Parking/traffic tickets suck. And if we knew a sure way to get out of them we would. If like us, you too are on the lookout for a good excuse just check out this story from the US...
Physicist Dmitri Krioukov, from University of California, recently challenged a traffic ticket for failing to sufficiently stop at a stop sign with a bit of good old maths. Simple? No. But believable – yes. The equation he used (pictured above) will easily make sense to some. To others, like myself, it requires a little extra explanation. So here it goes... Krioukov explained the officer was mistaken, having confused his car’s real space-time trajectory.
Trajector-what?!
Ultimately Krioukov’s car, because of its length, seemed in the officer’s view as though it hadn’t sufficiently stopped at the stop sign. Meaning, the officer’s perception of reality did not adequately reflect what was reality.
Next time you’re faced with a ticket just explain to the officer the ‘significance of space-time trajectory’. They’ll be so confused they’ll have to believe you!
Surprisingly, not all lectures are revolutionary or life-changing. However I would argue that even in the worst lectures lies a little hidden gem. So listen up.. because for me today this was the inclusion of a short clip (featured above) about cephalopods!
Now if you know anything about cephalopods, and their relation to the course Media, Mediation & Power, you’d know they blend into their natural surroundings by actually morphing their physical appearance and SHAPE! So quite simply they transform in 3D. More specifically they use the chromatophore in their tentacles like pixels to emphasise or reduce the appearance of particular colours. Realistically they’re fun to watch. Enjoy!
Happy valentines day everyone!! After a much needed ciesta/fiesta over the new year we're all more than ready get stuck into it. And with uni on the horizon what better time to start then now. But first some time for a little lovin.. and since we have a cozy night ahead of us with all this rain, why not stay in tonight with your special someone, or group of friends, and enjoy one of Zookal's fabulous V-day movie picks. Here they are...
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Pretty Woman
Notting Hill
The Proposal
My Be Friends Wedding
I Love You, Man
Made of Honor
Kate and Leopold
Just Go With It
Leap Year
The Notebook
DISCLAIMER: These movies are listed in no particular order as we couldn't possibly bring ourselves to choose favourites. They're also designed to suit guys and girls... bar The Notebook of course (that one was always going to be a major chick-flick). However, as a challenge.. If you do ever manage to sit your guy down for a viewing you've both done very well!!
So you think uni is overrated hey? So did I... that is until I realised there were actually some people in my lectures not playing angry birds, and thought to myself; ‘wow maybe some students actually do achieve stuff’. And no, I’m not just talking about handing in assignments on time, I mean real stuff. So real in fact that just trying to comprehend how or why someone could ever create something so mind blowingly awesome is like trying to touch your elbow with your tongue.
6. The automatic drink mixer
Ever wondered what would happen if you could somehow combine the genius of trained engineers with the pure unbridled inventiveness of a bunch of drunken college kids? Well a group of engineering students from Washington University have brought us the answer, and its wireless. This little gadget creatively named the “automatic wireless drink mixer” after some fairly inebriated brainstorming, allows the user to mix their drinks automatically and wirelessly from a touch screen interface. The design uses preset drinks whilst also allowing people to mix their own using exact percentages; it also comes in built with an infrared sensor that detects whether the glass is in place for those of us to shitfaced to remember.
5. Laser Backpack
That’s right, lasers. Whilst I will admit that this invention does distinctly lack a few capabilities –such as melting through walls- I still believe it’s justifiably awesome enough to make my list, and here’s why: The laser backpack, a project undertaken by a group of UC Berkley students, uses a variety of laser scanners and positional sensors in order to create a complete digital 3d representation of the surrounding space almost instantly. So yea, screw all those game designers labouring away at building a complete digital replica of some building, because now we have lasers! The more obvious use of such technology will likely be an extension of Google earth, allowing people to look inside buildings as well as out, because people really do have far too much privacy nowadays.
4. Holograms
What’s real, Russian, made in a college dormitory and likely to blow your mind? My first guess would have been something mechanical and unnecessarily dangerous, but turning the page on some recent research I was met with something that truly blew me away. Displair, a company out of Russia, has recently unveiled a new invention that looks suspiciously like something out of minority report. The device combines an infrared camera, a projector, and cold fog to project 3D images into thin air and capture the user’s hand movements as they manipulate them. Videos posted online show users manipulating maps of the world projected 3d onto a shimmering base of cold fog, and although still in the prototype faze it looks pretty damn good. The infrared sensors capture movements that allow the user to ‘press’ things, swipe and even make objects larger or smaller through simple gestures. The company estimates their product will cost somewhere in the range of $4,000-$30,000 when mass produced, so time to start saving.
