Sizable crowds turned out last Sunday to see the new Cunard liner Queen Victoria on her first visit to Sydney. Take a look at this beautiful panoramic picture from photographer Peter Murphy.
(via Ursi's Blog)
The Queen Victoria In Sydney
Ready Kids
Ready Kids is a tool to help parents and teachers educate children in grades 4-5 about emergencies and how they can help get their family prepared. Ready Kids is part of the U.S. Deparment of Homeland Security's Ready campaign.
It's a national public service advertising campaign designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to natural disasters, potential terrorist attacks and other emergencies. The Ready Kids web site features age-appropriate, step-by-step instructions on what families can do to be better prepared and the role kids can play in this effort.
100 Weird Facts About The Human Body
* The higher your I.Q. the more you dream.
* The fastest growing nail is on the middle finger.
* During your lifetime, you will produce enough saliva to fill two swimming pools.
* Babies are always born with blue eyes.
* After eating too much, your hearing is less sharp.
* The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue.
100 Weird Facts About the Human Body.
The Two-Fork Toothpick Trick
This streaming video shows a fun trick that you can use to impress your friends. But can you explain how it works?
(via Miss Cellania)
Roman Candles
Friends, Romans, celebrants - lend me your ears. Are you sick of counting all those passing years the conventional way? Slow the chariot down and start counting the Roman way.
Roman Candles are easy and fun, and doesn't 'L' look a lot better than '50'? Party like it's MMVIII.
(via Optical Poptitude)
unFortunate
unFortunate is the only place where you can view, create, share, and print your own fortunes.
(via Michelle's Mental Clutter)
The Coca-Cola Recipe
According to the Soda Museum in Missouri, this formula appears to be the original formula to Coca-Cola.
(via Reality Carnival Unleashed)
25 Of The Most Ridiculous Popular Diets
Some people will do anything to lose weight, even if it means defying common sense and nutrition. But just because your best friend's cousin lost 20 pounds by drinking hot-peppered lemonade doesn't mean you should do the same.
These 25 diets are not only ridiculous, they're ineffective and even dangerous.
Morph Concept
Morph is a concept developed by Nokia demonstrating some of the possibilities nanotechnologies might enable in future communication devices. Morph is a flexible two-piece device that can adapt its shape to different use modes.
More about the Morph concept.
The Condiment Packet Gallery
Chris Harne began collecting condiment packets in November of 2003. He discovered how many different condiment packets existed. A collector by nature, the only logical thing for him to do was attempt to get every different packet design he possibly could.
The Condiment Packet Gallery.
Garfield Minus Garfield
Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolor disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life?
Meet Jon Arbuckle. Let's laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and methamphetamine addiction in a quiet American suburb.
The Woman Who Keeps 75 Hibernating Tortoises In Her Fridges
In most refrigerators, you don't come across living things. Except maybe some yoghurt or a spot of mould. But open up Shirley Neely's two fridges and you'll find them teeming with life.
On every shelf, wrapped in tea towels, are slumbering tortoises. The smaller ones are snuggled up in a biscuit tin, but the bigger fellows are laid out side-by-side in their makeshift sleeping bags.
Singing Kittens
Can a bank make people happy? Bankwest of Australia will be undertaking a number of experiments in happy banking to find out. As part of their research so far, they discovered that kittens can make people happy by reducing stress levels.
To test this theory, they've made a video featuring kittens, a ukelele and you. Type in your name, your gender and click 'begin.'
(thanks Peter)
Hair Particle Drawing Generator
With the Hair Particle Drawing Generator you can create your own Hairy Drawings. Images with good contrast work best, and there are some rudimentary controls that allow you to lighten lights, darken darks and bump contrast.
You can press the load image button which will allow you to copy and paste the url of any image on the internet to create a hair particle drawing of. Be patient the hair may take several minutes to grow into a recognizable image.
Baby Loves Disco
Parents who can't let go of their dancing days a new breed of disco is emerging - where mums, dads and toddlers come together to boogie.
Baby Loves Disco is a family event. There is no structure, just plenty of environment, atmosphere and healthy snacks. There is music spun by the DJ with bubbles floating over the the dance floor to get the mamas, papas and little ones moving.
There are egg shakers, play scarves and a chill-out space with pillows, stuffed animals, books and toys and puzzles. There are balloons to enjoy and take home as well as the snacks for both kids and adults, plus the bar is open for non-driving adults.
Yahoo! Proposing To Buy Microsoft
Yahoo! announced it has given serious consideration to the $44.6 billion purchase offer from Microsoft Corporation. However, the Yahoo! Board of Directors has determined it would be more beneficial to both parties if Yahoo! instead purchased Microsoft for $44.7 billion to form Yahoocrosoft!
The deal would pay Microsoft stockholders $4.80 per share, also conveniently redeemable as a voucher for one month of GeoCities Plus dial-up Internet access.
Wind Names
Yes, winds have names. Like the Haboob, a strong wind in the northern and central part of Sudan. Or the Warm Braw, a wind in the Schouten Islands north of New Guinea.
The Brickfielder is a wind from the desert in Southern Australia. And the Coromell is a night land breeze prevailing from November to May at La Paz, near the southern extremity of the Gulf of California.
Names of Winds.
(via Information Junk)
The World's Wackiest Homes
They say a man's home is his castle but sometimes it seems that anything goes. Check out some of the fruitcake houses people call home.
The Splinter Wooden Supercar
The Splinter is a graduate project for some students at North Carolina State University and is the vision of industrial design student Joe Harmon.
The Splinter will be 600-hp with wood used for the chassis, body, and parts of the suspension and wheels. The car is powered by a twin-supercharged Northstar V8.
(via Inventor Spot)
Tin Man
The Infinite Oz. An artistic collaboration that brings to life the world of the sci-fi miniseries event, Tin Man.
