80 Years of Reading Recorded in a Diary

Ben Myers, a professor of theology and literature at a college in Australia, writes that his grandmother, who was born in Germany, recorded every book that she read from the age of 14 until she passed away last week. She provided complete records of every book for 80 years. It's a total of 1,658 books, which is approximately one book every two weeks.

The lady was, I gather, a Serbian who lived in Germany before immigrating to Australia after World War II. In addition to English and Serbian, could read German and Hungarian.

I've done something similar for the past dozen years or so--just an ongoing reading list. Perhaps it will give something for my own grandchildren to ponder.


Seven Disastrous Bridge Collapses from History

By now you've heard about the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore after it was struck by a cargo ship Tuesday morning, leading to the deaths of six men working on the bridge. Large modern bridges that carry lots of traffic are engineering marvels, except when they aren't, or when they are hit by ships bigger than they were designed to resist, or when big storms or earthquakes hit. The picture above shows Howard Clifford running away from his abandoned car as the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapsed on November 7, 1940. We previously posted a video of that harrowing bridge failure. The suspension bridge twisted under the force of 40 mph winds until it couldn't maintain its integrity any longer.

Smithsonian brings us some information on the Baltimore bridge accident, plus seven other horrific bridge collapses from history. A couple of them were destroyed twice, and a few are accompanied by video of the destruction.

(Image source: UW Digital Collections)


The Elevator: A Star Wars Story

Getting on an elevator with your boss can be stressful, but it's much worse when your boss has the power of life and death over you. You just want to fade into the background, but this stormtrooper named TK-FNG is the only one there besides Darth Vader. And to make things worse, Vader has the hiccups. Can he keep his cool all the way to his floor? This would have been much easier back in the day when stormtroopers were clones who didn't have the time nor the background to develop human emotions and anxieties.

You also have to wonder what the implications of a case of hiccups would be for a guy who uses an artificial beathing apparatus. But you can't just ask him.

This Star Wars short film is brought to you by AFK. Peter Haynes created this video as part of his For The Empire series, in which TK-FNG is a recurring character. You can see all the episodes here.


How Do You Make a Freezer Colder?

Aaron Cohen has been running Jason Kottke's blog while he's on vacation. Cohen also owns an ice cream shop. Here he presents us with an example of confusing design. The image is of a freezer knob. If you wanted to make the freezer colder, would you turn the knob clockwise or counterclockwise? The arrow is pointing to the right (clockwise). Does that mean that you should turn the knob in this direction to make the freezer colder, or does it mean that these smaller numbers on the right are where you should set the knob for a colder temperature? In other words, which is colder, a setting of 1 or a setting of 6? I have the same knob on my refrigerator, and since both ideas occurred to me, I just left it sitting where it's always been.

It's like when someone asks you to turn the air conditioning up. Do they mean to make the A/C work harder to make the room cooler, or do they mean turn the thermostat up, which would be warmer? In that case, you can just ask them what they mean. Let us know your opinion in the poll, and maybe some HVAC pro will set us straight in the comments.

How would you make this freezer colder?





Nine Songs That Don't Mean What You Might Think

There are two kinds of people in this world- those who never listen to the lyrics of their favorite songs, and those who know all the lyrics but misinterpret what they mean. That's why "The One I Love" by R.E.M. is on many wedding playlists despite it being about an abusive relationship, and why Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." is used as a patriotic anthem despite it being a complaint about a guy's awful life. A song is always more than its title, but that's the thing people remember. Do you know what Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is about? No, because the title has nothing to do with the lyrics, as far as we can tell.

The meaning of some songs is misinterpreted because the word "love" stands out, so it must be a love song. Or there's a rumor about a hidden meaning that's completely untrue. Or it's such a dance bop that it couldn't possibly say anything deep or philosophical. Sometimes one misheard lyric gives the song an entirely new, but unintentional, meaning. And there are even cases where the singer and the liner notes disagree over what the lyrics really are. Read up on nine popular songs for which the lyrics are either ignored or misinterpreted at Mental Floss. You can also listen to the article in video form.


