#✧*∙ ❛ DETERIORATING DRESSES / ( a. 007 )

[lumionblog-blog]

The art of realistic textures: new materials in Lumion 8

A render can be worth a thousand words. When rendering images and animations, there’s no better way to tell the story of your design than through the materials you use.

A rusty, Corten steel exterior sits atop a textured stone wall. Rendered in Lumion 8.

Dressing your modeled scenes in beautiful, realistic materials can instantly transform the look and mood of a building or space, and it typically means the difference between a jaw-dropping render and a computer-generated, plastic appearance.

Materials can also impact your audience at a subconscious level. Give an interior a colorful, patterned wallpaper and your audience may react quite differently than they did for a wooden interior. 

In Lumion 8 Pro, you no longer have to search for stunning, photo-realistic materials. Right in the Lumion materials library, you can find 1,019 materials for:

Landscapes (soil, water, rocks, grass, etc)

Interiors (fabric, glass, leather, metals, plastics, etc)

Exteriors (concrete, bricks, roofing, asphalt, wood, etc)

...And more

In this blog post, you can explore many of the new materials available in Lumion 8. 

A note about "perfect” materials

Look around you: the walls of your room, the edges of the windowsill, the surface of your desk or kitchen counters. 

Surfaces and materials are rarely perfect and clean. Every building, structure or piece of furniture in the real world is subject to weather and natural wear. Materials also get dirty with moisture, stains, mold, etc.

A conference room’s unfortunate deterioration. The age and grime was enabled by the Weathering slider in the materials editor. 

Through weathered materials, you can easily suggest the history of a building and what it was used for. Also, a room that hides its history shows far less character than one that embraces it. 

The foliage crawling up the columns of this office interior was enabled by the foliage sliders in the materials editor. 

When using any of Lumion 8′s materials, remember that you can control the material’s characteristics, including age (via weathering), the softness of its edges, color, reflectivity, glossiness, relief, and more.

Local landscapes with new soils

Even if you’re not a landscape architect or work primarily with diverse terrains, it’s still essential to render a realistic environment around your models and designs. 

Lumion 8 features 17 new, high-definition soil options. Found under the “Nature” tab in the materials library, these soils make it easier to create a local landscape specific to your project. 

In an instant, you can transform your terrain into a rocky beach, a field of dried dirt or an interesting set of paths running across a campus.

Just some of the new soils are featured below. The image captions include the name of the soil found in the materials library. 

Ground Gravel 012

Pebbles beach 001

Pebbles Beach 003

Ground gravel 006

Beautiful waters for every occasion

From the waterfront to the city fountain to the mansion with a swimming pool, realistic water has an unquestionably powerful impact on renders.

Unless, of course, the water means an indoor flood.

One of the more significant additions to Lumion 8 was the 20 new water presets. Now, instead of spending hours fine-tuning the water characteristics to get it exactly how you want, you can browse among pre-configured water options in the material library’s Nature category.

The 20 water presets include:

The glass-like Clear Pool 

The Murky Lake 

And the suspenseful Black Water.

Other water presets include:

Azure Pool 

Blue Ocean

Calm Pond

Calm Tropical

Flat Water

Muddy Water

Reflecting Lake

Super Clear

White Water

And several others

Detailed fabrics for high-resolution interiors

When it comes to interior design, getting that “desired look” depends heavily on the furniture, fabrics, wallpapers and much more. 

Enhancing the feeling of your interiors with realistic fabric requires a precise level of definition and detail. A standard fabric, such as on a couch, can contain thousands of tightly interwoven threads, unique weave patterns and even stray thread imperfections. 

By rendering using the highest attention to detail, your scenes will include soft, comfortable-looking fabrics that beg viewers to reach out and run their fingers across them.

In Lumion 8, you can find a total of 29 fabrics for interiors, exteriors, upholstery and more. These new fabrics include canvas, wool, wrinkled fabrics, linen, cotton, carpet and denim.

