On July 28, 2011, a 32-year-old Uzbek woman studying in Munich named Gulsumoy Abdujalilova joined Facebook, except she didn’t. Then, earlier this month, after horrific abuses from the Uzbekistan government, she tragically and spectacularly took her own life, except she didn’t, because she had never existed in the first place.

Beginning this summer, someone launched an elaborate hoax that fooled members of the Uzbek opposition, Uzbek human rights community, the Uzbek and English-language media— and me. Over four months, Gulsumoy updated her page several times each week. She wrote about mundane events — missing her mother, getting the flu, the arrival of Ramadan — and, often, about politics. Gulsumoy posted links to stories about corruption in the Uzbek government and protest movements organized by Uzbeks abroad. (via The Strange Saga of a Made-Up Activist and Her Life—and Death—as a Hoax - Sarah Kendzior - The Atlantic)

Kayak’s “price trend” algorithm.

Google glasses gestures

For ¥3,000, or about thirty dollars, I had gotten a membership card at Tokyo’s first co-sleeping café, and then I paid another ¥3,000 for forty minutes of sleeping; it’s ordinarily ¥5,000, but as a first-timer I was eligible for a promotional rate. (A ten-hour package costs ¥50,000, a 20 percent discount off the hourly rate.) The café had a video explaining that all sexual overtures, regardless of financial incentivization, would be refused. But there were add-ons available: I chose staring into each other’s eyes (1 min, ¥1,000) and being patted on the head (1 min, ¥1,000). Other options included...

"Air Force IR laser during mission in 2010, Kandahar Province. Modified Canon Mark II 5d camera, but no night vision."

painting-the-target

"People will be painting tonight in Afghanistan.  It is common practice.  Afghans have been caught with normal video cameras that feature a night mode strapped to their weapons."

Prosthetics are perhaps the purest form of wearable technology. They have become a profound medium for designers and engineers to imagine how our bodies may evolve in the distant future while remaining sensitive and honest to their exigent role of replacing lost limbs.

In the Alternative Limb Project, Sophie de Oliveira Barata re-imagines prosthetics as stylized, one-of-a-kind couture limbs that reflect her client's personality and identity. Unlike Barata's handcrafted prostheses, Hugh Hurr's bionic-ankles look like high-tech machines designed for performance —  they can propel him forward in 400-watt bursts. 

Increasing prosthetics are being designed and developed for niche markets and specific activities with sports and fitness taking center stage. 

Murr-ma is an example of a prosthetic  prototype designed specifically for high performance water sports and beach activities. Whether you are learning how to surf or playing beach volley ball, Murr-ma promises to help its users navigate the challenging terrain of sand and water. 

On land, the split-toe design helps with balancing the uneven sandy terrain of the beach while the studs provide a larger surface area for better grip on the soft sand. 

In the sea, the beauty of the Murr-ma is its ability to enhance the swimming experience through its clever "fin" design . Inspired by dorsal fin of the sale fish — the fastest fish in the world — the fins located at the top of the prosthesis channel the water flow alongside the carbon fibre backbone and out at the sides, providing the wearer with the necessary thrust to move through the surf. 

The Project is a collaboration between designers Thomas Essl, Julia Johnson, Yuki Machida, and Damian Rocca.