French Bulldog Performs "I'm Just Ken" With Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling memorably sang the song "I'm just Ken" from the movie Barbie at the Oscar awards ceremony earlier this month. Viewers loved it. Sadly, Gosling did not win for Best Supporting Actor, but he did rule the internet for a few days afterward. The performance sparked a sense of deja vu for The Kiffness (previously at Neatorama) because it reminded him of the singing bulldog that went viral five years ago. Therefore, he couldn't resist editing together a mashup of the two. So who does it better- Walter Geoffrey's French bulldog or the movie star? Neither are professional singers, and that's okay, but personally, I can't help but be drawn to the bulldog's performance. It's just so emotional! -via Geeks Are Sexy


The Oldest Candlepin Bowling Alley in the World

Candlepin bowling is a variant of bowling that originated in New England and the maritime provinces of Canada. The cylindrical pins, which resemble candles in shape, are three inches wide. The balls are much smaller than what you might be used to measuring only four and a half inches across.

D'Amanda's bowling alley in Ellsworth Maine, which is owned and operated by one person, has a unique pinsetting machine that was built as a prototype in 1949. It's still in use, although it is fragile and requires almost constant repairs.

At the age of 19, Autumn Mowery purchased the alley and is its only employee. Mowery has to run everything because it's impossible for her to get insurance to protect workers who would have to repair and reset the pinsetting machine. WCSH News in Portland interviewed Mowery about her mission to preserve the traditions of candlepin bowling and this particular business.


This Is a Javelin Training Machine

Johannes Vetter is a German athlete who specializes in the javelin throw. His personal record is almost 320 feet and 9 inches, which is a long distance to throw anything at all.

How does Vetter do it? He trains hard and trains smart, using the best techniques and equipment available. This includes weighted sleds designed specifically for javelin training. I think that he's using this specific model, which was allows for not only weight adjustment, but also calculates the velocity of each throw. Athletes can use this machine while seated or standing.

-via Massimo


How Sewing Machines Work

Sewing any garment by hand is tedious work, and it requires a tremendous amount of skill as well. But we don't sew clothes by hand anymore, because we have sewing machines. It may seem trivial for anyone who isn't interested in embroidery or sewing, but the things needed in order to make invent sewing machines was actually remarkable.

When I was a kid, my grandmother had a sewing machine in her room, and my cousins and I would often visit her room and play with the sewing machine, not knowing exactly how the machine worked. We would often just step on the pedal and the machine would start, and the sound that it made was like music to our ears.

The sewing machine was invented in the 1850s, although it's unclear who exactly was the first to do so, as there were many competing claims. However, in order for the sewing machine to work, there were three main innovations that had to be established before we got to a prototype of the modern sewing machine.

First of all, inventors needed to think of a different way of sewing. Instead of having to manually flip over the needle from one side to the other, Charles Wiesenthal invented a needle that was sharp on two edges. That removes the need for flipping. But then a second problem presented itself.

Even though the needle could now go through the fabric on both sides, there was no way of tangling the thread onto the fabric. That's when the chain stitch was conceptualized. Although the chain stitch solved the problem of the thread staying on the fabric, if the thread were to come loose, then the whole seam would come apart as well.

So, inventors devised a solution called the lock stitch, which held the thread in place by using two different spools of thread which will be interlocked in the middle of the fabric to keep it in place. This brought about several changes to the sewing machine integrating that innovation.

The last piece of the puzzle was how to move the fabric without having to do it by hand. And thus came the feed dog, which is the part of the sewing machine that automatically moved the fabric after every stitch.

Once all the pieces had been acquired, we finally got the modern sewing machine. With all of these different parts, Isaac Singer, a businessman, thought of commercializing the sewing machine. He bought the patents for all the different innovations and made the manufacturing of the sewing machines more efficient, so that it can be sold to households instead of corporations.

This brought the price of the sewing machine down to one-tenth of its original price of $100. And that's how our grandmothers were able to have this nifty machine that can make clothes in half an hour in their rooms.

(Video credit: Veritasium/Youtube)


Animation: From 1833 to 2017

The first instance of animation was produced was in 1833 with the invention of the phenakistiscope, which is a device that produced the illusion of motion. You probably have seen those rotary devices which have a sequence of drawings inside that, when you spin it, will make it look like the drawings are moving.

From that point, we fast-track to the early 20th century, when some of the more familiar animated scenes like Little Nemo and Gertie the Dinosaur appear. Although it wasn't until the debut of Steamboat Willie that animation would begin its rapid rise and development into more advanced technologies.

Walt Disney, obviously, had a huge hand in putting animation into the forefront with dozens of short animated features and full-length feature films like Snow White and the Seven Dwafs. From the 1930s until the 1960s, Disney was prolific, churning out classics such as Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan.

