Phobias are covering a whole range of stuff. But the main ones are fairly sensible. Things like heights, poisonous snakes, spiders and giraffes.A lot of people don't understand just how debilitating being a giraffobe can be, some of them even laugh, as if giraffobia was funny. Well it's not funny at all. Not when you find yourself checking for giraffes under your pillow every night.
And when you're even scared of those dead giraffes you sometimes find in corners of the attic or in the back of dark cobwebby cupboards.
Giraffobia
Universcale
We are able to view all entities, from the microworld to the universe, from a single perspective. By setting them up against a scale, we are able to compare and understand things which cannot be physically compared.
Today, using the electron microscope and astronomical telescope, we can see objects of which we have not been aware of before. Are you able to fathom, or even roughly grasp, these sizes? See Nikon's Universcale and experience the sizes of various objects.
Otters Holding Hands
Ah, this is cute! At the Vancouver Aquarium, two sea otters float around, napping, and holding hands.
(thanks Irina)
The 20 Greatest Historical Myths
'Humanities Talks' has a list of the 20 greatest historical myths. It's a nice list although not all of these claims are correct.
Newton was not hit by an apple, Walt Disney did not draw Mickey Mouse, Marie Antoinette never said 'Let them eat cake,' Captain Cook did not discover Australia, Thomas Edison did not invent the light bulb.
The 'Amen Break'
The 'Amen Break' is the most sampled drum beat in the history of recorded music. The 'Amen Break' was a drum-solo performed by Gregory Cylvester Coleman. The break is a frequently used sampled drum loop in hip hop, jungle and drum and bass music. It's 5.20 seconds long and consists of 4 bars of the drum-solo sampled from the song 'Amen, Brother' as performed by the 1960s funk and soul outfit The Winstons.
Nate Harrison's 2004 18-minute video is a meditation on the ownership of culture, the nature of art and creativity, and the history of a remarkable music clip.
The World's Smallest Pancake
Pancakes are a type of flatbread prepared from a sweet batter that is cooked on a hot griddle or in a frying pan. They exist in several variations in many different local cuisines. Most pancakes are quick breads, although some are also made using a yeast-raised or fermented batter.
Pancake making - A different method.
Google Suggests You Swim Across The Atlantic Ocean
When mapping a route from Chicago to London, Google Maps suggests you swim the 3,462 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.
Do Fairies Live At The Bottom Of Your Garden?
Don't be silly! Of course they don't!
Or, do they?What appears to be the mummified remains of a fairy have been discovered in the Derbyshire countryside... The remains were discovered by a local man, who wishes to remain anonymous, while walking his dog along an old Roman road situated between the villages of Duffield and Belper...
The remains, complete with wings, skin, teeth and flowing red hair have been examined by anthropologists and forensic experts who can confirm that the body is genuine.
Memories Keep Him Close
Here's a story that will bring tears to your eyes.
The Chicago Tribune posted excerpts from the final letter from U.S. Army Captain Michael MacKinnon to his wife and two young children. Captain MacKinnon lost his life in Iraq on October 27, 2005, when a bomb exploded near his Humvee.
To his daughter Madison:Madison, I'm sorry I broke my promise to you when I said I was coming back. You were the jewel of my life. I have to tell you that you really broke my heart that day when I left and you said, 'don't go, I need my daddy, I don't want my daddy to go.' I nearly cried in front of all the army guys.
If you can do any thing for me, you can take school seriously and do well. With a good education you can become anything you want. Stay away from drugs, they will ruin your life. Finally, stay away from bad men. You deserve too much. I don't think anyone would ever be good enough for you. Stay beautiful, stay sweet. You will always be daddy's little girl.
Here's a PDF document of Captain MacKinnon's letter.
An Amazing Scene In Burma
This is a picture of a rock formation near a lake in Burma. The photo can only be taken on a specific day once a year when the sun rays touch the rocks at a certain angle.
Tilt your head to the left and then look at it again.
I'm not sure if this is for real, it could be Photoshopped.
Dispelling The Top 10 Nutrition Myths
Eating eggs will raise your cholesterol. Drink eight glasses of water per day. Vitamin supplements are necessary for everyone. All alcohol is bad for you.
You've probably heard these pieces of nutritional advice before. Well, they're not neccessarily true.
Luncheon Loaf
Luncheon Loaf is dedicated to the lost art of luncheony loafiness. Take a stroll through the gallery of loaves from luncheons past.
Humanizing China
The excellent Chinablog EastSouthWestNorth has a series of photos entitled 'Humanizing China.' The photos are grouped in three categories: Survival, Relationships and Desires.
(via Metafilter)
World's Fattest Man In Mexico
Manuel Uribe is the world's fattest man and he lives in Mexico. His starting weight was 580 kg/1200 pounds. Now he had a weight loss surgery and lost 160 kg/350 pounds in a few months.
He is still over 400kg/850 pounds. After five years he was able to leave his house and come out on the street and celebrate his weight loss.
(via Look At This...)
Smart Sunglasses
Get ready for the coolest, most colorful shades on the planet. Chemists at the University of Washington in Seattle say they are developing 'smart' sunglasses that will allow the wearer to instantly change the color of their lenses to virtually any hue of the rainbow by tuning a control knob on the glasses.
Here's a streaming video of the 'smart' sunglasses.
Gamer Widow
A Gamer Widow is a term for those who have a relationship with a Gamer who pays more attention to the game than to their partner.... thereby making their partner a 'gamer widow' (female) or 'gamer widower' (male). In general we say 'gamer widow' and encompass both male and female community members.
Most gamer widows are attached to players of massively multiplayer online role-playing games. Because many of these games revolve around building or 'leveling up' a player character, many hours are dedicated to this process while playing the game.
GamerWidow.com is a place for all sorts of Gamer Widows to come together and discuss their experiences, learn about other 'widows' and also learn about the games that their gamers are obssessed with.
Accidents In Reverse
Sometimes accidents are funny to watch.
It's even more funnier to watch them in reverse.
How To Get Rid Of Stuff
How to Get Rid of Stuff is a free resource provided in an effort to aid you in getting rid of those things in your life that you would just rather be without.
Like how to get rid of spyware, of a cold, of acne, of cigarette smell, of ants, of blood or coffee stains, and yes, even how to get rid of boyfriends and girlfriends.
Jen Stark
Sculptor Jen Stark makes beautiful, hypnotic statues by precisely cutting patterns out of layers and layers of bright-colored construction paper.
(via Boing Boing)
Search Engine Smackdown
Search Engine Smackdown is a fun flash game where you can be the Google founders (Larry Page and Sergey Brin), Yahoo founders (Jerry Yang and David Filo), or Microsoft founders (Bill Gates and Paul Allen) and duke it out with each other in a wrestling ring.
You need to answer a series of search-related questions to score hits. Time is important and a highscore table tracks the best winning times.
(via Google Blogoscoped)
Michael K. Brandow - Lawyer
Michael K. Brandow is an experienced trial lawyer with more than 16 years experience in Illinois Workers' Compensation and employer liability matters.
But Michael is not your every day lawyer. He really gets his teeth in a case. He's a tiger! Just look at his picture on his site.
Liesweiter
Liesweiter is a German weblog with some interesting articles. That is, if you can read them. Liesweiter is almost completely set in morse code. Although it doesn't read easily and quickly, I can understand what the articles are about because I was a radio telegraph operator in the army.
But I understand that if you don't know morse code, it's just a bunch of stripes and points.
