That is according to Michael Thomas from The Atlantic. For those who may not be familiar with what e-bikes are, or how they work, here's the quick gist: an electric bike is a bicycle equipped with an electric motor, whose function is two-fold - one, it may assist the rider in adding power to their pedalling, or two, it can provide a throttle mechanism, turning it essentially into something of a moped. And now, you might be wondering whether downgrading your car to an e-bike would be the right decision. Michael Thomas has already made that move and he thinks it's one of the best ways you can improve your life.

First, there is the financial aspect. An e-bike doesn't require maintenance costs rivalling that of a car. Insurance is not that much either, and since the bike is electrically-powered, fuel is replaced with electricity costs, which won't make that much of a dent in your bank account. Second, it's a great way to exercise. Going to work on a bike may sound like an unpleasant means of transportation, but he also found that due to the propulsion technology of the e-bike, you don't always have to break into a sweat. Third, it's surprisingly enjoyable. Being able to feel the breeze through your hair, seeing the sights as you pass them by, and just living in and soaking in the moment makes it worthwhile.

Of course, he also admitted that it won't always be the best means of transportation for all circumstances. Road safety may be one concern especially if there are no dedicated bike lanes in the area, and if people generally don't care about cyclists. But still, it is something worth considering. Besides, it's a great way to get around traffic. -via Kottke

(Image credit: Himiway Bikes/Unsplash)

Of all the ways to lose an expensive drone camera, this is possibly the most wholesome -and it was caught on video! Adam Culbertson was flying his DJI Avata drone over some beautiful terrain near Capitol Reef National Park in Utah when a golden eagle snatched it up. Instead of dropping the drone, we see the eagle fly until the video signal was out of range. The feed was saved up to that point, but there's no indication of how far the eagle flew with it afterward. The drone is most likely not recoverable, even if the eagle would be inclined to surrender it.

The fallout from the incident is not as dire as you might imagine. The drone is made to shut down its propellers when it detects an impact, so the eagle wouldn't have been hurt. Culbertson was able to get a replacement drone from the manufacturer because the theft was classified as a flyaway, or "something outside of your control [that] causes your drone to fly away never to be seen again." -via Laughing Squid

The concept of black holes was first thought of by Albert Einstein in 1916, and the term itself was coined only half a century later by American astronomer John Wheeler. It was a few years before that, in 1964, when the first black hole was discovered, Cygnus X-1, and we have been trying to study black holes ever since. To summarize what we know about black holes so far, XKCD created this lovely table for comparison between black holes and regular holes. - via Kottke

(Image credit: XKCD)

In 1971, a toddler named Melissa Highsmith was kidnapped from her home in Texas by a new babysitter. The police investigation went nowhere, and years passed. The Highsmiths thought they would never see their daughter again. Then in 2022, her father Jeff Highsmith sent a DNA sample to 23andMe, along with other family members, to trace their genealogy. The results came back identifying a relative that was Jeff's granddaughter -one he never knew about! That could only be Melissa's daughter. Soon, the family was reunited with Melissa, who grew up with the name Melanie and never knew she had been kidnapped more than 50 years earlier.

Since home DNA tests were developed, this kind of thing happens more and more often, as cold cases are cracked by DNA from relatives that are matched with both victims and perpetrators. Sometimes the DNA confirms police suspicions in cases where the evidence against them was insufficient, and sometimes an identification comes out of the blue, decades later. Buzzfeed has a roundup of eleven cold cases, mostly murders, that were solved many years later thanks to DNA tests.

(Unrelated image credit: Tim Wightman/US Navy)

Remember when you graduated and got your first full time job? You moved to your own apartment, in a new town with new people and new opportunities? Those were the days. I remember rescuing furniture from the dumpster, counting change to see if I could do laundry, volunteering for public appearances in the evenings because they might have food, and feeling free as a bird- living the dream. But I certainly wouldn't want to do it in this day and age.

This award-winning little ditty called Living the Dream from Ben Meinhardt illustrates the joyful accomplishments of a young man making his way in the world as a new adult. Don't let it get you down too much. -via The Awesomer

A woolly mammoth that was born 17,100 years ago in Alaska only got a name a few years ago. They call him Kik. For the first two years of his life, Kik stayed close to his mother near the Yukon River Basin. Then he roamed more widely, along the grasslands of Alaska and its land bridge to Asia. When he turned 16, he roamed even further, walking at least ten miles a day, eating grass and covering a 700-mile route, each way, for years. In his short life, Kik walked far enough to circle the earth twice! At around age 27, he slowed down from a lack of food, and starved to death at age 28 in the Kikiakrorak River valley. More than 17,000 years later, his tusks were recovered and studied.