(via Everlasting Blort)
Vintage New York
The skyscrapers looked more imposing, somehow, in the black-and-white photographs from the bygone era.
Perhaps it's the absence of reflective glass facades with their false sky intervals, and over-abundance of bland stone walls. Either way, New York of the 20s to 60s period is a very special place indeed.
SpongeBob Rectal Thermometer
The Spongebob Digital Thermometer plays the 'SpongeBob SquarePants Theme' at the end of temperature taking. Nice!
(thanks Beth)
Dr. Seuss Collection Organized By Color Spectrum
Dr. Seuss' books have a wide range of colors on the bindings. Here's a picture of a Dr. Seuss collection in their proper color spectrum order.
(thanks Chad)
TimesMachine
TimesMachine can take you back to any issue from Volume 1, Number 1 of The New-York Daily Times, on September 18, 1851, through The New York Times of December 30, 1922.
Choose a date in history and flip electronically through the pages, displayed with their original look and feel.
Morning Glories
This movie shows the extreme nutational movements of Morning Glory vines. Climbing vines need to find a suitable support on which to grow. This movie shows three morning glory plants at the stage where they have just begun 'looking' for a support to climb. The images were captured at 10 min intervals.
(via Neatorama)
Going Bananas
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Want a quick shine on your shoes? Take the inside of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe. Finish with dry cloth.
20 fascinating facts about the natural healing power of bananas.
Food Blog Search
Food Blog Search is a custom built search engine specifically for searching food blogs. It uses Google technology, through the Google Custom Search Engine program.
Food Blog Search searches over a thousand hand-selected, high quality food blogs. More and more food blogs are added to the list of sites searched every day.
Who's Your Daddy?
Who's Your Daddy? is one of 41 hilarious Science Fair experiments.
(via Everlasting Blort)
Windmill Accident
A windmill in Hornslet near Aarhus, Denmark, got out of control during a storm.
(via Hoempa!)
Darwin Dating
In order to join Darwin Dating, you cannot have nerdy glasses, mullets, disproportionately large ears, teeth that aren't white, wobbly upper arms, or hairy feet. Yes, Darwin Dating is for beautiful people only.Are you sick of dating websites filled with ugly, unattractive, desperate fatsos? Darwin Dating was created exclusively for beautiful, desirable people. Our strict rules and natural selection process ensures all our members have winning looks.
The Air Car
Imagine a vehicle that runs on air, achieves over 100 gas-equivalent mpg and over 90 mph, has zero to low C02 emissions, seats six, has plenty of space for luggage, cuts no safety corners, and costs no more than an average economy to mid-size vehicle.
This is the expected performance of the revolutionary 'Air Car' that Zero Pollution Motors is introducing to North America.
The 'Air Car' project is headed by French inventor and Formula One race car engineer, Guy Negre.
Nubrella
How does your umbrella hold up in windy conditions? Are you tired of you umbrella inverting and breaking all the time? Introducing Nubrella, the ultimate weather protector. Nubrella is no ordinary umbrella, it stops rain, wind, snow and extreme cold, and keeps your head, face and shoulders drier than ever.
Nubrella went one step further and is changing the game forever. With Nubrella's new patent pending 'shoulder straps' and 'offset handle' you can now be completely hands free.
Fake Doctors Notes
We live in a working age. Our bodies and minds suffer from the toils of our occupations and 'careers'. Sadly, our day jobs consume 60%-80% of our lives. The remaining 20%-40% seems the flash by before our eyes. We do not vacation enough, we do not play enough, we do not sleep well and we neglect our loved ones. It is a horrible situation indeed.
A fake doctors note allows a not-so-sick patient to escape from certain situations. For the most part, they are meant to bring humor into their monotonous lives. It's harmless and quite rewarding. It has brought them many days of freedom and joy.
(via J-Walk Blog)
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: Cells, Friend or Foe?!
click on the picture for real size
Things For Sale David Horvitz Will Mail You
David Horvitz sells things. For example, if you give him $400 he will take a train to a desolate area with a packed lunch and sit down and read Anna Karenina. He will do this for 6-10 hours. He will repeat the same thing the following days until he has read the entire book.
He will send you documentation of this from the closest mailbox to where he does this. He'll also write the location of the mailbox on the envelope if you ever wish to go to where he will have sent it to you from.
Things For Sale David Horvitz Will Mail You.
Zero To Superhero
When crisis hits, are you going to be ready? Can loved ones rely on you when the chips are down? Will you be relying on them? Decide now whether your going to be a hero or helpless victim. Prepare yourself, physically and mentally. You have a choice.
Divorced, injured, bankrupt and overweight in the cold months of 2001, Jason Comely was tired of being a loser. He set out on a fact-finding mission to improve his health and his life, and eventually shed 80 lbs of body fat. Zero to Superhero is the end results of the author's formal studies, exhaustive research, and selfexperimentation.
Optimus Maximus Keyboard
The Optimus Maximus is a computer keyboard with screens embedded in each button. Each key is a stand-alone display that shows the function currently assigned to it.
Engadget made a video of the Optimus Maximus keyboard in real world use with their machine running the Configurator software.
20 Ridiculous Real Weathermen Names
I know it's not nice to make fun of other people's names. But I couldn't resist it this time. The guy in the picture above is Storm Field. And he's a weatherman. Really, he is. Just like Dallas Raines is a weatherman. And just like Aloha Taylor is a weatherwoman.
20 Ridiculous Real Weathermen Names.
(via Weird Blogs)
The Largest Music Collection In The World
What to do if your life circumstances have changed and for some reason you are forced to sell your music collection? Put it on eBay of course and wait until someone bids US $3,002,150. Yes, that's right. Over $3,000,000.
But what you get for that amount of money is probably the largest music collection in the world. 3 Million records and 300,000 CDs containing more than 6 million song titles.