Google Job Opportunities
Google is interviewing candidates for engineering positions at our lunar hosting and research center, opening late in the spring of 2007. This unique opportunity is available only to highly-qualified individuals.
The Google Copernicus Hosting Environment and Experiment in Search Engineering (G.C.H.E.E.S.E.) is a fully integrated research, development and technology facility at which Google will be conducting experiments in entropized information filtering, high-density high-delivery hosting (HiDeHiDeHo) and de-oxygenated cubicle dwelling. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age by April 1, 2007 and have proof of earth residency.
10 Handbags For The Manly Man
From American Inventor Spot:
When you and your lady are going out together, you somehow end up holding her purse. It would be ok, if her handbag was something manly or cool like a man purse or a hunting knife, but inevitably, it's something dainty with lots of sparkly things on it.
What to do to make it more fun for a man to hold a woman's purse. If men are going to end up holding the darn thing, shouldn't it be something they can have more fun with or at least not be mortified to be seen with? Here are 10 handbags for the manly man.
World's Tallest Man Gets Married
Bao Xishun, 55, from China is 7 foot 9 inches tall. He has never been married or even dated because of his extreme height. In February this year, he met a 28 year-old girl named Xia, and they fell in love.
Just a couple of days ago, Bao Xishun and Xia were married.
The Reality Of Running Away From Stuff
We've all seen movie characters escape from a lot of stuff. Some of it almost believable, some of it downright silly. The movie The Time Machine shows our heroes free-climbing up a 100 foot cliff and then racing to safety up a mountain to escape a large explosion. In The Mummy Returns, a hero actually outruns the sunlight streaming over the horizon. Just how unbelievable are these feats of speed?
Here's a chart showing maximum speeds for some of the more common Hollywood hazards measured against the fastest speeds that an Olympic level human can deliver (all in meters/second).
The World's Largest Model Railway
Mini Wonderland Hamburg's warehouse district in Germany is home to one of the world's largest model railway tracks. Every half hour, day turns to night in this miniature world. This is one of the biggest mock-up railways of the world.
Over 450 railway carriages with more than 7,000 trailers, 50,000 trees, 30,000 figures, 10,000 cars, 5,000 meters of track, 3,000 houses and plenty of bridges.
More photos at the official site Miniature Wunderland.
(via J-Walk Blog)
Zoomquilt 2
Zoomquilt is a collaborative art project from 2005. It involves the use of optical illusion, and a series of interlocking frame images to create a never-ending series of images when compiled in a programmed loop.
You certainly remember the original Zoomquilt.
Now there's Zoomquilt 2.
Housetrucks
Many people have the dream of being a gypsy, a dream of travel and freedom. For every housetruck or housebus, there is an artist who has built it to meet their individual needs.
The Builders
Not sure if I posted this one before.
Bizarre creatures attempt to find answers to big questions.
(via Everlasting Blort)
The Car Music Project
The Car Music Project was conceived in late 1991 by composer Bill Milbrodt when his personal car, a battered and road-weary 1982 Honda Accord, was nearing the end of its useful life.
After the car was entirely dismantled, metal sculpturer Ray Faunce began creating the bands instruments from the old cars parts, a process that took 18 months. Instruments made from the car are the Exhaustaphone, Strutbone, Percarsion, Tank Bass, and Air Guitar.
(thanks Lin7)
Wind Tunnel Footbridge
The Wind Tunnel Footbridge is a new covered bridge for the 21st century; a design proposal for a new kind of wind activated footbridge made of steel and aluminum. As the wind blows, the five wind turbine wheels turn at different speeds around the people who are walking through to reach the other side.
Three of the five wheels turn in one direction while the other two turn in the opposite direction. As the wind driven wheels turn in different directions and at different speeds, they can produce different electronic corresponding sounds.
(via escape)
Made Of Japan
The Onitsuka Tiger shoe is made of Japan. It's made out of tiny images and every image links to something Japanese on the Internet today. Click on the shoe and see were it takes you.
Just remember the world wide web is pretty big and Onitsuka Tiger cannot be responsible for what you find. The only thing we know for sure is that it'll be Made of Japan.
Ticker Maker
Here's a nice RSS Ticker Maker. The Pipes Picayune & Daily Tube which I'm using here is one of several mashed-up news tickers that use the new Pipes service from Yahoo! to deliver up-to-date data in a dated style. Clicking on the spinning newspaper gets you to the post in full on this website.
Make your own RSS Ticker.
(via Larry Hnetka Goes HMmmm)
Chocolate Is Good For Your Health
Chocolate, in all of its varied forms, is probably the world's favorite confection. Several psychiatrists have recently speculated that, because the substance contains phenylethylamine, depressed people may resort to chocolate binges in an unknowing attempt to raise their spirits and adjust their body chemistry. Others have speculated that the substance exerts an amorous effect.
Chocoholics were given further reason to rejoice when a small clinical study showed that dark chocolate improves the function of blood vessels.
Famous Pairs
Famous Pairs is a deliciously absurd collection of portraits celebrating some of history's most noteworthy twosomes. From Adam and Eve, to Bonnie and Clyde, to Bill Clinton and you-know-who, you've never seen couples captured in quite the same way.
Here are some Famous Pairs.
On the left are Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield.
On the right are Bill and Monica.
(via Miss Cellania)
Manwash
You all know what a carwash is.
But have you ever heard of a manwash?
It's the same! Well, almost.
The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company
We collect naturally dried elephant dung from elephant conservation parks and bring it back to our paper-making factory. We then pre-rinse the elephant dung with water, leaving only the fibrous materials from the grasses, bamboo and fruits they've eaten.
Afterwards, we place the fibers into a giant pot of boiling water to ensure the fibers are super clean. After this thorough cleaning, any color that we may want to add can be added.
(via Nag on the Lake)
Celebrity Mini-Me
A Worth1000 contest.
Celebrities always have to have the latest accessories: expensive purses, chihuahuas, adopted African children... whatever it takes to stay in the limelight.
This year, the latest new trend is miniature clones, as made popular in the 'Austin Powers' films. Famous celebrities and their miniature doppelganger.
Celebrity Mini-Me part 2.
(via BLOGotinha)
Home Schooled
Home Schooled is a comics series by American artist Ash Jackson.
Co-writing by Silas Jackson.
The Presurfer will feature a Home Schooled cartoon every Monday. This is an absolute exclusive cooperation between The Presurfer and Ash Jackson.
Home Schooled is more or less a reflection of the wacky and occasionally interesting adventures of the artist, Ash Jackson, himself, with the aid of his friends, family, and other cohorts.
Title: The Miracle Of Digestion.
click on the picture for real size
Dude Falling
It's a dude. You see him still standing here but trust me, he's going to fall.
(via Reality Carnival)
Frozen Lake Fishing
How to go frozen lake fishing?
Take a frozen lake. Put a cabin on it.
Drill some holes. And there you go!
Frozen Lake Fishing.
10 Steps For Boosting Creativity
Imagine what life would be like if you could generate a string of wild ideas at will. And to be known by everyone as a creative genius.
Here are 10 steps for boosting your creativity.
But please, take it 'cum grano salis.' A measure of healthy skepticism should be applied regarding these claims, at least that's the impression I get from reading step #1:Listen to music by Johann Sebastian Bach. If Bach doesn't make you more creative, you should probably see your doctor - or your brain surgeon if you are also troubled by headaches, hallucinations or strange urges in the middle of the night.
(via My Empty Bucket)
Global Trouble Alert Map
My, according to this map there is a lot of trouble going on in the world.
