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- 4 “Facts” That Have Changed Since You Were In School
- How Far Do Cats Roam?
- Hand-Feeding a Great White Shark
- Blood Bath Shower Gel
- Gimme Shelter
- Ambigrams and Upside-down Heads
- Revolutionary New Birth Control Method for Men
- What Is the Fittest City in the US?
- Captain Jean-Luc Picard Proposal
- Huge Slingshot That Fires Circular Sawblades
- James Charles' Altered Currency
- Jedi Delinquents
- Cheesy Couture
- Engineering Students Design Robot Rubik's Cube Solver
- Photographers Commission Custom Leica 50mm Summilux Lens Style Wedding Bands
- Tiny Table Tennis
- Tennis Playing Robotic Swiss Quadrocopters
- Mysterious Markings Discovered at Great Pyramid of Giza
- Cloud Computing The Largest Telescope Ever Built
- “Deadpool” is Patrolling Small City in Washington State
- 40 Things That Will Make You Feel Old
- "Smooth Criminal" Cello Duet
- Freestyle Canoeing
- The Democratic Party’s ‘Seven Dwarfs’ of 1988
- The Swedish Beaver Invasion
- Which Dog Did It?
- Dalek with Zipper Compartment
- The Inebriate in Captivity
- Who's Bad?
- A Camera Worth Nearly $2 Million
| 4 “Facts” That Have Changed Since You Were In School Posted: 01 Jun 2011 05:12 AM PDT First they blew your mind when they told you Pluto isn't actually a planet, then they told you that not only is Atlantis real, it's been sitting in the bottom of some mudflats in Spain for a few thousand years. It seems history and science keep changing right in front of our eyes and pretty soon, nothing we learned in school will be true any more. Well, if you can't deal with change, then you aren't going to like these four things you learned in school are actually completely bogus. The Pyramids Weren't Built By SlavesIf you learned one thing about Egypt in school, it was that the pyramids are marvels of ancient technology…and that they were built by slaves. There are movies based around slaves working on the pyramids and every one has seen at least half a dozen pictures of the poor workers straining under the hot sun as their cruel masters wait, whip in hand, for someone to slack off. But working on the pyramids might not have been so bad after all. While it was still hard work to construct the massive monuments, recent research has shown that the workers were more likely skilled masons who had the right to leave whenever they wanted. Evidence to back this claim is supported in the fact that the workers had their own tombs right beside the pyramids. Egyptologists point out that someone that low on the social ladder would never have been buried so close to the pharaohs. Image via anniemarieangelo [Flickr] Everything You Knew About Dinosaurs Is WrongOk, maybe not everything you learned about dinos back in school was wrong, but a lot of it sure was. For one thing, there is no brontosaurus. Yeah, that giant lumbering monster we all learned about in grade school was actually an apatosaurus with the head of a camarasaurus. The worst thing about this inaccuracy is that it was discovered over a century ago, but up until recently, everyone (including a lot of elementary school teachers) still insisted on calling apatosauruses brontosauruses. I guess one mislabeled dino isn't that big of a deal…but the incorrect visual representation of just about every dinosaur imaginable is. By now, you've probably heard that many dinosaurs probably had feathers, a huge change for those of us who grew up thinking about giant lizards roaming the prehistoric plains. But even those that probably didn't look like giant birds still looked way cooler and more versatile than the oversized iguanas popularly imagined. These days, we even know what color some dinosaurs were, and they are a far call from the multitude of green shades we once imagined. If you really want to know just how different dinosaurs were compared to what we were taught, check out this great article on Listverse, about the Top 10 Dinosaurs That Aren't What They Were. Image via Geoff S. [Flickr] Arsenic Is One of the Building Blocks of LifeIf you learned chemistry or biology in high school, you were probably taught that there are six chemical elements known as the "building blocks of life." They are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus. These components make up the chemical composition of DNA and without them, life isn't possible…or at least, we thought it wasn't possible. Last year, scientists discovered a bacteria species living in a salt lake in