(Video Link)
Dondurma — Turkish ice cream — is apparently made differently from ice cream in the United States, and has stickier consistency. Jordan Breindel of Urlesque informs us that in Turkey, streetside vendors of the substance often engage in a performance art as they serve portions to customers. More videos at the link.
Link, Via: Neatorama
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Turkish Ice Cream Vendor Performance Art
A Gallery of Wonderful Rube Goldberg Machines
How to Paint with Chocolate
Food artist Jojo Krang of the blog Eye Candy provides step-by-step instructions on how to paint a picture with chocolate. First you create a reverse image, then apply dark tones, midtones, and light tones, in that order, and then flip the product over.
Link, Via:DudeCraft, Via: Neatorama | Photo: Jojo Krang | Previously on Neatorama: Too Cute to Eat
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
50 Sleep Hacks For The Ultimate Insomniac
Not getting enough sleep is not only a major annoyance, it is also bad for your health. If you find yourself struggling to get enough sleep because of insomnia or if you know other nurses or patients struggling with sleep issues, then browse through this list.
You will find 50 sleep hacks that range from setting the right bedtime mood to tricks to make falling asleep come more readily to herbs and anti-stress tips that will help overcome sleep problems. LINK: The Presurfer
50 Famous Author Interviews That Shouldn't Be Missed
If you're interested in what makes authors tick, you'll love reading what they have to say in interviews. You can learn about how they got started writing, what they enjoy about books, and more.
Here you'll find 50 interviews with famous authors that you just can't miss. LINK: The Presurfer
Letterpress Dice Prints
Etsy user Stukenborg arranges dice in letterpresses, rolls ink over them, and makes prints. The popularity of this form of printmaking, which formed the basis of Gutenberg’s press, has grown in the past two decades.
Gallery and Process Photos, Via: DudeCraft | Photo: Stukenborg, Via: Neatorama
Man Attacked By Butterfly Swarm
(YouTube Link)
This short video shows a man getting attacked by a swarm of butterflies near Palo Alto, California. LINK: Neatorama
Scale model of a war-torn WWII town built and photographed by brain-damaged beating victim
Mark Hogancamp was beaten into a "brain-damaging coma" by five men outside a bar. After he awoke, he devoted himself to building "Marwencol," a 1/6th scale WWII town, in his back yard: "Mark populated the town he dubbed 'Marwencol' with dolls representing his friends and family and created life-like photographs detailing the town's many relationships and dramas. Playing in the town and photographing the action helped Mark to recover his hand-eye coordination and deal with the psychic wounds from the attack. Through his homemade therapy, Mark was able to begin the long journey back into the 'real world', both physically and emotionally - something he continues to struggle with today."
The level of detail is amazing, and heart-wrenching, and sometimes just plain weird and disturbing. But it's also wonderful -- both as a display of sheer craft and dedication, and as a monument to a difficult and painful recovery.
Marwencol (Lookforthewoman), Via: Boingboing
Monday, March 29, 2010
8-Year-Old Guitar Prodigy Stuns Audiences
1929 Car, In Storage for Nearly 50 Years, Cranks on First Attempt
A rare 1929 Austin 12/4, kept in storage since 1961, was found in the personal effects of its late owner:
Mr Bulled, 63, said he discovered the old car whilst going through his father’s possessions shortly after his death in 2008.
He was too frightened to start the engine up fully in case it ruined the car, but is now putting it up for sale to allow an expert to restore it fully and hopefully get it onto the road.
He said: “I pumped up the tyres and they stayed up. The rubber is cracked but the inner tubes are obviously still intact, which is remarkable really.
“And the engine turned over when we tried it with the starter handle, but I didn’t try to start her up in case I did any damage but I’m sure it would go.
Link | Photo: BBC, Via: Neatorama
World’s first ever pedal-powered cycle?
Historian Xu Quan Long claims this wooden cycle is is a recreation of the world’s first ever cycle. He says it was in use over 2000 years before the first wooden bicycle.
Xu said he stumbled across the discovery while studying the works of legendary ancient Chinese inventor Lu Ban, who was born more than 2,500 years ago.
Lu is credited with inventing devastating military weapons like a counterweighted ‘cloud ladder’ for storming castle defences, and a ‘wooden bird’ that could supposedly glide for three days without landing.