How can we possibly know that much about one woolly mammoth? That's the real story. One of Kik's tusks fell into the hands of isotope scientist Matthew Wooller, who assembled a multinational team of scientists to study it. They used a machine called a Laser Ablation Multi-Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer. It cost almost a million dollars and was so heavy they put it in the basement for safety. Read how they mapped Kik's whereabouts through his lifetime, which sheds new light on how woolly mammoths lived, at Smithsonian.  -via Damn Interesting

(Image credit: Mauricio Antón)

For some people with diabetes, it's essential to inject insulin to regulate their blood sugar. But insulin can be expensive, so scientists in Switzerland are searching for an alternative. In an article published in Diabetes & Endocrinology, these scientists describe how music can activate neurotransmitter production that releases insulin. Specifically, playing "We Will Rock You" by Queen released 70% of insulin within 5 minutes and complete release within 15 minutes.

The New York Post summarizes the work of the researchers. They discovered that common environmental sounds did very little to stimulate insulin release, classical music did a little bit, but Queen played at 85 decibels (that's about as loud as a food blender) kicked off a full insulin release.

-via Dave Barry

call me chef pic.twitter.com/lKBTQUJf50

— Pablo Rochat (@PabloRochat) October 19, 2023

Pablo Rochat is a conceptual artist, creative director, and internet personality who does the unexpected with everyday objects. Recently, that includes a lot of hot dogs.

Less imaginative people might carry hot dogs by hand downstairs and out the back door to place them on the grill. Rochat, though, linked together what appears to be many strips of a Hot Wheels toy car racing track to travel from his kitchen to his backyard, gradually building up momentum until the hot dog launches into the air and lands on the grill.

-via Born in Space

A 2,500-lb. pumpkin was dropped on a school bus in Lancaster, Minnesota, as part of a fundraiser for the local literacy council. 🎃🚌😲#ViralHog #giantpumpkin #schoolbus #Minnesota pic.twitter.com/mtJmGwNz6j

— ViralHog (@ViralHog) October 23, 2023

Charlie Bernstrom of Lancaster, Minnesota is a competitive pumpkin grower. For several years, he's grown some of the largest pumpkins in the world. On Saturday, a crane lifted his 2,501-pound pumpkin high into the air, then dropped it on a school bus. Fortunately, there were no children inside the bus at the time. The pumpkin, who was named Joy (yes, really), did not survive the encounter.

This pumpkin was only one of several that Bernstrom raised and then dropped. The others weighed 2,131, 2100, 1655, 1524, and 1352 pounds.

The event was part of a fundraiser to benefit the Kittson County Literary Council, an organization that promotes reading among kids. The fundraiser generated $1,500.

The definition of taxidermy is supposedly the art of preserving an animal's body for the purpose of displaying it such as in museums or as part of a rich person's collection. However, everybody makes mistakes, even taxidermists. It's just, when they do, it turns into some kind of horror exhibit. Sad and Useless has collected several taxidermy fails which might actually be the stuff of anyone's nightmares. To be honest, though, I actually found these photos quite amusing, funny even.

They also have a book of these taxidermy fails called Crap Taxidermy as well as a calendar. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

Here are a few examples that I have trouble imagining whether they were accidental or intentional in the first place.

Here's a googly-eyed feline creature. I'm not sure whether it's a lynx or a caracal.

And this other one is a bobcat, which I wouldn't have known without the clue from the plaque right next to it.

(Image credit: Sad and Useless)

First of all, what's a fairy ring? It's a circle of mushrooms which can sometimes surround patches of dead grass inside them. Fairies are said to dance inside the circle of mushrooms, thus giving it its name. However, the explanation for fairy rings is quite simpler and less fantastical. Certain fungi cause the emergence of these fairy rings as they feed on dead organic matter in the soil.

The reason why fairy rings are circular in shape is that the original spore usually starts at the center of the ring, and it spreads horizontally on all sides. Sometimes, mushrooms grow on the edges of the ring, as a part of the fungus. If you wonder whether these fairy rings should be eradicated or not due to their nature of feeding on the grass, fungal experts suggest not to go through the trouble as it would require scooping out the soil where the fairy ring lays. Since it doesn't necessarily harm anything outside its scope, it's best to leave it as is.

