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2021/10/29

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Untold Truth Of The Ark Of The Covenant

Posted: 28 Oct 2021 08:39 PM PDT

The Ark of the Covenant is one of the holiest artifacts in religion. It's been referenced in different forms of media, from books to movies, yet most people don't know what exactly it is. From its portrayal in the 1981 Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Ark is depicted as a chest that should not be in the hands of evil people. 

Alternatively called the Ark of the Testimony or the Ark of God, the artifact was a movable sanctuary for the Israelites. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, the Ark was like a place for God to sit until they arrived in the promised land and could establish a temple there. Grunge dives deeper into the history and lore of the mysterious artifact here!  

Image credit: wikimedia commons 

How Online Misinformation Spreads

Posted: 28 Oct 2021 08:36 PM PDT

Misinformation is defined as any type of inaccurate or false information. Conspiracy theories and honest mistakes can be classified under the concept. Thanks to the power of the Internet, and the arrival of the pandemic, misinformation is now widespread. 

According to University of Washington's Jevin West, the speed at which this kind of false information spreads is like nothing we've ever seen before. Misinformation is "something different. It kind of has a life of its own," physicist Neil Johnson adds. Learn more about online misinformation here! 

Image credit: Matthew Guay / Unsplash

Xbox Series X Fridge Sells Out And Gets Huge Scalper Markups

Posted: 28 Oct 2021 08:33 PM PDT

There's an Xbox fridge now? 

The Xbox mini fridge is a collaboration between Ukonic! and Xbox. The gadget is a reward of sorts, after Twitter's #BestOfBrands voting poll, where the company won and vowed to produce a mini-fridge. The product quickly sold out, got review-bombed, and emerged on auction sites at a huge premium. According to Aaron Greenberg, fans who missed out on the initial sale can still obtain the mini-fridge, as it is not a limited-edition release. No need to worry about paying scalper prices if you want it! 

Image credit: Xbox

75 Wholesome Things To Make You Smile

Posted: 28 Oct 2021 08:29 PM PDT

Even if it's just for a moment, these photos may bring you a small shot of happiness that can make your day infinitely better. Buzzfeed's Dave Stopera shared 75 things, which span from funny texts to Twitter posts to Snapchats and random images. I'm sure one, if not all of them, can make you laugh! See more here. 

Image credit: Dave Stopera

Math Teacher Conducts Lessons on Pornhub

Posted: 28 Oct 2021 08:28 PM PDT

Well, he's on that platform to make things… harder, alright. 

All jokes aside, a math teacher decided to fill in an obvious gap at Pornhub. The educator, named Changshu, decided to upload math lessons to the popular platform since a lot of people visit the website. Under the handle changhsumath666, the 34-year-old has accumulated over 1.7 million views, and features the slogan, "Play Hard, Study Hard!"

It's jarring (and funny) to watch his videos and see ads for things like "Live Sex." Well, if you'd like to be educated in the wonderful and sexy concepts of mathematics, his videos are on Pornhub for your viewing pleasure. 

Image credit: changhsumath666/Pornhub

Your Personal Fruit Tier

Posted: 28 Oct 2021 06:07 PM PDT

Have you ever had the urge to rank fruits by how much you like them? Neither have I, but once you get started, it's kinda fun. It's really easy to make your own chart at Tiermaker: just drag the little fruit icons to their proper position, and you can change the ranking labels at the left to whatever you want them to say. Looking back, maybe I should have labeled a row as "it depends on how you use them." After all, lemons are wonderful in lemonade or cooking, but they're not really a fruit to snack on. And I prefer green apples because I only eat apples cooked due to dental issues.

What's the point of all this? Beside the fun of making it, you can share it and compare it to your friends' and family's favorite fruits. I'm sure my kids would be aghast at how many fruits I haven't ever tried, and their opinions on my rankings would be... quite opinionated. Comparisons at this point might also make selecting pies and appetizers for Thanksgiving a little easier. -via Boing Boing

How Much Candy Should You Buy for Halloween?

Posted: 28 Oct 2021 08:56 AM PDT

Are you going to be ready for trick-or-treaters to show up at your house this weekend? Do you want to avoid leftover candy? Are you afraid of running out before the children head home? Considering rising prices and supply chain issues, you want to prepare properly. Candy Industry has an online "calculator" that doesn't really calculate for you, but shows you how to do the math. The basic formula is time x kids x generosity. But there are confounding factors to consider.

The first confounding factor is the number of days between purchasing candy and trick-or-treat night (which may vary by community). You need to do the math to figure out how much will be eaten by the household ahead of time. This is where I tell the story about that year I bought a bag of miniature Snickers and the dog ate every one of them, including the wrappers. All that was left was the chewed-up plastic bag (the dog was fine).   

Another confounding factor is the kind of candy you buy. Your favorite chocolate may not be what little kids crave, and buying too much Sour Patch may leave you with candy you'll never eat. Read about the different strategies for buying the proper amount of Halloween candy at Popular Mechanics.  -via Fark

Gothtober: a Calendar of Halloween Treats

Posted: 28 Oct 2021 02:29 AM PDT

Every October for 19 years now, Julianna Parr of the art organization Sparklebob and her team put together a calendar called Gothtober. It's like an advent calendar, in that a new treat is uploaded to open and enjoy each day. That means that every day on October there's a new entry from a different artist to make you flee in horror, cringe, or laugh. It's mostly laughs, though. And since the month is almost over, you've got plenty to see by now.  