The metals of interiors, exteriors and everywhere else

Metal is everywhere; it’s found on the appliances in your kitchen, the chair legs of your dining table, the banisters of your staircase, the lights hanging throughout your home and so on.

As such, no matter the subject of your renders, you will likely have to work with a lot of metal materials. 

In Lumion 8, there is a total of 63 interior metals (41 of which are new) and 48 exterior metals (11 of which are new). 

Pro Tip: when optimizing metals for rendering, make sure to turn on the “Speedray reflections” feature as part of the Reflection effect. This ensures that the small bits of metal show accurate and realistic reflections. 

Above: breakfast bar chairs rendered with a copper material.

In addition to standard metals, Lumion 8 also comes with a wide selection of metal meshes, such as with the staircase renders below. 

MetalMesh V5 Grid

MetalMesh V7 Grid

MetalMesh V2 Grid

The strength and beauty of concrete

Concrete is a popular material for walls and building exteriors, and this material is featured on everything from commercial structures to residential houses to brutalist designs. Concrete is also symbolic as well, and it gives the feeling of strength, power and longevity, such as in this dreamy render.

Or in this artsy perspective of a man looking out from a concrete staircase.

Lumion 8 offers 15 new concrete materials, bringing the total to 58. Below, you can find just a couple other examples of the beautiful, high-definition concrete materials available. 

Concrete 31

Concrete 14

Concrete 7

Capturing urban spaces in stone

Bring a degree of charming, modern beauty and old-school atmosphere to your scenes with smooth city sidewalks, cobblestone streets and other stone paths. 

Located in the Outdoor category of the materials library, the new stone materials are purely delightful in their ability to transform exteriors into familiar scenes. Put on a pair of boots while walking across this material and you can easily hear the echoes of each step.

City Street Sidewalk 007

You can find 23 new stone materials in Lumion 8 that were designed for outdoor scenes, which brings the total number of stone materials to 43.

Cobblestone 26

City Street Sidewalk 003

Creating beautiful renders with Lumion’s materials library

The new materials in Lumion 8 come with finely detailed texture maps that serve as the secret ingredient for viewers to “touch” the walls, “smell” the leather of the living room couch and “hear” the sound of feet moving across the floor.

Transform designs into strikingly beautiful renders by dressing them in realistic materials, and see just how fast Lumion can quicken your workflows. Download a free trial or order Lumion today.

[eternalsterekrecs]

A Life Less Ordinary by Jebiwonkenobi

It takes a few years but eventually they manage to agree on something; Derek Hale is an asshole, and Stiles Stilinski is in love with him.

Burn by night by thebrotherswinchester

Sheriff Stilinski has been kidnapped by Alpha werewolves. As bait. For his own son.

Cupboard Love by mklutz

He’s carefully balancing the sandwiches and the two biggest tupperware containers he could find that both had functioning lids when the front door opens and he almost drops everything right there in front of the stupid fountain.

If that’s Derek Hale, he’s definitely not a mountain man.

Daddy’s Do’s by apocryphal

“Hi Mr. Stilinski!” Lydia said pertly. “My name’s Lydia, and this is my daddy. His name is Derek Andrew Hale and he watches all of your videos on YouTube a lot, but he still can’t braid.”

[Stiles is a celebrity YouTube hairstylist. Derek may or may not have a crush. Lydia just wants a French braid for school picture day.]

Everything’s Better Under the Sea by tryslora

Everything changes when Derek goes under while surfing, hits his head on a board, and sees a man with a tail swimming away. He wants to know who that was, and what it has to do with Beacon Hills, the one place he never meant to come back to.

Five Times Stiles Apologized (and One Time He Didn’t Need To) by Analiena, QueenOfTheCute

Gravity’s Got Nothing on You by zosofi

“Three weeks,” Derek says.

“Still don’t want to,” Stiles says.

