toys

‘A desk is a dangerous place from which to watch the world.’ –John le Carré

{ Malmö-based startup Bitcraze has come up with a way to pre-program their tiny 27 gram drones to work autonomously, enabling them to fly in science fiction-like coordinated swarms of up to 49 units at a time. | The Local | full story }

related { Autonomous killer drones }

‘Years of love have been forgot / In the hatred of a minute.’ –Edgar A. Poe

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related { Lady Flashing — HO Scale Train Model Frigure }

The state of Maryland has no natural lakes

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{ Ogilvy Malaysia hired some local Lego artists to create the posters that play off of the surrounding environment. | copyranter | more }

He covets. That is his nature. And how do we begin to covet, Clarice?

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Despite the first ‘Cars’ movie’s somewhat unimpressive reviews and ticket sales, Pixar is rolling out a sequel. Why? Because the animated film sparked a long-lived licensing bonanza.

In the five years since its 2006 release, “Cars” has generated global retail sales approaching $10 billion, according to Disney. That ranks the Pixar film alongside such cinematic merchandising standouts as “Star Wars,” “Spider-Man” and “Harry Potter.”

No fewer than 300 toys — and countless other items, including bedding, backpacks and SpaghettiOs — are rolling out in stores, in anticipation of the “Cars 2″ opening.

“We anticipate the consumer products program to be the largest in industry history, eclipsing the high water mark set by ‘Toy Story 3,’” Disney Consumer Products Chairman Andy Mooney said in a webcast last week before the annual toy licensing show in Las Vegas. Last year, the third installment of “Toy Story” generated $2.8 billion in merchandise sales.

{ LA Times | Continue reading }

photo { Alex Tehrani }

There are many different methods for solving the Rubik’s cube. The method I currently use is: cross, F2L, 3-look LL.

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{ WSJ | full story }

Just walk away. Give me your pump, the oil, the gasoline, and the whole compound, and I’ll spare your lives.

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{ The Parrot AR.Drone was definitely one of the highlights of our day. How can you top a quadricopter that can fight with another using augmented reality, is easy to fly, and only needs an iPhone to control it? | Engadget | more photos + video }

In some circles, the Mint 400 is a far far better thing than the Superbowl, the Kentucky Derby, and the lower Oakland roller derby finals all rolled into one.

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