Many of the indie games featured at PAX Prime have been in development for years. That's how long it takes to make a great game. But the two-man development studio in eastern Europe called Stabyourself has existed for less than a year and has already created two games—three mo ...more
WonderHowTo is a how-to website made up of niche communities called Worlds, with topics ranging from Minecraft to science experiments to Scrabble and everything in-between. Check in every Wednesday evening for a roundup of user-run activities and how-to projects from the most ...more
When you finally turn the privileged age of 21 in the U.S. (or 18 in most other countries), the first thing you'll probably do is sprint to the nearest pub, order a drink, and revel in your new freedom. Congratulations, you've survived two decades on Earth, you've earned that ...more
We were dumbfounded at first, too. But this jumping bean is momentum based, not larva powered. The erratic movement of these DIY foil toys is actually simple physics. Hint: there is a marble inside the aluminum foil. When the marble rolls internally to the foil's end, the foi ...more
On this episode of Scientific Tuesdays, Dylan shows you how to create a non-Newtonian fluid using corn starch and a little water. A non-Newtonian fluid is any fluid that does not follow the laws of physics. - Measure out 1/2 cup of 100% corn starch with a measuring cup and po ...more
As a developer, before you can make augmented-reality robots that move around in the real world, controlled by a user's finger, you first need to learn how to harness the basics of designing AR software for a touchscreen interface. In recent years, the vernacular for referrin ...more
Smartphones have been a hot button issue around school campuses for several years now—some schools allow them, others confiscate them on sight. But the fact of the matter is, when used correctly, a smartphone can be just as much of a learning tool as a textbook or school-issue ...more
Introduction So, today and yesterday I was playing with TNT (as we all do at one point or another) and was curious about a few things. From this curiosity, I went onto discover some of the science behind some things you may or may not have known. While I was conducting this ...more
Cloth is an essential part of almost any 3D modeling project involving people. This video will show you how to properly use the cloth modifier in 3D Studio MAX to create the waving, tarnished American flag shown in the thumbnail. This tutorial does NOT feature Reactor, the in- ...more
Oobleck, a word coined from the Dr. Seuss book "Bartholomew and the Oobleck," has contemporarily come to define the substance created from mixing cornstarch and water. This mixture is notable for its dilatant properties, and as an inexpensive and non-toxic Newtonian fluid. Whi ...more
The indie game scene is constantly expanding, but in 2008, Minecraft, Braid and Angry Birds had not been released, along with all of the other indie games that established the financial viability of the format. Indie games were the all-but-exclusive purview of free Flash game ...more
It's a controversial headline, I know, but bear with me and I'll explain in due course. Disclaimer: I was once a child, and I played lots of video games. I didn't look anything like this child. Are Video Games Good or Bad? Ah, video games: that perennial time-waster that chi ...more
Garry's Mod is an excellent utility for those who are creating Machinima, or who enjoy seeing Half-Life 2 characters perform funny movements. This video shows you how to move a ragdoll around using the mysterious G-Man as a dummy. This video also shows how to place a camera, ...more
Foldit is definitely a niche game. The sole gameplay mechanic is attempting to fold complex proteins into smaller and more efficient shapes following the rules of molecular physics and biology. Points are awarded based on how small one can make the protein. Online leaderboards ...more
In this tutorial your learn how to create rigid bodies in the dynamics section of Maya. Dynamics is the physics based part of any 3D software package used most often in visual effects. In this tutorial you will learn the basics of creating rigid bodies in Maya by adding gravit ...more
A core concept that has resonated through societies of the world over the course the last few hundred years is "knowledge is power." And understanding that concept gives us the drive to push further forward and learn as much as we can on a subject. At the moment, that subject ...more
Did you know you could create a battery by using a few items from around the house? Get you and your family "Hooked on Science." You need two electrodes, some wire and some lemons. Check out this demonstration from Hooked On Science to learn more about science firsthand. Brin ...more
A Prince Rupert's Drop is a very interesting demonstration in physics that shows both the strength that a well-organized crystal structure can provide, as well as how violently such a structure can be blown to pieces by stress if the crystal pattern is disrupted. Video: . Made ...more
This is the PC video game tutorial walkthrough of the greatest game ever: World of Goo. World of Goo is a physics based puzzle / construction game. The millions of Goo Balls who live in the beautiful World of Goo don't know that they are in a game, or that they are extremely ...more
WonderHowTo is a how-to website made up of niche communities called Worlds, with topics ranging from Minecraft to science experiments to Scrabble and everything in-between. Check in every Wednesday evening for a roundup of user-run activities and how-to projects from the most ...more