“I’ll pay you,” Derek says, and that… that has Stiles interested. Alf’s Antique’s may be a great job, but it’s not a high-paying job, and half of Stiles’s tuition is coming from financial aid, so…

“How much,” Stiles asks, “are we talking here? Because I know your family, dude. And it’ll be kind of awkward after.“

“My family thinks you’re some sort of fucking gift to the world,” Derek seethes, like he’s jealous, “they’ll probably be pissed at me when we break it off, so don’t worry about that. Five hundred bucks.”

“A thousand,” Stiles says, because screw ethics. Also, the Hale family is loaded. Derek can deal.

Hold the Door by Hatteress, maichan808

When Derek is killed by a rival alpha, the pack will stop at nothing to get him back. Even if that means blackmailing the most dangerous hunter duo this side of hell. Whatever. That whole devil thing was probably totally exaggerated, anyway.

If galileo gave us good advice by proxydialogue

Stiles is glued together wrong. That’s the best that Derek can figure.

Jambalaya by SylvieW

Derek hasn’t had a job for years. Now that he’s decided to stay in Beacon Hills, he wants to put down roots. But making friends with his co-workers is a lot harder than he remembers.

Knot if You Don’t Knock by jsea, marguerite_26

Stiles never expects to present as an omega -- that's something that happens to people like Greenberg, not him. He is so wrong.

His life only gets stranger when Derek Hale mistakenly bursts through the door of his exam room during a doctor’s appointment. What happens next is a complicated series of events, including freshly baked cookies, book-carrying and surprise heats.

Like French Vanilla Ice Cream by GotTheSilver

Hale Sounds, Open 'til Midnight.

An Empire Records AU.

“Well, maybe you should sort out your own love life before looking at mine.”

“I don’t have a love life.”

“That’s the point I was making,” Erica responds in a tone of voice that suggests she thinks Derek is stupid.

Mǣnōn by MyBeth

Knotting. It’s a thing that exists. Like werewolves and weird lizard creatures. It’s just rated NC-17 so you don’t hear about it so much on TV. It exists and he gets it. Stiles. He’s the one that gets it.

Numbers by standinginanicedress

“I'm magic,” Stiles raises his hands in the air and puts on a serious facial expression. “I have the sixth sense.”

“The sixth sense, huh? Is that what they're calling bullshit these days?”

Stiles' lips purse down hard, but he still smirks. Derek wonders if there's any single facial expression that Stiles can make that isn't in some way at least slightly amused, whether at himself or the expense of others. “Non-believers aren't welcome at my table, Derek.”

Of Wolves and Doughnuts by Hatteress

When Derek was fifteen, circumstance and a goddamn doughnut had seen fit to Bond him to Stiles Stilinski.

In which Derek is more cunning than anyone gives him credit for, Stiles doesn't understand why the new Alphas in town are all up in his business and everyone gets a violent crash-course in what it means to be Pack, whether they're in it or not.

Pale Skin and Fragile Bones by lydiasbones

“I’m not going to do anything!” Lydia defended, looking far too affronted to be genuine. “It just seems that the universe has decided that the two of you will continue to run into each other at an improbable frequency for the foreseeable future. I’m banking on that.”

“You don’t bank on anything,” Stiles said grimly. “You make things happen.”

Lydia smirked. “That’s not entirely untrue.”

--

Or, the one in which Derek arrests one of Stiles' friends and Stiles holds a grudge. Also, Stiles wrote Derek's favorite book. But they don't know that.

Queer Your Coffee by alisvolatpropiis

Derek's just over the city line when he sees a sign for an independent drive-thru place, Full Spectrum Brew. There are three cars in line when he turns in, which annoys him but gives him hope. Not that he really trusts the people of Beacon Hills to have much taste when it comes to coffee (god, he is a snob), but the shop’s popularity does seem to bode well. The line of cars moves way more slowly than he’d like, each customer in front of him seeming to take way too long to order, and then lingering when they get their coffee. He’s irritable from lack of sleep and an even more detrimental lack of caffeine, anxious to get out of the car. Finally it’s his turn and he slowly rolls up to the window, turning the radio down.

For a second, he thinks he must have fallen asleep while he was waiting, because what he sees when he looks in the window surely must be a dream.