The Global Trouble Alert Map aggregates over 50 types pf disaster and misfortune in real time. Clicking on the icons gives a zoomed-in Google Maps view along with newswire info on the incident.
(via Information Nation)
What Would I Be If...
Gotinha of BLOGotinha gave me a challenge.
What would I be if I were...
If I was an hour of the day... I would be the hour between 20.00 and 21.00
If I was a planet... I would be Earth
If I was a direction... I would be straight ahead
If I was a piece of furniture... I would be a couch
If I was a liquid... I would be water
If I was a sin... I would be lust
If I was a rock... I would be pyroxenite
If I was a tree... I would be an apple tree
If I was a fruit... I would be an orange
If I was a flower... I would be a rose
If I was a climate... I would be a subtropical climate
If I was a musical instrument... I would be a guitar
If I was an element... I would be barium
If I was color... I would be blue
If I was an animal... I would be a lion
If I was a sound... I would be a whisper
If I was music... I would be 'Child in Time'
If I was a music style... I would be rock n' roll
If I was a feeling... I would be 'joy'
If I was a book... I would be 1984 by George Orwell
If I was a food... I would be Brussels sprouts
If I was a place... I would be home
If I was a flavour... I would be chocolate
If I was a scent... I would be 'key lime'
If I was a word... I would be shrimpoluminescence
If I was a verb... I would be 'exist'
If I was an object... I would be a cloud
If I was a part of the body... I would be the eyes
If I was a facial expression... I would be a smile
If I was a cartoon character... I would be Sponge Bob
If I was a movie... I would be The Godfather
If i was a form.. I would be a tetrahedron
If I was a number... I would be 13
If I was a season... I would be summer
If I was a sentence... I would be 'I love you'
You can pass on the challenge to whoever you want.
Ad Slogan Tournament
Slate has an advertising slogan tournament. Which commercial catchphrase is the best of all time? You choose between pairs of advertising slogans and decide who moves on to the next round.
Then choose again on your favorites to advance them through the tournament.
My winner is 'Got Milk?' from the California Milk Board.
Wake N' Bacon Alarm Clock
An alarm clock that wakes you up with the smell and sizzle of cooking bacon. A frozen strip of bacon is placed in Wake n' Bacon the night before. Because there is a 10 minute cooking time, the clock is set to go off 10 minutes before the desired waking time.
Once the alarm goes off, the Wake n' Bacon clock sends a signal to a relay that throws the switch to power two halogen lamps that slow-cook the bacon in about 10 minutes.
Cities Around The World
Cities Around the World presents over 6,100 photographic images from the slide collections of the American Geographic Society Library.
The images selected for this project focus on architecture, city life, people, transportation and other aspects of urban development, such as neighborhoods, commercial streets, and business districts. The pictures were taken by two photographers, Harrison Forman and Harold Mayer between 1942 and 1994.
Things You Don't See Every Day
As a matter of fact, if you surf the net as much as I do, you do see these things every day.
Pictures from a PowerPoint Slide Show by Hakan Altundas.
The Incredible Mouth Band
A band that instead of playing instruments, just repeatedly spoke the title of their instrument to the tune of the song.
The 50 Most Important People On The Web
Despite what Time magazine would have you believe, you are not the most powerful or influential person on the Web.
PC World considered hundreds of the Web's most noteworthy power brokers, bloggers, brainiacs, and entrepreneurs to figure out whose contributions are shaping the way we use the Web.
Pyramid's Secret Doors To Be Opened
Doors will soon open to reveal one of the mysteries of the Great Pyramid in Giza.
Dr. Zahi Hawass, chief of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, said he will show what lies behind secret doors inside the 4,500-year-old pharaonic mausoleum by the end of this year.
The monument has long been rumored to have hidden passageways leading to secret chambers, and archaeologists have puzzled over the meaning of four narrow shafts deep inside the pyramid since they were first discovered in 1872.
(via Land-O-Links)
Profile Of A Memphis Belle
Meet Anna Clifford. She looks kind of normal, doesn't she? The 25-year old Tennessee woman was arrested on a drunk driving rap. According to Memphis cops, Clifford was weaving across the road in a 2000 Chevy when she was pulled over.
Nothing special there. But the bust of Clifford is notable for the view she afforded Shelby County sheriff's deputies when posing for the profile portion of her mug shot. To see that amazing photo, visit The Smoking Gun, scroll down and click through to the second page.
(via Everlasting Blort)
The Museum Of Lost Interactions
Do you know what a richophone is? Or a prat sampler, an acoustograph, a chordmaster, or a pester?
The Museum of Lost Interactions has a collection of forgotten communication and entertainment media.
(via Optical Poptitude)
Ramblin' Woody Rat
Woody Rat is traveling the world.My name is Woody. I live in Vlezenbeek, close to Brussels, the capital of Belgium. I left my home and my family to start my journey on June 6, 2006. My mission: to see the world! If I am your guest today, it's thanks to all those friendly people who carried me from town to town. If you didn't meet me in person yet, I hope this will happen soon. Until then, stay tuned!
(thanks Eddie)
World Against Toys Causing Harm
W.A.T.C.H.'s annual '10 Worst Toys' list nominates representative toys with the potential to cause childhood injuries, or even death. W.A.T.C.H.'s annual 'Toy Conference' has generated extensive national press and media coverage.
Because of these efforts, and the positive response from both the media and the public, there have been many toy and product design changes. Founder Edward M. Swartz and W.A.T.C.H. have fearlessly exposed potentially dangerous toys to the general public. As a result, children's lives have been saved.
MTV Puberty
MTV brings back the pains of puberty. Director Clay Weiner created some character-driven tales about that miserable time known as puberty.
Zits, farts, burps, doo-doo's, boogers, and all the other joys of young adulthood are together again in these new MTV promos.
Summit Tunnel
After almost five years of sustained construction effort, in the late Spring of 1868 the Central Pacific Railroad finally 'conquered' the Sierra Nevada Mountains with the successful completion at Donner Pass of its 1,659-foot Tunnel #6 (aka 'The Summit Tunnel') thus permitting the mass transportation of passengers and freight over the Sierra range for the first time.
The Summit Tunnel was used continuously for 130 years by the trains of the Central Pacific, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, and AMTRAK. It is now bypassed and sits idle.
(via Information Junk)
Heavy Seas
Footage from a helicopter of the passenger cruiser 'Voyager' caught in heavy seas.
(via Ursi's Blog)
Wave Chaise
The Wave Chaise is a design by Roberta Rammê from Brazil.
Designer's own words:Imagine a furniture to wear... then dress it with an innovator design, intense colors, ergonomics and technology appeal. Like in fashion, the point is to unify beauty, comfort, and functionality.
Whether your desire is to watch TV or DVD, listen to your favorite CD, read, talk on the phone, or even study, take a nap or browse the internet, you got it close, in a multifunctional chaise-longue.
Bugs Rock
Bugs Rock is an animated website by the Metro Toronto Zoo to celebrate the arrival of Jeb, a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. Jeb plays in a rock and roll band. Hissing Cockroaches are the largest of their kind, wingless, and because of their entertaining hissing sound, have become popular as pets.
See how Jeb, a Madagascan Hissing Cockroach made his journey to the Toronto Zoo. Then watch Jeb rock out with his band.
(via Ursi's Blog)
What We Are Searching For
Philipp of Google Blogoscoped has hacked together a little page that randomly juxtaposes actual search queries from the AOL log files leak with portraits found on Google Images.
