Nazaré is a municipality located in Portugal. The area, filled with beautiful tourist spots for visitors to take advantage of, has encountered a problem that became a threat to their local economy. The problem is the huge waves that were too high to be tamed by surfing enthusiasts. The once-popular summer holiday became a ghost town, as tourists tend to avoid the huge waves that spawned in the area. Learn how the municipality turned their big problem into a big tourist event here!
Archeologists have discovered human bodies at Huaca Santa Rosa de Pucalá, northwestern Peru. Out of the total 29 bodies, four of them were reported to represent the region’s first examples of human sacrificial offerings. According to Edgar Bracamonte Lévano, the excavation's director and research archaeologist with the Royal Tombs of Sipán museum, the ‘offerings’ were two children, one teenager, and one adult-- which were estimated to have been entombed approximately 1,000 years ago.
In addition to human remains, the excavation unearthed skeletons of different animals-- eight guinea pigs, several alpacas, and llamas, all believed to have been sacrificed along with the human bodies. Learn more about the discovery here.
People who work from home and have very, very clingy pets, the days when our furry companions take over our work table, our laps, or our laptops is now over! Swedish inventor and YouTuber Simone Giertz created a perfect chair that accommodates you and your pet. Her creation allows our fluffy friends to sit beside us as we work throughout the day. This chair would definitely be ideal if you’re a pet owner!
No need to risk your skin in case of oil splatters when getting close to the deep fryer! Whether you’re using a pot or a deep fryer, it’s pretty scary to get near a container full of hot, boiling oil, right? So how do you know when the oil is ready? Researchers from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia and their colleagues suggest that we use our ears.
The experts from the field of fluid dynamics were inspired by the kitchen hack used to test tempura-frying oil where you wet the end of a chopstick, stick it into the oil, and listen. According to Tadd Truscott, one of the researchers in the study, “if you hear really loud popping or crackling, it's probably too hot.” The oil is ready if “ there's sort of this nice bubbling sound. [It] almost feels like a song to some people, as it was described to me once." he added.
Theaters put their rules up on the screen before film showings to remind people to turn off their cell phones, keep quiet, and put their empty popcorn tubs in the garbage. The cell phone reminder is useful to those of us who never think about our phones until the ringer chimes. While most other rules seem like just common sense and common courtesy, we know there are plenty of people who have neither. And it was ever so. Even at the beginning of cinema, people had to be reminded that there are others in the room.
Marina Amaral collected slides that were shown before silent films in 1912 to remind people that while that hat is lovely, other theater patrons would like to see around it. You can see how how these slides worked to set the standard back when the movegoing experience was new. Sadly, some of these etiquette rules are still needed today, but you have to wonder if they do any good. On the one hand, someone who is prone to talk loudly over a film or harass other patrons is not going to be swayed by a posted rule. On the other hand, having the rules posted gives a theater owner grounds to evict a transgressor. See more of Amaral's collection of slides at Twitter or at Threadreader. -via Fark
"Man, the internet sure has changed!" You say or hear that statement quite a lot. It's true that new technology, shared experiences, and cultural shifts take place at the speed of light thanks to the ease and reach of the internet. When so many changes take place in just a few years, you can lose track of what once was. Quick, do you recall which came first- Napster or Wikipedia or wifi? Those milestones seem to exist in a lump now, although the internet we have now evolved in a series of steps. I remember when we talked about "web 2.0" for a long time before the term "social media" was settled on, and it wasn't all that long ago.
Mental Floss has a refresher on the subject of internet history, with 20 milestones that may strike you as profound, or maybe just nostalgic. At any rate, they help to explain how we got where we are today.
Here at Neatorama, we seek to not only entertain our readers, but also inform them. The pursuit of scientific knowledge is a worthy goal for its own sake. Therefore let us pause from our usual fare of cat videos and oddly-cooked burritos to examine the dynamic field of biomechanics. Specifically, let's look at how breasts move about while women run on treadmills.
In a 2018 article in the Journal of Biomechanics, Elisa s. Arch and her colleagues noticed that previous studies of breast movement during athletic activity focused on the movement of the nipple. This is understandable, as the nipple is easy to track. But it is inadequate if one wishes to examine the flow and sway of breasts in three dimensions. Their research required six women to run on treadmills wearing tracking bras, such as the one you see photographed above. As a result, the researchers noticed that larger breasts tended to move more than smaller breasts and that most motion did not occur at the nipples, but at other areas of the breasts.
But clearly, as Deidre E. McGhee and Julie R. Steele argue in their 2020 article "Breast Mechanics: What Do We Really Know?", there is a great need for futher research and observation. Let the march of scientific progress continue.
God Creating Animals is a series of books for early readers based on Tweets by Charles Peterson and drawings by Brian Russell of Underfold Comics. The Twitter account for these gives us a glimpse at how all animals are different and have their unique niche in the ecosystem -with humor! Check out some of the Tweets in which animals learn their features and purposes.
God: you're a moose.
Moose: what if there is more than one of me?
God: still a moose.
Moose: oh.
God: what's wrong?
Moose: I thought my plural was Meese lmao.
God: lol.
Moose: can you even imagine how silly that would be.