Stunning brown eyes like glowing honey and sweet little nose, slightly upturned; a shapely pink mouth, bottom-lip pierced by a thin black hoop that he's worrying with the tip of his tongue as he smiles a gorgeous hello.

He's the most beautiful man Derek's ever seen.

And he’s shirtless.

Running Down a Dream by tryslora

He wakes into an unknown room and without his memories. The name they give him tastes unfamiliar on his tongue, and he wonders if he'll ever find the memory-eating aliens that did this to him, or the magical spell to give him back his life.

Stacking Up by bravelittlesoldier

Stiles is working in the basement of the Library of Congress and is feeling his social skills quickly deteriorate. Then along comes a new librarian working at Circulation who is most definitely a male model. Maybe its time to start re-socializing.

The Pope Would Brag by Hatteress

The thing is, Derek’s really, really hot. Like, insane levels of attraction. What with the leather and the cheekbones and the stubble and the ass — oh god, that ass — Stiles can’t really be blamed, at all for freaking bragging.

Now if only his college friends actually believed Derek existed.

Up and Coming by Fanhag102

Stiles and Derek work in the same building and every day ride up in the elevator together.

That is pretty much the extent of their relationship—until one day the elevator breaks down, trapping the two of them inside and maybe forcing them to admit to each other that the attraction is mutual.

Voldemort and Jean Valjean (Walk into a Coffee Shop) by PsychicPineapple

So sue him, Stiles had a stupid habit of giving out goofy names at coffee joints.

**

‘Name?’ He stood with his sharpie at the ready.

‘Voldemort,’ Stiles answered without missing a beat.

With metal on our tongues (we’ll be dressed in rags) by Rena

Double-oh agents are a piece of work; Stiles knew that before he became MI6's new quartermaster. It's cool, he survived Lydia in college, he can deal with stubborn, reckless, trigger-happy operatives. Derek Hale, though, is definitely trying to live up to his predecessor's legacy and make Stiles' life more difficult.

AKA the one where Derek is 007 and Stiles is Q and they bitch and angst their way to a Happy Ending.

XXX by foxtricks

Stiles wears Xs on his hands, and Derek wants to know why.

You Can Cry Wolf, But Stop Running by iamursforevrmre

Derek Hale is the third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Stiles doesn’t know why he has an apparent thing for third basemen and he has no clue why he’s even watching the Dodgers. He’s a Mets fan.

Zoo Security by Inell

Derek gets a call to come pick up Stiles and their daughter from the zoo security office.

[miserysfirst-blog]

Kailah Finally Does Tags:     An Anomaly   !

AESTHETICS

✧*∙  ❛    STAR ANISE TEA    /    (  a. 002  )  ✧*∙  ❛    MOUTHFUL OF ASH    /    (  a. 001  ) ✧*∙  ❛    SHADES & SECRETS    /    (  a. 003  )  ✧*∙  ❛    DISTANT LULLABIES    /    (  a. 004  )  ✧*∙  ❛    PARCHMENT & DUST    /    (  a. 005  )  ✧*∙  ❛    GUNS & SHIPS    /    (  a. 006  ) ✧*∙  ❛    DETERIORATING DRESSES    /    (  a. 007  ) ✧*∙  ❛    MOTOR OIL     /    (  a. 008  )

ASSORTED 

✧*∙  ❛    THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING    /    (  ch. study  )  ✧*∙  ❛    HORRIFIC HEADCANONS    /    (  hc  ) ✧*∙  ❛    PONDERING PROMPTS    /    (  memes  ) ✧*∙  ❛    ACCUTE ANSWERS    /    (  asks  )  ✧*∙  ❛    PLEASANT FACIAL FEATURES    /     (  img. 002  ) ✧*∙  ❛    DARK  EYES  SOFT  HEART    /     (  img. 001  ) ✧*∙  ❛    MY SISTER IS A NICE GIRL    /    (  selfpromo  ) ✧*∙  ❛    SHE KNEW THE TIME TO ACT WAS NOW    /    (  promo  ) ✧*∙  ❛    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯      /      (  ooc  ) 

