Sploid: Where awesome, wild, and breathtaking tech moments burst into view.
Eric Stanleyuses laser-cut paper layers to create these amazing 3D sculptures inspired by gothic and Islamic low relief windows. He got the idea when laser cutting Cheerios boxes for another project and he realized that he could create very complex and beautiful forms by stacking them together. Eric is an Associate Professor of Studio Art…
Legendary shooter Jerry Miculek used his special Smith & Wesson—created in his honor—to shoot a target 1000 yards (914.4 meters) away—a new world record. Notice that it takes about 4 seconds for the bullet to reach its target. Amazing. Jerry had to aim to the sky—150-feet above the balloon—in order to hit it. SPLOID is…
This guy must have never been afraid of the dark growing up, kept pet spiders and snakes as a child and ate the weirdest foods without blinking because he has absolutely no fear. He goes from almost hitting a mountain to spinning down in between two buildings and swooping in for a perfect landing. People…
Everyone talks about Gaza, but few people really know what the hell is going on and how did it all get to this point. French newspaper Le Monde created this easy to follow animated map that clearly explains all you need to know. Just the pure facts laid out in a clear way. A must…
Like most people with eyeballs, I’ve scrubbed the memory of The Matrix sequels from the creases of my brain. That’s why I had so much fun when I watched this scene from The Matrix Reloaded. Oh and hearing 8-bit sounds instead of real noises makes it way more enjoyable. It’s an action comedy movie now!…
Watch this video of a young glass mantis eating a blue bottle fly. Why? Because while it’s totally gross, you won’t be able to look away as the food travels all through his body. It’s fascinating and gross beautiful and gross but cool all at the same time. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome…
The spacecraft Rosetta is now orbiting the Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It’s taking some amazingly clear imagesincluding the one above,the first ever close up of a the surface of a comet in history. Soon we will be landing there. According to NASA: The image was taken by Rosetta’s Onboard Scientific Imaging System (OSIRIS) on August 6, 2014.…
I’ve seen many jet ski jumps and backflips, but never from this cool perspective. I don’t know the mechanism they use to attach them—I imagine some articulated arm/gimbal thingamajig—but I just love these head-mounted action cameras. The guy in the video is jet ski world champion James Visser, doing his thing in Durban, South Africa.…
Did you know that Facebook, Apple, or Google don’t know your password? They just don’t store it in their databases so hackers can’t retrieve it in case they manage to break in. But if you’re the only person who actually knows your password… how the hell do they know you are typing the right password…
After watching Chris Pratt’s tour of the set of the Milano—the Guardians of the Galaxy’s ship—I’m really surprised at all the work that went into making it. The details and craftsmanship are amazing. The entire thing is so well made that you’d think it is a real starship. If you haven’t seen Guardians of the…
Anyone who has used the NYC subway in summer knows that train stations can get as hot as the hottest sauna. The guys at Improv Everywhere decided to help commuters embrace the heat by transforming one of the hottest subway platforms in NYC into a spa for a few hours. SPLOID is a new blog…
A group of commuters freed a man trapped between the platform and a train car in Australia by pushing the train car and lifting the carriage enough for his leg to get out. Thankfully, the train’s shock absorbers where flexible enough to allow it as the chassis and wheels stayed on the tracks. Transperth spokesman…
Body painter Trina Merry hides the naked human body in plain sight by painting women exactly like the background of New York City. At the right angle, the women are essentially camouflaged because they blend in seamlessly with the cityscape. It’s pretty amazing how perfect the paint is. NSFW Merry told SF Gate that: “I…
Even just watching this video of a fake video game version of Se7en by CineFix made me feel sick to my stomach. Even if all the terror was in 8-bit, it was torture to see the detectives chase down their serial killer. Especially since we all know what’s going to happen at the end. Some…
I’ve never spent more than two seconds thinking about a door handle beyond whether I should push or pull to open. But now that I’ve watched the complete process of making a leather door handle, I’m beginning to think I should think about the little things more. What else is beautiful out there that I…
What has been the worst Marvel superhero movie so far? Iron Man always has some plot holes, but they’re refreshing. Both Thors were ok. The Avengers was a roller coaster and Guardians of the Galaxy was such a fun time. What if it’s actually Captain America: The Winter Soldier? People loved it! I loved it!…
This is The Cornershop, the brainchild of British artist Lucy Sparrow: A convenience store located in Bethnal Green, east London, in which every product is a hand-sewn felt version of its real life counterpart. From canned foods to ice cream to candy to magazines, there are 4,000 products in total. Not in London? Don’t worry:…
The people at Cinefix say these are the best ten movie fight scenes of all time. It’s a pretty good list. I don’t know if these are the very best. Maybe they are. I don’t really care much because a) I liked it and b) I just wanted an excuse to make a Bruce Lee…
These before and after satellite images show a small sample of the destruction of several areas in Gaza. The United Nations Operational Satellite Applications Program has also published damage assessment documents with a detailed count of destructed and damaged structures. Here’s one sample of the data analysis by UNITAR-UNOSAT. Now, before you go to the…
This is the largest urban zip-line ridein the world—and it must be the most insane too. Watch these guys zip down a 10,000-foot line placed on top of a 700-foot building in Panama City. Then—half way through it and as if this weren’t scary enough on its own—they let go and dive with their parachutes.…
