An eclectic assortment of stuff: food, archaeology, fun, books, history, geekery, etc.
Posted in history & archaeology on May 31st, 2009
From the Beeb: Roman era reveals expenses claims.
Ancient Roman writing tablets suggest public officials were involved in expenses scandals 2,000 years ago.
Writing tablets uncovered near Hadrian’s Wall detail hundreds of expenses claimed by Roman officials, Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd said.
Five of the translated tablets contain 111 lines detailing entertainment claims at the Roman camp of [...]
Posted in history & archaeology on May 29th, 2009
From ANSA.it: Remains of Temple of Isis Found.
Workmen inside Florence’s courthouse have stumbled across a spiral column and hundreds of multicoloured fragments that experts believe may have belonged to a Roman temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis.
Dating to the second century AD, the remains were discovered as the men dug a five by three [...]
Posted in Canada, history & archaeology on May 28th, 2009
From the Ottawa Citizen: Vikings visited Canadian arctic, researcher suggests.
One of Canada’s top Arctic archeologists says the remnants of a stone-and-sod wall unearthed on southern Baffin Island may be traces of a shelter built more than 700 years ago by Norse seafarers, a stunning find that would be just the second location in the New [...]
Posted in technology on May 28th, 2009
From CNET: How technology lifts Pixar’s ‘Up’.
If you want to consider a difficult computational problem, try thinking of the algorithms required to animate more than 10,000 helium balloons, each with its own string, but each also interdependent on the rest, which are collectively hoisting aloft a small house.
That was the challenge the production team at [...]
Posted in internet on May 25th, 2009
Do you use Twitter? Do you like it? Is it worth your time? And — if you’re interesting and you feel like sharing — who are you on Twitter?
I’ve always avoided Twitter, because I could never see the point of it. But then I found a temporary use for the thing, you see, and now [...]
Posted in health, history & archaeology on May 25th, 2009
From Science Daily: Historical Anecdote Of Jordan’s Red Soils May Offer New Antibiotic.
Historical anecdotes of the red soils from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan tell of people using the soils to treat skin infections and diaper rash. A multinational group of researchers suggest the healing power may be due to antibiotic-producing bacteria they have found [...]
Posted in history & archaeology on May 24th, 2009
From iol.co.za: Scientists battle to reproduce ancient glue.
It was a sticky solution that helped bring down massive horned buffaloes, and proves that men from the middle Stone Age were a lot smarter than previously thought.
In a cave in KwaZulu-Natal, scientists believe they have found the earliest examples of superglue, more than 70 000 years old. [...]
Posted in history & archaeology, religion on May 18th, 2009
From JTA.org: In rare ceremony, Jews redeem donkey in Australia.
It took nearly two years, cost more than $7,500, and involved two donkeys, one sheep, a case of mistaken sexual identity, several DNA tests and the unwavering faith of two fervently Orthodox Jews in Australia.
On Sunday, more than 1,500 mostly Orthodox Jews in Melbourne witnessed what [...]
Posted in history & archaeology on May 18th, 2009
From the Egypt State Information Service: July 26ths marks uncovering one of biggest secrets of Khufu Pyramid.
July 26 will mark the uncovering of one of the biggest secrets of the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Giza, Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawwas said Saturday 16/5/2009.
Addressing a symposium held within the [...]
Posted in history & archaeology on May 4th, 2009
From the Beeb: Shedding light on the Catacombs of Rome.
Rome’s underground Christian, Jewish and pagan burial sites, the Catacombs, date back to the 2nd Century AD.
There are more than 40 of them stretching over 170km (105 miles).
But, until now, they have never been fully documented, their vast scale only recorded with handmade maps.
That is now [...]