Neatorama » Europe

7 Badass Vikings

Miss Cellania — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:00:25 +0000

Most people outside Scandinavia would have a hard time naming more than two Vikings if you asked them. Sure, you’re familiar with Eric the Red and his son Lief Ericson, but have you ever heard of Egil Skallagrimsson, who killed many but still found time to write poetry? Or how about Freydis Ericsdottr, who held her own with the male warriors? Then there’s Ivar the Boneless, who invaded England to avenge his father’s death.

I should mention that Ivar the Boneless got his sweet nickname because he had a degenerative disease that left him unable to stand, and not because he needed to talk to his doctor about Cialis or anything like that. However, as a badass medieval sea-raiding shitwrecker, Ivar wasn’t going to let a little thing like “not being able to use his legs” stop him from raining death on his enemies at every turn.

In this manner, Ivar killed two kings and captured a large part of the British Isles. Link

Language Map of Europe

Minnesotastan — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:05:23 +0000

Languages correspond only imprecisely with political borders, which are designated by the superimposed red lines. The map at the linked source can be supersized for more detailed examination.

Link. The English version of this map was created by Postmann Michael in 2007; it has subsequently undergone several revisions, and there are continuing doubts regarding the accuracy of some of the language borders.

20 Creepy Abandoned Sites in Europe

Queuebot — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:54:45 +0000

We don’t know why abandoned places are so creepy, but they are. Here are 20 abandoned places in Europe that are a little too creepy for us to handle.

This was once the largest hemp and rope factory in Europe, dating back to 1840. A state-of-the-art water system facilitated steam- and water-powered machines through a labyrinth of tunnels that carried water throughout the complex. It was closed just over a decade ago…

Link

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by yugosakimi.

The World’s First Touch Watch Phone

Queuebot — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:47:59 +0000

As a kid I remember watching Dick Tracy and being awed by his ultra cool wrist-watch phone. I wanted one. I still want one. Thanks to the folks at LG, now we can all have one. LG’s G910 Touch Watch phone, available later this year, is a mere 13.9mm thick and features a full touch-screen interface, video calling capabilities and an MP3 player. There are a lot of firsts for this little device – it’s the first of its kind and the first to be supported by a major mobile phone carrier. That mobile carrier is Europe’s Orange, which means if you don’t live in Europe you’ll probably have to wait a bit longer to sprint through the streets pretending to be on a top-secret mission.

Link

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by whitespace.

The Year Europe Froze

Queuebot — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 08:05:49 +0000

The winter of 1709 was the coldest in 500 years. All across Europe, from Scandinavia to northern Italy, and to the western coast of France, livestock died in their barns, fish froze in the rivers, millions of birds died, wild animals froze in the forests, the soil froze to the depth of 3 feet or more.

Trees exploded, chicken’s combs froze and fell off, the Baltic Sea remained frozen solid until April, the lagoon in Venice froze (see image).

Wine froze in barrels, bread froze so hard it took an axe to cut it, public fires were lit to warm the poor, the winter wheat crop was destroyed, olive and fruit trees were killed, and by spring, more than a million people in Europe died of cold or starvation.

Climatologists are studying this time period to try to figure out just why that particular winter was so severe. They know the Little Ice Age was at its peak and the sun’s output was at its lowest in millenia. During 1707 and 1708, dust from spectacular volcanic explosions at Mount Fuji, Santorini and Vesuvius probably depressed temperatures in both summer and winter. But all those factors still don’t completely explain the winter Europe froze.

Link – via darkroastedblend

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by Marilyn Terrell.

European Fast Food

Miss Cellania — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:41:21 +0000

HealthAssist is beginning a series on fast food around the world, beginning with Europe. In Denmark, sausages resembling long hot dogs called røde pølser are dipped in ketchup, and bread is a side dish. In the Netherlands, french fries are most commonly dressed in mayonnaise. Of course, in Belgium you can buy waffles from a fast food stand. In Poland, enjoy Zapiekanki which resembles a pizza sandwich. In most of Europe, fast food means sausage. Link -Thanks, Karen!

Barriers

Miss Cellania — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:23:12 +0000

From Prague, Czech Republic: If you want to promote the slogan “Europe Without Barriers”, what better place to put it than on some police barriers? Link -Thanks, Jeff!