September 6, 2009
Giants and Spiders and Frogs, Oh My!
As many as 40 new species may have been discovered near the crater of a volcano in New Guinea. Not to alarm anyone but Fearless Giant Rats, Caterpillars that look like Snakes and Fanged Frogs have been spotted and are said to be at large. [more inside]
The Sun Is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma
...the lyrics to that last song were basically taken from an encyclopedia written in the 50s, and since the 50s, some remarkable things have happened...In 1959, a number of songs about science were released on an album called Space Songs. One of these was later covered by the band They Might Be Giants: Why Does The Sun Shine? (The Sun Is A Mass of Incandescent Gas). Only one problem: it isn't--the song was based on an incorrect text from 1951. So they wrote an answer song to themselves: Why Does The Sun Really Shine? (The Sun Is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma). Bonus link: see for yourself! (previously)
Eat around the banana... It's just empty vitamins.
Are Froot Loops a Smart Choice? The New York Times questions new food labeling system. [more inside]
Vertical Gardens
As a boy he grew plants up his bedroom wall. Patrick Blanc's most recent vertical garden is eight stories tall.
New classical music! With Twitter!
Your favorite riff sucks.
100 Famous Rock Guitar Riffs, in one take. List of song titles can be found here on the artist's page.
"the events in Postoloprty"
"Two hundred and fifty men were taken one day, another 250 the next, and a layer of earth was thrown in between," a policeman told a parliamentary inquiry in 1947. "They weren't all executed in a single night, but rather in stages." Often enough the condemned men were given a pick and shovel, and made to dig their own graves. The perpetrators didn't have many scruples. After all, they were sure they had high-level military backing...."The general told us, 'The fewer of them that remain, the fewer enemies we'll have.'"Czech Town Divided over How to Commemorate 1945 Massacre [more inside]
"Jia Junpeng, your mom is calling you to come home and eat."
China's latest Internet obsession began with an anonymous post on a computer gaming forum: "Jia Junpeng, your mom is calling you to come home and eat." [more inside]
GQ bans Moscow blast article, bloggers catch up
It took spontaneously crowd-sourced translators less than 24 hrs to make an article on the FSB's (former KGB) alleged implication in the Moscow 1999 apartment blasts accessible in Russian. Before, distribution of the issue of GQ in Russia had been banned by the editor himself. The topic (although the allegations are anything else than new) became an instant top in the russian blogosphere today (dynamic listing, will change with time)
They Did That With a Box of Crayons
Previously we saw those who make art out of the wax crayon. The crayon is the simplest of mediums, one that we’ve all used at one time or another and most likely have lying around the house. There are also those who make art with the crayon: Jeffrey Robert | Don Marco | Tiona Marco.
Old dogs photos, lost and found.
Old dog photos, lost and found. I’ve always loved and accumulated old photographs, but one day about 10 years ago I looked around my house and suddenly found all those long-dead babies and brides and wearers of extraordinary hats rather depressing. . . But I noticed that the dogs — frequent subjects of those black and white images, on purpose and not — seemed somehow to remain alive.
Bad Maxwell
the consumption renews the appetite
Seeking - How the brain hard-wires us to love Google, Twitter, and texting.
Their bitter beer tastes lousy. Their ale is good
Finally got around to sending this log, it scares me to read it, I don’t understand how we got out alive... [PDF] Joel Punches' first-person account of a B-17F Navigator assigned to the 8AF, 385 BW, Great Ashfield England during 1943-1944. The diary chronicles his missions during that time - including his Escape and Evasion after being shot down over Hamburg. His fifth mission was Schweinfurt Ball Bearing Factory on 10/14/43.
Choosing Thomas
Choosing Thomas. Thomas was diagnosed in the womb with trisomy 13, a fatal genetic disorder. T.K. and Deidrea Laux decided to carry him to term and give him what days they could.
"How is straight female interest in slash fiction like straight male interest in "shemale" models? And why in the world does this matter?"
The curious case of the game show neuroscientists, or how NOT to research an online community. Two researchers wade into fanfic community without due consideration, create shitstorm. More here.
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