VERSES

✧*∙  ❛    THE ERRATIC EPILOGUE      /      (  v. 001  )  ✧*∙  ❛    THE BAD BEGINNING      /      (  v. 002  )  ✧*∙  ❛    THE SECRET SNICKET    /     (  v. 003  ) ✧*∙  ❛    THE NAIVE NOBLE     /      (  v. 004  ) ✧*∙  ❛    THE RAVENOUS RAVENCLAW     /      (  v. 005  ) ✧*∙  ❛    A HORRID HISTORY     /     (  v. 006  ) ✧*∙  ❛    THE BROKEN BRIDE     /      (  v. 007  ) ✧*∙  ❛    THE MELANCHOLY MECHANIC     /      (  v. 008  ) 

RELATIONSHIPS

✧*∙  ❛    I MISS YOU MOST ARDENTLY      /      (  klaus  )  ✧*∙  ❛    I CARRY YOUR HEART      /      (  sunny  )  ✧*∙  ❛    LETS GO ON TOGETHER      /      (  violet & klaus & sunny  )  ✧*∙  ❛    IN FROM THE COLD      /      (  sebaldcoded  )  ✧*∙  ❛    RUN  ,  RUN  ,   RUN       /       (  olaf  )  ✧*∙  ❛    SHE WAS NEVER YOURS TO LOSE     /      (  lemony  )  ✧*∙  ❛    A LOVELY VIEW    /    (  quigley  )  ✧*∙  ❛    A HOME IN YOU       /       (  lionfifth  )  ✧*∙  ❛    SAY SAY MY PLAYMATE       /       (  lycanbirth  )  ✧*∙  ❛    MY MANIC & I       /       (  sythegun  ) 

[cover32-yahoopartner-blog]

For Tom Brady, age 40 means the top of the hill, not over it

On August 3rd, New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, will turn 40-years-old.  At an age when most professional athletes have either shelved their uniforms or are close to doing so, Brady is showing no sign of riding off into the sunset. In fact, and much to the chagrin of 31 other NFL teams, Brady’s future is looking brighter than ever.  As he is set to begin his 17th NFL season, his fans and foes alike are left to ponder the question, ‘How does he do it?’

Actually, the answer is quite simple. He finds durability within determination.

According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, the word ‘durable’ is defined as the ability to exist for a long time without significant deterioration in quality or value.  New Englanders have long valued durability. They have a tradition of blue-collar, hardworking people that appreciate the effort it takes to complete a job well-done.

Needless to say, Brady is adored in New England and may be the most beloved sports figure in the history of a city that has been the home of icons such as Williams, Orr, Bird, and Russell. However, Brady is not always the poster child for that typical New England, blue-collar grit. Sometimes, it’s easy to lose sight of this when we see Brady looking 007-Esque in mattress commercials, or dressed to the ‘nines’ in the latest fashion.

But, don’t let that exterior fool you. Brady is a tough as they come – physically, mentally and emotionally. That’s the reason why he’s still ‘king of the hill.’ Let’s break it down a bit.

AROUND COVER32

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cover32 Fantasy Periscope: Andrew Erickson explores the fantasy value of TE’s for 2017

The physical:

It’s hard to believe, but Brady seems to look more comfortable in the pocket at age 39 than he did in 2000, during his rookie campaign. Save for a season-ending knee injury in 2008, he has been remarkably reliable on the field. Playing through hand, leg, arm, rib and the infamous shoulder (which often lands him on the injury report) injuries, number 12 is always on the field for the Patriots. Brady is known to be methodical about his dietary and conditioning routine.

In fact, Brady’s intense diet and physical fitness regimen are about to be chronicled in a book that will hit the shelves later this year, titled The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance.  Some people (misguided as they are) choose to roll their eyes at this lifestyle. Brady’s signature brand, TB12 fitness, and the philosophies of his wellness guru, Alex Guerrero, have become a punchline – even in the heart of Brady’s own territory. However, there has to be something to it.

