Origins Of Everyday Symbols

BuzzFeedVideo released this video about the mind-blowing origins of everyday symbols.



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(via Laughing Squid)

Cake Pan

Good trade, Tammy.

(via Bad Newspaper)

Why Every Movie Looks Sort Of Orange And Blue

Maybe you haven't noticed, but in the past 20-or-so years there's been a real catchy trend in major Hollywood movies to constrain the palette to orange and blue. The color scheme is the scourge of film critics - one of whom calls this era of cinema a 'dark age.'

You're probably skeptical, but once you know what to look for, it will be very difficult for you not to notice this color scheme every time you look at a screen, at least for a little while.

5 Great Australian Frauds

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Australians are honest, trustworthy people, without exception. Well... maybe a few exceptions. Here are some of those rare Aussies in history who occasionally tried to tell a few fibs about themselves (including, in one case, lying about being Australian).

(via Miss Cellania)

Long-Necked Dinosaur Discovered In China

A new dinosaur which had an extraordinarily long neck has been discovered in China and named the 'Dragon of Qijiang.' Qijianglong is about 15 metres in length and lived about 160 million years ago in the Late Jurassic.

The fossil site was found by construction workers in 2006, and the digging eventually hit a series of large neck vertebrae stretched out in the ground. The new species belongs to a group of dinosaurs called mamenchisaurids, known for their extremely long necks sometimes measuring up to half the length of their bodies.

Photos Of Vintage Coca-Cola Signs From New York City To Bangkok

image credit: Everett Public Library

On January 31, 1893, Coca-Cola became a registered trademark, launching what would come to be one of the most recognized brands in the world.

These photos depict not just the way Coke began to blend into international surroundings - by the late 1960s, half of the company's profits would come from foreign outposts - but also the wide array of American locales and subcultures the brand was penetrating.

Alexander Gerst’s Earth Timelapses

Watch Earth roll by through the perspective of ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst in this six-minute timelapse video from space. Marvel at the auroras, sunrises, clouds, stars, oceans, the Milky Way, the International Space Station, lightning, cities at night, spacecraft and the thin band of atmosphere that protects us from space.



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(thanks Cora)

Study Says Chicks Count Like We Do

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Humans are not the only ones to count from left to right. Researchers in Italy found that mental number lines, where numbers rise from the smallest on the left to the largest on the right, come naturally to newborn chicks too.

In experiments at the University of Padua, three-day old chicks were trained to find food behind a panel bearing five bright spots. Then they were confronted with two panels bearing different numbers of spots. When faced with panels that had only two spots, the birds consistently looked behind the left of the two panels. But when faced with eight spots on each panel, they went poking around the righthand panel.

10 Amazing Vehicles Of the Future Even The Jetsons Would Envy

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You may love your new car's heated seats and built-in ice dispenser, but there's always room for improvement. Whether it's alternative fuels, easier control or just general better design, the following new and improved vehicles might hit the market in the near future.

Explore The Resavska Pecina Cave In Eastern Serbia

image credit: Kaplar

The Resavska Pecina cave is known to be one of the oldest caves in Serbia with an age of almost 80 million years old. Although old, it still has its stunning cave formations persuading tourists to see it with their own eyes.

The Resavska Pecina cave is located in eastern Serbia, in the region of Gornja Resava, 20 kilometers from the town of Despotovac. You can see it set into the limestone hill of Babina Glava, on the fringes of the Divljakovac karst field.

Will It Blend? Neodymium Magnets Aka Buckyballs

Blender company Blendtec is known for their 'Will it Blend?' series of videos. In this episode, founder Tom Dickson blends meodymium magnet balls, aka as Buckyballs. Will it blend? Don't try this at home.



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Sleeping At 2700 Meters (8203 Feet)

In Courchevel, in the French Alps, Airbnb offers a night on a cable car suspended in mid-air.

(thanks Cora)

Why Vending Machines Are So Popular in Japan

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Stroll through the cities. Stroll through the countryside. You'll see 'em. Known as 'jidouhanbaiki', the machines are a feature of the landscape wherever you go in Japan. The country has the highest ratio of vending machines to landmass in the entire world. As the country's official tourist organization points out, Japan is currently home to 5.52 million vending machines.

Surely, there must be a good reason for Japan having all those vending machines. Turns out, there are several.

Pupil – A Darren Aronofsky Supercut

A supercut looking at the various emotions American film director, screenwriter and film producer Darren Aronofsky displays in his 6 films through the eyes of his characters. The films are Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan and Noah.



