Ever seen how a mosquito changes when it sucks your blood?: "After piercing the skin with her proboscis, she angles and explores until she nicks a venule or arteriole. Meanwhile, her salivary tube pumps out an anticoagulant that helps the flow of blood. When she has found blood beneath the skin, she holds still and, in the span of 90 seconds, distends her abdomen to grotesque proportions with as much blood as she can hold."
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Ever seen how a mosquito changes when it sucks your blood?
A Trip to the Future, as seen from 1979 (PICS)
First published in 1979, The Usborne Book of the Future was "A trip in time to the year 2000 and beyond. See the robots, machines and cities of the future, and then travel to the stars." It's crazy to see the predictions about the future that were so off the mark...and which are eerily prescient.
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Oddly Fascinating: 10 Videos of Cats Swimming
So, to celebrate what summer is all about, I’ve put on my water wings, and eased into the deepest depths of Youtube to compile the following list: 10 Videos of Cats Swimming.
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Fake Stroke Effect Linked to Full Moon
THE full moon may cause people to suffer symptoms similar to those of a stroke, experts believe. The number of people treated for mystery numbness and co-ordination loss rises significantly on full-moon nights – like tonight.
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Human eye can't keep up with fast-closing Phelps
Human eye can't keep up with fast-closing Phelps
BEIJING (AP) -- The eyes didn't have it. Lucky for Michael Phelps technology did.
Phelps got his seventh Olympic gold medal to match Mark Spitz's record haul but it took some doing.
The finish was impossible to see with the naked eye, so close that video and timing reviews down to the 10-thousandth of a second were needed.
Anyone watching in the jammed-to-the-rafters Water Cube or on television thought Milorad Cavic of Serbia had pulled off a monumental upset Saturday morning, spoiling Phelps' chance at breaking Spitz's vaunted record of seven golds in a single games.
Not so, thanks to technology.
"The timing system says it all," Phelps said. "There hasn't really been an error in the timing system that I've ever heard of. The scoreboard said I got my hand on the wall first."
But he - and everyone else - wasn't sure until a "1" appeared by Phelps' name and a "2" by Cavic. They were separated by a hundredth of a second, the smallest margin measured in swimming.
"It's almost too close to see," Phelps said after watching a frame-by-frame replay on computer.
Even Phelps' coach was in doubt.
ShotPak: Controversial and Convenient Booze
ShotPak: Controversial and Convenient Booze | Serious Eats: "A bottle of whiskey may not be appropriate on a camping trip, but a shot or two? Perfectly acceptable! That's when ShotPak comes to the rescue—for all those times that you need a shot of something, whether it's a hit of whiskey or vodka and raspberry cocktail, and need it in a easy-to-carry form. The patented ShotPack pouch 'has the lowest carbon dioxide footprint of any container used to package alcohol in the world' and each one contains 50 milliliters of liquid. The easy-tear opening means there's little standing in between you and your booze.
But the ShotPak may be too convenient, making it appealing to those under 21. The Los Angeles Times investigates opposition to the ShotPak: 'The company's critics call it a blatant play to entice underage drinkers and to get alcohol into schools and other public venues where it wouldn't ordinarily be drunk.' Who does this 'party in a pouch' appeal to more: kids or adults?"
Reading Test
Reading Test: "The paomnnehel pweor of the hmuan mnid
Aoccdrnig to rseearch, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe."
Now you can put your mind to the test and try to read your favourite websites in the same fashion!
Friday, August 15, 2008
Turn your toaster into a sandwich maker
Turn your toaster into a sandwich maker - Slashfood: "There's a new product on the market that could revolutionize the toasted cheese sandwich and make it accessible for everyone, even those who own pop-up toasters. It's called the Toastabag and it is intended to be used for toasting entire sandwiches."
10 Creatures People Didn’t Think Existed
The Quick 10: 10 Creatures People Didn’t Think Existed: "In the span of less than a week, there’s news that Bigfoot and el Chupacabra may have been discovered. Weird. At this rate, Nessie is going to pop up next week and the Mothman will knock on someone’s door in West Virginia and ask to borrow a cup of sugar.
I wanted to do today’s Q10 on animals that were thought to be mythical but ended up being real; however, I couldn’t find that many. So it’s a combined list of that and animals that were thought to be extinct but were rediscovered at some point. Those types of animals are called Lazarus species, by the way… a rather fitting name."
Huge Manta Ray Appears on San Francisco Sidewalk
Just ran into this crazy scene on the streets of San Francisco... check out the picture... big manta ray on the sidewalk of San Francisco, someone dropped it off there still alive. Crazy!
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When General Motors Was Dreaming (PICS)
In its heyday during the 1950s, Motorama delivered G.M.'s message of postwar optimism to millions of curious spectators.
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3 Controversial Maps
3 Controversial Maps: "If George Etzel Pearcy had his way, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s famous song would have been called “Sweet Home Talladego.” In 1973, the California State University geography professor suggested that the U.S. should redraw its antiquated state boundaries and narrow the overall number of states to a mere thirty-eight.
