or materials. We experimentally characterize the extent and predictability of memory remanence and report that remanence times can be increased dramatically with simple techniques. We offer new algorithms for finding cryptographic keys in memory images and for correcting errors caused by bit decay. Though we discuss several strategies for partially mitigating these risks, we know of no simple remedy that would eliminate them.

WOW!!! AMAZING work. I was absolutely floored by the decompressed air trick. Check out the video.

RTFA: http://dan-ball.jp/en/javagame/dust/

Game Description:This web game is a game that reels the powder by using the mouse,sends the wind, and enjoys that the dot dances.

I’ve been sick for the last week, and it has sucked. It’s flu-like symptoms, and I blame the US airport system. I’ve sustained a nominally sub-101 fever for most of this time. My brain doesn’t function correctly under these conditions, hence this sentence structure.

My only joy has come from this game, but I have to say that this is the most fantastic use of my current (and hopefully temporary) sub-life that I have yet encountered.

Oh, and the Pickles video. I’ll post that next.

Above, the popular “soda machine.” People spend tons of time to create these elaborate scenarios, and then simulate them in the physics engine.

RTFA: http://reprap.org/bin/view/Main/WebHome

RepRap is short for Replicating Rapid-prototyper. It is the practical self-copying 3D printer shown on the right - a self-replicating machine.

The RepRap project became widely known after a large press coverage in March 2005, though the idea goes back to a paper on the web written by Adrian Bowyer on 2 February 2004.

RepRap will make plastic, ceramic, or metal parts, and is itself made from plastic parts, so it will be able to make copies of itself. It is a three-axis robot that moves several material extruders. These extruders produce fine filaments of their working material with a paste-like consistency. If RepRap were making a plastic cone, it would use its plastic extruder to lay down a quickly-hardening filament of molten plastic, drawing a filled-in disc. It would then raise the plastic extrusion head and draw the next layer (a smaller filled disc) on top of the first, repeating the process until it completed the cone. To make an inverted cone it would also lay down a support material under the overhanging parts. The support would be removed when the cone was complete. Conductors can be intermixed with the plastic to form electronic circuits - in 3D even!

Where can I buy one? Oh, right - RTFA… Fortunately, I subscribe to MAKE magazine.

RTFA: http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2007/03/diy_s…

We’re using weather balloons to go up to approximately 100k feet armed with 4 cameras… 20 megapixels of camera! We’ll be taking shots every 7 seconds for two hours and measuring the temperature with the Make: controller and thermistors!

It took 16 people working on this, countless cases of mountain dew, lots of take-out food, and a lot of sleepless nights, and we intend to fly Sunday!

Cloud cover, snow, and mechanical failure may postpone the launch, but we’re ready to give it our best shot this weekend.

In this Make: Video Podcast, you’ll learn all the details of how to put a weather balloon up into space! The weather balloon will make it up to about 100,000 feet. That’s almost 20 miles up and more than twice the height of being in an airplane. It’s high enough that the sky is black and you can see the curvature of the earth.

This project is so cool. They don’t find the pod, though, so there are no results. Good luck.

RTFA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Name_is_Bruce

My Name Is Bruce is an American horror film scheduled for release in October 2007, directed, co-produced by, co-written and starring B movie cult actor Bruce Campbell.
The plot revolves around Campbell, playing himself, who, after being harassed and mistaken by fans to be a character much like Ash from the Evil Dead series of horror films, is abducted from his trailer park home to fight against Guan Di, a Chinese war deity.
According to Campbell, the film is in post-production, although Campbell has shown several minutes of this upcoming movie during some of his campus lectures, as well as a few public screenings including showings at the 6th Annual Ashland Independent Film Festival and CineVegas.

Talk about art imitating life. This is so recursive my head is going to sucksplode.

RTFA: http://www.mtc.ca.gov/news/info/movies/bay_bridge_…

Time Lapse Video: Yerba Buena Island Viaduct Labor Day 2007 Operation

Whoah - totally awesome video of Bay Bridge.

RTFA: http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/

The Google Lunar X PRIZE seeks to create a global private race to the Moon that excites and involves people around the world and, accelerates space exploration for the benefit of all humanity. The use of space has dramatically enhanced the quality of life and may ultimately lead to solutions to some of the most pressing environmental problems that we face on earth – energy independence and climate change.

This prize is made out of cheese.