For much of animation's history, they have mostly been hand-drawn or stop-motion, until the advent of computer-generation 3D animation, which now dominates much of the animated film industry. And so with the short video above, let's look through the evolution of animation from its earliest beginnings to what it has become today.

(Video credit: The Solomon Society/Youtube)


Embroidery: Prisoners' Unlikely Pastime

When we think about embroidery, we often imagine an old lady hunched over a piece of fabric, needling through it with a thread. But, Isabella Rosner has recently published a book titled Stitching Freedom: Embroidery and Incarceration, which explores the history behind embroidery and its popularity with prisoners as a pastime.

Rosner wanted to dispel the notion that embroidery is an old woman's hobby. That is, she wanted to bring a new side, separate from the connotations brought about by that notion - that it's a hobby made for people who have the privilege of time, resources, and even status on their hands.

She started off with Mary, Queen of Scots who had been placed on some kind of house arrest for almost 18 years. Throughout that time, Mary had used embroidery as an outlet for her indignation over her situation. Imagine, she had been Queen of Scotland for 25 years, and then, was forced to abdicate because she was accused of murdering her husband Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley.

Truly, as much as embroidery is seen as therapeutic by some, an introspective activity, it can also be a means of releasing all the violent emotions that a person has kept within. One can look at embroidery as the act of stabbing a fabric with a small, sharp object. And perhaps that's why a lot of incarcerated people have developed a fondness for the activity.

One other individual that featured in Rosner's book was Annie Parker. Nobody knew what Annie Parker looked like, but with the pieces of embroidery she left behind, we can imagine what she must have gone through. She even used locks of her hair as substitute for thread.

Through her research, Rosner found out that Parker had given birth to four children in prison, who all died. She was most likely abused by her husband as well. Records say that she was imprisoned for drunkenness, and others mention her violent behavior, breaking windows, and committing robbery.

While the cause for all of this is unfortunately unknown or uncertain, what we do have as her legacy are her famed works of hair embroidery. And for Rosner, it feels as though Parker was reaching out a hand to any who would grab it. She might have been putting all of her regret, frustration, longing, dedication, and sorrow over her situation in her artwork.

An especially poignant story is that of Rada Nikolić who had stitched a message on her handkerchief telling her family to remember her. Nikolić had been arrested by the Nazis, who charged her for involvement in anti-fascist activities. As she awaited her execution, she chose to write to her family and used embroidery as the means of conveying her message.

So yes, as much as embroidery is a nice, quiet pastime, it has also been used by people throughout history to express the depths of their sorrow, anger, frustration, and hope.

As much as any piece of art can be used in such manner, embroidered art feels more personal as we can examine and try to understand exactly what the maker must have been thinking or feeling while they were stitching.

(Image credit: Nathana Rebouças/Unsplash)


The Three-Body Problem

A new Netflix series, based on the sci-fi trilogy of Chinese writer Liu Cixin, has recently been released and it's called 3 Body Problem. The title is based on the n-body problem which was initially tackled by Isaac Newton in his seminal work Principia in 1687. He specifically tried to find a solution to the problem of the movements of three bodies subject to their gravitational attractions.

Without really trying to get into all the complicated science of the issue, we can first look at the two-body problem and how, by using the two objects' center of gravity as a reference point, we are able to clear away all the uncertain variables and equations, making it easier to predict the orbits of the two masses.

Our solar system is a relatively stable orbital system because the sun is fixed, and all the planets orbiting around it follow a fixed direction. But if a rogue star were to come careening into our solar system, that would throw the whole system into chaos because the interactions between the gravitational forces of the different bodies will be too unpredictable.

And that is why the new Netflix series was named after the problem in question. The story posits a technologically advanced alien civilization that, for billions of years, has been struggling with the three-body problem in real-time. Although it's not chaos all the time, as the aliens experience long periods of stability, there comes a point when that order will be thrown into chaos because of the reaction of the two suns.

The unpredictability of the chaotic era of the Trisolarans was the central focal point of the plot (spoiler alert). Currently, the first season of the series is done with eight episodes, which adapted the first book of Liu's trilogy. That will then spin off into a different direction before setting up book two.

Thankfully, the series itself doesn't focus too much on the science as much as they do the characters and how they deal with the issues presented by the aliens spying on Earth.

(Video credit: TED-Ed/Youtube)


Being Kinder to Bats May Prevent the Next Pandemic, Say Scientists

We have previously looked at bats and their immunity toward viruses of almost all kinds, and why bats don't get sick from them. But even though bats are immune, they are still carriers, and they can cause some of the deadliest disease outbreaks in history.

