Ben Harris is a traditional wooden boat builder based in Cornwall, UK. This film documents Ben Harris' love of wood work and boat building, how he acquired his skills, and how incredible it is to be able to take something that you've built with your own hands out onto the water and sail it across the sea.
Vimeo link
(thanks Cora)
Thursday 31 December 2015
The Painted Cliffs Of Maria Island
The beautifully patterned sandstone rocks of Painted Cliffs are one of Maria island's most popular attraction. The mountainous island located in the Tasman Sea, off the east coast of Tasmania, Australia, was once a penal colony for convicts who committed offences against the French colonists.
The wonderful patterns on the exposed rocks along the shore were caused by ground water percolating down through the porous sandstone rocks and leaving traces of iron oxides, which have stained the rock formation. The regular patterns of red, orange and yellow bands and rings are due to fractures, joints and layers present within the sandstone.
10 Surprising Facts About Fast Food
Many of us eat fast food on a regular basis for reasons of sheer convenience. Sometimes we simply don't have the time for much else and it's easy. Considering we deal with these food companies every day, and the ubiquity of information on the internet, we tend to think we already know most everything about them.
However, there are still many facts out there about your favorite fast food joints that will surprise, amuse, and possibly even horrify you.
Snow Monkeys In Japan
The Japanese macaque is a terrestrial Old World monkey species native to Japan. They are also sometimes known as the snow monkey because they live in areas where snow covers the ground for months each year.
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
20 Vintage Inventions That Are Borderline Genius And Crazy
We're spoiled today in that there are a ton of new 'genius' inventions that are presented to us on a daily basis. But as far as we've come they had some, shall we say, 'different' ideas about what would be genius a few decades ago.
Some seem rather brilliant, while others make you glad that they stayed back in the past.
Here are 20 vintage inventions that are borderline genius and crazy.
Cáscara, 'Tea': A Tasty Infusion Made From Coffee Waste
Coffee cherry tea is a herbal tea made from the dried cherries of the coffee plant. It is also known as cáscara, from Spanish, meaning 'husk.' Coffee cherry tea is rarely produced for export, but is commonly drunk in some coffee-growing nations, notably Bolivia and, as the variant Qishr, in Yemen.
Coffee cherries contain caffeine, as does the tea, though while the tea is popularly understood to have a high level of caffeine, it actually only has about a quarter the caffeine levels of coffee.
Wednesday 30 December 2015
GoPro: Best Of 2015 - The Year In Review
Take an epic journey that looks back on some of the best moments captured on GoPro in 2015, from high up in the sky to deep below the sea and everything in-between.
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
The True Story Of Roland The Farter
Roland, court minstrel to 12th century English king Henry II, probably had many talents. But history has recorded only one. Referred to variously Rowland le Sarcere, Roland le Fartere, Roland le Petour, and Roland the Farter, Roland really had one job in the court.
Every Christmas, during the court's riotous pageant, Roland performed 'Unum saltum et siffletum et unum bumbulum', a dance that ended with 'one jump, one whistle, and one fart,'executed simultaneously.
(via Neatorama)
The Day When Three NASA Astronauts Staged A Strike In Space
Blows on behalf of fair labor treatment don't always have to come from factory workers. On December 28, 1973, one was delivered by three U.S. astronauts orbiting the globe in NASA's Skylab - a one-day sit-down strike in space.
Mission commander Gerald Carr, science pilot Edward Gibson and pilot William Pogue were in the midst of what would become a record 84-day mission, the last before the spacecraft was to be decommissioned, when they rebelled against NASA's remorseless work schedule.
Trapped Moose Running Past Us
This happened in Gaspesia, Quebec. An experience these skiers will never forget.
YouTube link
(thanks Michael)
YouTube link
(thanks Michael)
Seven Major Archaeological Discoveries of 2015
2015 was a year when archaeology frequently made headlines around the world. From plunging deep into the rainforests of Central America in search of new civilizations to altering our understanding of human behavior by simply re-inspecting the contents of dusty museum archives, researchers have made 2015 a spectacular year for archaeology.
Tuesday 29 December 2015
10 Longest Rivers In The World
Rivers aren't just bodies of water flowing to the great oceans that just entertain our eyes with their continuous movement. Rivers have contributions to the historical cities they pass through, giving them water to drink, irrigation for agriculture, and even energy through hydropower.
Get to know the 10 longest rivers in the world.
20 Latin Phrases You Should Be Using
You'd probably be surprised by how much Latin you actually already know. Hundreds of words - like memo, alibi, agenda, census, veto, alias, via and versus - are all used in everyday language.
