Some conÂgratÂuÂlaÂtions are in order for a team of stuÂdents from The UniÂverÂsiÂty of New South Wales. EarÂliÂer this month, they set a world record for the fastest solar-powÂered car. Their car, travÂelÂing 88km/h (or 54 miles per hour), broke the preÂviÂous record of 79 km/h. We’re not talkÂing about NASCAR speeds, to be sure. But the research that went into makÂing the UNSW car could mean big things for future genÂerÂaÂtions of green-powÂered cars. Wired has more on the stoÂry, plus some phoÂtos…
Fractal Landscape
An evolvÂing fracÂtal landÂscape, all creÂatÂed with a WebGL 3D fracÂtal renÂderÂer. If you join/log into Vimeo, you can downÂload the video right here and watch “SurÂface Detail” in full detail…
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
Arthur C. Clarke Presents the ColÂors of InfinÂiÂty
NASA: The Frontier Is Everywhere
Reid GowÂer writes: “NASA is the most fasÂciÂnatÂing, advenÂturÂous, epic instiÂtuÂtion ever devised by human beings …” but “none of their brilÂliant sciÂenÂtists appear to know how to conÂnect with the social media crowd.” Strange givÂen that “NASA is an instiÂtuÂtion whose fundÂing directÂly depends on how the pubÂlic views them.” TakÂing matÂters into his own hands, GowÂer has proÂduced a litÂtle marÂketÂing gift for NASA: The FronÂtier is EveryÂwhere, a video modÂeled after Michael Marantz’s beauÂtiÂful short film, Earth: The Pale Blue Dot, which also feaÂtures the voice of Carl Sagan – someÂone who underÂstood the imporÂtance of popÂuÂlarÂizÂing sciÂence…
P.S. NASA isn’t exactÂly inept on the marÂketÂing front. We should remind you of two pretÂty cool and recent NASA proÂducÂtions:
The Best of NASA Space ShutÂtle Videos (1981–2010)
NASA LauchÂes PhoÂto Archive on Flickr
via Zadi.TV
The Impossible Motion Contraption
Every year, The New SciÂenÂtist sponÂsors an illuÂsion conÂtest, and, above, we have the winÂner of the 2010 ediÂtion: A conÂtrapÂtion creÂatÂed by KouÂkichi SugÂiÂhara (MeiÂji InstiÂtute for Advanced Study of MathÂeÂmatÂiÂcal SciÂences, Japan) that appears to defy gravÂiÂty, allowÂing woodÂen balls to roll up slopes. But, in actuÂal fact “the oriÂenÂtaÂtions of the slopes are perÂceived oppoÂsiteÂly, and hence the descendÂing motion is misÂinÂterÂpretÂed as ascendÂing motion.” You can now make subÂmisÂsions to the 2011 ediÂtion.
World’s Smallest Periodic Table on a Human Hair
Fun with sciÂence. The world’s smallÂest periÂodÂic table etched onto a strand of hair belongÂing to chemÂistry ProÂfesÂsor MarÂtyn PoliÂakoff (UniÂverÂsiÂty of NotÂtingÂham). This clip comes from the PeriÂodÂic Videos colÂlecÂtion and it comes recÂomÂmend by the great @OliverSacks.
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RelatÂed ConÂtent:
The PeriÂodÂic Table of EleÂments PreÂsentÂed as InterÂacÂtive Haikus
How Large is the Universe?
For cenÂturies, humanÂiÂty has been utterÂly transÂfixed by the cosÂmos, with genÂerÂaÂtions of astronomers, philosoÂphers and everyÂday ponÂderÂers strivÂing to betÂter underÂstand the grand capÂsule of our exisÂtence. And yet to this day, some of the most basic, funÂdaÂmenÂtal qualÂiÂties of the uniÂverse remain a mysÂtery. How Large is the UniÂverse? is a fasÂciÂnatÂing 20-minute docÂuÂmenÂtary by Thomas Lucas and Dave Brody explorÂing the uniÂverse’s immense scale of disÂtance and time.
