The Playboy Mansion From a Different Perspective

The words “Playboy Mansion” conjure up very specific images for most people: flawless bodies, an older gentleman in a burgundy smoking jacket, exotic birds, lush grounds and the infamous grotto. Photographer Jeff Minton visited the iconic home last year (after it sold for $100 million) and while there are a few snaps of bikini-clad women, his images are not what one would expect. Minton’s images …

GlobalXplorer: How You Can Be a Space Archeologist

A “hybrid of Indiana Jones and Google Earth,” archaeologist Sarah Parcak uses satellite imagery to scour the earth for remains and lost cities and now she’s inviting us regular schmoes to do the same. Parcak has just launched GlobalXplorer°, an online tool that means we can help search for these important sites so that archaeologists get there before looters do. She says, “Most people don’t …

Farewell to the “Father of Pac-Man”

Masaya Nakamura, the founder of Namco—the Japanese company that was responsible for arcade classics like Pac-Man, Ms Pac-Man, Galaga and others—has died at 91 years old. Initially called Nakamura Manufacturing, the company was founded way back in 1955 and eventually merged with Bandai in 2005 (creating its current iteration as Bandai Namco). Nakamura’s passing and funeral were kept private, yet his legacy was (and will …