3. Spokeless Bike
When a group of students from Yale set out to make a truly unique bike, this is what they ended up with. A single-speed, spoke-less push bike. So yea screw you logic. Although looking pretty bad-ass the design is admittedly fairly inconvenient. It only functions properly at the highest possible gear ratio which means its max speed is relatively limited.
2. Automatic dish maker
Created by a student from MIT University this handy gizmo aims to replace cupboards worth of dishes with small flat disks. The device is about the size of a dishwasher and capable of forming any one of these flat disks into a number of different dish designs in just under a couple of minutes, and when you’re done there formed back into the original disks.
1. Nuclear Fusion Reactor
If you’re anything like me then the idea that a 16 year old kid could muster up the knowledge and parts to make a nuclear bomb in his back yard is scarier than Godzilla on crack. So you can imagine how I felt when I discovered that in 2006 Thialgo Olson, a 16 year old highschool student, succeeded in building what is essentially the business end of a hydrogen bomb in his basement. For two years Olson conducted research whilst collecting the necessary parts from the hardware store and Ebay, where he was able to grab such rare gems as a high voltage X-ray transformer... whatever that is. Eventually all the work paid off when the machine succeeded in producing a tiny flash of hot plasma, which Olsen modestly explains is “several times hotter than the core of the sun.”
So friend... what’s your new year’s resi? (uh.. um... ) Exactly. It’s the kind of question that’s gunna hit you out of nowhere. And despite the fact an answer is demanded of us at the same time, every year we often revert to stock-standard options like ‘read more’ and ‘solve world hunger’.
As in you know that feeling when the clock strikes twelve for new years and somebody asks you what your resolutions are and you’re just like... oh sh%$#t!! Well to avoid that awkward pause while you quickly think of something awesome to say.. follow these handy hints:
1. Studies have shown guys respond better to new year’s resolutions that are S.M.A.R.T (that’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely). For example, if you’re goal is to get fit, set your goal weight and your goal date so you have something to work towards.
2. If you’re a girl, tell you’re friends! Not only will it give you another chance to chat but you’ll know they’re watching you.. (with love) and have your back.
In conclusion, getta thinkin – coz this NYE is gunna be epic!
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We’re buzzing full of christmas gift ideas at Zookal which we wanted to share with you. Sooooo... start your engines towards an easy, breezy online shopping experience this Christmas... because less time standing in store queues means more time to enjoy the parties!!!
P.S - Allow 10 days for carefree delivery.. So get that credit card out now!
1) This Works Christmas Cracker - Dream (Lavender Sleep Balm) $16.90 (ASOS)
2) Stainless Steel Bottle $14.95 (TYPO)
3) 12pk chalk $2.95 (TYPO)
4) 2012 A6 Inspiration Diary $24.95 (KIKKI K)
5) Travel Coffee Flask $12.95 (TYPO)
6) Mug $9.95 (TYPO)
7) Sombrero Ring Dish $20.28 (ASOS)
8) Toast It Coaster Set $24.95 (TYPO)
9) Cactus Pen $9.95 (TYPO)
10) 2012 Yearly Planner Whiteboard $24.95 (KIKKI K)
11) A5 Spinout Notebook $4.95 (TYPO)
12) Oil Pastels 24 Pk $14.95 (TYPO)
13) Passport Holder $10.14 (ASOS)
14) Glitter Skinny Belt $7.61 (ASOS)
15) Flip Clock $19.95 (TYPO)
16) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald $18 incl. postage (WISHLIST)
17) Apron $9.95 (TYPO)
18) Horse Necklace $15.21 (ASOS)
19) Laptop Case $10 (TYPO)
20) Flying v guitar fly swat $15.95 (TOP3)
View a picture of all the items from above
Sources:
ASOS www.asos.com.au
KIKKI-K www.kikki-k.com
TYPO www.shop.cottonon.com/typo/
TOP3 www.top3.com.au
WISHLIST www.wishlist.com.au
A lot of people ask us “what’s up with the monkey Zookal?” and, until now, I’m afraid the temptation to simply reply “what’s up with your face?” has kind of put a stop to any reasonable explanation. To which we are sincerely sorry... especially about your face.
So it went like this; there we were playing hoops with our good friend’s paper and trash can and we’re trying to figure out an awesome logo. No one’s really got any ideas except for Ahmed who is hell bent on the monkey thing (still don’t really know why). Everyone else is pulling a bit of a “meh” so I foolishly put up the challenge; “How on Earth do monkeys relate to Aussie students?”
Hmm, how do monkeys relate to uni students... hello Youtube, yes I will be searching monkeys today, because you know what’s better than working? Watching monkeys do stupid shit on youtube. So after hours of what I’m going to call ‘market research’ we finally figured out that monkeys are just furry little students who enjoy tropical weather and, in an attempt to justify all that wasted time, here are our conclusions...