Pearcy’s proposed state lines were drawn in less-populated areas, isolating large cities and reducing their number within each state. He argued that if there were fewer cities vying for a state’s tax dollars, more money would be available for projects that would benefit all citizens."
Donald Trump Saves Ed McMahon From Foreclosure!
Donald Trump Saves Ed McMahon From Foreclosure!: "Donald Trump doesn't know Ed McMahon, but he 'grew up watching him on tv,' so he'd like to be his new landlord. McMahon is currently facing foreclosure from Countrywide, and had 2 weeks to sell his house before the bank repossessed it. Mr. Trump has agreed to buy the house and lease it to McMahon, says the LA Times.
'I don't know the man, but I grew up watching him on TV,' Trump told The Times. 'When I was at the Wharton School of Business,' Trump said, 'I'd watch him every night. How could this happen?'"
Whatever Happened to Past Olympic Venues?
While many of these arenas and stadiums are stunning and maximize athletes’ chances at record-breaking performances, how useful are they after the Games end? Many fade into obscurity or become general-use arenas. However, we do know the fates of these past sites of Olympic glory:
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25 Worst Game Shows of All Time
We’re following up our list of the 25 Greatest Game Shows of All Time with our picks for the 25 Worst Game Shows. While many of these may have a special place in our hearts, make no mistake - they were pretty bad. And the rest… well, they just suck.
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Two Georgians Say They Have Bigfoot’s Body
Two Georgians Say They Have Bigfoot’s Body - NYTimes.com: "In the hairy and hoax-filled history of Bigfoot, those who believe in the mythical beast have offered up all manner of evidence, from grainy photos to hoarse recordings to tracks of those aforementioned feet.
But on Friday at a hotel in Palo Alto, Calif., a pair of Bigfoot hunters say they will present what they contend is the most definitive proof yet of an animal that science says does not exist: DNA evidence and photographs of a dead specimen they say they found in a remote swath of woods in northern Georgia."
Thursday, August 14, 2008
12000 Calories a Day: Michael Phelps and his Gold Medal Diet
After his latest victory, he revealed the secret behind his six-days-a-week, five-hours-a-day training regime: an extraordinary 12,000-calorie daily diet, six times the intake of a normal adult male. This is a typical day:
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For Most People,College Is a Waste of Time
Imagine that America had no system of post-secondary education, and you were a member of a task force assigned to create one from scratch. One of your colleagues submits this proposal.
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Wednesday, August 13, 2008
The 10 Most Delicious Extinct Candies from the '80s
The 10 Most Delicious Extinct Candies from the '80s: "This last question is especially irksome, for while plebian crap like Dum Dum Suckers and Candy Corn continue to fill up many a sad Trick-or-Treater pumpkin-shaped pail, so many innovative and satisfying candies have died premature deaths, from Abba Zabbas and Fresh Mint Skittles, to hap pappy Uncle Buck. But this isn’t a list celebrating the Candy Man’s greatest comedies (although there damn well should be). Rather, it’s a paean to that last great candy decade, the 80s, decade of so much unhealthy greatness."
China’s fast-food menu for the 2008 Olympics
China’s fast-food menu for the 2008 Olympics : "The Chinese have done a great job so far as hosts of this year’s Olympic games and they deserve to be praised. But the food they offer foreign tourists…now that’s a whole other story. I love traveling and one of the things I love to do most when I visit a foreign land is try out the local menu.
I’m not picky when it comes to food but just looking at those scorpions on a stick kills my appetite. I hear roaches and other insects are very nutritious and I’d probably eat them if my life depended on it, but actually paying for them…never."
Shocker: iPhone 3G Faster in Ad Than In Real Life
Hey, did you know that advertising misleads you? Like, products might not perform as exceptionally, look as hot or taste as yummy as they do in slickly produced ads? The iPhone 3G not cruising the internets as briskly as Apple's ads depict might be a big bucket of "duh," but this comparison video shows just how stark the contrast is.
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Flight attendant says pastor Joel Osteen's wife attacked her
Flight attendant says pastor Joel Osteen's wife attacked her: "A flight attendant suing the wife of megachurch evangelist Joel Osteen told a jury on Tuesday that Victoria Osteen should be held accountable for attacking her on a plane without provocation.
But the attorney for Victoria Osteen questioned the flight attendant's perception that an assault ever took place.
Continental Airlines flight attendant Sharon Brown testified that Victoria Osteen approached her upset and angry before the start of a 2005 flight from Houston to Vail, Colo."
Cooking Stimulated Cognitive Spurt In Humans
Cooking Stimulated Cognitive Spurt In Humans: "Prehistoric man's invention of cooking could be a major factor in us getting smarter, according to Live Science. About two million years ago, the human brain rapidly doubled in size from other primate brains and researcher Philipp Khaitovich of the Partner Institute for Computational Biology in Shanghai thinks it's 'because we started to eat better food' like 'more meat.'
