The University of Fine Arts in Hamburg, Germany is offering three grants, each of which pays the equivalent of $1,887 to people who will commit to doing nothing. The Guardian describes the grant application:

The application form consists of only four questions: What do you not want to do? For how long do you not want to do it? Why is it important not to do this thing in particular? Why are you the right person not to do it?

The premises of the project are to promote human sustainability by inaction and to question the assumption that activity is good:

The idea behind the project arose from a discussion about the seeming contradiction of a society that promotes sustainability while simultaneously valuing success, Von Borries said. “This scholarship programme is not a joke but an experiment with serious intentions – how can you turn a society that is structured around achievements and accomplishments on its head?” [...]

All applications will form part of an exhibition named The School of Inconsequentiality: Towards A Better Life, opening at the Hamburg university in November. It will be structured around the question: “What can I refrain from so that my life has fewer negative consequences on the lives of others?”

-via Marginal Revolution | Photo: Pixabay

The Mississippi River bisects the United States and separates the East from the West. It has figured prominently in much of the country's history. But it was here long before any people were. Research in just the last few years has revealed that the river is much older than the previously thought 20 million years. It appears the river was born 70 million years ago!

Still, 70 million years ago the Mississippi was nowhere near as large as it would become. [Geologist Michael] Blum has detailed how the waterway grew as it added tributaries: the Platte, Arkansas and Tennessee rivers by the late Paleocene, then the Red River by the Oligocene. Around 60 million years ago, the Mississippi was collecting water from the Rockies to the Appalachians; by four million years ago, its watershed had extended into Canada, and the Mississippi had grown to an enormous size, carrying four to eight times as much water as it does today, Cox and colleagues have found. “This was a giant river, on the order of the Amazon,” said Cox.

Learn how the mighty Mississippi was born, and how it has changed, at Smithsonian.

(Image credit: NASA/Jesse Allen)

Beachcombers and urban explorers flock to the shores of Dead Horse Bay in Brooklyn to explore the amazing stash of vintage trash. The beach is strewn with broken glass and intact bottles, ceramics, and rusty metal from a bygone era, but not all that much in the way of plastic. Or at least they did up until this year. The beach is now closed to the public due to radiation.

The surprisingly pretty trash spews from the site of an old landfill. Casually capped by the 1950s, it is now eroding, unpacking its contents onto the beach. “It’s easy to imagine [the trash] being brought in by the tide, but it’s the opposite,” says Miriam Sicherman, author of Brooklyn’s Barren Island: A Forgotten History. “It’s getting almost burped by the land where the reeds are, and moving toward the water.” Named for the foul-smelling factories on Barren Island that once made glue, fertilizer, and more from horses and other animals (and then discarded their carcasses in the water), Dead Horse Bay is a popular place for urban archaeology enthusiasts with strong stomachs and closed-toed shoes. Part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, it is managed by the National Park Service, which means that visitors have been able to look but not take. But as of August 2020, even gawking is off limits. After detecting chemical contaminants back in 2002 and gamma radiation in 2019, the Park Service recently declared part of the area closed to everyone but authorized personnel.

Read what is causing the radiation and how dangerous it could be at Atlas Obscura.

(Image credit: Flickr user edwardhblake)

In his professional life, geology professor Kevin McCartney can tell you all about iron. As a collector, he can tell you all about irons, the ones you press your clothing with. Or at least some people do. McCartney has a collection of around 500 antique irons from the days before electric appliances.

Electric irons arrived in the 1890s. McCartney does not collect these. Again, from the perspective of the 21st century, you’d be forgiven for concluding that once electric irons arrived, it must have been game-over for coal, liquid fuel, and natural gas irons, right? In fact, initially, electric irons were perceived to be more dangerous than irons filled with billowing flames and potentially explosive fuel tanks in their handles. That’s because it wasn’t until 1928 and the invention of the thermostat that electric irons had more than one heat setting—high. As counterintuitive as it might seem today, for almost 40 years, electric irons were more deadly than ones heated with actual fire.

“Electricity was the nuclear power of its day in the sense that people were not thinking rationally about it,” McCartney says. “It was bad. People got electrocuted, and there was no temperature regulation in those irons. You’d plug it in until it got really, really hot, then you’d unplug it and do your ironing. When it cooled off, you’d plug it in again, unplug it, use it again, and so on. And if you plugged it in and the baby started crying and you got distracted and forgot to unplug it, you’d lose your house. These things were fire hazards.”