(Image credit: Mrs skippy/Wikimedia Commons)

Out of all the things that I never ever want to see inside my house or elsewhere, rats probably top that list. Rats are very notorious among people because they are thought to be disease-ridden, food-thieving pests that destroy human properties. What's more, they reproduce very quickly and so the spread of diseases through infestations can get out of hand in the blink of an eye, just as it did in mid-14th century Europe when the Black Death pandemic ravaged through ports, towns, and cities. However, research suggests that the cause of the bubonic plague wasn't actually rats.

Epidemiologists looked at the probability that the spread of the bubonic plague was caused by rats and the parasites that clinged to them, fleas. However, studies have tried to argue that the transmission, demographics, lack of rat corpses, and climate conditions during the time in mid-14th century Europe point to the fact that rats would not have been the likeliest cause of the black death plague, and some researchers have suggested that human fleas and lice were the culprits, as the spread of the disease were more consistent with those as the carriers.

Other researchers have also looked into the behavior of rats in connection with their risk of disease to coincide with these findings. Chelsea Himsworth, a veterinary pathologist and epidemiologist studied rats in Vancouver and found that rats were more likely to stick to one side or the other of alleys which meant that they generally do not spread diseases in the way we perceive. Not only that, but the idea that rats are filthy is actually a misconception as rats were very meticulous when it comes to cleanliness according to one scientist.

So, perhaps rats aren't that bad after all, and not just those we see in cartoons and films.

(Image credit: Joshua J. Cotten/Unsplash)

We hear that for one to become successful, you must give it your all, 100% and with that hard work and effort, you'll be able to achieve many things. I don't know about you, but giving my all in everything that I do, has often led to my being burnt out quicker than I would expect. At least, because I don't feel rewarded enough for the effort, at some point, I start to lose motivation and stop giving any effort at all. So, perhaps this 85% rule, which states that the best way to maintain a balance between excellent performance and excellent output is to work at 85% of your capacity. Then, what do you do with the remaining 15%?

Well, you can use that to take a rest, and refresh yourself so that you'll be able to give it your 85% once again, the next day. However, there are some people who think that it's a preposterous paradigm, and a general waste of productivity. Managers, entrepreneurs, and businessmen probably would think that the only way for them to continue expanding their business is to always give it 100%, otherwise, it might collapse. On the other hand, employees would definitely want to have leeway and space for them to slack off a bit, and take a break from the stresses of work.

Whichever camp you may be on, I think it all boils down to what kind of job or career path fits well with your paradigm, perspective, and values. I was once told by a hiring manager that for a company to survive or keep going, there must always be at least one person who concerns themselves much with the business affairs of the company. It seems inspiring but it's just one way of saying sacrifices have to be made for the company, and it doesn't matter if you will sacrifice your personal life, your family, your relationships, or even your dream, as long as the company stays afloat, then you put all your passion into it. Hopefully, in the long run, it pays off. What are your thoughts on the matter?

(Image credit: Glenn Diaz/Unsplash)

Planning an itinerary usually goes hand-in-hand with going on a trip, and as someone who used to like sticking to plans, I often got frustrated when things don't go as planned. As I got older, I realized that the fun is in the mystery or the unexpected. So I learned to go along the ride and see where it takes me. And I have been able to enjoy wonderful adventures stress-free because of it. Research has also found that the element of surprise is actually beneficial to our overall wellbeing.

This, of course, not only applies to traveling, although having a great, big adventure filled with unexpected twists and turns can definitely be stressful at times, but it actually makes it all the more worthwhile and memorable. We can learn to live more freely by not being confined to what feels comfortable for us. And studies have shown that surprises or unexpected events in our lives can improve happiness, relationships, mental health, work, and more.

Of course, there are certain surprises that may be too much for us to handle, but I think as long as we are able to roll with the punches, we can get out of whatever sticky situation or circumstance we find ourselves in, and learn much from it as well. That is what Dennis Lewon has discovered in his adventures, and continues to live by as well. So, as the saying goes, live a little, and you might find something great from the surprises that await you.

(Image credit: Wojciech Then/Unsplash)

The official Youtube channel of One Piece has announced that, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the show, the channel will be streaming the entire series on Youtube starting October 29th. For one whole year, you can watch One Piece non-stop from the first episode until the latest episode count which is episode 1080. For anybody who may not have access to streaming sites like Crunchyroll or Netflix, this would be the best way to finally start binging the series and get on that One Piece hype train.

The video announcement titled Anytime One Piece cannot be viewed by audiences outside of Japan, however, we can assume that the live stream will be available to everyone around the world who would like to have a marathon of the show. Apart from the 25th anniversary of the show, the manga will be entering its final saga and supposedly the end of the entire series.

(Image credit: Melvin Chavez/Unsplash)