August 1, 2022
Welcome to the exciting new world of "necrobotics"
Why do spiders curl up when they die? Apparently it's because of internal hydraulics. Graduate student Faye Yap and her colleagues "transformed a dead wolf spider into a gripping tool with just a single assembly step" and invented a new research field they are calling "necrobotics". [more inside]
look at all these clever cats
Dancing Cat Figure - Stop Motion Animation (4:08) slyt
Another DAO bites the dust
Meowtafilter Blue
As a publicity stunt, Fancy Feast will be opening (and closing) the Gato Bianco Trattoria in New York City for two days and serving food “prepared in ways that help cat owners understand how their cats experience food — from flavor, to texture, to form — in a way that only Fancy Feast can.”
The battle for the soul of English cricket
Middlesex - and the UK as a whole - is home to thriving leagues and park teams that exist with little support from official bodies. This has led to a farcical situation in which some traditional, predominantly white clubs complain about a lack of new players, while oversubscribed Asian teams struggle to find grounds. It might seem obvious for the former to hire out their pitches, or follow the example of Crouch End (and other clubs such as East Lancashire) by involving Asian players in their organisation and outreach. However, Ankit Shah, co-chair of Middlesex's equality, diversity and inclusion committee, told me he does not see this happening. "This conservatism, protectionism, whatever you want to call it, is out there," he said. "It's not just the clubs - it's the private schools, too. They often have three or four pitches that aren't used from July to September. And you're talking about some of the best facilities in the country." [more inside]
I wasn't going to snort it, I was just going to taste it
Cocaine Bear (2023) tells the story of a drug runner whose plane crashes with a load of cocaine that's found by a black bear, who eats it. "Its stomach was literally packed to the brim with cocaine. There isn't a mammal on the planet that could survive that. Cerebral hemorrhaging, respiratory failure, hyperthermia, renal failure, heart failure, stroke. You name it, that bear had it." It is currently on display, stuffed in a mall in Kentucky.
Unfettered
This thread is wandering down the Champs-Élysées, going café to cabaret, thinking how it'll feel when it finds that very good friend of theirs. [more inside]
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