Father Or Mother Of Something
Wikipedia has a list of men and women described as father or mother of something. This does not always mean they invented, discovered or originated the thing with which they are associated. It also does not mean that they always have been or currently are considered a father or mother of it.
Examples are: Ernest Rutherford, father of nuclear physics. Thomas Wedgwood, father of photography. Mary Wollstonecraft, mother of feminism and Bill Monroe, father of bluegrass music.
(via Tom McMahon)
Snow Doughnuts Are the Real Thing
Snow rollers are cylindrical masses of snow that range from the size of a fist to about 4 feet long. They resemble bales of hay. It's the same principle as making a snowman, except it's nature doing the rolling.
The snow has to be fresh and moist enough to be cohesive and there has to be a wind strong enough to get the snow rolling.
Canned Radiation
Canned Radiation from Three Mile Island produced by Brenster Enterprises of Etters Pennsylvania. This was probably the most popular souvenir associated with the accident at Three Mile Island. The six suggested uses indicated on the label were:
* Remove label and tell your enemy its laughing gas.
* Energy free night light (illuminates in darkness).
* Mix with cold cream for that radiant beauty.
* Instant male sterilization (sniff twice daily).
* Use as a room air freshener.
* Toothpaste recipe: mix 3 to 1 ratio with basking soda, for ever glowing smile.
(via Casa do Kct)
First Video Of Grand Canyon's Glass Skywalk
A few lucky visitors got an early glimpse of the Grand Canyon's Glass Skywalk which officially opens on March 28.
Encyclopedia Pictura
Encyclopedia Pictura is a directing collective of a group of friends who all went to the Academy of Art in San Francisco. They make very bizarre, creepy, and insane videos.
Windows Vista - Arrogance And Stupidity
From Andrew Grygus:Upgrading to Windows Vista has been banned by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Federal Aviation Administration, technology giant Texas Instruments and other corporations and government agencies. These organizations are evaluating their options.
Vista was designed with almost no consideration for the needs of Microsoft's customers. James Allchin, co-president of Microsoft's Platform Products and Services Group wrote an internal memo saying that Microsoft had lost touch with customer needs and if he didn't work there he'd buy an Apple Macintosh. Allchin retired the day Vista shipped.
10 Most Magnificent Trees In The World
Neatorama has a nice article about the 10 most magnificent trees in the world. From the Lone Cypress in Monterey to the amazing Baobab trees of Madagascar.
Shorpy - The 100 Year Old Photo Blog
Shorpy is a photo blog about what life a hundred years ago was like: How people looked and what they did for a living, back when not having a job usually meant not eating.
Shorpy starts with a collection of photographs taken in the early 1900s by Lewis Wickes Hine as part of a decade-long field survey for the National Child Labor Committee, which lobbied Congress to end the practice. One of his subjects, a young coal miner named Shorpy Higginbotham, is the site's namesake.
The Tuxedo Travels
On April 1st, two fools who barely know each other will travel from Hong Kong to London in 4 months and 10 days, culminating in a black tie gala on August 11th.
Heath Buck and Douglas Campbell will be using the internet to directly connect people to their experiences.
While avoiding getting kidnapped or molested, they are also attempting to raise US$20,000 for an altogether silly charity called The Silly Fund. And the entire trip will be done in tuxedos.
(via Grow-A-Brain)
Search With Kevin
Every time you search the with Kevin web you stand a chance of winning a prize from Kevin Federline. SearchWithKevin.com is a Yahoo! powered search engine that offers you the chance to win cool prizes from Kevin Federline every time you search.
Every day they pick random winning times. If you are the first person to search after the selected time, you win a prize - instantly! Only users 13 and older in the United States are eligible to win a prize.
Gotta Go Briefcase
The Gotta Go Briefcase is the #1 briefcase when you have to go #2. From American Inventor Spot:The Gotta Go Briefcase will surely inspire the business savvy men and women of the world climbing the corporate ladder who will stop at nothing to get an edge… not even to take a dump. In today’s fast paced corporate market, every minute counts and often can be the difference between success and failure.
No longer is it feasible or convenient to take time out for toilet breaks, especially in taxis, subways or rail systems where facilities aren't always provided. Now, for the GM who has to take a BM, there is the Gotta Go Briefcase. A full functioning briefcase that also doubles as a portable lavatory.
Second Attention MindSearch
Mind refers to the collective aspects of intellect and consciousness which are manifest in some combination of thought, perception, emotion, will and imagination.
Second Attention MindSearch helps you find the best mind expanding news, articles, media and people. MindSearch combines 5 custom Google searches focusing on sites with high quality mind expanding content. The categories are:
Mind - focused on web sites with deep content on the themes of consciousness expansion, science of mind, Entheogens, Dreams, Futurism, etc.
Blog Explorer - searching the most innovative blogs for inspiring news and stories.
Social Networks - helping seekers find others with similar interests.
Social Bookmark Search - find out what others are linking to.
Forums / Discussion groups - search 33 discussion groups focused on awareness, mind expansion and cutting edge science.
20 Things You Didn't Know About Aliens
Where are they lurking?
When will we find them?
And will pictures of naked people impress them?
20 Things You Didn't Know About Aliens.
Coffin Computer
This is just weird. A coffin computer with some front side ports and jacks, an LCD screen embedded in the coffin door, and a slide out keyboard.
How To Find Lost Objects
Don't bother looking for lost objects anymore. Here's the solution. Just use numerology. Numerology is the study of the occult meanings of numbers and their supposed influence on human life.
All you have to do is concentrate on the lost object, go to this Numerology site, and enter a nine-digit number in a box. Numerology will tell you where to find the lost object.
I lost one of my socks last week so I concentrated, entered a nine-digit number and they tell me my sock is in a place where cooking is done, but probably not my own house. I have to call restaurants or other places I visited.
Yeah right, I lost my sock in a restaurant!
Can you believe it?
(via J-Walk Blog)
Top Tips For Girls
Top Tips For Girls is the ever-expanding bible of genuine advice. Find answers to all your questions.
Like how to be happy, how to apply perfume, how to get rid of fake tan streaks, how to stop yourself calling him, how to open a really tight jar lid, and how to get your kids to like your fiance.
Disapproving Rabbits
I have pet rabbits and I love them. I try to talk to them about birds and various other topics but they frequently disapprove.
They are cute, yet set in their ways. Pictured here are Latte (white), Hazel (black), and Cinnamon, in various states of rabbit disapproval.
Life Before The Computer
When you're still a young person you might wonder whether there ever was life before the computer? When you're as old as I am, you know there was!
An application was for employment, a program was a TV show, a cursor used profanity, a keyboard was a piano! Memory was something that you lost with age, a CD was a bank account, and if you had a 3 1/2 inch floppy, you hoped nobody found out!
Life Before The Computer.
Bugatti Veyron At 253 Mph
The Bugatti Veyron is currently the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive street-legal production car in the world. The car is built by Volkswagen subsidiary Bugatti Automobiles in its Molsheim factory and is sold under the legendary Italo-French Bugatti marque. It is named after French racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti firm.
Top Gear tested Bugatti's claims that the Veyron can go 253 mph (407 kmh). Even without the show's dramatic touches, that's pretty impressive. Thinking of buying one? The car will set you back about a 1.5 million American dollars.
Anurag Dikshit
It's a name. A real name. Anurag Dikshit is from India and he's on Forbes' list of billionaires. His net worth is estimated at $1.6 billion. He made a fortune with online gambling. But he has an unfortunate name.
Never mind, if I owned $1.6 billion, you could call me... well, you could call me anything you want.
