Month: October 2016

In 2013, Kano launched a Kickstarter to create a computer that someone with no technology experience—even a young kid—could build on their own. The resulting computer and screen kit let you build a computer and screen like you would a LEGO structure, with step-by-step instructions. Now, the company is adding more fun to the mix with a Kickstarter for three new hardware kits that let you build a speaker, a camera, or an LED pixel grid. Each kit allows you to program the hardware to respond to sound, motion, or other data inputs.

The camera kit contains a camera roughly on par with the one found in an iPhone 5S, a built-in microphone, and fun additions like a tripwire sensor to track movements and a flashing LED ring. The pixel kit is a grid of lights that you can program to flash in different patterns and in response to different inputs, like noise picked up by the microphone, or motion picked up by the tilt sensor or joystick. If you connect it to a network, you can stream tweets or weather information from online. The speaker kit has a microphone, an LED audio visualizer, and a gesture sensor.

Each kit comes with suggested projects like setting up your motion-sensing camera to take a picture every time someone opens the door to your room, turning your speaker into an alarm clock, or visualizing your music on the LED pixel grid.

They’re simple enough that it’s relatively easy to see how you might put them to work on projects in the physical world, unlike the more complicated coding kits like littleBits, which, frankly, can give you so much freedom that if you’ve never done any programming or engineering, it’s a little daunting to figure out where to start.

With the Kano kits, when you hook up your pixel kit to your computer, you drag-and-drop puzzle-shaped pieces of code with initial tutorials that show you exactly what to put and where. Once you complete the tutorial, you can begin to play around with the code to create different reactions, taking some of the deer-in-the-headlights confusion out of seeing a blank page or wondering “what am I supposed to do with this blank LED grid?”

The computer and screen kit, previously necessary to dig into any of Kano’s coding tutorials, costs a steep $284. While you can, technically, work with a screen or monitor you already have, the computer itself is still $150. The new kits present a slightly lower entry point into the company’s learning system, at just $99 each.

Even better, the Kano World community and tutorials are accessible to anyone, and you don’t need a Kano computer to play around with the platform. You can do it from your desktop, and simply watch the changes on a digital version of the kit in question. Or you can make digital drawings and games, like you would on the Kano computer.

Much like the Kano hardware kits are LEGO-like in their step-by-step process, letting you connect all the components yourself, all the coding tutorials feature enough guideposts that you don’t get frustrated, at least at first. The tutorial tells you exactly what to type, though you’re using real programming languages to do it.

I’ve told myself I would learn to do some basic coding countless times, and I almost inevitably give up halfway through the first or second tutorial. But the simple way the Kano Code platform walks you through the steps makes me want to try more lessons, even though I don’t have any of the kits myself. It’s not going to turn me into a coding whiz—especially since it’s hard to figure out what programming language you’re even working in by just looking at the tutorials—but it’s a frustration-free way to feel a little more comfortable manipulating the digital world.

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Sometimes we all just need to slow down. When that happens, I like to pull up this calming video in which Matthew McConaughey stares at the rain, sips coffee, and contemplates life.

A little backstory first, though. This video is several layers deep in remix culture. The original source was a 30-second TV commercial for the Lincoln MKZ entitled “Diner.” As the MKZ ads go, it’s unremarkable; the main event is when the rain stops and McConaughey gets to open his sun-roof.

Then things got weird.

The Auralnauts took it upon themselves to make a five-minute version of the ad, extending every shot to the extreme, adding ambient music, adding new narration (by Jon Bailey), and turning the thing into what they dub McConaughey’s “existential crisis.” It’s brilliant.

Finally, that five-minute video turned into an hour-long masterpiece by YouTuber AmbientPopstar. It’s the kind of thing you can (and should) play as background sound while you work. Or, heck, play it at your next party. It is an hour long, after all. Enjoy, and “look at all that rain.”

CALM, HOUR-LONG VERSION

This is the “slow video” you’ve been looking for.

EXISTENTIAL CRISIS VERSION (5 MINUTES)

For reference, here’s the cut by the Auralnauts. Don’t drink while watching this, you’ll do a spit-take.

The Czech village of Lukova is proud of their ghosts—after all, they helped save a local church.