Merry-Go-Round
What's wrong with this merry-go-round? Try to figure it out first before going to this site to find the answer.
Some Things To Consider
Some things I read in a newsletter:
The most destructive habits are worry and assumption.
The greatest joy is giving.
The greatest loss is loss of self-respect.
The most satisfying work is helping others.
The ugliest personality trait is selfishness.
Our greatest natural resource is our youth.
The greatest problem to overcome is fear.
The most effective sleeping pill is peace of mind.
The most powerful force in life is love.
The world's most incredible computer is our brain.
The worst things to be without are hope and humor.
The deadliest weapon is the tongue.
The greatest asset is faith.
The most beautiful attire is a smile.
The most prized possession is integrity.
The most contagious spirit is enthusiasm.
The Beer Collection
Beer is a complex mixture that contains a wide variety of both low and high molecular weight carbohydrates, minerals, alcohol, trace amounts of proteins, yeast by-products, and other diverse organic compounds along with carbon dioxide.
The Molecular Expressions Beer Shots website features photomicrographs and digital images (photographs taken through an optical microscope) of the world's most famous beers. Shown here is a beer shot of one of my country's most famous export products, Heineken.
(via Das verrückte Huhn)
Wikileaks
Wikileaks is developing an uncensorable Wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis. Wikileaks' primary interest is in exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.
Wikileaks looks like Wikipedia. Anybody can post comments to it. Whistleblowers can post documents anonymously and untraceably. Users can publicly discuss documents and analyze their credibility and veracity.
Those who provide leaked information may face severe risks, whether of political repercussions, legal sanctions or physical violence. Accordingly, sophisticated cryptographic and postal techniques are used to minimize the risks that anonymous sources face.
79 Years Of Best Picture Winners In Posters
This weekend the winners of the 80th Academy Awards will be announced. Here is a compilation of the posters for all of the best picture winners so far.
(via Weird Blogs)
Unflattering Photos From The Campaign Trail
Their pictures have been taken thousands of times in recent months. Granted, in most of those photos the Presidential candidates put their best face forward, but here are some photos they probably wish hadn't been snapped.
Rogue Spy Satellite Blast
This week, a standard missile carrying a kinetic warhead was launched northwest of Hawaii from the USS Lake Eire, a Ticonderoga Class missile defense cruiser.
24 Minutes later, at 10:50, the Joint Space Operations Center at the Vandenberg Air Force base confirmed the breakup of the satellite at 153 nautical miles above the Earth from a direct hit.
Diagnosis: Email Apnea
Email apnea - a temporary absence or suspension of breathing, or shallow breathing, while doing email.I've just opened my email and there's nothing out of the ordinary there. It's the usual daily flood of schedule, project, travel, information, and junk mail. Then I notice. I'm holding my breath.
Are you holding your breath while reading or answering your email? You probably do.
(via Weird Blogs)
The Collier Classsification System For Very Small Objects
Historically we have sought to know the world by categorizing and classifying what we see around us. There is, however, a whole universe of easily overlooked and forgotten things that remain unclassified. Once noticed, these Very Small Objects seem to exist in every niche and corner in staggering numbers and varieties.
We encounter these very small objects every day hidden in plain sight. They fill our pockets, cabinets, and corners. They populate our environments and make our machines work. They come from our plants, our pets, and even from our own bodies.
How The March Of A Cockroach Put 30 People Out Of Work
For the viewers of Turkmenistan's popular nightly news programme, it was another routine bulletin. But as the newsreader began the 9pm broadcast, viewers across the central Asian country spotted something unusual crawling across the studio table: a large brown cockroach. The cockroach managed to complete a whole lap of the desk, apparently undetected, before disappearing.
But the consequences of this particular cockroach's impromptu five minutes of fame were immediate and severe. The country's president, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, took news of the insect so badly that he responded by firing no fewer than 30 workers from the main state TV channel.
Hillary Clinton Is Your New Bicycle
Last Monday I showed you what Barack Obama has done for you. Since I am impartional, see what Hillary Clinton has done for you.
And here's what Michelle Obama has done for you.
And John McCain.
By the way, Hillary Clinton is also your new HD DVD player.
Red Beans Beard Series
The Red Beans Beard series of portraits by contemporary artist Takao Sakai who calls himself Azura.
(via Grow-A-Brain)
Sometimes Red, Sometimes Blue
The title says it all.
Sometimes the page is red, sometimes it's blue.
That's it!
The Deadly Huashan Hiking Trail
The Huashan Hiking Trail is the most dangerous tourist hiking trail in the world. Mount Hua is located in the Shaanxi Province of China, close to the Himalayas of Tibet.
This is not mountain climbing. Mountain climbing involves using advanced equipment and skill honed through experience. Instead you will see a public trail used by anyone foolish enough to give it a try regardless of their physical ability or previous climbing experience.
Obsolete Skills
Obsolete skills are things we used to know that no longer are very useful to us like dialing a rotary phone, putting a needle on a vinyl record, using a slide rule, or parking a harddisk.
Here's a list of obsolete skills.
What Happens To Your Body Within An Hour Of Drinking A Coke?
In the first 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system.
After 20 minutes your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst.
After 40 minutes your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.
After 60 minutes the phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a boost in metabolism. After 60 minutes you'll start to have a sugar crash.
Beatbox
Play your own Beatbox. The site is in Swedish but it's very easy to understand what to do. Press the spacebar to start recording and use to A - K keys to add your own sniffs.
(via Ursi's Blog)
Road Trains
A road train is a trucking concept used in remote areas of the world to move bulky loads efficiently. The term 'road train' is most often used in Australia. In the U.S. and Canada the terms 'triples', 'Turnpike doubles' and 'Rocky Mountain doubles' are commonly used for longer combination vehicles.
