An eclectic assortment of stuff: food, archaeology, fun, books, history, geekery, etc.
Posted in fun on Aug 11th, 2009
I love the Onion. One of their recent articles is Legion Of Terra-Cotta Mouseketeers Found Beneath Disney World.
ORLANDO, FL— A Disney World maintenance crew performing routine electrical work below Cinderella Castle last week accidentally stumbled upon a mysterious underground chamber believed to contain more than 8,000 terra-cotta Mouseketeer statues dating back to 300 B.C.
Within days [...]
Posted in fun on Jun 2nd, 2009
Today’s prize goes to Improv Everywhere for their surprise wedding reception. Don’t miss this one, kids.
Posted in fun on Apr 28th, 2009
From Southern Fried Science: How to brew beer in a coffee maker, using only materials commonly found on a modestly sized oceanographic research vessel.
The tools you need are simple: an electric drip coffee maker with hot plate, a coffee filter, 2 1-liter sample jars, 2 handkerchiefs, 2 rubber bands, and a source of clean (preferably [...]
Posted in fun on Apr 20th, 2009
This is amazing, particularly what happens at about 3:09. Wow.
From Tweenbots.com:
Tweenbots are human-dependent robots that navigate the city with the help of pedestrians they encounter. Rolling at a constant speed, in a straight line, Tweenbots have a destination displayed on a flag, and rely on people they meet to read this flag and to aim them in the right direction to reach their goal.
Given [...]
Posted in fun on Apr 4th, 2009
This exchange between a user and tech support is too good to miss.
(Background: Wikipedia on holodecks.)
Posted in fun on Feb 25th, 2009
From Crave at CNET: Effects shop fulfills amputee’s mermaid dream
Good: double amputee gets prosthetic legs so she can walk. Better: double amputee gets realistic-looking mermaid tail so she can swim. Awesome: it’s developed and built by Weta, the special-effects company that did all the work for the "Lord of the Rings" movies, as well as [...]
Posted in fun on Feb 19th, 2009
You must read this, you just must. From the Beeb: The mystery of Ireland’s worst driver.
See also: this image.
Posted in fun on Feb 18th, 2009
I have no idea what this is about, but it makes me laugh.
Posted in fun on Oct 27th, 2008
Oh, delightful. From BoingBoing: German traffic cops angered by British driver who mocks traffic cams with a Muppet.
Someone in Germany is driving an automobile built for UK roads and has installed a Muppet in the passenger seat. The speed cameras in Germany are made to take photos of drivers who sit in the left side [...]
Posted in fun on Sep 19th, 2008
This looks like fun! From CanoeKayak.com: Cardboard Kayak Race.
The contest is simple. Teams of designers are given an unlimited amount of tape and a pile of cardboard to build a kayak of any shape. No knives, scissors, or sharp objects are allowed. (…)
This year four teams of designers came up with a flotilla of boats [...]
Posted in fun on Sep 16th, 2008
From EnglishRussia.com: Smile to QuickBird.
The production of Google Earth "artefacts" — the bright spots on the dull satellite landscapes seems to be a popular task nowadays in Russia. We’ve had already a story about guys from Moscow who have written a curse word on the roof of one of the buildings which can be nicely [...]
This looks like so much fun.
Now this is the kind of science I really like: How useless is a Chocolate Teapot? From The Naked Scientists:
You have heard the saying, but it is meaningless unless you know exactly how useful a chocolate teapot actually is. We try to find out how thick the walls of a chocolate teapot would have to [...]
Posted in fun, history & archaeology on Aug 7th, 2008
Ah, now this sounds refreshing. The Nemean Games are held at an ancient athletic stadium in Greece; anybody can compete. And where else can you sprint on a fourth-century clay track?
Here’s some background from The Society for the Revival of the Nemean Games:
It was at Nemea that the ancient Greeks celebrated athletic and religious festivals [...]
Posted in fun on Jun 7th, 2008
Oh, what fun! From csmonitor.com: Londoners and New Yorkers gawk at each other through a transatlantic lens.
From a distance, it looks as if one of Jules Verne’s imagined flying contraptions has crashed in to the South Bank of the Thames. Next to Tower Bridge, the massive brown-and-gold item pokes up from the walkway, like the [...]
I’m quite taken with this star clock. If the online version doesn’t do it for you, print your very own star clock. Won’t the other kids be jealous then!
Posted in fun on Apr 27th, 2008
I’ve blogged about Improv Everywhere before (see Public hilarity and When Chekhov meets whoopee cushion) but it’s been a while. You’ve just got to go see their latest mission: Best Game Ever. Go. Really. Now! You’ll love it.
(You might also enjoy: Subway living room in Prague.)