Jonsbo Mod5, DeepCool Quadstellar Infinity, Azza Pyramid. There’s some funky computer cases out there. Some even approach looking like modernist works of art. But there’s lots of oddball misses like pyramids and Ottomans. Even Apple has had a fair amount of duds for each of their design successes.
I’d love to see some artists really think about computer aesthetics. Some of the designs from the 1950’s or Kubrick’s 2001 look better than what we have today.
Do you miss computing from the 90’s? Innocuous little programs that turn out to install hordes of malware?
Odd Games has released a nifty little game called Malware that lets you relive those glory days with rogue software and malicious installers – can you spot them all and keep your computer clean? (Review)
It does raise the interesting question: would it be worth making a modern version of this as an educational aid for people and kids learning to use computers. It could teach them about common scams, malware, bitcoin theft, and many other interesting topics. Could it be as interesting as the Oregon Trail?
A few ferrofluid speakers have hit the market. Beyond just your simple bluetooth speaker, these put on a little show at the same time. They contain a blob of ferrofluid suspended in clear liquid. As the music plays, it pulses magnetic fields through the medium and make the fluid dance. These two speakers seem to be the most interesting. Sovenomund Dancing Ferrofluid Speaker and the CAULO Wireless Ferrofluid Speaker.
Disney Imagineering are using the term ‘conjured architecture’ to describe the magical, fluid, and organic appearance of the animated villians and their lairs. A look they are trying to capture in upcoming villain-themed land in their theme parks.
In looking at their inspiration media, it seems they’re utilizing organic flowing patterns found in art nouveau styles. Read more here or on the Disney Parks blog.
Riisitunturi National Park, in Finnish Lapland, is well known for its iconic, snow-laden forests, where trees become “sculptures” under the immense weight of accumulated snow and ice. The phenomenon is known as tykky.
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Continuing a trend of re-creating interesting places to stay, Marriott has paired up with Harper Collins to re-created the iconic bedroom from the children’s book “Goodnight Moon” at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. Now you can stay there – if you can manage to get a slot before it ends April 25, 2026.
The Mount Zao Snow Monsters are not real snow monsters. They are an unusual natural phenomenon called juhyo which occurs on Mount Zao in Japan from late December to March. Maries’ Fir trees are evergreen conifer trees indigenous to the central-northern mountain regions of Honshu. They endure blazing summer heat and then bitter winters. Each winter Siberian winds travel across the North Japan Sea and batter the mountain with 6-9 feet of snow which glazes the fir trees with freezing condensation to create these strange creations.
They become a tourist attraction both day via cable car and when illuminated at night.
In the winter, if the conditions are right, you can get a wonderful adventure through some lake-side ice caves. Unfortunately, due to non-existent or unstable ice conditions, the last time you could visit these caves safely was 2015.
The National Park Service, however, has a wonderful website for checking status and learning more about them.
MiniMuseum has a collection of small rare and unusual clippings and samples from all manner of historical and technological tidbits.