California that was missing one of the building blocks of life, phosphorus, and instead had arsenic in its place. For some people, this might not seem like such a huge deal, particularly considering that arsenic is very close to phosphorus in its physical and chemical properties, but it's a huge deal to scientists who suddenly saw a massive expansion in the scope of potential living things. It really makes a difference in intergalactic research, since the discovery opens up whole new planets as potential life-supporting ecosystems. Image via Artful Magpie [Flickr] Humans Aren't Really All That SpecialMaybe this wasn't the case for all of you, but when I was in school, the teachers seemed overly fascinated with telling us how much better humans are than other animals. They'd tell the class, "we're the only animals who have complex emotions," "no other animal is self-aware like we are," "humans are the only creatures who use tools," "we are the only species to communicate through complex language," etc. I don't know why they felt our fragile homo sapien egos were so threatened by other creatures, but I always thought that was a little strange. As it turns out, it was completely incorrect too. Recent studies show that elephants mourn the loss of their companions and many animals, particularly dogs (who have evolved in the companionship of humans), have far more complex emotions than scientists had ever imagined. And chimps don't just have emotions; they also are self-aware enough to understand how their own actions will affect those around them. Well, we still have our intelligence to set us apart from the beasts right? Not so quick you homo sapien- supremacists. Actually, there are a lot of intelligent animals out there, many of which use tools and converse amongst themselves. Chimps have used spears to hunt for thousands of years, octopuses use coconut shells as both camouflage and as protection, and dolphins use sponges to help uncover fish that are hiding in the sand. As for language, bees have an incredibly complex language system allowing them to communicate what type of flower is located in a given place and how to get to that location. Monkeys not only communicate with one another vocally, but they even understand grammar rules. In fact, in some ways, animals are actually ahead of us in the language game. While humans cannot yet speak the language of any other animals, primates can be taught sign language so they can communicate with us in our own language. Image via Mundoo [Flickr] If this crushed your memories of grade school, I'm sorry, but now it's your turn to get revenge. What have you learned isn't true even though they told you it was a "fact" back in school?  |
| Posted: 01 Jun 2011 04:47 AM PDT Jeff Horn conducted a two-year study for his master’s thesis at the University of Illinois on roaming cats. For the study, 42 adult cats were fitted with electronics to trace their movements. Cats with owners had an average roaming territory of 4.9 acres, while feral cats roamed a much wider territory. One feral cat covered 1,351 acres! Data was also retrieved that showed owned cats were “highly active” only 3% of the time, compared to 14% for feral cats. That is very low, especially for an animal that must forage for food, but should not surprise anyone who knows cats. Link -via Pawesome |
| Hand-Feeding a Great White Shark Posted: 01 Jun 2011 04:43 AM PDT (Video Link) In this anxiety-inducing video, you can see shark expert Valerie Taylor feeding a Great White Shark…by hand! And the end, she actually pets the shark on the head. As one YouTube commenter puts it “holy crap its the Shark Whisperer.” via Doobybrain |
| Posted: 31 May 2011 08:00 PM PDT Blood Bath Shower Gel – $7.45 Have you diagnosed someone in need of some good clean fun? Get them the Blood Bath Shower Gel from the NeatoShop. This fabulous Blood Bath Shower Gel is cherry-scented. It is designed to look like a blood transfusion bag. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fantastic Bath & Body items! |
| Posted: 31 May 2011 07:37 PM PDT Playing for Change, the folks who brought us “Stand By Me” a couple of years ago, traveled the world to bring many artists together for a performance of the Rolling Stones classic “Gimme Shelter.” Link -via Gizmodo |
| Ambigrams and Upside-down Heads Posted: 31 May 2011 06:30 PM PDT Sam “No Nickname” Saxton makes vertical ambigrams with illustrations that read the same whether you hold them right side up or upside down. He’s given the treatment to presidents, pop culture figures, and even Star Wars characters! Link |
