Link Round-Up: Year End 2012

New Year's Eve atop One Times Square by Anthony Quintano

Internet:

• The 10 most popular Reddit posts of 2012
• The 10 Most Popular Google Doodles of 2012.
• The 54 Best Tumblrs Started In 2012.
• The Best New and Short Webcomics of 2012
• The Funniest Law Blogs of 2012.
• List Of The Things You Should Have Already Experienced On The Internet Greg Rutter does it again with his “Definitive List Of The Things You Should Have Already Experienced On The Internet In 2012 Unless You’re A Loser His other two previous lists can be found here and here. Always an entertaining way to burn an afternoon or two. 

Link Round-Up: December 28, 2012

10 Tricks to Make the Lazy Cook’s Food Taste Better

I don't know why this is filed under humor, because it's brilliant: How to Hack Chipotle!

Jewel in the Night is the first song recorded on the International Space Station. Colonel Chris Hadfield's companions in space are both also musicians.


Piñata cupcakes at La Receta de la Felicidad.

For Zelda Day, some points of interest regarding Zelda II, the black sheep of the Legend of Zelda series of video games:

• Here is a remake of the beginning of Zelda II (including the first dungeon) in 3D. Requires Unity.
• The Cutting Room Floor notes there were a lot of changes between the Japanese Famicom floppy disk and US ROM versions of Zelda II.
• Here is a no-glitch, no-tool-assisted playthrough speed run of the game, skipping several key items, finished in 1:05.44.
• There is a notable glitch in the game, where the Fairy spell can easily be used to warp to other places anywhere you can jump off screen or there's an elevator. A lot of people don't know the Fairy spell can also be used to pass through locked doors.
• A bit of engrish in the game's translation, "I AM ERROR," gave rise to a minor meme.
• The site www.secrettoeverybody.com provides images and quotes from across the first four games, including the above and the game's weird ending message.

Video Distraction: Cat Scared Mario Jump

Cat Scared of Mario Jump

Via: Cheezburger (of course)

Tech Links: December 28, 2012

The Art of Everything by Michael B. Myers Jr.

There’s a whole lot of shit Rocket Science ain’t, but thanks to this informative Venn Diagram I’ve learned that actual Rocket Science suggests real rocket ships and I’m assuming science is involved too somehow.

Business

Big Questions Hang Over Yahoo at CES: Mayer set to get some of her first face time with major digital agencies

The master map of all game companies and their connections

Lecture: Holland vs the Netherlands

The Difference Between The Netherlands and Holland

Photo: Lujiazui Pedestrian Bridge

Lujiazui Pedestrian Bridge

Situated 20 feet above the street, the foot bridge has multiple entrance and exit ways to connect offices and other buildings. Beautifully designed, the bridge has become a popular tourist attraction in China. It’s always something special when form meats function in a beautiful way.

Link Round-Up: Christmas 2012

5 Life-Saving Techniques for Surviving a Garden Gnome Attack During the Holidays. With a book giveaway!

8 Truly Strange Christmas Customs and 7 Strange Christmas Traditions. Maybe you'd like to include these in your holiday festivities!


10 Fascinating Facts About Christmas

The 19 Best Secular Christmas Songs

25 cats in, on and under Christmas trees

Amazing Perth Christmas Lights 2012 "Gangnam Style"

Great Design: Rolls-Royce Coupe

Rolls-Royce Jonckheere Aerodynamic Coupe II Concept by Ugur Sahin Design

  

Link Round-Up: December 21, 2012

Via: Reddit

5 Things You Should Make Instead of Buy

27 Everyday Things You Never Knew Had Names. Next time you’re at a coffee shop, ask for a Zarf.

How to Survive Being Homeless. Not fun to think about, but it can happen to anyone.

List Of The Things You Should Have Already Experienced On The Internet Greg Rutter does it again with his “Definitive List Of The Things You Should Have Already Experienced On The Internet In 2012 Unless You’re A Loser His other two previous lists can be found here and here. Always an entertaining way to burn an afternoon or two.

Things From Thomas More's Utopia That Have Come True Today

This biodegradable urn turns into a tree after you die.

Lecture: The Chemistry of Snowflakes

The Chemistry of Snowflakes by BytesizeScience

The shape of a snowflake is due to the changing condition of the air through which it falls. Who knew?

Featured Site: The Internet Map

The Internet Map is a bi-dimensional presentation of links between websites on the Internet. Every site is a circle on the map, and its size is determined by website traffic, the larger the amount of traffic, the bigger the circle. Users’ switching between websites forms links, and the stronger the link, the closer the websites tend to arrange themselves to each other.

It encompasses over 350 thousand websites from 196 countries and all domain zones. Information about more than 2 million links between the websites has joined some of them together into topical clusters.

Lecture: The Internet will Transform Government

How the Internet will (one day) transform government

In this TED talk, Clay Shirky explains  how democracies can take a lesson from the Internet both in terms of transparency as well as in drawing upon the knowledge of their citizens.  Shirky argues that the history of the modern world could be rendered as the history of ways of arguing, where changes in media change what sort of arguments are possible — with deep social and political implications.

