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The Virtual Cave has a neat gallery of photos of ice caves in Alaska and Nepal, taken by Jason Gully, a glaciologist who studies ‘em.
The photo of the entrance of the Khumbu Glacier in Nepal is absolutely exquisite! Link
What happened after a magician accidentally "chainsawed" his trusty assistant in half?? Check out this very clever magic trick: Hit play or go to Link [YouTube]
Can this poisonous weed be the biofuel that save us all?
Almost overnight, the unloved Jatropha curcushas become an agricultural and economic celebrity, with the discovery that it may be the ideal biofuel crop, an alternative to fossil fuels for a world dangerously dependent on oil supplies and deeply alarmed by the effects of global warming.
The hardy jatropha, resilient to pests and resistant to drought, produces seeds with up to 40 per cent oil content. When the seeds are crushed, the resulting jatropha oil can be burnt in a standard diesel car, while the residue can also be processed into biomass to power electricity plants.
Researchers managed to rouse a man who has been stuck in a coma-like state for 6 years by zapping his brain, much like a pacemaker works for the heart!
Using computer-generated maps and image-guided navigation equipment, researchers implanted tiny electrodes in the man’s thalamus, a brain area involved in attention, movement and other control functions. The electrodes were attached by wires to programmable pacemaker batteries implanted in the man’s chest.
The device, called a deep brain stimulator, delivers electrical pulses to the brain and is approved to treat such neurological disorders as Parkinson’s disease.
And the result is phenomenal:
Assisted by tiny electrodes implanted in his brain, a man who had been in a coma-like state for six years regained the ability to drink from a cup, comb his hair and speak in short sentences, researchers said Wednesday.
Within hours of receiving what researchers described as a pacemaker for the brain, the man opened his eyes and tracked the movement of people in his hospital room.
More than a year later, the man’s progress has continued, and recently he recited the first 16 words of the Pledge of Allegiance, researchers said.
Add this to the long list of the hardworking ants’ virtues: they’re polite.
Burd, an evolutionary ecologist, says preliminary research into this introduced species of ant backs the ‘slower is faster’ paradox of crowd behaviour.
"If the average speed of each individual moving is slower, the whole crowd is evacuated faster, and ants are actually doing this," he says.
"Ants in a panic don’t behave the same way as humans. They stay calm and are polite to each other. They are not trying to save their own lives, but are behaving for the good of the group."
Prof. Burd is now trying to apply what he learned about ant’s crowd control technique into building design to help improve evacuation in cases of emergency:
"Perversely if you simply put a pillar in front of the doorway you increase the evacuation speed," he says.
"Having that obstruction stops people jamming against other people in the doorway."
We’ve had the fish soap, creepy hand soap, satan butter soap, tape soap, and even squidsoap on Neatorama before – but this is probably the cutest: the dachshund soap!
Link ( I like the Scottie Dog Soap and the Three Little Pigs Soap too!)
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Jeep turns 66 this year and celebrate it with a great video commercial.
Link [YouTube] – via Videofeber
Karemar has put together a post with pictures and information about the ten most expensive paintings of all time. Seen above is “Bal Au Moulin de la Galette” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, sold for $ 78,000,000.
Link
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Is that a dragon in your backpack, or are you just happy to see me?
Frank Warren of PostSecret wrote to us about this new trailer video clip about the website and a new book.
If you’ve been living under a rock, PostSecret publishes homemade postcards that people mail in with their secrets. Some of them funny and irreverent, some are touching and poignant, but all are interesting and worth a look-see: Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] – Thanks Frank!
Photo: The Brennanator [Flickr]
Microsoft lovers rejoice! There is a coffee shop in Sarajevo called Club Bill Gates, complete with a nerdy pic of the man as its logo! – Thanks z!
How should Frankfurt Taxi Service advertise their service to those who’ve had a few drinks and shouldn’t drive home?
Saatchi & Saatchi in German came up with this ad:
The Piss-Screen – a pressure-sensitive inlay set within urinals, enabling users to play while they pee. We installed this newfangled creation in male restrooms across Frankfurt, teaming up with a variety of bars, clubs and cafés. The game itself was displayed on a screen above each urinal, and would automatically start as soon as someone began to pee. The player could then control the car whilst relieving himself – if they wanted the car to go right, they simply peed to the right (and visa versa).
The overall design of the driving game was similar in style to that of Need for Speed, requiring relatively quick reactions. Obviously the more drunk you are, the slower your response, reinforcing the effects of alcohol to the gamer. The game ultimately culminates in a shocking crash-sequence, leaving the viewer with little doubt as to the repercussions of driving while drunk.
The Message
“Too pissed to drive?”
“Take a Taxi instead”
Jordan C. Greenhalgh of Thechasefactory created this fantastic stop motion movie with 987 Polaroids photos!
Fantastic! Link [embedded YouTube]