You might wonder how "coal, liquid fuel, and natural gas" irons worked, which McCartney tells us about at Collectors Weekly. Learning how the chore was done back then will make you appreciate electric irons, tumble dryers, and permanent press clothing.

When it comes to packing for a trip that will last for a few days, it is always better to be safe than sorry. This is why we pack more than what we usually use on a normal day, so that we’ll be prepared when something unexpected happens.

If you’ve overpacked before, then you might find these posts, which Bored Panda collected, to be relatable.

Bored Panda [also] wanted to learn more about overpacking, so we reached out to professional organizer Janine Adams who is the creator of Peace of Mind Organizing.

See the interview, as well as the tweets, over at the site.

Which post relates to you the most?

(Image Credit: Bored Panda)

Who needs a farmers tan when you can get a @cavs Finals hat burn? pic.twitter.com/rIUXldi4nz

— Mark (@MarkdFL) June 23, 2016

It only takes a few months of school, work, or winter to make you forget the power of the sun. When the sun is high overhead, be sure to protect those parts of your body not covered by clothing by applying sunscreen. Also, consider the reason that baseball caps have visors before you decide to just wear yours backwards. Below is an example of what happens when you sit in a kayak all day without sunscreen.

(Image credit: BustersHotHamWater)

If he had known what was going on, he could have adjusted those rolls for a more even burn. See a ranked gallery of 40 people who learned the value of sunscreen the hard way at Bored Panda.

Back in the 1980s, my then-husband and I joined a Mac users group. It was based in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the meetings were a real nerd-fest. Everyone was so excited about new programs that were being shared that they were all surprised when I asked a question and they realized there was a woman in the building! After that, I was treated like a queen. A good time was had by all. It's hard to imagine groups like that meeting in person today, even before social distancing. But computer user groups were a real thing from the 70s to the 90s.

Once upon a time, using a computer was difficult. The documentation was obscure (if any existed), nothing was pre-assembled, and if you had a problem you were on your own. You might find some answers by dialing into an early electronic bulletin board system (BBS), but nothing beats having someone look over your shoulder and say, “You plugged it in upside down!”

Computer user groups were (and to some tiny degree still are) all-volunteer organizations, usually non-profits. They were organized in small towns and in big cities, with 25 members or 2,500. Services varied, but early user groups largely had two essential elements: a monthly general meeting and a printed newsletter.
Some user group magazines were of professional caliber. This 32-page newsletter attracted subscribers from 28 countries.

For small groups, the meeting presentation might be a member’s show-and-tell. Larger and better-connected user groups attracted vendors, who (rightly) saw them as early adopters worth courting.

Younger folks can learn about tech history, and older folks can wallow in nostalgia in an article tracing the history of computer user groups at Ars Technica. -via Digg

Sora News 24 tells us about tsumekaki hon tsuzure ori, a traditional form of tapestry weaving that is unique to the Shiga prefecture in Japan. To press down threads smoothly into place, practitioners use their own fingernails, into which they file perfectly-spaced notches.

The prefectural government created this video in order to promote tsumekaki hon tsuzure ori, which translates as "nail-scratching genuine-tapestry weave."

Photo: 株式会社清原織物

They were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they could invent the Pee-Week Herman and unleash him upon the visitors of the park.

Pixel Riot, which mixes up characters and movies through seamless digital editing, now brings to the screen a mashup of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and Jurassic Park. Here, then, is the trailer for the cinema's next big thriller.

-via Dave Barry

It may seem awfully small, but a home with a front measurement of 20 feet is not unusual in New York City. However, a home measuring 20 feet across that boasts a living space of over 8,000 feet is a real head-scratcher! The mansion at 108 8th Avenue in Brooklyn is 83 feet front-to-back and comprises five floors, plus a full-size cellar and a roof deck. Built in 1900, it retains the original style and craftsmanship of that era.

The current owner renovated and modernized the home – including the electrical, plumbing, all bathrooms & kitchen, and added multi-zoned air conditioning & acoustic stereo sound systems. At the same time, the details were painstakingly preserved by master craftspeople. The list of lavish original details is endless: filigreed mahogany woodwork, an abundance of stained-glass windows, fretwork screens, Corinthian columns, carved newel posts, wainscoting, original inlaid parquet floors, 15′ coffered ceilings on the dining room floor, stunning millwork, and 6 lavishly detailed mantled fireplaces (3 converted to gas). Much of the spacious interior is devoted to communal living, including a music room/performance space with ideal acoustics, a library room that boasts the classic ladder, a dining room with original tapestries, a huge game room, a duplex kitchen that features custom stained-glass windows from the studios of Frank Lloyd Wright, a Juliet balcony for sipping a glass of wine while cooking, and a lower-level multi-windowed breakfast room that opens out onto a covered deck.

