Ancient Astronomical Observatories of India

Between 1727 and 1734 Maharajah Jai Singh II of Jaipur, India, constructed five astronomical observatories in his native territory of west central India. The observatories called “Jantar Mantars” incorporate multiple buildings of unique form, each with a specialized function for astronomical measurement. These structures with their striking combinations of geometric forms at large scale, have captivated the attention of architects, artists, and art historians world wide, yet remain largely unknown to the general public.

Are We Alone?

From David McCandless’s Information Is Beautiful Studio comes a magnificent charticle about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Above is just the top portion. See the whole thing at BBC Future, “Are We Alone?(via Wired)

Micro Sonic Grenade

Want to scare the living crap out of somebody? Well nothing better than a grenade explosion sound at 110 decibles. You can set the “explosion” timer to 5, 30 or 60 seconds then BOOM it happens. Battery powered and ready to scare.

Micro Sonic Grenade for $5

Buddhist ‘Endless Knot’ Crop Circle

This is the latest intricate crop circle to appear overnight in a British wheat field.

The mysterious pattern resembles the ancient Tibetan Buddhist symbol of an ‘endless knot’ – a complex loop of lines and circles used to illustrate the eternal flow of time.

The symbol has many meanings but because it has no beginning and no end many people who follow the religion say it represents the wisdom of Buddha.