Ryan's Blog of Cool Stuff http://ryanastle.posterous.com Most recent posts at Ryan's Blog of Cool Stuff posterous.com Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:54:00 -0700 The Force is Strong with the Muppets http://ryanastle.posterous.com/the-force-is-strong-with-the-muppets http://ryanastle.posterous.com/the-force-is-strong-with-the-muppets

Muppetstarwars

Final production samples of action figures featuring The Muppets dressed as Star Wars characters. Featuring Beaker as C-3PO and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew as R2-D2. The other sets will include Link Hogthrob as Han Solo with Fozzy the Bear as Chewbacca, and (my favorite) Sam the Eagle as Obi-Wan Kenobi with Gonzo as Darth Vader complete with his chicken Camilla as a Stormtrooper. These figures will arrive in the Fall at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort's only.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/06/the-force-is-strong-with-the-mu...

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Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:05:00 -0700 Walking with Dinosaurs School Visit - AWESOME! http://ryanastle.posterous.com/walking-with-dinosaurs-school-visit-awesome http://ryanastle.posterous.com/walking-with-dinosaurs-school-visit-awesome

If the above link doesn't work, use this one: http://youtu.be/HFf3ZWNF6EY

Video of one of the dinosaurs from the show “Walking with Dinosaurs” visited a school in Bondi, near Sydney, Australia. AWESOME!

http://www.dinosaurlive.com/

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Thu, 07 Apr 2011 08:15:00 -0700 Amazing HyperPhotos http://ryanastle.posterous.com/amazing-hyperphotos http://ryanastle.posterous.com/amazing-hyperphotos

Preview

Really cool if you view full screen then click to zoom in on various areas of the pictures. You think the far off elements won't be sharp, but the images are so high-res, that you can zoom way in on any element in the photo.

http://www.rauzier-hyperphoto.com/voyages-extraordinaires/

"Jean-François Rauzier's "Hyperphotos" are his way of combining “infinitely big and infinitely small things in one same image.”

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Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:29:00 -0700 Wingsuit proximity flight in Monterrey, Mexico http://ryanastle.posterous.com/wingsuit-proximity-flight-in-monterrey-mexico http://ryanastle.posterous.com/wingsuit-proximity-flight-in-monterrey-mexico

Wow! I'm probably really behind the times but I've never seen Wingsuits before (except in the movie "Condorman" :)

Wingsuit-mexico-flight

Wingsuit

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Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:00:00 -0700 Avengers Cardboard Costumes! http://ryanastle.posterous.com/avengers-cardboard-costumes http://ryanastle.posterous.com/avengers-cardboard-costumes

Here’s a really cool idea; what if you could cosplay completely using completely recyclable products? Better still, make that cardboard boxes. Not very many people would be imaginative enough to create what the guys behind Nikejerk3 on Flickr have done for Dragoncon 2010. Namely, making full body, complete colour renderings of some of the famous characters from the Avengers team of superheroes. For these cardboard heroes, it’s time to assemble!

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Thu, 10 Mar 2011 11:00:00 -0800 Disney Animator creates Traditionally Animated Superman Short Film http://ryanastle.posterous.com/disney-animator-creates-traditionally-animate http://ryanastle.posterous.com/disney-animator-creates-traditionally-animate

2011-02-08_122336_superman

"Veteran Disney animator Robb Pratt – whose work includes Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Tarzan – has created a one-minute short film entitled Superman Classic. The whole thing is a mixture of hand-drawn animation and digital effects, and is definitely fantastic. Really takes you back to those Saturday mornings watching cartoons.

Make sure you watch through to the end, as Pratt has a bit to say about his creation."

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Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:13:00 -0800 Solowheel - The wheel from the comic strip BC is now a real product! http://ryanastle.posterous.com/solowheel-the-wheel-from-the-comic-strip-bc-i http://ryanastle.posterous.com/solowheel-the-wheel-from-the-comic-strip-bc-i

Solowheel
I've always been a fan of the B.C. strip and the classic C64 game "Quest for Tires" - and now the wheel from B.C. is a real product! The Solowheel is sort of a minimalist Segway, consisting of only a powered, gyroscopic wheel and foot platforms. It should be available sometime this month for $1,500. See more pictures and a video at Gizmodo. Here's a video fo the Solowheel in action. [Solowheel via Cool Hunting]

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Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:48:00 -0800 An AT-AT Family Christmas (For Star Wars geeks only :) http://ryanastle.posterous.com/an-at-at-family-christmas-for-star-wars-geeks http://ryanastle.posterous.com/an-at-at-family-christmas-for-star-wars-geeks