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Map Of Every Goat In The United States

In the United States, goats are everywhere. There were 2,621,514 goats in the United States as of 2012, the year of the most recent USDA Agricultural Census.

If America's goats were their own state, its population would be larger than that of Wyoming, Vermont, D.C. and North Dakota combined. Here's a map of every goat in the United States.

(via Everlasting Blort)

Scenes From The History Of Snow Removal

image credit UVM Libraries' Center for Digital Initiative

In the good old days, to keep roads in optimal snowy condition, many municipalities employed a 'snow warden' to pack and flatten the snow with a crude vehicle called a snow roller - essentially a giant, wide wheel weighed down with rocks and pulled by oxen or horses.

A far cry from the winter road work we see today, it was more like maintaining a ski slope or smoothing out an ice rink. Snow wardens actually had to install snow on the pathways of covered bridges so that travel would not be interrupted. The History Of Snow Removal.

Every Time Travel Movie Ever, Ranked

image credit: museumpreneurs

With the release of yet another time travel movie this week (Project Almanac), it's time to look back at the great time travel movies of our past. Here are all the major time travel movies ever, ranked.

The rules are: No animation. No short films. And no movies where someone is frozen (or something) and then they wake up in the future (so Mel Gibson's Forever Young, Encino Man are out).

Winning At Rock Paper Scissors

Rock Paper Scissors is a hand game usually played by two people, where players simultaneously form one of three shapes with an outstretched hand. The 'rock' beats scissors, the 'scissors' beat paper and the 'paper' beats rock; if both players throw the same shape, the game is tied.

Hannah Fry of Numberphile explains how to win at Rock Paper Scissors.



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(thanks Chava)

The Buried Fortress Town Of Gonur Tepe In Turkmenistan

image credit: hceebee

During the first half of the second millennium BC, a civilization was established in the ancient delta of the Murghab River, on the southeastern edge of a territory known then as Turkestan. This Bronze Age site is known as Gonur Tepe, a civilization that flourished before being buried by time, and discovered later on in present day Turkmenistan.

Nothing much was known about the complex of Gonur Tepe until 1972 when the Margiana Archaeological Expedition directed by the Greek-Russian archaeologist Victor Sarianidi discovered the fortress town.

9 Roman Gods Who Weren't Just Rip Offs Of Greek Gods

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We know that the ancient Greeks had a massively entertaining sets of gods and goddesses. So it's no wonder that when Rome conquered Greece, they replaced their own dull pantheon with renamed versions of Zeus, Athena, and the others. But not all Roman gods were Greek copies - here are a few of the more important ones.

4 Legged Stilt Costumes

Garen and Melissa made 4 legged stilt costumes for halloween. They are mainly made of upholstery foam and fabric. Inspiration came from the Frouds who made the Landstriders in the Dark Crystal.



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(via Everlasting Blort)

Babies Going Through Tunnels

image credit YouTube

For most babies, going through tunnels sets off a rollercoaster of emotions that they probably weren't expecting to experience when they left home. What starts out as a fun car ride eliciting giggles quickly escalates to wide-eyed terror, seeming to indicate the babies are wondering what this dark, scary place they're driving through could possibly be.

(thanks Cora)

Perpetual Pizza

Perpetual Pizza.

(thanks Cora)

Love Poetry Generator

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Just a couple of days and it's Valentine's Day. Always wanted to write a love poem for your sweethart but feeling tongue-tied? Use this love poetry generator made by ProFlowers to create a love poem for your one and only. Enter a few key words and, like magic, you've got an original poem. I created this love poem:

In summertime, our love is sweet, like daisies floating in the breeze.
In wintertime, our love is warm - it floats from head to toes.
If skies are blue, our love is joy - two people dancing in the sun.
If thunder rolls our love is calm, a refuge from the falling rain.
When spring flowers bloom, our love is bold, like red petals on the rose.
When autumn leaves fall, our love is gold, shining bright like a harvest moon.
From Valentine's Day till New Year's Day our love will continue to grow.
From season to season I love you always! My one, my only, my darling.

(thanks Julissa)

Aerial Video Of Auschwitz-Birkenau

Yesterday it was 70 years ago that the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by Russian troops. It was established in 1940 in the suburbs of Oswiecim, a Polish city. Its name was changed to Auschwitz, which also became the name of Konzentrationslager Auschwitz.

