The Japanese delegation introduced the beautiful water hyacinth to America at the 1884 World’s Fair in New Orleans. People liked it, and the plant thrived in Louisiana's lakes and bayous. By 1910, it was choking the state's waterways, and it seemed nothing could stop it. How do you combat an invasive species? Many times in the past, we've done it by importing another invasive species to eat it. A Louisiana congressman came up with an idea to combat the water hyacinth by bringing in hippos from Africa! That plan would have also helped with the nation's meat supply. What could possibly go wrong? Congress became excited about the prospect, but for various reasons, it never happened. 

A hundred years later, we can be thankful the idea wasn't tried. We now know that hippopotami can be really dangerous animals that don't lend themselves to domestication. Besides that, they are classified as a vulnerable species even in their native countries due to human encroachment. Read about the unrealized dream of American hippos at Strange Company. 

(Image credit: Bernard DUPONT) 

9-volt batteries have positive and negative terminals on one end, so it's possible to feel electrical current by placing that side on a body part. If this body part is the tongue, one can taste the experience.

(Or so I have read.)

The Verge reports that Rewind, a European company, is releasing several corn chip flavors, among them conventional flavors such as paprika and sriracha. The brand wants to inspire nostalgia and has therefore decided to also issue a flavor that tastes like battery.

Dominic Preston agreed, presumably under duress, to test the new flavor. He found that the chips do indeed taste like a battery--a flavor created with baking soda and citric acid.

-via Dave Barry

Captain Kirk and Commander Spock had their most famous duel in the episode "Amok Time" by Theordore Sturgeon This dramatic battle, driven by Spock's fiercely libidinal urges, is one of the best in classic Star Trek.

It's a great story on par with those seen in professional wrestling. It is thus appropriate that Mega Championship Wrestling conducted a match at, I think, ColossalCon 2024. Both competitors work the crowds, building tension to a passionate climax. It ends in a close embrace as Spock uses a special Vulcan technique to finish off his best friend.

You can see the full match below.

-via Holodeck Four

"Error and shame," Richard Adams comments in Shardik, are "...the inescapable lot of mankind." Ben Ward of the webcomic One Giant Hand illustrates humanity not only exiling itself from the Garden but also bringing animals with him. Only the fool ignores Chesterton's Stop Sign.

Jalopnik tells us that Max Hazan, a custom motorcycle builder in Los Angeles, has produced what must be the ultimate street bike. This beauty is wrapped around a 400 horsepower, 3.5 liter V8 engine removed from a Ferrari F355.

The whole rig is a custom job--no standard frame could manage the engine. It's not that heavy, actually, topping the scales at 590 pounds with 237 pounds from the engine itself. But it does take up a lot of space. Hazan has already taken the bike out on the streets.

It's an Onion story that's become reality--unlike Seborga and Westarctica. These countries do not exist.

The Guardian reports that police in northern India arrested a man who is accused of running a fake embassy from imaginary countries. He even had cars with fake diplomatic plates.

Why would he do this? Police say that he scammed money out of people seeking overseas employment in these imaginary countries. It's unclear how much money he bilked from his victims, but police recovered approximately 4.5 million rupees ($52,000 USD) from the plush, rented building that served as the face of his operation.

There have yet to be responses from the governments of Seborga and Westarctica.

-via Dave Barry

I'm sure that we all had the same thought: "Finally!"

Before you get too excited, I should inform you that the cops got him on credit card fraud. But, hey, tax evasion charges put Al Capone away, so let's be satisfied that the rat is finally off the streets, preying on people.

The Tallahassee Democrat reports that police arrested a Chuck E. Cheese employee in costume. Although he had many duties at the restaurant, he was wearing the mouse outfit at the time that the cops arrived. Because of his behavior at the time of the encounter, police decided to immediately cuff him and lead him outside in full view of the children.

I think that's good. Kids need to know that no one is above the law.

-via Old Hollow Tree | Photo: Chuck Hobbs

The ninth Rule of Acquisition states, "Opportunity plus instinct equals profit." Sydney Charlet has the instinct and found the opportunity for great profit.

Jalopnik explains that legal parking in New York City is very expensive, sometimes runnning into six figures for reserved spots. Illegal parking can get pricey, too, due to tickets issued when street sweepers arrive. So some residents pay Charlet to sit in their cars. When the cars are about to get ticketed, Charlet moves them to avoid the fines.

This wasn't Charlet's planned career. She started her business after getting laid off from a marketing position. Clearly employers in that industry don't appreciate her cunning.

If you have a dog, you're familiar with this experience. Your pup maintains steady eye contact while excreting. Why? Karen Piwinski, a dog trainer, explains that it's an instinctive behavior.

In the wild, animals are vulnerable while relieving themselves. It's the same reason why you or I might carry a bat'leth while using the toilet: we want to be safe. Your dog is stating "I trust you to keep watch." So look at this canine behavior as an expression of confidence in you.

Similarly, when your dog tries to follow you into the bathroom, consider that he's really just trying to return the favor.