Window display at the Silver Snail Comic Shop in Toronto :)

http://www.swtorstrategies.com/2010/12/at-at-family-xmas.html
https://www.silversnail.com/shop/index.html

Atatfamilyxmas

Atatfamilyxmas2
Atatfamilyxmas3

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Thu, 09 Dec 2010 08:52:00 -0800 Northpoint Church iBand http://ryanastle.posterous.com/35840142 http://ryanastle.posterous.com/35840142

http://dvice.com/archives/2010/12/the-iband-orche.php

Ibandchristmas-thumb-550xauto-52953

Some of the coolest apps for iPads and iPhones turn them into virtual musical instruments like keyboards and guitars, so it was only a matter of time before someone put together an orchestra with a bunch of Apple instruments playing together.

Behold the first Christmas concert by the North Point Community Church iBand, from Apharetta Georgia. In the video they rock a Christmas medley using only iPad and iPhone based virtual instruments, including drums, bells, guitar, synth, and percussion. They save the best for last, with an awesome version of Feliz Navidad complete with a hideously auto-tuned vocal performance.

Via Gadget News

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Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:10:00 -0800 Designers Spin Spidey-Worthy Webs From Packing Tape http://ryanastle.posterous.com/designers-spin-spidey-worthy-webs-from-packin http://ryanastle.posterous.com/designers-spin-spidey-worthy-webs-from-packin

http://www.fastcompany.com/1656197/designers-create-spiderman-worthy-cave-fro...

Packing tape has gotten MacGyver out of many a jam, but he never managed to make an entire home out of the stuff. So he could probably learn something from Viennese/Croatian design collective For Use/Numen. The team uses nothing but packing tape to create huge, self-supporting cocoons that visitors could climb inside and explore.

Packing-webs

 

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Fri, 03 Dec 2010 12:48:00 -0800 Star Wars Paper Snowflakes! http://ryanastle.posterous.com/star-wars-paper-snowflakes http://ryanastle.posterous.com/star-wars-paper-snowflakes

http://dancell.cwahi.net/star-wars-paper-snowflakes-instructions.html

Link to instructions above.

Are you still making snowflakes like a five year old? Use some of the force this Christmas with some homemade paper snowflakes featuring the very festive faces of Darth Vader and Boba Fett/clone troopers. (via Gawker)

500x_starwarssnowflakes

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Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:41:00 -0800 Giant Transformers Ice Sculpture http://ryanastle.posterous.com/recommended-article-by-ryan-astle-giant-trans http://ryanastle.posterous.com/recommended-article-by-ryan-astle-giant-trans

Giant Transformers Ice Sculpture
Posted by Robert Birming on November 30, 2010 (3:37 am) in Art

Optimus Prime Ice Sculpture

Twitter user @Gamemoredude from Zürich, Switzerland posted this photo of an 8 meter (about 26 feet) tall ice sculpture of the Autobot leader Optimus Prime.

Update: The name of the artist is Atti.

Link – via Nerdcore

...

Article from Neatorama - http://www.neatorama.com
URL to article: http://www.neatorama.com/2010/11/30/giant-transformers-ice-sculpture/

Please feel free to forward this email, or visit Neatorama for more fun stuff!

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Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:40:00 -0700 Cameras mounted on the back of the world's fastest birds for the first time ever. Awe-inspiring and majestic http://ryanastle.posterous.com/cameras-mounted-on-the-back-of-the-worlds-fas http://ryanastle.posterous.com/cameras-mounted-on-the-back-of-the-worlds-fas

These are two of the fastest maneuvering birds in the world. Rarely do we get to see them in action, at least to this extent. And what was captured on camera for the first time ever, was proof once again, that nature in it’s glory is a sight to behold.

Speeds of nearly 200mph, dives and turns that produce 10Gs+, maneuvering through dense forests at high speed only inches from the ground, and only a fraction of a second from impact.

Sound like a Hollywood chase scene? Although, it has become the inspiration for many scenes in Hollywood, unlike Hollywood, this is real. These are the abilities of two of the fastest maneuvering birds in the world, and two of the most fierce birds of prey: the Peregrine Falcon and the Goshawk.

The fastest one has ever been clocked is 242 MPH. During flight, the change in direction from a 150 mph dive, then to a sudden lift, would make a human lose consciousness, and that’s only at it’s playful speed of 150 mph!

They can dive at unfathomable speeds, and suddenly lift only inches from the ground. Witnessing it in person, you would describe these amazing dives as a bullet. Like an aircraft designer’s dream, once their wings tuck, they become an aeronautical phenomenon.

