The glaciers are melting, the Arctic’s Ice cap is slowly getting thinner, wildfire seasons in other countries are getting longer, and more natural forest fires occur. These events are getting the attention of everyone, and concern is on the rise. In order to understand the reason behind these natural phenomenons, the terms “climate change” and “global warming” come up as the explanation. Mark Mancini details on the difference between the two terms, which are frequently treated as synonyms, when they’re not:
So what exactly does the term "climate change" mean? By the broadest definition, climate change includes any and all long-term fluctuations in one or more climate-related variables — such as average rainfall — within the same location.
Note that this applies to both regional climates and the global climate itself. So let's say northern Europe saw a dramatic spike in rainstorms and the trend continued for decades on end. That hypothetical scenario would count as an example of regional climate change, no matter what happened elsewhere in the world.
On the other hand, global warming is — well, global. More to the point, the term refers to an increase in a planet's average surface temperature. And here on Earth, that's definitely been climbing.
The famed caped hero now joins forces with Fortnite! The rumoured crossover was announced by Epic Games, as the Dark Knight reached its 80th anniversary. The Fortnite/Batman crossover will start on TKTKTKTKTK, as IGN detailed:
The Fortnite/Batman crossover will feature a variety of new skins, items, and other challenges for players to acquire. Previously leaked items included:
+ Multiple Batman-themed skins.
+ Batman-themed gliders.
+ An explosive batarang that homes in on enemy players, sticks to walls, and explodes if enemies get too close.
+ A“Grapnel” gun, which works a lot like Fortnite’s old grappling gun, but now players get a cape when they’re flying around.
Considered as one of the most impressive cave temples in India, Kailasa temple is a megalith that was formed from a single block of excavated stone. Located in Maharashtra, Kailasa temple is one of the 34 cave temples known collectively as the Ellora Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Though the person who had Kailasa temple built remains unknown, My Modern Met gives details on the structure’s architecture retained over the passage of time:
Kailasa was built from the top. This unusual decision called for 200,000 tons of volcanic rock to be excavated from the rock. Standing at about three stories tall, a horseshoe-shaped courtyard has a gopuram—tower—at its entrance. Given the vast space and the ornate decorations of the temple, it’s believed that the work may have started with Krishna I, but could have carried on for centuries, with different rulers adding their own flair.
Enormous stone carvings depict different Hindu deities with particular attention to Shiva. As one walks past the gopuram, panels on the left have followers of Shiva, while panels on the left show devotees of Vishnu. At the base of the temple, a herd of carved elements appears to carry the load of the temple on their backs. It’s thanks to these masterful sculptures, as well as the incredible engineering of the temple, that Kailasa is considered an outstanding example of Indian art and architecture.
Once spoken by millions of people and the home of a vast body of literature, Yiddish fell into sharp decline during the 20th Century. These days, it can be especially rare to encounter dogs who can understand the tongue, let alone speak it.
That's why the Workmen's Circle, a Jewish cultural organization in New York City held a Yiddish class for dogs and their humans. ABC 7 News reports:
A 'Yiddish for Dogs' class was held on Sunday in Central Park. It was put on by the non-profit Workmen's Circle, which offers the largest Yiddish language program in the world, with more than 800 students annually.
Dogs and their owners learned how to respond to commands such as 'sit' and 'stay' in Yiddish.
It's common knowledge that dogs are more affectionate with their humans than cats are, but does that mean that dogs like us more than cats do? Not necessarily. There have been plenty of studies on dogs and their relationships with people, but not so much about cats. Cats seem aloof, and lack both the enthusiasm and the facial expressions of dogs, which leads to the assumption that they don't feel attachment. Few studies have looked at actual cat behavior without expecting it to resemble that of dogs or humans. A new experiment by an Oregon State University research team led by Kristyn Vitale shows that cats bond with their owners just as much as dogs do!
“The majority of cats are securely attached to their owner and use them as a source of security,” said Vitale.
For those wondering just how to tell if their specific cat does indeed like them, Vitale said, there are probably some strong signals to look out for, though they won’t be the same between any two cats.
“Individual cats may show they ‘like’ their owner in various ways. More social cats will show affection by rubbing on their owners or sitting on their lap while more independent cats may show their affection by just being in the same room with their owner. There is a lot of variation in how cats display social behavior toward people,” she said.
What, you don't have a fog machine in your home or place of business? This is, apparently, a long-used crime deterrent. Not only does the fog make seeing the loot and victims difficult. It can also coat the robber with traceable chemicals.
I had never heard of this, but now I think I really need one to get out of awkward conversations. For this scenario, a fog machine that hangs on my belt would be ideal. If find myself trapped in a one-sided conversation with someone who won't shut up, I can press the button and escape.
Is there some journey that is especially memorable for you? Rachel Binx offers to turn it into jewelry with GPX Jewelry. The 3D printed pendants measure about 1.25 inches across. You'll need to save your route as a .gpx file, then upload it to to the website. In about a month, you'll receive your own personalized pendant.
Matthew Turner was a ship's captain, ship designer, gold miner, shipping magnate, and ship builder -in that order- during the California Gold Rush. A hundred years later, Alan Olson is building a wooden sailing ship named the Matthew Turner, an educational ship that combines Turner's skill at shipbuilding with modern technologies to power it.
