A Star Wars Chess Set From A Galaxy Far Far Away

You get chess sets, and then you get Star Wars Droid Chess Sets, like the silver and gold set as designed by Rex Abergas, a 4th year Industrial Design Student at the University of Technology of Sydney.

Being a Chess lover (although in no way a Chess Master…) and having a slight fascination with Star Wars – this is one set I absolutely have to get my hands on. I’ve played on all manner of different sets, and I’d love to give this one a go to.

Instead of the usual Black and White sides, this particular set consists of a Gold and Silver Side. Rex incorporates extraordinary detail, from the Pawns right through the Rooks and Bishops to King and Queen.

To start with the Pawns, they are Pit Droids and they look rather intimidating standing all proud and tall like that. Always eager to be on the front line.

The Destroyer droids, Droidekas, are a fine choice for Knights, in my humble opinion. Sneaky, and always aimed on completely annihilating their enemies, they fit in well with the characteristics of a Knight. Undoubtedly my favorite piece, in this set and in ordinary chess sets.

Everybody’s favourite robot, R2D2 makes his appearance as a Rook. Short and sturdy and straight to the point, just like a Rook’s mobility.

I’m sure the Trade Federation smiled approvingly on the Bishops being portrayed as Super Battle Droids! Fearless droids with limited independence, or limited movement in chess terms, but forceful nonetheless.

I had to spare a laugh when I saw the Queen as C3PO. Look, it is a shiny Sheldon from Big Bang theory! Remember the episode where they played “Guess” and Leonard remarked that Sheldon resembles C3PO. Don’t get him wrong, he is flattered; he just does not see it.

Hailing all the way from deep within the Confederacy, we have General Grievous in the position of King to rule them all. He might be a fine example of a not backing down to anyone. But Kenobi killed him after all. Kenobi would’ve made a great king…

It must be hard choosing which characters to use for a chess set, with such a big variety to choose from. Sadly, we don’t see Han Solo, Darth Vader, or even Boba here. With any luck, Rex will create 6 different sets…

Amazing Model of Futuristic City Made of Stacked Staples

Have you ever wondered about how New York or some other giant city could look in hundred years? If you have no idea about how it would look like, then, you should see the city model made by Peter Root.

Peter Root made this amazing city model using a bunch of stacked staples. He decided to call it Ephemicropolis.  As you can see, he needed a plenty of patience and time to create such magnificent model.

There is a whole ‘forest’ of buildings and skyscrapers of different size.  He made this model of city from about 100,000 staples on the surface of 18 square meters.  I really believe that, if technological development continues to grow as equal as in previous years, this model could become real, one day but I am afraid that this civilization has slowly reaching its peak.

Do It Yourself Coil Gun

Daniel Eindhoven is talented designer who created this cool coil gun. It took around 40 hours to finish this outstanding job. It weights 5 Kg and, capable of delivering over 18J kinetic energy, and speeds up to 110km/h . This weird coil gun has laser pointer for easy aiming and it costs around 100 Euros.It needs 8 seconds to fire a projectile if is connected to power source or 90 seconds with batteries. It is really impressive, I’m not a gun lover but this one is really made with creativity. You may also would like to check this Swiss mini gun, the smallest gun in the world. A coilgun, as the name implies, consists of a coil of wire – an electromagnet – with a ferromagnetic projectile placed at one of its ends. Effectively a coilgun is a solenoid: an electromagnetic coil with the function of drawing a ferromagnetic object through its center. A large current is pulsed through the coil of wire and a strong magnetic field forms, pulling the projectile to the center of the coil. When the projectile nears this point the electromagnet is switched off and the next electromagnet can be switched on, progressively accelerating the projectile down successive stages. In common coilgun designs the “barrel” of the gun is made up of a track that the projectile rides on, with the driver electromagnetic coils around the track. Power is supplied to the electromagnet from some sort of fast discharge storage device, typically a battery or high-capacity high voltage capacitors designed for fast energy discharge. A diode is used to protect polarity sensitive capacitors (such as electrolytics) from damage due to inverse polarity of the current after the discharge.

There are two main types or setups of a coilgun, single stage and multistage. A single stage coilgun uses just one electromagnet to propel a ferromagnetic projectile. A multistage coilgun uses multiple electromagnets in succession to progressively increase the speed of the projectile. Many hobbyists use low-cost rudimentary designs to experiment with coilguns, for example using photoflash capacitors from a disposable camera, or a capacitor from a standard cathode-ray tube television as the energy source, and a low inductance coil to propel the projectile forward. A superconductor coilgun called a quench gun could be created by successively quenching a line of adjacent coaxial superconducting electromagnetic coils forming a gun barrel, generating a wave of magnetic field gradient traveling at any desired speed. A traveling superconducting coil might be made to ride this wave like a surfboard. The device would be a mass driver or linear synchronous motor with the propulsion energy stored directly in the drive coils.