Considering the size, condition, and location of this home in Park Slope, you won't be surprised that the asking price is $7.3 million, but you could probably get it for an even seven. Yeah, you've seen this house in movies and TV shows, and you can see plenty of pictures of this beautiful mansion at Captivating Houses. -via Messy Nessy Chic, where you'll see more interesting properties available around the country.

Big fish each the smaller fish, who eat the even tinier fish, and so goes the circle of life. It's not only fish, but extinct sea creatures, too. A 240-million-year-old fossil found in China turns out to be a rare find- a fossil with the recognizable contents of its last meal inside.

The fossil, found at a quarry in Guizhou province of southwestern China, appears to show a 15-foot-long (5-meter) ichthyosaur (pronounced “ick-thee-oh-sore”) shortly after feasting upon a 12-foot-long (4-meter) thalattosaur. Regrettably, the ichthyosaur probably died shortly after its meal, having bitten off more than it could handle.

Ichthyosaurs were dolphin-like aquatic reptiles that emerged during the Triassic. This particular specimen belonged to an ichthyosaur species known as Guizhouichthyosaurus tangae, which grew as long as 33 feet (10 meters). Its presumed prey, a thalattosaur species called Xinpusaurus xingyiensis, was more lizard-like, with four limbs that it used to paddle through the water. The new fossil is the first direct evidence to suggest at least some species of ichthyosaurs were apex predators, similar to orcas today.

Read about the find, and the clues that hint at what happened all those years ago, at Gizmodo.

(Image credit: Jim Cooke/Gizmodo)

Everyone of us is connected to Mother Nature. Artist Wang Ruilin showcases this statement through his copper-and-paint sculptures of animals in states of repose, with bits of nature, such as polar ice caps and mountainous ridges, imprinted on their bodies. The results are majestic pieces of art.

… the creatures [evoke] Earth’s most sublime features through surreal placements.

See more of the artist’s sculpture over at Colossal, and get some glimpses into his processes over at Behance and Instagram.

(Image Credit: Wang Ruilin/ Colossal)

Couples always look forward to Friday nights and weekends, as they get to rest from work, and they can spend their time together late at night without having to worry about waking up early.

Sleeping in has been in Japan’s culture ever since the ancient times. Back then, however, there weren’t alarm clocks which you can just turn off whenever you like. Instead, there were roosters which crow naturally at dawn. And so, if couples want to sleep in and have fun during the night without being disturbed by the rooster’s crow so early in the morning, they attempt to get the chicken drunk with sake. This scene is depicted in Harunobu Suzuki’s print titled Niwatori to Danjo (“a rooster and a couple”).

And judging by the look on it’s face, the rooster may have caught on the the couple’s plan. This print, along with many others, is part of a large Ukiyo-e exhibition in Tokyo that’s going on now through September 22, 2020.

(Image Credit: Harunobu Suzuki/ Spoon & Tamago)

Paying homage to the Volkswagen Beetle Type 1 (also called the “bug”), Aldekas Studio reveals this concept of a retro-styled, custom-framed mini-kart made from the fenders of the aforementioned car.

Featuring an olive green look, the Bugkart Wasowski by Aldekas Studio takes the Volkswagen beetle’s fenders, headlights and turn signals and transforms them into a kart that features the car’s distinctive round shape. The red kart frame contrasts with the green of the fender, adding charm to the kart as well. A round, tall handlebar acts as the steering system while the original chrome side mirrors add to the classic look. Regarding the engine and transmission, there’s not enough info as here we’re only seeing the renderings.

The result is this weird-looking mini-kart.

Would you ride one if given the chance?

(Image Credit: Aldekas Studio/ DesignBoom)

If you’re looking for places you can visit in the future, why not look for some cool pools? There’s nothing wrong with the usual swimming pool, but if you’re planning to travel far, there’s also no harm in trying out some unique places, right? Check out Reader’s Digest’s feature of odd swimming pools from around the globe, from geothermal spas to the world’s largest man-made swimming pool. Even if you’re not planning to travel, it’s a list that’s still entertaining to see!