Locals in Lukova, about 125 miles east of Prague, have long believed their Kostel svatého Jiří (St. George’s Church) is haunted, according to Atlas Obscura. Built in 1352, the building was plagued by fires and general disrepair for centuries, but the kicker came in 1968 when part of the roof fell down during a funeral service. That seemed to confirm what villagers had long suspected: the church was infested with malevolent spirits.

After that, the building was abandoned. The congregation held mass outside instead of stepping foot inside the structure. As if that wasn’t bad enough, during the Communist era the church suffered further decay, vandalism, and theft—even their bell was stolen.

Once the Soviet era ended, locals wanted to restore the church, but lacked the cash. Enter Jakub Hadrava, a sculpture student at the University of West Bohemia, who did what artists do best: brought our worst fears to life (in artistic form, that is). Hadrava created an installation featuring 30 life-size plaster “ghosts,” modeled on fellow students wearing raincoats. These days, the ghosts bring tourists from as far away as Australia. According to the Daily Mail, their donations have helped build a new roof and stabilize the structure. The worshippers pray indoors now.

The ghosts are more than a tourist draw—they also reflect some of the dark history that haunts the region. Some say Hadrava’s figures represent the German-speaking people who once lived in the area and who were expelled after World War II. However, others say the figures are best understood as a meditation on the ephemeral nature of life itself.

You can see more of the church in the video below:

[h/t Atlas Obscura]

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The spookiest month of the year has arrived, and with it, a calendar full of offbeat holidays. Between your autumnal walks, horror movie marathons, and oh, NATIONAL CAT DAY (October 29—basically the most important holiday here at mental_floss) see if you can squeeze in a few of these unconventional celebrations.

1. OCTOBER 1: BAKING DAY

Even if you don’t eat vegan, we can probably all agree on honoring baked goods.

2. OCTOBER 4: NATIONAL SHIPS-IN-BOTTLES DAY

Someone spent a lot of time making this art happen, so let’s take a little time to appreciate it.

3. OCTOBER 7: WORLD SMILE DAY

If the calendar says you have to do it, you have to do it.

4. OCTOBER 11: SOUTHERN FOOD HERITAGE DAY

Sorry, but if you’re not eating this on October 11, you’re doing life wrong.

5. OCTOBER 12: INTERNATIONAL TOP SPINNING DAY

A good day to head to the toy store and take a spin.

6. OCTOBER 15: NATIONAL CAKE DECORATING DAY

Making a boxed cake recipe and applying the frosting with a butter knife definitely counts.

7. OCTOBER 15: SWEETEST DAY

Traditionally celebrated in the Midwest and Northeastern United States, Sweetest Day is a lot like Valentine’s Day, which, depending on your outlook, is either a very good thing or a very bad thing.

8. OCTOBER 19: HAGFISH DAY

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These eel-shaped, slime-producing fish are fairly disgusting (seriously), but they’re also kind of awesome. They have four hearts, have been around for hundreds of millions of years, and can feed through their skin. So while it might not be beautiful, the humble hagfish does deserve a little love and respect.

9. OCTOBER 20: GET SMART ABOUT CREDIT DAY

This American Bankers Association holiday is all about educating the public on credit—and if that stresses you out, you should probably be observing this quirky commemoration.

10. OCTOBER 23: CANNING DAY

Nicolas Appert—the inventor of hermetically sealed food preservation and the “father of canning”—was born around this time circa 1750, and this day celebrates all things that come in jars. So, you know, put a lid on it.

11. OCTOBER 28: FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAY

Held annually on the last Friday of October, this holiday celebrate Frankenstein’s monster, its creator, and the woman who created it all, Mary Shelley.

12. OCTOBER 30: CHECKLISTS DAY

Put this one on your to-do list!

13. OCTOBER 30: CREATE A GREAT FUNERAL DAY

Much of October is spent focused on ghouls and goblins, but this day is all about confronting the scariest thing of all: mortality. Between your apple orchard outings and haunted house trips, make sure you and your loved ones have a plan for after you’ve shuffled off this mortal coil. Happy October?

14. OCTOBER 30: HAUNTED REFRIGERATOR NIGHT

This offbeat holi-night is about exploring the darker corners and containers of your fridge. After all, we’ve all got some metaphorical skeletons lurking in there.