-via Dave Barry | Photo: Amy used under Creative Commons license

Today, the beer you drink is most likely either brewed by AB InBev, who owns the name brands, or else a small and possibly local craft brewery. That's the ultimate fallout of the beer wars that shook the industry in the 1960s and '70s. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was the beer capital of the US thanks to the many German immigrants who settled there in the 19th century. The city was home to the Schlitz, Pabst, Blatz, and Miller brewing companies. Schlitz was the biggest seller in the US, but in 1957 was eclipsed by Budweiser down in St. Louis. Schlitz marketing head Bob Martin was willing to do anything to outsell Budweiser, with the exception of producing high-quality beer. 

The American alcohol industry is highly regulated at all levels, but those regulations are so numerous and intertwined that they can be creatively interpreted to one's benefit, or outrightly ignored until someone complains. Martin was a master of exploiting the many levels between brewing beer and the customers who drink it at bars, airports, sporting events, or at home. In 1978, the company was indicted for three felonies and 743 misdemeanors for their marketing practices. They involved bribes, kickbacks, money laundering, fraud, and other kinds of corporate malfeasance. Read what happened to Martin and the Schlitz company at Esquire. -via Metafilter 

Pulau Tiga is an uninhabited tropical island off the coast of Malaysia. It was formed by a volcanic eruption in the late 19th century, and most of it is a national park. But you may be familiar with this island, because it was the setting for the very first season of the reality TV game show Survivor. The show began in 2000, when the cast and crew traveled for hours to Pulau Tiga, not really knowing what they were getting into. 

Sure, a lot of the drama in Survivor was planned, like the weekly challenges and the tribal council when contestants were voted off the island. But since the show was the first of its kind, the producers were unprepared for the reality of making a TV show on an isolated island. They didn't even take tents for the crew or the equipment! They encountered tourist garbage, parasites, unexpected wildlife, and Australian special forces with guns. And not only did the cast begin to starve, the crew did, too. Emily Nussbaum, the author of the book Cue the Sun: The Invention of Reality TV, gives us the story of the first season of Survivor at Atlas Obscura. The interview is in both text and podcast form.   

(Image credit: Bfyhdch) 

When the first Avatar movie came out in 2009, we had to explain to people that the James Cameron film had nothing to do with the animated show Avatar: The Last Airbender. But 16 years later, it is clear that Jake Sully is on his way to mastering the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third film in the series, following Avatar: The Way of Water from 2022. As in that film, our favorite Na'vi encounters a new culture. Cameron is portraying Pandora like Earth in that while the Na'vi are one species, they come in all flavors with varying traditions and motivations. They still have to contend with the invaders from Earth.

Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, and Sigourney Weaver return in their Sully family roles, and the movie will also feature Kate Winslet and Oona Chaplin as new characters in the saga. Avatar: Fire and Ash is scheduled to land in theaters on December 19th.  -via Gizmodo 

The Instagram account Amazing Maps has a never-ending supply of maps focusing on details you probably wouldn't have thought of on your own, but are quite interesting. Most of them either show Europe or the entire world, but there are US and New World maps occasionally. Bored Panda picked a few dozen to present for your education or entertainment.



The maps cover a wide variety of subjects, from the historical (countries Britain once owned) to the mundane (how to say "frog") to the whimsical (where capybaras live) to the scary (in which countries do men live longer than women). Of the world maps shown, there is a thread that commenters had a lot of fun with- the location of New Zealand. It appears variously in the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, up near Japan, and sometimes cannot be found at all. It might be fun to check for our Kiwi friends in the Instagram account. See 49 such maps at Bored Panda. 

The Chinese auto company BYD shows off their Yangwang U9 model, an electric supercar with four motors, fast charging, a top speed of 243 mph, and individual wheel drive system. It also doesn't need a driver. Yes, it's a good-looking car, but the point of this video is to show us the Yangwang U9's ability to leap. Watch carefully, and you'll see the wheels retract into the body like a low rider, and then suddenly extend while at speed to leap over obstacles or holes in the road.

That's pretty cool, both to watch and as a technological innovation. It's like Mario Kart come to life. But the Yangwang U9 costs around $233,000, and you can't buy one if you live in the United States. Still, if you could spend that kind of money on a car, would you sit in the passenger seat and let it drive you around? Would you take it to top speed on roads that have potholes? Meanwhile, Ferrari and Lamborghini are working on electric models, if that's what you've been looking for. -via kottke 

Think you're brave and smart enough to survive an attack from the Xenomorphs of Alien? Then head to the Wreckage activation to explore the world of Alien: Earth. 

There you can investigate a crash scene on an alien planet with mysterious tubes of goo and crates filled with suspicious pods. Before you know it, you'll have alien spit in your eye and watch your comrades be snatched away in front of your very eyes.

But don't worry, at the end of it all, you can wash away the nightmares with a refreshing can of complimentary orange nova flavored Hyper Fizz. Doesn't that make the whole experience worthwhile?