Awesome Etc

We’re eagerly awaiting the restocking of these Soft Sector coasters; based on 5.25″ floppies, they even sport the classic read/write notch. We’re totally digging the retro colorway, too.

To say Nick Veasey has an obsession with x-ray photos would be an understatement; he’s imaged over 4,000 objects including an airliner, a bus and even an apartment building.

It’s not quite Monday Night, but you can catch Sunday Night Football with Madden and Co. for free online; now if they could only get Frank Caliendo in on the action, we’d be good.

Jake von Slatt is one of the better-known steampunk artists; above, Wired interviews him. Datamancer has actually taken von Slatt’s idea and sells Mac and PC steampunk keyboards.

The French really know how to put on a show: this gigantic 50′ spider is the work of La Machine; it’s currently running amok in Liverpool with its many operators at the helm.

Stormpulse is a visual web app that lets you keep track of storms and hurricanes brewing in the Atlantic. It forecasts direction and wind speed, but also shows historical storms.

You’ve likely seen his art or imitations of it; Chuck Anderson, aka NoPattern, is only 23 yet has already worked for clients that include Burton, Reebok, Microsoft and Absolut.

We’ve been having a bit too much fun with light painting lately, but we can’t help it: this trippy stop-motion 4th of July video by Jon Thomas is perfectly set to MGMT’s “Kids”.

The Empire apparently dominated the ’08 Olympics, as these Lego dioramas by Alan Chia show. Most memorable moment: stormtrooper spoofs the relay, gets throttled by Vader.

Their ollie days are over, but these skateboards have found a second life as stairs; they’re found at the offices of Roarockit, a Canadian outfit that sells DIY skateboard deck kits.

Onion Maps initially reminds us of Google Earth, minus many features — but its simplicity and focus on isometric views works, especially for tourists who just want landmarks.

Whether you’re a fan of the Man or not, Matador Nights has a gallery of the 13 coolest structures ever built at the Burning Man. Big Rig Jig (2007), above, is our favorite.

Created by German graphic designer Heiko Klug for Desktopography, Tiny World is a brilliantly executed wallpaper, even with all the balloons. You can also purchase a print here.

Ashley Payne’s Zune Bug is a modern take on the nightlight. The concept is actually a speaker that streams music from your Zune; it adjusts its volume based on ambient lighting.

Not that Japan doesn’t have enough monsters, but the Water Dragon hologram above was filmed in Tokyo Bay. It’s actually part of a Sony ad campaign for The Water Horse movie.

We’re totally digging these fantastic lightpainting photos by artist Andy Hill, who makes and sells retro sci-fi Saucerbots from LED lights, leftover CDs, DVDs and hard drive platters.