This drone video shows the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp as it is today. The camp in Poland is now maintained as a World Heritage Site and is visited by thousands of tourists and survivors every year.



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(thanks Cora)

Is It OK To Eat Snow?

image credit: Evan Long

'Everyone should eat snow because it's really fun,' says Anne Nolin, a professor at the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. Nolin, who studies snow and ice in the climate system, says most snow is just as clean as any drinking water.

To make their way from a cloud to the ground, cold water molecules have to cling to particles of dust or pollen to form the ice crystals that then grow into snowflakes in a process called deposition. Plus, as snowflakes fall, they have a harder time picking up soot and other air pollutants than raindrops, which are better at picking up these particulates.

Cueva De Las Manos: The Cave Of Hands In Argentina

image credit: Nick Warner

People leave their stories through books, photographs, graffiti, or through their social media accounts. Leaving marks has been a practice since the prehistoric times and astonishing evidence of this can be found in Patagonia, Argentina.

Stencils of human hands fill the cave walls together with other rock paintings depicting the life of hunters who stopped over the cave between 13,000 and 9,500 years ago. The cave is known as the 'Cueva de las Manos' which literally means, 'the Cave of Hands.'

10 Things You Didn't Know Your Microwave Could Do

Here are 10 simple tricks that you can use to turn your microwave into an awesome machine that you cannot live without. We've got bacon, donuts and even sponges here.



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The Rise And Fall (And Rise) Of The Ukulele

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The ukulele has gone from being an exotic new trend to the embodiment of kitsch since it arrived on Hawaii 125 years ago, but is currently enjoying a revival. Despite a long history that once included a reputation as an exotic and highbrow instrument, the ukulele has also endured decades of snubbing from both the pop music scene and the more cultured world of classical music.

But with the help of trendsetters and tastemakers, the ukulele is making a strong comeback that can be traced in large part to the instrument's accessibility, affordability, YouTube popularity, and celebrity esteem.

11 Years And Counting - Opportunity On Mars

The Mars Opportunity rover has driven 25.9 miles (41.7 kilometers) since it landed in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars on Jan. 25, 2004. That is farther than any other off-Earth surface vehicle has driven. The rover's work on Mars was initially planned for three months.

During that prime mission and for more than a decade of bonus performance in extended missions, Opportunity has returned compelling evidence about wet environments on ancient Mars.



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(thanks Chava)

World's Largest Barbecue

image credit Youtube

The world’s largest barbecue is 76 feet long and can cook 4 tonnes of meat at a time. They say everything's bigger in Texas, and you'll have a hard time finding better proof that the 'Undisputable Cuz,' a humongous barbecue pit located at the Folsom residence along highway 290, in Brenham.

The 40-ton, 75-foot monstrosity ventilated by seven chimneys is the world's largest barbecue pit. It's so huge that it needs to be carried around in a large truck and Local authorities have to issue special permits and escorts just to move the cooker down the road.

Twenty Wonderful Words Which Shouldn't Be Allowed To Wither

image credit: Dan Zen

There are many words these days that are rarely used - and that is a great shame as even the simple act of their enunciation can bring on a smile, such is their irrefragable brilliance. Go on, drop a few in to your next conversation and ensure their preservation.

You are guaranteed to be the cynosure of attention and contesseration will be guaranteed. In other words you will be the life and soul of the party and make many friends.
Here are twenty wonderful words which shouldn't be allowed to wither.

How Does Moisturizer Work?

The cold weather of winter can also mean dry, cracked skin. Many reach for the moisturizer to keep their skin soft, but how do these products actually work?



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(thanks Elaine)

How Spicy Flavours Trick Your Tongue

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When you consider the tongue, what leaps to mind are the five canonical tastes - sweet, salt, bitter, sour, and umami. These sensations arise when receptors on the surface of taste bud cells are activated by your food, triggering nerve fibres that run to your brain and help generate the experience of a savoury roast or a fresh strawberry.

But your tongue is more versatile than that. It's also sensitive to temperature, pressure, and chemicals that mimic both of these things, which turn up in a number of foods. This peculiar latter group of sensations is called chemesthesis, and you probably experience some flavour of it every day.

How To Pronounce British Place Names

Siobhan Thompson teaches American Rusty Ward how to pronounce difficult British place names.



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The Ultimate Collection of Cute Japanese Roadblocks

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The land of the rising sun is being invaded by special and super cute roadblocks, taking over the boring and plainly functional roadblocks. It's always a drag when you find out that one of the roads that you always take to get home or leave to work is going to be having construction.

