John Farrier's Liked Blog Posts

Watch a Stone Skip 88 Times

When I was a young boy, I felt proud when I could get a stone to skip twice. That's nothing compared to what Kurt "Mountain Man" Steiner can do. For Steiner, stone skipping isn't just a casual activity to do while passing by a lake. For for more than a decade, he's carefully collected the best skipping stones and practiced constantly, refining his already world-class technique.


(Video Link)

Steiner has secured Guinness World Records for stone skipping in the past by once attaining 40 confirmed skips. He has since more than doubled that number. Here he is getting the top title again 2 years ago with a full 88 skips. According to Guinness World Records:

He has collected more than 10,000 "quality rocks" and has sorted each according to its type, to prepare for the best possible throw. He looks for stones "that weigh between 3 - 8 ounces... that are very smooth (they don't have to be perfectly round), flat bottoms and are between 1/4 - 5/16th of an inch thick."

-via Gizmodo


The Village Where Boys Grow Penises at the Age of 12


(Photo of Johnny, a guevedoce, via the Daily Telegraph)

They're called the guevedoces, which translates into English as "penis at twelve." The isolated village of Salinas in the Dominican Republic is the center of an extremely rare genetic disorder. About 1 in 90 children born there have it. When these guevedoces are born, they appear to be anatomically female--or at least lacking external male genitalia. Then, sometime between the age of 7 and 12, hormonal changes cause a functional penis to grow. The Daily Telegraph explains why this happens:

But some male babies are missing the enzyme 5-α-reductase which triggers the hormone surge, so they appear to be born female with no testes and what appears to be a vagina. It is not until puberty, when another huge surge of testosterone is produced, that the male reproductive organs emerge. What should have happened in the womb happens around 12 years later. Their voices deepen and they finally grow a penis.

Dr. Julianne Imperato, an endocrinologist at Cornell University, first documented the phenomenon in the 1970s:

When Dr Imperato investigated the Guavadoces she discovered the reason they don’t have male genitalia at birth is because they are deficient in an enzyme called 5-α-reductase, which normally converts testosterone into dihydro-testosterone. [...]

Around one in 90 children in Salinas are guevedoces and although they resemble sexually normal males, subtle differences do still exist in adulthood. Most have decreased amounts of facial hair and smaller prostate glands relative to the average male.


Guitar Boy: A Combination Electric Guitar and Nintendo Game Boy

Fibbex, a member of the BitFixGaming boards, made this sophisticated and precisely constructed guitar that looks just like a scaled up Nintendo Game Boy. It's completely functional in both modes, releasing impressive sounds and offering playable classic Nintendo games. 

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Millennium Falcon Multi-Tool

You came with that thing? You're braver than I thought. It doesn't have a knife blade. Otherwise, this multi-tool sold by Firebox is remarkably well equipped even without special modifications. This Millennium Falcon features 11 tools, including a can opener, wire strippers, a ruler, and 5 hex wrenches. It also has earbud wrappers that will help you avoid Imperial entanglements.

-via Dude I Want That


"The Convincer" Simulates a 5 MPH Car Crash

You don't need to wear a seat belt if you're traveling at a low speed, right? Wrong. The Convincer, a safety demonstration tool owned by the Connecticut State Police, shows why. Strap in and experience a 5 MPH crash. Feel your chest slam against the seat belt. That hurts, doesn't it? Now imagine if that wasn't your chest hitting the seat belt, but your face hitting the windshield.


(Video Link)

That's why you wear a seat belt. When the State Police set up The Convincer at the University of Hartford, they were very convincing.

They also had a car rollover simulator, which looks fun!

-via Twisted Sifter


Interview: Dean English, Producer of the Warrior Nun Movie

In 1993, the comic book artist and writer Ben Dunn launched one of his most popular series: Warrior Nun Areala. It is the story of a secret order of nuns who fight against demonic forces at loose in the world. In the eternal war between Heaven and Hell, the Warrior Nuns have led the way for light for over a millennium.

The series, which concluded in 2003, was very popular and obviously ideal for an action movie or television series. Ben Dunn and fans of the series have been considering the possibilities since the premier of the comic book. This test animation shows what an animated show could have been if produced during the 90s.

After much script work over the years, a Warrior Nun movie is now finally in the works! I talked to Dean English, one of the producers of the movie.

First, could you summarize the Warrior Nun story for us?

The story in Ben Dunn’s graphic novels centers on a secret organization of Warrior Nuns called the Order of the Crucifx Sword who are hidden within the shadows of the Catholic Church. They are led by one Sister Shannon Masters and are ready to scrap all the Evil that they can find — or finds them!   I must admit that I always a smile when answering that question because what’s not to like about Warrior Nuns kicking some demon butt. 

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For Sale: Princess Leia's Slave Outfit


(Image: Disney)

In Return of the Jedi, the gangster Jabba the Hutt captured Princess Leia Organa and enslaved her. He dressed her in a luxurious and revealing metal bikini. It appeared on screen only briefly, but has ever since been an icon of geek fashion, imitated and altered many times.