Very few, if any, members of his draft class of 2000 are even still playing, while Brady continues to lead his team to victory. And it’s not as if Brady doesn’t take his share of hits.  All-pro defenders such as Justin Tuck, Demarcus Ware, and Von Miller have rated Brady as one of the toughest players they have ever played against.  He’s been durable, by being determined to stay on the field. And it’s working very well, so far.

The mental:

I would find someone to be hard-pressed to identify a superstar athlete that is mentally tougher than Tom Brady. While it’s true that many other iconic athletes (Ali, Jordan, to name only a couple) have been just as tough, Brady’s name truly belongs with the all-time great’s.  Brady has had to overcome adversity his entire football career. It’s a fact that still drives him to this day.

Brady has had to overcome adversity his entire football career. It’s a fact that still drives him to this day. After working tirelessly to earn the top quarterback spot for his senior year at the University of Michigan, Brady was forced to share the spotlight under center with teammate Drew Henson. When taking over for an injured Drew Bledsoe in 2001, Brady looked at his teammates and told them “climb on my back.”

This was quite a bold statement from a then 24-year-old backup quarterback. Especially one who was labeled as having a ‘poor build’ and being ‘too scrawny to succeed at the position.’ But Brady won the respect of his teammates. And then the league. Since then, that mental durability has led to five Super Bowl Titles, four Super Bowl MVPs, two League MVPs and countless 4th quarter comebacks.

Despite that success, Brady remains as driven as ever. He has often been quoted as saying his favorite championship ring is the ‘next one.’  Never one to rest on his laurels, he started working on the next one shortly after he won the last one, back in February. When asked if there was anything Tom Brady can’t do, friend and teammate Julian Edelman simply replied, ‘Quit.’ It looks like he’s right.

The emotional: 

While much has been made of Brady’s physical and mental durability, he has proven to be one of the most emotionally durable athletes of his era. During the debacle know as Deflategate, Brady had his integrity challenged by the media, former NFL players and especially football fans around the world.  Many would have crumbled under the pressure. But Brady’s uncanny knack to put aside his anger allowed him to direct that emotion into on-field dominance.  It’s hard to argue with the results. He collected his fifth ring.

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) hugs a family member as mother Galynn Brady (right) looks on after Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Seahawks 28-24. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Perhaps the greatest example of Tom Brady’s emotional determination took place at Super Bowl 51. However, it wasn’t the amazing comeback on which Brady lead his team to a fifth Super Bowl title.  This example came after the game had been won. It was when an emotional and tearful Brady embraced his mother Galynn, who had been fighting cancer for the past year.

At this moment, you could feel his determination. Which had culminated in a victory that he absolutely wanted in his mother’s honor.  For all of the on field heroics we’ve seen him accomplish through the years, it was this moment that poignantly showcased Brady’s emotional durability. The man who seems too good to true good, at times, was human after all.  Football didn’t matter.  All that did matter was the health of his mother and the warmth of his family. Of all possible motivational factors for an athlete, those that are personal tend to be the most potent.

Good, not so old, reliable:

Despite his share of (*cough* jealous *cough*) detractors out there, Brady is enjoying unparalleled success for one simple reason: he is determined to remain durable. Stark-raving fans of the other 31 NFL teams are nauseated at the site of yet another Lombardi Trophy being presented to him. But as Brady begins his 17th NFL season, he doesn’t find motivation in the opinions of his critics. He doesn’t find it in the glitz, glamour and endorsement deals. He finds it within. And he’s as driven as ever.

So let me be among the first to wish the G.O.A.T. a very happy 40th birthday…and many happy returns. If the first 17 seasons are any indication, he may be making a lot of new Englanders happy by returning for many more seasons.

– Mike D’Abate, is a Staff Writer for cover32/Patriots and a National Writer for cover32. He covers the New England Patriots and NFL. Like and follow on Follow @MG973024 Follow @cover32_NE and Facebook.

The post For Tom Brady, age 40 means the top of the hill, not over it appeared first on Cover32.

