This blog is now rarely updated, but remains as an archive of bits and pieces I've collected from around the internet. To see what's caught my eye more recently, find me on twitter.
The London Transport Museum may not be somewhere I'm particularly well acquainted with, but I'll definitely be heading to the Painting By Numbers exhibition from January 6. Classic data visualisation posters:
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Wired runs out the top scientific discoveries from 2011. Particularly interesting is the "Intelligent Animals and Emotional Bees" bit, but all good stuff. Click here.
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Finally for now, lovely stop-motion animation music video detailing the history of the planet.
There is nothing better you can do with the next 90 minutes of your life than watch this. It's a BBC Horizon documentary about the Nobel prize winning physicist Richard Feynman. If you're not sure who he is, or if he's worth finding out about, click here and warm up with the videos from the Feynman series. Then settle down and watch this. It seems to be two documentaries plonked in one video, but it's great from start to finish. Watch it.
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While you're in science video mode, go check out the new video site from the Royal Institution - RI Channel. As well as a host of videos they've made themselves, including the archive of Christmas Lectures, they are developing a tasty selection of videos from around the internet. Well worth your time.
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The always brilliant Big Picture has a great selection of nature photography. Phenomenal stuff.
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A great little short film/animation.
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Hypnotic visualisation of the planets orbits. Click here.
Frozen Planet ended last night, and immediately after the last episode, this advert was played. I think it's fantabulous. Attenborough's Wonderful World. Be sure to watch this in full, 1080 HD glory:
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Remember those little riots in London in the summer? One feature of them was the way information, and misinformation, spread rapidly across the internet. The Guardian has visualised the spread of some of these rumours in a beautiful interactive graphic. How long did people believe that a tiger had been released, and was running rampage across Primrose Hill? Go check it out.
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Flying robots zooming in, taking all our jobs...
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The Journey of Mankind. Ever wanted to see the path early man took to spread across the world? Well take a look at this. It's not the prettiest program in the world, but fascinating nonetheless.
I'm not sure where I found all of the links this time around, but if you're looking for the sources, the "Links I Love" on the right is a good place to start.
Another amazing video. This super-slow-mo film shows how hummingbirds stay dry in the rain - a deceptively crucial skill when you weigh just a few grams, and the careful balance of hovering is essential to your continued survival. This video shows a hummingbird shaking water off itself like a dog, while hovering. For more detail, click here (Wired).
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Take 5 minutes, click on the HD option, and go fullscreen for this incredible time-lapse view of the earth from space.
Beautifully filmed clips of skyliners. Also, if it's your kind of thing, for one of the most impressive base jumping videos I've seen in a while, click here.
I'm ill. Truth be told, I don't respond well to being sick. I pretty much crumble at the first hint of a sniffle, and I'm now suffering from a full-on case of the snuffles. Bad times, I assure you, but if there's any positive news to take from my near-death condition, it's that I've finally got round to absorbing a few things on my "to-watch" list. Here are some gems that have risen out of my snot-filled misery:
First, the latest fantastic nature programme, Frozen Planet. The whole thing is brilliant, and this clip here is the perfect example. Frozen Planet has more comedy than most sitcoms and far more drama than Eastenders - brilliant.
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Next, if you have an hour to spare, watch this talk from the co-creator of GOOD, Casey Caplowe. GOOD is my absolute favourite website, and a great magazine, that fuses engaging and educational information with actionable endeavours to improve the world. This talk outlines the thinking behind the organisation. Particularly interesting is the part where he talks about profit; GOOD isn't a charity, and it is trying to make a profit. I love the philosophy that making money and doing good don't have to be enemies. Anyway, although Caplowe has that unforgivable problem of lifting his voice at the end of every sentence, making each statement a half-question, it's all interesting stuff, and the opening mantra of "love it or fix it" is brilliant.
Here are a few samples of writing done for online news and opinion site, The Periscope Post. I've written over 70 articles for the site, so if the selection here isn't enough for you, let me know and I'll point you at more, covering everything from football to the Occupy movement, and internet hackers to viral videos.
--UPDATE: The Periscope Post seems to have changed hands and evolved, and these links no longer work. Such is the ever-changing nature of the internet. These articles were great, though. Honest.--
A dearth of recent posts is a sign of how busy I've been lately, but with a bit more free time comes a new post, and some morsels of interestingness and fascination for you.
First up, a clever little table reminding scientists what some of their terms mean to the public. Original paper here.
Microsoft have unveiled a little prophetic view into the future, showing the form they believe technology of the coming decades will take. I love this sort of video, although it makes me feel somewhat insecure about my feeble blackberry and iPad...
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There's been a huge amount of excitement and pomp surrounding the news that there are now (or there will soon be) 7 billion people cluttering up the planet. One of the most interesting interpretations is from the Guardian's data blog. Click HERE for their nice interactive visualisation showing how the population is expected to grow in the coming years.
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Next up a mesmerising visualisation of a bit of Bach. This gets even better when you check out the full website, which lets you play with the visualisation yourself.
First up, for the dweeby design-lovers of you, nicefigure.org. "A roundup of the nicest figures recently published in scientific journals." Simple concept, but really highlights just how good some of the visualisation in science are:
On visualising the predictive accurace of a breast cancer screening test:
and recurrent mutations in leukemia. Nice website.
Next up: a bizarrely interesting collection of letterheads. Sounds boring, but it's strangely absorbing. Letterheady.com
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You are not so smart. This is a very well made promo. I love the animation, the ideas are interesting, and the phrasing is all very nice. Future Me and Now Me never get along. This is why:
The Overground train arrives and dazed commuters spill on to the platform. Everyone stands aside to let them pass. But this act of kindness is the exception, not the rule. Once you all step into the carriage the competition for seats begins. You are now in a theatre of war.
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And don't forget to keep checking out the goings on at The Periscope Post - my latest nuggets of news have been on the "world-changing" Siri & iPhone 4S, cancerous blowjobs, Denmark's "fat tax", and the delightful Human Centipede 2, as well as some James Bond rumours, a Johnny English review, a heap of Steve Jobs stuff and a bunch of other things. Go have a nibble on on the best "viewspaper" around.