One main obstacle in coilgun design is switching the power through the coils. There are several main options — the simplest (and probably least effective) is the spark gap, which releases the stored energy through the coil when the voltage reaches a certain threshold. A better option is to use solid-state switches; these include IGBTs or power MOSFETs (which can be switched off mid-pulse) and SCRs (which release all stored energy before turning off). A quick-and-dirty method for switching, especially for those using a flash camera for the main components, is to use the flash tube itself as a switch. By wiring it in series with the coil, it can silently and non-destructively (assuming that the energy in the capacitor is kept below the tube’s safe operating limits) allow a large amount of current to pass through to the coil. Like any flash tube, ionizing the gas in the tube with a high voltage triggers it. However, a large amount of the energy will be dissipated as heat and light, and, due to the tube being a spark gap, the tube will stop conducting once the voltage across it drops sufficiently, leaving some charge remaining on the capacitor.

The coil gun first appeared in literature as the “electric gun” in the 1897 science fiction novel A Trip to Venus by John Munro. The novel described in detail a way to launch vehicles into outer space from the Earth’s surface. In the novel, Munro describes in great detail multiple coils fired in sequence by solenoids timed to achieve acceleration without generating g forces that would harm passengers. The gun could be angled on a hillside if desired.

Amazing Animal Sculptures by Native Alaskan Roy Peratrovich

 Alaska native Roy Petrovich is a Tlingit Indian and member of the Raven Clan. He works in bronze sculpture, making spectacular pieces often telling tales of his heritage and/or childhood through them. Proud Alaska natives, his mother and father were the ones who spearheaded the first anti- discrimination law in the U.S. before civil rights or anyone else in Alaska. Roy's mother and father even had a park named after them, decorated with a monument made by Roy to honor his parents.

Flight of the Raven

 This was the model for the monument (first photograph), which tells the legend of the raven, very special to Tlinglet belief. In many ways, the natives were the first "environmentalists" through their belief that every living and inanimate thing had a reason to be. According to Tlinglet legend, the raven is seen as the creator who brought light to the world by stealing it from an ancient chief who kept it hidden in a box. But the raven used his famous trickery, finally seizing the light in his beak. As he escaped through the smoke hole at the top of the chief's tent, the rising smoke turned his feathers black. The sculpture is of bronze that was later patinae'd, and the sun is an orb of polished quartz.

 The Sea Three

 Dolphins are known for their leaping and bowriding and the joy they seem to share when at play is contagious, and a pleasant connection to the inhabitants of our sea world. Says Roy: "Bowriding is a remarkable marine phenomenon that I have observed many times. The dolphins burst in on the beam of a fast moving vessel and position their flukes so that the upwelling water from the bow pushes the animals forward with very little effort on their part. The dolphins then plane along ahead of the bow wave, comfortably supported by the rush of water under their pectoral fins." Roy's son used to lean over and stroke the backs of the dolphins as they rode the bow waves. The base of the sculpture is shaped as a windlass, further connecting the dolphins and boats.

Whale Riders

 Whale Riders" was inspired by a story his grandfather told Roy, one of traveling 200 km in heavy seas with his father on a war canoe to meet and settle differences with another tribe. Roy imagined what dream a child might have sleeping in the bow of the canoe, and since Orcas are respected but not feared in Tinglit culture, the piece interprets the dream as the family getting a free ride on the mighty Orca tail while the children sleep in the bow. The patina work is visually stunning, the process is done by applying different chemicals to the bronze, which then give a thin layer of colored metal. There are artists who specialize in patina at the direction of the sculpture.

 The Council of Elders

 The artist tells the story of this piece in his own words: "This sculpture is a lighthearted representation of the two great Tlingit clans: Eagle and Raven. My friends and relatives in the Eagle clan have long been urging me to make an Eagle sculpture. As a Raven, I found this an irresistible opportunity to include a little Tlingit humor. I have made Eagle to appear his most regal and self-important, as he listens wisely and patiently to brother Raven's perhaps unsolicited advice. Eagle's wings and back display traditional totemic designs to reflect his lofty position in our Tlingit culture, while Raven is shown as his typical crafty self."

Learning Curve

 Roy loved to watch the otters at play both as a child and an adult. They really enjoy sliding down snow hills rather as we do but they don't use a toboggan for it! This piece shows mom at the bottom giggling and enjoying her run while dad is in the middle and the child otter is a little nervous at the top, about to take his turn.

Raven Dance

 The blanket on the raven is a traditional Chilkat blanket ceremonial robe and he is dancing in it. The blanket had originally been made for the bust of the artist's mother but didn't work there so was given to the raven for his dance.

On Top of the World

The mighty and awe inspiring Orca, this piece is named On Top of the World to show it is found in waters at both the north and south poles. Art is personal to the artist, a personal expression of emotion, world views and beliefs. Roy Peratrovich has done a wonderful job of translating his Native history and legends into spectacular bronze sculptures.

Incredible Rock Balancing Art

Bill Dan is a sculptor and performance artist specializing in rock balancing. He creates seemingly impossible, temporary balanced sculptures from un-worked rock and stone in public spaces near his home in San Francisco.

