Scientists have spotted a rare and cosmic event happening 3.5 billion light years from Earth: the impending collision of a pair of black holes, each spiraling in slowly around the other.

Astronomers at Caltech identified a cosmic event, confirmed by researchers Columbia University, and while no one is certain how things will play out, it is estimated that the collision will release destructive gravitational waves through space-time with power equivalent to 1,000,000 supernovas.

Black holes are extremely dense objects whose gravitational pulls are so great that not even light can escape. Most galaxies seem to have a supermassive black hole, which can be problematic when galaxies merge. Two supermassive black holes usually enter into orbit with each other, until they interact with other celestial objects, like interstellar gas. As more research is done on this real unfolding example, there is a vast range of potential new knowledge to be gained from such an unusual cosmic collision.

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Drawing somewhat abstractly on the work of Albert Einstein, this faux-folding fabric features a warped grid that looks a lot like conventional attempts to represent space-time complexities in two-dimensional formats.

Designed by Japanese studio A.P.Works, the illusion is complete when a plate, fork, knife and (optional) spoon are set in their respective places, appearing to press down on the surface grid the way celestial bodies distort the universe as we know it.

Silkscreen on twill, blue on white or the reverse (sorry, no black and gold), these are a great introduction to astrophysics for kids but also a swell idea for anyone cosmologically-inclined – one must prepare, however, to have them become outdated in the next great paradigm shift in science.

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In the Back to the Future movies, manipulating time is challenging, but not impossible. The ability to do it all hinges on the flux capacitor, the core component of Doc Brown’s time traveling technology. ThinkGeek is making it possible to wear that technology on your person at all times – kind of.

The Back to the Future Flux Capacitor Wristwatch is a scale replica of Doc Brown’s invention that doesn’t necessarily control time, but it will help you keep track of it. The stainless steel casing features a Y-shaped blinking apparatus that displays the time with a series of lights.

Although it looks confusing at first, the lights flash in a pattern that makes it relatively easy to tell the time. The time circuit LCD shows you the current date – but if you want to escape, you can press a button to activate “Time Travel Mode.” In this mode, the time circuit displays a random date so you can pretend that you’ve escaped to some other point in the time-space continuum. At $50, it’ll cost you far less than building your own DeLorian version.

The post Numbers? Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Numbers first appeared on Gajitz.

Spray-painting on a wall in your house is usually a one-way trip to somebody getting really, really angry. The Spraycan Projection Clock is the best way we’ve seen to get out all of your hooligan-esque tendencies by “spraying” the time onto a wall – temporarily and completely reversibly.

The Spraycan Projection Clock is the creation of GAMAGO, an independent San Francisco consumer products design company. The clock looks just like a can of spray paint, but when you push down on the button on top of the can, instead of a blast of color you get a lighted projection of the current time.

The time is displayed as numerals inside a beam of light. When the light hits a surface, the time is temporarily “painted” on it. The clock, a perfect gift for retired taggers, works on two replaceable AA batteries and goes for $20 from GAMAGO.

The post Novel Projection Clock Spray Paints the Time on Your Wall first appeared on Gajitz.

The best part of waking up is usually not actually have to, but a close second may be: rising to the rousing smell of a freshly-brewed cup of coffee sitting right next to your bed.

A combination alarm clock and coffee maker, The Barisieur by Joshua Renouf uses steel balls to generate both sound (as they move) and heat (through induction), helping create your fresh hot drink and wake you at the same time.

A small refrigeration unit keeps the milk cool overnight as well, though an non-dairy alternative might make the design a bit more cost-effective.

A nighttime ritual of preparation is required, once that hopefully helps get you ready to go to bed in the first place, but once you have the beans, sugar and milk in place, the rest takes care of itself, and by the time you find yourself groggily reaching to turn it off you will find a coffee in your hand.

The post Coffee-Making Alarm Clock: Wake Up with a Fresh-Brewed Cup first appeared on Gajitz.