Link – Via: greendiary, Via: Neatorama
DEER FLY OVER HIGH FENCE, GOOD JUMPS, SHOTS PROTECT FAWN
Deer effortlessly fly over a high fence. Video shows the awesome grace and power of the whitetail deer as they leap over a high wire fence. The fence including the barbed wire above it was about 5 feet high. Very cold winter day. Also shows jumps in slow motion.
The deer hear near-by gun shots and know they are in danger.
A fawn seemed unable to jump the fence. Its mother looked very concerned. She watched it. The deer stayed by the fawn and did not leave, although a hunter was shooting. The deer were protective of the fawn, even though they were in danger. Note the body language and tail signals, for example, before the last deer jumped the fence watch it and the fawn flash their white tails.
Several times the deer were startled by the hunter's gun shots. They jerked, looked around, and then jumped the fence. LINK: Youtube
High Wire Acts: A new way to maintain power lines
You need insulated gonads of steel to get into a harness and let a helicopter fly you into a high voltage cable to service them. That's precisely what the technicians from Air2 do for utilities companies nationwide. [Air2 Via: Flightglobal], Via: Gizmodo
Video from Inside a 4-Stroke Engine
(YouTube Link)
This video shows what happens inside a four-stroke engine. That’s:
1. the intake stroke of the piston, reducing pressure in the cylinder and forcing gas and air inside
2. intake and exhaust valves close and the piston compresses the fuel-air mix
3. the compression and a spark result in combustion, and therefore a power stroke
4. the piston compresses, pushing out the expended fuel-air mix
Link, Via: Neatorama
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Rescued Baby Squirrel
How to find the scratch spots on a baby squirrel. (actually he was under a heat lamp and they were trying to warm him up with a little massage) LINK: Youtube
Sistine Chapel Virtual Tour
The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City is famous for its architecture and its decoration which has been frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini, and Sandro Botticelli.
Under the patronage of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted 12,000 square feet of the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512. Today the ceiling, and especially The Last Judgement, are widely believed to be Michelangelo's crowning achievements in painting. LINK: The Presurfer
Take an incredible Virtual Tour of the Sistine Chapel.
The Ultimate Matzoh Ball Game
As March Madness overlaps Passover a little, you might find the Ultimate Matzoh Ball Game a worthy distraction. Just click to launch the matzoh ball toward the basket, but be aware that the basket is constantly moving! Link -Via: Metafilter, Via: Neatorama
"The Man Who Planted Trees"
YouTube link
In 1987 this Canadian production won the Academy Award for the Best Animated Short Film, and in 1994 was voted by animation artists to be one of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time. Embedded above is part 2 of three parts, which demonstrates the style and representative content of the film. Those who are interested will of course want to view Part 1 and Part 3. This English version is narrated by Christopher Plummer. LINK: Neatorama
The Hooded Pitohui - a Poisonous Bird
YouTube link
Jack Dumbacher, an ornithologist at the California Academy of Science, describes the discovery of and studies of a neurotoxin produced by this bird from New Guinea. The batrachotoxin that the bird produces is a sodium-channel blocker that is chemically identical to the neurotoxin used by poison dart frogs, and it is potentially lethal in higher doses. One assumes that this evolved as a deterrent to predation, so it’s interesting that like monarchs and other toxic butterflies, this bird exhibits a strikingly bright warning coloration. LINK: Neatorama
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Awesome Artwork Made With Sharpies
“Nowadays, Sharpie markers come in more than basic black –– they’re available in every color of the rainbow, and in just about every size and shape. They’re great for everyday labeling and organizing, but did you know that they could also be used to decorate everything from guitars to fingernails? WD teamed with Sharpie to find the most unique creations from talented artists across the globe. From a Lamborghini turned object d’art to a wall mural, check out how different artists uncapped their creativity.” w/ photos. LINK
Victorian Apple iMac
“A true work of Art that had many hours to construct. Hand painted faux marble finish base cover. A rare opportunity for an awesome setup. Just slip on your computer (installs in seconds) and you will have one beautiful hand built wood desktop. Prefect for the home, office or business.” w/ photos. LINK
Sculptures that look like they are in motion
At first glance these objects look like they are in motion, almost like every object is falling down, especially the “strawberry blanket”. In reality they are actually natural materials, like feathers, fruits and flowers, attached to nylon threads. Sculptor Claire Morgan from Belfast is the creator of this magnificent art work. She has among other things achieved a first class degree in Sculpture from Northumbria University. LINK
Music Festivals Around The World
Top ten list of music festivals worldwide includes the most spectacular and diverse locations, the broadest spectrum of artists, and the above all, the most interesting events, all of which are accessible to backpackers and budget travelers.” LINK
Solar Quest
Explore solar power 'hot spots' from the deserts of Spain and Nevada to cutting edge technology centers around Europe. LINK: Youtube
6 Cars So Alluring They're In An Art Museum
Some cars are so beautifully designed and exquisitely engineered that they transcend mere transportation to become works of art. They are rolling sculptures. Curators at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, USA, agree. The museum is hosting an exhibition to celebrate automotive design, and it has gathered a very impressive assortment of cars.