Bill is in fact an expert in this field and refers to his book. He knows potato guns. So many small and not so small boys and girls would like to make a potato canon or bazooka. This is taken from the Backyard Ballistics book. Not only is this a fun activity, but it also teach ...more
Ever watch a cheesy movie and say "That monster is so FAKE!" but not really understand why? Well monstrous monsters are governed by a little biological rule called the Square-Cube Law, a scientific term combining math, anatomy and physics into one educational tool to recognize ...more
You may remember the recipe for a basic non-Newtonian fluid from grade school science experiments (one part water to one and one third part corn flour or cornstarch), but those trials probably stopped at squeezing the mixture in your hands. While a regular fluid's viscosity wo ...more
Wheels of Steel is a virtual browser-based turntable emulator created by Scott Schiller, a Canadian developer who works on Flickr at Yahoo. This project will appeal to those who A) dig turntablism and B) are knowledgeable in web development. I know nothing of the latter, but f ...more
It's safe to say that we can call the annual ranking of AR investments a holiday tradition at Next Reality. Following our 2018 and 2017 editions of the biggest AR investments, we've expanded the list to include the top 25 this year. While there are many familiar names at the ...more
When you run an augmented reality company worth billions of dollars, backed by some of the biggest names in tech, and you haven't even released a product yet, even late night tweetstorms rank as worthy of dissection. Such is the case with Rony Abovitz, CEO of Magic Leap, who d ...more
A vulnerability in the design of LiDAR components in driverless cars is far worse than anything we've seen yet outside of the CAN bus sphere — with a potentially deadly consequence if exploited. The hack is also going to be hard to fix, researchers Hocheol Shin, Dohyun Kim, Y ...more
Big Block Games has a pretty good indie track record. They've spent years developing their fun free-roving space game, Black Market, which is still in Beta. And they've spent just as much time with their much simpler, but fully completed physics platformer, Super Goblin War Ma ...more
It may look like a modern take on Oliver Twist but, we assure you, this is for real. Before you get too alarmed, however, you should note that the headline reads "how to steal cars" and not simply "to steal cars." We are, after all, dealing with the fine people at Machine Pro ...more
This magic trick is really not so much a feat of illusion as a dizzying demonstration of physics. This video will show you how to do this easy trick with only a humble coin and coat hanger as props that will dazzle your audience for about 20 seconds with practice.
I'm starting a series on the top astronomers, with probably about eleven astronomers that I will be covering overall. So, let's start out from the top, with the top most important astronomer. In my opinion, Galileo Galilei is the top astronomer. Galileo Galilei (February 15, ...more
Seeing an aurora in person is one of the most amazing spectacles you could witness in the skies above. But what about the skies below? The current space crew on the International Space Station experienced auroral activity from Earth's orbit, and were even able to fly directly ...more
Let's face it— most people don't understand Shakespeare's language. If they say they do, they're probably lying. The poetic words of the world's most famous playwright continue to plague school children and college lit. majors alike, but not anymore. SparkNotes, one of the on ...more
Now that we've had a chance to jump into the Lumin SDK documentation at Magic Leap's Creator Portal, we now have much more detail about how the device will function and utilize software than any single piece of content released by Magic Leap to date. So now that much of the m ...more
Creating a game using Flash CS4 and Actionscript 3 is a great way to start the gamemaking career you've always dreamed of. If you want a game company to hire you, it will really help if you have at least one simple, creative game in your portfolio. If you want help with this u ...more
You can easily tell if an egg is raw or hard boiled without breaking the shell, as long as you know a little science. This experiment uses physics to show how if you spin an egg you can tell if it's insides are viscous or solid! Thanks Happy Scientist Robert Krampf for this gr ...more
The best physics lecturer, Walter Lewin, makes another wonderful physics demonstration after having read a lecture on batteries. The battery he creates has a huge potential difference - 10 to 20 kV! You'll never believe what it's made of! It's made of two cans with their bot ...more
A demonstration of limonene extraction from orange peels used in Organic Chemistry labs. This demonstration is conducted by Dr. Scott Allen, Assistant Professor, Chemistry/Physics, University of Tampa. Part 1 of 2 - How to Isolate limonene using extraction in organic chemistry ...more
Portal is game design milestone. Originally only available bundled in with larger cousins Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2 in The Orange Box, its creators, Valve Software, changed what first person gameplay could be. It's been a stand alone product for much of the four years si ...more
The year in augmented reality 2019 started with the kind of doom and gloom that usually signals the end of something. Driven in large part by the story we broke in January about the fall of Meta, along with similar flameouts by ODG and Blippar, the virtual shrapnel of AR ventu ...more