— God Creating Animals (@GodAnimalBooks) May 8, 2021
You can keep up with the voluminous animal jokes at the Twitter account. While the jokes fly thick and fast, one thing that always comes through is that God really loves his animals.
When I bought my first adult bike two years ago, I gritted my teeth and settled on a Huffy Cranbook. It was good enough, since it had a single gear, coaster brakes, an upright rider position, and the capacity to take cargo racks.
At the time, I didn't know that omafeits existed. Omafiet is the Dutch word for "grandma bike." The YouTuber Not Just Bikes explains how they are magnificently designed for practical, everyday use.
The omafeit has everything my Huffy does and so much more: a complete chain guard, a step-through frame, a coat guard, a heavy-duty cargo rack, a frame lock, and a dynamo for a headlight. The omafeit is a simple, rugged assembly of steel parts that's ideal for everyday transportation.
That's why I think it would also be an ideal vehicle for a post-apocalyptic lifestyle. There's no point in owning a vehicle that requires frequent maintenance or specialized parts. It's not as energy efficient as a road bike, but it's more efficient than a fancy bike that you have to walk away from because a gear slipped and the underdwellers have caught your scent.
We've published many videos of deep sea exploration taken by an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) sent down by NOAA's ocean exploration research ships. The amazing videos they record are often accompanied by real-time commentary from the scientists back on the ship who are seeing these creatures at a safe and comfortable distance. Their enthusiasm makes deep sea exploration all the more pleasant for those of us who have no idea what we're seeing.
Ze Frank considers himself in that category, and thought it would be a good idea to have someone in on the conversation who doesn't have an advanced degree in marine biology or whatever. He made it happen, with an injection of confusion, horror, and humor edited into the dialogue.
First We Feast passes along this excellent idea for Thanksgiving. Yes, the dinner event itself is important. But friends and relatives may be staying much longer, so a more informal snacking option can be helpful. A charcuterie board with a selection of meats, cheeses, and fruits can keep your guests occupied while you labor in the kitchen.
To impress your visitors, make little roses out of circular slices of salami. The top of a wine glass offers a workspace and mold. Layer the slices in concentric circles until they meet at the top. Then carefully flip your glass over to present a pork flower.
We've already read about the worst Christmas gifts, which was quite sad. Here's a gift guide that's a little more lighthearted that recommends actual products you can order -as long as you allow plenty of time for delivery. Supply chain issues, you know. When you feel obligated to give a gift to someone you really don't like, you don't show your hand by getting something way too cheap, or used, or ridiculously mundane. No, you get them something with plausible deniability. It's new, it's trendy, it came at the expected price, but it will eventually cause problems for the recipient.
Naomi Kritzer has published her annual gift guide for people you hate, broken down into categories. How about a kit or some supplies for a difficult new hobby that the recipient never expressed any interest in? Or maybe gadgets for a home office that is already cramped, or even your public office, where a tape dispenser that plays the cymbals when you use it will amuse coworkers (shown above). There are always single-purpose kitchen appliances that will be little used, but take up valuable kitchen space, whether on the counter or in the pantry. And you might consider a subscription to a magazine that completely counters the recipient's political ideology. Charity donations are good for that, too. Read more of these ideas, with links to specific products for giggles, at Will Tell Stories For Food. -via Everlasting Blort
Is it full of treasures for us to discover? The long-lost area, called the ‘island of gold,’ was discovered in Musi River, located near Palembang, Indonesia. True to its moniker, the land has gold oozing from the river bottom. In addition to the eye-catching mineral deposits, divers found hundreds of figurines, temple bells, tools, mirrors, coins, and ceramics. Other interesting artifacts found at the site are golden sword hilts and gold-and-ruby rings, carved jars, and wine jugs and flutes shaped like peacocks.
Thanks to all the artifacts, scientists were able to discern that the ‘island of gold’ was actually the lost city of Srivijaya, a wealthy and powerful port that controlled the Straits of Malacca between the mid-600s and 1025. "We're starting at ground zero," Kingsley told Live Science. "It's like walking into a museum wing, and it's completely empty. People don't know what clothes the people of Srivijaya wore, what their tastes were, what kind of ceramics they liked to eat off, nothing. We don't know anything about them in life or in death."
Image credit: Rio Helmi/LightRocket via Live Science
Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto by Caravaggio will be sold at auction for an estimated $54 million. That’s a lot of money involved! The artwork is the only ceiling mural made by the Italian artist and features three Roman gods and their corresponding symbolic animals. The mural is part of the sale of the Villa Aurora in Rome, the last surviving location of the 16th century Villa Ludovisi estate. Learn more about the painting and the auction here!
Trends are temporary-- they exist in the mainstream for a couple of months or years, but then eventually go out of style. Trends are lucky if they re-emerge after decades, as what we see with the rise of different ‘retro’ styles in fashion. But just like how current trends affect how we perceive clothes, tattoos also are affected by the current fancies of the majority. Except, unlike clothes, we can’t discard body art easily.
So if you’re planning on getting a tattoo for yourself, maybe heed the advice of different tattoo artists about which designs to avoid. Check Vice’s full interview with them here.