So why not throw some cute on those construction sites, toning down our road-rage a few levels and adding to our patience, because you can't stop smiling.

(via Everlasting Blort)

DOE To Do NEPA's EIS

(via Bad Newspaper)

The Serenity Machine

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The CIA's Declassified UFO Files Are Now Available Online

Project Blue Book was a systematic study of unidentified flying objects conducted by the United States Air Force. It started in 1952. A termination order was given for the study in December 1969, and all activity under its auspices ceased in January 1970.

Project Blue Book is now fully declassified and available to read online. Read all of its 140,000 pages on UFO enthusiast John Greenewald's website The Black Vault.

18 Of The Biggest Creatures That Lurk Beneath The Ocean's Surface

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Earth's oceans contain 99% of the living space on the planet, yet less than 10% of that space has been explored by humans. If these are the colossal sea creatures we know about, imagine what is yet to be discovered.

(via Neatorama)

Top 12 Tallest Towers In The World

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This shouldn’t affect those with a fear of heights, but just in case, proceed with caution. The only way to imagine what it's like to be this high up is to remember the last time you were in an airplane, because these buildings rise thousands of feet and often have their heads in the clouds. Here are the 12 tallest towers in the world.

(thanks Pavle)

Made In Copenhagen

Made in Copenhagen is a short hyperlapse and timelapse film showing the beauty of Copenhagen, Denmark.



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(thanks Cora)

Beautiful Images Of Seashores Lit By The Glow Of Bioluminescence

image credit: mutolisp

In his 1870 masterpiece, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, French novelist Jules Verne wrote, 'About seven o'clock in the evening, the Nautilus, half-immersed, was sailing in a sea of milk... The whole sky, though lit by the sidereal rays, seemed black by contrast with the whiteness of the waters.'

However, rather than describing something supernatural, Verne was referring to marine bioluminescence - or the glowing, chemically induced underwater light produced by living organisms.

Why The World Seems Quieter When It Snows

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When a fresh batch of snow falls to the ground, the world tends to quiet down. That could partially be attributed to human factors: it's likely winter, people aren't out as much and traffic comes to a halt. However, there are more scientific reasons for the quietude.

When a fresh blanket of snow settles down, it's doing a lot more than turning the world into a winter wonderland.

The Interfaces Of 'Star Wars: A New Hope'

A supercut of all the moments in 'Star Wars: A New Hope' where characters interacted with machines, doors, screens, levers, knobs and buttons.



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(thanks Chava)

Vintage Movie Theatre Etiquette Posters From 1912

image credit Library of Congress

The Library of Congress has a fascinating series of vintage movie theatre 'etiquette' posters from 1912. At the time, films were silent as movies with sound didn't become prevalent until the late 1920s. Sadly, a September 2013 report by the United States Library of Congress announced that a total of 70% of American silent films are believed to be completely lost.

Enjoy these vintage movie theatre etiquette posters from 1912.

Hobbit Spa: Charming Green-Roofed Complex In Austria

image credit: Jakob Hürner

Looking like a modern art version of Hobbiton, the Rogner Bad Blumau Spa in Austria's Styria thermal region boasts colorful painted facades, bejeweled spires, curving lines and green roofs all over. The luxury hotel centers upon an indoor ring-shaped spa that takes advantage of the hot springs in the area and features many reclaimed and sustainable materials.

Bricks from old farmhouses were incorporated into the facades, and the wooden posts supporting the overhangs appear to be strung with massive beads.

iPhone 6 In Space

On November 28th, 2014 Urban Armor Gear sent a brand new iPhone 6 on the ultimate adventure to the stratosphere. On its journey, the iPhone reached a height of over 101,000 feet (30,7 kilometers) and encountered temperatures as cold as -79°F (-61,6°C).



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(thanks Cora)

Irreversible Damage Done To Tutankhamun's Burial Mask

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The priceless funeral mask of Tutankhamun has been damaged at the Cairo museum, causing curators to glue it back together with white-ish, splodgy glue. The mask, which was discovered in 1922 by British archeologists Howard Carter and George Herbert, is considered one of the finest treasures of ancient Egypt.

But in summer last year it was damaged and needed repairing. Some staff at the museum said it was broken by cleaners, while others maintained that the beard on the mask was intentionally removed, because it had become loose.

