A Train Running Through A Bangkok Market

More than three years ago I showed a video of the Maeklong Line running through a Bangkok market. It was the third most viewed post in the history of The Presurfer with 24,153 views in a single day. Now, someone released another video with more detail.



YouTube link

The Sound Systems Of Cartagena

Cartagena is a city in northwest Colombia. The city is known for its sound systems. These sound systems - called picós - played an important role in shaping the sound of the Colombian Champeta, a cultural phenomenon and musical genre of independent and local origin from the African descendents in the areas in and around Cartagena.

At the beginning of the 1970s the Champeta culture became more visible at a national level in Colombia through a series of diverse and complex dances set to the rhythms of Caribbean music. This music was principally a mix of genres such as salsa and jíbaro but later included reggae.

(thanks Jimmy)

Queen Mary 2: Atlantic Time-lapse

Time-lapse sequences taken on 20 and 21 December 2010 from the upper decks of the Queen Mary 2 as she sailed from New York towards the Caribbean.



Vimeo link

Ikea Stonehenge

Home assembly instructions for Stonehenge by Ikea.

Robots To Fight Autism

Two years ago, a yellow spongiform robot named Keepon became a minor YouTube sensation when one of its creators programmed it to do a squishy, twisty dance in time to the Spoon song 'I Turn My Camera On.'

Now Keepon's creators are turning the robot's attention to a more serious task: to study how children with autism spectrum disorders interact socially and to see if the robot may be able to help in therapy.



YouTube link

More info from Popular Science article.

Gnome Life

I am one hundred and eight years old, and some days I act accordingly, all 108 years showing in my stride and in my gaze. Other days I pick another age. I am 7, inches of snowfall; I am 12, on the soles of each shoe; some days I am just born, seeing the world for the first.

But when picking an age, I make sure to ignore my waist size, my thread count, or the vintage on last night’s bottle of Burgandy.

Gnome Life.

Cartoon Icons Created From Cans

Canstruction is a creative recycling project that really does have a purpose. Not only does the charity create astonishing works of art, but also, more importantly, it is a global anti-hunger initiative.

The concept is simple: Build a structure of your choice from cans of food, wait for a winner to be chosen from all the entries, exhibit the structures to the public for a week, then donate the food to local food banks.

(thanks Ritu

8-Bit Cities

The 8-Bit Cities project by Brett Camper started with 8-Bit New York City. It's an attempt to make the city feel foreign yet familiar, smashing together two culturally common models of space: the lo-fi overhead world maps of 1980s role-playing and adventure games, and the geographically accurate data that drives today's web maps and GPS navigation.

superHarmony

There are a lot of dating sites out there. General dating sites but also dating sites for scientists, zombies, clowns, farmers, women behind bars, nerds, and yes, sea captains.

Now there's superHarmony, the world's leading dating site for superheroes, villains, and the geeks that love them. A dating service that pairs up normal people with their corresponding superhero soulmate.

(via Neatorama)

The Beautiful Nature Of Kamchatka

The Kamchatka peninsula is situated in the Russian far east, separating the Sea of Okhotsk in the west from the Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean in the east. Kamchatka boasts a diverse and abundant wildlife.

This is due to climates ranging from temperate to subarctic, diverse topography and geography, many free-flowing rivers, proximity to highly productive waters, and to the low human density and minimal development. Here are some beautiful pictures from the Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Kamchatka.

JakPak Jacket-Tent

The world's first all-in-one waterproof jacket, tent and sleeping bag.



YouTube link

Why Chocolate Is Bad For Dogs

To most of us, chocolate is a delicious substance. To dogs, chocolate is also delicious, but potentially lethal. Chocolate contains theobromine, a naturally occurring stimulant found in the cocoa bean. It affects the central nervous system as well as heart muscle.

It's the theobromine that is poisonous to dogs in sufficient quantities. But it takes, on average, a fairly large amount of theobromine to cause a toxic reaction.

Failed Food Launches

Change can be an incredible thing. History has given us numerous examples of this. Food history, however, has done the opposite. While Heston Blumenthal has used innovation to attract brave foodies to his expensive eateries, the big boys have managed to invent some atrocities that even a stray dog would turn his nose up at.

Remember Coca-Cola Blak, Tesco's Lasagne Sandwich, or McDonald's McLobster? Here's a tribute to those failed food launches.

(via Look At This...)

Casa Batlló In Barcelona

image credit

Casa Batlló is a building in Barcelona, Spain, restored by Antoni Gaudí and Josep Maria Jujol, built in the year 1877 and remodelled in the years 1904–1906. The local name for the building is Casa del Ossos (House of Bones), and indeed it does have a visceral, skeletal organic quality.

(thanks Nick)

Are Color Wheels Wrong? How Color Vision Actually Works

Ask anyone about the three primary colors and they'll say: red, blue, and yellow. They'll also say that all other colors are created by mixing these three colors in certain proportions.

But now, open up your desktop printer and you’ll see something quite different. Besides black there are three colors of ink which, when combined, produce all others: cyan, magenta, and yellow. So this is a different set of three colors which are 'primary,' yet still generate a color wheel containing all the other colors. So what does the 'primary' designation really mean?

18 Cool And Crazy Gadgets And Gizmos

Gadgets and gizmos, we love them all! We walk into a store and we are moved and excited to see the amazing, innovative, weird, interesting electronic items waiting for us to drool over.

(thanks Ritu)

Map Of Worldwide Annual Coffee Consumption

A map showing coffee consumption in kilograms, consumed annually by each person in a given country or region. The current world total coffee consumption is 1.3 kilograms per person per year. In the United States it's 4.2 kilograms per person per year.

Finland is number 1 with 12 kilograms, followed by Norway (9.9 kilograms), Iceland (9 kilograms). My country, the Netherlands, is 5th with 8.4 kilograms per person per year. I'm almost sure half of that consumption is mine.

ALMA Antenna Time-Lapse

Time-lapse of a whole night at the ALMA Array Operations Site, located on the Chajnantor plateau in Chile. The flashes on the ground are the car lights of the guards patrolling at the antennas.



YouTube link

(thanks Cora)

Bubble Wrap Ties

Do you like popping bubble wrap? This set of ties are backed with bubble wrap. If you're in a boring meeting, you can just crush the bubble wrap to ease your stress.

10 Weird Exotic Fruits

There are lots of weird exotic fruits. Shown above is a citrus called 'Buddha's Hand.' It has tapering fingers or segments attached to a base - the appearance is not unlike a curled, arthritic hand, only there are usually many more than 5 fingers.

Can you eat it? Yes, and no. Its thick, lemony rind and pith is often candied into a delicious citrus delicacy, infused with spirits or made into liqueurs. However, the small amount of inside flesh is quite sour and rarely used in food.

10 Weird Exotic Fruits.