Chimpomatic

Sad news that photographer Corrine Day has passed away.

Ridley Scott is flexing his advertainment muscles again, this time with the help of Kevin MacDonald for an LG-Sponsored project with YouTube: LIFE IN A DAY.

It's a pretty neat and simple concept - film your day and the 'most compelling and distinctive footage' will be assembled into a film documenting 24 hours on Earth, which is slated to be screened at The Sundance Film Festival. Not bad.

The only problem is what to do during your day in order to make it into this crowd-sourced Koyaanisqatsi. I had a day in front of the TV pencilled in, but that isn't going to impress anybody. I just might have to fake doing something interesting.

Some FAQs here.

According to various news sources, the Taliban have been 'training' monkeys to defend Afghanistan against the Infidel invaders.

Via New York Times

"No invader has ever conquered Afghanistan, and now we know why. The monkeys will not allow it."

Trials have begun in Tokyo of digital billboards that use facial recognition to target specific adverts at passers-by.... Wonder what I'm in need of buying?

OK, it's not quite on a par with Doc Brown's banana skin eating Mr. Fusion, but Gucci web-developer-turned-physicist Mark Suppes has built his own fusion reactor in a workshop in Brooklyn.

Via BBC

It's 60 years since the war started in Korea. The Big Picture has a round up.

Our old pal Prof. Poliakof (see here for his periodic table of videos) is back in action, this time disputing the claimed solid-gold quality of the FIFA World Cup. FIFA claim the cup is solid gold and weighs 6.175 kg, but by the professor's calculations it would weigh at least 70kg if it was actually 'solid' gold.

Via BBC

It's a last ditch attempt, but soccer nut Rivers Cuomo of Weezer has recorded the USA's World Cup Anthem. Free on iTunes in the USA. 59p here. Bah!

Very, very strange ad for Adidas... totally lacking in atmosphere. And Beckham shoots first. 

Here's an interesting Google Maps site to help visualise how big the Gulf of Mexico oil spill actually is. It's big.

www.ifitwasmyhome.com

It's been 18 months since we last covered it - and they're only just setting off - but  the Mars 500 project kicks off today in Moscow.

6 would-be astronauts will be sealed inside a simulation space capsule to document the effects of an 18 month round trip to the red planet. The simulator even includes a mock-up of the planet's surface - so the effects of EVA can be studied after the 6 month feet-up session.

One thing that has changed in 18 months is the arrival of Twitter - which Italian pseudonaut Diego Urbina will be updating during the trip. The mission also has a blog.

Via BBC

It's not just Empire Strikes Back hitting 30, Pac Man is also celebrating it's 30th birthday - and Google have a tribute on their home page - in the form of a playable version of the game. 

a synthetic life form designed by a private corporation?! seriously, do these guys not watch films? yeah, that sounds like something that couldn't possibly go wrong!

UPDATE: Exhibit A

The Big Picture has a topical round up of photos - documenting 1980's huge volcanic eruption of Mount St Helens in Washington state.

Further to the Six Degrees post, I've just read that Black Sabbath super-sub Ronnie James Dio has passed away, aged 67. RIP.

just in case you missed any of the Boulton meltdowns on Sky News, here's a handy recap