15. OCTOBER 31: NATIONAL KNOCK-KNOCK DAY

There’s no better time than the spookiest day of the year to tell some good (or bad) jokes.

Holidays found in Chase’s Calendar of Events 2016. All photos courtesy of iStock unless otherwise noted.

Erik Sass is covering the events of the war exactly 100 years after they happened. This is the 251st installment in the series. 

September 26-29, 1916: The Tide Turns Against Romania 

At first glance the entry of Romania into the First World War on the side of the Allies looked like another disaster for the Central Powers, capping a year of disappointments and setbacks including Verdun, the Brusilov Offensive, and the Somme. With an army 800,000 strong – on paper, at least – and promises of help from the Allies, it seemed like Romania’s declaration of war against Austria-Hungary could be the final nail in the coffin, sealing the fate of the Habsburg realm and with it Germany’s hopes for victory. 

This interval of Allied optimism proved short-lived, however. As the British, French and Russians soon discovered to their dismay, Romania only had enough weapons and equipment to field half a million troops, and its isolated position in Eastern Europe meant there was no way for the Allies to deliver supplies in the quantities necessary to make up the difference. Meanwhile by September 1916 the Russian Brusilov Offensive (whose stunning success over the summer helped convince Romania to join the Allies in the first place) had finally run out of steam, freeing up German and Austrian troops to fend off the Romanian offensive and then launch a counterattack. 

After crossing the Carpathian Mountains and briefly occupying Austria-Hungary’s Transylvanian borderlands in early September, the Romanian adventure came to a sudden, sobering end on September 16 with the arrival of Erich von Falkenhayn, until recently the German chief of the general staff, now the commander of the new hybrid Austro-German Ninth Army facing the Romanians in Transylvania. For Falkenhayn, cashiered from the top spot for the failure at Verdun, this field command was a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the German Army and public – and he did so in spectacular fashion. 

Assisting Falkenhayn was another near-legendary German commander, August von Mackensen, who took command of the German-Bulgarian Donauarmee or Danube Army along Romania’s southern border, further divided into eastern and western operational groups (including the Bulgarian Third Army in the east). Together Falkenhayn and Mackensen’s forces effectively encircled Romania, setting the stage for a crushing counteroffensive in the fall of 1916.

The first blow landed almost immediately, with Mackensen’s invasion of the disputed province of Dobruja between the lower Danube River and the Black Sea on September 3, 1916. In short order Mackensen’s hybrid German-Bulgarian forces captured the border town of Silistra, then pushed the unprepared Romanians back almost halfway to Constanta, Romania’s biggest port and a key supply hub. Although the hybrid Russo-Romanian Dobruja Army won a brief reprieve with their victory over the Bulgarian Third Army at the Battle of Cobadin from September 17-19, enforcing a temporary stalemate on the Danube front, they couldn’t prevent Mackensen from capturing the fortress of Turturkai on the Danube on September 26, along with 25,000 prisoners. 

Battle of Hermannstadt 

But all this was only a prelude to the debacle now unfolding to the northwest, where the Germans inflicted a shattering defeat on the Romanian First Army at the Battle of Hermannstadt from September 26-29, 1916. 

The dominant natural feature in this area was the towering Carpathian Mountains, which ran south and west along the Hungarian and Romanian frontiers, forming a natural border between them. In the opening days of their offensive the Romanians had crossed the mountains through a handful of passes to capture the Hungarian borderlands – but this superficial success had dire consequences, as the advance through the passes channeled the Romanian armies away from each other, separated by the intervening mountain ranges. Strung out on the far side of the Carpathians, the Romanian armies were unable to coordinate mutual support, leaving them all exposed to flank attacks and encirclement. 

Falkenhayn took advantage of these disjointed deployments to attack the Romanian armies and destroy them “in detail,” or one at a time, aided by Mackensen’s attacks in the south, which forced the Romanians to weaken their invasion force in Hungary. He first struck the Romanian First Army at Hermannstadt on September 26, in order to clear the enemy from the approaches to the key passes across the Carpathians, including the Turnu Roșu or Red Tower Pass south of Hermannstadt.

