A new natural history short by zefrank in which we learn of the hummingbjïrd, its double-barrelled tongue and its degenerate addiction to sugar.
Previously: True Facts About Matthew
Author Archives: Chompsky
A short 68mm film (recently published by MoMA) from 1902 featuring the town of Wuppertal in north west Germany which – while the rest of the western world was busy investing in trams – went for the more complex but infinitely cooler Suspension Railway option.
This footage of the town as seen from its train – 12 m above the ground – is uniquely drone-like in scope, unlike the stationary camera angles favoured at the time.
The Schwebebahn is still in use today, carrying 25 million people a year along its 13km track.
A lyrical, trippy short written and directed by Lubomir Arsov. To wit:
Embark on a visionary journey through the fragmented unconscious of our modern times, and with courage face the Shadow. Through Shadow into Light.
“No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.” – C.G. Jung
Grand Design
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Behold: NGC 6814 – not to be confused with the Kevin McCloud Nebula.
The Kevin McCloud Nebula.
Hello? Is this thing on?
In the center of this serene stellar swirl is likely a harrowing black-hole beast. The surrounding swirl sweeps around billions of stars which are highlighted by the brightest and bluest. The breadth and beauty of the display give the swirl the designation of a grand design spiral galaxy. The central beast shows evidence that it is a supermassive black hole about 10 million times the mass of our Sun. This ferocious creature devours stars and gas and is surrounded by a spinning moat of hot plasma that emits blasts of X-rays. The central violent activity gives it the designation of a Seyfert galaxy. Together, this beauty and beast are cataloged as NGC 6814 and have been appearing together toward the constellation of the Eagle (Aquila) for roughly the past billion years.
(Image: ESA/Hubble & NASA; Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt)
An interesting suggestion from German educational design studio Kurzgesagt. To wit:
Getting rare materials from the ground into your phone is ugly. The mining industry is responsible for air and water pollution and the destruction of entire landscapes. But what if we could replace the mining industry on Earth with a clean process that can’t harm anyone?
Previously: Is There Anybody Out There?
‘Hell Hath No Fury’: a collection of martial delft-style ceramics by French artist Helena Hauss who describes the project as:
…an expression of the contrasting subtleties that come with femininity, as well as an attempt at vindication from a feeling of constant vulnerability that’s been forced upon us…
All righty, then.
Hot Wheels
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Behold: the Hyperion XP-1 Hydrogen Prototype Coupe from a South California company that employs ex-NASA engineers and applies technology used in space exploration, including fuel cells storing energy released from the chemical breakdown of hydrogen. The cells are much lighter than batteries and can be recharged (for a 1,600km range) in about five minutes.
Two electric motors at the rear of the monocoque chassis drive all four wheels, accelerating the XP-1 to 100km/h and on to a top speed of 355km/h.