1. Monkeys get drunk for free
Aussie students are drawn to cheap booze like Golem is drawn to the one ring, I don’t know about you but I take great pride in a $20 hangover. That was until I realized that a certain group of simian hooligans have been putting me to shame for years.
In places like St Kitts, alcoholic monkeys have set up shop on the beach taxing drinks from unsuspecting tourists. Many of the bar owners don’t mind them because they say it’s an attraction for the patrons, who apparently don’t mind having paid $15 for a cocktail that just got a spider monkey shitfaced. Some might argue they could get a similar experience at ScuBar on a Monday night... though I don’t see any tourists offering to buy us drinks.
According to a bunch of people who actually get monkeys drunk and call it research, 20% of monkeys will drink alcohol voluntarily, and some of these will even drink themselves into a coma. Repeatedly. These so called ‘researchers’ also noted that the behaviour of the drunk monkeys is pretty similar to humans. The lead researcher on the team Professor Evins noted that "the parallels between the vervets' behaviour and human behaviour are striking. A cageful of drunken monkeys is like a cocktail party. You have one who gets aggressive, one who gets sexy, one who thinks everything's funny and one who gets really grumpy.”
Uh…Sweet scientific observation Evins, if I let you watch me will you buy me a beer?
2. Monkeys wait tables too
That’s right. Remember that time you were having that rage driven rant about how useless your job was and you should just wreck the place because it wouldn’t even matter if they replaced you with a monkey? Well bust out the baseball bat because the Japanese have confirmed all your fears.
A tavern just north of Tokyo has in its employment two monkeys called Yat-chan and Fuku-chan to serve their customers. Their tasks include fetching drinks and handing out hot towels and they even wear the same uniforms as the staff. Mostly they work for soy-beans and peanuts, which is pretty much the same as us but they don’t complain about it.
3. They're not above the law either
The law has no tolerance for shitting around, as the thousands of people arrested for public urination every year are well aware of. Unfortunately a monkey in South Bend Indiana didn’t realize this when he was arrested and charged with smoking a cigarette in 1924, because ‘NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!’
4. They're not that great at art but they will paint and call it genius anyway
Back in the 1960’s there was a hot new artist named Pierre Brassau on the scene, immediately attracting the attention of many renowned critics. Rolf Anderberg of the morning Posten reviewed the new artist with great enthusiasm, "Brassau paints with powerful strokes,” writes Anderberg “but also with clear determination. His brush strokes twist with furious fastidiousness. Pierre is an artist who performs with the delicacy of a ballet dancer." What the inspired critique did not know was that Pierre Brassau was in fact a 4 year old primate.
However, to his credit Anderberg stuck to his guns, later stating that Pierre’s work was "still the best painting in the exhibition."
Pierre particularly enjoyed cobalt blue for its tart zesty flavour.
5. Monkeys are just awesome...
If all the poop throwing and drink stealing hasn’t persuade you, then let me tell you a story about a little but very awesome monkey (probably Manny’s mum), named Bougie.
Bougie was a little monkey living in Tunisia during the Second World War. The Germans were carrying out bombings on the Kasserine Pass and Private Floyd Stewart of the 871st Airborne Engineers was learning the value of jumping into ditches at a moment’s notice. During one such escapade Stewart leapt into a water-filled shell hole to find he was not alone. Bougie had presumably been washing his hands after a good bout of throwing poop at Nazi’s when the marine had jumped in, pulling him along. After saving the monkey from almost drowning the two quickly became inseparable, and it was not long before Bougie started to prove just how awesome monkeys are.
The fearless monkey accompanied Stewart on missions, including parachute drops, tucked inside his jacket. On one such operation Stewart and fourteen other soldiers had stumbled upon a waterhole, after three days without a drop the soldiers quickly began filling canteens to slake their thirst. Bougie then sprang into action screeching warnings until someone had the sense to check the water, which was in fact poisoned.
Later, Stewart was hiding in yet another foxhole when a shell exploded nearby, blinding him and covering the area with sand and dirt. Bougie not so easily deterred, quickly dug her way out and warned the other soldiers to his location saving his life.
The monkey then left Tunisia with the soldier to fulfill his new duty as a Seeing Eye monkey for her buddy.
Hi everyone, hope you are enjoying the start of your semesters.
As students we know exciting yet also tough uni life can be, so we've started this blog to share any advice we think you will find helpful plus any other cool bits of info we come across the way.
Feel free to contact us too if you want to contribute your own article on uni life, we'd love to share any tips you guys have out there as well.