| Revolutionary New Birth Control Method for Men Posted: 31 May 2011 06:16 PM PDT
This liquid doesn’t block the path of sperm cells exiting the testicles, but renders them inert as they move past. This substance should be removable, thus returning fertility to the patient. You can watch a video of the procedure at the link. Content warning: scrotum. Link via DVICE | Photo by Flickr user aesop used under Creative Commons license |
| What Is the Fittest City in the US? Posted: 31 May 2011 05:59 PM PDT
Link via Marginal Revolution | Photo (unrelated) by Flickr user Jason Lengstorf used under Creative Commons license |
| Captain Jean-Luc Picard Proposal Posted: 31 May 2011 05:43 PM PDT I have no information about this young lady, but it is obvious that she is very fortunate to have found a man of such discerning taste and character. “Aye aye, sir” would be an appropriate response. via Geekologie |
| Huge Slingshot That Fires Circular Sawblades Posted: 31 May 2011 05:38 PM PDT (Video Link) If there was a Nobel Prize for Awesomeness, Jörg Sprave would win it easily. And why isn’t there such a Nobel Prize? The mere existence of this weapon alone justifies its creation. Sprave, noted for his pioneering research into Gatling gun slingshot technology, now worked on the circular sawblade challenge. How did he ensure that the sawblade spins properly while in flight? Watch and find out. |
| James Charles' Altered Currency Posted: 31 May 2011 05:25 PM PDT Also featuring Abraham Lincoln as Frida Kahlo and Andrew Jackson as Ronald McDonald. James Charles has made some slight adjustments to US currency. These are on display at The Shooting Gallery in San Francisco, as well as at the link. Link via Dude Craft | Gallery Website |
| Posted: 31 May 2011 05:05 PM PDT (Video Link) One of Freddie Wong’s best short films was Jedi A-Holes — a brief glimpse into the world of criminally miscreant Jedi. He’s back with the same theme, and the same two Jedi knights causing mischief in their town. via Ace of Spades HQ |
| Posted: 31 May 2011 11:34 AM PDT Inspired by Lady Gaga’s meat dress, fashion and textile students at Bath Spa University created fashions using 1000 pounds of Pilgrims Choice Vintage, Extra Mature and Red Leicester cheeses. These heat-molded, sculpted designs come with “Jimmy Cheese” shoes made from stale cheese sandwiches and a block of West County cheddar. No thanks, I prefer to keep my stinky cheese on the table and not on my feet. These dairy clever creations will be exhibited at the Royal Bath and West Show, at Shepton Mallet, Somerset, from tomorrow until Saturday. |
| Engineering Students Design Robot Rubik's Cube Solver Posted: 31 May 2011 11:18 AM PDT If you were around in the 80’s, you had a Rubik’s Cube puzzle. I hated those things and always resorted to pulling the stickers off to win in frustration. Some students from Swinburne University of Technology created a robot that can solve the puzzle in 10.69 seconds. That under 11-second time includes time for scanning the faces of the cube and having the algorithm process the scans to solve the cube. link |
| Photographers Commission Custom Leica 50mm Summilux Lens Style Wedding Bands Posted: 31 May 2011 11:04 AM PDT Over the years, I have seen a number of wild wedding bands that people wear. I am partial to the carbon fiber and tungsten type myself. If you are into photography, you will appreciate the wedding bands a couple photographers had made. The his band is made to resemble the focusing ring on a Leica 50mm Summilux lens while the hers band looks like the aperture ring from the same lens. The rings even have their own custom-made metal Leica camera blank for storage. link |
| Posted: 31 May 2011 10:48 AM PDT
Do you have the back to work blues? Keep the holiday weekend party going with the Tiny Table Tennis set from the NeatoShop. Grab a coworker or play by yourself. This miniature ping pong set is the perfect addition to any cluttered desk. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more Office & Desk fun! |
| Tennis Playing Robotic Swiss Quadrocopters Posted: 31 May 2011 10:47 AM PDT They say that one day robots and computers will be able to do things better than humans can. This pair of flying machines can already play tennis better than I can. Granted that's not saying much on my part, but still the video at the link is really impressive.