Besides fairly commonplace examples like these, however, English has adopted a number of much less familiar Latin phrases and expressions that go criminally underused.
(via Twists and Turns)
Vittorio Brumotti - Road Bike Freestyle
Vittorio Brumotti does it again! Road Bike Freestyle 2 shows the Italian trials superstar taking it up a notch on a road bike.
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
10 Biggest Snowstorms Of All Time
Anyone who's ever lived in a chilly climate knows snowstorms well. Sometimes the weather forecast gives ample warning, but other times these storms catch us by surprise. Plows struggle to keep roads clear, schools are closed, events are canceled, flights are delayed and everyone gets sore backs from all the shoveling and snowblowing.
Here is a list of the biggest snowstorms of all time.
(via Neatorama
Monday 28 December 2015
Space Debris: 1957 - 2015
Almost 20,000 pieces of space debris are currently orbiting the Earth. This visualisation, created by Dr Stuart Grey, lecturer at University College London, shows how the amount of space debris increased from 1957 to 2015, using data on the precise location of each piece of junk.
YouTube link
YouTube link
Quiz: Quirky Tech Stories Of 2015
The year 2015 brought us the Apple Watch, the rise of the 'hoverboard', lots of stories about virtual reality and self-driving cars and data breaches and encryption and copyright.
NPR selected a few of the stories with memorable factoids and turned them into a quiz. Do you think you can figure out the answers?
133 Years Later, Gaudí's Cathedral Nears Completion
The Sagrada Família in Barcelona, Spain, has entered the home stretch of construction. And it took only 133 years. Six new towers will soon be added to the (in)famous Roman Catholic basilica, bringing the total to 18 and - at long last - finishing the work begun by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí in the late 19th century.
Science Magazine's Top Results 2015
Check out what Science Magazine's editors deemed the top results of 2015, including the Breakthrough of the Year.
YouTube link
YouTube link
A Few Things You May Not Know About The Movie Grease
Grease was the highest-grossing movie of 1978. It remains the highest-grossing movie musical of all-time. Worldwide, Grease has taken in between $400 and $500 million at the box office. Here are a few facts you may not have known about Grease.
Illuminating The History Of West African Portrait Photography
Discussions of West African portrait photography tend to gravitate towards the 1960s and '70s, the era of such well-known artists as Seydou Keïta, Malick Sidibé, and Samuel Fosso.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's In and Out of the Studio: Photographic Portraits from West Africa, which draws its 80 works solely from the Met's collection, fleshes out a longer and more varied history of West African photo portraiture, including amateur and popular commercial practices that acted as precursors to the more acclaimed works of later decades.
Sunday 27 December 2015
Weird Chemical Reaction
Mercury(II) thiocyanate is an inorganic chemical compound. It is a white powder. It will produce a large, winding 'snake' when ignited, an effect known as the Pharaoh’s Serpent.
YouTube link
(via Reality Carnival)
YouTube link
(via Reality Carnival)
The Black Boiled Eggs Of Owakudani - A Japanese Delicacy
Owakudani is a large volcanic caldera that formed 3,000 years ago when Mount Hakone erupted. That hardly sounds like an ideal tourist destination, but hordes of people visit Owakudani each year in search of the mystical black boiled eggs, locally known as 'Kuro-Tamago.'
These black eggs might look other-worldly, but they're actually just plain chicken eggs. The strange black hue comes from boiling them in the sulphur-rich hot water pools of Owakudani. The sulphur in the water reacts with the eggs' shells, making them black and imparting a sulphur tinged flavour and odour to the cooked egg inside.
Interesting Calling Cards For Greeting New Year In The Victorian Era
A calling card is a small paper card with one's name printed on it, and often bearing an artistic design. Here are some interesting calling cards with New Year's greetings from the Victorian Era.
12 Wild Facts About Butch Cassidy And the Sundance Kid
Lovable outlaws, buddy comedies, and Westerns have always been a part of the cinematic landscape. But it was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid that first combined those elements into a box office smash, setting the tone for the dozens of action comedies that have followed.
It also put Robert Redford on the A-list (Paul Newman was already there), and introduced audiences to the bizarrely anachronistic pop song 'Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head.' Here are a dirty dozen facts about one of our favorite movies about bad guys.
A Brief History Of House Music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago in the early 1980s. In the early 1980s, Chicago radio jocks The Hot Mix 5, and club DJs Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles played various styles of dance music, including older disco records, electro funk tracks, newer Italo disco, hip hop music and electronic pop music.