Falkenhayn’s Ninth Army included the famous Alpenkorps or Alpine Corps, composed of Prussian and Bavarian “hunters” or woodsmen who were used to mountain conditions and rough terrain. Taking advantage of their high mobility, Falkenhayn sent the Alpenkorps around the Romanian First Army to threaten its supply lines in the rear, while his main infantry force launched a frontal assault against it from the west. 

As German artillery pounded the Romanians from the front, pinning them down  the Alpenkorps crossed the Sibin Mountains (a branch of the Carpathians), slipped around the enemy force to the east and occupied the Red Tower Pass, severing Romanian communications across the Carpathians. Meanwhile Austro-German forces from the neighboring Austro-Hungarian First Army harried the Romanians even further east, making it impossible for the Romanian high command to send reinforcements to the First Army. 

Panicked by the prospect of being cut off and destroyed, the Romanian First Army commander, Ioan Culcer, had no choice but to order a hasty withdrawal, abandoning Hermannstadt and with it the central position in Transylvania. By September 29 the Romanians were in full retreat towards the mountain passes – which they would have to fight to clear (along with forces transferred from other spots, weakening the Romanians along the whole front). One German junior officer recalled the scenes of carnage that followed:

The Romanians repeatedly tried to break out of the encirclement. Upon reaching the pass and finding it blocked, and being exhausted after the strenuous march over the difficult mountain paths, the Romanians were taken over and completely destroyed by the Alpen Corps attacking from their rear. The losses in the Romanian units were terrible. The Alpen Corps had placed a tight grip on the road to the pass. The Romanians repeatedly attempted a breakthrough. German rifles and machine guns reaped a bloody harvest. Those not killed or wounded fell back into the witches cauldron below. The panic which befell the swarming masses was indescribable. Horses, wagons, and artillery still in complete harness ran into the Alt river and disappeared into the depths of the water. Cows and herds of swine were jammed into the narrow pass roads intermingled with troops. 

Worse, the defeat at Hermannstadt set in motion a chain reaction, as the Romanian Second Army had to move south to cover the First Army’s retreat, in order to avoid a collapse of the entire Romanian line. This was a portent of things to come. 

For ordinary German soldiers, the march south to the Carpathians was both exhilarating and intimidating, as it took them through some of the most primitive terrain in Europe, including dark, towering forests. The same junior officer recalled the eerie experience of marching with his unit, by night, through the Transylvanian foothills towards the famed Vulcan Pass, fated to be the scene of a pivotal German victory in October: 

A few minutes later the darkness of the forest had completely enveloped the soldiers. The smell of rot and mold was very strong. You could not see your hand in front of your face. They held on to the person in front either by his bayonet or webbing in order not to lose connection. The soldiers didn’t march on a defined mountain road, but a climbed a wildly overgrown mountain path which had been used by humans maybe once in ten years and then only by daylight…

See the previous installment or all entries.

Japanese engineer Atsushi Shimizu has created a wind turbine that can not only withstand a major typhoon, but can harness its power, Gizmodo reports. Shimizu, who is the founder of the green tech company Challenergy, claims the incredibly strong turbine could help solve Japan’s energy problems and even make the country a leader in clean energy production.

In the last year alone, Japan has been hit by six typhoons, which have damaged and destroyed traditional wind turbines around the country. Other natural disasters in recent years, meanwhile, have made nuclear power a less viable option for the country, prompting an energy shortage. Shimizu’s typhoon turbines, by contrast, would convert a typhoon’s winds into usable energy. Shimizu claims that if enough of his turbines were erected, a single large typhoon could power Japan for half a century.

Unlike traditional wind turbines, Shimizu’s typhoon turbines are constructed on an omnidirectional vertical axis to better withstand a typhoon’s powerful and erratic winds. Their blades can also be controlled so they don’t spin out of control in heavy winds. Shimizu recently installed his first test turbine near Okinawa, and is awaiting a storm to test it out.

Shimizu tells CNN the typhoon turbines could revolutionize energy production in Japan. “Japan actually has a lot more wind power than it does solar power, it’s just not utilized,” he said. “Japan has the potential to be a super power of wind.”