The split-second maneuvering of the Goshawk during flight is reminiscent of the Speeders in Star Wars. However, maneuvering through the dense forests as these birds do, is something that no computer or human invention has been able to duplicate fully. Their precision and accuracy is flawless.

The split-second turns. The speed. It almost makes you dizzy to watch, even in slow motion. How do they do it?

To watch them in flight puts me at a loss for words to be able to fully describe what I am seeing. Other than a physicist, there is no way to emphasize or grasp what’s involved, or how it is possible. You just have to watch for yourself to be able to appreciate it. And even then, you are still left to wonder.

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Tue, 14 Sep 2010 11:34:41 -0700 ViewPure - watch YouTube videos without seeing the comments, ads, suggested videos, etc. http://ryanastle.posterous.com/viewpure-watch-youtube-videos-without-seeing http://ryanastle.posterous.com/viewpure-watch-youtube-videos-without-seeing
500x_viewpure

www.viewpure.com

ViewPure Removes Extraneous YouTube Features for a Focused Viewing Experience

If you find YouTube to be a little too busy or just aren't a fan of the comments, ViewPure is a handy bookmarklet to focus your YouTube experience on just the video you want to watch.

ViewPure is pretty simple to use. You can either visit viewpure.com and enter a YouTube URL for purified view, or just install their bookmarklet and click it whenever you're on a YouTube video page that you want to "purify."

I could see YouTube blocking this service quickly since it also blocks ads, but for the moment it works great for me.

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Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:07:00 -0700 Amazing Digital Portrait by Kyle Lambert painted with one finger on the iPad http://ryanastle.posterous.com/amazing-digital-portrait-by-kyle-lambert-pain http://ryanastle.posterous.com/amazing-digital-portrait-by-kyle-lambert-pain

(From the article on tuaw.com) Artists are taking to the iPad like ducks to water. The device seems to be a natural tool for many artists to use, and the public is now starting to see the fruits of the relationship in the form of some startling and beautiful digital art.

Kyle Lambert is a perfect example of an artist who has quickly adapted to the iPad as an art creation tool. The Cheshire, England based portrait artist recently spent six hours painting an astoundingly good portrait of performer Beyonce using an iPad, his finger, and the Brushes iPad app (US$7.99).

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Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:30:00 -0700 toread.cc - email-based bookmark service http://ryanastle.posterous.com/toreadcc-email-based-bookmark-service http://ryanastle.posterous.com/toreadcc-email-based-bookmark-service

Atodelogo_en

"to read" adds a tiny, one-click button to your browser so you can quickly email a full copy of any webpage to yourself to read later whether offline or online. Saves time and is great for saving articles that you wouldn't need to save in your permanent bookmarks list.

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Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:30:00 -0700 Can you react fast enough to hit a 90mph fastball? http://ryanastle.posterous.com/can-you-react-fast-enough-to-hit-a-90mph-fast http://ryanastle.posterous.com/can-you-react-fast-enough-to-hit-a-90mph-fast

Click on the picture to go to the link.

Click on the "play ball" button, then move your cursor over the part of the screen that shows the baseball field. As soon as you see "swing batter," click on your screen as fast as you can.

What's going on?

Fastball Reaction Time imitates a 90-mph fastball thrown by a major league pitcher. While this exhibit doesn't test if you could actually hit a fastball, it does test whether you could react in time to hit one. When you see the "swing batter" screen, a signal in your eye sends a message to a part of your brain that controls your muscles. Your brain must then send a signal to your muscles, telling them to click. Although it takes some time for the signal to travel along each nerve, the major delay in your reaction time occurs at the junction points in between the different nerves involved, and between the nerves and the muscles in your fingers.

Alright!

Fastball-reaction-hr

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Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:03:00 -0700 Inspirational Mouse Clip http://ryanastle.posterous.com/inspirational-mouse-clip http://ryanastle.posterous.com/inspirational-mouse-clip

I don't post them unless they're worth it. Click on the image below for the video with sound.

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Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:19:00 -0700 Captain America & Thor Movie Costumes Revealed! http://ryanastle.posterous.com/captain-america-and-thor-movie-costumes-revea http://ryanastle.posterous.com/captain-america-and-thor-movie-costumes-revea

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Fri, 04 Jun 2010 09:17:00 -0700 Iron Baby! http://ryanastle.posterous.com/iron-baby-118 http://ryanastle.posterous.com/iron-baby-118

This is a couple of weeks old, but still worth posting :)

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