Using drum machines to replace live drumming on soulful disco classics and laying sweeping, drawn-out melodies on top created such a distinct sound that Knuckles' residence at the Warehouse quickly became seen as one of the best. Over time, people dropped the 'ware' and simply came in search of 'house' music.
Here's How Your Dog Really Feels About You, According To Science
We love our dogs, and they love us - or so we assume. Since our furry, floppy-eared friends aren't able to tell us how they really feel, we're stuck staring into their puppy-dog eyes, wondering what kinds of thoughts are flying around behind them. Thanks to science, we now know a lot more about what Fido and Fifi are really thinking and feeling.
Saturday 26 December 2015
NASA Image Shows Earth Rising Over The Moon
A stunning image that appears to show the Earth rising above the surface of the moon has been released by NASA. Taken by a camera onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the composite image shows the eastern coast of Liberia at center, along with parts of the Sahara Desert, Saudi Arabia and both South American coastlines in view.
YouTube link
YouTube link
The Christmas Tree Worm
Scientifically that are called spirobranchus giganteus, but they are better known by their colloquial name - Christmas tree worm. The worm is so called because they look like them. The spirobranchus giganteus live in the ocean and sports two magnificent spirals of plumes that protrude from its tube-like body and which look like tiny Christmas trees.
These plumes are composed of hair-like appendages called radioles that radiate from the worm's central spine, and help the animal to grab food, which typically consists of microscopic plants, or phytoplankton, floating in the water.
Six Questions About Your Phone's Battery Answered
Battery life is a perennial problem for smartphone owners. While our handsets have become faster and more powerful over the years, smartphone batteries often last less than a day under heavy use, or even moderate use after a few months.
The lithium-ion battery has been around for more than two decades, and hasn't fundamentally changed since 1991. And despite lots of effort being put into replacements, these batteries are likely to be with us for many more years. Here's what you need to know about your smartphone's battery.
Ambulance Drone
Each year nearly a million people in Europe suffer from a cardiac arrest. A mere 8% survives due to slow response times of emergency services. This ambulance-drone, developed by Delft University in the Netherlands, is capable of saving lives with an integrated defibrillator.
The goal is to improve existing emergency infrastructure with a network of drones. This new type of drone reaches its destination within 1 minute, which increases chance of survival from 8% to 80%.
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
The goal is to improve existing emergency infrastructure with a network of drones. This new type of drone reaches its destination within 1 minute, which increases chance of survival from 8% to 80%.
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
What Santa Claus Actually Looked Like, According To Science
Depending on what pop culture depiction you prefer, the Santa Claus you imagine probably looks a lot like the guy Coca-Cola created in 1931 with their iconic ad campaigns.
But, thanks to Caroline Wilkinson, a forensic specialist at Liverpool John Moores University, we now have a rendering of what the real St. Nicholas looked like.
NORAD's Santa Tracker Started With A Typo 60 Years Ago
A local Sears store in Colorado Springs ran a dial Santa ad 60 years ago. Except the number was a misprint. Instead of listing the number for Sears' Santa hotline, it posted the number for the Continental Air Defense Command center. On Christmas Eve 1955, Colonel Harry Shoup began receiving calls from kids asking to speak with Santa Claus.
Shoup worked at NORAD, so the call must have come as a bit of a surprise. Instead of telling the kids that they dialed the wrong number, Shoup said that he wasn't Santa Claus but he could track him on radar. All night, Shoup and his team gave kids details about Santa's location as he and his reindeer flew through the sky to deliver gifts to children.
Friday 25 December 2015
Are Any Foods Safe To Eat Anymore? Here's The Truth
Is bacon really as bad for you as cigarettes? Will coffee give you a heart attack? Do wheat-eaters suffer 'brain fog?' Even the bubbles of gas in your fizzy drinks have been considered a hazard. BBC Future examines the foods, the fears – and the facts.
How Well Do You Know The Science Of Your Pet?
OK, so you know a lot about your pet. For instance, you know how he loves getting that spot on his belly scratched. You know how he always manages to take up the whole bed by morning. And you probably know by now how cucumbers are among his greatest nemeses.
But beyond the daily routine, with its undeniable moments of cuteness, it's important to remember that each of our pets is a complex, intelligent being that has evolved for millennia in tandem with humans. How well do you know the science of your pets?
7 Hat Legends, Fact Checked
Daniel Boone wore a coonskin cap. Vikings wore horned helmets. Tin foil hats can stop Big Brother from reading your mind. True or not? 7 Hat Legends, Fact Checked.