[h/t Gizmodo]

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An estimated 41 million people have played with them. They vary in price from $1 to more than $100,000. They can zip along orange trackways at speeds of almost 600 scale miles per hour. And they’re about to get a big-screen adaptation courtesy of Fast & Furious director Justin Lin. Here are 11 other things you might not know about those iconic racing toys called Hot Wheels.

1. HOT WHEELS WERE THE BRAINCHILD OF ELLIOT HANDLER, WHOSE WIFE CREATED BARBIE.

Elliot and Ruth Handler, along with their friend Harold Matson, founded a picture frame company named Mattel in 1945. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Handler started using spare parts to make dollhouse furniture, which was sold on the side. By 1946, toy manufacturing had become Mattel’s specialty. In its early years, the company’s biggest hits were novelty items like cap guns and ukuleles. Then, in the late 1950s, Ruth hit on what would prove to be a brilliant idea: The Handlers’ young daughter, Barbara, loved to play with paper dolls; inspired, Ruth decided to create a three-dimensional replacement for the primitive toys. Elliot had his doubts, telling his wife that “no mother is ever going to buy her daughter a doll with breasts.” But he was wrong: Barbie debuted in 1959, and within 12 months, Mattel had sold 351,000 of the dolls.

But soon, Elliot would have his own multimillion-dollar idea. In the 1960s, tiny die-cast car toys were all the rage. The dominant force in that market was the English Matchbox brand, whose scaled-down vehicles left a lot to be desired (at least in Handler’s opinion). For one thing, these little cars were all based on existing automobiles. Surely, Handler felt, kids would rather play with designer hot rods. More importantly, the wheels made Matchbox cars difficult to get moving.

Convinced that he could break into the die-cast game, Handler joined forces with a team of designers to create a series of aesthetically-pleasing, lightning-fast cars. Production started in 1967.

2. THERE ARE A FEW CONFLICTING STORIES ABOUT WHERE THE NAME CAME FROM.

In his 2003 book Hot Wheels: 35 Years of Speed, Power, Performance, and Attitude, Randy Leffingwell summarizes the two most popular explanations. Most people credit Handler with coining the name. According to some sources, when the businessman saw designer Fred Adickes testing out a prototype one day, he remarked “That’s one set of hot wheels you’ve got there.”

But Handler himself traced the origin to a chat he once had with Alexandra Laird, who worked in the packaging department. Between 1964 and 1969, she named more or less every outfit in Barbie’s closet and became known as Mattel’s “namesmith.” In her version of the story, Laird started cooking up ideas as soon as she learned about the die-cast project. “I went back and looked at these funny little cars and then wrote a whole bunch of names on a list the way I always did,” Laird said. Suggestion number one was Big Wheels. “Elliot looked at it, half-smirked, and asked me for another word, different from ‘big,’” Laird recalled. “He talked about the custom styling and wondered aloud if that was what people would call ‘hot.’” After that, Handler allegedly blurted out “Hot Wheels,” and the rest is history.

3. ONE OF THE ORIGINAL HOT WHEELS DESIGNERS LATER PUT A NEW SPIN ON THE OSCAR MAYER WIENERMOBILE.

Most of Mattel’s first 16 Hot Wheels cars, which hit the shelves in 1968, were designed by GM’s Harry Bentley Bradley. Hot Wheels aren’t the only pop culture cars he left his mark on, though: In 1995, Bradley designed an all-new Wienermobile for Oscar Mayer. It had aerodynamic windows and hot dog-shaped dashboards.

4. A CAR IN THE ORIGINAL LINE WAS BASED ON THE 1965 DODGE DEORA—WHICH DIDN’T HAVE DOORS!

Among the maiden 16 Hot Wheels, this might have been the strangest. In lieu of doors, the cab of an actual ’65 Deora was equipped with a hatch at the very front of the car. A driver would need to open the hatch and climb in backwards before he or she could sit down behind the wheel. Vehicle customizers Mike and Larry Alexander went to Harry Bradley, and together they created the experimental pickup for the 1967 Detroit Autorama, where it won nine trophies. Full-sized Deoras were never mass-produced.

5. 16 MILLION HOT WHEELS CARS WERE SOLD IN 1968 ALONE.

Demand for these toys hasn’t waned: Mattel estimates that over 4 billion cars have been produced and claims that eight of them are bought every single second.