The Allure of the Automobile, which runs through June 20, features 18 vehicles created in what could be called the golden age of design, from the early 1930s through the early 1960s. LINK: The Presurfer
Hummer Stagecoach
On Sunday March 8th 2010 Jeremy Dean made New york City history by taking his converted Hummer entitled Futurama out for a spin. Entering Central park in New York at 69th St. and Central Park West (at the old Tavern on the Green location) Dean had his hand crafted vehicle pulled by two white horse aptly named Duke and Diesel.
Dean has taken a gas guzzling 8 mile-per-gallon HUMMER H2, a symbol of extravagance, and converted it into a working horse drawn cart. Dean has pimped it out with silver chrome, working LED lights and a booming audio and video system. He calls this piece the CEO Stagecoach. LINK, Via: Youtube
Free Movies at Mymovees
Here is a great site for you - especially if you like to watch movies. There is a massive choice at mymovees.com - something for everyone really. Plus the quality of the movies is great and you can watch them free! Here is a choice of what mymovees has on offer at the moment.
Watch Clash of the Titans Online
Watch Why Did I Get Married Too Online
Watch date Night Online
Watch Death at a Funeral Online
Watch Oceans Online
Watch The Last Song Online
Watch The Losers Online
Watch A Nightmare on Elm Street Online
Watch Hot Tub Time Machine Online
Is a pretty fine collection. So, why not drop over to mymovees and take a look for yourself! LINK
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Raw Video: Flames Rip Historic N.C. Courthouse
March 25, 2010 — Firefighters are battling a major fire at a historic courthouse in North Carolina. The courthouse was built in 1881 and has been under renovation. LINK: Youtube
NEW E*TRADE Baby - Lottery
The E*TRADE Baby talks to his buddy Frank about his retirement plan and how it doesn't take luck, you just need a plan. LINK: Youtube
THE BEST CAT VIDEO YOU'LL EVER SEE
The title said it all. Including the best of the best footage on cats. You'll see tricks, flips and much more! LINK: Youtube
Fallingwater
A CG movie featuring the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece, by Cristóbal Vila. LINK: Youtube
Nature by Numbers
A movie inspired on numbers, geometry and nature, by Cristóbal Vila. LINK: Youtube
Whitey The duck
Depeche Mode - Wrong HQ HD (Live at Echo Awards, Berlin)
February 21, 2009 — "Depeche Mode" perform their new song "Wrong" at the Echo Awards in Berlin, Germany. LINK: Youtube
8 Foods That Fight Stress
We all know that tension can wreak havoc on our eating patterns.
But the right foods can often help tame mindless munching and cravings and, better yet, actually lower overall anxiety and its symptoms. LINK: The Presurfer
If You Use IE8, Firefox, and Safari, Today Is a Bad Day
Wrecking Ball Lamp
Now here’s a clever lamp, with a light bulb as a wrecking ball! It’s made of solid bronze. See it and a companion piece the Crane Lamp at Designboom. Link, -Via: Laughing Squid, Via: Neatorama
Mark Evans: etched leather art
Mark Evans etches images into leather using scalpels, huge hunting knives, and other blades. Along with nature scenes like the beautiful piece above, he's also carved portraits of celebrities, from Muhammad Ali to Naomi Campbell. Mark Evans - Etched Leather Artwork. LINK: Boingboing
Monday, March 22, 2010
Skateboarding owl becomes Folkestone sensation
Alby the owl has become a mini-sensation after he discovered how to skateboard when on show outside Bouverie Place shopping centre, Brian Maxted of Folkestone Owl Sanctuary. LINK: Youtube
The Lord's Prayer- 70's Singing Nun
This version of the Lord's prayer was recorded and released in 1974. LINK: Youtube
Mauer: 'Love Putting on a Twins Uniform'
Reigning AL Most Valuable Player Joe Mauer made his eight-year, $184 million contract extension with the Twins official Monday. The St. Paul, Minnesota native is a three-time batting champion. (March 22). LINK: Youtube
Coon Rapids Dam (HDV) March 2010
Rapid waters at the Coon Rapids dam along the Mississippi River. Loved the sound and watching the different waves in the water.