Photo: Nature’s Night Light

Nature’s Night Light

Sometimes known as the sea-firefly, Vargula hilgendorfii is a species of ostracod crustacean that only inhabits coastal waters off Japan. It is a nocturnal creature that rarely grows longer than 3 millimetres, with a beautiful transparent shell—but it’s best known for its bioluminescence. When disturbed, it secretes a luminous blue substance through a process similar to many other bioluminescent creatures: a chemical reaction of the substrate luciferin and the enzyme luciferase. The maximum wavelength of its light depends on the pH and the salinity of the water, and varies between 448 and 463 nanometres—meaning that the light is coloured various shades of blue. In World War II, the Japanese collected these creatures and crushed them in sand and water to produce their blue luminescence, which ingeniously served as light for soldiers to read maps and messages at night.

Chirstmas Link Round-Up: December 17, 2012

Chemistree, a Christmas tree made out of chemistry lab equipment.
Photographed at the Avans University of Applied Sciences
Via: Reddit via Neatorama

25 Amazing Gingerbread Houses. They're all technically houses, but that's all they have in common.

After many years of installing a cut Christmas tree in the main public square of Brussels, Belgium, the tree this year is artificial, abstract, and electronic. Not all of the locals are pleased.

The Bacon Lovers Gift Guide.

Beautiful Buildings Made from Ice and Snow. They don't last long, but for a short time they are pure magic.

The History of Christmas Carols. No other holiday has enough music to run radio stations 24/7 for a month.

A London chef is preparing the world's most expensive Christmas dinner. The complete feast for four will cost $200,450, and doesn't sound all that appetizing.

Molecular Genetic Analysis of a Christmas Carol.

Thinking about buying a Christmas Stand? Appartment Therapy has a nifty guide.

The Traditional Christmas Peppermint Pig. Hit it with a hammer!

Tech Links: December 14, 2012

Science is interesting

Business

7 Habits of Web-Savvy Entrepreneurs

The first 20 employees at Google and what they’re doing now.

Entertainment

10 Geeks You Should Know

Featured Site: Exobrain

Atlas Obscura is your guide to the world’s most curious places. In an age where everything has already been explored and there seems to be nothing new to be discovered, the Atlas celebrates a different way of looking at the world. If you’re searching for miniature cities, glass flowers, books bound in human skin, gigantic flaming holes in the ground, bone churches, balancing pagodas, or homes built entirely out of paper, the Atlas Obscura is where you’ll find them. The Atlas is curated by Joshua Foer.

Recipe: Elven Lembas Bread

Elven Lembas Bread

• ¼ Cup Sour Cream
• ¼ Cup Lemon Juice
• ½ Cup honey 
• 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour (or whole wheat for healthier version)
• Zest of 2 Lemons
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 Stick of Cold Butter (4 oz)

Video Distraction: Mech Bass

MechBass

Via: Hack A Day

James McVay put together this automated bass player for an engineering honors project at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Watch it play the Muse song "Hysteria."

Link Round-Up: December 13, 2012

Furby Warning

Turns out Furbies are modeled after the Mogwai from Chinatown, and if you get them wet or let them eat past midnight, you'd best be ready for shit to get real.

25 Amazing Gingerbread Houses. They're all technically houses, but that's about all they have in common.

Candied salted bacon "We want to warn you ahead of time that it will take all of your strength to not eat the entire pan before it all cools. It's just as tasty cold mind you, but while warm it's a perfect food that will take you away to your happy place. If you claim to not have a happy place, the warm candied, salted bacon will provide one for you." Now what else can we do with it? Bite-sized Bacon Caramels and Candied Bacon Fudge perhaps? (Not to be confused with Bacon Caramels and Bacon Caramel Fudge).

The History of Christmas Carols. No other holiday has enough music to run radio stations 24/7 for a month.

Molecular Genetic Analysis of a Christmas Carol. 


NASA has released an updated set of Earth at Night images, obtained via the Suomi NPP satellite's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). A set of images is available on Flickr. Hemispherical shots are also available for Americas - Africa and Europe - Asia and Australia (be sure to check out the wildfires throughout the Western Australian Desert). Official NASA Release includes animated rotating earth and further explanations.

This is a video of a game which replicates Portal's physics system in 2 dimensions on the TI-83 graphic calculator. The game was developed by a 20 year old student studying game design. A download link is available here.

Tech Links: December 13, 2012

Policy Advisory

Business

Inside An Amazon Warehouse

Tim Cook's Freshman Year: The Apple CEO Speaks Prior to his death on Oct. 5, 2011, Steve Jobs made sure that the elevation of Tim Cook—his longtime head of operations and trusted deputy—to Apple chief executive officer would be drama-free. “He goes, ‘I never want you to ask what I would have done,’” recalls Cook. “‘Just do what’s right.’ He was very clear.”

