Optical Illusion
Please click on image to begin...
Less of an illusion, more of a really depressing set of facts.
The (Digital) Circlism Art of Ben Heine
"What exactly is (Digital) Circlism ? This is a modern artistic expression, a mix between Pop Art and Pointillism. It is made with digital tools (this is just a personal definition) says Ben Heine."
via thewondrous.com
Manuka honey 'could help fight superbugs'
Leptospermum scoparium (Manuka or Tea tree or just Leptospermum)
"Manuka honey could be used to combat some of the most hard-to-treat infections that are resistant to powerful antibiotics, scientists say. Lab experiments show it can clear bacteria found in festering wounds and contaminated hospital surfaces. It works by breaking down the defences bacteria use against antibiotics, making it useful in treating superbug infections such as MRSA."
reab more via bbc.co.uk
Michael Paul Smith's Amazing Miniatures
What a lovely photograph from yesteryear, eh? Not quite.
"It’s a model. Specifically, it’s one of the astoundingly detailed models of 1950s American homes, cars, and street scenes made by Michael Paul Smith. His work is being compiled into a new book called Elgin Park, the name of a fictitious Pleasantville-like town which his models and photographs depict."
via neatorama.com
Strange Agricultural Landscapes : Thailand
"Outside of Bangkok, the landscape is dominated by stripes of narrow rice paddies fed by canals. In this simulated-true-color image, taken Sept. 2, 2001 by NASA's Terra Satellite, the paddies that appear purple have been flooded as part of the growing cycle. "
via wired.com
Beautiful Planet - Earth and the Stars
via triggerpit.com
"So this is what the Milky Way looks like when there are no annoying city lights to obstruct the view. To quote Dr. McCoy from Star Trek “In this galaxy there’s a mathematical probability of three million Earth-type planets. And in the universe, three million million galaxies like this. And in all that, and perhaps more…only one of each of us.”
Solar panels
White dots appear to be scintillate (scintillating grid illusion: Schrauf et al., 1997).
From Earth to the Solar System
"You are here! This beautiful image of the Earth is a composite of two data images-one of the globe fully illuminated by the Sun, and one of the globe in full darkness, showing only the city lights of inhabited areas. The pair of images, themselves composites of data sets from numerous satellites, were stitched together at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center's as part of Earth Observing System's Visible Earth project.
This site is home to a collection of high resolution images that showcase the discoveries and excitement of planetary exploration, with a focus on the origin and evolution of the Solar System and the search for life."
Ancient Beauty
"You’re looking at some of the oldest stars in the Universe. This new Hubble image of the globular cluster Messier 5 shows this giant huddle of stars, which is one of the oldest clusters in the Milky Way. Astronomers say the majority of M5’s stars formed more than 12 billion years ago. But there are some new and blue stars among the mix, adding some vitality and color to this ancient bunch...Messier 5 lies at a distance of about 25 000 light-years in the constellation of Serpens (The Snake). This image was taken with Wide Field Channel of Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys."