We went to the
Moon....
And we
discovered Earth.
~ Neil deGrasse Tyson,
A New Perspective
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2012 June
Milky Way Galaxy Doomed: Collision with Andromeda Pending
Illustration Credit: NASA, ESA, Z. Levay and R. van der Marel (STScI), and A. Mellinger
Illustration Credit: NASA, ESA, Z. Levay and R. van der Marel (STScI), and A. Mellinger
Explanation: Will our Milky Way Galaxy collide one day with its
larger neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy? Most likely, yes. Careful
plotting of slight displacements of M31's stars relative to background
galaxies on recent Hubble Space Telescope images indicate that the center of M31
could be on a direct collision course with the center of our home galaxy. Still,
the errors in sideways velocity appear sufficiently large to admit a good
chance that the central parts of the two galaxies will miss, slightly, but
will become close enough for their outer halos to become gravitationally entangled. Once that happens, the two galaxies
will become bound, dance around, and eventually merge to become one large elliptical
galaxy -- over the next few billion years. Pictured above is an artist's illustration of the sky of a
world in the distant future when the central parts of each galaxy begin to
destroy each other. The exact future of our Milky Way and the entire surrounding
Local Group of Galaxies is likely to remain an active topic of
research for years to come.
Eclipsed Moon Over Wyoming
Credit & Copyright: Mack H. Frost
Factory balls asks you to figure out how to modify each ball to produce the target object posted on the brown box. It has 14 levels that start off easy and get harder as you advance.
How Monkey and Ape Ancestors Colonized Africa
"There are sadistic scientists who hurry to hunt down errors instead of establishing the truth." - Marie Curie
There’s nothing subtle about the Wang Saen Suk Monastery
garden, 90 minutes drive south of Bangkok, Thailand, apart from its location,
hidden down a quiet lane not far from the coastal resort of Bang Saen. At the
entrance, a brightly colored sign proclaims “Welcome To Hell”, while beyond lies
a garish, in-your-face morality tale of sawn torsos, boiling vats and devilish
figures tormenting worldly sinners.
This is, like, so dumb...
Instructions on how to Colect a Beaker of Cat's Urine
1.Treat the beaker like your most prized possession.
2.Solemnly intone the word "no" every time the cat approaches the beaker.
3.After completing steps #1 and #2, leave the cat alone with the beaker for thirty seconds.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Partial Lunar Eclipse Galleries: Today's Lunar Eclipse and a Collection of Past APOD Lunar Eclipse Images
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2012 June 6 
Credit & Copyright: Mack H. Frost
Explanation: A setting full moon rarely looks like this. Monday morning
just before a fully lit Strawberry Moon dropped behind the Absaroka
Mountain Range near Cody, Wyoming, USA, the shadow of the Earth got in the way. A similarly setting partial lunar eclipse was visible throughout most of North and
South America, while simultaneously the same partially darkened moon was visible throughout eastern Asia.
Pictured in the foreground is a snowbank formation known as
the Horse's Head off a tributary of the Shoshone
River. Lunar eclipses occur about twice a year, and the next one -- a penumbral
eclipse -- will occur in late November.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rex Barker here with Quotes
That Make You Think...
Give away all you like, but keep your
bills and your temper.
Good luck beats early rising.
The believer is happy, the doubter is wise.
You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.
If you get a reputation as an early riser, you can sleep till noon.
It's no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes are leaking.
Praise the young and they will flourish.
A trade not properly learned is an enemy.
Put silk on a goat, and it's still a goat.
When the liquor was gone the fun was gone.
Time is a great story teller.
A friend's eye is a good mirror.
Even a small thorn causes festering.
A drink precedes a story.
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.
Good luck beats early rising.
The believer is happy, the doubter is wise.
You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.
If you get a reputation as an early riser, you can sleep till noon.
It's no use carrying an umbrella if your shoes are leaking.
Praise the young and they will flourish.
A trade not properly learned is an enemy.
Put silk on a goat, and it's still a goat.
When the liquor was gone the fun was gone.
Time is a great story teller.
A friend's eye is a good mirror.
Even a small thorn causes festering.
A drink precedes a story.
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Partial lunar eclipse sets the stage for Venus
transit
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47666636/ns/technology_and_science-space/
http://youtu.be/aszUiI6J-L8
The historic transit of Venus across the sun Tuesday is a must-see for skywatchers, but observers shouldn't overlook another celestial event that comes just one day earlier — a partial lunar eclipse of the June full moon.
http://youtu.be/aszUiI6J-L8
The historic transit of Venus across the sun Tuesday is a must-see for skywatchers, but observers shouldn't overlook another celestial event that comes just one day earlier — a partial lunar eclipse of the June full moon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SNARKY. 1. : crotchety, snappish. 2.
: sarcastic, impertinent, or irreverent in tone or manner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The teacher asked little Johnny if he knew his
numbers.
“Yes,” he said, “I do. My father taught
me.”
“Good. What comes after three?”
“Four,” answers the boy.
“What comes after six?”
“Seven.”
“Very good,” says the teacher. “Your dad did a
fine job. What comes after ten?”
“A jack!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His dog ate a box of crayons...
Found at Reddit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On her wedding day, with her husband Bobby Cruz on
keys, Suzanne sits in on a couple songs behind the drums, where she rips out
this crazy insane drum solo!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Try calling up strangers in the phone book and
forgiving them. Not only will it loosen you up for the crucial real thing,
the
strangers will feel better. Everyone likes to know they're forgiven.
strangers will feel better. Everyone likes to know they're forgiven.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"As you requested, here is a schedule of all future
unplanned network outages. I took the initiative to include a schedule of all
future sick days, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and hurricanes." --
Dilbert
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A woman's tendency to swallow is directly related to her
desire to find a husband.
She can somehow succesfully resist this tendency once she
marries.
This must be a genetic anomaly in females.
A quick answer..
Thanks,
Phlax
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Just when you think it can't get any better, it does"
-Byron Katie-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Portland On The Web: SPIN, Bleacher Report, Neighborhood Notes &
More
This week, Portlanders gave the middle finger to home ownership and prayed a new general manager for the Blazers might ensure us a winning season before the inevitable zombie apocalypse. At least no one is eating anyone's face here, yet. Instead, we're hiring our first female fire chief, keeping club music weird and playing hip-hop on the cello. Here's a round-up of news from the interwebs about Portland this week.
OBF: Oregon Brewers Festival generates $23.2 million for local economy
Bleacher Report: 5 Things Neil Oshley must do as GM to turn Trail Blazers into contender
OregonLive: Erin Janssens, Portland's first female fire chief, is sworn in
Portland Monthly: The New Nesting
The Republic: In Portland, cello players lay down a hip-hop beat
Spin Magazine: Portland's Miracles Club spreads the ecstasy
Neighborhood Notes: 21 locally owned businesses opened in Portland in May
OregonLive: Downtown's houses: The ornate, the restored, and the unnoticed
This week, Portlanders gave the middle finger to home ownership and prayed a new general manager for the Blazers might ensure us a winning season before the inevitable zombie apocalypse. At least no one is eating anyone's face here, yet. Instead, we're hiring our first female fire chief, keeping club music weird and playing hip-hop on the cello. Here's a round-up of news from the interwebs about Portland this week.
OBF: Oregon Brewers Festival generates $23.2 million for local economy
Bleacher Report: 5 Things Neil Oshley must do as GM to turn Trail Blazers into contender
OregonLive: Erin Janssens, Portland's first female fire chief, is sworn in
Portland Monthly: The New Nesting
The Republic: In Portland, cello players lay down a hip-hop beat
Spin Magazine: Portland's Miracles Club spreads the ecstasy
Neighborhood Notes: 21 locally owned businesses opened in Portland in May
OregonLive: Downtown's houses: The ornate, the restored, and the unnoticed
And, for those who play POGO games,
Clue: Secrets & Spies recently set one of their puzzles in
Portland.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Coolest Absence
Excuse Note Ever
Fifth gader Tyler Sullivan has probably got the best
absence excuse note ever:
It's not every day you get a chance to see
President Obama speak — and it's even rarer to watch him get introduced by your
dad. That's why fifth grader Tyler Sullivan made the wise choice to skip school
and head to the Honeywell factory where his dad, Ryan Sullivan, works.
There, Tyler got to meet Obama, and received what may be the coolest
absence note ever.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Freakish Beauty of
Human Eyes
We’ve all seen human eyes, but it’s rare to look this
closely at them -and when you do, it’s amazing how weird they actually look,
filled with nooks, crannies and a surprising array of vivid colors. See
fantastic close ups of human eyes at the link. Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can retire to Phoenix or Tucson ,
Arizona where…1. You are willing to park 3 blocks away because you
found shade.
2. You’ve experienced condensation on your hiney from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town.
4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food.
5. You know that “dry heat” is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door.
6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!
2. You’ve experienced condensation on your hiney from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
3. You can drive for 4 hours in one direction and never leave town.
4. You have over 100 recipes for Mexican food.
5. You know that “dry heat” is comparable to what hits you in the face when you open your oven door.
6. The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!
OR
You can retire to California
where…1. You make over $250,000 and you still can’t afford to buy a
house.
2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.
3. You know how to eat an artichoke.
4. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party.
5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.
6. The 4 seasons are: Fire, Flood, Mud, and Drought.
2. The fastest part of your commute is going down your driveway.
3. You know how to eat an artichoke.
4. You drive your rented Mercedes to your neighborhood block party.
5. When someone asks you how far something is, you tell them how long it will take to get there rather than how many miles away it is.
6. The 4 seasons are: Fire, Flood, Mud, and Drought.
OR
You can retire to New York City
where…1. You say “the city” and expect everyone to know you mean
Manhattan.
2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can’t find Wisconsin on a map.
3. You think Central Park is “nature.”
4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual.
5. You’ve worn out a car horn. (Ed. Note if you have a car).
6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.
2. You can get into a four-hour argument about how to get from Columbus Circle to Battery Park, but can’t find Wisconsin on a map.
3. You think Central Park is “nature.”
4. You believe that being able to swear at people in their own language makes you multi-lingual.
5. You’ve worn out a car horn. (Ed. Note if you have a car).
6. You think eye contact is an act of aggression.
OR
You can retire to Minnesota
where…1. You only have four spices: salt, pepper, ketchup, and
Tabasco .
2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas.
3. You have more than one recipe for casserole.
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction.
2. Halloween costumes fit over parkas.
3. You have more than one recipe for casserole.
4. Sexy lingerie is anything flannel with less than eight buttons.
5. The four seasons are: winter, still winter, almost winter, and construction.
OR
You can retire to the Deep South
where…1. You can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.
2. “Y’all” is singular and “all y’all” is plural.
3. “He needed killin” is a valid defense.
4. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Mary Ellen , Betty Jean, Mary Beth, etc.
5. Everything is either “in yonder,” “over yonder” or “out yonder.” It’s important to know the difference, too.
2. “Y’all” is singular and “all y’all” is plural.
3. “He needed killin” is a valid defense.
4. Everyone has 2 first names: Billy Bob, Jimmy Bob, Mary Ellen , Betty Jean, Mary Beth, etc.
5. Everything is either “in yonder,” “over yonder” or “out yonder.” It’s important to know the difference, too.
OR
You can retire to Colorado
where…1. You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500
car.
2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and so he stops at the day care center.
3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.
4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.
2. You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home and so he stops at the day care center.
3. A pass does not involve a football or dating.
4. The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.
OR
You can retire to the Midwest
where…1. You’ve never met any celebrities, but the mayor knows your
name.
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.
3. You have had to switch from “heat” to “A/C” on the same day.
4. You end sentences with a preposition: “Where’s my coat at?”
5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, “It was different!”
2. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.
3. You have had to switch from “heat” to “A/C” on the same day.
4. You end sentences with a preposition: “Where’s my coat at?”
5. When asked how your trip was to any exotic place, you say, “It was different!”
OR
FINALLY You can retire to Florida
where.1. You eat dinner at 3:15 in the afternoon.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind — even houses and cars.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist.
4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.
5. Cars in front of you often appear to be driven by headless people.
2. All purchases include a coupon of some kind — even houses and cars.
3. Everyone can recommend an excellent dermatologist.
4. Road construction never ends anywhere in the state.
5. Cars in front of you often appear to be driven by headless people.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Factory balls asks you to figure out how to modify each ball to produce the target object posted on the brown box. It has 14 levels that start off easy and get harder as you advance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
25 CLEVER IDEAS TO MAKE LIFE EASIER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jerusalem Syndrome: How to
Psychoanalyze a Messiah
What do you do when someone
suddenly decides that they're the next messiah? Jerusalem Syndrome is a fairly
well-known phenomenon. It happens when otherwise normal people suddenly become
sure they're the chosen one — often while they're visiting Jerusalem. And there
are actual specialists in this particular medical area. Find out how they treat
the many Jesuses (Jesi?) they encounter,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Since I brought along two cases of well-joggled wine,
my main problems will be food and sex. Not oddly, they're the same problems a
lot of people have everywhere on Earth." - Jim Harrison
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“A gentleman never looks out of the window.” —
Oscar Wilde
“Gentlemen do not take soup at luncheon.” — Lord
Curzon
“Gentlemen are never busy — insects and city
people are busy.” — Beau Brummel
“A gentleman never encircles the lady’s waist in
the waltz until the dance begins, and drops his arm as soon as it ends. He
studies to hold the lady lightly and firmly without embracing her.” — The
Manners That Win, 1880
“A gentleman never sits in the house with his hat
on in the presence of ladies for a single moment. Indeed, so strong is the force
of habit, that a gentleman will quite unconsciously remove his hat on entering a
parlor, or drawing-room, even if there is no one present but himself. People who
sit in the house with their hats on are to be suspected of having spent the most
of their time in barrooms, and similar places. A gentleman never sits with
his hat on in the theater. Gentlemen do not generally sit even in an
eating-room with their hats on, if there is any convenient place to put them.” —
Arthur Martine, Martine’s Perfect Letter Writer and American Manual of
Etiquette, 1866
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smithsonian Magazine Online
The war's battle cry, along with almost everything
else about it, has been forgotten for far too long
College graduates take note: Your dream career as a
robot psychologist or nasal technologist is just around the corner
One hundred years ago, a German scientist was
ridiculed for advancing the shocking idea that the continents were
adrift
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Think Fast
Who invented toilet paper?
Walter Hunt
Joseph Gayetty
Thomas Crapper
Alfred Nobel
(Think Fast Answer: Joseph Gayetty) In
1857, Joseph Gayetty invented flat sheets of toilet paper. Toilet paper did not
become a successful invention until 1890, when the Scott brothers marketed small
rolls of perforated paper.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For well over a hundred years, people have hopped on bicycles
for transportation, recreation, competition, and more. In many parts of the
world, spinning pedals moves goods and generates electricity. While usually
attached to two wheels, pedal power takes many forms, adapting to a wide range
of needs. Globally, over 100 million bicycles are produced every year - over 60%
of them in China - easily doubling world production of automobiles. Efficient,
clean, and cheap, pedal power in all its forms can solve modern problems with
basic technology, and offers a health benefit to those cranking away. And it's
hard to beat the simple joy of riding a bike. Gathered here are images of people
around the world as we pedal for a reason, or just because. -- Lane
Turner (49 photos
total)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The wife of an older man is distraught because her
husband's um...little sailor can't salute anymore. She goes to her local doctor
and explains the situation and the doctor just feels plain bad for her. The doc
thinks for a little bit, turns to the woman and says, "listen, I don't do this
for everyone, but since your husband's on his way out...Get this prescription,
and put three drops in his milk before he goes to bed." The wife is very happy
and thanks the doc profusely.
Two weeks later, the doctor sees the woman and asks
how it went. The lady blushes, smiles and says, "well I put thirty drops in his
milk by accident, and well, we just need an antidote now to close the coffin."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
John : I don't know what to buy - a cow or a
bicycle.
Peter : You will look silly riding a cow.
John : I will look even sillier trying to milk a bicycle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter : You will look silly riding a cow.
John : I will look even sillier trying to milk a bicycle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two poor kids were invited by a rich kid to a
swimming party at his pool. When they were changing into their swim trunks, one
turned to the other and said: "Did you notice the small dongs on the rich
kids?"
The other answered: "Yeah! It's probably because they have toys to play with!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The other answered: "Yeah! It's probably because they have toys to play with!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Australian artist Yiying Lu has designed
Beautiful Traps, an art series of watercolored women wearing
carnivorous plant hats where each incorporates a working QR code. She has
created 7 carnivorous plants for the series: Rafflesia Arnoldii,
Sundew, Voodoo Lily, Venus Flytrap, Sarracenia
Leucophylla, Nepenthes Truncata and Nepenthes
Rafflesianaan. Take a look at her stop
motion video of the series being created and
her previous work featured on Laughing Squid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Think Globally. Act Locally. Support your Local Politician. With a Rope."
-- petro@suba.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"They're multipurpose. Not only do they put the clips
on, but they take them off."
- Pratt & Whitney spokesperson explaining why the company charged the Air Force nearly $1000 for an ordinary pair of pliers.
- Pratt & Whitney spokesperson explaining why the company charged the Air Force nearly $1000 for an ordinary pair of pliers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BABY CHICKEN
A 50 year old woman was brought into a New York emergency room complaining of abdominal pains.
During an examination, doctors found that the woman's labia were pinned together with old safety pins. Further inside, they found the dismembered body of a chicken. The woman explained that she inserted the chicken pieces, convinced that they would grow into a baby.
A 50 year old woman was brought into a New York emergency room complaining of abdominal pains.
During an examination, doctors found that the woman's labia were pinned together with old safety pins. Further inside, they found the dismembered body of a chicken. The woman explained that she inserted the chicken pieces, convinced that they would grow into a baby.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In spite of the costs of living, It's still
popular. -- Kathleen Norris --
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hüwi the Little Owl Makes a Friend
Meet Linton
Zoo's newest and fluffiest little addition: a Turkmenian Eagle Owlet named
Hüwi, which is Turkmen for “Eagle owl.” When keepers noticed that Hüwi's owl
mom, named Rohan, wasn't quite as attentive as she should be, they stepped in to
hand-rear the chick.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If Scientists Wrote Nursery
Rhymes
How many can you solve? (Answers below)
1. A research team proceeded toward the apex of a natural geologic protuberance, the purpose of their expedition being the procurement of a sample of fluid hydride of oxygen in a large vessel, the exact size of which was unspecified. One member of the team precipitantly descended, sustaining severe fractural damage to the upper cranial portion of his
anatomical structure. Subsequently, the second member of the team performed a self-rotational translation oriented in the direction taken by the first member.
2. Complications arose during an investigation of dietary influence: one researcher was unable to assimilate adipose tissue and another was unable to consume tissue consisting chiefly of muscle fiber. By reciprocal arrangement between the two researchers, total consumption of the viands under consideration was achieved, this leaving the original container of
the viands devoid of contents.
3. A young male human was situated near the intersection of two supporting structural elements at right angles to each other: said subject was involved in ingesting a saccharine composition prepared in conjunction with the ritual observance of an annual fixed-day religious festival. Insertion into the saccharine composition of the opposable digit of his forelimb was followed by removal of a drupe of genus prune. Subsequently the subject made a declarative statement regarding the high quality of his character as a young male human.
4. A triumvirate of murine rodents totally deviod of ophthalmic acuity were observed in a state of rapid locomotion in pursuit of an agriculturalist's marital adjunct. Said adjunct then performed triple caudectomy utilizing an acutely honed bladed instrument generally used for the subdivision of edible tissue.
5. A female of the species homo sapiens was the possesor of a small immature ruminant of the genus ovis, the outer most covering of which reflected all wavelengths of visible light with a luminosity equal to that mass of naturally occurring microscopically crystalline water. Regardless of the translational pathway chosen by the homo sapien, the probability was 1 that the forementioned ruminent would select the same pathway.
6. A human female, extremely captious and given to opposed behavior, was questioned as to the dynamic state of her cultivated tract of land used for production of various types of flora. The tract components were enumerated as argentous tone-producing agents, a rare species of oceaninc growth and pulchritudinous young females situated in a linear orientation.
1. Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
2. Jack Sprat could eat no fat.
His wife could eat no lean.
And so.......(I don't remember the words)
They ate the platter clean.
3. Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner
Eating his Christmas pie
He stuck in his thumb
And pulled out a plum
And said "What a good boy am I!"
4. Three blind mice, three blind mice
See how they run, see how they run.
They all ran after the farmer's wife
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife
Did you ever see such a sight in your life
As three blind mice.
5. Mary had a Little Lamb
Whose fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.
6. Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow.
With silver bells, and cockle shells
And pretty maidens, all in a row.
How many can you solve? (Answers below)
1. A research team proceeded toward the apex of a natural geologic protuberance, the purpose of their expedition being the procurement of a sample of fluid hydride of oxygen in a large vessel, the exact size of which was unspecified. One member of the team precipitantly descended, sustaining severe fractural damage to the upper cranial portion of his
anatomical structure. Subsequently, the second member of the team performed a self-rotational translation oriented in the direction taken by the first member.
2. Complications arose during an investigation of dietary influence: one researcher was unable to assimilate adipose tissue and another was unable to consume tissue consisting chiefly of muscle fiber. By reciprocal arrangement between the two researchers, total consumption of the viands under consideration was achieved, this leaving the original container of
the viands devoid of contents.
3. A young male human was situated near the intersection of two supporting structural elements at right angles to each other: said subject was involved in ingesting a saccharine composition prepared in conjunction with the ritual observance of an annual fixed-day religious festival. Insertion into the saccharine composition of the opposable digit of his forelimb was followed by removal of a drupe of genus prune. Subsequently the subject made a declarative statement regarding the high quality of his character as a young male human.
4. A triumvirate of murine rodents totally deviod of ophthalmic acuity were observed in a state of rapid locomotion in pursuit of an agriculturalist's marital adjunct. Said adjunct then performed triple caudectomy utilizing an acutely honed bladed instrument generally used for the subdivision of edible tissue.
5. A female of the species homo sapiens was the possesor of a small immature ruminant of the genus ovis, the outer most covering of which reflected all wavelengths of visible light with a luminosity equal to that mass of naturally occurring microscopically crystalline water. Regardless of the translational pathway chosen by the homo sapien, the probability was 1 that the forementioned ruminent would select the same pathway.
6. A human female, extremely captious and given to opposed behavior, was questioned as to the dynamic state of her cultivated tract of land used for production of various types of flora. The tract components were enumerated as argentous tone-producing agents, a rare species of oceaninc growth and pulchritudinous young females situated in a linear orientation.
1. Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
2. Jack Sprat could eat no fat.
His wife could eat no lean.
And so.......(I don't remember the words)
They ate the platter clean.
3. Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner
Eating his Christmas pie
He stuck in his thumb
And pulled out a plum
And said "What a good boy am I!"
4. Three blind mice, three blind mice
See how they run, see how they run.
They all ran after the farmer's wife
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife
Did you ever see such a sight in your life
As three blind mice.
5. Mary had a Little Lamb
Whose fleece was white as snow.
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.
6. Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow.
With silver bells, and cockle shells
And pretty maidens, all in a row.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neat
footage of train plowing through snow in New Zealand.
Lazy walrus colony.
Gordon Ramsay: How to chop an onion.
Ever heard of hoop isolation?
Revealing the lost codex of Archimedes.
Lazy walrus colony.
Gordon Ramsay: How to chop an onion.
Ever heard of hoop isolation?
Revealing the lost codex of Archimedes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two young girls were talking about their sex lives when
the first girl says, "Oh my god! , it was really great, but I was Sooo scared
after his rubber broke.
I didn't get a good night's sleep for a week."
"What happened." Says her intrigued friend.
"I didn't know what I was going to do, but I was finally able to get the last little piece of it out with dental floss."
I didn't get a good night's sleep for a week."
"What happened." Says her intrigued friend.
"I didn't know what I was going to do, but I was finally able to get the last little piece of it out with dental floss."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
J. Joseph Renaud, the French novelist and dramatic
author, to test the popularity of Conan Doyle’s stories, recently sent a letter
to a friend living in Baker Street. It was addressed as follows:
Miss Compton,
The same street as Sherlock Holmes,
London.The letter was delivered by the first post the following morning. The conclusion drawn is that Sherlock Holmes is still fresh in the memory of the English and that the English postal authorities are both erudite and conscientious.
– The Morning Post, Feb. 3,
1933
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My family has a tradition of naming the cruise
control on our cars. We were used to hearing my father proclaim, “Take it, Max,”
as he flipped on the cruise control during long trips in our station
wagon.
Recently, I was travelling with my parents in their
new car when we hit a wide-open expanse of highway. My dad leaned back and said,
“I think I’ll let Tom drive for a while.”
“Tom who?” I asked.
My mother translated for me: “Tom Cruise, of
course.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Said Watson to Holmes, “Is it wise –
Such false whiskers when hunting for spies?”
Said the sleuth, “I’m afraid
You’re as dense as Lestrade:
I’m disguised as myself in disguise.”
Such false whiskers when hunting for spies?”
Said the sleuth, “I’m afraid
You’re as dense as Lestrade:
I’m disguised as myself in disguise.”
– R.J.P. Hewison, Punch, Nov. 21,
1951
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Vampire” Skeletons
Archaeologists in Bulgaria discovered two skeletons with
iron rods piercing their chest to stop them from turning into
vampires:
"These skeletons stabbed with rods illustrate a practice which was common in some Bulgarian villages up until the first decade of the 20th Century," explained Bozhidar Dimitrov who heads the National History Museum in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.People believed the rod would pin the dead into their graves to prevent them from leaving at midnight and terrorising the living, the historian added.
Previously on Neatorama: Did Zombies Plague Medieval Ireland?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dick and Jane are playing a game. Each holds up
one or two fingers. If the total number of fingers is odd, then Dick pays Jane
that number of dollars. If it’s even, then Jane pays Dick:
At first blush this looks fair, but in fact it’s
distinctly favorable for Jane. Let p be the proportion of times that
Jane holds up one finger. Her average winnings when Dick holds up one finger are
-2p + 3(1 – p), and her average winnings when he holds up two
fingers are 3p – 4(1 – p). If she sets those equal to one
another she gets p = 7/12. This means that if she raises one finger
with probability 7/12, then on average she’ll win -2(7/12) + 3(5/12) = 1/12
dollar every round, no matter what Dick does. Dick’s best strategy is also to
raise one finger 7/12 of the time, but the best this can do is to restrict his
loss to 1/12 dollar on average. It’s not a fair game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've played Sim City since the original version was
released in the early 1990s, and from that frame of reference I'm in awe of the
graphics in the newest version, shown
in the trailer above (via BoingBoing).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Healthy Living from Health.com
http://health.chtah.net/a/tBPz5k6BFYNexB8jWzhCFNC1Et5/top2
HOW TO SHOP SMARTERhttp://health.chtah.net/a/tBPz5k6BFYNexB8jWzhCFNC1Et5/top23
LOSE 12 POUNDS THIS MONTHhttp://health.chtah.net/a/tBPz5k6BFYNexB8jWzhCFNC1Et5/top26
Slim down with this seriously satisfying meal plan
HOW TO SHOP SMARTERhttp://health.chtah.net/a/tBPz5k6BFYNexB8jWzhCFNC1Et5/top23
Ever pick one grocery item over another because it
sounds healthier? You may have been duped. Here's the real deal on 16 of the
most misleading and misunderstood phrases used to sell
food.
BRIGHT COLORS, HEALTHY RECIPEShttp://health.chtah.net/a/tBPz5k6BFYNexB8jWzhCFNC1Et5/top25
Amp up your antioxidants with these multi-hued meals
BRIGHT COLORS, HEALTHY RECIPEShttp://health.chtah.net/a/tBPz5k6BFYNexB8jWzhCFNC1Et5/top25
Amp up your antioxidants with these multi-hued meals
LOSE 12 POUNDS THIS MONTHhttp://health.chtah.net/a/tBPz5k6BFYNexB8jWzhCFNC1Et5/top26
Slim down with this seriously satisfying meal plan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How Monkey and Ape Ancestors Colonized Africa
Eosimias
We learned that humans evolved from earlier primates
in Africa and then spread around the world. But what about those earlier
primates? Where did they originate?
Until about 20 years ago, the answer seemed obvious:
Africa. That’s where the earliest fossil evidence was found, mainly from Egypt’s
Fayum Depression. Starting in the 1990s, however, relevant fossils started
popping up in Asia. Paleoanthropologists now consider a 45-million-year-old
primate discovered in China, called Eosimias, to be the earliest anthropoid, the
group of primates that includes monkeys, apes and humans. Eosimias was tiny,
weighing less than half a pound. But it possessed certain dental and jaw
characteristics that link it to living anthropoids.
The newly discovered species, named Afrasia
dijijidae, dates to roughly 37 million years ago and was found in Myanmar. So
far, all that’s known of Afrasia is based on four isolated teeth. But the nooks,
crannies, crests and bumps on those teeth reveal a few things about where the
ancestors of today’s monkeys and apes came from.
Find out more about this new, yet very old, ancestor
at Hominid Hunting. Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q and A Quickies
--*
Q: Why was the sick man arrested in his car?
A: For Driving Under the Influenza.
Q: What are two things you don't eat for breakfast?
A: Lunch and dinner.
Q: Why did the music teacher get locked in his classroom?
A: His keys were inside the piano!
Q: What did one skunk say to the other skunk when they were cornered?
A: "Let us spray."
Q: Why was the sick man arrested in his car?
A: For Driving Under the Influenza.
Q: What are two things you don't eat for breakfast?
A: Lunch and dinner.
Q: Why did the music teacher get locked in his classroom?
A: His keys were inside the piano!
Q: What did one skunk say to the other skunk when they were cornered?
A: "Let us spray."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A
wig-wearing man broke into a suburban Chicago bank vault and nearly made off
with $100,000 but got stuck in an air duct and had to be cut out hours
later.
Charles Estell, 38, was found early Sunday hiding in an air duct in an office next to the bank, according to Oak Lawn police spokesman Michael Kaufmann.
The Chicago man had allegedly robbed the suburban bank Saturday afternoon, and pointed a gun at bank employees who confronted him in the vault, according to the FBI.
"I don't want to kill or hurt you," Estell said, according to the criminal complaint. "I just want the money."
He allegedly stuffed $100,000 in a backpack and fled. Employees told authorities it appeared he escaped through the ceiling.
Authorities spent hours searching for him and located him around 1 a.m. Sunday. But before they could cut him loose from the air duct, they had to remove a wig of long, beaded dreadlocks he was wearing.
Charles Estell, 38, was found early Sunday hiding in an air duct in an office next to the bank, according to Oak Lawn police spokesman Michael Kaufmann.
The Chicago man had allegedly robbed the suburban bank Saturday afternoon, and pointed a gun at bank employees who confronted him in the vault, according to the FBI.
"I don't want to kill or hurt you," Estell said, according to the criminal complaint. "I just want the money."
He allegedly stuffed $100,000 in a backpack and fled. Employees told authorities it appeared he escaped through the ceiling.
Authorities spent hours searching for him and located him around 1 a.m. Sunday. But before they could cut him loose from the air duct, they had to remove a wig of long, beaded dreadlocks he was wearing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Beautiful
young people are accidents of nature,
but
beautiful old people are works of art."
-
Eleanor Roosevelt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"There are sadistic scientists who hurry to hunt down errors instead of establishing the truth." - Marie Curie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I once wanted to become an atheist, but I gave up - they have no holidays." - Henny Youngman
"I once wanted to become an atheist, but I gave up - they have no holidays." - Henny Youngman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PICK
THE WORST
You're
given two options, neither of which are good. However, you need to pick the
worst. Hmmm, would I rather eat 52 hard boiled eggs or 52 hot dogs?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Top
10 reasons men were dumped, according to What Went Wrong
1. There's someone else
2. Our dietary habits differ too much
3. Too high maintenance
4. Too short
5. You don't earn enough money for the lifestyle I want to have
6. You don't make me feel attractive
7. Lack of punctuality
8. Lack of attraction
9. Too much fighting
10. I don't feel like I'm a priority
1. There's someone else
2. Our dietary habits differ too much
3. Too high maintenance
4. Too short
5. You don't earn enough money for the lifestyle I want to have
6. You don't make me feel attractive
7. Lack of punctuality
8. Lack of attraction
9. Too much fighting
10. I don't feel like I'm a priority
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Katriina Haikala and Vilma Metteri of Finland-based
offbeat fashion company Nutty Tarts
have created Hairy Panties,
white women’s hipster-style underwear screenprinted with black pubic hair. Their
tagline reads: “If you are fed up with bald beavers, this is the answer!”. The
panties are part of their Hairy Underwear collection which includes Hairy Leggings
and the Hairy Undershirt. There is also Hairy Underwear for Babies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Big
movie opening this weekend, "Snow White and the Huntsman." The evil queen
banishes Snow White because of her beauty, but the dwarves help her because
they're smitten by that very beauty. It teaches kids an important lesson:
Nothing matters except for your looks." -Craig Ferguson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A new version of the Bible is being published that is gender-neutral. For instance, the books of 'Mark, Luke, and John' are now the books of 'Kris, Jean, and Terry.'" --Conan O'Brien~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
A four-year-old was showing a little friend the family photos that covered one wall in their basement. Out of sight but not out of earshot, her mother overheard her say, "Here's a picture of my mommy when she was a little girl. I wasn't there, but people say she used to be nice." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A group of tourists were watching the re-enactment of an ancient Egyptian religious ritual. One turned to a nearby local, pointed to the statue that was being praised and asked, "Pardon me, but what was the name of that god supposed to be?"
"Why do you ask?" the man replied.
The tourist shrugged. "Just idol curiosity, I guess."
"A new version of the Bible is being published that is gender-neutral. For instance, the books of 'Mark, Luke, and John' are now the books of 'Kris, Jean, and Terry.'" --Conan O'Brien~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
A four-year-old was showing a little friend the family photos that covered one wall in their basement. Out of sight but not out of earshot, her mother overheard her say, "Here's a picture of my mommy when she was a little girl. I wasn't there, but people say she used to be nice." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A group of tourists were watching the re-enactment of an ancient Egyptian religious ritual. One turned to a nearby local, pointed to the statue that was being praised and asked, "Pardon me, but what was the name of that god supposed to be?"
"Why do you ask?" the man replied.
The tourist shrugged. "Just idol curiosity, I guess."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wreck-It Ralph is a
feature animation by Walt Disney Animation
Studios that is about an 8-bit character that
no longer loves his job playing a bad guy inside an arcade video game. It
features the voice talents of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch. The trailer has been released and
it opens in movie theaters on November 2, 2012.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No man is free who is not master of himself. --Epictetus
In addition to providing their well-known Bibles in hotel rooms, the Gideons also distribute Bibles to militaries of various countries, to hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons.
We were celebrating the 100th anniversary of our church, and several former pastors and the bishop were in attendance.
At one point, our minister had the children gather at the altar for a talk about the importance of the day.
He began by asking, "Does anyone know what the bishop does?"
No
matter how many mistakes you make or how slow your progress, you are still way
ahead of everyone who isn't even trying. --Tony
Robbins
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No man is free who is not master of himself. --Epictetus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If we
did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound
ourselves.~ Thomas
Edison
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Man Builds Replica of Golden Gate Bridge
across Creek in Kansas
In 1967, Larry Richardson saw San Francisco’s
Golden Gate Bridge as he headed to Vietnam:
The story began in the dead of night in February
1969, when Larry was on a troop bus on his way to deployment. Jolted awake, he
caught a glimpse of one of the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge. The image stuck
with the kid from Kansas, who was headed for the exotic world of the Mekong
Delta. “Jungles and swamps. Rice paddies,” he said. “The Golden Gate Bridge was
one of the last major things I saw from the states for a long time. It was home,
you know.”
He never forgot that moment or what the bridge
meant to him. So, decades later, Richardson decided to build a model on his farm
in Mulvane, Kansas:
Although Richardson, 63, says he built his bridge
on his farm on a whim, this is no coffee-table model. It is 150 feet long and
wide enough to fit an automobile. He used 97 1/2 tons of concrete, which he
hand-mixed in a wheelbarrow. Progress was slow because he kept wearing out the
hoes he used to turn the mixture. [...] In all, it took 11 years, cost $4,000
and was finished in 2002, making it just 10 years old compared with the Golden
Gate’s 75.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Random
Facts:
On Oct. 22, 1987 a Japanese buyer, Eiichi Kobayashi, purchased the Old Testament portion of a Gutenberg Bible for $5.4 million dollars at a Christie's Auction. The last sale of a complete version took place nine years before, again at a Christie's, for $2.2 million. Today, single pages from the first-edition Bibles fetch $25,000 each.
On Oct. 22, 1987 a Japanese buyer, Eiichi Kobayashi, purchased the Old Testament portion of a Gutenberg Bible for $5.4 million dollars at a Christie's Auction. The last sale of a complete version took place nine years before, again at a Christie's, for $2.2 million. Today, single pages from the first-edition Bibles fetch $25,000 each.
In addition to providing their well-known Bibles in hotel rooms, the Gideons also distribute Bibles to militaries of various countries, to hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Does Anyone Know? --*
We were celebrating the 100th anniversary of our church, and several former pastors and the bishop were in attendance.
At one point, our minister had the children gather at the altar for a talk about the importance of the day.
He began by asking, "Does anyone know what the bishop does?"
There
was silence. Finally, one little boy answered gravely, "He's the one you can
move diagonally."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
image credit
One of the most stunning but least known stretches of American coastline, Flattery Rocks in Washington, is nothing short of a revelation. Many of the rocks here are stony outcroppings uncovered when the tide is low. Others, however are lofty pinnacles scattered with salal shrubs, salmonberry and conifers.
One of the most stunning but least known stretches of American coastline, Flattery Rocks in Washington, is nothing short of a revelation. Many of the rocks here are stony outcroppings uncovered when the tide is low. Others, however are lofty pinnacles scattered with salal shrubs, salmonberry and conifers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Traumdeutung
Have you ever dreamed about a squirrel? Ah, we know
what that means! This surreal animation by the Helsinki creative team Fellowland
involves a narrator who took advice from a squirrel that appeared in his dreams.
Then he found squirrel dreams were more common than he thought! -via Laughing Squid
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
R.I.P. Ray
Bradbury
Ray Bradbury, author of classic works of fiction
such as Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and The Illustrated
Man, died this morning in Los Angeles.
His grandson, Danny Karapetian, shared these words
with io9 about his grandfather’s passing: “If I had to make any statement, it
would be how much I love and miss him, and I look forward to hearing everyone’s
memories about him. He influenced so many artists, writers, teachers,
scientists, and it’s always really touching and comforting to hear their
stories. Your stories. His legacy lives on in his monumental body of books,
film, television and theater, but more importantly, in the minds and hearts of
anyone who read him, because to read him was to know him. He was the biggest kid
I know.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Watch This Polar Bear Learn to
Crawl
It looks more like an animatronic teddy bear than a baby killing machine. I
want one!
Via Cute Overload
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Woman Accidentally Steals Getaway
Car
A Houston woman identified only as Blanca was cashing a
check at the Chase bank in Uvalde, Texas, when armed bank robbers stormed in.
She was so frightened, she ran to the first car she saw and drove away. She
later found out that she had taken the robbers’ getaway vehicle!
She said the car was on, so she floored it, desperate to escape.She said she drove a few miles from the bank, pulled into a parking lot, fell out of the car and ran into a Cricket store, screaming for help.But what she didn’t know was, she’d just stolen the suspects’ getaway car – which police said the suspects had stolen from someone else.“Then, they arrested me, and they said, ‘You’re the one that stole a stolen car.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, it was their car,’” Blanca said.
The FBI cleared Blanca of car theft charges. The
robbers simply carjacked another vehicle and are still at large. Link (with
priceless video) -via Arbroath
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tim Burton: A
Filmography
Produced by Martin Woutisseth,
this video is an entry in a French contest that challenges filmmakers to pay
tribute to Tim Burton in five minutes or less. You can see almost 300 other
entries at DailiyMotion. Link -via The Daily What
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While suturing a laceration on the hand of a 90
year old man (he got his hand caught in a gate while working his cattle)a doctor
and the old man were discussing Bush's health care reform ideas. The old man
said "Well, ya know, old Bush is a post turtle".
So, not knowing what he meant the doctor asked him what a "post turtle" was. And he said "When your driving down a country road, and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post turtle. You know he didn't get there by himself, he doesn't belong there, he can't get anything done while he's up there, and you just want to help the poor
thing down."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, not knowing what he meant the doctor asked him what a "post turtle" was. And he said "When your driving down a country road, and you come across a fence post with a turtle balanced on top, that's a post turtle. You know he didn't get there by himself, he doesn't belong there, he can't get anything done while he's up there, and you just want to help the poor
thing down."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cooke's LawIn any decision situation, the amount of
relevant information available is inversely proportional to the importance of
the decision.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Neil deGrasse Tyson (Astrophysicist):
Mount Holyoke College, MA
“I need the rest of you to help me fix the world. The rest of the world is getting stupider.”
“I need the rest of you to help me fix the world. The rest of the world is getting stupider.”
2. Adam Savage (Host: Mythbusters):
Sarah Lawrence College, NY
“Think about what you thought college would be like, and what you expected yourself to be like. Now look at yourself. I’m going to hazard a guess and say that things totally didn’t turn out like you expected. This process will repeat itself ad nauseam throughout your entire life.”
“Think about what you thought college would be like, and what you expected yourself to be like. Now look at yourself. I’m going to hazard a guess and say that things totally didn’t turn out like you expected. This process will repeat itself ad nauseam throughout your entire life.”
3. Samuel Palmisano (Former CEO IBM): Johns
Hopkins University, MD
“Maybe the best decision for you is to run away and join the circus. But don’t model yourself on one of the animals, performing tricks for the trainers who throw peanuts.”
“Maybe the best decision for you is to run away and join the circus. But don’t model yourself on one of the animals, performing tricks for the trainers who throw peanuts.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
11 Amazing Thank You
Notes Sent by Famous
Peoplehttp://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/128878#ixzz1x5XWYsiQ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Definition of Stress:
The confusion created when one's mind overrides the
body's desire to beat or choke the living shit out of some asshole who
desperately needs it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In this recording, Albert Einstein the physicist offers the briefest explanation of the
world’s most famous equation, E=mc2. When was this recorded? We’re unfortunately not sure.
Let’s just say somewhere between 1932 (a date Einstein mentions in the clip) and
his death in 1955. Somewhere in those 20+ years, give or take a few. Don’t miss
the recently-opened Einstein archive and many free Physics courses in
our collection of Free Online Courses from top universities.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There’s nothing subtle about the Wang Saen Suk Monastery
garden, 90 minutes drive south of Bangkok, Thailand, apart from its location,
hidden down a quiet lane not far from the coastal resort of Bang Saen. At the
entrance, a brightly colored sign proclaims “Welcome To Hell”, while beyond lies
a garish, in-your-face morality tale of sawn torsos, boiling vats and devilish
figures tormenting worldly sinners.
The Wat (temple) Wang Saen Suk Hell Garden is a sort
of unsavory Buddhist theme park with a message. Judgement is black and white;
punishments are swift, painful and gory.
Warning: Might be considered
NSFW
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainbow Unicorn Piñata Gun Shoots
Planet-Destroying Confetti out of Its Butt
It’s all fun and games until a planet gets obliterated.
So be careful. Go ahead and make a rainbow unicorn piñata gun by following the
instructions at the link, but always observe the four rules of rainbow unicorn
piñata gun safety:
1. All unicorns are always loaded.
2. Always keep your unicorn’s butt pointed in a safe direction.
3. Keep your finger off the gullet until the butt is on the target.
4. Be sure of your planetary target.
2. Always keep your unicorn’s butt pointed in a safe direction.
3. Keep your finger off the gullet until the butt is on the target.
4. Be sure of your planetary target.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Software Development
Process
1) Order the T-shirts for the Development team
2) Announce availability
3) Write the code
4) Write the manual
5) Hire a Product Manager
6) Spec the software
(writing the specs after the code helps to ensure that the software meets the specifications)
7) Ship
8) Test
(the customers are a big help here)
9) Identify bugs as potential enhancements
10) Announce the upgrade program
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) Order the T-shirts for the Development team
2) Announce availability
3) Write the code
4) Write the manual
5) Hire a Product Manager
6) Spec the software
(writing the specs after the code helps to ensure that the software meets the specifications)
7) Ship
8) Test
(the customers are a big help here)
9) Identify bugs as potential enhancements
10) Announce the upgrade program
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: What's the ultimate rejection?
A: When you're masturbating and your hand falls asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A: When you're masturbating and your hand falls asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Americans
have a reputation for being overweight. Obese. Zaftig. Fat slobs, in other
words. Unfortunately this reputation largely deserved. Fortunately we have
escaped being the subject of the following story.
It seems a poor Austrian woman of some considerable girth passed away recently and the family decided to cremate the body. As the temperatures in the crematorium reached 300 C (that is 572 F) the operators realized there was a problem. Her body fat was burning out of control. Thick black smoke started billowing out of the crematorium. The device was immediately switched off but by then the building had caught fire.
Firemen, whose clothing was left covered with a layer of greasy black soot, eventually had to bring the fire under control by blasting water in through the vents used to clear the filter. A spokesman said that after reports of similar problems at other cemeteries not only in Austria but also in Switzerland, officials were now are considering a ban on larger bodies.
It seems a poor Austrian woman of some considerable girth passed away recently and the family decided to cremate the body. As the temperatures in the crematorium reached 300 C (that is 572 F) the operators realized there was a problem. Her body fat was burning out of control. Thick black smoke started billowing out of the crematorium. The device was immediately switched off but by then the building had caught fire.
Firemen, whose clothing was left covered with a layer of greasy black soot, eventually had to bring the fire under control by blasting water in through the vents used to clear the filter. A spokesman said that after reports of similar problems at other cemeteries not only in Austria but also in Switzerland, officials were now are considering a ban on larger bodies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shin-kicking Championships held in Britain --*
CHIPPING CAMDEN, England - The judge of the Shin-kicking Championships in Britain said the sport is about more than just two men kicking each other below the knees. James Wiseman, who judged this year's Shin-kicking Championships at the Cotswold Olimpicks, an event held in Chipping Camden, England, on-and-off since the 1600s, said the event is similar to wrestling, ITN reported Wednesday. "I kind of get quite annoyed when people think that shin-kicking is quite literally two guys facing each other and kicking each other as hard as possible in the shins," Wiseman said. "The easiest ways to describe it is it's a bit like wrestling but with a lot of contact below the knees. The idea is really to throw the person to the ground, but to throw the person to the ground you've got to unbalance by kicking them first." The winner of this year's event was Zac Warren, 23, of Pershaw, England.
CHIPPING CAMDEN, England - The judge of the Shin-kicking Championships in Britain said the sport is about more than just two men kicking each other below the knees. James Wiseman, who judged this year's Shin-kicking Championships at the Cotswold Olimpicks, an event held in Chipping Camden, England, on-and-off since the 1600s, said the event is similar to wrestling, ITN reported Wednesday. "I kind of get quite annoyed when people think that shin-kicking is quite literally two guys facing each other and kicking each other as hard as possible in the shins," Wiseman said. "The easiest ways to describe it is it's a bit like wrestling but with a lot of contact below the knees. The idea is really to throw the person to the ground, but to throw the person to the ground you've got to unbalance by kicking them first." The winner of this year's event was Zac Warren, 23, of Pershaw, England.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Watertower” is a multicolored
plexiglass and steel sculpture of a water tower that is installed on the roof of
a building in Brooklyn (making-of video). Brooklyn-based artist Tom Fruin built
the sculpture out of local salvaged materials, including about 1000 scraps of
plexiglass . The sculpture is lit by the sun during the day, and at night is
illuminated by Arduino-controlled light sequences. “Watertower” will be on
display through June 2013.
via designboom
photos by Robert Banat
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I overheard a friend telling his pal, "I can't break
my wife of the habit of staying up until 5 in the morning."
"What is she doing?", the pal asks.
"Waiting for me to get home."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What is she doing?", the pal asks.
"Waiting for me to get home."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If Ted Kennedy, Dan Quayle, Bob Packwood and Bill
Clinton all had a spelling contest, which one would win?
Dan Quayle. He's the only one who knows that harass is one word.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dan Quayle. He's the only one who knows that harass is one word.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A little turtle begins to climb a tree slowly. After long
hours of effort, he reaches the top, jumps into the air waving his front legs,
until reaches heavily into the ground with a hard knock over his shell.
After recovering his consciousness, he starts to climb the tree again, jumps again, and knocks the ground heavily again.
The little turtle persisted again and again after each knock, while a couple of birds sitting at the edge of a branch, looking the turtle with pain..suddenly the female bird says to the male: "Hey dear, I think it's time to tell our little turtle he is adopted."
After recovering his consciousness, he starts to climb the tree again, jumps again, and knocks the ground heavily again.
The little turtle persisted again and again after each knock, while a couple of birds sitting at the edge of a branch, looking the turtle with pain..suddenly the female bird says to the male: "Hey dear, I think it's time to tell our little turtle he is adopted."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lully is one of our favorite 16th-century composers,
who wrote music for the king of France. While rehearsing the musicians, he got
too serious beating time with his staff, and drove it right through his foot. He
died of infection.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Money is not everything. There's MasterCard
& Visa.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Indecision may, or may not, be my problem"- Jimmy
Buffett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I've been accused of vulgarity. I say that's
bullshit." ~ Mel Brooks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is, like, so dumb...
Instructions on how to Colect a Beaker of Cat's Urine
1.Treat the beaker like your most prized possession.
2.Solemnly intone the word "no" every time the cat approaches the beaker.
3.After completing steps #1 and #2, leave the cat alone with the beaker for thirty seconds.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks Mike (From
Spain)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
QUOTE:
"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can
go."
HINT: (1888-1965), publisher, playwright, literary and social critic.
ANSWER: T.S. Eliot.
HINT: (1888-1965), publisher, playwright, literary and social critic.
ANSWER: T.S. Eliot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RANDOM TIDBITS
After making a touchdown one Sunday afternoon in 1960, Tommy McDonald of the Philadelphia Eagles heaved the football into the stands instead of handing it to the ref. Sports historians refer to that gesture as the first "post-touchdown celebration."
In 1965, wide receiver Homer Jones of the New York Giants pounded the ball at the ground after a touchdown - the first reported "spike." Eight years later, Isaac Curtis of the Cincinnati Bengals put a new spin on the spike when he tossed the ball backward over his shoulder after crossing the goal line.
In 1973, Elmo Wright celebrated his touchdown with a high-stepping, running-in-place interlude before spiking the ball. The next season, Billy "White Shoes" Johnson turned the end into a cabaret as he performed his own version of the Funky Chicken after scoring.
In 2003, wide receiver Joe Horn of the New Orleans Saints was fined $30,000 after an end-zone call to his mother during a game against the Giants. After he scored a touchdown, a teammate handed him a cell phone that had been concealed in the padding around the goal post.
It was the Washington Redskins and the collective high-five performed by their "Fun Bunch" that finally made the NFL clamp down on excessive end-zone celebrations after the 1984 season.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is a lifelong football fan. Her favorite touchdown celebration is the Ickey Shuffle, popularized by running back Elbert "Ickey" Woods of the Cincinnati Bengals.
After making a touchdown one Sunday afternoon in 1960, Tommy McDonald of the Philadelphia Eagles heaved the football into the stands instead of handing it to the ref. Sports historians refer to that gesture as the first "post-touchdown celebration."
In 1965, wide receiver Homer Jones of the New York Giants pounded the ball at the ground after a touchdown - the first reported "spike." Eight years later, Isaac Curtis of the Cincinnati Bengals put a new spin on the spike when he tossed the ball backward over his shoulder after crossing the goal line.
In 1973, Elmo Wright celebrated his touchdown with a high-stepping, running-in-place interlude before spiking the ball. The next season, Billy "White Shoes" Johnson turned the end into a cabaret as he performed his own version of the Funky Chicken after scoring.
In 2003, wide receiver Joe Horn of the New Orleans Saints was fined $30,000 after an end-zone call to his mother during a game against the Giants. After he scored a touchdown, a teammate handed him a cell phone that had been concealed in the padding around the goal post.
It was the Washington Redskins and the collective high-five performed by their "Fun Bunch" that finally made the NFL clamp down on excessive end-zone celebrations after the 1984 season.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is a lifelong football fan. Her favorite touchdown celebration is the Ickey Shuffle, popularized by running back Elbert "Ickey" Woods of the Cincinnati Bengals.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Machine Lights,
Beautiful Light Sculptures by Frank Buchwald
“Machine Lights” are beautiful hand crafted light sculptures by German designer
Frank Buchwald.The Machine
Light series comprises 12 different models produced in low volume production.
Each object is manually produced from up to 200 individual parts. Each light is
therefore unique. via Dark Side of the Force & Fab
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Length: 0:30
Babe Magnet School
Some men are born babe magnets, others have to go to
school to become one. Oddity Central has the story of one unusual school in
Israel that teaches men how to woo the ladies of their dreams:
Courses tackle a variety of topics, from flirting
and teasing, charisma, dating, locations for hooking up, to women and money, how
to turn a friend into a lover, sex and sexuality, and of course, getting your ex
back. Every base is covered at Babe Master, from how to ignore the girl you’re
actually trying to get the attention of, to how to walk naturally so not to look
stiff and talking to a girl in gradual stages, instead of showering her with
words from the start. Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hermit Crabs Queue Up To Trade
Shells
Corning, the maker of the super-strong Gorilla Glass, has another
invention: a new type of flexible ultra-thin glass that may one day be used in
your smartphone.
Biologists studying hermit crabs in a tiny island
in the Caribbean Sea discovered something interesting: they're quite
civilized!
When a lone crab encountered one of the
beautiful new shells, it immediately inspected the shelter with its legs and
antennae and scooted out of its current home to try on the new shelter for size.
If the new shell was a good fit, the crab claimed it. Classic hermit crab
behavior. But if the new shell was too big, the crab did not scuttle away
disappointed—instead, it stood by its discovery for anywhere between 15 minutes
and 8 hours, waiting. This was unusual. Eventually other crabs showed up, each
one trying on the shell. If the shell was also too big for the newcomers, they
hung around too, sometimes forming groups as large as 20. The crabs did not
gather in a random arrangement, however. Rather, they clamped onto one another
in a conga line stretching from the largest to smallest animal—a behavior the
biologists dubbed "piggybacking."
Only one thing could break up the chain of
crabs: a Goldilocks hermit crab for whom the shell introduced by Lewis and
Rotjan was just right. As soon as such a crab claimed its new home, all the
crabs in queue swiftly exchanged shells in sequence. The largest crab at the
front of the line seized the Goldilocks crab's abandoned shell. The second
largest crab stole into the first's old shell. And so
on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Willow Glass: Bendable Ultra-Thin
Glass
Corning, the maker of the super-strong Gorilla Glass, has another
invention: a new type of flexible ultra-thin glass that may one day be used in
your smartphone.
Dubbed Willow Glass, the product can be "wrapped"
around a device, said the New York-based developer Corning.
[...]
The prototype demonstrated in Boston was as thin
as a sheet of paper, and the company said that it can be made to be just 0.05mm
thick - thinner than the current 0.2mm or 0.5mm displays. Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Darwin Award
candidates: Teens killed in ghost legend game
When you talk about cymbals, chances are you're talking about
Zildjian cymbals. But did you know that the company is four centuries old and
still run as a family business?
An Amtrak train struck a Jeep in Poplar Bluff, Mo.,
killing two teens and injuring one who were playing a game involving a ghost
story…
Just after midnight Monday, five teens parked on train
tracks that cut across County Road 554 and shut off the car in search of ghosts.
“They were playing a stupid game called ‘Ghost Train,’
and the object is to get scared, kind of like telling stories on Halloween,”
Butler County Coroner Jim Akers said. “The game was to park on the tracks, let
the windows fog up inside and let your mind play tricks on you.”
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported when a passenger
train came around the bend, the driver couldn’t start the car again. Three teens
fled to safety, but two, in a panic, were unable to unbuckle themselves. One
girl ran back to help them, just as the train smashed into the car.
Victoria Swanson, 15, and Haley Whitmer, 17, died
at the scene. Kaitlyn Fowler, 15, was seriously
injured and hospitalized.
The game, outlined in a 2007 post on strangeusa.com,
is rooted in the story of a train wreck which occurred in the 1900s, killing
nearly everyone on board. Once one parks on the tracks and shuts their car off,
the windows will fog up and supposedly train whistles can be heard.
Well, I imagine they heard the real train
whistle. Too late.
Thanks,
Ed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 50 signs you are a
grown-up
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9319106/The-50-signs-you-are-a-grown-up.html
Key signs of adulthood are no longer relying on mum
and dad for financial decisions, being able to cook an evening meal from scratch
and owning a lawn mower according to the Skipton Building Society. Here are the
50 things that prove you are grown-up:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Goodnight iPad is a gentle reminder to power
down at the end of the day. It will make you laugh, and it will also help you
wrest yourself away from your gadgets and put yourself - and your machines - to
sleep. Don't worry, though. Your gadgets will be waiting for you, fully charged,
in the morning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zildjian: Family Business for 14
Generations
When you talk about cymbals, chances are you're talking about
Zildjian cymbals. But did you know that the company is four centuries old and
still run as a family business?Nearly 400 years ago, in 1623, Avedis Zildjian founded a cymbal-manufacturing company in Istanbul.Now run by 14th generation family member Craigie Zildjian, along with her sister Debbie, the company has outlasted empires, survived a move overseas to the US, and thrived during the economic turmoil of the Great Depression and two World Wars.Today, the company controls 65% of the world's cymbal market, and took in more than $50m in revenues last year.But for the Zildjians, it's more than just a business.
Kim Gittleson of the BBC has a fascinating look into
the oldest family firm in the USA: Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There's a long tradition among scientists of using
themselves as subjects in their experiments if they can't find anyone else to
volunteer - or if they feel it would be unethical to ask another to take the
risk. Self-experimentation can be extremely heroic, but at times may also appear
slightly mad. These self-experiments display more of the latter
quality than the former.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When it comes to pranks - as when it comes to pretty
much everything else in the virtual world and beyond - Google are in a league of
their own. Their April Fools' Day japes and jokes are deservedly recognized for
their humor and intelligence, for one. They've been playing them since the start
of our young century, and this year's offerings didn't disappoint.
A list of pranks that includes Google Maps 're-launched' with retro Nintendo 8-bit graphics, a 'click-to-teleport' extension on Google Chrome, and the Really Advanced Search showed that the Internet monolith hasn't lost any of its nous in the viral marketing department.
A list of pranks that includes Google Maps 're-launched' with retro Nintendo 8-bit graphics, a 'click-to-teleport' extension on Google Chrome, and the Really Advanced Search showed that the Internet monolith hasn't lost any of its nous in the viral marketing department.
2. Firefox Crop Circle On Google
Maps
Google Maps is, it is fair to say, a wonderful tool.
It has become an invaluable service since its launch in 2005 and is used by
millions of people planning their routes or simply scanning the globe every
single day.
This leaves it wide open to the wiles of would-be
jokers, however. Yes, with the world as their stage, pranksters can have a fine
old time exploiting the all-seeing eye of the application.
Take, for example, this pseudo-mysterious crop
circle: but of course, it's no ordinary pattern flattened into a field by hands,
alien or otherwise.
Representing the logo of one of Google's major web
browser rivals, the Firefox crop circle appeared in an Oregon
cornfield in 2006. It was created by the Oregon State University Linux
Users group to cover an area of over 45,000 square feet. As a celebration of
Firefox's 50 millionth download – and a spot of free advertising on Google Maps
– it was hard to top. Sly like only a fox could be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tough Mudder
Forget the touchy feeley corporate events to build
team spirit and bond with your co-workers. Today's corporate warriors go to
Tough Mudders:
"Half the challenge was not freezing to death,"
says the 27-year-old Mr. Komaiko, one of thousands of stoic people for whom your
average marathon or triathlon isn't quite enough. [...] Unlike
marathons and triathlons run on roads and trails, obstacle races cover far
shorter distances but ask participants to do far crazier things. Participants on
a 10-to-12 mile Tough Mudder course wade through waist-deep mud, crawl under
barbed wire, submerge themselves in ice water and jump through fire. At the
"electroshock therapy" obstacle, they pass through a dangling curtain of
electrical wires, some carrying "10,000 volts of electric shock," the company
says. (The current, measured in amps, is low. It "feels like a major rubber
band," a spokesman says.) Spartan Race's three-to-eight mile courses have
featured abandoned mine tunnels, and a barrier of costumed "gladiators" just
before the finish line. The events and their aura of all-out toughness
hold special appeal to people in competitive fields like financial services and
sales. "You get to take a picture covered in mud with your T-shirt and you look
like you've gone through the war," says Jim Thornton, president-elect of the
National Athletic Trainers' Association. Bragging rights about signing the
so-called death waiver are half the fun.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Balloons + LEDs = Glowing Super Mario
Bros. Kite
250 sq ft GLOWING Super Mario night kite
YouTube user onemeeeliondollars spent only about one
hundred dollars to make a glowing 250-square foot kite. He placed LEDs in
helium-filled balloons and attached them to a lightweight frame. When he was
done, he released Mario to float across the sky. Watch a video about the project
at the link — especially the cop’s reaction at the end.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Colorado driver drew the ire of many after she
strapped a gas can to a child car seat — but left a toddler in a diaper
restrained only with a lap belt.
A police officer in the city of Aurora who stopped the
driver during a routine “Click it or Ticket” seat belt enforcement check snapped
a photo of what he saw.
The Colorado Department of Transportation posted the
photo on its Facebook with a message that read:
“Unbelievable! This heartbreaking photo was taken by an officer… Share it to remind everyone that life is precious, so please be responsible and make sure children are properly restrained in the appropriate child safety seat…”
“Unbelievable! This heartbreaking photo was taken by an officer… Share it to remind everyone that life is precious, so please be responsible and make sure children are properly restrained in the appropriate child safety seat…”
An officer asked the mother if the child also
frequently grabbed a gas can, buckled it into a car seat and then buckled
himself in a seat next to the gas can…
Mom received beaucoup tickets for
violations. Hundreds have chimed in at the
Facebook page hosting the
photo.
Thanks, Ed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dull and Boring, Together At
Last!
Huzzah! Dull and Boring are together at last!
Remember the Neatorama story posted by Miss Cellania that told us the
village of Dull in Perthshire, Scotland proposed to partner up with the
Oregon logging town of Boring?
It's now official: With a unanimous "aye" from 38 Boring residents tonight,
the unincorporated Clackamas County town and a small village in Scotland became
"A Pair for the Ages."
Emily Fuggetta of The Oregonian has this terribly exciting news:
Link | Dull and Boring's Facebook page
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tube-Lipped Nectar
Bat
Meet the Tube-lipped nectar bat. The cute little bat has
the longest tongue relative to body size – if you had a tongue as long as this
guy, your tongue would stick out 9 feet.
National Geographic’s Untamed Americas (which premieres
this Sunday, June 10 at 9pm ET/PT on the National Geographic Channel) has the
video clip:
To shoot the footage of the bat plunging its tongue into
nectar, the Untamed Americas team cut a tiny hole into the base of a flower,
installing a special slow-motion camera to slow down the action by 40 times. And
if you’re wondering where the bat keeps its tongue, you’d be surprised to know
that the base of the tongue is in its rib
cage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What You Can Not Do With The New
Twitter Bird
After six years, Twitter has finally
updated their logo, "Larry" the Twitter bird (It was named after the
basketball legend Larry Bird) and the Internet was atwitter with excitement. Twitter, it
seems, is on track to generate tons of
money.
I, on the otherhand, was intrigued by what
Twitter has decided you cannot do with Larry, as outlined in their
Logos & Brands page: Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Make Alcoholic Gummy
Bears
No, it’s not a matter of making gummy bears from scratch,
it’s much more simple than that -just pour alcohol over them and let it absorb
until the gummies become nice and soft -like Jell-O. Yummy! Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This Little Piggy Loves
Doggies
The best thing about this video is how the little
pig gets so into it even though the dog is the one running all around the house
over the playtime excitement. Via I Can Has
Cheezburger
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Web’s Best Grilled Cheese
Sandwiches
Grilled cheese sandwiches sure have gone a long way
since we used to slap a cheese on two pieces of bread and call it a day! Mike
Newman of Cool Material has a really neat post that put together the web's best
grilled cheese sandwich recipes.
Take a look and drool:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Abbey Road
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
M.C. Escher’s LEGO Star
Wars
You can find the whole trilogy in Paul Vermeesch’s
amazing LEGO diorama inspired by both M.C. Escher’s Relativity
and Star Wars. He covers the little details, from Luke’s severed hand
to Obi-Wan distracting stormtroopers so that he can disable the tractor beam on
the Death Star. You can find more pictures at the link. Link -via io9
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mars One is an
ambitious mission to place a human settlement on Mars by the year 2023
(video). The
mission’s Dutch organizers Bas Lansdorp and Arno
Wielders plan to privately fund the project
through “the biggest media event in history.” Mars One plans to establish the
first human settlement on Mars by April 2023. The first crew of four astronauts
emigrate to their new planet from Earth, a journey that takes seven months. A
new team will join the settlement every two years. By 2033 there will be over
twenty people living, working and flourishing on Mars, their new
home.
via Motherboard
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Epic sport videos Youtube channel StuntsAmazing brings you the
2012 amazing pool trick shot compilation video.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After 6 Years of Trying, Israel's Ramat Gan Zoological Center Succeeds!
Israel's Ramat Gan Zoological
Center has succeeded with its first birth of an
extremely rare Somali Wild Ass Foal on the 26th of April, Isreal's 64th
Independence Day. The newly arrived foal was appropriately named Israela.
Anticipating a 12-month gestation period, keepers kept the foal's father and
mother separate until last Spring so that their baby would be born in the most
favorable weather conditions. During mother Yelenyo's pregnancy, she was
separated from father Abeba so that she would have a peaceful and interruption
free gestation period.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is dedicated to all women everywhere who have ever
had to deal with a public toilet. And it finally explains to all you men what
takes us so long. My mother was a fanatic about public toilets. As a little
girl, she’d bring me in the stall, teach me to wad up toilet paper and wipe the
seat. Then, she’d carefully lay strips of toilet paper to cover the seat.
Finally, she’d instruct, “Never, never sit on a public toilet seat.” And she’d
demonstrate “The Stance,” which consisted of balancing over the toilet in a
sitting position without actually letting any of your flesh make contact with
the toilet seat. But by this time, I’d have peed down my leg. And we’d go
home.
That was a long time ago. I’ve had lots of experience
with public toilets since then, but I’m still not particularly fond of public
toilets, especially those with powerful, red-eye sensors. Those toilets know
when you want them to flush. They are psychic toilets. But I always confuse
their psychic ability by following my mother’s advice and assuming The Stance.
The Stance is excruciatingly difficult to maintain when one’s bladder is
especially full. This is most likely to occur after watching a full-length
feature film.
During the movie pee, it is nearly impossible to hold
The Stance. You know what I mean. You drink a two liter cup of Diet Coke, then
sit still through a three-hour saga because, for God’s sake, even if you didn’t
wipe or wash your hands in the bathroom, you’d still miss the pivotal part of
the movie or the second scene, in which they flash the leading man’s naked
derriere.
So, you cross your legs and you hold it. And you hold
it until that first credit rolls and you sprint to the bathroom, about ready to
explode all over your internal organs. And at the bathroom, you find a line of
women that makes you think there’s a half-price sale on Mel Gibson’s underwear
in there.
So, you wait and smile politely at all the other
ladies, also crossing their legs and smiling politely. And you finally get
closer. You check for feet under the stall doors. Every one is occupied. You
hope no one is doing frivolous things behind those stall doors, like blowing her
nose or checking the contents of her wallet.
Finally, a stall door opens and you dash, nearly
knocking down the woman leaving the stall. You get in to find the door won’t
latch. It doesn’t matter. You hang your handbag on the door hook, yank down your
pants and assume The Stance.
Relief. More relief. Then your thighs begin to shake.
You’d love to sit down but you certainly hadn’t taken time to wipe the seat or
lay toilet paper on it, so you hold The Stance as your thighs experience a quake
that would register an eight on the Richter scale. To take your mind off it, you
reach for the toilet paper. Might as well be ready when you are done. The toilet
paper dispenser is empty.
Your thighs shake more. You remember the tiny napkin
you wiped your fingers on after eating buttered popcorn. It would have to do.
You crumble it in the puffiest way possible. It is still smaller than your
thumbnail.
Someone pushes open your stall door because the latch
doesn’t work and your pocketbook whams you in the head. “Occupied!” you scream
as you reach out for the door, dropping your buttered popcorn napkin in a puddle
and falling backward, directly onto the toilet seat. You get up quickly, but
it’s too late. Your bare bottom has made contact with all the germs and life
forms on the bare seat because YOU never laid down toilet paper, not that there
was any, even if you had enough time to. Your mother would be utterly ashamed of
you if she knew, because her bare bottom never touched a public toilet seat
because, frankly, “You don’t know what kind of diseases you could
get.”
By this time, the automatic sensor on the back of the
toilet is so confused that it flushes, sending up a stream of water akin to a
fountain and then it suddenly sucks everything down with such force that you
grab onto the toilet paper dispenser for fear of being dragged to
China.
At that point, you give up. You’re finished peeing.
You’re soaked by the splashing water. You’re exhausted. You try to wipe with a
Chicklet wrapper you found in your pocket, then slink out inconspicuously to the
sinks. You can’t figure out how to operate the sinks with the automatic sensors,
so you wipe your hands with spit and a dry paper towel and walk past a line of
women, still waiting, cross-legged and unable to smile politely at this
point.
One kind soul at the very end of the line points out
that you are trailing a piece of toilet paper on your shoe as long! as the
Mississippi River. You yank the paper from your shoe, plunk it in the woman’s
hand and say warmly, “Here You might need this.”
At this time, you see your spouse, who has entered,
used and exited his bathroom and read a copy of War and Peace while waiting for
you.
“What took you so long?” he asks, annoyed. This is when
you kick him sharply in the shin and go home.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Powerscout Waterfall” – Wicklow Mountains, Ireland – Flip Kos -
Featured Photographer Charlie’s Super Fantastic Photo Tip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10. You wake up at 3a.m. to go to the bathroom, and check
your email on the way back to bed.
9. Your firstborn is named dotcom.
8. You turn off your modem and are suddenly filled with a
feeling of emptiness, as if you just pulled the plug on a loved
one.
7. You spend half of a plane trip with you laptop in your
lap…and your child in the overhead compartment.
6. You decide to stay in college for an additional year
or two, just for the free Internet access.
5. You find yourself typing “com” after every
period.com
4. You refer to going to the bathroom as
downloading.
3. You move into a new home and decide to Netscape before
you landscape.
2. You start tilting your head sideways to smile.
1. Immediately after reading this list, you email it to
someone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In November 1971, we were locked in yet another space
race, albeit a quieter one. Americans had already begun to grow bored with the
Apollo program, as the final two missions were to be launched in 1972, those
primarily being very expensive geology expeditions.
Then Mariner 9 was launched. We were in a race
with the USSR to put a spacecraft in orbit around another planet. In November of
1971, we did it. I’m not sure that Americans were by any means excited about it,
but they should have been. Just as we must stay excited about our progress yet to
come.
Ray Bradbury joined Arthur C. Clarke, Carl Sagan and
others at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labs in Pasadena to commemorate the mission’s
success. Here he reads his poem “If Only We Had Taller Been”,
an ode to exploration, and a fitting tribute to his legacy as a writer and
dreamer. In full above (with a captivated Sagan included) and excerpted
below:
O, Thomas, will a Race one day stand really tallAcross the Void, across the Universe and all?And, measure out with rocket fire,At last put Adam’s finger forthAs on the Sistine Ceiling,And God’s great hand come down the other wayTo measure Man and find him Good,And Gift him with Forever’s Day?I work for that.Short man. Large dream. I send my rockets forthbetween my ears,Hoping an inch of Will is worth a pound of years.Aching to hear a voice cry back along the universal Mall:We’ve reached Alpha Centauri!We’re tall, O God, we’re tall!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I can’t find it,” REALLY MEANS, “It didn’t fall
into my outstretched hands, so I’m completely clueless.”
“That’s women’s work,” REALLY MEANS, “It’s dirty,
difficult and thankless.”
“Will you marry me?” REALLY MEANS, “Both my
roommates have moved out, I can’t find the washer, and there is no more peanut
butter.”
“It’s a guy thing,” REALLY MEANS, “There is no
rational thought pattern connected with it, and you have no chance at all of
making it logical.”
“Can I help with dinner?” REALLY MEANS, “Why isn’t
it already on the table?”
“It would take too long to explain, “REALLY MEANS,
“I have no idea how it works.”
“I’m getting more exercise lately,” REALLY MEANS,
“The batteries in the remote are dead.”
“We’re going to be late,” REALLY MEANS, “Now I have
a legitimate excuse to drive like a maniac.”
“Take a break, honey, you’re worrying too hard,
“REALLY MEANS, “I can’t hear the game over the vacuum cleaner.”
“That’s interesting, dear,” REALLY MEANS, “Are you
still talking?”
“Honey, we don’t need material things to prove our
love, REALLY MEANS, “I forgot our anniversary again.”
“It’s really a good movie,” REALLY MEANS, “It’s got
guns, knives, fast cars, and good looking women.”
“You know how bad my memory is,” REALLY MEANS, “I
remember the words to the theme song of “F Troop”, the address of the first girl
I kissed, the Vehicle Identification Number of every car I’ve ever owned, but I
forgot your birthday.”
“Oh, don’t fuss. I just cut myself. It’s no big
deal,” REALLY MEANS, “I have actually severed a limb, but will bleed to death
before I admit I’m hurt.”
“I do help around the house,” REALLY MEANS, “I once
threw a dirty towel near the laundry basket.”
“What did I do this time?” REALLY MEANS, “What did
you catch me doing?”
“She’s one of the rabid feminists,” REALLY MEANS,
“She refused to make my coffee.”
“I heard you,” REALLY MEANS, “I haven’t the
foggiest clue what you just said, and am hoping desperately that I can fake it
well enough so that you don’t spend the next 3 days yelling at me.”
“You really look terrific in that outfit,” REALLY
MEANS, “Please don’t try on another outfit. I’m starving.”
“I missed you,” REALLY MEANS, “I can’t find my sock
drawer, the kids are hungry and we are out of toilet paper.”
“I’m not lost. I know exactly where we are,” REALLY
MEANS, “No one will ever see us alive again.”
“We share the housework,” REALLY MEANS, “I make the
messes. She cleans them up.”
“I don’t need to read the instructions,” REALLY
MEANS, “I am perfectly capable of messing it up without printed
help.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Philosophy consists very largely of one philosopher
arguing that all others are jackasses. He usually proves it, and I should add
that he usually proves that he is one himself.” — H.L. Mencken
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Amazing Sight: Coldplay fitted 50,000 people
with flashing wristbands at their latest concert.
Kitten fails surprise attack.
R2D2 budgie.
Revealing the lost codex of Archimedes. TED
Juggler Extraordinaire: Dan Menendez.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kitten fails surprise attack.
R2D2 budgie.
Revealing the lost codex of Archimedes. TED
Juggler Extraordinaire: Dan Menendez.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
propreantepenultimate
adj. last but four
adj. last but four
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Science Monsters.
Science monsters will eat you if you
don’t know math.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dark Matter Fanzine is
a wonderful independent fanzine coming out from Melbourne,
Australia.
Their publications are completely free, available
at http://www.darkmatterfanzine.com/publications.html and they fully straddle the social world with a blog, Facebook page and
Twitter feed, from each
of which Nalini promises to deliver a slightly different experience of Dark
Matter from the fanzine itself. They’ve even got the State Library of Victoria
making Dark Matter available in paper format (which is kinda cool!)
Email darkmatterfanzine@gmail.com with the word ‘subscribe’ in the subject field. Dark Matter
promises that “E-mail addresses will be considered confidential and will not be
used for any purpose other than distribution.”
Happy reading fellow
geeks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Images from NASA's Solar Dynamics Laboratory
This video [below] takes SDO images and applies
additional processing to enhance the structures visible. While there is no
scientific value to this processing, it does result in a beautiful, new way of
looking at the sun.http://youtu.be/4g1nmyxVkws
The original frames are in the 171 Angstrom wavelength of extreme ultraviolet. This wavelength shows plasma in the solar atmosphere, called the corona, that is around 600,000 Kelvin.
The loops represent plasma held in place by magnetic fields. They are concentrated in "active regions" where the magnetic fields are the strongest. These active regions usually appear in visible light as sunspots. The events in this video represent 24 hours of activity on September 25, 2011.
The original frames are in the 171 Angstrom wavelength of extreme ultraviolet. This wavelength shows plasma in the solar atmosphere, called the corona, that is around 600,000 Kelvin.
The loops represent plasma held in place by magnetic fields. They are concentrated in "active regions" where the magnetic fields are the strongest. These active regions usually appear in visible light as sunspots. The events in this video represent 24 hours of activity on September 25, 2011.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Swarm of Venomous Spiders Descended on an
Indian Town
It sounds like a Hollywood movie, but last month, a
swarm of venomous spiders suddenly descended on festival-goers in the
northeastern Indian town of Sadiya:
... on May 22, a team of life scientists from
Dibrugarh University and Gauhati University arrived in Sadiya. Led by Dr L R
Saikia, head, Department of Life Sciences, Dibrugarh University, the team camped
in the trouble spot for two days and nights and collected specimens. "As of now,
we cannot give a specific name. It's similar to the tarantula, but it could be a
whole new species. There aren't any arachnologists in the northeast, so it will
take us a while to identify it. But whatever the species, it is a highly
aggressive spider. It leaps at anything that comes close. Some of the victims
claimed the spider latched onto them after biting. If that is so, it needs to be
dealt with carefully. The chelicerae and fangs of this critter are quite
powerful; but it's too early to declare it a killer spider. In fact, we are yet
to test its venom and find out the toxicity," says Dr Saikia. Link - via
TIME NewsFeed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
scrambler:
What letter is next in this sequence? O T T F F S S E _?
ANSWER: N for the number 9. The letters represent the first letter of each number.
What letter is next in this sequence? O T T F F S S E _?
ANSWER: N for the number 9. The letters represent the first letter of each number.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
QUOTE:
"One of the most sublime experiences we can ever have is to wake up feeling
healthy after we have been sick."
HINT: (1935-), prominent American rabbi aligned with the progressive wing of Conservative Judaism, and a popular author.
ANSWER: Harold Kushner.
HINT: (1935-), prominent American rabbi aligned with the progressive wing of Conservative Judaism, and a popular author.
ANSWER: Harold Kushner.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RANDOM TIDBITS
New York physician George Huntington was only 22 years old in 1872 when he published a paper describing the condition that caused involuntary twitches and tremors now known as Huntington's Chorea. He also correctly surmised at the time that the disease was hereditary and never skipped a generation.
Alois Alzheimer was a German doctor who would eventually gain fame after studying an otherwise healthy 51-year-old female patient who was showing signs of dementia. After her death, he autopsied her brain and noted abnormalities in the cerebral cortex.
For hundreds of years, leprosy was thought to be a hereditary disease or a curse from God. In 1873, Dr. Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen of Norway discovered the bacterium that causes leprosy, and the condition is now more properly referred to as Hansen's disease.
James Parkinson was a British physician who wrote some of the first medical papers describing gout and the connection between an inflamed appendix and peritonitis. But he will always be remembered for his 1817 essay on the "Shaking Palsy" which today is known as Parkinson's Disease.
Until 1961, the condition known as Down Syndrome was commonly referred to as "Mongolian Idiocy." The World Health Organization voted to change the name to honor John Langdon Down, the physician who first described the characteristic head shape and hand folds of children born with the syndrome.
When campaigning for the presidency, John F. Kennedy went to great lengths to project an image of youth and vigor in order to hide the fact that he was suffering from Addison's Disease. Various photos of Kennedy during that era show the facial puffiness that resulted from the heavy doses of steroids he was taking.
New York physician George Huntington was only 22 years old in 1872 when he published a paper describing the condition that caused involuntary twitches and tremors now known as Huntington's Chorea. He also correctly surmised at the time that the disease was hereditary and never skipped a generation.
Alois Alzheimer was a German doctor who would eventually gain fame after studying an otherwise healthy 51-year-old female patient who was showing signs of dementia. After her death, he autopsied her brain and noted abnormalities in the cerebral cortex.
For hundreds of years, leprosy was thought to be a hereditary disease or a curse from God. In 1873, Dr. Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen of Norway discovered the bacterium that causes leprosy, and the condition is now more properly referred to as Hansen's disease.
James Parkinson was a British physician who wrote some of the first medical papers describing gout and the connection between an inflamed appendix and peritonitis. But he will always be remembered for his 1817 essay on the "Shaking Palsy" which today is known as Parkinson's Disease.
Until 1961, the condition known as Down Syndrome was commonly referred to as "Mongolian Idiocy." The World Health Organization voted to change the name to honor John Langdon Down, the physician who first described the characteristic head shape and hand folds of children born with the syndrome.
When campaigning for the presidency, John F. Kennedy went to great lengths to project an image of youth and vigor in order to hide the fact that he was suffering from Addison's Disease. Various photos of Kennedy during that era show the facial puffiness that resulted from the heavy doses of steroids he was taking.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To see the location of this road, go to Google
Maps and enter "Atlantic Road, Norway." It's along the coast, about
half-way between Alesund and Trondheim.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A
10-year-old Irish boy stands crying at the side of the road. A man passing by
asks, "What's wrong, lad?"
The boy says, "Me ma died this morning."
"Oh, be Jaysus," the man says. "Do you want me to call Father O'Reiley for you?"
The boy replies, "No tanks, mister. Sex is the last ting on me mind at the moment."
"A new study found that heavy drinkers outlive non-drinkers, but the ways they die are a lot more embarrassing." -Jimmy Fallon~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
"A company in Britain has created a car that can be powered by human waste. It's cool, but it gets a little uncomfortable when your buddy asks you to 'chip in' for gas." -Jimmy Fallon~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The boy says, "Me ma died this morning."
"Oh, be Jaysus," the man says. "Do you want me to call Father O'Reiley for you?"
The boy replies, "No tanks, mister. Sex is the last ting on me mind at the moment."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We have 27 wooden cubes. The first is marked A on every
face, the second B, and so on through the alphabet to Z. The 27th cube is blank.
Is it possible to assemble these cubes into a 3×3×3 cube with the blank cube at
the center, arranging them so that cube A adjoins cube B, cube B adjoins cube C,
and so on, forming a connected orthogonal path through the
alphabet?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"JC
Penny has a new ad in their catalog that features a pair of gay dads. Some
people were shocked by the ad, especially the guys' wives." -Craig
Ferguson
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"My
girlfriend and I are talking about getting married. She keeps asking me if I can
support her, but she knows I can...she's always on my back." --Scott Wood
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A new study found that heavy drinkers outlive non-drinkers, but the ways they die are a lot more embarrassing." -Jimmy Fallon~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
"A company in Britain has created a car that can be powered by human waste. It's cool, but it gets a little uncomfortable when your buddy asks you to 'chip in' for gas." -Jimmy Fallon~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
QUOTE:
"Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make
yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like
it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early a
man's training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns
thoroughly."
HINT: (1825-1895), English biologist (anatomist), known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
ANSWER:
Thomas Huxley.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For sculpture that's really first class
You need form, composition, and mass.
To do a good Venus
Just leave off the penis,
And concentrate all on the ass.
You need form, composition, and mass.
To do a good Venus
Just leave off the penis,
And concentrate all on the ass.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“It’s very sweet, it’s very nice. I
still don’t get it. When people say I’ve affected their lives, I still don’t
quite get it. I went to work–most weeks–seven days a week. I put my heart and
soul into that dumb thing, with the dream that some of you would pursue careers
in science and engineering, or at least have an appreciation for it. The
ultimate would be if one of you–or a group of you–solve some astonishing world
problem.”
Bill Nye, on his legacy as a science hero to a generation.
So, any takers? Who was inspired by Bill to solve an astonishing world
problem? (raises hand)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finish The Sentence…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For engineers looking to create the next generation of
armour, the ocean is the place to look. Animals from snails to crabs protect themselves with hard shells whose
microscopic structures imbue them with exceptional durability, surpassing even
those of most man-made materials. They are extreme defences.
The mantis shrimp smashes them apart with its fists.
That’s the animal that David Kisailus from the University of California, Riverside is
studying. “People have been studying molluscs for decades because they’re
thought to be very impact-resistant,” he says. “The mantis shrimp eats these
guys for dinner.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RANDOM
TIDBITS
The word sophomore is based on a combination of Greek words that translates to "wise fool." The term was first used in the academic sense to describe students at Cambridge University when it opened in the 16th century.
When Latin was still the common language, a baccalarius was "a junior member of the guild." Over the years, the spelling of the word changed, as did the meaning: an apprentice student or tradesman, someone who had passed a basic level of training. That's why today we call a four-year diploma a "Bachelor's degree."
The square cap students wear on graduation day is called a "mortarboard" because of its resemblance to the tool of the same name used by masons. A version of the mortarboard has been worn by academics since the 16th century, but the tassel wasn't added until the 19th century.
Since 1970, a three-year degree from an accredited law school has been a "Juris Doctor" or J.D. in the United States, replacing the LL.B. (Bachelor of Law) degree issued up to that time.
The very first university degree were licenses to teach. As part of the graduation process, the student delivered his first lecture as an officially licensed teacher. This ceremony was called "commencement" because it represented a beginning - the graduate could now "commence to teach."
A diploma is referred to as a "sheepskin" because diplomas were once handwritten on thin sheets of sheep flesh (before the art of papermaking was fine-tuned).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Sometimes I think the surest sign
that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has
tried to contact us.”
Calvin, from Calvin and
Hobbes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Letter to the Times, April 27,
1910:
Sir,
Motor-cars are bad enough, but they do not
come into one’s house or garden. With aeroplanes total strangers may drop in,
through the roof, for a little chat at any time. I fear the law cannot protect
one against such intrusion. If aviation becomes popular I shall have spikes,
with long strong prongs, fixed on the chimneys of my house, and the word
‘Danger’ painted in large red letters on a flat part of the roof. If any flying
machines come down in my garden I shall send for the police to remove the
occupants, whom I shall sue afterwards for any damage to my trees or
shrubs.
I am, Sir, your obedient
servantt
H.B. Devey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From a wobbly Westeros to an elliptical orbit to
winds and currents … there’s science in this fiction.
(via io9, GIF via Blogwell)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Are We Poisonous Snakes?
Two snakes were crawling along when one snake asked the other, "Are we poisonous snakes?"
The other replied, "You're darn right we're poisonous! We're rattlesnakes. Why do you ask?"
To which the first replied, "Because I just bit my tongue."
Two snakes were crawling along when one snake asked the other, "Are we poisonous snakes?"
The other replied, "You're darn right we're poisonous! We're rattlesnakes. Why do you ask?"
To which the first replied, "Because I just bit my tongue."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Random Facts:
California's Mount Whitney measures as the highest peak in the lower 48 states. Its most famous climb is Mount Whitney Trail to the 14,495 feet summit. Wilderness permits are required.
Fallbrook, CA is known as the Avocado Capital of the World and hosts an annual Avocado Festival. More avocados are grown in the region than any other county in the nation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A
Man Goes Into A Pet Store
A man goes into a pet store and asks the clerk, "Do you have any dogs that go cheap?"
The salesman says, "No, we have birds that go cheep. Our dogs go BARK!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A man goes into a pet store and asks the clerk, "Do you have any dogs that go cheap?"
The salesman says, "No, we have birds that go cheep. Our dogs go BARK!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q
and A Quickies --*
Q: Did you hear about the psychic midget who escaped from jail?
A: He became a Small Medium At Large.
Q: What did the curtain say to the wall?
A: I'm tired of hanging around all day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: Did you hear about the psychic midget who escaped from jail?
A: He became a Small Medium At Large.
Q: What did the curtain say to the wall?
A: I'm tired of hanging around all day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What Hit Earth 1,200 Years
Ago?
Japanese scientists studying tree rings data found
something strange: 1,200 years ago an extremely intense burst of high-energy
radiation of unknown origin hit planet Earth.
The radiation burst, which seems to
have hit between ad 774 and ad 775, was detected by looking at the amounts of
the radioactive isotope carbon-14 in tree rings that formed during the ad 775
growing season in the Northern Hemisphere. The increase in 14C levels is so
clear that the scientists, led by Fusa Miyake, a cosmic-ray physicist from
Nagoya University in Japan, conclude that the atmospheric level of 14C must have
jumped by 1.2% over the course of no longer than a year, about 20 times more
than the normal rate of variation. But what happened, exactly? The only
known events that can produce a 14C spike are floods of gamma-rays from
supernova explosions or proton storms from giant solar flares. But neither seems
likely, Miyake says, because each should have been large enough to have had
other effects that would have been observed at the time. Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Name the 13 Best-Selling
Candies in the U.S.
Did you know that June is National candy Month? In honor of
the occasion, today’s Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss challenges you to name the
13 biggest-selling candies in the Unites States. Gum and mints are excluded from
this list, which may make it easier or harder, who knows. You have three
minutes. Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was a young lady of fashion
Who had oodles and oodles of passion.
To her lover she said,
As they climbed into bed,
"Here's one thing the bastards can't ration!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who had oodles and oodles of passion.
To her lover she said,
As they climbed into bed,
"Here's one thing the bastards can't ration!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I Hate That
Guy!!!
He’s always looking at me, starting fights
with me, hissing at me and just being a serious jerk. I don’t know what the heck
his problem is, but I’m gonna kick his butt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summer
is coming very soon and that means you are going to have to start dealing with
pest control. And being health as well as environmentally conscious you might
not want to soak your vegetables and your soil with expensive poisons when there
are safer and even cheaper ways.
*
Tobacco or Nicotine Spray. This mixture is great for combating many different
types of bugs, but especially caterpillars, aphids, and many types of those
nasty worms. Just mix 1 cup of tobacco in 1 gallon of water and let sit for 24
hours. The color should be the shade of weak tea. Warning: Don't use this
solution on peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, or any other member of the solanaceous
family. Tobacco chemicals can kill these types of plants as well as the pests!
* Soap Spray. Another way to stop the slugs is with soapy water. That's right, you can just use your old, dirty dishwater if you want to! Collect some of the water in a pan and pour it into a watering can or even use a pitcher to pour it over the plants. This works really well on hostas and mums, but also can be used on other hardy plants. Many bugs do not like their lunch spoiled by a soapy aftertaste! For a stronger solution, mix 3 Tablespoons of liquid detergent into a gallon of water. Use this weekly.
* Alcohol Spray. This spray really is great for houseplants. This especially works on meal bugs. Mix 1/2 cup of alcohol and 2-3 tablespoons of dry laundry soap in 1 quart of warm water and spray immediately. You can't store this solution. It must be made fresh for each use.
* Salt Spray. This solution is used for cabbageworms and spider mites. Just mix 2 tablespoons of salt in 1 gallon of water and spray!
* Spearmint-Hot Pepper-Horseradish Spray. This works on too many different kinds of bugs to list! Mix 1/2 cup of red peppers (hot), 1/2 cup of fresh spearmint, 1/2 cup horseradish (root and leaves) and 1/2 cup green onion tops in any open container. Mix in enough water to cover. Once you have your solution strain out the chunky bits, dilute with a half to a whole gallon of water and add 2 tablespoons of liquid detergent. You can use this to spray almost any plant safely. Store this mixture for a few days in a cool environment.
* Soap Spray. Another way to stop the slugs is with soapy water. That's right, you can just use your old, dirty dishwater if you want to! Collect some of the water in a pan and pour it into a watering can or even use a pitcher to pour it over the plants. This works really well on hostas and mums, but also can be used on other hardy plants. Many bugs do not like their lunch spoiled by a soapy aftertaste! For a stronger solution, mix 3 Tablespoons of liquid detergent into a gallon of water. Use this weekly.
* Alcohol Spray. This spray really is great for houseplants. This especially works on meal bugs. Mix 1/2 cup of alcohol and 2-3 tablespoons of dry laundry soap in 1 quart of warm water and spray immediately. You can't store this solution. It must be made fresh for each use.
* Salt Spray. This solution is used for cabbageworms and spider mites. Just mix 2 tablespoons of salt in 1 gallon of water and spray!
* Spearmint-Hot Pepper-Horseradish Spray. This works on too many different kinds of bugs to list! Mix 1/2 cup of red peppers (hot), 1/2 cup of fresh spearmint, 1/2 cup horseradish (root and leaves) and 1/2 cup green onion tops in any open container. Mix in enough water to cover. Once you have your solution strain out the chunky bits, dilute with a half to a whole gallon of water and add 2 tablespoons of liquid detergent. You can use this to spray almost any plant safely. Store this mixture for a few days in a cool environment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Worst Fishing
Day....
Fishing, Interrupted
When you hooked that
600-pound marlin, you didn’t realize you were just baiting the hook for even
bigger fish. Sharks don’t care how much you paid for that deep-sea
fishing excursion! -via I Am Bored
The one that didn’t get away!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hide and seek from a toddler's point of view.
The world's largest spider.
Dog smiles for the camera.
Neat footage of train plowing through snow in New Zealand.
Lazy walrus colony.
NASA: SDO's ultra-high definition view of 2012 Venus transit.
Runner helps her collapsed competitor across finish line.
Mister Rogers remixed by Symphony of Science.
The world's largest spider.
Dog smiles for the camera.
Neat footage of train plowing through snow in New Zealand.
Lazy walrus colony.
NASA: SDO's ultra-high definition view of 2012 Venus transit.
Runner helps her collapsed competitor across finish line.
Mister Rogers remixed by Symphony of Science.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Google has officially announced the World
Wonders Project, which offers 360-degree views of 132 historic sites from 18
different countries. By using the Street View technology, Google has a unique
opportunity to make world heritage sites available to users across the globe.
The World Wonders Project also presents a valuable resource
for students and scholars who can now virtually discover some of the most famous
sites on earth. The project website also provides a window to 3D models, YouTube
videos and photography of the famous heritage sites.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit
each other.
Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then."
--- Katharine Hepburn
Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then."
--- Katharine Hepburn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the last two years the Sauber F1 Team
mechanics have been using their downtime to slice a Formula One racing car
lengthwise down the middle with the precision of true craftsmen. Chief Designer
Matt Morris quite literally gets underneath the skin of the F1 car, pointing out
where and how the individual components are located within the chassis.
Everything is packed in pretty tightly. Sergio Pérez is also on hand to
demonstrate the driver’s seating position.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 Uninhabited Islands & Why No
One Lives There
At one point or another, we’ve all fantasized about living on
our own isolated island, but while there are plenty uninhabited islands around,
you have to wonder why no one has moved in yet. Mental Floss has the scoop on
ten uninhabited islands and why no one happens to live on each. For example,
Palmyra Atoll: The U.S. military built an airstrip there during World War II,
which has fallen into ruin. The atoll now is administered by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife agency, with the exception of Cooper Island, which is owned by the
Nature Conservancy. Palmyra Atoll was the setting for a double murder in 1974
which became the basis for the novel and then miniseries called And the Sea
Will Tell.
Read about the rest at the link. Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks sg
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your fluid dynamics friends at F**kYeahFluidDynamics have links to facts about these physical phenomena. Also,
some previous posts on the physics of ink on
paper, and how ink’s natural patterns of
flow can look just like
neurons.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As many as 100 species go extinct every day.
How many have we even failed to identify? How many could we
prevent?
How many are we responsible for?
Joel Sartore is a National Geographic
photographer, and his new book RARE puts a face on the anonymously
endangered. And this is just in North America. You can get copies
here, and also see more
photos.
Sometimes you have to stare a problem with in
its cute/scary/nonexistent face in order to take action.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mr. X, who thinks Mr. Y a
complete idiot, walks along a corridor with Mr. Y just before 6 p.m. on
a certain evening, and they separate into two adjacent rooms. Mr. X
thinks that Mr. Y has gone into Room 7 and himself into Room 8, but
owing to some piece of absent-mindedness Mr. Y has in fact entered Room
6 and Mr. X Room 7. Alone in Room 7 just before 6, Mr. X
thinks of Mr. Y in Room 7 and of Mr. Y‘s idiocy, and at
precisely 6 o’clock reflects that nothing that is thought by anyone in Room 7 at
6 o’clock is actually the case. But it has been rigorously proved, using only
the most general and certain principles of logic, that under the circumstances
supposed Mr. X just cannot be thinking anything of the
sort.
– A.N. Prior, “On a Family of Paradoxes,” Notre
Dame Journal of Formal Logic, 1961
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Orvillecopter: The Helicopter
Cat
Most people bury or cremate their pets,
some people stuff them, but Dutch artist Bart Jansen had a different idea for
his dead kitty Orville. He turned the dead cat into a remote controlled
helicopter, saying: It's a tribute to the cat
Orville, that was named after the famous aviator Orville Wright. After the cat
was killed by a car, and followed by a period of mourning, visual artist Bart
Jansen transformed him into the Orvillecopter: Now he is finally flying with the
birds. The greatest goal a cat could ever reach!
Link [YouTube] |
Another clip
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mister Rogers
Remixed
“It’s good to be curious, about many
things.”
This is essentially perfect. Remixed by John
Boswell, who is the guy behind the Symphony of Science
series, which is also essentially
perfect.
Ideas grow from seeds. They aren’t formed from the
ether. Plant the garden of your mind with whatever you can.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Taco
Bell is launching a new upscale menu at all their restaurants. That's good news
for anyone who has ever wanted to experience classy diarrhea." -Conan
O'Brien
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was walking down an alley last night, when I heard, "Help! Help!" coming from behind a dumpster. Two thugs were trying to steal an old lady's handbag, but she was putting up a hell of a fight and wouldn't let go.
I wondered if I should get involved, or keep walking and pretend I didn't see anything. I finally decided that I should help.
She was a tough old bird, but the three of us finally got that handbag.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This weekend seven monkeys were stolen from a zoo in Poland. You know, so they could begin shooting season 6 of 'Jersey Shore.'" -Jimmy Fallon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was walking down an alley last night, when I heard, "Help! Help!" coming from behind a dumpster. Two thugs were trying to steal an old lady's handbag, but she was putting up a hell of a fight and wouldn't let go.
I wondered if I should get involved, or keep walking and pretend I didn't see anything. I finally decided that I should help.
She was a tough old bird, but the three of us finally got that handbag.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This weekend seven monkeys were stolen from a zoo in Poland. You know, so they could begin shooting season 6 of 'Jersey Shore.'" -Jimmy Fallon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A man
was stranded on a deserted island for over 20 years. He awoke suddenly one
morning, ran out to about knee deep
in the surf, and shouted: "A ship! A ship! And it's headed this way. As it got closer, he exclaimed: "Oh, my God! Look at all of those women in bikinis on the upper deck just waving at me."
By now he had this raging hard on. He began stroking himself. He looked down at his manhood and exclaimed, "I got you now you little son-of-a-bitch, there ain't no fucking ship!"
in the surf, and shouted: "A ship! A ship! And it's headed this way. As it got closer, he exclaimed: "Oh, my God! Look at all of those women in bikinis on the upper deck just waving at me."
By now he had this raging hard on. He began stroking himself. He looked down at his manhood and exclaimed, "I got you now you little son-of-a-bitch, there ain't no fucking ship!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A
woman in Buffalo set a new world record for eating 183 buffalo wings. I don't
think there will be a second date." -David Letterman~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"'Dancing With the Stars' has big names this season, including that guy from that thing." -Craig Ferguson~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Beaches in Italy are now training dogs to become lifeguards. That should work as long as someone throws a tennis ball at you while you're drowning." -Jimmy Fallon~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"'Dancing With the Stars' has big names this season, including that guy from that thing." -Craig Ferguson~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Beaches in Italy are now training dogs to become lifeguards. That should work as long as someone throws a tennis ball at you while you're drowning." -Jimmy Fallon~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.--Gloria Steinem
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.--Napoleon Hill
Revolutions are the locomotives of history.--Karl Marx
It is
not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness. --Charles
Haddon Spurgeon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The
illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write,
but
those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.
--Alvin Toffler
--Alvin Toffler
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
National Wildlife Magazine:
Special Anniversary Issue: 50 Years of Incredible
Images
Celebrate Nature Through Photography
CONTEST DATES:
Opens: February 14 , Closes: July 16
Enter your photos for a chance to win thousands of dollars in
prizes, get exposure, and
support the National Wildlife Federation's work to protect wildlife.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here’s the floor plan of a house with five rooms. Can you draw
a continuous line that passes through each of the 16 wall segments once and once
only? If it’s possible, show how; if it’s not, explain why.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any
fool can know. The point is to understand.~ Albert
Einstein
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upon returning to their car from a shopping
tour, one of the young ladies realized that she had forgotten to stop at the
pharmacy for her birth control pills. She rushed into the nearest pharmacy and
gave her prescription to the pharmacist. "Please fill this immediately," she
asked. "I've got people waiting in my
car!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There’s an extraordinary 2,000-year-old computer that
you’ve probably never heard of. “The Antikythera mechanism was designed to
predict movements of the sun, moon and planets. Why isn’t it better
known?”
Simple question with a complex answer: did humans make tools, or did tools make humans? (But not in a Cylon way.)
Another question: how does Vatican City deal with criminals?
Simple question with a complex answer: did humans make tools, or did tools make humans? (But not in a Cylon way.)
Another question: how does Vatican City deal with criminals?
Child considers manatee.
Manatee considers child. Stunning photo
Lovely rainbow origami street art. Far preferable to the lame graffiti I see around here. Inspired now to try some of your own? Here’s a great animated tutorial on how to make a paper crane.
Lovely rainbow origami street art. Far preferable to the lame graffiti I see around here. Inspired now to try some of your own? Here’s a great animated tutorial on how to make a paper crane.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Late Movies: Homemade Water Park
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/129370
Water parks cost a pretty penny, especially if you have a lot of people who want to have some fun in the water. There are ways around this, as you can see from these folks who fashioned their own water park rides. The safest way to enjoy these rides is to watch someone else do it on video.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vampire Hunters Are Real
Digging up graves that date back to the Middle Ages is freaky enough. Try uncovering one occupied by a vampire. A team of archaeologists in Bulgaria has done just that.
Digging up graves that date back to the Middle Ages is freaky enough. Try uncovering one occupied by a vampire. A team of archaeologists in Bulgaria has done just that.
*
Speaking of Digging Things Up
What happens when you find a massive woolly mammoth bone in your yard? If you’re this guy you take it into your house – and keep digging for more.