A road train consists of a relatively conventional prime mover, but instead of pulling one trailer or semi-trailer, the road train pulls two or more of them.
Foodsel
Figuring out food labels is not for everyone, but simply seeing what you are eating can be surprising to all of us. Foodsel provides a wealth of information at your finger tips, neatly organized by group, manufacturer or nutrient. Visualize what you are eating.
Foodsel provides information ranging from the usual information about sugar, fat and carbohydrate all the way up to detailed information about lesser known nutrients.
I'm A Comma
What punctuation mark are you?
I'm a comma.
You are open minded and extremely optimistic. You enjoy almost all facets of life. You can find the good in almost anything. You keep yourself busy with tons of friends, activities, and interests.
You find it hard to turn down an opportunity, even if you are pressed for time. Your friends find you fascinating, charming, and easy to talk to. You excel in inspiring people, you get along best with: The Question Mark.
(via Nag on the Lake)
Le Programme Du Jour
The animated film Le Programme du Jour by Samentha Duris and Loïc Tari paints a gloomy picture of the future in which people are just numbers. Until the man with the number B42-347 short of his pre-programmed daily schedule breaks out. Or at least tries to.
(via Ehrensenf)
Kota The Triceratops
Playskool went historic with the introduction of Kota the Triceratops. Measuring over 40 inches tall, Kota is an interactive triceratops, featuring movement sensors in nine areas on his body.
Kota the Triceratops adorably reacts to touch by moving his head, tail, mouth, and horns. The $300 toy can hold a little bit of weight and children can press a button on the riding handle to play adventure-themed songs.
(via Optical Poptitude)
You Need A Quiet Space
Beautiful commercial by IKEA. Use your mouse to change the angle of every bedroom you see.
Blue Man Group: I Feel Love
Blue Man Group with Annette Strean of Venus Hum from The Complex Rock Tour performing Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love.'
(via Reality Carnival Unleashed)
20 Things That Culturally Define Australia
Great article on everything what Australia stands for. Like Christmas in the summer, Vegemite on toast, mateship, barbeques, Paul Hogan, and of course, kangaroos.
The Pororoca Phenomenon
The pororoca is a tidal bore, with waves up to 13 feet high that travel as much as 8 miles inland upstream on the Amazon River. Its name comes from the indigenous Tupi language, where it translates into 'great destructive noise.' It occurs at the mouth of the river where river water meets the Atlantic Ocean.
The wave has become popular with surfers. Since 1999, an annual championship has been held in São Domingos do Capim. However, surfing the Pororoca is especially dangerous, as the water contains a significant amount of debris from the shores of the river.
Fake Buddy
Get a Fake Buddy for free! Your fake buddy will send you emails filled with fun, tips, and occasional random thoughts throughout the week! Know that you have a friend on your side without the hassle of being one. There is no obligation and you can quit anytime.
15 Of America's Filthiest Homes
Here are 15 of the filthiest homes in America, taken from national headlines. Let this be a reminder that it's never too early for spring cleaning or winter evictions.
Google Is Killing My Blog
As many of you know, another site of mine is The Generator Blog. Some time ago, when I wanted to post something, I got a message telling me that a spam prevention robot from Google thinks the blog looks like a spamblog. Which it absolutely is not!
Usually when this is the case, there will be a grace period of some days during which I can request that it be reviewed and recovered. So I did request a review. After a week nothing had happened and instead I got another message telling me it's a spamblog. Again I requested a review. At the same time I send a message to Blogger Help. I heard nothing.
Yesterday, for the third time, I got another message telling me it's a spamblog. Again I requested a review. This has been going on for 3 weeks now and there is no response from either Google or Blogger.
The Generator Blog has 2,500 visitors each day and in its 3 years of existance has welcomed over 2,500.000 guests. Now, visitor numbers are dropping by the hundreds a day and it seems there's nothing I can do about it. Any suggestions are welcome.
A Snapshot Of Impending Doom
What's going through the minds of each of the people in this picture. GorillaSushi made a funny analysis.
(via A Welsh View)
Colored Is Better
Coloreria Italiana, from an Italian washing powder commercial.
(via Everlasting Blort)
Scientists Claim Colored Cauliflowers Are Healthier
Scientists have developed amazing variants of vegetable where the traditional white florets have been changed to a garish orange, purple and green.
The 'rainbow cauliflowers' are said to taste the same as the normal varieties, but add a splash of colour to the dinner table. Some scientists have even claimed that they are healthier for you.
(thanks Jason)
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 Hitcher.
click on the picture for real size
How Evil Are You?
Time for another stupid quiz. Answer some questions and they'll tell you how evil you are. I took the quiz and found out that I'm not evil at all.
Nope! I'm insane!
15 Coolest Geek-Themed Home Theaters
When geeks set out to make home theaters, the results are often astounding, with some very cool themes. Often based on Sci-Fi flicks, these amazing works of art are expensive labors of geek love.
Here are some of the coolest home theaters.
Learn To Speak Dog
What is your dog trying to say? Sometimes it's hard to tell. That's because dogs speak using body language.
Type a word into this handy canine translator to see what your pooch is trying to tell you.
Sleep At Work
Feeling sleepy while at work? Put these stickers on your eyelids and nobody will notice you're taking a nap.
America's 50 Greenest Cities
Do you live in Portland, Oregon?
Then you live in the greenest city in America.
Data was used from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Geographic Society's Green Guide, including air quality, electricity use and transportation habits.
These statistics were compiled into four broad categories, each scored out of either 5 or 10 possible points. The sum of these four scores determines a city's place in the rankings.
Sylvester's Arms
Is the picture above a raised-relief map of the Appalachian Mountains? Nope! It's Sylvester Stallone's arm.
Eagle Eyes
Eagle Eyes is a game where you can test your skills of observation. There are 5 pairs of photos. Each pair has 5 small differences between them. It's your goal to spot them.