Most of the entries are short (1-3 minute) videos, but I also encountered some still artworks and a few that are slideshows with links to content elsewhere. The theme this year is "truck stop," but  that's just a suggestion. They all have to do with horror or Halloween. I particularly recommend #6, the women behind horror films. The artists for each day are introduced here. You can also visit Gothtober projects from previous years here. -via Metafilter

Why Dragons Were the #1 Medieval Monster

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 06:18 PM PDT

While medieval tales had ghosts and werewolves and other assorted monsters, the dragon dominated the stories of good vs. evil. We know how St. George slew a dragon. Dragons factored in quite a few Arthurian legends, and Arthur's surname was Pendragon. Quite a few of the fairy tales passed down from medieval Europe involved dragons in one way or another. It was a monster understood by everyone, even though no one had ever seen one in the flesh.

But stories of dragons in the medieval era were not concocted just for thrills. They were fables, intended to drive home moral absolutes. Dragons were a threat, but virtuous and heroic man could defeat them. More often, though, it was a religious and devout hero who was required to slay the dragon. Dragons were metaphors for devils, demons, and sin itself. Read about the proliferation of dragons in medieval Europe, or in the literature at least, at Smithsonian. The article does not address the preponderance of dragons in Asian legends.

A Uniquely Surprising Purchase

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 11:35 AM PDT



Normally I avoid posting an unboxing video because they tend to all look the same, and most are pure promotion for the product or the person opening it. It's different when someone buys used items, and especially when they get way more than they expected.  

Laura Kampf looked online for storage containers, but what she ended up with was so much cooler. First, this set of crates shows high quality workmanship. Then we get to see the features inside them (holy cow!). Then we find out their purpose, which is cooler still. Since Kampf bought these crates for her workshop, I am sure she will find a totally cool purpose for each of them. -via Metafilter

The Best Horror Movies of All Time

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 11:34 AM PDT

How can one rank all the horror movies of the last 100 years of cinema? It's easier when you can crunch the numbers with a computer. And that's exactly what Rotten Tomatoes did. The site is all about collecting critics reviews and moviegoers opinions, which all come with a certain number of stars. Rotten Tomatoes took horror films that had received at least 20 reviews each and ranked the top 200 according to the statistics. Therefore, if you have a problem with the ranking, well, you can leave a few reviews yourself. They update this list every once in a while.

That said, you have to keep in mind that younger horror film buffs are more liable to use any kind of internet review system than older viewers, and honestly, there are few left who saw the original Frankenstein in a theater. So there's no getting around the fact that newer movies will rank higher. Jordan Peele has two films in the top ten. Then again, you might say that movies just got better over time.

The list of the top 200 best horror films starts at #200 and you'll have to scroll a bit to get to the very best ones. Each comes with a synopsis. You may find something new to watch this Halloween! There are also links to lists of the top horror films of each decade. -via Mental Floss

Man Walks Slackline with Barbell above His Head

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 06:17 AM PDT

I have not, unfortunately, been able to find the name of this amazing athlete. He should be famous, given the extraordinary feats he demonstrates in this video. 

It's not just being able to lift the barbell and a pair of 45-pound plates over his head. Such athletes would be thick on the ground in any gym. But that he can do so on a slackline shows phenomenal core strength and balance.

Who is he? Perhaps the uniquely shaped spire in the background could clue us into at least where he is located.

A suggestion: watch the video with the sound muted.

-via Born in Space

Pigeon Hoards Poppies Given At A War Memorial

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 05:49 AM PDT

Staff at the Australian War Memorial noticed that some poppies were disappearing from the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier. Poppies were laid on a monument because they are a symbol of the endurance and perseverance of wounded soldiers. These flowers were used to remember and honor those who were brave and fought on the battlefield. Upon inspection, the staff found out that a stray pigeon has been grabbing the flowers to create a nest on the ledge of a window. 

Oddly enough, the staff finding out about the identity of the poppy thief gives a whole new meaning to the 'missing flowers situation.' Before the rise of communication technology, pigeons were used to send messages at times of war. So one can assume that the pigeon was merely paying homage to the service of its ancestors and soldiers in its own way. 

Image credit: Australian War Memorial

The Missing Sixth Caryatid Statue

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 05:47 AM PDT

The Caryatids are a set of six statues that held up Erechtheion, an ancient temple dedicated to Athena and Poseidon. The statues, which depicted maidens, were created around  421 BC – 406 BC. There is a mystery surrounding the location of a missing maiden statue, thanks to the efforts of Thomas Bruce, the seventh Lord Elgin, who served as Great Britain's ambassador to the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Today, the remaining original caryatids are stored and preserved in the Acropolis Museum for their protection, conservation, and restoration.

Image credit:Harrieta171 /CC BY-SA 3.0

FBI Discovers A Real-Life Indiana Jones ...In Indiana

Posted: 27 Oct 2021 05:46 AM PDT

An FBI agent was sent an anonymous tip about a real-life Indiana Jones. The man in question was Don Miller, an amateur archaeologist who'd amassed a vast collection of artifacts. According to the tip, the Indiana resident (what a coincidence, huh?) had skeletons in his home. Spooky. 

To confirm the validity of the tip, an FBI agent named Tim Carpenter was sent to investigate. He was assigned to the organization's Art Theft Program, typically known for investigating fine art. Learn more about this mysterious Indiana Jones at Vanity Fair! 

Image credit: Audrey Amaro
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