What happens when you find a massive woolly mammoth bone in your yard? If you’re this guy you take it into your house – and keep digging for more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Using the clues, find the famous
lady:
- Hit the nail on the head
- Inanimate yet homicidal item found in Fable
- Not the wedges end
- Move onto solids
So the solution we needed was:
- Hammer
- Chesty
- Thick
- Wean
Her Majesty The
Queen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Everyone is a reader… Some just
haven’t found their favorite book yet.”
http://exp.lore.com/post/22259231802/everyone-is-a-reader-some-just-havent-found
“Everyone is a reader… Some just haven’t found their favorite
book yet.” Reminiscent of those lovely vintage reading PSA posters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rebel US nuns in showdown with Rome over
women's role
Catholic church in US divided after Rome seeks to
crack down on 'radical feminism'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So you want to hang your skeleton
in public?
What if you want to make sure your alma
mater, or your best friend, gets your skeleton after you die? There are a few
ways you can make sure your skeleton carries on having adventures when you're no
longer using it. Take a look at how to donate your skeleton!
Reminds me of a line from Wicked:
"She had a mother, as so many do."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Big Wooden Ball Project by Mike Leuis.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legend has it a 9th-century Ethiopian goat
herder discovered coffee by accident when he noticed how crazy the beans were
making his goats. The lethal dose of caffeine is roughly 100 cups of coffee. In
the 1600s there was a controversy over whether or not Catholics could drink
coffee, luckily Pope Clement VIII said it was okay.
22 Facts about Coffee.
22 Facts about Coffee.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Time for another Give
Away….
IF you like her work, please
leave a comment, saying I ( http://ursaspawsclaws.blogspot.com/) referred you ~
I would love to win
one....
Death is the great unknown, the ultimate one-way
door. No matter how much we learn about physics or biology, the mystery of death
remains intact. That's why this week, io9 is going beyond the veil, to learn
everything there is to know about death. More »
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Giant Reef Fish Headbutt Rivals
for Sex
Ramming behavior among male bumphead
parrotfish, which occurs during competition for females, has been observed by
humans for the first time
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crazy Science Jobs #342:
Volcanologist
I’ll stick to the biology and leave the liquid molten
rivers of deadly lava to
others.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Think donning an Armani knockoff or phony Prada
only hurts the fashion industry? Take another look in the mirror
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Today CERN made it official:
They aren’t faster after all and Einstein’s theories are
safe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've already read and enjoyed 4
of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A young Chewbacca frolicing on the Ice Planet Hoth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Murder, this creepy and gorgeous short
film by Yang Tzu Ting, a brilliant scientist has figured out a way to clone not
only the body, but the soul as well. After his twin brother is violently
murdered, he decides to revive him by testing the cloning device on himself -
and, in the process, discovers the horrifying truth behind the
murder.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“You have to go wholeheartedly into
anything in order to achieve anything worth having.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
French directors Jean and Nicolas Jullien
(aka the Jullienn Brothers) and BBDO San Francisco created this anti-puppy mill PSA
commercial for the San Francisco
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. While it’s cute and catchy, it
delivers a serious message about the dangers of buying puppies from questionable
online sources.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Sexual Depravity of Adelie Penguins Is
One of Science’s Dirtiest Secrets
Anybody who really enjoyed Happy Feet and
the Morgan Freeman lullaby March of the Penguins should probably stop
reading this post before learning that male Adelie penguins are depraved little
sex gremlins and British naturalists have been sitting in their mahogany
clubhouses, drinking Scotch and dryly mocking our misguided adoration of these
flightless birds ever since 1913, when scientist George Murray Levick returned
from the Scott Antarctic Expedition with horror stories about rampant penguin
necrophilia. If you've made it this far, congratulations — you'll never be able
to watch little Mumble tap dance with the same innocence again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As seen on the network’s “Game of
Thrones,” (is it next April yet?!) the replica sits
7-feet tall, weighs 350 pounds, and is constructed of hand-finished,
hand-painted fiberglass and fire-proof resin (how appropriate, as there be
dragons!).
And it can be yours for a mere $30,000…not including shipping
of nearly $2,000.
(Any of you GoT fans out there actually gonna shell
out the bucks??)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wow, those actually look really cool, and I bet they’re a ton of fun to ride, but $6000,
really? I mean, sure, an all terrain electric skateboard ought to be expensive,
but certainly not more than a used car.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, this comes from the mind of
Youtuber ColoniaContraAtaca and will never see the light of day. Never.
Sigh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interesting piece from The
Atlantic's Alex Madrigal points out that the coveted 18-34 male demographic
is no longer the most important force in technology consumption and purchasing.
He quotes Intel anthropologist and all-round awesomesauce dispenser Genevieve
Bell's research, which shows that women lead tech adoption in "internet usage,
mobile phone voice usage, mobile phone location-based services, text messaging,
Skype, every social networking site aside from LinkedIn, all Internet-enabled
devices, e-readers, health-care devices, and GPS. Also, because women still are
the primary caretakers of children in many places, guess who controls which
gadgets the young male and female members of the family get to purchase or even
use?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hostilities erupted this weekend between two
ice cream truck operators in Blackburn, England, leaving both their vehicles
damaged. According to a local quoted by Lancashire Telegraph, children
watched in horror as "Mr Yummy jumped out of his van and
smashed Mr Whippy’s window."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enterprise Moves to Intrepid
Atop a barge on Wednesday, June 6, 2012, the space shuttle
Enterprise was towed on the Hudson River past the Statue of Liberty on its way
to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, where it will be permanently
displayed.
Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Man-made and natural forms combine in this
awesome time-lapse. Full-screen, HD, sit back and relax this
Friday.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This 10-year project from Frozen
Planet photographer Anthony Powell
is nearly complete. Wow. It’s a film about what it’s like to spend a year at the
bottom of the world, working to understand one of the wildest and most grueling
places on Earth.
It looks like it will be chock full
of breathtaking images, but it’s also about the people who devote their lives to
working there. These characters are often overlooked. If you’d like to
contribute to getting the project distributed to audiences worldwide, visit the Kickstarter
page.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Star Wars!
They specialize in something called “Pixel People Patterns”
and holy moley, do I need one whole wall dedicated to their geek
media-and-cross-stitching obsession!
Starting at just $4, you can buy all you can afford here! Including Ghostbusters, Doctor Who, The Breakfast Club, and
Shaun of the Dead! [Source:
Etsy / Via Artooz]
"Math, Science, History,
Unravelling the mystery,
and it all started with a big bang!"
Unravelling the mystery,
and it all started with a big bang!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Air has put together a persuasive little video for
Amnesty International. It shows a black limo pulling up at the entrance of arms
manufacturer FN Herstal. A gangster-type in suit and sunglasses gets out and
asks the security guard if he can buy some arms. His boss, who is waiting in the
limo, is looking to make a big purchase. The guard is a little surprised but
eventually calls the marketing department…you can see what happens in this
video. Sufficient to say that the aim of this stunt is to collect a maximum of
signatures for a petition demanding that the treaty on arms trade is applied
effectively. This just ahead of debates on the subject at the UN on 2nd
July.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Xylitol ("wood" + suffix
-itol), used to denote sugar alcohols) is a sugar alcohol sweetener used as a naturally occurring sugar substitute. It is found in the fibers of many fruits and vegetables, and can be extracted from
various berries, oats,
and mushrooms, as well as fibrous material such as corn husks and sugar cane bagasse, and birch. Xylitol is
roughly as sweet as sucrose with only two-thirds the
food energy. As with other sugar alcohols, with the exception of erythritol, consumption in excess of one's laxation threshold (the amount of
sweetener that can be consumed before abdominal discomfort sets in) can result
in temporary gastrointestinal side effects, such as bloating, flatulence, and diarrhea.
Found in Jello
Mousse
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There once was a young boy named Steven
Who noticed his balls were uneven.
When he pulled on the right,
The left shot out of sight:
Not the effect Steve was keen on achievin'.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who noticed his balls were uneven.
When he pulled on the right,
The left shot out of sight:
Not the effect Steve was keen on achievin'.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Amazing Monkey Orchid
image credit
Nature doesn't need an audience. These wonderful orchids come from the south-eastern Ecuadorian and Peruvian cloud forests from elevations of 1000 to 2000 meters and as such not many people throughout history got to see them. However, thanks to intrepid collectors we do get to see this wonderful Monkey Orchid. Someone didn't need much imagination to name it though, let's face it.
Nature doesn't need an audience. These wonderful orchids come from the south-eastern Ecuadorian and Peruvian cloud forests from elevations of 1000 to 2000 meters and as such not many people throughout history got to see them. However, thanks to intrepid collectors we do get to see this wonderful Monkey Orchid. Someone didn't need much imagination to name it though, let's face it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Swirling Spiral of Light Over
the Middle East
Last week, a swirling spiral of light
was seen in the skies over Israel, Syria and other Middle East countries. Was it
UFO?
Naw, turned out it was just the
Russians: The Voice of Russia reported that the country's Strategic Missile
Forces conducted a test of the Topol ICBM from the Kapustin Yar firing range
near Astrakhan in southern Russia on Thursday. Such a launch could theoretically
be seen from areas of the Middle East and the Caucasus.
Alan Boyle of MSNBC's Cosmic Log has the
story: Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the 2000 Indiana College Mathematics
Competition:
Four suspects, one of whom was known to have
committed a murder, made the following statements when questioned by police. If
only one of them is telling the truth, who did it?
Arby: Becky did it.
Becky: Ducky did it.
Cindy: I didn’t do it.
Ducky: Becky is lying.
Becky: Ducky did it.
Cindy: I didn’t do it.
Ducky: Becky is lying.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How to Kill a Reanimated
Skeleton
By this point, we all know how to deal with
zombies: aim for the head. Destroy the brain and you’ve put a zombie down for
good. A hit anywhere else just wastes ammunition.
But what about reanimated skeletons? You’re far
more likely to encounter them than zombies, which are just imaginary. Aiming for
center mass or the head will probably accomplish nothing. Brian J. Noggle argues
that your best bet is to shoot the skeleton’s pelvis: Shoot a little high, you
might be able to sever that spinal cord. A little to each side and low, maybe
you’ll put the skeleton on the ground and incapacitated. A direct hit will
probably do both, leaving the skeleton to only crawl toward you, allowing you
time to escape. Or, I suppose, it could ride C3P0-on-Chewbacca style on another
skeleton. Regardless, it’s one less coming after you under its own unholy
power.
Link P.S. Brian wrote the novel John Donnelly’s
Gold, an excellent heist story set in a tech company.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Museum of Endangered
Sounds
"Imagine a world where we never again hear the
symphonic startup of a Windows 95 machine. Imagine generations of children
unacquainted with the chattering of angels lodged deep within the recesses of an
old cathode ray tube TV. And when the entire world has adopted devices with
sleek, silent touch interfaces, where will we turn for the sound of fingers
striking QWERTY keypads? Tell me that. And tell me: Who will play my GameBoy
when I'm gone?"
These questions led Brendan Chilcutt to embark on
a mission to collect and preserve these sounds in The Museum of Endangered
Sounds: Link - via Design Taxi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Industrial Life of Button
Mushroom
That delicious mushroom you just had with your
salad wasn't harvested from a beautiful forest or an idyllic farm. No,
neatoramanauts, every single step in the growing, harvesting, and processing of
Agaricus bisporus, or the champignon or button mushroom
is industrial in nature.
Take a look at this video clip by Havatec, which explains everything. Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - via Kottke
Oh, a mushroom trivia for you: if you let that
common button mushroom grow to maturity, you get portabello mushroom. Thought
you've been eating two different kinds of mushrooms?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seen on the back of a food service delivery
van:
Driver does not
carry more than $50
worth of lasagna
Driver does not
carry more than $50
worth of lasagna
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The medics rush Mr. Steinberg to the hospital in
the middle of the night, apparently with a massive heart attack. The doctors
work on him all night and morning and finally discharge him to ICU, where
therapy continues.
In a couple of days Mr. Steinberg's physician comes into his room and says, "Sol, I'm happy to tell you that you are completely well. You have the heart function that you did when you were a fifteen-year-old lad. We're going to send you home tomorrow. You don't have to worry about your heart; do any physical exercise that you like."
Mr. Steinberg goes home and that evening is talking with his wife: "Doris, you'll never believe it: I'm completely well. I have no worries with my heart. Tonight, Darling, you and I are going to make love like you've never had before, wild, passionate
sex....you'll love it!"
Doris thinks for a minute and says, "I don't know, Sol. I've heard about active sex and heart conditions. I don't want it to be on my head if you croak while we are making love. Maybe, just maybe, if your doctor wrote a note to me saying that everything was OK... maybe I would have such sex with you...."
Mr. Steinberg was dejected, but the next day he was in his doctor's office; his doctor tells him, "Sure, sure, Sol, no problem, I'll write the note. Let's see, here's my prescription pad: "Mr. Sol Steinberg, a patient of mine, has the heart function of a fifteen-year-old lad and can have mad, passionate, adventurous sex any time that he so desires, signed, Dr. Aaron Katz....... Now, I'll just address this.......By the way, Sol, what's your wife's first name?"
"Uh, Doctor, could you just make that, 'To Whom It May Concern"?
In a couple of days Mr. Steinberg's physician comes into his room and says, "Sol, I'm happy to tell you that you are completely well. You have the heart function that you did when you were a fifteen-year-old lad. We're going to send you home tomorrow. You don't have to worry about your heart; do any physical exercise that you like."
Mr. Steinberg goes home and that evening is talking with his wife: "Doris, you'll never believe it: I'm completely well. I have no worries with my heart. Tonight, Darling, you and I are going to make love like you've never had before, wild, passionate
sex....you'll love it!"
Doris thinks for a minute and says, "I don't know, Sol. I've heard about active sex and heart conditions. I don't want it to be on my head if you croak while we are making love. Maybe, just maybe, if your doctor wrote a note to me saying that everything was OK... maybe I would have such sex with you...."
Mr. Steinberg was dejected, but the next day he was in his doctor's office; his doctor tells him, "Sure, sure, Sol, no problem, I'll write the note. Let's see, here's my prescription pad: "Mr. Sol Steinberg, a patient of mine, has the heart function of a fifteen-year-old lad and can have mad, passionate, adventurous sex any time that he so desires, signed, Dr. Aaron Katz....... Now, I'll just address this.......By the way, Sol, what's your wife's first name?"
"Uh, Doctor, could you just make that, 'To Whom It May Concern"?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My
husband grew increasingly displeased as our teenage daughter and her boyfriend
studied in her room late one evening. Finally losing patience shortly after
midnight, he knocked sharply on her door. Her boyfriend immediately opened it
and asked if something was wrong.
"I have to ask you to move your car," my husband told him.
"Oh, sure. Is it in someone's way?"
"No," he replied, "it's parked in the wrong driveway."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I have to ask you to move your car," my husband told him.
"Oh, sure. Is it in someone's way?"
"No," he replied, "it's parked in the wrong driveway."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ursa ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
