1. Painting viruses.

"Like traditional illnesses, computer viruses travel through networks of communication or trade, meaning that they can be mapped and rendered graphically across set geographies. Much of my project in the last few years has centered on taking these immaterial actors that reside within cultural networks as a starting point, attempting to reverse-engineer forms of expression or communication from them. I borrow from the historical vernacular of abstraction to render the work as abstract paintings. It allows me to talk about viruses using the language of painting rather than the technical jargon of computer programming or the hyperbole of mass media. In this way, abstraction functions as a lens, an interface. The virus paintings, in particular, begin with the digital image of a monochromatic surface, which is then infected with a virus or malware using software on my laptop." [Pocket]

2. This guy has been scanning the North Korean Internet, such as it is, for the past few years.

"One of the things I was most interested in is trying to determine whether or not the number of visible computers on the Internet increased in North Korea after the power transition from Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un. The answer there is that for the most part, it hasn't increased much in terms of number of directly visible hosts, but if you look at the scans, you get the impression they're using it more." [Pocket]

3. Google wants to work with a carmaker to build autonomous vehicles. Hmm...

"Google’s goal remains to field a fully autonomous car by 2017-2020, though Mr. Urmson said his priority is to ensure that the technology is safe and reliable, not to hit a deadline. Auto makers also worry that self-driving cars will be ready before government safety rules are in place to sanction them, and before questions are resolved as to who is responsible when an automated vehicle crashes. Mr. Urmson is scheduled to address a big auto industry convention, the Automotive News World Congress, in Detroit next month, an event many potential partners from the established auto industry will attend."

4. River, the accelerator just for virtual-reality startups.

"At Rothenberg Ventures, we believe 2015 will be the year of VR.  An historic 2014 set the stage with Facebook’s $2B Oculus purchase, Samsung’s GearVR and Google Cardboard releases, and Sony’s Project Morpheus announcement for the PS4 highlight 2014.   With outrageously powerful hardware and infrastructure to build on, developers and content creators are now creating applications and experiences that will give us the sensations and experiences of everything from dancing on stage with Beyoncé to walking on the moon with Neil Armstrong to having coffee with a loved one on the other side of the world.  Or dancing on the moon with a loved one while drinking coffee.  Our imagination is now our only constraint."

5. Pro tip: the best time to go looking for fossils is after a big Pacific storm.

"On Thursday, scientist Giancarlo Thomae found a megalodon tooth on a public beach in Santa Cruz County that could be as many as 10 million years old. The 60-foot great white shark was one of the largest and most powerful predators in Earth’s history. Earlier, Thomae found a great white shark tooth estimated at 4 million years old. Other recent finds include the tooth of an extinct mammal (Paleoparadoxia) that was similar to a hippopotamus, ribs from an extinct Steller’s sea cow, and teeth from an extinct species of sea lion and 20 species of ancient sharks. Many date back millions of years — some perhaps more than 10 million... Historic finds like this have occurred for years and often peak after major Pacific storms."

cul-de-sac. 'Bottom of the bag.' Blind alley is the English equivalent.

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Dancing on the Moon with a Loved One While Drinking Coffee