Thank You by Jason Chen, Music Video Features 500 Rubik’s Cubes That Create Images

By Rusty Blazenhoff on February 13, 2013

The music video for “Thank You” by Jason Chen features moving images made with 500 Rubik’s Cubes. It was directed, written, and edited by Ross Ching.

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What Ockham really said

 

In the arsenal of eternal skeptics there are few tools more dramatically and more commonly used than Ockham’s razor. It is triumphantly applied to resolve arguments about ghosts (more parsimoniously seen as misperceptions by distraught family members or the suggestible), UFOs (evidently hoaxes and mistaken observations of natural phenomena) and telepathy (a “delusion” of wishful thinking and poorly-constructed tests). Born in England, Franciscan monk William of Ockham (c. 1287–1347) is among the most prominent figures in the history of philosophy during the High Middle Ages. The Skeptics Dictionary quotes the Razor as Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate, or “plurality should not be posited without necessity," while Wikipedia defines Ockham's razor as follows:

“Among competing hypotheses, the one that makes the fewest assumptions should be selected.”

And it gives the following example of its application:

“It is possible to describe the other planets in the Solar System as revolving around the Earth, but that explanation is unnecessarily complex compared to the contemporary consensus that all planets in the Solar System revolve around the Sun.” Another often-quoted formulation of the principle is that “one should not multiply entities beyond necessity.”

Brother Ockham, however, said nothing of the kind. Later philosophers have put these words into his mouth for their own convenience. Here is what he wrote, according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:

“Nothing ought to be posited without a reason given, unless it is self-evident or known by experience or proved by the authority of Sacred Scripture.”

So let’s come back to the planets, and apply Ockham’s razor–as formulated by the man himself–to a comparison between two different hypotheses about their motion. The contemporary consensus states that they revolve around the sun according to the Copernican system, Kepler’s laws of motion and Newton’s model of gravity, as demonstrated by complex observations and significant mathematical underpinning. Our alternative hypothesis simply states that they are moved around the sky by angels, as illustrated in this beautiful painting from the Breviari d’amor of Matfre Ermengaud, where a convenient gear mechanism is gracefully activated to regulate planetary motion. Ermengaud was a contemporary of Ockham and, like him, a Franciscan friar. Were we to apply Ockham's formulation of the razor literally, the choice between these two hypotheses is clear. It does not favor the first hypothesis, the standard scientific interpretation. The Scriptures clearly state that angels do exist, and their reality was re-affirmed by Pope John Paul II as recently as August 1986. Since they manifest through their actions in the heavens, the second hypothesis appears far more parsimonious and elegant than the complicated rationalizations used by mathematicians and astronomers, which involve unseen entities such as the acceleration of gravity, centrifugal force, and mass, which - to this day - raise issues that science is yet to resolve. If you seriously believe in angels, then the contemporary consensus about planetary motion is a case of “plurality without necessity.” The second hypothesis is also more powerful since angels can just as easily move the planets around the earth as around the sun. They can do whatever they like—and thereby explain any phenomena. Perhaps we should be more careful when we quote ancient authors out of context, or twist their words to fit the convenient modern tenets of skepticism in the name of Reason. The Scriptures are full of ghosts, UFOs and examples of telepathy - which means that such phenomena cannot be dissected and thrown out using Ockham’s razor anyway. We know, of course, that the planets revolve around the Sun, an idea that would have shocked Ockham. And I firmly believe that, in philosophy and in science we should go on selecting the hypothesis that makes the fewest assumption when confronted with competing explanations, and one should not multiply entities beyond necessity -- even if Brother William never said so. But we should also remember that nature is not parsimonious at

Amazing Ocean Facts, A Comic Series for Nat Geo Wild That Turned Out to be a Prank

 

Amazing Ocean Facts was an entertaining series of comic strips created by Cyanide and Happiness artist Rob DenBleyker (Dr. Byron Beekle) to help celebrate the Nat Geo Wild television series DinoFish. The comic strips turned out to be a clever April Fools’ Day joke on the Nat Geo TV Blogs. Rob disguised his real name with the alias Dr. Byron Beekle and started the comics off by clearly focusing on fun facts about ocean life. As the series progressed, he gradually displays the information and illustrations in an increasingly personal and disturbed manner.

The series ended on April 1,2012 with a message from Nat Geo Wild:

“We have unfortunately ceased production of “Amazing Ocean Facts” due to artistic disagreements with Dr. Byron Beekle. We appologize to his fans.“

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Amazing Ocean Facts, A Comic Series for Nat Geo Wild That Turned Out to be a Prank

Amazing Ocean Facts was an entertaining series of comic strips created by Cyanide and Happiness artist Rob DenBleyker (Dr. Byron Beekle) to help celebrate the Nat Geo Wild television series DinoFish. The comic strips turned out to be a clever April Fools’ Day joke on the Nat Geo TV Blogs. Rob disguised his real name with the alias Dr. Byron Beekle and started the comics off by clearly focusing on fun facts about ocean life. As the series progressed, he gradually displays the information and illustrations in an increasingly personal and disturbed manner.

The series ended on April 1,2012 with a message from Nat Geo Wild:

“We have unfortunately ceased production of “Amazing Ocean Facts” due to artistic disagreements with Dr. Byron Beekle. We appologize to his fans.“

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Scan of 1960s novelty catalog

Karswell

Footage of the 2013 Edwardian Ball & World’s Faire by Mark Day

By Rusty Blazenhoff on February 7, 2013

Mark Day filmed highlights from the 2013 Edwardian Ball and World’s Faire (and “elegant out takes“).

Nuclear Sub, yours for $6.98 (I had one..)

