The first chill of a winter storm is enough to send most people indoors, but not Nathan Myhrvold. The colder the weather, the better his chances are of capturing a microscopic photograph of a snowflake. Now, nearly two years in the making, Myhrvold has developed what he bills as the “highest resolution snowflake camera in the world.” Recently, he released a series of images taken using his creation, a prototype that captures snowflakes at a microscopic level never seen before.Myhrvold, who holds a PhD in theoretical mathematics and physics from Princeton University and served as the Chief...…The first chill of a winter storm is enough to send most people indoors, but not Nathan Myhrvold. The colder the weather, the better his chances are of capturing a microscopic photograph of a snowflake. Now, nearly two years in the making, Myhrvold has developed what he bills as the “highest resolution snowflake camera in the world.” Recently, he released a series of images taken using his creation, a prototype that captures snowflakes at a microscopic level never seen before.Myhrvold, who holds a PhD in theoretical mathematics and physics from Princeton University and served as the Chief...WW…

No city in the country—or the world—does Halloween quite like Anoka, Minnesota. For almost a century, residents of the small Minnesota town located about 20 miles northwest of Minneapolis have been holding a community-wide celebration in honor of October 31, eventually earning the town of nearly 18,000 the title of .It all began on November 1, 1919, the day after Halloween, when Anoka residents woke up to a prank of epic proportions at the hands of some of the local youth. As the sun rose, community members were greeted by wagons parked precariously on rooftops, overturned outhouses and...…No city in the country—or the world—does Halloween quite like Anoka, Minnesota. For almost a century, residents of the small Minnesota town located about 20 miles northwest of Minneapolis have been holding a community-wide celebration in honor of October 31, eventually earning the town of nearly 18,000 the title of .It all began on November 1, 1919, the day after Halloween, when Anoka residents woke up to a prank of epic proportions at the hands of some of the local youth. As the sun rose, community members were greeted by wagons parked precariously on rooftops, overturned outhouses and...WW…

A Smithsonian magazine special reportThe Singapore government is using a robotic dog called to ensure that walkers, runners, and other park visitors stay at least six feet away from one another. The initiative is part of an ongoing effort to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 by promoting social distancing in public places. Part of a pilot program launched earlier this month, the robo-dog has already been spotted barking orders in Singapore parks.Developed by Boston Dynamics, a Massachusetts-based engineering and robotics company, Spot is one of the latest—and most creative—tactics being...…A Smithsonian magazine special reportThe Singapore government is using a robotic dog called to ensure that walkers, runners, and other park visitors stay at least six feet away from one another. The initiative is part of an ongoing effort to help minimize the spread of COVID-19 by promoting social distancing in public places. Part of a pilot program launched earlier this month, the robo-dog has already been spotted barking orders in Singapore parks.Developed by Boston Dynamics, a Massachusetts-based engineering and robotics company, Spot is one of the latest—and most creative—tactics being...WW…