(via Miss Cellania)
Science Hopes To Change Events That Have Already Occurred
Ever wish you could reach back in time and change the past? Maybe you'd like to take back an unfortunate voice mail message, or rephrase what you just said to your boss. Or perhaps you've even dreamed of tweaking the outcome of yesterday's lottery to make yourself the winner.
Common sense tells us that influencing the past is impossible. Even if it were possible, think of the mind-bending paradoxes it would create. While tinkering with the past, you might change the circumstances by which your parents met, derailing the key event that led to your birth.
The idea that the present can affect the past, and the future can affect the present is called retrocausality. Don't think it will ever happen? It might even happen soon.
Home Schooled
Home Schooled is a comics series by American artist Ash Jackson.
Co-writing by Silas Jackson.
The Presurfer will feature a Home Schooled cartoon every Monday. This is an absolute exclusive cooperation between The Presurfer and Ash Jackson.
Home Schooled is more or less a reflection of the wacky and occasionally interesting adventures of the artist, Ash Jackson, himself, with the aid of his friends, family, and other cohorts.
Title: A Mine...They Call It A MINE!
click on the picture for real size
World Carrot Museum
The Carrot is the second most popular vegetable in the world after the potato. Orange coloured carrots are the most popular but they are also available in white, yellow and maroon.
Orange roots, containing the pigment carotene, were not noted until the 16th century in Holland. This only came about thanks to patriotic Dutch growers who bred the vegetable to grow in the colours of the House of Orange. By the 1700s Holland was considered the leading country in carrot breeding and today's 'modern' orange version is directly descended from the Dutch-bred carrots of this time.
World Carrot Museum.
(thanks Jason)
The Flern
The Flern is a new bodily organ, engineerd by Black Label. Made entirely of fireproof glass, the Flern exceeds the performance of traditional bodily organs by nearly 70% in double blind testing. The Flern is more reliable than traditional bodily organs too. That means less death, and more barbeques, for you and your friends.
With the Flern you can eat what you like, drink what you like, and smoke whatever you like whenever you like. You can be free! Just call 1-800-MY-FLERN to schedule one of the patented 'Nearly Painless' implanting procedures.
Chuck Scares Me
This is Chuck.
I'm afraid of Chuck.
Chuck scares me.
He really does.
I'm sure he'll scare you too.
Cowscapes
Rachael Sudlow hopes to preserve a scrapbook of the essential elements that build the often-changing Midwest countryside.
Photographing solely in rural Kansas, she seeks to interpret the sublime classical landscape through the eye of an impressionist while working with a humorous new subject and perspective:
the cow (and a few horses and sheep).
Artificial Synchronicity, Language Manipulation, Kundalini And The Corners Of Reality
As of March, 2000, they represent about 95 to 98% of the total Earth population. They read your mind all the time, and manipulate language and synchronicity to keep what you call 'your life' under their control.
They manipulate every aspect of your 'life.' They manipulate your nightly dreams, through symbols, archetypes, toons or comics, controlling and hypnotizing your behavior in these dreams. They create false news, performing like actors in your world, just to keep you 'tuned' in their prison, or zoo, or circus, or maze, or whatever name you give it. They have turned you into a mesmerized puppet, and your mind into a slavery condition.
Bathtub Art Museum
The Bathtub Art Museum is a not-for-profit museum dedicated to the bathtub in art. The majority of this bathtub art collection consists of postcards dating from 1900 to the current year. Today, the collection totals over 300 postcards.
(via Everlasting Blort)
Happy St. Patrick's Day
Are yer wearin' green the-day? An Oirish sayin' 'olds dat 'if you're jammy enoof ter be Oirish, den you're jammy enoof.' On St. Patreck's day it seems dat everyone is Oirish.
Oirland's patron saint, St. Patreck, introduced christianity ter de country, performin' baptisms an' foundin' churches an' schools wha yer man taught aboyt de trinity an' converted 'is countrymen ter catholicism. Whaen he got away in de mid-fifth century, on March 17, Christians tuk a break in lent ter celebrate de saint's life, ter renew themselves spiritually an' ter offer prayers for missionaries worldwide.
Here are sum St. Patreck's day links:
All Aboyt St. Patreck's Day.
Irish raun de warrld.
The 'istory av St. Patreck's Day.
Speedin' an' aggressive drivers in Orange County may nade more than de luk av de Oirish ter avoid a traffic citashun.
Leprechauns are aged, diminutive men an' 'ard-workin' cobblers, turnin' oyt exquisite tackies for other sprites. If yer 'appen across an industrious wee fella 'ammerin' oyt a shoe, luk closely - for yer man may be a leprechaun. Step quietly, for wee people 'ill avoid 'umans, knowin' us ter be foolish an' greedy.
Folks from Alabama swear they 'av seen a leprechaun.
Fluffernutter O'Malley. That's me leprechaun name.
What is yer leprechaun name?
Aye, they are Oirish chickens. An' they are Riverdancin'.
St. Patreck's Day Recipes.
How ter spake Oirish?
Please enter yer phrase into de Oirish Translator an' it will allow ye til spake like a true Oirishman.
Newsfast
Televirtual MediaLab, a pioneer of the use of virtual presenters and newscasters, has teamed up with Archant Norfolk, weather bureau WeatherQuest and PA Sport in London to create Newsfast - so called because it purports to be the fastest-ever way to deliver the latest information to people.
They unleashed Brian, a computer-generated newscaster, on the world. Unlike conventional broadcast newsmen, Brian, which stands for 'Believable RSS Interactive Avatar Newscaster,' can access the latest breaking news, and his clients/customers do not have to wait for scheduled news, weather and sport bulletins.
Newsfast didn't think about acquiring a .com domain name, so someone else already made a parody site called Newsatan.
Chasing The Duclod Man
According to the Urban Dictionary, a duclod is an introverted, self-loathing person who struggles with sexual identity and thus preys on others in a cowardly way. Here's a story that reads like the Da Vinci Code.As early as 1992, students at Grinnell College, a small liberal arts school in Iowa, began receiving strange, anonymous letters in the mail. The letters contained homemade greeting cards with crudely drawn pictures - men crawling on the ground, toilets and trash cans, twin closet doors - and jokes that didn't make any sense.
Chasing the Duclod Man.
Goodbye Cellulite
An ass this fine demands to be shown
I take it with me wherever I go
No wobbly bits, no ripply effects
Don’t be shy, come over here… you gotta inspect
Yeah we got butts
That'll blow your mind
Everybody praise
Our sweet behind
Feast your eyes on our sub-section
You won't find no imperfection
Our skirts are stuffed with dynamite
Sing it with me… Goodbye Cellulite!
Centralia, Pennsylvania, USA
Centralia is a borough in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its population has dwindled from over 1,000 residents to 12 as a result of a 40-year-old mine fire burning beneath the borough.
An exposed vein of coal ignited in 1962 due to a trash fire in the borough landfill, located in an abandoned mine pit in the southeast portion of Centralia. Attempts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful.
The underground fire is still burning and will continue to do so for the indefinite future. There are no current plans to extinguish the fire, which is consuming an eight-mile seam containing enough coal to fuel it for 250 years.
How To Tell An Octopus From A Dolphin
The octopus may well be our greatest enemy. It is critical do distinguish between these two - one savior, the other archnemesis; one shining day, the other blackest night; one yang, the other yin, except in this case there's no yang in the yin and no yin in the yang.
(via alex mizell)
Will It Fall Off Or Won't It?