Took this while I was out for my walk. LINK: Youtube
Caterpillar Camouflage
Frogman Is Like Frogger + The Tick
Cackle Sisters
Before they were the first women to become famous on the Grand Ole Opry and the National Barn Dance, The Cackle Sisters, (also known as the DeZurick Sisters) were raised on a farm in Royalton, Minnesota. To develop their unique yodeling style, Caroline De Zurik has said they simply "listened to the birds and tried to sing with the birds."
"QUOTE" You can hear and download more tracks on wfmu's beware of the blog. I especially love tracks like "Peach Pickin' Time in Georgia","Little Golden Locket" and "Sing Hallelujah", where they seem to hit the sweet spot between their bizarre but amazing stereo-clucks and brilliantly close harmonies. LINK: Boingboing, Via: Youtube
Plastiki, A Boat Made from Plastic Bottles, Sails for Australia from California
The Plastiki is a boat made from recycled plastic bottles. It was built by a team led by David de Rothschild in order to call attention to the value of recycling. It set sail on Saturday from Sausalito, California and is heading for Australia:
The Plastiki, named in honor of Norwegian explorer Thor Hyderdahl’s raft Kon Tiki, is a boat like no other in the world. Besides the hull of recycled plastic water and soda bottles, the vessel is made of a hardened plastic called PET.
The boat is a twin-hulled catamaran rigged as a ketch. It will rely on the wind for propulsion and has only a small auxiliary engine. No such boat has ever made an ocean passage before.
The Plastiki was built on the San Francisco waterfront in 2009 and has been making trial voyages on the bay.
Link, Via: The Presurfer | Official Website | Photo: Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle, Via: Neatorama
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
The Scariest Cable Car Rides
“One person’s thrill is another person’s horror, especially when it comes to heights. And scenic view or not, what if only a steel box, suspended by a wire, keeps you from dropping thousands of feet down? With dozens if not hundreds of cable car routes around the world, it’s not easy to pick the scariest ones. We’ve found eleven that made our stomachs feel more than a bit queasy.” w/ photos. LINK
High Heel Bathtub
“The shoe bathtub was designed by Massimiliano Della Monaca, a designer from Italy. The piece was adorned with beautiful mosaic tiles to accent its beauty and salute the classic ‘pump’ shoe. Shoe lovers worldwide can take in the beauty of this bathtub and revel in this piece where fashion combines with home furnishing design to create a work of art.” w/ photos. LINK
Buy, Buy American Pie
Schwarzenegger Museum To Open In Summer
The house where Arnold Schwarzenegger was born is to open as a museum. The governor of California and former Hollywood superstar is to visit and personally donate items for the house in Thal, Styria, organisers said, adding that it will open in June or July.
Former Thal Social Democratic Mayor and museum project head Peter Urdl said work on the kitchen had been completed and the governor would be visiting during a trip to Austria after Easter. Urdl - a close friend of Schwarzenegger - said it had cost 50,000 Euros ($67,650) to prepare exhibition areas in the house.
(Via: Paperholic, Via: The Presurfer)
An Enviable Post Office in Ghana
"QOUTE" This is music made by four postal workers as they cancel postage! When I listen carefully, I think I can actually hear the spring mechanisms as the stamps hit the ink. I love it as an example of music turning what is normally seen as a boring, repetitive task into something this joyful.
"QUOTE" The song was originally recorded in 1975 at the University of Ghana by James Koetting and appeared on a cd accompanying the book Worlds of Music, but you can download the whole clip here. Thanks to Bernie Krause and Anthropologist Steven Feld for helping me track this one down. LINK: Boingboing, Via: Youtube
If you go to the youtube link you can read more on how they did the music.
Mysterious 'crop circles' appear on ice in Norway
77-year -old Ole Johan Hansen from Arna, outside Bergen in the west of Norway, saw a mystic light out on the lake one evening, about 6ft wide, unlike anything he had seen before.
He could see no one with his binoculars, and due to the risk of falling through the ice, did not investigate until the next day.
The following day, a strange, symmetric pattern covered the lake.
Source. Via: Nothing To Do With Arbroath
Blinded Soldier Now Able To 'See' With His Tongue
A British soldier blinded by a grenade in Iraq has described how his life has been transformed by ground-breaking technology that enables him to 'see' with his tongue. Lance Corporal Craig Lundberg from Liverpool can read words, identify shapes and walk unaided thanks to the BrainPort device, despite being totally blind.
The BrainPort converts visual images into a series of electrical pulses which are sent to the tongue. The different strength of the tingles can be read or interpreted so the user can mentally visualise their surroundings and navigate around objects.
LINK: The Presurfer
Melting steel with the sun
The same science responsible for frying ants is at work on a larger scale in this clip from James May's "Big Ideas" series. What you've got here is a solar furnace, a carefully arranged array of mirrors that catches heat from the sun and reflects it, focusing it to point—effectively taking a lot of disparate, comfy sunbeams and gathering them together in a tight bundle. By their powers combined, the reflected beam can reach temperatures of 3,500 °C (6,330 °F). Watch in wonder and terror as the beam turns a hot dog to char and melts steel.
Thumbnail courtesy Flickr user gi, Via: CC, Via: Boingboing
Modular 3D-printed Gothic cathedral
Skimbal created this 3D-printable Gothic Cathedral playset -- you can print and add as many segments as you'd like and assemble a church to your specification. As Skimbal notes, "Have you ever wanted a Gothic Cathedral of your very own? Are you intimidated by the centuries long construction schedule, and the punishing job requirements of being a European Bishop during the Dark Ages? Then We Have a Thing For YOU! The Gothic Cathedral Play Set!"
Gothic Cathedral Play Set by Skimbal (Via: Make, Via: Boingboing)
Severe sandstorm blankets Beijing
A severe sandstorm that had plagued northwestern China in the past few weeks has descended on the capital Beijing. . LINK: Youtube
DJ Earworm - United State of Pop 2008 (Viva La Pop) - Mashup of Top 25 Billboard Hits
A Mashup of the Top 25 Hits of 2008, according to Billboard. LINK: Youtube
Tracklist:
Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain - Low
Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
Alicia Keys - No One
Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major - Lollipop
Timbaland Featuring OneRepublic - Apologize
Jordin Sparks Duet With Chris Brown - No Air
Sara Bareilles - Love Song
Usher Featuring Young Jeezy - Love in This Club
Chris Brown - With You
Chris Brown - Forever
Ray J & Yung Berg - Sexy Can I
Rihanna - Take a Bow
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl
T.I. - Whatever You Like
Rihanna - Disturbia
Rihanna - Don't Stop the Music
Natasha Bedingfield - Pocketful of Sunshine
Chris Brown Featuring T-Pain - Kiss Kiss
Ne-Yo - Closer
Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
Mariah Carey - Touch My Body
Madonna Featuring Justin Timberlake - 4 Minutes
Pink - So What
Friday, March 19, 2010
Crystal Clear Video of Sonic Boom at Recent Atlas V Launch
Solar Dynamics Observatory Launch, Feb 11, 2010 HD VERSION A sun dog is a prismatic bright spot in the sky caused by sun shining through ice crystals. The Atlas V rocket exceeded the speed of sound in this layer of ice crystals, making the shock wave visible from the ground. The announcer can be heard in the video saying, "The vehicle is now supersonic." LINK, Via: Youtube
50 Best Irish Books You Should Read This Month
There's a whole lot more to Ireland than four leaf clovers and Blarney Stones, so use this month's St. Patrick's Day celebrations as a chance to delve a little deeper into Irish culture, history and art.
Here are 50 great Irish books that will help you learn more about the people and the country and provide a free education on everything Irish for both the more knowledgeable and the total newbie to the subject.
LINK: The Presurfer
9 Very Rare (and Very Expensive) Video Game Cartridges
You may recall the story of the guy who sold the Nintendo game Stadium Events for $41,300. Other old video games can be sold for ridiculous amounts not because of any intrinsic value, but because of their documented rarity. For example, a cartridge containing Nintendo Campus Challenge is the only existing copy.
In the early 1990s, Nintendo held competitions on college campuses and at popular Spring Break destinations. Like the World Championships, players had six minutes to play for high scores on demo versions of Super Mario Bros. 3, PinBot, and Dr. Mario.
Most copies of the game were destroyed after the competition ended, but one Nintendo employee kept his cart and sold it to Rob Walters at a garage sale in 2006.
Two sellers later, the price was $20,100! Read about more super-valuable video games at mental_floss. Link, Via: Neatorama
Dr Teeth tattoo
Slave to the Needle's Andrea executed this completely freaking awesome Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem tattoo for a very lucky Muppet-fan. LINK: Boingboing
F-35 Performs Its First Vertical Landing
(YouTube Link)
The F-35, the next generation of vertical takeoff and landing jet fighter, developed by Lockheed-Martin, performed its first vertical landing yesterday:
Yesterday at 1 P.M., after descending from a 150-foot-high hover, the test plane touched down on the tarmac at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. This is a significant step forward for the F-35, as its vertical takeoff and landing capability are crucial to the fighter’s role as a replacement for the aging Harrier jet.
The test began with a short runway takeoff at 93 miles per hour, after which the pilot swung around, positioned the plane over the runway, and lowered it down. The test pilot, a former Royal Air Force aviator with experience piloting VSTOL planes, said he found landing the F-35 vertically far easier than landing older planes, like the Harrier, the same way.
Link, Via: Neatorama
A Record Player Made from a Cardboard Box and a Pencil
The Vancouver-based sound studio Griffiths, Gibson and Ramsay Productions is using a clever advertising gimmick. The company’s ad firm, Grey Canada, is mailing out cardboard boxes that can be used as record players. Just place the record on the peg, lower the needle, and spin the record with a pencil. The gadget then plays a recording of the children’s story “A Town That Found Its Sound.”
Via: Fast Company | Company Website | Photo: Ads of the World | Via: Neatorama
Coon Rapids Dam (HDV) March 2010
Rapid waters at the Coon Rapids dam. Loved the sound and watching the different waves in the water.
Took this while I was out for my walk. LINK: Youtube
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Major League Baseball Players Who Have Hit 3 Home Runs in a Game 4 Times
Photo of Babe Ruth signed "Yours truly, Babe Ruth"
Three hundred and thirty-two major league baseball players have hit 3 home runs in a game since 1922. But only 15 of those players have managed to hit 3 home runs in a game 4 different times in their careers.
Some of the biggest names ever to play baseball are on this list like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Ernie Banks. The list also includes three of the biggest steroid cheats in baseball Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa.
Of the 15 players on the list 4 managed to hit 3 home runs in a game 5 times while 2 other players hit 3 home runs in a game an amazing 6 times though one of the two is one of the steroid cheats.
Link, Via: Neatorama
The History of The Battleship Potemkin
[YouTube - Link]
This silent video made in 1925 was in response to the uprising on the Russian Prince Ship Potemkin. These sailors where brutalized at the hands of the ships officers. The meat that the had to eat routinely had maggots in it. In response to the intense brutality, the men forged a mutiny.
Via: christonecipher-friends, Via: Neatorama
Abandoned Russian Churches
Giant Salamanders
(YouTube link)
Giant salamanders can grow up to five feet long! Flood control programs in Japan are threatening their spawning grounds, so scientists have developed innovative ways to help the salamanders get upstream. -Via: Unique Daily, Via: Neatorama
Beautiful microscope images
You're looking at a water flea, as captured by Dr. Jan Michels of the University of Kiel, Germany. It's the top-prize winner in the 2009 Olympus BioScapes contest—a competition focused on images taken via microscope. The winners gallery is full of gorgeous pictures in striking, day-glo purples, greens and reds. Worth browsing, for both art and science nerds.
