Specifically, it's a Sikkim cucumber. The plant originated in the Himalayas but can now be found in gardens around the world. Marla Aufmuth spotted this one at the National Heirloom Festival in Santa Rosa, California.
Link -via Tasteologie | Photo: Marla Aufmuth
On a list of the 15 heaviest coffee-drinking professions, mine only came in fourth. Scientists and lab technicians are at the top, drinking more coffee than writers, doctors, teachers, and everyone else.
Among those polled, scientists and lab techs were found to be the heaviest coffee drinkers in the country. Anyone who works, or has worked, in science will likely find this result unsurprising. Science, after all, is a 24-hour job. Experiments often run on timelines that are in every way at odds with the circadian rhythms of a normal human being — or any other creature, for that matter. Many scientists work under crushing pressure to publish results before competing labs or research groups. Limited funding requires researchers to put in countless hours writing grant proposals when they could be doing science. (It's not that they're writing grants instead of doing science, by the way. They're writing grants and doing science.)
Not only do scientists do research, but they also research how much research is being done, how much coffee they drink doing it, and how to drink coffee more efficiency. See the rest of the list at io9. Link
(Image credit: The NeatoShop)
There's something about typing your thoughts on the internet that makes some perfectly nice people act like jerks. It's not just the anonymity, because even on social networking sites where our identities are displayed to our contacts, arguments often devolve into name calling and bullying.
According to soon-to-be-published research from professors at Columbia University and the University of Pittsburgh, browsing Facebook lowers our self control. The effect is most pronounced with people whose Facebook networks were made up of close friends, the researchers say.
Most of us present an enhanced image of ourselves on Facebook. This positive image—and the encouragement we get, in the form of "likes"—boosts our self-esteem. And when we have an inflated sense of self, we tend to exhibit poor self-control.
"Think of it as a licensing effect: You feel good about yourself so you feel a sense of entitlement," says Keith Wilcox, assistant professor of marketing at Columbia Business School and co-author of the study. "And you want to protect that enhanced view, which might be why people are lashing out so strongly at others who don't share their opinions." These types of behavior—poor self control, inflated sense of self—"are often displayed by people impaired by alcohol," he adds.
MIT professor Sherry Turkle says we often forget that when we comment online we don't feel as if we are talking to real people, but when we receive such thoughtless comments, we take it doubly hard.
And for Facebook, its very name is part of the problem. "It promises us a face and a place where we are going to have friends," says Dr. Turkle, author of the book "Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other." "If you get something hurtful there, you're not prepared. You feel doubly affronted, so you strike back."
Read more about research into online behavior at the Wall Street Journal. Link -via The Week
Bacon and Eggs Scarf - $29.95 (sold individually)
Are you looking for a tasteful way to spice up your wardrobe? You need the delectable Bacon and Eggs Scarf from the NeatoShop. This yummy knit scarf is designed to look like scrumptious bacon and eggs.
Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Scarves and deliciously fun Bacon items.
Babis Pangiotidis made "Hedonism(y) Trojaner," an enormous rocking horse covered with recycled computer keyboard keys. He offers it to you as a gift. You should download it without fear of malware.
Link -via Junk Culture | Artist's Website
Sculptor Andrea Eusebi created this amazingly detailed rendition of Yoda looking like a little elderly human, complete with liver spots, tufts of hair growing out of his ears and wrinkles galore.
Aside from the pointy ears this sculpt looks like someone I've seen before, while waiting in line for soup at the local deli...
Link --via Laughing Squid
Why should hurricanes get all the love? The Weather Channel has decided that notable winter storms will be named, and they've already posted a list of those names. This will at least make t-shirt vendors happy, as they will be able to come up with unique designs for "I survived Draco 2012" or "Minnesota Gandolf Survivor." Link
(Isn't Gandalf spelled with an 'a'?)
I'm conflicted. It's wrong. But it feels so right!
Raks Geek, the dancing troupe that features a TARDIS dance, presents "Let the Wookiee Dance." Musical accompaniment includes "Muaarga," a Klingon song performed by Il Troubadore Klingon Music Project.
Raks Geek and Il Troubadore Klingon Music Project -via Daily of the Day
High school freshman Daniel Cui was labeled "worst goalie in the world" on Facebook, after his team lost their first few games of the season. But his friends and teammates didn't take it lying down. Sometimes a little support goes a long way. -via The Daily What
Pfc Glenn W. Eve was drafted by the Army in 1942. He was too skinny for combat, but since he was an artist for the Walt Disney Company, they put him to work taking photographs of the Pacific Theater. The photographs he took are now online, complete with the notes he jotted on the backs of the pictures. If you love old photographs, or have an interest in World War II, you'll want to set aside some time to explore the entire site. The comments under some of the pictures tell fascinating stories. Link -via Metafilter
Sales of Halloween masks based on U.S. Presidents, and presidential hopefuls, have served as an unofficial election poll that has proven right every time since Clinton Vs. Dole, 1996.
Does the fact that Obama mask sales far outnumber those of the Romney mask prove that he'll be re-elected come November? I guess we'll just have to wait and see...
Miss Insomnia Tulip made cake pops that look like the female lead characters from Carrie, Misery, The Exorcist, and The Blair Witch Project. Awesome! This one is, of course, Carrie. See the rest at Eat Your Heart Out 2012. Link -via Boing Boing
(YouTube)
A music video from the group Walter and the Wizards. Yes, it's an ad, for Litter Genie. A cosmic, cat-filled, psychedelic, musical ad. Remember, kitties, just say no to nip. -via Daily of the Day
Sock Monkey Kitchen Brush - $9.95 (sold individually)
Is your old kitchen brush driving you bananas? It is time to bring some fun retro style back into your sink with the Sock Monkey Brush from the NeatoShop. The mundane task of washing the dishes just got a whole lot more exciting!
