Wee Mad Hamish's House of Random Shiny Objects

science-junkie:

Beautiful ‘flowers’ self-assemble in a beaker

With the hand of nature trained on a beaker of chemical fluid, the most delicate flower structures have been formed in a Harvard laboratory—and not at the scale of inches, but microns.

These minuscule sculptures, curved and delicate, don’t resemble the cubic or jagged forms normally associated with crystals, though that’s what they are. Rather, fields of carnations and marigolds seem to bloom from the surface of a submerged glass slide, assembling themselves a molecule at a time.

By simply manipulating chemical gradients in a beaker of fluid, Wim L. Noorduin, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and lead author of a paper appearing on the cover of the May 17 issue of Science, has found that he can control the growth behavior of these crystals to create precisely tailored structures.

“For at least 200 years, people have been intrigued by how complex shapes could have evolved in nature. This work helps to demonstrate what’s possible just through environmental, chemical changes,” says Noorduin.

Read more

Images: [x]

bevsi:

sometimes i just

Add in a belief that you’re telepathic and can read their minds to see just how much they hate you, and you’ve pretty much got why I don’t smoke weed.

(via py-bun)

Nerdlife

Returned from DnD only to have my roommate decide he needed to play Settlers of Catan. Now I’m sitting here with a poor man’s black velvet, watching the dice effing hare me.

markingatlightspeed:

Popping in from my self-imposed tumblr hiatus to post the finished set of Badlands Logistics Union forum icons I’ve done.  We don’t have an Engie, and we’ve recruited a Spy, but he hasn’t made his character yet, so he’ll get one then.

These are our PCs at an awesome scifi post-apoc LARP called Doomsday, and we are a just-reasonable-enough expy.

Scoot - Brien O’Neary Killian, our Terran (Cityfolk) Highwayman.  He killed a guy for that hat.
Copper - Assault Cavalry Copper Blitzbot of the Fighting Spirit Division, our Soldier.  He’s a robot, and calls us all father.  Even Sascha.
Pip - Violence Sunder The Wok, our Mutant Xeno Hunter.  He throws fire and emits low level radiation.Boomer - Corc MacBeth, our Terran (not sure what type) Engineer.  He’s our leader and doesn’t trust robots (not even Copper).
KGB - Konstantin Gerlukavich Borislavovich, our Terran (Nomad) Juggernaut (played by my fiance).  He loves games and doesn’t like cybernetics.
Doktor Fleischer - Dr. Sascha Fleischer, MD, our Terran (Cityfolk) Sickbay (played by me).  She’s tsundere for everything except Konstantin.
Oz - Oswin Bitzer, our Elysian (Serpentis Syndicate) Xeno Hunter.  He’s a prettyboy who hits on everything.

We’re all horrible people and it’s so much fun.  NEXT EVENT IN TWO DAYS I CAN’T HANDLE IT.

That would be Violent Fine Sunder The Wok. Violence Sunder The Wok would be an act of sacrilege. Please respect my (imaginary) people’s rich cultural traditions. Also, I was not aware I was emitting radiation, but that’s FREAKING AWESUM!

cosplayingwhileblack:


G a n o n o n d o r f - L e g e n d o f Z e l d a [ T w i l i g h t P r i n c e s s ] Shots of some of my armor . There is a little bit more but I didnt feel like putting it on . Besides , I really haven’t found a proper way to attach everything ( thus why I am holding it up xD ) . I’ll probably end up using buttons or velcro . I kind of derped in the last picture , but I ended up liking it * shrugs * Oh and I didnt feel like painting my whole body either thats why its just my face that’s grey xD
Taken from my Facebook: Nerissami 

SUBMISSION

cosplayingwhileblack:

G a n o n o n d o r f - L e g e n d o f Z e l d a [ T w i l i g h t P r i n c e s s ]

Shots of some of my armor . There is a little bit more but I didnt feel like putting it on . Besides , I really haven’t found a proper way to attach everything ( thus why I am holding it up xD ) . I’ll probably end up using buttons or velcro . I kind of derped in the last picture , but I ended up liking it * shrugs *

Oh and I didnt feel like painting my whole body either thats why its just my face that’s grey xD

Taken from my Facebook: Nerissami

SUBMISSION

(Source: miss-siren)