GEEKOLOGIE RSS TEST THREAD

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Richard Branson successfully took a Virgin Galactic test flight into space on Sunday and had a message for all us poor Earth-dwellers down here:

To all you kids down there I was once a child with a dream looking up to the stars. Now I'm an adult in a spaceship with lots of other wonderful adults looking down to our beautiful, beautiful Earth. To the next generation of dreamers if we can do this just imagine what you can do.

I was also once a child with a dream, and now I'm an adult sitting in a basement watching Rick and Morty while eating ice cream out of a bowl that I previously used to eat spaghetti. So looks like Mr. Richard Branson isn't the only one out there crushing life and achieving dreams.

I have dreamt about this moment since I was a child, but going to space was more magical than I ever imagined https://t.co/Wyzj0nOBgX #Unity22 @virgingalactic pic.twitter.com/grs7vHAzca

— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) July 11, 2021

Keep going for the full video of his message. It's easy to hate on billionaires, but this guy once went kitesurfing with a naked woman on his back. Also, the space thing is neat, but mostly that kitesurfing picture. Pretty rad.

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This is a video of a baby deer running full clip into a parked Tesla. It's a good thing there's video evidence because I'm not sure their insurance would fully believe their explanation that they hit a deer while parked. Keep going for the video. It's exactly what the title says it is.

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18-year-old Tomas Gomez was hitting golf balls with his brother, sister and some friends at a Topgolf in San Antonio last Friday when one of his balls was struck mid-flight by a bolt of lightning. I mean, is there any clearer sign that God also doesn't believe golf is a real sport? Keep going for the full short video.

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This is a video of Deadpool and Korg reacting to the Free Guy trailer. And, oh, what a coincidence Free Guy also happens to star Ryan Reynolds and Taika Waititi who play Deadpool and Korg respectively. What are the odds? I actually don't even care that this is an ad because it's basically the first X-Men and MCU crossover and entertaining is entertaining. Ryan Reynolds is basically a promotional God at this point and it's a little surprising he wasn't also wearing a Wrexham AFC baseball cap while talking on a Mint Mobile phone. Keep going for the video. Yes, they're shilling a movie, but don't let that ruin your enjoyment of fun things.

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Noah Kalina has been taking daily photos of his face for the past 21 years and periodically makes timelapse compilations of the photos. For his latest video he collaborated with Michael Notter on a video called 7777 Days where they used machine learning to align and upscale the last 7777 photos into a two minute video.

In a first step, Michael used the machine learning library dlib (http://dlib.net/) and some custom Python code to detected in each of Noah's photos 5 face landmarks (i.e. both eyes, the nose and the two corners of the mouth). These landmarks were then used to align the faces in all photos, so that the eyes and corner of the mouth were horizontally oriented and always an equal distance apart. After that, some small image intensity correction were applied to make very dark images a bit brighter and very bright ones a bit darker. This was followed by an upscaling of all images (where needed) to a 4K resolution.

In a second step, once the faces were upscaled and aligned, Michael looped through all of the images and averaged them with a sliding window approach: Each frame in the video shows the average face of the last 60 faces. Or in other words, each frame shows the 'average Noah' over the last 2 months. With a video frame rate at 60Hz, this means Noah ages in this video 2 month every second, or 10 years every minute.

You've probably already seen this guy's face in videos like this, but this is the most complete and definitive version yet. My only complaint would be whatever technique they used to blur the backgrounds. It makes the whole video look too artificial and like his face was also machine generated. You also lose the detail in the hair and all I really care about is seeing that sweet 'do change. Keep going for the full video.

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This is a compilation of stop-motion animator Kevin Parry magically turning into things. They're incredibly effective and well done and probably more convincing than anything you've seen in a Hollywood movie. I just need to somehow harness his visual effects magic to make my penis appear larger in videos. I mean, uh, smaller. To make it appear smaller. It's already too big. Keep going for the full video as well as a bunch of behind the scenes videos showing how he does it.

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This is the 2021 Audubon Photography Awards winner in the Video Category and it shows a Red-tailed Hawk hovering in the sky with unreal head stabilization.

Story Behind the Shot: Over several days I watched a pair of Red-tails taking advantage of the strong early summer winds streaming down from the Rockies, hovering in midair while scanning the foothills for mice and ground squirrels. This one floated almost level with my lens. His head stayed still while his body moved, his wings and tail steadying him and his dangling feet acting as ballast.

Bird Lore: Red-tailed Hawks most often hunt from a raised perch, as flying low enough to scan for prey usually requires more flapping and more energy. At times, however, wind conditions are such that they can hang motionless, hardly moving their wings, resting in the air as they study the ground below.

The video looks so unnatural it seems like a glitch in the Matrix. The bird hovering in the air is weird enough, but the way the head remains so perfectly still is unnerving. It's the same way security stares at me whenever I walk into a store or a museum or a woman's changing room. Keep going for the full video.

