Artful Mods and Desktop Hot Rods
Experience computers as never before during Rods & Mods, a three-day festival celebrating the innovations and outlaw aesthetics of custom computer culture. Like the 50s- and 60s-era “kustom kulture” that emerged from the artwork and car designs of Ed Roth, the Barris brothers, and others, computer modification transforms an impersonal technology into a means of cultural expression. Just as black sedans gave rise to hot rods and lowriders, so the boxy, beige PC has inspired radically modified cases, and motherboards have been built into virtually any object imaginable—from mannequins to motorcycles to bottles of Scotch.

From Thursday through Saturday, February 11 to 13, noon to 5:00 p.m. daily, the Skylight area will host a showroom of souped-up PCs, restored classics, and experimental computers, as well as workshops and presentations. Modders will be on hand throughout the event to discuss their work. Bring your laptop between noon and 3:00 p.m. and create your own mod on-site with the PIE (Playful Inventions and Explorations) team, or get your case pinstriped for a small fee by expert detailer Terry “Tbonez” Bell. Don't have a laptop? Bring your cell phone or another gadget you want to style—anything goes! back to top

Free Downloadable Exploratorium Images
In celebration of our 40th Anniversary, we’ve been digging through our archives, choosing images to share as free downloads for your computer or iPhone. The unique images, formatted as computer desktop wallpaper, feature scientific phenomena and classic exhibits such as Sun Painting or Vibrating Pinscreen, each with an explanatory caption. Six images will be available on February 1 at our Web site, and a new image will be released each month. back to top

Sexual Encounters of the Scientific Kind
This Thursday, February 4, join us for Exploratorium After Dark: Sexplorations, an irreverent and informative odyssey through the whys and wherefores of sexual reproduction. Shamelessly take a close look at pig and flower ovaries, sheep and bull testicles, and other “naughty bits.” Hear tales of sex science from Bonk author Mary Roach and ogle Project Inform’s condom couture. Learn if your eyes and nose agree on what’s attractive, guess which sperm is human, peek inside an insect love nest, dismantle sex toys, and more! (Sexplorations is recommended for adults only.) back to top

...When it comes to looking for love, it’s hard to match the barnacle. Consigned to life inside a stationary shell, this hermaphroditic crustacean extends a penis up to eight times its body length to mate with its equally anchored neighbors. Furthermore, intertidal barnacles can change penile proportions to suit their environment. A recent study showed that white acorn barnacles in quiet harbors grow long, thin members, while those in rougher seas develop shorter, stouter ones to withstand the waves. When moved from harbor to coast (and vice versa), this species obligingly reshapes its penis to suit its new surroundings (main source). back to top