London's Highgate Cemetery Through the Eyes of Audrey Niffenegger

 Bestselling writer Audrey Niffenegger has joined the ranks of the famous and infamous faces at London’s Highgate Cemetery. The author of "The Time Traveller’s Wife" isn’t interred here, but was put to service as a guide as part of research for her latest novel "Her Fearful Symmetry". The book is a ghost story based around the Victorian cemetery.

 Speaking at a discussion on the history of the cemetery and its famous inhabitants, Audrey explained how the initial ground work for the novel began at her home in Chicago several years ago, before continuing at the cemetery itself where she gained so much knowledge on the subject that she was able to volunteer for the conservation group the Friends of Highgate Cemetery as a guide on public tours.

She even admitted that spending so much time working in the cemetery became second nature to her. Dressed casually and at ease expounding on the cemetery’s beginnings, Audrey talked at length on her reasons for setting "Her Fearful Symmetry" there rather than at a cemetery closer to home.

She said: “The cemetery was going to be one of the great Chicago cemeteries like Graceland. I thought Graceland’s really great, but what’s the best cemetery?”

The author decided on Highgate with its eerie Victorian sculptures and elaborate gravestones.

 In Victorian times, death was big business. Early death was common and infant mortality rates were high, so death became an innate part of the culture. In life, and in death, status was an important thing for the rich, and their graves and burial spots had to reflect that, so funerals were lavish and Highgate Cemetery became the place to be buried.

 As well as having highly detailed graves and statues, Audrey said that some
residents of the cemetery also requested that their addresses in life be listed on their gravestones as a mark of their importance at being able to own property in prestigious parts of London.

Many famous people are buried at Highgate from the likes of Karl Marx, the father of Communism, to 19th-century-writer George Eliot and poet Christina Rossetti.

“I bet she had a morbid imagination,” Audrey jokes. “I would have loved to meet her.

 Other notable burials include physicist Michael Faraday; muse and wife of artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Elizabeth Siddel, and author Mrs Henry Wood.

More recent additions to the cemetery include the author of "The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy" Douglas Adams, Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko and comedian Max Wall.

It's not only the rich and famous that have a final resting place here though as Audrey stresses: “You can see it in the way the cemetery is laid out. There are posh sections and then you reach parts of it that no one ever sees with mass graves and unmarked graves for criminals.”

Audrey explained that at the time of her research, she hadn’t had any books published and had no writing credentials at all. Perhaps spending time amongst the graves of so many wealthy, successful and famous of the cemetery’s patrons has rubbed off on her. Now she’s a best-selling author, had her debut novel turned into a Hollywood film and has since published three graphic novels.

Edouard Leon cuts - The Parisian Poet of Painting

Her painting seems to portray not just a place, but the spirit of place. An art of intense sensitivity, which, although simple, impressionistic brushwork makes his rank among the finest portrayals of the eternal city of lights.

"We'll always have Paris. " 

The memorable phrase of the classic Casablanca (USA, 1942) refers to me, besides the film, also frames for Edouard Leon Cortes. What would Paris blunt? What would Paris without cuts? What would art uncut and Paris? Among countless names that always made the city a bastion of all aspects of art, is that of Edouard Leon Cortes. Post-Impressionist, was called "the poet Parisian painting"- alluding to his prowess such urban landscapes of Paris.
The Passion of the Court by the city was exceptional, taking his talent to meet not only the monuments, people and movements, but also the very soul of Paris. The paintings of Edouard are among the most famous and significant references in the French capital of all time.

The painter was born in the suburbs of Paris in April 1882. Still young, he learned painting from his father, who was also a painter. He went to Paris to study and has exhibited his 16 years with the first screen, the Society of French Artists, entitled "Le Labour" which was very well received by critics and public. This is highlighted as one of the most promising artists of the time. The painter stood out, in fact, and over time many works exhibited in major cultural events and exhibitions in the city. He received several awards and was recognized for his extraordinary talent with the brush.

Omnibus Paris on the Place de la Madeleine 

He, however, focused not on expressions or bohemian, as did Toulouse-Lautrec, the same artistic school. The Art of Edouard was more serene, even violently significant. For him, it was important to capture the streets, the colors, the Parisian spirit. It was the Paris of every day of your eyes.

He wore infinite variations to identify the tones and colors of the changing seasons and weather. His work has never had a sophisticated style. His technique was simple, but unmistakable. His stroke seems to come at random, with carefree setting. Édouard because I feel like that made her work so as spontaneous as a violinist who closes his eyes and touches the chords that come to your mind and heart.

Flower Market at the Madeleine

The paintings of Edouard are capable of leaving us in a state of suspension. Transport us to Paris itself through its uneasy colors, as if they were dancing for us. Watching your pictures is to look at a scene through a window with raindrops dripping through it. His work appears to be alive before our eyes.

Edouard moved back to Lagny, community where he was born and lived the rest of his life. But never stopped going to Paris for inspiration whenever I could. He died in 1969.

Court gave us his Paris, and poetic live in a colorful palette and passionate. If one day I can say "Paris forever", it is because of Edouard Leon Cortes.