You Thought We Wouldn't Notice
Maybe it was the night before deadline. Maybe you thought 10% was enough. Maybe you thought it would be cheaper. Maybe you were told to do it. Maybe you're just not the creative type. You thought we wouldn't notice. But we did!
'You Thought We Wouldn't Notice' is a site dedicated to pointing out those thing's that give you that feeling of 'haven't I seen that somewhere before?'
Titan Arum Web Cam
The Titan Arum is a flowering plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world. It was originally discovered by an Italian botanist, Odoardo Beccari, in Sumatra in 1878.
Due to its fragrance, which is reminiscent of the smell of a decomposing mammal, the Titan Arum is also known as carrion flower, or 'corpse flower.
How To Make A Picnic Table
No cottage or cabin should be without one or more picnic tables and few homes in cities should be without one either. Not only for eating your meals outside, but a picnic table can be used for a zillion other things as well.
Detailed plans for making a picnic table.
How Do You Count Your Cash?
This video shows how people in various countries from around the world count their cash in different ways.
What Will Your Life Be Without Nanotechnology?
It will be definitely a much more difficult world to live in...
(via Dump Tumpet)
50 Nerdy Things To Do Before You Die
48. Be bold and take your action figures out of the box, value be damned!
31. Build your own lightsaber.
17. Learn advanced Klingon.
16. 'Accidentally' get locked in a bookstore for seven or eight days.
6. Correct Alex Trebek on the pronunciation of something French. Consequently hold him when he cries.
Part wish list, part to-do list, part flight of fancy.
But 100 percent nerd.
Other nerdy things to do before you die.
(via Grow-A-Brain)
ToDo Tattoo
ToDo Tattoo is the perfect solution for your shoddy short-term memory. For anyone who's ever scribbled a reminder on their hand or wrist.
The ToDo Tattoo kit includes 12 graphic 'To Do' forms that you can apply to your body wherever it's most convenient and a skin-safe, washable-ink gel pen. You'll never again have to make lame excuses for missing bowling night or your mom's birthay.
Ice Jewelry
Dutch based designer Katharina Ludwig makes ice jewelry.If water itself is worn as a jewel the preciousness of water is enhanced. Put on the body it will melt by the body warmth. What will stay is just the core of it and the marks the ice leave at your skin.
(via UniqueDaily)
Trading Nothing
It has been done before but Andrew Henderson from England hopes to trade up from nothing to a Rolls Royce or a Bentley car some time in 2008. Currently he drives a battered old Honda Civic.
(via AdFreak)
Believe Placebo
Placebos harness the power of the mind. Specifically, they harness the power of belief, which can cause psychological and biological improvements.
Believe is an exciting new placebo that harnesses the incredible power of belief to help you feel better. Over the past four decades, placebos have been used in a wide range of medical studies, often yielding similar results as the new medicine being tested, but without the potentially harmful side effects.
(via Dancing Bears)
Fingernail Art
Among the many forms of expression that exist, there are women who choose to use their fingernails as a means of communicating with the world around them.
(via Everlasting Blort)
Oamos
Oamos is a meta search engine looking for items, pictures, video's, news messages, and music based on your search term.
Oamos then remixes all of these data into a visual show. You have to try it out to see what it is all about.
I typed in 'presurfer' and this is what I got.
Cloth Physics Simulation
Click and drag the cloth. Press 'shift' while dragging to pin/unpin points. The arrow keys rotate the cube. Or turn on the fan.
The Collective Sarah Being
What is the Collective Sarah Being? It is you. It is Sarah. In a way we are all Sarahs. Becoming aware of the Collective Sarah Being for the first time can be quite confusing and shocking.
Many of us have gone through this life thinking that this is really it. That it's really all about the things we've been told about. So to suddenly realize it's all something else entirely is quite shocking indeed!
What is the Collective Sarah Being? You know this already really. It's just a matter of realizing it. All that appears to be ahead is just as likely behind. Realizing this is the first step towards awareness.
FelonSpy
FelonSpy is a site that says it shows convicted and accused criminals who live in your neighborhood on a map. The site is also heavy on gun advertisements. and according to several sources is probably bogus.Safety starts with good information, even if it ends with you holding a loaded .44 caliber handgun. While FelonSpy.com can't help you get a gun, we can certainly help you figure out which direction to point it in.
Our patented Felon Search technology mines data from across the nation, from the web and otherwise, and combines it into a single, easy to use interface. Whether you're checking up on your own neighbors or trying to find out if that hotel you've been eyeing is in a safe place, we can help. Simply type in the desired address, click enter and let your new knowledge be your peace of mind.
Beware when you are going to use FelonSpy because according to several sources, the site is probably bogus and appears to just randomly generate maps with random people and crimes.
The 5 Ballsiest Con Artists Of All Time
Let's give the devils their due. Yeah, they've screwed over thousands of innocent people. But some of them had balls the size of hot air balloons and for that, we must salute them.
One Day I Chanced Upon A Mystery
A true photo-story about one-dollar mystery bags.Normally when I go to a store where everything costs one dollar, the only mystery I'm prepared for is how coarse and unpleasant toilet paper can be.
A recent trip to a nearby Dollar Tree offered a more pronounced mystery in the form of so-called grab bags, which were strewn about a rack that taunted, 'We know you just love surprises! These grab bags merge poor people's penchant for surprise with their complete lack of taste.
Substance Addiction Recognition Indicator
The Substance Addiction Recognition Indicator is a unique tool for estimating a probability of alcohol or other drug addiction in others, ranging from acquaintances to long-time friends and family members.
How To Carve Soap
Learn how to make soap sculptures, from the simple to the extraordinary.
Here are a few suggestions to help make your soap sculpture its best.
Amazing Soap Carvings.
Size DOES Matter!