Olympus BioScapes 2009 Winners Gallery || Via: Boingboing
Super Shady Optical Illusion
No camera tricks or special effects here...just an optical illusion. Watch what happens with these cylinders. LINK: Youtube
Amazing and Beautiful Flooded Meadow
The "Grüner See" (engl. Green Lake) is situated in upper styria, austria (see geotag). It is amazingly beautiful because of its deep green/blue colour and the surrounding alpine scenery. The lake itself dries up in autumn but fills up with melting water. The water itself of the lake is extremely pure, like glass. The colour is a result of light refraction. LINK: Youtube
Statue Of Christ Gets $4m Facelift
“The iconic statue of Christ with outstretched arms that overlooks Rio de Janeiro is getting a $4 million renovation. Heavy rains have eroded portions of the face and hands of the statue. It has also been damaged by lightning strikes over the years. Workers this week started replacing large pieces of the statue’s soapstone exterior and patching up a layer of concrete underneath. They expect to be done by June. The Rio archdiocese that manages the statue says donations will pay for the repairs.” w/ photos. LINK
Perched atop a mountain above Rio's white-sand beaches, the 38-meter (125 foot) statue was inaugurated in 1931.
It was designed by local engineer Heitor da Silva Costa and created by French sculptor Paul Landowski.
Shrimp Surprise
(YouTube link)
Life flourishes in the strangest places on earth. From the YouTube link:
At a depth of 600 feet beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet, a small shrimp-like creature managed to brighten up an otherwise gray polar day in late November 2009. This critter is a three-inch long Lyssianasid amphipod found beneath the Ross Ice Shelf, about 12.5 miles away from open water. NASA scientists were using a borehole camera to look back up towards the ice surface when they spotted this pinkish-orange creature swimming beneath the ice.
-Via: The Presurfer, Via: Neatorama
Mark Twain at Stormfield, 1909 (Edison film)
Silent film footage taken in 1909 by Thomas Edison at Stormfield (CT) at Mark Twain's estate. Twain is shown walkng around his home and playing cards with his daughters Clara and Jean. The flickering is due to film deterioration, but this is the only known footage of the great author.
Mark Twain died a year after this footage was filmed, but here we are—over a century later—watching him walk and laugh. [YouTube, Via: Open Culture, Via: Roger Ebert, Via: Gizmodo]
Detailed Image of Rifle Drawn In MS Paint
(YouTube Link)
YouTube user FuggedaboutitNL created this time lapse video of his creation of a picture of a Bushmaster ACR (a type of rifle) using nothing but MS Paint. His channel is filled with similarly precise renditions of guns made with that program.
Via: CrunchGear, Via: Neatorama
Watch a Supersonic Jet Hover With Breathtaking Stillness
Lockheed Martin video of the Mar 17 first hover the a STOVL F-35B Joint STrike Fighter, aircraft BF-1, at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. The flight began with a conventional takeoff before F-35 lead STOVL pilot Graham Tomlinson initiated conversion to STOVL mode at 200 knots airspeed. He then slowed the aircraft to 60 knots and flew a decelerating approach to a zero airspeed hover at 150 feet above the runway. This marked the first free air hover by the F-35B. Upon reaching zero airspeed, the pilot executed test points to confirm the controllability of the aircraft in the hover. After completing all hover test points, the pilot executed a STOVL landing at 70 knots airspeed. LINK: Youtube
Alex Chilton on 120 Minutes (1985) "RIP"
Alex Chilton appears on 120 Minutes on MTV to promote his new record on Big Time called Feudalist Tarts, which came out in 1985, so I'm guessing that is when this segment aired. LINK: Youtube
May he RIP.
RIP Alex Chilton
Ben Greenman remembers singer and guitarist Alex Chilton, who died lastnight at age 59.
Alex Chilton, who died, wrote songs. He recorded songs. He made songs. He unmade them. In the end, the life was largely in song, and the songs all had life, and that's all there is to say, and there isn't anything that can be done. Once he covered "Let Me Get Close to You," which was Goffin-King via Skeeter Davis:
How long I'll never know
I've waited to tell you that I love you so
Now I have finally said it
Come on baby don't make me regret it
"It's Your Funeral" is an instrumental. There are no words.
RIP, Alex Chilton, Via: Boingboing
World’s Largest Blossoming Plant
A wistaria vine in Sierra Madre, California has been named as the World’s Largest Flowering Plant by the Guinness Book of World Records. This vine is so big it has its own festival! William and Alice Brugman planted it in 1894 to celebrate the purchase of their new home. The wistaria eventually destroyed the house! 116 years later, it is healthy and sprouts about a million and half blooms every year.
Link to story. Link to festival. – Via: greendiary, Via: Neatotama
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