Laika And Her Comrades: The Soviet Space Dogs Who Took Giant Leaps For Mankind

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The dog Laika, the first living being to orbit the Earth, lives on in our memories. Her lethal Sputnik 2 mission more than 57 years ago, has stuck in our collective consciousness. Laika is not the only canine cosmonaut that died at the hands of the Soviet space program; more than a dozen other dogs lost their lives before her. But some Soviet space dogs survived and went on to live relatively normal lives.

Damon Murray, co-founder of FUEL Design and Publishing in London, came up with the idea to put a book together about the true story of these early space explorers. Collectors Weekly had an email interview with him.

(thanks Lisa)

Adorable Loch Ness Ladle

The next time you're cooking up a hot pot of soup, why not reach for this adorable ladle? The Nessie Ladle has the body shape of the mysterious Loch Ness monster but this guy's got stubby little legs so that it can stand on its own.

Designed by Ototo for the modern store Animi Causa, the turquoise blue ladle, unfortunately, isn't ready to ship out until February. The cleverly designed product costs $15.99.

(via Everlasting Blort)

Rare And Terrifying Frilled Shark Cought In Australian Waters

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The hideous, terrifying and rarely sighted frilled shark has turned up in waters off south-eastern Australia. The species, whose ancestry dates back 80 million years, is known as the 'living fossil'. It was caught on a fishing trawler in waters near Lakes Entrance in the Victoria's Gippsland region.

Llocal fishermen were left scratching their heads at the sight of the two-metre-long creature, whose head and body resemble an eel, but whose tail is more reminiscent of a shark.

13 Coolest Hotels Converted From Bizarrely Different Structures

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Traditional hotels may make for reassuringly comfortable homes away from home, but they can be bland and even boringly similar to one another - wherever in the world they might be.

Fortunately, for the more adventurous vacationer, there are plenty of accommodation options that offer something slightly different while still retaining all the modern amenities of more conventional hotels.

Robot Soccer

It is often said that by the middle of the 21st century, a team of fully autonomous robot soccer players shall win a soccer game against the winner of the most recent World Cup. You wouldn't say that when you see these robot teams play. What makes this video hilarious is the commentary by Ray Hudson and Phil Schoen.



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(via Miss Cellania)

The Oldest Depiction Of The Universe Was Almost Lost To The Black Market

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The design on this disc might look like a six-year-old's scribbles, but in reality, it's one of the most sophisticated and influential artifacts of the Bronze Age. And it might never have been discovered if not for a couple of illegal treasure hunters who dug it up and sold it on the black market.

Called the Nebra sky disc, named for the town in Germany where it was found in 1999, the artifact has been dated back to 1600 BC. It's thought to have been forged during the European Bronze Age, a period between 3200 and 600 BC.

Why Do Sneezes Come In Twos and Threes?

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Sneezes never seem to be lonely. As soon as you expel your first mighty 'achoo,' there's usually another sneeze lurking right behind to follow it up. For some people, there may be two, three, or even 10 that come after that original sneeze, making for an awful lot of 'bless yous' from well-wishers nearby.

So why is it that our sneezes seem to adhere to the buddy system?

12 Amazing Waterfalls In Iceland

Iceland is unusually suited for waterfalls. This small island country has a north Atlantic climate that produces frequent rain and snow and a near-Arctic location that produces large glaciers, whose summer melts feed many rivers.

Here are 12 famous and lesser known waterfalls from Iceland.

Dolomiti 2015

Timelapse video of Italy's Dolomite Mountains with some of the most spectacular landscapes in all of Europe.



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(thanks Cora)

The Island Where Cats Have Completely Taken Over

image credit: rahen z

For felinophiles, the Japanese island of Tashirojima might just be the perfect vacation spot. Located close to the Oshika Peninsula, the tiny Pacific Ocean destination boasts a cat community that's roughly four times the size of its human population.

The cuddly creatures roam free across the island's 1.21 square miles, earning Tashirojima the nickname 'Cat Island' and attracting hordes of tourists wanting to see the strays in the flesh - or rather, fur.

Translucent Fish Found Alive Deep Under Antarctic Ice

Think of it as finding a very cool Nemo. Scientists announced this week that after drilling through 2,428 feet of ice they made a lively discovery - deep under all that ice were many different fish and marine invertebrates, alive and well.

So far, the scientists haven't issued much information on the new life discovered, but there appear to be a few types of fishes, crustaceans and other invertebrates. The researchers are still working on studying the ecosystem and figuring out what the animals eat in such a seemingly sterile and sunless environment.