“Recent preÂciÂsion meaÂsureÂments gathÂered by the HubÂble space teleÂscope and othÂer instruÂments have brought a conÂsenÂsus that the uniÂverse dates back 13.7 bilÂlion years. Its radius, then, is the disÂtance a beam of light would have travÂeled in that time – 13.7 bilÂlion light years. That works out to about 1.3 quadrillion kiloÂmeÂters. In fact, it’s even bigÂger – much bigÂger. How it got so large, so fast, was until recentÂly a deep mysÂtery.”
For more on the subÂject, see these five fasÂciÂnatÂing ways to grasp the size and scale of the uniÂverse.
Maria PopoÂva is the founder and ediÂtor in chief of Brain PickÂings, a curatÂed invenÂtoÂry of cross-disÂciÂpliÂnary interÂestÂingÂness. She writes for Wired UK, GOOD MagÂaÂzine and DesigÂnObÂservÂer, and spends a great deal of time on TwitÂter.
The Milky Way over Texas
This 45 secÂond timeÂlapse video of the “GalacÂtic CenÂter of the Milky Way” risÂing over Texas Star ParÂty (2009) just gets more specÂtacÂuÂlar as it rolls along. William CastleÂman creÂatÂed this sequence using a Canon EOS-5D, with expoÂsures at 20 and 40 secÂond interÂvals. This comÂpleÂments niceÂly StĂ©phane GuisÂard’s panoramÂic view of the Milky Way takÂen from the AtaÂcaÂma desert in Chile. See the The Milky Way in 360 Degrees here.
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Open Video, Open Knowledge
ReadÂers of Open CulÂture will appreÂciÂate how video has become, in many ways, our newest vernacular—growing in popÂuÂlarÂiÂty every day, and estiÂmatÂed to reach 90 perÂcent of worldÂwide web trafÂfic by 2013. Yet so litÂtle of our movÂing image herÂitage is actuÂalÂly online. As of OctoÂber 2010, just sinÂgle perÂcentÂage points of the great colÂlecÂtions at the BBC Archive, ITN Source, Library of ConÂgress, NationÂal Archives, etc., are actuÂalÂly digÂiÂtized and availÂable over the InterÂnet! A new short film out this week from the UK’s JISC Film & Sound Think Tank makes the point with clarÂiÂty. (Watch here or above.)
What if it were posÂsiÂble to enjoy the world’s largest and most popÂuÂlar inforÂmaÂtion comÂmons and enable it with downÂloadÂable video–video of great qualÂiÂty, whose origÂiÂnaÂtors, ownÂers, and rightholdÂers opened to reuse and remix by anyÂone for free?
IntelÂliÂgent TeleÂviÂsion and iComÂmons have proÂduced a report–just out now–to help culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal instiÂtuÂtions underÂstand and appreÂciÂate the posÂsiÂbilÂiÂties preÂsentÂed by openÂly licensed assets for Wikipedia and the open web. Video for Wikipedia: A Guide to Best PracÂtices for CulÂturÂal and EduÂcaÂtionÂal InstiÂtuÂtions describes how Wikipedia is now openÂing its doors to video, and how leadÂing instiÂtuÂtions can parÂticÂiÂpate in what is, in effect, the newest knowlÂedge revÂoÂluÂtion.
The issues are sitÂuÂatÂed, of course, withÂin the largÂer conÂtext of buildÂing a free and informed sociÂety. For uniÂverÂsiÂties, museÂums, archives, and othÂers, bringÂing video online from our culÂturÂal herÂitage (and equipÂping stuÂdents to use it) has become a new culÂturÂal imperÂaÂtive. Open video on Wikipedia is not simÂply a call for free media fragÂments to be stored online. It augurs a new vision of teachÂing and learnÂing, and a new creÂative and politÂiÂcal disÂcourse. EveryÂone is invitÂed to parÂticÂiÂpate in this conÂverÂsaÂtion just getÂting underÂway…
This post was conÂtributed by Peter KaufÂman, the CEO and presÂiÂdent ofIntelÂliÂgent TeleÂviÂsion, who shares our pasÂsion for thoughtÂful media.
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