Bolus

Ball of the Day

What else? The Times Square countdown ball.

Ball of the Day

Chief Science Officer Steve Carlson sends this composite picture from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory showing Jupiter and 4 of its moons.

Ball of the Day Christmas Week Special

Some hyper-cool ball toys for your Christmas morning. Submitter Chris Glick in Japan explains:

"There's a Japanese kids' show called 'Pythagoras Switch,' which usually ends/ended with a Rube Goldberg device that concludes with the show's name. Nearly every device contains marbles or balls in motion as a step. The following video is about 10 minutes' worth of largely ball-heavy Rube Goldberg machines. There is no AC/DC soundtrack, however."

Pitagora
by SaeHime

Ball of the Day Christmas Week Special

Jingle Balls

Ball of the Day Christmas Week Special

Via Harry Bergeron: Christmas rum balls

Ball of the Day Christmas Week Special

Delicious Schweddy Balls!

Ball of the Day Christmas Week Special

Happy Solstice! In honor of this celestial-terrestrial holiday, a neato picture from Bolus Chief Science Officer Steve Carlson -- the ceremonial sphere marking the South Pole, where Steve's son works at an Antarctic research station, and where it's the first day of Summer. 

I would also note that (a) this is Santa's logical final stop, and (b) from this exact point you can only travel in one direction -- North. So, as they say, it's all uphill from here.

UPDATE: Steve emails this addendum:

"Right now, it's 28F at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, 23F here in Portland,
and -4F (as I'm sure you are painfully aware) in Chicagoland." 

Very painfully aware. I was originally going to feature my brass monkey in today's Ball of the Day, but something went dreadfully wrong.

 

Ball of the Day

Via Harry Bergeron: Sputnik, baby!

Ball of the Day

Another image from the Nikon Small World photo contest nominated by Bolus Chief Science Dude Steve Carlson: Dr. Eric Hwang's photo of a "Retinoic acid-induced P19 neuronal aggregate (400x)."

Ball of the Day

An excellent nomination by Ric Kellen: the Dada artist Hugo Ball