An online gambling site is taking bets on whether Heather Mills' artificial leg will fall off during her upcoming appearance on 'Dancing with the Stars.' Mills, the estranged wife of Beatle Paul McCartney, lost her left leg below the knee in a traffic accident in 1993. She is the first contestant on the hit ABC television show to compete with an artificial limb.
A week before Mills' March 19 debut, Antigua-based gaming site opened bets on whether her prosthetic leg would fly off during a dance routine - and made 'no' a heavy favourite.
The Dull Men's Club
Assuring members that it's okay to be dull is the primary mission of the Dull Men's Club. It's a place for dull men to feel at home, to feel comfortable. A place to find safe excitement. The Dull Men's Club is a place where dull men can share their (dull) experiences and (modest) goals.
In the Dull Men's Club there are only two steps: 1. They admit they are dull, and 2. They're going to keep it that way. There are no women in the Club. It's the Club's view that women are not dull. Women are exciting.
Can We Kiss?
On S'embrasse? (Can We Kiss) by French directir Pierre-Olivier Mornas is a beautiful short movie, first released in 2000. It has since been shown at film festivals around the world and won many awards.
6 Billion Others
A project by French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand.
6 Billion Others tries to draw a portrait of contemporary mankind by asking questions about universal values.
What is happiness? What lessons can we learn from life's difficulties? What's the meaning of life?
9 Bad Boys Of Philosophy
You'd think that a philosopher could reason out the best way to behave, right? But you'd be wrong, very wrong. Take, for instance, Arthur Schopenhauer.The ultimate pessimist, Schopenhauer viewed reality as a malicious trap, believing we live in the worst of all possible worlds. A notorious misogynist, Schopenhauer once pushed a woman down a flight of stairs.
Grudgingly, he paid her regular restitution for her injuries until her death, when he recorded in his journal, 'The old woman dies, the burden is lifted.'
Facethoven
Eric Tate performs a facial dance to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
(via Nothing To Do With Arbroath)
Bill Gates Will Not Be The New President
It's final. Bill Gates will not be the next president of the USA.We give up. We've tried… We really have! We wanted to evoke political debate and to a certain extend we succeeded to do just that. On the other hand, we failed miserably to draw enough attention our way.
Bill Gates probably noticed and read the website and our arguments, but he probably didn't feel the drive needed to go for that presidential candidacy. We would like to thank all of you who tried to get this thing to work, and we hope we've inspired some people to think about the US Presidency in a way they never did before.
Mapping The Mal Web
Online safety risks are a truly global issue. Yet differences in threats vary significantly by country and other factors, for example:
* A consumer is almost 12 times more likely to encounter a drive-by-download while surfing Russian and Columbian domains.
* Registering at a web site in India results in a 4.3% chance of getting spammy e-mail. Taking the same action with a domain registered in China yields a 7.2% chance.
* 5.2% of Vietnamese web sites have risky downloads.
* 2.7 million times every month, casual web surfers visit risky Dutch web sites (not this one, don't worry).
Master Plan - About The Power Of Google
Master Plan is a short movie made by Ozan Halici and Jurgen Mayer as a bachelor's thesis at the University of Applied Sciences in the city of Ulm, Germany.
Master Plan is created with 2D and 3D animation and provides information about Googles services and its research in genetics and molecular biology.
How To Organize Spring Cleaning
Spring cleaning is the period in spring time set aside for cleaning a house, normally applied in colder climates, where the house is difficult to clean during winter.
The origins of spring cleaning date back to the Iranian Norouz, the Persian new year, which falls on the first day of spring. Iranians continue the practice of 'khooneh takouni' which literally means 'shaking the house' just before the new year. Everything in the house is thoroughly cleaned, from the drapes to the furniture.
Patriot Search
Whether you are a normal searcher, someone trying to download illegal material, a terrorist looking to build a bomb, or just hunting porn, we at Patriot Search welcome you! Our mission is to provide the best possible search engine to you while at the same time, making sure the government is informed should you search for something obscure, illegal, or unpatriotic.
Instead of letting the government waste tax money by going through complicated procedures to get user and search data from Yahoo, MSN or Google, users of Patriot Search make sure their queries end up right where they belong – in the databases of the government and its various agencies.
(via Google Blogoscoped)
Laughing Girl
A girl watching the 'Dad at Comedy Barn' video for the first time. She has a very distinctive laugh.
(via Everlasting Blort)
Got Milk?
Get the Glass is an online boardgame. Your mission is to help the milk-deprived Adachi family navigate and survive all five regions of the board, break into Fort Fridge and Get the Glass.
The Glass offer the Adachis the promise of an unlimited supply of milk to help with their various health ailments. But be careful! Fort Fridge security is hot on your tail.
George Lang Photo
Beautiful photos by George Lang, a fashion photographer based in Santa Monica, CA, USA. Lang made a video flipbook of his work of the past year. The music is 'Dream Baby Dream' by Suicide.
Did You Know?
Did You Know? is a video created by Karl Fisch, and modified by Scott McLeod. The presentation gives a look at the results of technology today and projections about how it may affect us in the future, as well as our children, our jobs, and our emotions. You will be overwhelmed!
Did You Know?
(via Reality Carnival)
Home Becomes An 'Island' In Building Row
After a row with developers, this family's home in Chongqing, central China, has been left perched 12m (40ft) up on its own concrete island.
It all started when they refused to accept compensation to move and, while the row rumbled on, the bulldozers excavated the site around them.
(via Nothing To Do With Arbroath)
Witches And Wisemen...
Witches, wisemen, beggars, freaks, and charismatic charcters are sculptures by Ohio born artist Thomas Scott Kuebler.
Hand Tailered Great Pockets Clothing
With our modern mobile lifestyle demanding so much more from gadgets and technology, Henry Needle & Sons present the fashion pocket to rule them all. From now on there is no need to think twice whether you can bring all those gadgets or not.
The Great Pockets fit all the mobile multimedia devices that a person makes use of in everyday life. Bring a Digital Camera, a PC, a GPS, an MP3-player, a mobile, a video recorder, and whatever else you desire - in the comfort of your own clothes.
The Laughing Man Hacks You!
The Laughing Man automatically hides human faces displayed on an image. Why? I don't know, I guess it's just a nice gimmick to play around with. I wanted to see if this works and although it sometimes doesn't, most of the time it can find faces on an image.
I took this image from Google's image database:
The Laughing Man turned it into this:
30 Strangest Deaths in History
Is there something like death by embracing the reflection of the moon? Or death by giant umbrellas? Death from stubbing one's toe? Death from biting one's tongue?
Yes, there is! Neatorama has an article about the 30 strangest deaths in history.
German Industrial Buildings 1910-1925
Photos from a small book called 'Bauten der Arbeit und des Verkehrs' (buildings of work and transport) 1925, one of the 'blue books,' a series of thin paperback books on art and architecture.
(via plep)
Two-Dimensional Audio Mixer
Aaron Siegel says:I, the 'artist,' created a blank canvas for interaction, wherein you, the 'audience' shifts roles as you become the creator of the composition, and thus the artist of the work as well. This also means the composition changes to reflect the context in which it is being manipulated.
I decided to follow in the footsteps of one of my heroes, James Patten, and create a two-dimensional mixer inspired by the Audiopad. I used five seperate channels with audio loops of different instruments from an original composition I created in Fruity Loops.
Rethinking Homework
The history of homework is a varied one, both in substance and in perceived value. Over the years, its presentation has changed markedly, and its popularity has waxed and waned.