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| Mysterious Markings Discovered at Great Pyramid of Giza Posted: 31 May 2011 10:46 AM PDT Archeologists have used robots to uncover some new and strange symbols inside an unexplored portion of the Great Pyramid of Giza. The robots where able to fit inside a space that is too small people to reach.
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| Cloud Computing The Largest Telescope Ever Built Posted: 31 May 2011 10:45 AM PDT Building the world's largest radio telescope will come with lots of infrastructure issues to start with. One of the biggest problems researchers will face is how to analyze the massive amount of data that will be collected. One solution may be to turn to the public for some extra computing power.
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| “Deadpool” is Patrolling Small City in Washington State Posted: 31 May 2011 10:43 AM PDT Let's say you really love comic books and you want to dress up as your favorite character to go out and help people. Normally people like choose a superhero to emulate. One man in Washington didn't let the fact that his favorite character was a villain stop him from doing some good.
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| 40 Things That Will Make You Feel Old Posted: 31 May 2011 10:42 AM PDT Surge hasn't been sold in ten years. These 40 things will make you feel old (assuming you're not young in which case you won't get these references which in turn will make the rest of us feel old.) |
| Posted: 31 May 2011 10:14 AM PDT This video is called “Two Cellos Solo” but a) two cellos make a duet and 2) it’s more like a battle. That said, it’s interesting and now we have a Michael Jackson mini-theme going today. Enjoy! |
| Posted: 31 May 2011 10:02 AM PDT Because WHY NOT. From battenkiller’s YouTube page, a brief explanation of the sport:
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| The Democratic Party’s ‘Seven Dwarfs’ of 1988 Posted: 31 May 2011 09:32 AM PDT This particular Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss will be hard for many, but a piece of cake for political animals of a certain age. In July of 1987, way before the presidential primary of 1988, seven democratic contenders met for a debate. They were later dubbed “the Seven Dwarfs” by the news media. How many can you name in three minutes? As I was a news director for a radio station at the time, I named them all with a minute to spare. It might not be that easy for anyone else -the average score right now is 25%. Link |
| Posted: 31 May 2011 09:32 AM PDT Swedish police were called to handle a wayward beaver for the second time in recent months yesterday morning after one of the industrious rodents made its way into a homeowner’s garage.
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| Posted: 31 May 2011 09:23 AM PDT Someone got into the trash! The homeowners have two dogs, so how can they determine which one is the guilty party? -via Arbroath |
| Posted: 31 May 2011 09:20 AM PDT Orata at Feather and Fan made this knit dalek with a zippered compartment in the front, where the dalek can stash a knitted Kaled mutant (or some other other freakish being). The knitting pattern is included in the post. Link -via Rue The Day |
| Posted: 31 May 2011 09:18 AM PDT John F. Ptak came across an 1908 newspaper photo essay entitled “The Pleasant Lot of the Inebriate in Captivity: The comfortable quarters of the inmates of a state reformatory for inebriates.”
Although the photographs are obviously posed, they are worth a look for their historic value. Link -via Everlasting Blort |
| Posted: 31 May 2011 09:15 AM PDT It’s a ridiculous game of one-upmanship between Michael Jackson and Mr. Bean! Patrick Boivin directed this stop-motion animation from Pascal Blais Studios. -via Laughing Squid |
| A Camera Worth Nearly $2 Million Posted: 31 May 2011 08:45 AM PDT Does this camera look like a million bucks to you? How about $2 million? This Leica O-series is just one of 25 ever made to “test the market” in 1923, two years before the camera’s A-Series debuted, according to the auctioneer’s description. That was enough to make the winning bidder pay $1,890,000 for it just last weekend, making it the most expensive camera ever sold. Link via the Daily What |
Well, I thought that the 
According to a study by the American College of Sports Medicine, it’s the Minneapolis-St.Paul metropolitan area, followed by Washington, D.C.:
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