'For a long time, we were pretty dumb,' he says. But about 150,000 years ago, 'our big brains suddenly got smart.' Why did we start experimenting with bone and invent new tools like needles for beadwork? Because of an increased access to calories, explains Khaitovich. 'Eating (mostly) cooked meals would have lessened the energy needs of our digestion systems, thereby freeing up calories for our brains.' Khaitovich and colleagues thank the emergence of prehistoric 'Iron Chefs' who developed the first hearths about 200,000 years ago.
Since this research doesn't really back the raw food movement, you should probably put down that celery stalk if you want future generations to be smarter."
USA Basketball Stars Consider Move Abroad
USA Basketball Stars Consider Move Abroad: "Last week LeBron James and Kobe Bryant sent a shockwave through the NBA universe when each floated the idea of playing in Europe when their current contracts expire. James tossed up the alley-oop when it was leaked that he’d consider signing with a European club for $50 million dollars a year, and Bryant then slammed it home when he confirmed he would go to Italy for the same price. American fans better hope Bryant and James don’t get too comfortable playing Euro ball when the USA Olympic men’s basketball team takes the court against Greece in Beijing on Thursday."
6 Reasons Today’s Olympic Swimmers are Breaking so many World Records
6 Reasons Today’s Olympic Swimmers are Breaking so many World Records: "For some reason every swim event in this Olympics is a record smasher. And it isn’t just Michael Phelps who’s seconds ahead of that daunting green world record line. Curious what’s making this year’s athletes so much faster? Here are 6 possible answers."
The World's Weirdest Vending Machines
The World's Weirdest Vending Machines: "Today’s news that Best Buy is to put vending machines into airports got me thinking about these automated, mechanical stores. Vending machines can be incredibly useful if they are put in the right place, and sell the right things. They are available 24 hours and can empower even the shyest of shoppers to buy normally embarrassing items (toilet paper, anyone?)"
How many arms does an octopus have? Only six - the other two are legs, say scientists
How many arms does an octopus have? Only six - the other two are legs, say scientists: "Ask anyone how many arms an octopus has and the usual answer will be eight. But scientists now insist these nautical animals only have six.
In a new study they found that the creatures used six of their tentacles as arms and two as legs.
Marine experts at 20 Sea Life centres across Europe gathered data from over 2,000 separate observations.
They found common octopuses moved over the ground using their back two limbs, leaving the remaining six for eating."
Disgusting Flavors We Never Got a Chance to Love
Disgusting Flavors We Never Got a Chance to Love: "We’re not sure what flavor you like your laxatives, PEZ and tortilla chips, but we’re guessing these aren’t them. The following are some of the biggest marketing missteps, all done in very bad taste."
5 Famed Retired Corporate Mascots
5 Famed Retired Corporate Mascots: "Consumer product companies love finding a memorable corporate mascot who can get the buying public to open their wallets. A great mascot builds brand equity for decades, while a bad one can be an embarrassing smear on a company’s history. Both types often meet the same fate, though, when it comes time for forced retirement. Here are a few of our favorites, some still mourned, some still mocked."
Spelling Bee Finalist Eliminated on the Word “Girlfriend”
Christopher Heck, a finalist at last week’s Scripps National Spelling Bee, was eliminated when he was unable to spell the word “girlfriend.” Bee champion David Tidmarsh then clinched the title by successfully spelling “autochthonous,” a word meaning “indigenous.”
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Our Favorite 25 TV Bosses (And What We Learn From Them)
If you think your boss is tough, wait ’till you see these guys! The scripted, non-reality TV show might be a dying breed, but shows past and present provide us with many memorable bosses and leaders. Following are some of the most unforgettable TV bosses, along with what made them so great (or not so great).
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Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Television Review - ‘Mad Men’ Return to the Office (Forbidden Vices in Tow) - Review - NYTimes.com
Television Review - ‘Mad Men’ Return to the Office: "The very first time the hero of “Mad Men” appeared on the screen, this ad executive was in a swanky New York bar, smoking and drinking manhattans before heading downtown to look in on his sexy, free-thinking girlfriend — before going home to his wife.
Season 2 puts Don Draper (Jon Hamm) in his undershirt in a doctor’s office, where he is chided for his blood pressure, two-pack-a-day habit, five-drinks-a-day lifestyle and other forms of dissipation."
Will the Madden Curse Cost Favre and the Jets?
Will the Madden Curse Cost Favre and the Jets?: "Jet's fans be wary: Madden 2009 (ERTS) is out, and that's could be cursed news for Brett Favre and his new team.
What’s the Madden video game curse? Earlier releases of the football game featured the Hall of Fame Coach, John Madden's, mug, until 1999 when 49ers' running back Garrison Hearst became the first player featured on the game's cover. Hearst broke his ankle that season and did not return until 2001."