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, new questions and concerns about homework and approaches to homework have evolved. Among them: 'Is a more intensified approach to education, including a great deal of homework, necessary to compete in a global marketplace?' and 'Is it fair and healthy for the schools to impose more work on families who are generally overworked and who already have their free time overtaxed?'
Alfie Kohn, America's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades and test scores, wrote an essay on the negative aspects of homework.
Looking For Pope Joan
In a medieval mystery of the Catholic Church lies evidence of a woman pope, with clues buried in ancient parchment, artwork and writings, even in tarot cards and a bizarre chair once used in a Vatican ritual.
Was there a Pope Joan? A woman with nerve enough to disguise herself as a man and serve as pope for more than two years in the ninth century? It is one of the world's oldest mysteries. Her story first appeared in histories written by medieval monks, but today the Catholic Church dismisses it.
Your Very Own Star
With FreeNameAStar.com you can name a star for free. You print your own certificates on your own printer. There are zillions of stars out there. Why pay for one?
FreeNameAStar.com has set aside a large set of stars. You can register a star name for free. You can then use the star map to locate your star or, if you have an advanced telescope you can program in the stellar coordinates and look at your star.
All star names are recorded in a database and backed up frequently. A hard copy is stored securely so that your star name will be yours forever.
click on the picture for real size
I registered a star named Presurfer. It's a B8 star type with a magnitude of 6.9. It is located at 19h 17m 40s declination: 22° 26m 30s on the sky chart.
I looked up my star on the map and found it in the Vulpecula constellation. And you know what, it's only 933 light-years away.
The World's First Crossword Puzzle
The first known published crossword puzzle was created by a journalist named Arthur Wynne from Liverpool, and he is usually credited as the inventor of the popular word game. December 21, 1913 was the date and it appeared in a Sunday newspaper, the New York World.
Wynne's puzzle differed from today's crosswords in that it was diamond shaped and contained no internal black squares.
(via Change of Subject)
Painting With Ketchup And French Fries
What do you do with fresh McDonald's French Fries and 10 packets of Ketchup? You paint with them of course.
Fifty minutes speed painting plays in four minutes. Ketchup as paint and french fries as a paint brush.
Old Photos Of The Pyramids
Some old photos taken from the book 'Egypt Caught in Time' by Colin Osman and from the collection of photos and postcards from the Great Pyramid of Giza Research Assocation.
(via Information Junk)
Home Schooled
Home Schooled is a comics series by American artist Ash Jackson.
Co-writing by Silas Jackson.
The Presurfer will feature a Home Schooled cartoon every Monday. This is an absolute exclusive cooperation between The Presurfer and Ash Jackson.
Home Schooled is more or less a reflection of the wacky and occasionally interesting adventures of the artist, Ash Jackson, himself, with the aid of his friends, family, and other cohorts.
Title: The Journey to Manhood Part II.
click on the picture for real size
Volkswagen Beetle Mods
The most recognizable car in history changes into something less recognizable in these outrageous mods.
Lucifer Vs The DTM
Cats are evil. We all know that. This particular cat named Lucifer (what's in a name) even causes two cars to crash during a German Touring Car race.
Nemrut Dagi
Nemrut is a mountain in eastern Turkey. At the top of Mt. Nemrut, King Antiochus Theos of Commagene built his tomb-sanctuary along with huge statues of himself.
These statues were once seated, with names of each god inscribed on them. Over the centuries that passed, the heads of the statues on Mount Nemrut have come off and now are scattered throughout the site.
The First Church Of Sushi
The First Church of Sushi is an alternative to religions, diets and designer fashions. Everyone is welcome to the church's cyber-ashram, including nerds, geeks, beardy weirdos, surfers, and top fashion models - who really shouldn't be eating anything else (except sushi, not nerds or geeks).
The First Church of Sushi. For armchair surfers everywhere.
The Retro Graphics Archive
Started in 1999, EphemeraNow became Plan59 in January 2006. Plan59 is a wonderful family-friendly web site dedicated to the commercial art of mid-century America.
Gadsby
If youth, throughout all history, had had a champion to stand up for it; to show a doubting world that a child can think; and, possibly, do it practically; you wouldn't constantly run across folks today who claim that 'a child don't know anything.' A child's brain starts functioning at birth; and has, amongst its many infant convolutions, thousands of dormant atoms, into which God has put a mystic possibility for noticing an adult's act, and figuring out its purport.
Notice anything unusual in the above sentences?
There is no letter 'e' in it. It's the beginning of 'Gadsby,' a story of over 50,000 words without using the letter 'e' by Ernest Vincent Wright.
Discover Your Visual DNA
Discover your Visual DNA by answering questions through clicking on some photos. After that you get a Visual DNA report which describes your personality and how you compare to others.
(via Nothing To Do With Arbroath)
Pupna Search Engine
Pupna is the search engine puppy that retrieves exactly what you are searching for, and absolutely nothing else! Just throw a search phrase at the puppy and it brings it back to you.
Come In/Go Away Doormat
This doormat reads differently depending whether you are walking in or out of the house. From one side this really does read 'Come In' and from the other 'Go Away.'
Punctuation Game
Do you know where the apostrophe and the comma goes? Insert your apostrophe and comma and see if you're right! If you don't think any of these is needed anywhere, click the 'no apostrophe/comma' button.
The Punctuation Game.
Balancing One-Wheeled Scooter
The one-wheeled balancing scooter is very similar to a snowboard to ride, requiring no user input other than the movement of your body mass. Leaning forwards and backwards controls the velocity and moving your weight from heal to toe controls the turn radius. It's easy and very intuitive to ride.
Learn To Yodel
The yodeling this site teaches is of the Alpine variety. Yodeling is fun, unique, and quite silly. Take this yodel course, divided over 10 levels, and soon you'll be able to annoy your neighbours.
Upon your completion of the available lessons you'll receive an official Certificate of Yodelology.
How To Remove A Security Ink Tag
Someone bought a new suit at Marks and Spencer. To his annoyance he found a security ink tag attached to the arm. The assistant in the shop had missed it when he was putting the suit in a bag.
He had to figure a way of getting the ink tag off without covering himself and his new suit with ink.
Dirty Car Art
Like any reasonably creative and curious human, Scott Wade can't resist a dirty rear car window. Unlike most folks however, Scott lives on a mile and a half of dirt road - caliche, as the locals call it, road-base: a blend of limestone dust and gravel and clay.
Driving over this surface results in a fine, white dust that billows up behind any vehicle driven faster than a galloping turtle, coating the rear window. Being an experienced artist, it wasn't long before Scott was experimenting with techniques to achieve amazingly detailed and shaded drawings.
(thanks Tyler)
America's Craziest Laws
In Alabama it is illegal to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church. In North Dakota it is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.
In LeFors, Texas, it is illegal to take more than three swallows of beer while standing. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, red cars can not drive down Lake Street. In Natoma, Kansas, it's illegal to throw knives at men wearing striped suites.
America's Craziest Laws.
T-Shirt Designs
A Cafepress site full of extraordinary t-shirt designs.
Some are actually great, others are controversial.
(via Paul's blog)
Winerack
Though the Beer Belly already allows you to smuggle liquor anywhere you're willing to look fat, it's not fair that you have to bear the booze burden alone. Have your lady carry her weight, with the Winerack.
The Winerack undergarment incorporates stealthily slung, CamelBak-esque bladders to get sauce past even the most exhilarating admission frisks.
(thanks Ben)
Scientists Discover 'Shadow Person'
Ever feel as though you're being followed? As if someone is behind you, shadowing your every move? It might be your 'shadow person', created by unusual activity in a specific brain region, a new study shows.