This adorable brush is available in 3 great color combinations:
Buy one or collect them all.
Elizabeth Rosenthal writes in the New York Times that strongly encouraging bicyclists to wear helmets creates the false impression that bicycling is dangerous. This is a statistically unsound fear that discourages people from riding. So advocates for bicycling should stop pressuring people to wear helmets:
On the other hand, many researchers say, if you force or pressure people to wear helmets, you discourage them from riding bicycles. That means more obesity, heart disease and diabetes. And — Catch-22 — a result is fewer ordinary cyclists on the road, which makes it harder to develop a safe bicycling network. The safest biking cities are places like Amsterdam and Copenhagen, where middle-aged commuters are mainstay riders and the fraction of adults in helmets is minuscule.
“Pushing helmets really kills cycling and bike-sharing in particular because it promotes a sense of danger that just isn’t justified — in fact, cycling has many health benefits,” says Piet de Jong, a professor in the department of applied finance and actuarial studies at Macquarie University in Sydney. He studied the issue with mathematical modeling, and concludes that the benefits may outweigh the risks by 20 to 1.
He adds: “Statistically, if we wear helmets for cycling, maybe we should wear helmets when we climb ladders or get into a bath, because there are lots more injuries during those activities.” The European Cyclists’ Federation says that bicyclists in its domain have the same risk of serious injury as pedestrians per mile traveled.
Rani and Kajol love playing with a balloon -and each other! They manage to keep this one from touching the ground for a good run -but you know what eventually happens to balloons. -via Daily Picks and Flicks
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Considered by comic book fans to be the "Holy Grail" of comic collecting, this first trade paperback edition of Marvel's Squadron Supreme (vols. 1-12), written by comic book legend Mark Gruenwald, is one of the rarest comics ever printed. What's so special you might ask? Believe it or Not! the ink in this particular comic was made from Gruenwald's ashes per his last will and testament after his death from a heart attack in 1996.
From the Ripley's Odditorium in Williamsburg, Virginia - Thanks Scott! |
The first real debate of this presidential election year is coming up tomorrow. But the debates held over the years on SNL are a lot more fun! Can you recall who played the candidates in those comedy debates? Test yourself with today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss. I scored 50%, because I knew the really old ones, but not the more recent casts. Link
John Neeman Tools is a small company of master craftsmen who make tools, mostly axes, adzes and hatchets. This is a sample of the work that they do. Watch a man turn wood, steel and leather into a finished axe. It's beautiful.
DeviantART member Trevor Grove is a fan of the TV show Breaking Bad. He is also quite an artist! Grove made these three 12" custom figures of Walter White and gave them to Vince Gilligan, the creator of the show. He had to be pleased! See details of each at his gallery. Link -via Laughing Squid
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Artist Jessica Hische answers this age-old question that undoubtedly has been asked of you: Link |
Sesame Street continues their series of parodies with their take on the TV show Boardwalk Empire. Of course, you'll see birds on the birdwalk -chickens, ducks, and a cuckoo! -via Buzzfeed
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You're looking at NASA astronauts Frank Borman, Neil Armstrong, John Young and Deke Slayton channeling Jedi knights, all dressed up in robes made from parachutes (which would keep them cool in the day and warm at night) during a desert survival training in Nevada back in 1964. Very stylish! Link - via Kuriositas |
Did you read Jill Harness' list 12 Gross Candies Perfect For Trick or Treaters? Since that was written, candy manufacturers have been busy trying to out-gross themselves again, with new and disgusting ways to fashion and package Halloween candy. See the latest imaginative versions in Jill's new article at Inventor Spot. Link
Ouch! Cutting Board - $24.95
Feeling the need to seek a little magical revenge on someone? You need the Ouch! Cutting Board from the NeatoShop. This deliciously fun beechwood cutting board is designed to look like a voodoo doll. It includes built-in knife storage and a "backstabbing" knife.
Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more spellbinding Kitchen Stuff.
There's nothing like a good run to get rid of stress. At least until you meet your first grizzly bear on the trail, as YouTube user GTX449 did at the 3:10 mark in this video. Content warning: foul language. But who can blame him?
This is why I run on a treadmill.
-via Yababoon
A small church in Aksum, Ethiopia, claims to have the Ark of the Covenant. It is written in Ethiopia's ancient book of kings that the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (Menelik, conceived during a royal one night stand) brought the Ark from Israel. It is now kept at The Chapel of the Tablet at the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion.
Many historians are not convinced about this account of the Ark coming to Aksum. They believe that it is simply propaganda to get people to accept Menelik’s lineage as rulers of the country. Others, including the patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox church, Abuna Paulos, disagree.
“It's no claim, it's the truth,” patriarch Paulos says. “Queen Sheba visited King Solomon in Jerusalem 3,000 years ago, and the son she bore him, Menelik, at age 20 visited Jerusalem, from where he brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Aksum. It's been in Ethiopia ever since." And that’s how most of Ethiopia’s Orthodox Christians see it, too.
Whether it is real will never be proven, as only one lifetime caretaker at a time is allowed to see it. So you won't see the Ark in the article at Environmental Graffiti, but you will be able to read more about the Ark and the old church, which combines ancient traditions of Judaism with its more recent Christian beliefs mixed with some Muslim practices from the surrounding country. And you'll see plenty of pictures of the church and its members. Link
(Image credit: Ralph Bennett Crignola)
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Photographer Allan Grant snapped this priceless photo of two boys on their very first elevator ride in 1948. That's about the same face I make every time I open my cable bills: Link |
