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Happy Friday - Nano Snowman, Stuff, and Things

via The National Physical Laboratory

Thought I'd do my best to spread holiday cheer before I'm off for the next 10 days or so on vacation (a long time, I know!) This is a *real* vacation and I'm taking a break from my laptop. So, things might get a little quiet around here. But I'll be back! And since I won't be posting during that time, I'll just straight up spit out a bunch of "cool Internet hyperlinks" to junk that'll keep you entertained for a whole half a minute.

First off, that adorable little molecule of a snowman is the tiniest snowman ever, courtesy of the NPL. The little buddy is the width of a human hair, nano-constructed out of two tin beads. As the daughter of a nanotechnologist, I think [this is pretty swell].

And now, a list of other things that may pertain to your interest on a Friday afternoon:

• n0wak says "Hi"
• The LOST Underground Art Show (Scott C's "LOST Showdowns" are by far the best of the bunch)
• Robot Doppelgangers (Creepy_as_frak)
• Jack Bauer Interrogates Santa Claus
• Rammstein VS Cookie Monster
• Infinite Maru
• Usher feat. Goat yelling like a man

Finally, totally unrelated, and totally cowabunga:

TMNT IV - Big Apple, 3AM

Happy Holidays everyone!

Nothing is real anymore - Stargate Studios Reel

Edit: It looks as though they removed the video on Vimeo. Interesting. Nabbed a replacement on YouTube for now...

In a surprising demonstration of the many shows and films they've worked on, Stargate Studios demonstrates that constructing a fake cruise ship explosion is just about as easy as creating a fake stroll down a street in New York City, and probably a lot less expensive than the real thing. I literally can't believe my eyes that so many of these casual scenes are so seamlessly composed between the green screen and the computer. I guess special effects technology is moving faster than I expected. Nothing is (or needs to be) real anymore.

via I Heart Lazers

Limbo by Playdead

via The Independent Games Festival

I guess this has been in the making for a while, but Limbo by Playdead is back in the races for the IGF (Independent Games Festival) and it looks absolutely beautiful. Not much is known about the game except that it's a puzzle/platformer involving a little boy in limbo due to his sister's uncertain destiny, but the grainy black and white visuals are simply stunning. Looking forward to seeing more on this one.

Thanks Brandonnn

The Chow sibling Canabalt fiasco - my brother is a cheater

Sibling rivalries go hand-in-hand with a family of natural born gamers. So is the case with the Chow siblings, which includes Sister Chow, Brother Chow, and myself (aka Oldest Chow). But man, Brother Chow is one butt of a brother, and now Canabalt has revived one of the more passionate sibling rivalries between us in years.

The following is a summarized time line of the competition for best score, or most meters run, between my brother and I. It is best to have some knowledge of both Canabalt and the movie The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. Hit the jump for the full summary, and also, I love my brother, despite the fact that I hate him for even trying to beat my score.

Another round of Universal Everything videos for MTV

MTV / Power x 1000% / Soundquake from Universal Everything on Vimeo.

After what Universal Everything did with Aol's branding, I decided to subscribe to their video feed on Vimeo. Much to my delight I discovered another recently released series of videos for MTV that are as fun and colorful as ever. The above "Power x 1000% / Soundquake" video is my favorite, but Mr. Furry has also returned with all his friends in "Pride x 1000% / Furry's Posse". Check out all the videos on Universal Everything's Vimeo channel.

MTV / Pride x 1000% / Furry's Posse from Universal Everything on Vimeo.