[repwinpril9y0a1]

Divertimento #123

Video of a patient with severe Parkinson's Disease, before and after ingesting medical marijuana.  Impressive. Fossilized trilobite eggs discovered. "When [President] Roosevelt heard that a torpedo was zooming toward him, he asked to be moved with his wheelchair over to the railing so that he could see it. Fearing an assassination plot, the Iowa turned its guns toward the William D. Porter — however, the crisis ended when the torpedo finally detonated as it struck heavy waves created by the Iowa’s increased speed. Walter reportedly answered with a meek “We did it” when pressed. The entire crew was placed under arrest and sent to Bermuda to face trial — the first instance in U.S. Naval history that the entire crew of a ship had been arrested." Intraoperative virtual reality may be useful in allowing lower doses of sedatives and hypnotics for surgery patients. "Today saw the release of a new study from the Grantham Institute for Imperial College London and the Carbon Tracker Initiative. It argues that solar photovoltaics and [electric vehicles] together will kick fossil fuel’s ass, quickly. “Falling costs of electric vehicle and solar technology,” they conclude, “could halt growth in global demand for oil and coal from 2020.” That would be a pretty big deal." Explanation of the floating dry-erase stick man.  Impress your friends.

"The 588th was the most highly decorated female unit in [the Soviet air force in WWII], flying 30,000 missions over the course of four years -- and dropping, in total, 23,000 tons of bombs on invading German armies. Its members, who ranged in age from 17 to 26, flew primarily at night, making do with planes that were -- per their plywood-and-canvas construction -- generally reserved for training and crop-dusting. They often operated in stealth mode, idling their engines as they neared their targets and then gliding their way to their bomb release points. Myths about what does and doesn't constitute treason. "På väg mot vaken såg vi älgen göra flera misslyckade försök att ta sig upp själv. Den klarade heller inte att knäcka isen och ta sig in till land på egen hand, så min sambo, Sigrid Sjösteen, började ivrigt hugga upp en ränna in till grundare vatten. Vi turades om att hugga i omkring 30 minuter innan älgen var i säkerhet på land." (saving a moose frozen in a lake) About those little dots on your car windows.  "Most importantly, it acts to prevents ultraviolet sun rays from deteriorating the urethane sealant."  And "there’s another group of dots on the windshield right behind the rearview mirror. As shown in the clip below, these dots, called the “third visor frit,” are there to help block the sun as it beams in from between the two front sun-visors." Collector's Weekly has an extensive article on the history of model railroading. Everything you need to know (or not) about the baton or truncheon (also called a cosh, billystick, billy club, nightstick, sap, blackjack). "The one for daytime was called a day-stick and was 11 inches in length. Another baton, that was used at night, was 26 inches long and called a night-stick, which is the origin of the word "nightstick"." Someone did a detailed analysis of the most recent Super Bowl (LI) and determined that the ball was in play for a total of 16 minutes and 4 seconds.  "There were 178 plays (including kickoffs, point-afters, spikes, etc) with the average play being only 5.47 seconds long."

Dragonfly wings kill bacteria.  "...the bacteria are essentially caught in one of those sinister traps of which movie villains are quite fond. If they don't move, the bacteria might survive. However, when they do move, shear forces pull on the EPSs, ripping the membrane apart. This results in a fatal leakage of cellular contents, which causes the cell to deflate like a balloon..." How to make ice cream from snow. Why British roads are called "metalled" when they have no metal.  "Gravel is known to have been used extensively in the construction of roads by soldiers of the Roman Empire, but a limestone-surfaced road, thought to date back to the Bronze Age, has been found in Britain. Applying gravel, or "metalling," has had two distinct usages in road surfacing. The term road metal refers to the broken stone or cinders used in the construction or repair of roads or railways, and is derived from the Latin metallum, which means both "mine" and "quarry". The term originally referred to the process of creating a gravel roadway. Pie chart explains pyramids. "The paternoster is kind of elevator that consist of a chain of open compartments that move up and down continuously through the vertical shaft of a building in a loop and without stopping. Passengers step into the moving compartments in the direction they wish to go and then hop off when the elevator reaches the desired floor. There is no stopping in between the floors, and passengers must remain alert and get their timing right or else get severed." China is now the world's biggest producer of solar energy. Read about Mohamed Bzeek, a foster father who takes in children with terminal illnesses.

