What makes a great road trip? A few years ago, my family drove from our home in Kentucky to Kansas City, took a right, and then a left at Sioux Falls, and drove to Idaho, and then back again. We visited my husband's cousin, the St. Louis Arch, my college, the 1880 Town, the sculptures of Murdo, the Corn Palace, the presidents' statues in Rapid City, Badlands National Park, Wall Drug, Devils Tower, Yellowstone National Park, Mount Rushmore, Sturgis, a gemstone mine, and his mother. We called it the Great American Road Trip. If you want to limit your time and mileage to a weekend, there are plenty of scenic routes that go to out-of-the-way places and let you make memories. Outside Online details eleven of their staff's favorites routes for a memorable road trip in North America, in places ranging from Florida to British Columbia, but mostly doable in one weekend, or even in one day. -via Digg

(Image credit: inkknife_2000)

We've seen the staff at Boston Dynamics abuse their robots in the name of testing. This is a lot of that. But then something strange happens at about 1:30. The robot takes matters into his own hands! Gradually, you realize that this is not a Boston Dynamics video at all. It's from Corridor. Okay. Eventually they show us how they did it. You have to admire the work that went into this one. It would, in fact, make a great beginning for a dystopian film, but please, not a documentary!  -via Metafilter

Katie Jones has been working for years at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, DC, or so she claims. She has also been able to earn her degrees in Russian studies from the University of Michigan. Her LinkedIn profile has over 52 connections, many of these being people with influence. She has a decent education and work experience. She also has reliable persons connected with her. Would you accept her friend request on LinkedIn? Unfortunately, this Katie Jones does not exist, and you might as well think before adding people you do not know.

CSIS stated that no one named Katie Jones was working for them. The University of Michigan stated as well that they were “unable to find anyone by this name earning these degrees from the university.” You might say that perhaps the name is an alias, and this photo alone proves that this person exists. Unfortunately, even this photo is fake as well.

At first glance, this image looks real, but experts say otherwise. Can you find the clues that show that this image is fake?

More information about this story on APNews.

(Image Credit: AP Photo)

Eating is essential to all living creatures, and that includes us humans.. Life is simple: you buy food to eat. Sometimes, you are willing to spend too much on food, especially when it is tasty. 

But how would you feel if it were the other way around? What if you get paid for eating food? Now that would be something most of us would dream of. Not only is your stomach full, but your pockets as well!

Bethany Gaskin is living that dream. She is earning millions from Youtube as a mukbang star eating giant crab legs. 

“On her two YouTube channels, Bloveslife and BlovesASMR Eating Her Way, Mrs. Gaskin chats up her audience while eating king crab legs, mussels, lobster tails, hard-boiled eggs and roasted red potatoes. The videos, produced in her Cincinnati home, have made her a millionaire, she said. But getting into the business wasn’t about money; mukbang was more of a calling than a vocation.”

Image: Maddie McGarvey/ The New York Times

If you’re interested in horror movies and fashion runways, then you might want to check out Moschino’s latest collection.

Jeremy Scott, creative director of Moschino, created the 2020 resort and men’s spring and summer collection from Hollywood’s best-known monster movies such as “King Kong”, “The Mummy” and the “Scream”. The runway show took place on the backlot of Universal Studios last Friday. 

“Just after sunset, with show attendees seated in the middle of the road and the score from “Halloween” on the soundtrack, Colonial Street came to life with the well-heeled undead, corpse brides, sexy devils and pointy-hatted witches consorting with creepy twins, men in Frankenstein’s-monster green leather jackets and mummies in unraveling bandage dresses.”

Find out more details about Moschino's designs over at the Los Angeles Times.

Image: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

Star Trek Capatain's Log Pocket Notebook

May you live in the now and prosper. It may not be safe out there, but the wonderous treasures of adventure await!

Before you head out into the great depths of the unknown, consider taking a Star Trek Captain's Log Pocket Notebook, from the NeatoShop, with you. Each book contains 48 pages for jotting down important quotes, species observations, and profoundly philosophical reflections on your travels. 

The Star Trek Captain's Log Notebook includes a copy of the Prime Directive. This is also known as Starfleet General Order 1, General Order 1, or just the non-interference directive.

Also included in the notebook is a handy conversion chart for calculating warp speed to approximate average speed and an early federation timeline.  Both which will come in handy when you are quizzed by any fellow trekkies you meet on your journey. Remember, insufficient facts always invite danger. 

Traveling without a Star Trek Captain's Log Notebook would be highly illogical. Take notes and look at them with special pride. Now get out there and boldly go where no man, women, or person has gone before. 

But before you go, be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Stationery. New items arriving weekly. 

Don't forget to stop by the store and check out our huge collection of artwork by wide array of fabulous artists.