Video: An Animated History of Nintendo

Paris designers Anthony Veloso and Quentin Dron of Retro Game Addict created this great animated Nintendo History timeline that takes us on an artistic journey from the Game & Watch handheld (1980) to the Wii U (2012).

Lecture: Can Science Save Us?

Can science save us? from UniversityOfBristol

An intriguing question and discussion from University of Bristol scientists. Mankind has utilized science and technology to both aid and hinder life on Earth. And in many areas, from poverty to climate change, we have the opportunity to make a real difference using the knowledge stored inside our collective brains.

Video: An Animated History of the iPhone

CNET UK created this wondeful animated history of the iPhone dedicated to the memory of Steve Jobs.

The iPhone might be at the cutting edge of technology but it took a long time and many innovations to get there, take a trip through history and explore the people and technology that contributed to the iPhone becoming what it is today.

Photo: Penumbral Lunar Eclipse over Baku

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse over Baku

A total penumbral eclipse is a lunar eclipse occurs when the moon becomes completely immersed in the penumbral cone of the Earth without touching the umbra. The umbra, penumbra and antumbra are the names given to three distinct parts of a shadow, created by any light source. For a point source only the umbra is cast.

Science: China to grow vegetables on Mars

China prepares to grow vegetables on Mars:

"Chinese astronauts are preparing to grow fresh vegetables on Mars and the moon after researchers successfully completed a preliminary test in Beijing, state media reported.

Four kinds of vegetables were grown in an “ecological life support system”, a 300 cubic metre cabin which will allow astronauts to develop their own stocks of air, water and food while on space missions, Xinhua news agency said Monday.

The system, which relies on plants and algae, is “expected to be used in extra-terrestrial bases on the moon or Mars”, the report said.

Participants in the experiment could “harvest fresh vegetables for meals”, Xinhua quoted Deng Yibing, a researcher at Beijing’s Chinese Astronaut Research and Training Centre, as saying.

Humor: Look at this Instagram

Look at this Instagram (Nickelback Parody)

Video Distraction: Fall Time-Lapse

Fall from Jamie Scott

"One of the most striking things about New York City is the fall colors and there's no better place to view this then Central Park. I chose 15 locations in the park and revisited them 2 days a week for six months, recording all camera positions and lens information to create consistency in the images. All shots were taken just after sunrise."

Link Round-Up: December 6, 2012

Free Antistress Art by Fra Biancoshock

Discussion: Should Science Majors Pay Less for College Than Art Majors?

Infographic: NASA's Mighty Saturn V Moon Rocket Explained

Felix Salmon on why pumpkin is the new bacon. The weird thing about pumpkin’s rise to baconlike ubiquity is that pumpkin, on its own, is not a very appetizing food at all. A dense and stringy fruit, it needs the accompaniment of a lot of sugar and spices before it becomes particularly palatable.

Gentlemen with bowler hats on beaches

Strange, Beautiful and Unexpected: Planned Cities Seen From Space

Take a tour of the Chicago Loop and discover its beautiful architecture.
 
 You Built What?!: A Tesla Coil Gun That Produces Foot-Long Sparks

Video Distraction: Spider Web Weaving

Timelapse: une araignée tisse sa toile from Jean-Michel

A spider making his web. 1h30 shooting, one picture every four seconds. Shot with Nikon D4 and timelapse function...

Lecture: The Power of Outrospection

RSA Animate - The Power of Outrospection

Introspection is out, and outrospection is in. Philosopher and author Roman Krznaric explains how we can help drive social change by stepping outside ourselves.

The RSA is a 258 year-old charity devoted to creating social progress and spreading world-changing ideas. For more information about our research, RSA Animates, free events programme and 27,000 strong fellowship, visit thersa.org

Link Round-Up: December 5, 2012

The Starbucks is closed, but the Wifi is working.

  

Infographic: Solar Eclipses: An Observer's Guide

Video: Barack Obama vs Mitt Romney. Epic Rap Battles Of History

100,000 Stars is a new experiment for Chrome web browsers (or any other WebGL browser like Firefox or Safari) that lets you interactively explore the Milky Way galaxy with your mouse and scroll wheel.


How to Choose the Perfect Board Game

Ph.D. students explain their research using interpretive dance, results are awesome

Unemployed? Why spend a year at Disneyland? A Guy, A Girl, And 366 Straight Days At Disneyland.

Wired tells the story of an old encoded manuscript, the effort to crack it, and the secret occult society that it revealed.

Tech Links: December 5, 2012

Business

Maybe Don’t Tweet About Your Insider Trading Because the FBI Is Watching

Entertainment

Simple Desks: A frequently updated collection of beautifully minimal desks and workspaces, interspersed with occasional musings on minimalism, productivity, design and technology

Photo: Absolute Towers

"Absolute Towers" by Roland Shainidze

Mississauga, Ontario

Video Distraction: Landings at an Airport

Landings at San Diego Int Airport Nov 23, 2012 from Cy Kuckenbaker

All landings at San Diego Int Airport on Black Friday Nov 23, 2012 between 10:30am and 3:00pm