Nearly half of British men surveyed would give up sex for six months in return for a 50-inch plasma TV, a survey said last Friday. Electrical retailer Comet surveyed 2,000 Britons, asking them what they would give up for a large television.
The firm found 47% of men would give up sex for half a year, compared to just over a third of women. A quarter of people said they would give up smoking, with roughly the same proportion willing to give up chocolate.
The World's Shortest Bodybuilder
They say that 'a noble spirit embiggens the smallest man.' If that's the case, then nobody could be more embiggened than Aditya Dev - the world's smallest bodybuilder.
Aditya Dev, 19, stands just 33 inches tall - but weighs an impressive 9.25kg (just under 1.5 stone), and has a chest measurement of 20 inches.
(via UniqueDaily)
San Francisco Time-Lapse
Time-lapse of San Francisco shot on February 8th 2008. On this day the fog was flowing from east to west which is very rare.
Saudi Arabia Bans All Things Red For Valentine's Day
Saudi Arabia has asked florists and gift shops to remove all red items until after Valentine's Day, calling the celebration of such a holiday a sin.
Every year, officials with the conservative Muslim kingdom's Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice clamp down on shops a few days before Valentine's Day, instructing them to remove red roses, red wrapping paper, gift boxes and teddy bears. On the eve of the holiday, they raid stores and seize symbols of love.
Amazing Guitar Player
Mark Goffeney plays the guitar with his feet. He has to, because he has no arms.
(via Neatorama)
Visual Guide To Recycling Plastics
Most recycling programs only accept PET and HDPE plastics, so being able to quickly identify them can be a time saver when sorting your plastics. In the future, we should be able to recycle PVC, LDPE, PP, PS, and other plastics. For now these outcasts must be banished to the landfill.
Last summer, Chad of 'Go Green Charleston' set aside a sampling of the plastic items that came through his family of four's home. Click each image to learn more about that plastic.
Searching For Whoopi Goldberg's Eyebrows
The mystery and myth surrounding Whoopi Goldberg's missing eyebrows. The legend has been exposed and the truth has been found.
(via UniqueDaily)
Catholic Costumes For Children
Want to dress your little girl like a street walker or jail bait? Of course you don't. Let them wear a Catholic costume.Catholic children learn as they play - and playing at being a Saint is a wonderful thing.
10 Accidental Inventions
As anyone with a knack for clichés knows, necessity is the mother of invention. However, it could also be said that while good inventions are often the product of necessity, great inventions are accidental.
To demonstrate the importance of serendipity, here is a list of 10 examples of unintentional discoveries that too often we find ourselves taking for granted.
(via Reality Carnival)
The Truth About Your Type
What's your type? What type do you click best with, and which types spell doom? In five quick questions, you'll find out about your identity. Plus, you'll have a chance to typecast that special someone, and see if you have a future.
I'm Comic Sans.
How To Make Better Decisions
Pictured above is a mathematical formula that will help you make better decisions. To be precise it's a formula that will tell you how succesful you will be at selecting a mate. W= witty, G= aggressive, Ay= your attractiveness, AH= her/his attractiveness, R= her/his 'amount' of current relationship.
If Ask is less than zero you should lower your standards. If Ask is between zero and 1, you have exactly a snowball's chance in hell with her/him. If Ask is between 1 and 10, game on! If Ask is greater than 10, consider her/his more attractive friend instead.
Painted Cats
The book these came from said some of the paint jobs cost $15,000 and had to be repeated every 3 months as the cat's hair grows out. Must be nice to have $60,000 a year just to keep your cat painted!
Of course, the book is a spoof.
Scientists Don't Know Shit
A new study by researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology, to be published in next week's edition of the journal Science, found that scientists don't khow shit about anything.
There are thousands of examples of scientists not knowing shit about whatever it was they were talking about at the time. The study classifies more than 5,000 important scientific discoveries into the following categories: Total Shit, Shit, Just Plain Wrong, Close to Being Vaguely Right, and Right.
Trucks By Luigi Colani
Luigi Colani, (born in Berlin as Lutz Colani), is a German industrial designer whose father came from Madulain near St. Moritz in Switzerland and mother from Poland.
The prime characteristic of his designs are the rounded, organic forms, which he terms 'biodynamic' and claims are ergonomically superior to traditional designs. The unconventional designs of Luigi Colani have made him famous, not only in design circles, but also to the general public.
Simroid
Simroid is a dental patient robot developed by Kokoro, Japan, as a training tool for aspiring dentists. She can follow spoken instructions, closely monitor a dentist's performance during mock treatments, and react in a human-like way to pain.
My Beating Heart
My Beating Heart is a soft huggable heart with a soothing heartbeat you can actually feel. It's designed to help you relax, daydream, meditate, and take delicous naps.
When you are hugging My Beating Heart, the physical heartbeat may remind you of hugging a purring pet or loved one. Hold the Heart a moment and you'll begin to sense your own heartbeat slowly syncing with My Beating Heart's carefully designed rhythm.
Rabbits Love Liquorice And Elephants Can't Jump
Rabbits love liquorice but it is very bad for them because they cannot digest sugars. Elephants are the only mammals that can't jump.
The last animal in the dictionary is the Zyzzyva, a tropical weevil. A Crocodile cannot stick its tongue out, because it is attached to the bottom of its mouth.
More bizarre facts about the animal world.
Hollywood Zombies
Hollywood Zombies are 72 celebrity parody cards featuring jaw-dropping art with incredible likenesses from an all-star roster.
Take a look, if you dare, at these celebs transformed into grotesque zombies in this gruesome gallery.
Hollywood Zombies home page.
The Phone
The telephone can be used to transport to other places. To be transported to another place you must lift the handset and dial a number. In order to find the telephone numbers you must explore each place.
Can you make it to the last place?
I can. Here's the final screen.
Home Schooled
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.