The Insane Beehive Firework Festival In Taiwan

The Beehive Fireworks are essentially multiple launchers of bottle rockets. These rocket forts are actually thousands of bottle rockets arranged row atop row in an iron-and-wooden framework.

When the contraption is ignited, rockets shoot out rapidly in all directions. Dazzling explosives whiz and whirl across the sky and often into the crowd itself, both thrilling and intimidating the spectators. To protect against injury, heavy clothing, a helmet with a full visor, and protective gloves are recommended for all spectators.



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More about the Beehive Fireworks at Random Good Stuff.

Aqua Fanny Pack Containg A Ham Sandwich

Mayo or mustard?

(via Bad Newspaper)

Every X-Man Ever

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The X-Men are a fictional team of superheroes that appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The X-Men are 'mutants,' a subspecies of humans who are born with superhuman abilities. They fight for peace and equality between normal humans and mutants in a world where antimutant bigotry is fierce and widespread.

There are many X-Men. Here's an overview of every X-Men who joined Professor Xavier's merry band of mutants.

Blythe Intaglios: The Nazca Lines Of America

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About 15 miles north of Blythe, just west of U.S. Highway 95 near the Colorado River, are a group of gigantic geoglyphs. There are a total of six distinct figures in three locations, including a human figure at each location and animal figures depicting serpents and quadrupeds at the other two sites.

From the ground level, the figures are indiscernible, nor they are visible from any nearby hill from any distance or angle. Just like Peru's famous Nazca Lines, they can only be seen from the air. And that is precisely how Blythe Intaglios were discovered.

Bike Sense, Jaguar's Latest Technology Research To Make Drivers And Cyclists Safer

Bike Sense is Jaguar's brand new technology that alerts the driver to unseen hazards using LED lights, bike bell sounds and even a tap on the shoulder. Watch to see this groundbreaking technology in action and how Jaguar will keep drivers and cyclists safer.



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(thanks Cora)

Gigapixels Of Andromeda

On January 5th, 2015 the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope released the biggest image ever taken of the Andromeda Galaxy. The resulting image is 69,536 x 22,230 pixels... a total of 1.5 billion pixels, requiring 4.3GB of disk space. It provides a startling glimpse at the sheer scale of our nearest neighbor.



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(thanks Chava)

He Invented Instant Replay, The TV Trick We Now Take For Granted

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Decades before the DVR and years before the first Super Bowl, a young television director decided to try something that would either amaze or confuse TV watchers: the instant replay. With that, Tony Verna revolutionized the way we watch televised sports. He died Sunday at 81.

Verna's most important achievement lasted just a few seconds. During the 1963 Army vs. Navy football game in Philadelphia, Verna, then 29, tried something that had never been done before in a live TV broadcast.

Inside A Hamster's Cheeks

X-rays show how golden hamsters store incredible amounts of food in their cheek pouches that can stretch all the way back to their hips.



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Videophones From The Future Past

This wonderful experience of seeing and talking to a distant person has been the original super-science dream back from Victorian times, transformed into more refined science fiction visions in the 1920s, and finally fleshed out into working prototypes in the 1930s.

Further in the 1950s we've seen 'videophones' appearing in every near-future movie and scifi story, and even presented to government officials as the ultimate way of communication. Today any kid, or grandma with access to a smartphone can freely talk themselves into oblivion. But the videophone we have is totally different from the 'videophones of the future past.'

The Infernal Machine

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The French Revolution wasn't the end of kings in France. In 1830, the July Monarchy controlled by the wealthy elite took power, and King Louis-Philippe ruled. There were seven assassination attempts on this new king, but none so fantastic as Giuseppe Mario Fieschi's 'infernal machine.'

Fieschi, a Corsican with a prison record for fraud, constructed a mutant weapon with 25 barrels that could shoot at once, all pointing in different directions. The machine of wood and iron was finally set up on the third story of 50 Boulevard du Temple in Paris, and on July 28, 1835 put to its macabre test.

(via Miss Cellania)

Top 10 Fascinating Facts About Tyrannosaurus Rex (Or How Sam Neill Lied To You)

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Although we now know the Tyrannosaurus rex wasn't the biggest carnivorous beast to walk the Earth it remains dinosaur royalty. From battling King Kong to attempting to eat Jeff Goldblum, the T. rex is one of the go-to villains in popular culture.

The name Tyrannosaurus rex means 'tyrant lizard king.' Here are 10 fascinating facts about one of the most terrifying creatures ever to stalk the planet.