"Polaris Nuclear Sub," offered in the Spiderman Comics March 1967 Issue. As shared on Flickr by SenseiAlan. I love those old

two-faced Cthulhu

The wonderful Ukrainian horror/fetish/steampunk mask maker Bob Basset has produced a two-faced Cthulhu mask; on one side, the betentacled visage; on the other, a lecterine horror

Rolled, Film About an LA Secret Society Dedicated to Toilet Papering

Rolled by Whit Scott is a documentary about a secret society of Los Angeles high school students that has been toilet papering houses for more than 32 years. We first wrote about the film while Scott was raising funds for the project on Kickstarter (the project was funded). The finished film is available for download on a pay-what-you-can basis.

Dog Eat Dog, The True & Funny Story About Zachary Quinto Adopting a Dog From a Shelter

Petsami produced “Dog Eat Dog,” a true (though humorously exaggerated) story about how actor Zachary Quinto adopted his first dog from a Los Angeles animal shelter. It’s described as a “twisted, fun, morality tale about the lengths to which some of us will go in order to get what we want.” It co-stars Philip Baker Hall and Sharon Wilkins and was directed by Sian Heder. Quinto says, “…The story of the film is an exaggerated account of how I eventually found my rescue dog Noah, but it still reflects a bit of the reality I faced when I was looking to adopt a shelter dog

Trailer for season 2 of Black Mirror, scariest/best sf on TV

Here's the trailer for the new season of Charlie Booker's Channel 4 science fiction series Black Mirror. The first season was the best science fiction TV I've ever seen, better even than The Twilight Zone. The trailer itself is so gloriously creepy and wonderful in every way that it makes me want to hide under the bed until the episodes start airing.

Aether Opens San Francisco Clothing Store Made of Three Stacked Shipping Containers

Last week, outdoor apparel company Aether opened a San Francisco concept store that is made out of three stacked shipping containers. Designed by Thierry Gaugain, the store features a glass-enclosed cantilevered lounge and a trick laundromat-style clothing conveyor system. It is the small LA-based company’s first standalone store—they also have a traveling Airstream trailer store.

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wearable Sculptures that Make the Wearer Perform a Gesture

 

Artist Jennifer Crupi makes wearable interactive sculptures that encourage the wearer to hold a specific pose or gesture. Some sculptures are jewelry-like, such as the sterling silver “Ornamental Hands” which creates a dancer’s hand gesture. Crupi has also made gestural furniture—the “Empathy Table” fits on the laps of two people and has indentations that invite the participants to regard one another thoughtfully. Crupi’s sculptures are intended to highlight the role of body language in communication.

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Hi-Fructose Collected 3, Artist Signing & Launch Party in San Francisco

Frenzy cover art by Josh Keyes

Hi-Fructose and Last Gasp Books have recently released Hi-Fructose Collected 3 Box Set, which is a 300+ page hardcover book featuring a selection of some of the best original material from issues 9-12. They will be celebrating the release at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 5:30 PM with a signing by artists Scott Hove, Junko Mizuno, and Josh Keyes. You can RSVP for the event via Facebook.

Self Objectification Strategy by Scott Hove

When Fairy Tales Collide by Todd Schorr

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spiral staircase inspired by a whale's spine

Andrew McConnell conceived of this system as a modular set of components that can be deployed in a spiral, each element supporting the next – the only variation would occur in the top and bottom pieces that connect to landings. ...From the designer: “Inspired by the spine of a whale, the Vertebrae Staircase is not simply mimicry of organic form but an exploration in shaping structure. Much of the design work went into refining the single component, or vertebra, that mate with each other creating a unified spine running from floor plate to floor plate. These interlocking vertebrae provide a rigid structure for the steps, railing and its users. And the railing is reinforced by connections that help the staircase resist rotational forces caused by the cantilevered steps.”

Surgeon Simulator 2013, A Realistic Open Heart Surgery Video Game

Surgeon Simulator 2013 is a video game created by Bossa Studios for the 2013 Global Game Jam. You control the hand of a (not so skilled) surgeon using the keyboard and mouse and carefully try to perform a realistic open heart surgery on a drugged up patient, which never seems turns out as a success (see videos below). This killer video game simulator is available to play and download online for Windows, Mac and Linux.

You are Nigel Burke… an ordinary guy, with no outstanding skills. Somehow forced to perform a heart transplant, using any tools available. Complete the operation in the quickest time possible, with minimal blood loss! Features Revolutionary 1 to 1 finger manipulation control system Realistic surgical tool physics. Professional voice acting. Thumping soundtrack. This is, Surgeon Simulator 2013.

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The History of Wooing Men: a cdza video music experiment

From Joe Sabia and the CDZA project, yet another fantastic weekly video experiment: A chronology of songs sung by women who are trying to capture the hearts of guys

How To Head Butt or Bust a Cantaloupe Wide Open

The gentleman in this self defense video teaches the finer points of how to head butt, or just bust a cantaloupe wide open. Part of the training is to wear a shirt that reads “Head Butt” to remind your attackers that one is on its way.

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Paperman, An Oscar Nominated Walt Disney Animation Studios Short

 

Paperman, an animated short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and directed by John Kahrs, tells a beautiful story about love, fate and changing one’s destiny. The black and white short has been nominated for the Best Animated Short Oscar. It was brought to life by combining both hand-drawn and computer animation styles

The Backwards Bowler, Jim Cripps

“I do it backwards.”

Jim Cripps is known worldwide as “The Backwards Bowler” due to his unique style of, yes, backwards bowling. He states on his site, “…I spent years being so serious about my craft that I didn’t want to even consider a trick shot. Boy was I wrong…”

Here’s an earlier video of Jim, from 2006:

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