Web Article Posted: March 23, 2025

Here's a fresh take on that cosmic journey:

Spacetacular Adventures:

NASA's recent "voyage of the unexpected" has seen astronauts Suni Williams and Bruce Wilmore successfully return to Earth after an extended eight-day space trek, followed by a 289-day stay aboard the ISS. Joined by two other returning astronauts, they splashed down to a picture-perfect welcome, complete with a dolphin cheering squad. As for those who've been living under a rock for the past nine months, Williams and Wilmore embarked on this interstellar escapade way back in June, aiming for a short stint on the ISS before their expected departure. However, their ride hit some snags during the ascent, prompting a temporary postponement in their homecoming.

While some might call their extended stay "stranded," we'd bump that label up a notch to "lucky." Sure, their mission plan took an unanticipated detour, but they ended up hanging out in the swankiest space condo out there – the ISS. They didn't get a time-and-a-half paycheck for the extended stay, but hey, could you really put a price on the privilege of floating around in zero gravity?

Astronauts aren't the only ones getting a taste of weightlessness these days – the European Space Agency (ESA) is offering an opportunity to test your space endurance sans spacecraft. They're seeking volunteers willing to spend ten days lying in a heated, water-filled tank that simulates microgravity posture. Sounds cozy, doesn't it? This experiment, part of the ESA's Vivaldi III campaign, explores the impact of extended space travel on the human body.

Now, for the bad news: AI might be stepping into your meme-making shoes. According to a recent study, a cutting-edge language model (ChatGPT) can crank out memes better than humans under certain circumstances. Researchers recruited a crew of skeptical meme makers to see if they could out-funny a computer. Using rather questionable meme templates, they played a game of meme tag to see who could come up with the most hilarious captions. They even tried teaming up human and machine forces to create meme captions. When presented to a crowd of meme enthusiasts, the machine-powered memes consistently garnered higher ratings for humor, creativity, and shareability. But there's no need to fear a robot takeover just yet; it seems human-generated memes still reigned supreme for laugh-a-minute content.

One more blast from the past: we recently discovered a hole-in-the-wall retro computer shop named Best Electronics that's still kicking after over 40 years. This Atari aficionado boasts an enviable collection of vintage Atari gear, having acquired "uncountable" amounts of Atari swag from the company's Sunnyvale warehouse during their bankruptcy. While their antiquated website is a bit of a bear to navigate, they seem to be investing in modern engineering techniques, enhancing their joystick and keyboard PCBs. It's a quirky, charming gem that's worth a visit if you're an Atari enthusiast.

In a truly mind-bending infusion of classical craftwork and high-tech demands, a clever hacker named Alanna Okun created a knitted breadboard for the ITP Stupid Hackathon at NYU. Its functional design is a mystery, with neither instructions nor build documents in sight. From the images, it appears that either conductive yarn or solid copper wire is knitted into the pattern to serve as circuit connections. This unusual hybrid of knitting and electronics adds a whimsical touch to the technological world.

The 'Vivaldi III' campaign by the European Space Agency (ESA) not only simulates microgravity posture but also delves into the effects of extended space travel on the human body, akin to the long-term residence of astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Delving deeper into technology, recent research indicates that AI, such as ChatGPT, competes with humans in generating memes, showing higher scores for humor, creativity, and shareability under certain circumstances.
When it comes to merging traditional craftwork with contemporary hardware, the knitted breadboard created by Alanna Okun for the ITP Stupid Hackathon at NYU showcases an intriguing amalgamation of knitting and electronic components, adding a touch of whimsy to the realm of technology.