We offer a large, and growing, selection of apparel and goods for that perfect custom look. We specialize in curvy and hard to find sizes. We carry baby 6 months shirts all the way up to 10 XL Big and Tall shirts in a wide range of styles and colors. We know that fun and faboulous people come in every size. 

BBC Travel's Laura Studarus delved into Japanese convenience stores, and is surprised on what they had to offer:

I was surprised to find that Japanese convenience stores, such as 7-Eleven, Family Mart and Lawson (the three companies that claim the lion’s share of the Japanese market), served as an introduction to local tastes, leading me to skip the basic crisps I’d usually grab at home in favour of sampling flavours like mayonnaise, ume (a fruit in the plum family) and soy sauce.

I also found myself considering freshly made onigiri rice balls, grab-and-go udon noodles and traditional buns with flavours like pizza, sweet bean and pumpkin cream. It might not have been as utopic as Murata led me to believe, but even as a foreigner who needed help counting her change, the variety of the goods and the ease of finding a cheap lunch left a lasting impression.

Ginny Tapley Takemori - Convenience Store Woman’s translator explained to Studarus the culture behind what these convenience stores had to offer :

There’s also a sense of underlying practicality to each store. Yes, snacks and novelty items are a big part of their trade, but the goal of the konbini is to be a one-stop shop for all household needs. Mochimaru highlights the bento box – pre-made, ready-to-eat meals in a box – as one such example.

Now, with additional women entering the workforce, more people are opting for easy-to-eat options.

“The reason why Lawson focuses on nakashoku can be explained by the increase in the number of dual-income households,” he explained. “With both partners working, there is much less time for cooking, and bringing home bentos or ready-made dishes is a much more convenient solution. It helps to minimise the amount of time spent eating and to avoid doing the dishes.”

image credit: wikimedia commons

We have heard that boulders were used in Oregon to prevent illegal campers.

We’re still on the use of heavy objects to prevent people from doing illegal activities, this time in Toronto with their issue on cannabis dispensaries.

Despite the efforts of authorities to rid their city of cannabis dispensaries through raids and barring the entrances by using steel doors, these pot shops have remained persistent. But there might be hope in this new method the city found out: using giant cement blocks.

It's the latest move to put a stop to illegal dispensaries that have been able to operate thanks in part to a legal loophole in the province's Cannabis Control Act.

That loophole has prevented authorities from barring access to, and removing people from, suspected dispensaries that were also being used as residences.  

"This has proven to be a bit more of a substantial tactic," said Mark Sraga, the city's director of investigation services for municipal licensing and standards. 

But for others, this may not be the best solution, and they are not fully convinced.

What are your thoughts?

(Image Credit: Kandoh/ Reddit)

Because of her disability, Pikes Peak Community College student Emily Athey had a hard time looking for jobs. She had applied for more than 50 jobs before she landed one on Icing on the Cake, a bakery owned by Mischa Halberg. The bakery writes on their Facebook page:

Emily is one of our employees that works in the kitchen… She has learned how to decorate cupcakes and cookies. She can also make fondant decorations, fill cake and cupcake pans. Emily is learning all kinds of new and fun things. She is a gem and we are proud to have her as [a part] of our team.

Emily has already been working there for half a year, and she only started decorating cakes since April.

“She’s an absolute delight,” Halberg told KKTV. “She’s focused and fun to be around.”

Perhaps one of the most surprising things about Emily is her artistic eye. A person would not be able to tell Emily was legally blind when looking at her intricately designed cakes.

(Image Credit: Icing on the Cake/ Facebook)

You might not believe it, but these stripes are not just for show; these stripes have an essential role in a zebra’s body — they are used to control a zebra’s body temperature. So how does this work?

The findings have been published this month in the Journal of Natural History, the scientific publication of the British Natural History Museum, by amateur naturalist and former biology technician, Alison Cobb and her zoologist husband, Dr Stephen Cobb. Together, they have spent many years in sub-Saharan Africa, where he has directed environmental research and development projects.

The data revealed a temperature difference between the black and white stripes that increases as the day heats up. Whilst this difference stabilises on living zebras during the middle seven hours of the day, with the black stripes 12-15°C hotter than the white, the stripes on a lifeless zebra hide continue to heat up, by as much as another 16°C. This indicates there is an underlying mechanism to suppress heating in living zebras. It is therefore the way the zebra stripes are harnessed as one part of their cooling system, rather than just their contrasting coat colour, that is key to understanding why these animals have their unique patterning.

Like all species in the horse family, zebras sweat to keep cool. Recent research reveals that the passage of sweat in horses from the skin to the tips of the hairs is facilitated by a protein called latherin which is also present in zebras. This makes the sweat frothy, increasing its surface area and lowering its surface tension so it evaporates and prevents the animal [from] overheating.

More details of this study at EurekAlert!