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This is dash cam footage of a car flying, and I mean flying, through the sky before crashing and rolling in what can only be described as a failed attempt at launching their car into space?

Saved by THE Scream!! Non-fatality Dukes of Hazard Launch on an overpass berm! Scary way to start the day, especially for the lady in that car! I prayed for her and hope all will be well.

I'm assuming the driver's first thought was that he was being attacked by some sort of new car-based projectile weapon? Where instead of firing bullets or missiles, the enemy just launches cars at you? I still don't even understand how this accident happened. From what I can tell there's not even a street running in the direction the car comes flying. The skeptic in me wonders if this was staged to go viral since we never actually see a passenger exit the vehicle. Keep going for the full ridiculous video. It'd be hard to believe if there wasn't footage of it happening.

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This is clear and stable footage of the International Space Station transiting the moon on July 16, 2021 taken using only an iPhone 12 Pro and an eyepiece from a telescope.

Here is a slo-mo video of the July 16 lunar transit of the international space station (ISS) taken with my iPhone 12 Pro close-coupled to the 16mm eyepiece of my Questar 3.5 telescope. A lucky capture, as the ISS appeared only 3 degrees below the moon before the transit began, with the entire sequence lasting less than seven seconds.

The video is exactly what it says but I recommend watching on mute since there's a noise at the end that appears to be the call of Cthulhu and kind of ruins the wondrous nature of the whole thing. Keep going for the video.

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Puparia is a three minute animation that was made entirely alone by Japanese animator Shingo Tamagawa over three years. I have no idea what it means, but I love this kind of dedication and the end result is pretty stunning even if it isn't the most narratively coherent thing. Three years also seems a bit long, but then I remember it took me four years to finish assembling my Ikea desk so I get it. Perfection takes time and sometimes perfection is a bit wobbly and leans to one side. Keep going for the full video as well as a 20 minute video portrait about the man who made it.

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At the hotel Auberge aux 4 Vents in Fribourg, Switzerland, a gold painted bathtub on rails is available for guests to use that automatically rolls out to the balcony.

The luxurious bath was shared by Felix Unholz, as he sat in the tub whilst it rolled out of a window onto a small balcony specially designed for the bath.

As the windows opened he rolled out with a full bath of bubbly water to relax in, whilst he admired the stunning Swiss countryside from his room on the second floor. Felix said: "We saw the hotel room on the internet, we instantly knew that we had to stay there for a night.

I keep picturing somebody using this not realizing it rolls onto the balcony. Like they're in the middle of a bath and suddenly it just starts rolling out like some Japanese prank show and next thing they know they're naked in front of a bunch of strangers eating brunch. Keep going for the full video as well as some Japanese prank show videos of what I mean. Emphasis on mean.

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The Cybathlon is a multi-sport international competition in which people with physical disabilities compete against each other to complete everyday tasks using state-of-the-art technical assistance. It's basically an excuse to create enhancements in assistive technology and a nice showcase for the current state of the industry. Also, cyborgs competing against cyborgs. Plus the competitions are quite riveting and there's nothing quite like hearing an announcer get super stoked about somebody stacking cups or putting on a jacket. Keep going from some videos from the 2020 event, including an event called the Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Race where pilots with quadriplegia steer a car in a computer game using nothing but brain signals.

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In an effort to get people back into museums, Pornhub (yes that Pornhub) has produced a "Classic Nudes" museum guide (the page is SFW but the URL is Pornhub so click at your own discretion).

From orgies to outdoor, and even a little bit of nipple play, prepare to savor in every stroke of these surprising masterpieces with audio commentary by Asa Akira and a special surprise by MySweetApple at the end of each tour. Select a museum below to start discovering their collection of Pornhub-worthy paintings and sculptures.

The guide covers thirty famous works across six major institutions including the National Gallery in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Prado in Madrid, the Uffizi in Florence, and the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay in Paris. It features audio tours, articles, and annotated maps, as well as some NSFW "recreations" of some of the pieces, though those were just hit with a cease and desist by the Louvre and may or may not still be up by the time you're reading this. You can check out the "Classic Nudes" site here. Again, the URL is Pornhub and some of the pages do include NSFW recreations of the art and also obviously the art itself is nekkid so, ya know, exercise caution when clicking.

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This is a short video showing what happens when you pour liquid nitrogen into a dirty container. I'm not a scientist so I can't give a scientific explanation of what's happening, but as best as I can tell it make the dirt go move. And move away. With bubbly. Keep going for the full video. After watching it I decided to throw out all my soap and sponges and invest entirely in giant jugs of liquid nitrogen. Now everything I own is sparkling clean and also shattered.