6. IF YOU’VE GOT ONE WITH RED CIRCLES ON THE WHEELS, IT MIGHT BE WORTH SOME MONEY.

From 1968 to 1977, thin red lines were typically painted around the sidewalls of Hot Wheels tires. But in an effort to cut costs, Mattel went with all-black wheels partway through 1977. Collectors prize the old “redline” Hot Wheels—in fact, certain mint-condition models sell for thousands of dollars.

7. A TIE-IN TV SERIES TOOK SOME HEAT FROM THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION.

In 1969, a Hot Wheels cartoon series, sponsored by Mattel, premiered on ABC. The show featured a teenage car racer named Jack “Rabbit” Wheeler who, along with his buddies, always did his best to promote safe driving. The gang also took a firm stand against underage smoking, which they deemed “non-cool.” Mattel’s competitors wrote the FCC to complain that this Hot Wheels cartoon was a program-length commercial in disguise, which undermined federal advertising laws. The FCC concurred, and the resulting changes compelled ABC to cancel Hot Wheels in 1971.

Mattel was able to kick off another tie-in series in 2009, thanks to deregulatory measures that had taken effect during the 1980s. Titled Hot Wheels: Battle Force Five, it ran for two seasons on Cartoon Network.

8. FOR COLLECTORS, THE HOLY GRAIL IS A PINK VOLKSWAGEN WITH REMOVABLE SURFBOARDS.

In 1969, the company unveiled its most famous car to date: the Volkswagen Beach Bomb. With a surfboard loaded onto either side, it looked like the perfect rig for a summer road trip down the California coast.

Designing the iconic toy cars was a challenge: Originally, Mattel’s engineers wanted the surfboards to be removable units that could be loaded into the back of the van through wide-open rear windows. Keeping these specifications in mind, the toymakers built 16 prototypes. Then the team discovered that the Beach Bombs were too narrow to be used on Mattel’s Super Charger race tracks—so they had to come up with a different design. The new VWs were wider and featured side compartments for the boards.

Most of the 16 prototype Beach Bombs are now worth around $15,000 apiece. But a pair of them command a price tag that’s normally reserved for full-sized, driveable Porsches: These are the bright pink, rear-loading 1969 Volkswagen Beach Bombs. According to collector Bruce Pascal, only two such Hot Wheels were ever made (most of the prototypes received a different color scheme). In 2011, one sold for $125,000.

9. THE BRAND HAS COLLABORATED WITH NASA.

In 1998, Mattel teamed up with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory—a NASA research and development center—to create the Hot Wheels JPL Sojourner’s Mars Rover Action Pack Set. The product included a replica of the Sojourner rover, which landed on Mars that summer. Then, in 2012, Mattel renewed its alliance with NASA to manufacture scale models of yet another Red Planet vehicle: the six-wheeled, $2.5 billion Curiosity rover.

10. THE BIGGEST HOT WHEELS TRACK LOOP ON RECORD WAS OVER 12 FEET HIGH.

In 2015, dynamometer technician Matt West built a 5-foot, outdoor Hot Wheels track loop for Blade, his 6-year-old son. “It started as a part-fun, part-physics lesson with my son at home,” West said. Before long, word of their exploits had spread to the technician’s workplace, namely, the Ford Motor Company’s Research and Innovation Center in Dearborn, Michigan. Inspired by West’s playful afternoon, the staff decided to raise the bar for an upcoming Take Your Child to Work Day. Using 4-by-8 sheets of plywood as a stabilizer, Ford’s team set up an enormous Hot Wheels raceway with a massive loop. Guinness World Records later confirmed that, at 12.5 feet tall, it qualified as the largest Hot Wheels Track Loop ever built. On April 23, 2015, this monument to the creative spirit dazzled a crowd of adults and children alike; the very first car to brave the track was a Hot Wheels Ford Mustang.

11. IN 2011, THE HOT WHEELS BRAND WAS INDUCTED INTO THE NATIONAL TOY HALL OF FAME.

Located in Rochester, New York, the National Toy Hall of Fame honors the world’s most influential playthings, from the cardboard box to Raggedy Ann. Mattel’s Hot Wheels line was formally inducted in 2011, along with the dollhouse and the blanket.