Can you float a ping pong ball in mid air? According to Outreach Science Educator Jason Lindsey you can and all you need is a hair dryer. This is a great way to demonstrate wind and gravity with household objects. Check out this demonstration from Hooked On Science to learn m ...more
Hello everyone! This is my first attempt at a tutorial here. There are a couple great assembly tutorials here, and I wanted to toss my coin in the fountain. I figured, the more tuts the better, as I had trouble learning assembly in the beginning and had to read alot of tutori ...more
Moving up from a point and shoot to a digital single lens reflex camera is a big step. And actually, a DSLR can be a better buy than a new point and shoot, many of which rival the prices of entry level or used DSLRs. Keep in mind when you buy a new body, the lenses are the mos ...more
Using a technology we like to call "Hive Computing," several Android apps allow you to contribute idle processing power to help further scientific research. This basically means that when you're not using your phone or tablet, it can join forces with other idle devices to form ...more
One of the truly beautiful things about the HoloLens is its completely untethered, the-world-is-your-oyster freedom. This, paired with the ability to view your real surroundings while wearing the device, allows for some incredibly interesting uses. One particular use is trigge ...more
People fundamentally distrust magicians. And they should. The illusions they proffer are just that, illusions meant to astound rather than tangible interactions and results that have weight and meaning in our real world. Our lizard brains know this, and, no matter what the out ...more
The long and slow road toward the actual release of the Magic Leap One appears to be accelerating, with a couple of new demonstrations of how the system works revealed in this week's creator's portal updates along with the company's developer documentation. Following the much ...more
Since the beginning of last year, every six months or so the fine folks at Wolfire Games have gathered indie developers together to release a combo gaming pack called Humble Indie Bundle. Not only are the included games good, but the way one buys them is what makes Humble Indi ...more
Humans learn best by doing or through an experience, and so the holographic environments provided in virtual and mixed reality are ripe with educational opportunities. HoloStudy took this to heart and created an educational science app that teaches you with animated models you ...more
Deep in their heart of hearts, most Americans dream of having their car festooned with missile launchers and machine guns. Anyone who cuts them off or looks at them funny in traffic could be dispensed with quick and extreme justice, leaving a real-life James Bond and his passe ...more
When people fire weapons in movies, there is often a shot of the shell-casings leaving the gun and flying through the air. Sometimes we get to follow them all the way to the ground, leaving us with a sense of loss at the firing of the weapon. This video will show you how to mo ...more
Heads up: the following videos and GIFs will definitely cause you to zone out and lose focus on whatever it is you're doing. Ouka is an award-winning Japanese entertainer whose made a name for himself with magic tricks and diabolo performances (the latter of which you can see ...more
Once you've designed some holograms with HoloLens, you'll need to get them to interact with the environment. That's where Spatial Mapping comes in. There are five basic purposes for using HoloLens's Spatial Mapping with your app: Navigation: This lets your holograms know how ...more
In this series of educational videos you'll learn how to perform a science experiment using everyday household items that demonstrates Bernoulli's theorem. Expert science instructor Scott Thompson shows you how to use a plastic bottle, ping pong ball, shop vacuum and a golf ba ...more
Ragdoll physics are all the rage in 3D shooter games, causing characters to die in glorious realism before glitching as soon as they get anywhere near a wall. This two-part video will teach you how to create a basic ragdoll for a biped model using the Reactor engine within 3D ...more
An innovative new wound dressing has been developed by a research team at Lodz University of Technology in Poland that uses crustacean shells to create a bandage that packs an antimicrobial punch — and even more potential to help solve a global problem. Bandages typically hel ...more
While some researchers look for drugs to treat HIV, other scientists delve deep into the virus itself for answers on how it causes infections. Using two supercomputers, University of Illinois research scientist Juan R. Perilla and late physics professor Klaus Schulten simulat ...more
Like clockwork, Apple has unveiled the latest additions to its ARKit tookit at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference, where ARKit first said hello to the world in 2017, as well as some new tools that take a direct shot at Unity, Unreal Engine, and others. Coming to iOS 1 ...more
Thirteen isn't an unlucky number for this Limbo walkthrough; it's the number of videos in this series, a series which shows you the complete process, through trial and error, life and death, and as least amount of edits as possible. Limbo is a minimalist game, specifically a ...more
Apple released the fifth public beta for iOS 13.4 on March 10. The update comes three hours after the release of developer beta 5, and exactly one week after iOS 13.4 public beta 4. Apple seeded iOS 13.4 public beta 5 to testers at 1 p.m. PDT. It releases public betas after t ...more