The paper, published in the British journal Nature, describes the case of a 22-year-old woman with no history of psychiatric problems who was being evaluated for treatment of epilepsy. When a region of her brain called the left temporoparietal junction was electrically stimulated, the woman described encounters with a 'shadow person' who mimicked her bodily movements.
Steven Kutcher - Bug Art
Insects are the moving brushes that paint the world. Insect footprints are small, unseen and leave little record of their passing. There is a partnership between the artist and the arthropod in which the artist chooses the pigments, starting place and direction, and the insect writes a page in its life.
(via Dump Trumpet)
Medical Robot
This is a prototype miniature robot that can be inserted through an incision to perform medical procedures inside the body.
The beetle-shaped robot, developed by researchers at Ritsumeikan University in Japan, has a small camera, sensors and a drug delivery device. It weighs just five grams.
Super-Close Google Maps Zooms
Google Blogoscoped has an article about a hack that lets you zoom in much more deeply onto Google Maps.
Select a location and switch to satellite view. Zoom in as far as you can, and click 'link to this page' at the top right. Now replace the 'z' parameter in the URL with a higher value, e.g. 20, 22, or 23, and wait. Some locations will now show more detailed imagery.
The Language Of Lagomorphs
We all know how frustrating it is when we're unable to understand and be understood by others. It's especially important to be able to communicate with those who share our living space, and for many of us that means being able to fluently speak and understand Rabbit.
Unfortunately, too few who share their lives with a rabbit know what their rabbit is trying to tell them, or how to express themselves in terms their rabbit will understand. This guide was written to help remedy this situation by explaining some of the signals rabbits use to communicate, and answer the common question, 'What did my rabbit mean by that?'
(via Incoming Signals)
Create Your Dreamgirl Or Dreamboy
SpeedDater is the UK leader in events for single professionals. They run speed dating, online dating, singles parties, activity days and singles holidays. SpeedDater was founded in September 2002 and has grown rapidly to become the UK's biggest speed dating company.
SpeedDater lets you create your own DreamGirl or DreamBoy. You can then introduce her/him to your friends by sending an email. Of course, it's a way of directing your friends to the SpeedDater site and invited them to join.
Looking for a body builder huh?
Well, keep on looking, Audrey!
Freedom Of The Seas
The 'Freedom of the Seas' is a Royal Caribbean International cruise ship and the world's largest passenger vessel. She can accommodate over 4,300 passengers on her fifteen passenger decks, served by over 1300 crew.
The Freedom of the Seas was built at the Aker Finnyards drydock in Turku, Finland. She has 30 lifeboats, her operating costs are $1 million per day, she has 750,000 lightbulbs and 4,700 works of art, and uses 35,000 kg of ice daily. The largest suite is 113 square meters, sleeps 14 people and has five flat panel TVs, a private whirlpool, and a wet bar. The ship consumes approximately 28,000 gallons of fuel per hour.
Take a closer look at the Freedom of the Seas.
Synchronized Swimming
Synchronized swimming is a hybrid of swimming, gymnastics, and ballet. It is an Olympic sport open to women since 1984. I'm not much of a fan of synchronized swimming but I do respect the competitive strength, endurance, flexibility, grace and artistry that is needed to perform this sport. I even admire the exceptional breath control of the competitors.
But you have to agree with me that the appearance of this sport needs improvement. It really looks ridiculous.
101 Jobs To Make You Appreciate Your Own More
You think your job sucks? It could always be worse. Take solace in this one truth: the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence. In fact, sometimes it is brown, a little smelly, with feces strewn across the 'scape.
Trust me on this one; you're very lucky to have your job. I assure you that you will find some joy in your daily drudge after reading about these other jobs. 101 Jobs to make you appreciate your own more.
Dutchtub
The Dutchtub, from Dutch designer Floris Schoonderbeek, requires no electricity, plumbing or hot water. Just fill it with a garden hose or a pail, put firewood in the bin, light it up, wait a while and enjoy a 100-degree soak with natural eddies.
It wil fit in the back of a SUV and can be used at a campsite or even on a sturdy roof. The prize? Only $6000.
(via Ursi's Blog)
B2 Spirit At The 2005 Edwards AFB Airshow
The B-2 started life as a black project known as the High Altitude Penetrating Bomber, then became the Advanced Technology Bomber and used the project code word Senior Cejay. It later became the B-2 Spirit.
An estimated 23 billion US dollars were secretly spent for research and development on the B-2 in the 1980s. An additional expense was caused by changing its role in 1985 from a high-altitude bomber to a low-altitude bomber, which required a major redesign. The first B-2 was publicly displayed on November 22 1988, when it was rolled out of its hangar at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California.
It's a deadly weapon and it cost way too much money but I must admit I'm fascinated by its appearance. Here are some beautiful photos from the B2 Spirit.
(thanks Rusty)
Instant Universe Ownership
The most exciting part about our universes is that you determine exactly what they are like. There are no limits and no restrictions as to what your universe can be. If you would like to be married to your favourite film star or you want a universe where there are no wars that's exactly what you'll get. You will receive a sumptuous leather bound booklet with all the information you provide us about your universe and you can go into as much (or as little) detail as you like!
Any day a scientific breakthrough in quantum physics may occur that allows you to travel to your universe, through a wormhole for example. This is not fantasy but accepted science.
(via Reality Carnival)
Bald Celebrities
A Worth1000 Photoshop contest.
The object of this contest is to take a celebrity who normally presents a head of thick, beautiful hair and make them bald.
Bald Celebrities.
Who Can Name the Bigger Number?
Two men vie to name the bigger number. The first, after ruminating for hours, triumphantly announces 'Eighty-three!' The second, mightily impressed, replies 'You win.'
A biggest number contest is clearly pointless when the contestants take turns. But what if the contestants write down their numbers simultaneously, neither aware of the other's?
Healing Dick Cheney's Heart
My name is Michael Brownstein. I'm a poet and novelist, also trained in shamanic work. Recently I've been drumming to heal Dick Cheney's heart.
(via Everlasting Blort)
Not Commonly Known First Names
Wikipedia has an entry named 'List of People Whose First Name is Not Commonly Known.' When you visit the page, there's no article. Not a single name is mentioned. Maybe that's because these names are not commonly known.
Crimes Of The Century
On the 75th anniversary of the Lindbergh kidnapping, Time Magazine looks back at the notorious crimes of the past hundred years. A Top 25 list.
It was a classic Hollywood celebrity legal melodrama; a race-relations story; a marriage-gone-acrid; a foray into detective work and into genetics; a primer on the jury system; proof of the overwhelming profits to be made from tabloid TV; a domestic tragedy with feuding families; a comedy of errors with irritating consequences.
If the Crime of the Century has to be a congeries of issues and emotions, then this is the contemporary champion.
(via Neatorama)
The Story of Little Kettlehead
Once upon a time there was a little girl in India, and her name was Mary. And she was very fond of poking fires. Her Mother used often to scold her and pull her away, but it was no use. She always poked fires when she got the chance...
The 'Who Would You Be In 1400 AD Test'
What if you lived more than six hundred years ago? What kind of person would you be most like? Find out with this test.
The Knight! You scored 59% Knight, 42% Cardinal, 38% Monk and 30% Lady. You are the hero. Brave and bold. You are strong and utterly selfless. You are also a pawn to your superiors and will be lucky if you live very long. If you survive the Holy wars you are thrust into you will be praised for your valor and opportunit