(Image Credit: hbieser/ Pixabay)

A small section of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has been occupied by illegal campers. Aside from the very filthy environment that these campers create at the intersection, the campers also have been a pain in the butt for homeowners like Tiffany Hammer.

Tents, piles of trash, and human waste were a common sight at the intersection. Fires also broke out at the illegal camp at least twice. Then there were the times neighbors say they were harassed and attacked by campers.

Last February, Tiffany sought help from her neighbors and together they cleaned up the place and then planted 90 rose bushes, in hopes that they will be able to deter the campers. Unfortunately, this did not work.

“It's just really discouraging,” Hammer said.

She said campers ripped out some of the roses and the attacks on neighbors continued.

“My neighbor was helping me water roses a few weeks back and he was bent down watering and a homeless camper unprovoked, didn't say one word, just came up with a brick and attacked him,” Hammer said.

This week, ODOT finally made a move. They removed the rose bushes and replaced them with boulders.

For neighbors, it is more than just rocks. It is a sign of hope.

ODOT spokesperson Don Hamilton stated that despite the amount of money they will be spending in order to place the boulders, which is over $1 million, they will still be pushing through this as the boulders are their most effective tool. The big rocks would also be cheaper in the long run compared to cleaning up the area repeatedly.

(Image Credit: KGW)

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggested that if you put a sad raven beside another raven, chances are that other raven will get sad as well.

Jessie Adriaense and colleagues, authors of the study, explained this phenomenon, known as emotional contagion:

       “Emotional contagion, which refers to emotional state matching between individuals, is a powerful mechanism for information sharing and, as a consequence, an increased defense against predation and the facilitation of group living,”

The results of their multi-stage experiment on ravens not only reveal that ravens can experience emotional contagion, but also that negative emotions rub off more easily than positive emotions.

   “Negative emotions may be easier to experimentally induce than positive emotions, and they may be more salient in their expression than positive emotions. Moreover, animals (as well as humans) attend more to negative than positive information in their environment.”  

Read more about the sad raven experiment over at Vice.

image credit: wikimedia commons

Have you ever thought of sauna on wheels? 

At a sauna festival in the Estonian town of Rakvere, there were many saunas on display. But one sauna was so unusual that it captured everyone’s attention: a small yellow car that has been converted into a mobile sauna:

“The upcycled third generation Audi 100 Avant from 1984 would look innocuous from the outside if it wasn't for one dead give-away - a chimney sticking out of the bonnet. Inside, the soft seating has been replaced with the customary sauna wood interior. The space, which also boasts LED lighting, a four-speaker sound system and a USB connection, can accommodate up to five people before it might begin to feel too cosy.”

This magnificent mobile sauna was created by a group of friends. The idea originated from their difficulties in renting a mobile sauna. They then figured that it would be cheaper to buy an old car and convert it into a sauna instead. Their expenses amounted to €200 (around $ 226). Not only were they able to cut down their sauna expenses, but it was also theirs to keep. 

Sauna blogger Adam Rang told BBC about his experience of the mobile sauna. 

"When I first saw it, I thought it was just a good joke but to my surprise it delivered a great sauna experience too. It's a bit of a tight squeeze inside but it has a nice wood-burning stove with rocks at a low level that circulate leil, or sauna steam in Estonian, very well around the space."

Image: SaunAudi/ BBC News

This lawnmower is faster than some Ferrari models with speed hitting 100 mph in just 6 seconds. Honda’s Mean Mower V2 reclaimed the Guinness World Record for the fastest lawnmower. 

The mower is outfitted with the same four-cylinder, 200-horsepower engine as Honda's Fireblade "superbike," hidden in the body of a tractor. It achieves a top speed of 150 mph, while the company's top-rated standard lawnmowers top out at 4 mph.

The Mean Mower V2, despite being fast, still does its job as a lawn mower and cuts grass. How cool is that?

Image: Honda 

Over 17% of incidents reported to the police in Nottinghamshire, England, is due to domestic violence knife crime. Even after such abuse, the victim will most likely stay in the relationship for their children or simply will get back together once the suspect gets out of prison. 

Hoping to reduce the incidence of stabbing and to potentially save more lives, the Nottinghamshire Police plan on giving abuse victims these “no point” knives:

Superintendent Matt McFarlane, the new knife crime strategy manager for Nottinghamshire Police, who is overseeing the scheme, said: "We do see a fair amount of knife related incidents in domestic abuse not just on the streets. "This is a measure we need to take. We want to reduce that risk. It is a trial. We have about a 100 of them - and we have so far given out about 50. "The knife is blunt at the end - but still functions as a knife - so you can't stab someone.

Kudos to these policemen! Let’s hope that blunt end knives will help reduce domestic abuse incidents not only in Nottinghamshire but also to the rest of the world. 

Image: Nottinghamshire Police