The most cutting edge of the Matthew Turner’s 21st-century technologies is its regenerative electric propulsion system, which stores the energy generated by the natural rotation of the ship’s propellers as they move through the water in a bank of batteries, enabling the Matthew Turner to stay on course even if it finds itself in the doldrums.
Ironically, if Matthew Turner had wanted to be as cutting edge back in the 19th century as Alan Olson is in 21st, he would have focused his energies on coal-fired steamships, which were the vessels of choice for shipbuilders on the Great Lakes, along the Eastern Seaboard, and throughout the Gulf of Mexico. Instead, Turner Shipyards built scores of wind-powered sailing ships, all those aforementioned schooners, sloops, and brigs. That’s because coal-fired steamships weren’t conducive to covering the enormous distances between ports on the Pacific—you might be able to carry enough coal to get yourself from San Francisco to Hawaii, but not enough to get back. Besides, unlike his counterparts to the east, Turner and his customers in California were far from steady supplies of cheap coal, so coal-fired steam technology was then an expensive alternative to free wind.
How expensive? Well, by 1870, as Turner Shipyards was beginning to ramp up production, the handful of small coal mines that had tried to make a go of it just east of San Francisco had already gone out of business, managing to produce only a few thousand tons of sub-bituminous coal, the type of the mineral most suitable for generating steam. Steadier supplies of coal could be shipped from the Pacific Northwest, where it sold for $11 a ton, but by the time that coal reached San Francisco, the price almost tripled to $28 a ton.
Turner’s customers weren’t anxious to pay premiums like that, so instead of pushing coal-fired steam technology, Turner pushed wind, narrowing the bows of his schooners so they’d slice through ocean waves, but also rigging the square and gaff sails on his brigantines so that a captain could respond quickly to a sudden gale or make the most of a dying breeze. By pushing wind, Turner not only helped the new oceangoing sugar and cargo industries that sailed his ships achieve profitability, he set a high standard for sailing vessels at a time when they were actually going out of style.
You might have heard this expression when someone is about to say something vulgar or profane, or to utter a curse, as a means of warning others about the intention so that people would not be surprised or offended once it has been said. But how did this expression actually come about?
The phrase “Pardon my French” or “Excuse my French” is used after cursing, as a feeble attempt to disguise it as being a French word. It is often used to excuse yourself when there is someone visibly offended by your use of profanity. It can also be used right before you curse, as a warning to those who are part of the conversation.
When I set my Whataburger on fire, my co-workers are, like, "What the hell are doing, John?! We talked about this!" But when some fancy-shmancy chef does it, people go all "Ooh!" and "Aah!"
Anyway, at one of those high-falutin' restaurants that won't let me go inside, there's something called a "Welder's Burger." You can set it on fire, but not with an acetylene torch. Or, at least, that's not what the waitstaff uses.
In 1930, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), responding to public concern about perceived immoral behaviors and lifestyles presented in the nascent motion picture business, issued a code of conduct. It asked Postmaster General William H. Hayes to write the document. The MPAA adopted what came to be called the Hays Code, but began enforcing it only in 1934.
This photo from Life magazine dates to (I think) 1940. It pokes fun at the code by trying to violate as many provisions as possible.
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The code itself, by the way, makes for interesting reading. Many of the requirements, such as those against the use of liquor and miscegenation, would be popularly seen today as either excessively puritanical or morally repellent.
But much of the code holds up as well as, such as the prohibitions against filming animal cruelty or actual human deaths. And despite the claims of the Life photo, I don't see gambling forbidden by the code.
Perhaps popular history has distorted the actual text.
Every now and then, an artist writes himself into a corner. That's when tragedy must befall the main characters. Chris Hallbeck, whom I interviewed a few years ago, knows his limitations. I mean, he could draw four bicycles. But would it really be worth his time? Sorry, kids. No ice cream today.
Most coffee brands are named after someone or something, like Folgers or Maxwell House. Then there's Chock full o’Nuts. There's a name that really paints a picture, but who wants to drink a coffee made of nuts?
“Chock full o’Nuts” is a weird name for a coffee brand, and no, I’m not talking about the odd choice to have a lowercase “f” or to totally omit the second “f” and instead replace it with an apostrophe. It’s a weird name for a coffee because while nutty coffees like a hazelnut blend may be good on occasion, that’s probably not what you want to lead with.
But more to the point, it’s a weird name because Chock full o’Nuts isn’t chock full of nuts at all. If anything, the opposite is true. There are no nuts — none! — in Chock full o’Nuts.
Deepstaria is as mysterious as it is rare, a shapeshifter whose body exists somewhere on a spectrum between enormous trash bag and ghostly lampshade. Last week, these researchers used a remotely operated vehicle to capture a video of the freaky jelly.
The jellyfish in the video is roughly the size of a trash can. This deep-sea jelly lacks tentacles, and appears in the shape of a thin, membrane-like bell. Up close, you can see a geometric mesh pattern made up of canals that provide structural support and deliver nutrients to the body. In 2015, Wired referred to it as a “floating blanket.”
The jelly also has a living isopod inside, but scientists aren't sure if it's a parasite or a symbiote, since we really don't know all that much about Deepstaria. -via Boing Boing