"Now, Bzeek spends long days and sleepless nights caring for a bedridden 6-year-old foster girl with a rare brain defect. She’s blind and deaf. She has daily seizures. Her arms and legs are paralyzed. Bzeek, a quiet, devout Libyan-born Muslim who lives in Azusa, just wants her to know she’s not alone in this life. “I know she can’t hear, can’t see, but I always talk to her,” he said. “I’m always holding her, playing with her, touching her. … She has feelings. She has a soul. She’s a human being.”

Apeirophobia is fear of everlasting life. UNIT 731 (2015) "A research unit of the Imperial Japanese Army during the second Sino-Japanese War and WW2, who conducted human experiments and committed horrible war crimes. After the war, the U.S. government assisted in a coverup of their activities in exchange for the medical data they acquired." "A Utah mother has received immense amounts of praise on social media for dressing up as a man to take her son to a "dads and doughnuts" event at his school... Kittrell said she became a single parent three years ago, and eventually asked her son if he wanted to take his grandfather to the event.  Her son told her no and that he wanted to take her because she was his mother and father." An argument that the phrase "Dark Ages" is inappropriate.  "Far from being a stagnant dark age, as the first half of the Medieval Period (500-1000 AD) certainly was, the period from 1000 to 1500 AD actually saw the most impressive flowering of scientific inquiry and discovery since the time of the ancient Greeks, far eclipsing the Roman and Hellenic Eras in every respect." The CIA has a Flickr account with a webpage with many albums of declassified maps. The Bay of Bengal is dying.  "Many once-abundant species have all but disappeared.... Fish stocks have been decimated by methods that include cyanide poisoning. The region was once famous for its coral reefs; these have been ravaged by dynamite-fishing and climate-change induced bleaching. Yet the exploitation of these waters continues without check." "Queen Elizabeth had her own “Watchers,” a network of agents who intercepted letters, cracked codes, and captured possible dissenters to protect the crown in secret. The queen’s network of spies formed the original surveillance state in the U.K., and she started it for good reason... When spying abroad, Dee signed each private letter to Elizabeth with the insignia “007”—a moniker that was later borrowed by Ian Fleming, writer of James Bond." A mother saved her baby from a house fire by strapping him into a car seat and then dropping him from the second-story window.

   "Soul-crushing facts about income inequality." Why you shouldn't play dodgeball with a softball player. "Technology can also allow people to access cars long after they’ve sold them, which is enough to leave any buyer uncomfortable." "Hungry hungry humans."  A discussion thread suggested this was either a corporate team-building exercise, or a Mormon youth-group activity. This Finnish resort bills itself as "the world's most enchanting Arctic resort."  I believe it.  Look at the photos and the videos. "There have been rumblings regarding some sort of nuclear incident—or possibly incidents—in the Arctic over the last month. Multiple reports, some of them from official monitoring organizations, have reported iodine 131—a radioactive isotope often associated with nuclear fission—has been detected via air sampling stations throughout the region." A waitress physically drags an unwanted guest from a restaurant. (this) How to use a can of tuna to cook a dinner (clever, but I asked a friend who does long-distance hikes; he said he'd rather consume the oil than burn it) This week's gifs:

Trump signing an executive order. 

"It was probably for the best that they didn't see it."

The Trump handshakes.  A gallery of examples.   Trudeau uses his left arm to defeat the pull.

A 10-million-gallon tank at the Georgia Aquarium.

A beautiful retracting driveway gate.

Which restroom to use???

This week's embedded images are winners of this year's Wellcome Image Awards, via Digg.  Info re subject matter and photographer/artist at the link. from DIYS http://ift.tt/2mDKldd