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During halftime of the USA-France men's basketball game at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Toyota Engineering Society's CUE 3 humanoid robot rolled out to midcourt and proceeded to start draining shots with the same ease at which it would also probably kill a human. And although the shooting is impressive, what I'm really interested in are those omnidirectional rollerblades. I can only assume those will be the footwear of choice when these things come for us in the night? Keep going for the full video.

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Mark Rober, the former NASA engineer who builds all those package thief glitter bombs, spent 5 years building this robot that sets up dominoes. Not only does it set up dominoes, but it sets up, like, a lot of them. Apparently a world record amount at 100k over 24 hours. The robot is obviously super impressive and better than anything I'll ever build in my entire life, I just wish the dominoes actually connected and weren't just multiple unconnected rows that need to be individually pushed. Can you really call it 100k dominoes if you have to push like a hundred rows to get the whole thing down? It should only really count if the entire thing can be knocked over with a single domino. And, yes, this quibble is coming from a guy who couldn't set up twenty dominoes without accidentally knocking them over and probably setting the house on fire. Keep going for the full video.

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This guy bought some titanium tetrachloride which basically turns into white smoke when exposed to air and decided to soak a ball in it to make the world's smokiest ball.

A few weeks ago, I bought some titanium tetrachloride which, I heard is one of the most obnoxious chemicals. When exposed to air, almost immediately, a bunch of white smoke starts pouring out. This is a mixture of hydrochloric acid and titanium oxides, which form as the titanium tetrachloride reacts with the oxygen and moisture in the air. What I've always wanted to do, was try and soak a super ball in it.

I couldn't tell you if it's the world's smokiest ball, but it's definitely smoky. Although if they were going for stinkiest I could've saved them the trouble because I've got the world record in my pants. Keep going for the full video. It's as satisfying as the image suggests.

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I'm not sure if this is a brilliant marketing strategy or what, but this music video for Sarah Brand's Red Dress is making the rounds on the internet and everybody has understandably started dunking on it. If you watch it you'll immediately understand why, because it's absolutely one of the worst things I've ever seen/heard/experienced in my life. Also, this feels mean. I don't know who Sarah Brand is but she definitely doesn't deserve the internet wave that's come crashing down on her. If anything, the fact she left the comments open on the video show she has more courage than the people who stormed Normandy and I admire her for that. And only that. Because, I mean, just watch it. Is it a meta joke? Is she being sincere? Are we the punchline? I have so many questions and I don't think I'm mentally prepared for any of the answers. Keep going for the video. You'll need audio to fully appreciate it. Appreciate isn't quite the right word. To fully...endure it.

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This is intense footage of a paddleboarder who was saved by his waterproof phone pouch because it allowed him to make the phone call you're about to hear.

When Alfie got into difficulty while paddleboarding, not only was he wearing a lifejacket that kept him afloat, but he was also carrying his phone with him in a waterproof pouch.

After alerting the Coastguard that he was in danger, volunteers from Abersoch RNLI launched their lifeboat and raced to the scene to pull Alfie from the water. When afloat, always wear a lifejacket and carry a means of calling for help.

Bravo to the operator as well as Alfie for collectively keeping their cool and giving this story a happy ending. PFD or not, if I was in the same situation I don't think I'd have the wherewithal to call the coastguard to save my life. No, my final phone call would be to my internet girlfriend who refuses to video chat with me but I know she's definitely real and loves me because she lets me send her money. Keep going for the full video. It's easy to dismiss because Alfie has a lifejacket on, but you can tell the fear in his voice is real.

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In honor of Suni Lee winning Olympic gold in the women's all-around gymnastics, here's that time the officials set the vault too low at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and all the competitors fell and almost killed themselves.

During the all-around competition in the women's gymnastics at the 2000 Olympics, it was discovered that the vault was too low. This low vault caused Elise Ray to have some scary falls and Svetlana Khorkina to have an uncharacteristic fall. Similar scary falls and uncharacteristic mistakes occurred during the first subdivision during the preliminary competition. Two of the Australian gymnasts (Allana Slater and Brooke Walker) had scary crashes on their vaults. Liu Xuan underrotated her vault. Kui Yuan Yuan and Kristen Maloney injured themselves on the vault. Kui sprained her knee and was out of team finals. Kristen reinjured the leg that had the rod put in to heal her stubborn stress fracture. Kristen Maloney had not fallen in vault in competition since early 1998. Was the vault too low?

The crazy part is the vault was set to 120cm instead of 125cm, meaning a difference of less than two inches was responsible for all this mayhem. To get an idea of what this is like, there used to be a subway station where one of the stairs was a fraction of an inch taller than the rest and it caused everybody to trip. And that was just walking up the stairs. I can't even imagine what two inches does when you're flying through the air like the Tasmanian Devil. Keep going for the full video as well as the full original NBC coverage from the event.

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