Oftentimes, when we look at pandemics and try to figure out how to stop them, we always look for a cure. But a consortium of scientists and researchers including ecologists, infectious disease experts, and policymakers, have recently conducted a broad study on the system-wide complex interactions between wildlife, habitat, climate, and people to determine what could be the best solution to preventing pandemics from happening in the first place.

It's not an isolated phenomenon, they argue. That is, we cannot merely study the bats' physiology, genetics, or behavior to figure out how to kill viruses or produce a cure for the diseases they cause. The best way is to look at the bigger picture, and understand why and how these disease-carrying creatures like bats, rats, birds, and apes, spread diseases in the first place.

In the case of bats, Raina Plowright, an infectious disease ecologist, says that they often shed or release viruses into the environment whenever they get stressed. And the primary stressors for bats is the lack of native food.

Bats often feed on nectar, and for some species, they can eat insects. Generally, bats like the black flying foxes in Australia, look to flowers for nourishment. When natural lands are transformed for agriculture or mining, these bats lose their source of food, and they start looking for them elsewhere.

The next best alternative are agricultural crops, fruits, and the like. So, bats travel to human populated areas to forage food, and when they interact with other creatures like cattle, horses, or sheep, the viruses which the bats carry get transferred from the bats to those animals, and it won't be long before humans get exposed to the viruses as well.

An example of this interaction, says Plowright, is the Hendra virus which spilled over from the flying foxes to horses, and then, it infected humans. Only seven people were infected by the Hendra virus, but four of those cases were fatal. This spillover effect is the main cause of pandemics.

Therefore, in the paper written by the researchers, they gave three recommendations which are quite simple: (1) ensure that the animals have enough to eat, (2) protect the places and spaces where the animals aggregate, and (3) keep people who are most at risk safe by educating them and providing the necessary equipment and gear for work, especially when they come in contact with other animals.

Simple and easy as they may seem, it can be quite difficult to communicate, impart, and apply. But when people are informed about these, they do shift their actions and behavior to make sure that they don't disturb the natural habitats of these animals. So, it would be in our best interest to be kinder to bats, and these other creatures.

(Image credit: Igam Ogam/Unsplash)


Einstein's Lesser Known "Theory of World Peace"

Albert Einstein is arguably one of the most prominent and influential figures of the 20th century. His general theory of relativity is still the description being used for gravitation in modern physics. Apart from his theory of relativity, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his paper on the law of the photoelectric effect, which paved the way for the development of quantum theory.

Many of Einstein's personal effects and memorabilia today can be sold for thousands, if not millions, of dollars on the open market. For example, an original handwritten copy of his manuscript on the general theory of relativity fetched over $14 million.

Anything signed by Einstein himself, whether it be a postcard to a Japanese courier, or the famous photo with his tongue sticking out can go for at least six figures, if not a million. Collectors say that the important feature of these items is its content.

And so, that's why anything that includes his groundbreaking scientific discoveries sell for millions. A letter Einstein wrote to a fellow physicist which bears the famous equation "E=mc²" was valued at $1,243,000.

One of the lesser known theories that Einstein wrote was a three-page dissertation in which he tackled the idea of world peace and how it could be achieved. This he wrote in 1940, just as he had become a citizen of the United States, in the midst of war.

In the manuscript, he asserted the need for an international political organization, which will keep the balance of power in check. Five years later, the United Nations was founded, which is exactly what Einstein had written about.

Although most of his scientific manuscripts are highly valued, this one in particular was never considered for auction. Nevertheless, one can argue that is a historically significant manuscript from one of the greatest minds in history.

(Image credit: Alexander Bitar History)


Woman Rushes Bobble to Animal Hospital

A woman in the UK spotted what she thought was an abandoned baby hedgehog. She carefully scooped it up, put it in a box with a dish of food and a hot water bottle, and hoped it would survive the night. In the morning, she took the box to the Lower Moss Wood Nature Reserve and Wildlife Hospital in Cheshire. There, staff identified the hedgehog as a bobble. When I first saw the headline of this story, I had to read it because I didn't know what kind of animal a bobble is.

A "bobble" is a puffy decoration for a hat, what Americans would call a pom-pom or a topknot. The staff at the wildlife hospital had a good laugh and said that the woman did the right thing. Hedgehogs aren't normally seen out in the daytime, and if this had been a hedgehog, it was surely in distress. They suggested naming this species "hedgebobble." It looks more like a tribble to me. -via Metafilter






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