Wired has a wiki up about how to live through a nuclear blast. Some representative advice:

The seconds following the initial flash are critical. Luckily, factors like explosive yield, weather, and distance can lessen the effects of the shock wave — but don’t kid yourself, it’s coming. The best method for weathering this stage is finding an ideal barrier between yourself and the combination of extreme pressure, heat, thermal radiation and 500mph winds headed your way. This is where survival gets a little tricky.

Hopefully this one develops nicely. I am become death, destroyer of worlds! Image: Robert Longo, from his stunning series of ginormous charcoal drawings of atom-bomb blasts.

ZOMG. Here’s a self-reassembling robot. Skynet’s supposed to be going live any day now, right?

From the Scotsman:

A LEADING scientist has warned a new species of “humanzee,” created from breeding apes with humans, could become a reality unless the government acts to stop scientists experimenting.

In an interview with The Scotsman, Dr Calum MacKellar, director of research at the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, warned the controversial draft Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill did not prevent human sperm being inseminated into animals.

He said if a female chimpanzee was inseminated with human sperm the two species would be closely enough related that a hybrid could be born.

He said scientists could possibly try to develop the new species to fill the demand for organ donors.

It’s been zooming around on the interwebs: Pretty new pics from the government of all the garbage that’s floating around in space.

Between the launch of Sputnik on 4 October 1957 and 1 January 2008, approximately 4600 launches have placed some 6000 satellites into orbit…Space debris comprise the ever-increasing amount of inactive space hardware in orbit around the Earth as well as fragments of spacecraft that have broken up, exploded or otherwise become abandoned. About 50 percent of all trackable objects are due to in-orbit explosion events (about 200) or collision events (less than 10).

For every 5 megalomaniacal assholes willing to risk the life of EVERY SINGLE LIVING CREATURE IN THE GALAXY, there’s at least one cool nerd making $40 sci fi tools out of Wii Remotes. DG says: You’re so rad, johnny Lee! (Isn’t he just DREAMY??)

courtesy of pal amanda luna

Via JahJahSphinx.

I’m so scared. From the New Scientist (via Cabinet of Wonders):

A recently declassified US Army report on the biological effects of non-lethal weapons reveals outlandish plans for “ray gun” devices, which would cause artificial fevers or beam voices into people’s heads.

The report titled “Bioeffects Of Selected Nonlethal Weapons” was released under the US Freedom of Information Act and is available on this website (pdf). The DoD has confirmed that it released the documents, which detail five different “maturing non-lethal technologies” using microwaves, lasers and sound.

Released by US Army Intelligence and Security Command at Fort Meade, Maryland, US, the 1998 report gives an overview of what was then the state of the art in directed energy weapons for crowd control and other applications.

Okay fine, but when be able to scorch our enemies’ nerves with LASER CATS?!

Update: Laser cats link fixed!

So I was poking around on the internet, trying to find images of the world’s biggest sinkhole, when I found this instead: the world’s largest man-made hole. It’s a diamond mine in Siberia, and it’s almost 2/3’s of a mile wide, and about 1,800 feet deep. (Much deeper than the height of the tallest building.) BLDG Blog actually noted the mine a couple years ago. Apparently the down-drafts are so intense that helicopters aren’t allowed to fly over. And yes, that’s a fuggin’ city in the background. For your delectation, here are the best looking sinkholes I found:

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As part of the NY Underground Film Fest, Nasty Nets is previewing a new DVD compilation of their best finds. 8:45 at Anthology.

Swamptech pioneer Mr. Quintron has developed a website for his famous “Drum Buddy”—an analogue, oscillating  synthesizer. I first saw that quirky machine at the Howling Wolf when Quintron opened for the Chicks on Speed. When Quintron plays that thing it’s like wow.

Quintron and his first lady Miss Pussycat run the Spellcaster Lodge in New Orleans. I fondly remember seeing Magas play with Blechdom from Blechdom at the lodge and basically ripping the place to shreds. The drum buddy was there too.

Check out the Drum Buddy Site
Check out this demo video (skip to the halfway mark if you want to see the real action)
Listen to this sample

Also just found out that Kanye blogged about the Drum Buddy…I love the webz.