In J.R.R. Tolkein's The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins became extravagantly wealthy by looting the treasure of the dragon Smaug (which he split with the dwarves). In today's value, how much money was that? Forbes' Michael Noer ran some calculations and came up with $8 billion:

To keep the math relatively simple and to avoid complications like integrating the partial volume of a sphere, we can approximate Smaug’s bed of gold and silver to be a cone, with a radius of 9.6 feet (1/2 the diameter) and a height of 7 feet (assuming the weight of the dragon will smush down the point of the cone by about a foot).

Now we can calculate the volume of Smaug’s treasure mound:

V= 1/3 ? r2 h = 1/3 * ? * 9.62 * 7 = 675.6 cubic feet

But, obviously, the mound isn’t solid gold and silver. We know it has a “great two-handled cups” in it – one of which Bilbo steals – and probably human remains, not to mention the air space between the coins. Let’s assume that the mound is 30% air and bones. That makes the volume of the hoard that is pure gold and silver coins 472.9 cubic feet.

We know that Bilbo eventually takes his cut of the treasure in two small-chests, one filled with gold and the other filled with silver, so it seems safe to assume that the hoard is approximately ½ gold and ½ silver, or 236.4 cubic feet of each metal.

Link via Nerd Bastards | Image by deviantART user Remainaery

Sailing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic is quite an accomplishment, but what these guys did was a bit more daring. First, they built their own tiny raft out of pipes tied together, and second, the four sailors proved that age is not a limiting factor:

Talk about your ancient mariners! British adventurer Anthony Smith, 85, and a senior citizen crew have sailed their tiny raft, An-Tiki, some 3,000 miles from Portugal's Canary Islands to St. Martin in the Caribbean. They arrived this morning.

Smith and his three-man crew wanted to show what the elderly can do when they set their minds and hearts to it. [...]

According to the adventure newsletter Expedition News, Smith's latest escapde began more than three years ago when he placed the following advertisement in a London newspaper, The Daily Telegraph: "Fancy rafting across the Atlantic? Famous traveler requires 3 crew. Must be OAP [Old Age Pensioner]. Serious adventurers only." He got hundreds of eager replies from men fed up with gardening and playing bridge with their wives.

Link | An-Tiki official website

Yes, it's an old joke but this illustration by Nathan Batson of Comical Concept has three of my favorite things: Star Trek, facepalm, and General Tso's chicken. Link - via AQFL

Got sleep? Most of us hate getting up in the morning without getting a full night's sleep, but for a small group of people (about 1% to 3% of the general population), sleep seems to be a waste of time.

No wonder they can accomplish so much more: they're awake all the time (and not be cranky about it, either)

Natural "short sleepers," as they're officially known, are night owls and early birds simultaneously. They typically turn in well after midnight, then get up just a few hours later and barrel through the day without needing to take naps or load up on caffeine.

They are also energetic, outgoing, optimistic and ambitious, according to the few researchers who have studied them. The pattern sometimes starts in childhood and often runs in families.

While it's unclear if all short sleepers are high achievers, they do have more time in the day to do things, and keep finding more interesting things to do than sleep, often doing several things at once.

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Nothing will stand between this baby and a bottle ... not even a full flight of stairs.

Check out how this cute kid navigated down the stairs over at NeatoBambino: http://www.neatorama.com/neatobambino/2011/04/06/agile-baby-will-get-her-bottle-right-now/ [embedded YouTube clip] | For more cute and wonderful baby and kid stuff, check out Neatorama's own NeatoBambino blog.

Photo: Telstar Logistics [Flickr]

It may not have done a Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs, but it seems to be holding up well against two AT-ATs in the background! Todd Lappin of Telstar Logistics found the "other" Millenium Falcon in action in Oakland, California.

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Rocket Pen Titan - $8.95

It's a rocket! It's a pen! No it's Rocket Pen Titan from the NeatoShop!

Rocket Pen Titan is there for you when you need a break from overwhelming paperwork.  Bad work day be gone! It is time to count down and blast off to your fun zone.

Be sure you check out the NeatoShop for more fun-tastic Pens & Pencils!

I don't know about you guys, but I would absolutely love to have my own knitted Tardis blanket like this one, created by Flickr user hedoknitstic. Aside from the obviously awesome style it adds to your room, how cool would it be to get to tell everyone that your bed is bigger on the inside than on the outside?

Link via Craftzine

I don't know about you guys, but I wish you could actually order this guy to crash your school or office building. It would be so much cooler than a singing telegram.

BTW, good luck trying to get that song out of your head for the rest of the day.

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George Takei will turn 74 years old in a couple of weeks. However, that doesn't matter when you have the magic of special effects! And adequate medical insurance, of course.... This video is labeled "episode one, " so we can assume this campaign will continue with further videos. -via The Daily What

The Soviet Union used their space program as one of the front line battles of the Cold War. And for a time they were ahead, as anyone who remembers Sputnik and Gagarin will tell you. They had an edge in that reaching their goals was more important to the nation than the lives of the cosmonauts. Documentation on the cosmonauts is limited, and some evidence has been altered, such as the disappearing cosmonaut in the photo here. Then there was Voskhod 2, the mission featuring the first space walk.

The launch went up safely, got into an orbit, and a cosmonaut, Alexei Leonov, became the first human to perform a spacewalk. Super. But that was about when things took a turn for the cataclysmic.

On his way back in, Leonov's spacesuit inflated due to the vacuum of space, which, apparently, the guys who designed the suit had never heard of. His suit was so laughably ballooney, in fact, that he could barely move and most definitely couldn't fit back in the spaceship door. Leonov was forced to let some air out, all the while suffering from heatstroke and the bends. By the time his little 12 minute walk turned into a 20 minute walk, he was up to his knees in sweat. But he made it back in to the ship, safe and sound.

However, things got worse for Voskhod 2 after that. Read all about it at Cracked. NSFW text. Link -via reddit

Quick -what's traditional to serve at a wedding? Cake? Champagne? That's just the beginning, because different cultures have different menus, and they all have some history or symbolic meaning. The Igbo tribe of southern Nigeria incorporates kola nuts (pictured here) in the wedding ceremony, as a bridal gift, to be served to guests, and even as part of the ceremony. Read about this and more at Woman's Day. http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Recipes/9-Wedding-Foods-Around-the-World.html -via the Presurfer

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New York comedian and filmmaker Mark Malkoff (who drinks a lot of coffee) wanted to illustrate how slow MTA buses are. So he raced against a bus while he rode ...a child's Big Wheel! The race went a mile down 42nd street. Can you guess who won? -Thanks, Mark!

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I'm not big into comic books, necessarily, but I love artist Fabian Gonzalez's graphic representation of some of the most beloved superheroes of all time. I think Zorro is my favorite. The print is available in various sizes.

Link via Flavorwire

Potholes are a conundrum for journalists. They are newsworthy because potholes  directly affect the live of local readers or viewers. However, they don't lend themselves to great visuals, which are necessary for newspapers and television broadcasts. So, what do you do? Many news outlets take pictures of potholes with the people they affect. It happens so often that it's become a cliche, and when you see these pictures gathered together, the effect is quite funny! That's what the blog Posing with Potholes is for. See picture after picture of the poor folks who have to deal with these holes day in and day out. You can submit your own personal pothole picture as well. Link -via Breakfast Links