This week a special comic/video.
Title: The Big Game Hunter.
Obey The Purebreed
You probably realize that you are a mere servant to your dog, and obey their every command. But, did you know that this is merely part of a much larger plot to rule the entire world? Dogs have had their paws in world politics for many years, using world leaders as pawns and even establishing themselves as fixture in the White House.
It seems that we are in the 11th hour of mankind's dominance of Earth, and the Shocking proof of this revolution is now being reported at the Obey The Purebreed News Blog. Resistance is futile, and consumption is patriotic. Support the canine world domination.
(via Everlasting Blort)
Inud The Robotic Dog
This is an example of the kind of toys we may see in the future. The robotic dog can move its eyes, open its mouth, go back and forth and wag its tail. The dog recognizes your voice and responds to every action just as a real dog would.
The Ella Installation
'Ella' is a sculpture made from peaches, as part of a promotional campaign for Australian skin care product company Ella Baché.
'Ella' is an artistic expression of the confidence you feel when your skin is looking and feeling its best; her beauty and playfulness are intended to be both aspirational and attainable.
NSS Space Settlement Art Contest
Images from the NSS Space Settlement Calendar Committee in the Space Settlement 2009 Calendar Art Contest. Click on a thumbnail for a larger image and descriptive text.
The National Space Society undertook this project as a means of promoting awareness of the benefits to humanity of a spacefaring civilization and to make people aware that they can play a role in creating this future.
(via Boing Boing)
Earth Inversed
What the world would look like if the areas of land were water and the areas of water were land.
Turn Your Motorcycle Into A Hovercraft
To turn a motorcycle into a hovercraft you need a motorcycle, a standard issue Bumper Boat, two box fans, a poster of Elvis, a cow skull, some Aqua Net hairspray and a red beer cooler.
Tortoise Acts As Mom To Baby Hippo
A baby hippopotamus that survived the tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong bond with a giant male 100 year-old tortoise in an animal facility in the port city of Mombassa.
The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about 650 pounds, was swept down Sabaki River into the Indian Ocean, then forced back to shore when tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.
Squid Soap
Squid Soap teaches people how to properly wash their hands each time it is used. The soap leaves an ink spot that will not come off until after washing for 15-20 seconds as is recommended by doctors.
10 Disasters That Could End It All At Any Given Second
Physicists have long theorized that particle accelerators could destroy the earth. When electric fields are used to accelerate protons they could collide at speed fast enough to create black holes or bits of altered matter. These small black holes would slowly engulf our planet.
And how about aliens? Some astronomers believe there to be billions upon billions of planets in the universe. With such high numbers it is hard, if not impossible, to believe that there is no intelligent life in the universe besides human and that an alien invasion and destruction of Earth is impossible. It is theorized that it would not be a conflict between humans and aliens that would cause lead to our end but that the aliens would exploit Earth for her resources or merely disrupt the planet by mistake.
(via Dark Roasted Blend)
Maplecroft Maps
Maplecroft Maps is a highly visual, web-based resource which contains detailed country information for over 200 states and maps social, economic, environmental and political issues and their significance to business and society.
This innovative tool is designed to raise awareness amongst corporations, government and non-governmental organisations, academics, students and the general public of how an organisation's operations interact with wider society, and how the risks and opportunities generated can be responsibly managed through stakeholder engagement and partnership.
Aerotrain
The Aerotrain was a hovercraft train developed in France from 1965 to 1977. The lead engineer was Jean Bertin. The Aerotrain could travel at very high speeds with reasonable energy consumption and noise levels, but without the technical complexity and expensive tracks of magnetic levitation.
Five prototypes were built. The Aerotrain I-80 was a full-size 80-passenger car running on 11 miles of track. It established the world speed record for overland air cushion vehicles on March 5, 1974 with a mean speed of 259.48 mph and a peak speed of 267.43 moh.
This project was abandoned in 1977 due to lack of funding, the death of Jean Bertin, and the adoption of TGV by the French government as its high-speed ground transport solution.
Parselmouth Generator
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows it is revealed that Harry is a Parselmouth. A Parselmouth is someone who speaks Parseltongue, the language of snakes. It appears to be a skill acquired through both learning and genetic inheritance.
With the Parselmouth Generator you can translate your words into Parseltongue and save it as an mp3 file.
Where Did They Get That Name?
Everyone knows that David Bowie got his name from a Tin Machine song, and that Queen got their name from Freddy's prediction that one day Brian May would play to 'the' Queen from the roof of Buckingham palace - but what about other bands.
Do you know about Spagna? About The Umbilical Chord? About Whipsnade, the animal Portishead? Do you? Find out about your pop knowledge with a quiz. Answer 10 questions about how bands got their name and find out how well you did.
Where Did They Get That Name?
Personalized Doll
This company guarantees to make you 'your own 100% handcrafted, authentically unique 3D doll made to look just like you or a loved one.'
The personalized dolls are made to last by imported polymer clay and are waterproof as well. The height of the doll is an average 13-15 cm.
Strange Little Office Beings
Though you may never have actually seen a SLOB lurking around your desk, you've almost seen the evidence of their existence. After all, where do you think all those missing pens go?
SLOBs are Strange Little Office Beings; no one knows quite how they came to exist.
Now you can create your own virtual SLOB. Then you can challenge other SLOBs or play against the 'House SLOBs'. The more games you play, and win, the more credits you'll earn to help you build an even better SLOB.
National Association To Advance Fat Acceptance
Founded in 1969, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance is a non-profit human rights organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people.
NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy, and member support.
8-Bit Dynamic Life Shirt
The ideal Valentine's Day gift. Buy one of these glowing shirts for yourself, and gift one to your significant other. During your normal activities two and a half pixelated hearts will light up on your shirt.