How Marketers Convinced Us That We All Need Mint To Fix Bad Breath
Modern society provides us with all sorts of breath-freshening products: toothpaste, mints, mouthwash, gum, and even weird, translucent strips that dissolve in your mouth. All these products have one thing in common: their default flavor is mint.
By now, this seems quite natural. So it's hard to appreciate how interesting it is that spearmint and peppermint, a pair of shrubs native to Europe and Asia, have come to symbolize freshness for all of society. What's more, the idea that mint equals freshness is more of an illusion than anything else. It's a triumph of advertising.
Thursday 24 December 2015
10 Ways Plants Are More Like Animals Than You Think
Recently, scientists have found evidence that a lot of the plants behave more like creatures rather than inanimate objects. Once considered to be at the bottom of the food chain, plants are slowly rising to the status of a legitimate living thing.
Just like animals, they have genuine characteristics that imply a real life experience. Plants can feel, see, smell, and even cry out in pain. This perspective is gaining ground in the scientific community to the point where the Swiss government has granted, for the first time ever, plant rights alongside human and animal ones.
Inventions To Match Up Matching Socks
Humanity, beset by countless worries, devotes time and thought to preventing or solving the problem of how to match a pair of socks. Here are a few of the notable efforts.
The War On Christmas Cards
While those who decry the 'War on Christmas' claim we're steadily erasing Jesus' role in the holiday, the reality is that diverse celebrations - including many secular traditions - have long been a part of America's winter traditions.
Looking at the designs of holiday cards from the 19th century to the present, it's clear that we've always sent season's greetings free from Christian overtones. In fact, the range of bizarre artwork goes far beyond the conventional seasonal tropes.
(thanks Hunter)
Nemo
Orangutans are among the most intelligent primates. Nemo, a 14-year-old female orangutan from Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo in Thailand wants to take an afternoon nap but sleeping on the concrete floor might not be too comfy. See how Nemo deals with the problem.
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
Why Europeans Use Electric Kettles But Americans Don't
Americans don't use electric kettles - or at least it's very rare. This is unlike Europe, where electric kettles are standard for boiling water. An electric kettle, typically made of plastic or steel, has a heating element on the bottom. The kettle is plugged into an electrical outlet, which powers the coil and heats up the water.
Americans mostly use stove-top kettles. The kettle is filled with water and then heated on a gas or electric stove. The water boils, producing steam, which then flows out of the kettle spout producing a whistle. The whistle signals that your water is ready and you should turn off the stove.
Museums Of Tomorrow: 13 Out Of This World Institution Designs
We're reaching a point in architectural history where the structures being built look like they could have come straight out of the concept artwork for a science fiction movie, or a video game set on another planet.
Some look like flying saucers, others look like blobby aliens that landed on the roof of a traditional European building, but all of these museum designs - the real ones, and the ones that will remain concepts - have a strikingly futuristic feel.
Wednesday 23 December 2015
Glass Half
Two amateur art critics meet in a gallery and argue passionately about the pieces they see, until finally they find a piece on which they can agree.
Vimeo link
Vimeo link
Volcanic Ghost Villages In Indonesia
Indonesia's Mount Sinabung sprang to life over the past few years, erupting and releasing destructive pyroclastic flows following 400 years of dormancy. Numerous villages that had been established on its slopes now sit completely empty - declared too dangerous to inhabit by Indonesian authorities.
The newly-formed ghost villages of Guru Kinayan, Simacem, Kuta Gugung, and Sibintun show the crumbling houses and personal belongings left behind that serve as eerie reminders of how life suddenly stopped when the volcano erupted.
The Amazing Crap-O-Matic Gift Generator
Like every year, here's the The Amazing Crap-O-Matic Gift Generator. For when you're short on cash, don't have the time to find something decent, or aren't creative enough. Or, when you don't care enough to send the very best. Let Crap-O-Matic spokesperson Doo-Doo-Doode the Friendly Elf select a gift for your loved ones.
(thanks Adam)
The Logistics Of Santa Claus
Ever wondered how Santa Claus does it all? In the festive spirit, this fun infographic explores the logisitc options (besides Santa's sleigh) that could be used.
Bitcoin: What It Is And How It Works
In 2008, a programmer issued a white paper in which he argued that we need an Internet currency not subject to the fees and permissions of third-party intermediaries.
So he came up with the digital equivalent of cash online, a system that lets participants send value to anyone else with a Bitcoin address the same way they might send an email. Bitcoin was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto which is probably a pseudonym for computer scientist Nick Szabo.