Now you can own the original worn by Carrie Fisher. The auction house Profiles in History is offering it among 50 other Star Wars props for sale on October 1. Experts anticipate that it will sell for between $80,000 and $120,000. 

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Be One with the Cookie

(Chris Hallbeck/Minimumble)

Lao Tzu said, "He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened." Know that you will eat all possible cookies that could come from the batch of dough and embrace that inevitable outcome.


25 Unusual Foreign Travel Warnings for Visiting the USA


(Photo: Brandon)

Welcome to America! Please enjoy your stay. You'll find that we're a very friendly people. But there are certain customs that you should be aware of so that you have the best experience. Shaunacy Ferro of Mental Floss has rounded up 25 travel warnings that countries have issued to their citizens traveling in the United States. For example, Germans shouldn't stalk people while in America:

Germany sees fit to advise its citizens against following and harassing others on American soil: “In the U.S., repeatedly following or repeatedly harassing another person, called ‘stalking,’ is punishable by law.”

Swiss people, please don't pee in the street:

Switzerland is careful to note that the U.S. takes a very hard-line stance against nudity, especially when kids are involved. Also, it cautions, don't pee on things: “The legal system can be very different from one state to another and is often inspired by more rigid moral principles than in Switzerland. For example, bathing topless or without a shirt is forbidden (even for children), as is urinating in the street or taking partially naked pictures of children (even at home).”

Chinese visitors, please don't cut in line:

Queuing etiquette is not universal. The Chinese government sees fit to warn its citizens of the U.S.’s obsession with line order: “In the United States, when many people are lining up for services at some distance away from the window, wait your turn in line. Failing to observe this convention could lead to unnecessary disputes.”

In the comments, please leave your own travel warnings--preferably alarmingly funny ones.

-via VA Viper


Baby Donkey Rocks in a Hammock

Surrounded by his human family, the baby donkey rocks peacefully in the hammock. At the end of the video, he pauses from this gentle swaying to receive belly rubs from his people. So I'm quitting my jobs and becoming a baby donkey because this girl knows how to live right.


(Video Link)

-via Tastefully Offensive


If Dr. Seuss Had Written the Bible


(Cat in the Hat Laplander Hat now on sale)

On Ask Reddit, redditor monkeyshins asks "If Dr. Suess wrote the bible, what would be your favorite passage of scripture?" What followed were wonderfully funny paraphrases of well-known Bible verses in Dr. Seuss's poetic style. For example, here are the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20:

Don't stabbeth your neighbor with a big pointy knife,
Or covet his buxomous, lustimous wife.
And honor thy parents, they raised you so well,
But don't honor false gods or you'll go straight to hell.
Don't steal from your neighbors, not soft furs nor breads,
Or falsely claim Jacob wears frogs on his head.
Don't cheat on your spouse, for it would be a pain,
To wake up to her screaming my own name in vain.
Remember young Jews, take the sabbath with glee,
But remember, you shall have no other gods before me.

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Otter with Asthma Learns How to Use Inhaler

(Image: King 5 News)

Mishka is a sea otter that lives at the Seattle Aquarium. She's the first sea otter ever diagnosed with asthma. Her caretakers at the aquarium have trained her to use an inhaler. It delivers to her lungs the same medicine that humans with asthma use.

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Cat Owners Shame Their Felines for Their Bad Behavior

Pose the malefactor with a sign describing the depravity, take a photo, then post it online for everyone to see. This is modern online shaming. It’s how people express frustration with various creatures in their lives, including dogs, chickens, role-playing game dice, and librarians. Now it’s time for cats to get what’s coming to them. BuzzFeed has rounded up 26 cat criminals that are being called to account. The problem: cats may have a sense of pride, but no sense of shame.

Content warning: foul language.


Tortilla Chip Guitar

Take a bite out of this custom guitar. The texture is definitely hard and, if you bite vigorously enough, crunchy! Moe’s Southwest Grill is conducting Quesopalooza, a special day on which its restaurants will offer free cups of its tasty queso dip. To promote the event, the company commissioned Atlanta Props to make this fully functional electric guitar that looks like a giant tortilla chip—because it actually is!

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A Hoodie That Gives You a Back Massage All Day

(Photo: Aira Wear)

Human-delivered back rubs are wonderful. But they sadly end, usually too soon. The Aira, however, will last as long as the system’s batteries hold out. It’s like a massage chair, but its motors are built right into the lining of a plush hoodie.

The Aria is designed specifically for relieving the back pains that people who sit all day get. That’s why the company calls its product “a jacket for working professionals.” It’s a way to take a break without breaking your productivity. You can control it with a smartphone app, adjusting the intensity and the area massaged.


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Profile for John Farrier

  • Member Since 2012/08/04


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