But get within hugging distance of your significant other wearing the matching shirt and suddenly the hearts on both of your shirts start to light up until you're fully powered up. Go too far astray from the source of your affections and you'll drop back down to two and a half hearts again.
(via Miss Cellania)
Beard In A Jar
For all of those who have ever wanted a beard and didn't want the inconvenience of actually having one on your face, this is for you. I recently shaved my 161 day old beard and placed it in a mason jar.
I would like to pass on the joy it gave me to those interested. I would consider any trades that would peak interest (small animals, alesis micron, letterpress type, etc). Please enjoy the pictures of the beard on its original home (my face) and its new home of a mason jar. Thank you.
Have You Seen This Man?
The Royal Thai Police have released the sketch of a man suspected of stealing 200,000 baht from the Ladprao branch of the Government Savings Bank in Bangkok several weeks ago.
The sketch is based on the recollections of eyewitnesses, who say the suspect wore a motorcycle helmet at the time of the robbery.
(via Weird Blogs)
The Shaved Bumblebee
Bernard the bumblebee wanted to impress his friends with an experiment. Bernard, for the first time in his life, completely freed himself from his beautiful yellow and black fur.
But then, under the shouting and cheering of his mischievous friends, Bernard watched in the mirror and had to recognize that the result didn't please him as much as he expected. But hey, it will grow again....
(via Dump Trumpet)
Howcast
Imagine an ever-expanding universe of how-to knowledge, created for you and by you. Howcast is a website loaded with high-quality instructional videos across a broad spectrum of categories.
Howcast is the YouTube of instructional videos and was founded by three ex-Google employees who worked on Google Video and YouTube before they left eight months ago.
U-Tsu-Shi-O-Mi
U-Tsu-Shi-O-Mi is an interactive 'mixed reality' humanoid robot, originally developed by NTT DoCoMo of Japan, which appears as a computer-animated character when viewed through a special head-mounted display.
Virtue Perfume
To be Spiritually Aware is to Be... Inspired. To be guided by your Spiritual Self.
Virtue Perfume was conceived out of our desire to provide a perfume that would allow a person to be reminded of God and their Spiritual Self, by a simple whiff of it's fragrant essence.
To help maintain that, sometimes tenuous, conscious link with our sacred center of pure Being, our Heart of Hearts, the great eternal.
(thanks Ashley)
Yellowtail
Yellowtail is an interactive software system for the gestural creation and performance of real-time abstract animation. Yellowtail repeats a user's strokes end-over-end, enabling simultaneous specification of a line's shape and quality of movement.
Each line repeats according to its own period, producing an ever-changing and responsive display of lively, worm-like textures.
Spin The Black Circle
Another addictive game. You have to lead the ball to the portal trough a rotating maze full of deadly traps.
Just spin the maze and gravity will do the rest.
LEFT-rotate maze counterclockwise, RIGHT-rotate maze clockwise, SPACE-restart level. This game saves your progress, you can quit playing and come back later.
Cooking While Driving
Everyone loves a nice juicy burger fresh off the grill. But with today's hectic lifestyle, having the time to get everything set up and being able to enjoy yourself is becoming pretty rare.
Thanks to a group of Iranian inventors, you can enjoy your freshly cooked burger, right after you park your car.
(via Dump Trumpet)
Car Cut-Aways
Details of the cars we all drive.
They are works of art in themselves.
(via Dark Roasted Blend)
Chips Pass Two Billion Milestone
The first chip to pack more than two billion transistors has been launched by silicon giant Intel.
The quad-core chip, known as Tukwila, is designed for high-end servers rather than personal computers. It operates at speeds of up to 2GHz, the equivalent of a standard PC chip.
Professor Gizmo
Professor Gizmo one-man-band plays 'The Tiger Rag' on The Lonesome Pine Special, 'One Man Band Spectacular' 1991.
(via Neatorama)
How To Haggle
The goal of haggling is to come out of your purchases with a big smile on your face, knowing that you have not been cheated and that you paid a fair price for the product you purchased. Too many people don't even realize the amount of money they are losing by simply not haggling.
Sure, you may feel rude trying to bargain down a price, thinking that you are insulting the shopkeeper/vendor you are dealing with. The world is set up to haggle. Every vendor in every country knows your right to haggle. Sure, some might not admit it but they all set the prices in such a way to enable you to haggle.
How to Haggle.
Smugopedia - Pretend You Know Better
Smugopedia is a collection of slightly controversial opinions about a variety of subjects. Smugopedia offers you the chance to buy a fleeting sense of self-satisfaction at the small cost of alienating your friends and loved ones.
Whiskerino
Society tells us that full beards are unacceptable. Businessmen, politicians, bankers, and the like are all clean shaven; all demonstrating the standards that middle class society expects us to maintain. But it wasn't always so.
Beards used to be glorified as signs of virility and manliness. A man that couldn't grow a strong beard was privately ridiculed. To be shaved was to be emasculated. Let us return to our roots! Let us return to true masculinity! Let us cry out with one voice: 'I Will Have a Beard! I Will Be a Man! I Will Not Conform To Your Rules!'
(via Everlasting Blort)
6 Odd Moments In Oscar History
Just in case the writer's strike isn't settled in time and there is no Academy Awards ceremony to mock this year, here is a selection of Oscar Oops-es from the past.
(via Miss Cellania)
Iguana Images
Henry Lizardlover is an unconventional fellow living with his unconventional family of 33 lizards in Hollywood.
He photographs these lizards and shares his experience and ideas, mainly on Iguana Behavior and Health Care... but the ultimate concern is conscious lizard love, because lizard love is the fulfilling of the law.
(via Everlasting Blort)
Birds In The Hands Of Ornithologists
Over a period of seven years, Victor Schrager photographed over 100 species of birds in the hands of ornithologists.
These images come together elegantly in the Bird Hand Book. View an excerpted selection from this book in regular or large version.