Tuesday 22 December 2015
Kitten Sees Snow For The First Time
Zoofi, a 4-months-old kitten from Aberdeen in Scotland, is very confused when he sees snow for the first time.
YouTube link
YouTube link
The Weirdly Awesome Microcars Of Hungary
Hungary was never renowned for its automobile industry. Passenger-car production never succeeded here because of the size of the market. Commercial vehicles had much better luck, even in the 1910s and 1920s.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, Ikarus buses and Csepel trucks were quite popular in the developing world and all over the Soviet Union and its allies. Nevertheless, in the 1940s and 1950s, there were attempts to change this situation. The Weirdly Awesome Microcars Of Hungary.
(via Everlasting Blort)
2015 Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar
Here's the eighth annual Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar from The Atlantic with incredible images of space.
Discovery Of Sphinx In Chinese Tomb Presents Something Of A Riddle
The sphinx is a famous icon from ancient Egypt of 5,000 years ago, but a statue of one has been excavated in China dating back more than 1,000 years. The marble sphinx, which has western features, is in good condition and was discovered in a tomb in a cemetery along with carvings and bronze, iron and pottery artifacts.
The sphinx stands 36 centimeters (14.2 inches) high and has little damage except to the face. The sphinx is a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion and was known across Eurasia in ancient times and into the present, though apparently they were rare in northern China.
The Sea Is Blue
Ever wonder why the sea is blue? This beautiful stop-motion film imagines how the oceans got their color.
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
When Tipping Was Considered Deeply Un-American
Today's restaurants abandoning the tipping system are part of a long heritage of people - including Emerson and Twain - raging against the gratuity system.
With New York restaurateur Danny Meyer banning tips in his restaurants and Berkeley restaurateurs Andrew Hoffman and John Paluska joining the no-tip bandwagon, the tipping debate has clinked back into the headlines of late. Except it never really went away.
The Origins Of The Flushing Public Toilet
In 1851 the Great Exhibition was held in the Crystal Palace: a building constructed specifically for the purpose of displaying Great Britain's manufacturing and commerce skills.
The Exhibition housed such wonders as rare diamonds, daguerrotypes, a single-cast iron frame piano, prototype revolvers made by Henry Colt, and a barometer made of leeches. It also housed a true innovation in the form of public flushing toilets.
Monday 21 December 2015
Anti-Earthquake Bed
An Anti-Earthquake Bed designed by 66-year-old Chinese designer Wang Wenxi.
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
YouTube link
(thanks Cora)
Yipao: Colombia's Bizarre Jeep Parade
The Jeep is Colombia's most iconic mode of transportation, especially in the coffee growing regions where farming is an integral part of life. Every year, almost every small town in Colombia's coffee growing region organize a parade called Yipao to celebrate this iconic vehicle.
The word 'yipao' means a fully-loaded Willy, and that's exactly how the festival is celebrated. Every vehicle that takes part is loaded to the brim with everything the locals can get their hands on. The vehicles are driven by the main streets of the city and the Jeeps with the largest amount of objects carried and the most harmonious arrangements earn prizes.
12 Abandoned And Overgrown Ferris Wheels
What goes around comes around, especially for these 12 abandoned Ferris Wheels whose former clockwork precision has spun down to a permanent turn off.
Which 'The Force Awakens' Character Are You?
No matter what you get, may the force be with you... always. I am Han Solo.
Which 'The Force Awakens' Character Are You?
Which 'The Force Awakens' Character Are You?
The Floating Market
Yesterday I posted about the floating Queen Emma Bridge in Willemstad, Curaçao. But there's also the Floating Market. Along the banks of the Waaigat, a fleet of small, wooden ships is stationed, each carrying a load of fruits and vegetables from nearby Venezuela.
This is Willemstad's Floating Market, where Curaçaoans have been purchasing their produce for about a hundred years. Today, most Curaçaoans shop in regular supermarkets. But the Floating Market still does a brisk business. Sometimes shoppers will just drive slowly down Caprileskade and pause to yell out their order, which the sellers will rush over in a hurry.
(thanks Juergen)
10 Amazing Man-Made Underwater Discoveries
It's incredible what we've found buried in the depths of the sea. Every shipwreck is exciting, but sometimes divers stumble across objects that have no business being near water in the first place.
From 19th-century locomotives to ancient cities that previously lived only through legend, the ocean is a vast treasure chest filled with the gems of history. And with only between 5 and 7% of the sea floor charted, who knows what else it could be hiding.
(via Neatorama)
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