Blog Posts hedwig Likes

Russian Victory?

In Russia, Victory Day is May 9, a day to commemorate the surrender of Nazi Germany in World War II. Look closely at this billboard promoting the holiday. It has a Soviet flag, but the soldiers are taken from Joe Rosenthal's photograph "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima," which shows the U.S. victory over the Japanese in the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima. Yes, it's been flipped horizontally, so maybe no one will notice. See more at English Russia. Link  -via Buzzfeed


Deserted Boston Streets

This is Harvard Square as you've never seen it before -and you'll probably never see it again without people. Boston was on lockdown earlier today, as police looked for the fugitive bomber (and they got him). Citizens were told to stay home and stay inside during the sweep. Some took advantage of the eerie situation to photograph the city with empty streets. See more of them in a collection at NBC. Link  -via Fark

(Image credit: someaunty)


Apartment Resident Leaves Water Tap On All Winter, Creates Ice Mountain

Wen Hsu of Jilin, China didn't want his water pipes to freeze. So, just as many people around the world, he turned on the tap. And left it on...all winter:

Wen Hsu, 58, had lived on the seventh floor of the property scheduled for demolition to make way for a new shopping centre for 35 years and when developers managed to buy all the other flats in the building - he was left as the only resident.

As winter approached and it got colder Hsu was worried that the uninsulated water pipes running up through the unused and unheated flats below him would freeze, leaving him without running water. So in order to keep the temperature of the pipes above freezing he simply switched on the tap – and then diverted the warm water to flow down the side of the building.

Link -Thanks, Wifey!

(Photo: Europics.at)


"Look for the Helpers"


Image via Joey deVilla

I'm at a loss of what to say about today's tragedy in Boston, but perhaps this quote from Mr. Rogers is appropriate:

"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.' To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother's words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers - so many caring people in this world."

Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.


Nanosponge Soaks Up Toxins From Bloodstream

Got toxins in your bloodstream? Soak 'em up with science!

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have created a nanosponge that can remove a broad class of dangerous toxins from the bloodstream:

These nanosponges, which thus far have been studied in mice, can neutralize "pore-forming toxins," which destroy cells by poking holes in their cell membranes. Unlike other anti-toxin platforms that need to be custom synthesized for individual toxin type, the nanosponges can absorb different pore-forming toxins regardless of their molecular structures. In a study against alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA, pre-innoculation with nanosponges enabled 89 percent of mice to survive lethal doses.

Link


10 Incredible Repurposed Train Stations

We don't need train stations the way we once did, but the buildings were built too nicely to not use them in some way or another. Those decommissioned stations have become homes, hotels, museums, libraries, and other facilities, and some of them are out of this world gorgeous. Shown here is the Grand Concourse restaurant in Pittsburgh. See a selection of the best at Flavorwire. Link


Not a Good Sign

This sign at Roots Bistro in Houston was up long enough this weekend to have its picture snapped and posted to Twitter. The manager later said it was only up for about ten minutes.

When contacted about the sign and its intentions, a manager on duty who identified himself as Kenneth offered the following explanation: "That sign is not up now. It was up literally for 10 minutes and it was pulled down."

"We'll go on the Internet and look at other businesses and what they post on their signs," Kenneth said. "Another business had posted it," Kenneth continued, and the employee who put together Roots Bistro's marquee apparently took that as a cue that the message was somehow acceptable.

"Obviously no one here would condone any type of violence, domestic or otherwise," Kenneth said, although he couldn't explain why no one thought the sign was tacky, tasteless or offensive until a customer dining on the patio pointed it out.

Protip: being on the internet does not necessarily make something acceptable. The slogan was replaced with a new message on the marquee that says, "Seriously focus your energy on equal rights." Link -via Fark

(Image credit: Scott Wilson)


Ducklings Fly for the First Time

The photographer behind a Swedish-language photo blog captured this image two Common Goldeneye ducklings flying for the first time. Flap harder, baby ducks!

Link (Translation) -via Twisted Sifter


Wikimedia Commons Pictures of the Year

(Image credit: Pierre Dalous/Kookaburra 81)

The winners of the Wikimedia Commons Picture of the Year Contest 2012 have been announced. This is their seventh annual contest, and the winners were selected by votes from active Wikimedia project members. The picture above, of a pair of European Bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) by Pierre Dalous, came in first place. Continue reading to see the rest of the 12 top vote-getters.

Continue reading

Skidboot: A Most Obedient Dog

(YouTube link)

Remember the amazing Skidboot? The dog was a legend. Skidboot and his owner David Hartwig show off a little in this clip. These guys have probably done this routine a million times, but it's still impressive, and downright humorous. After watching this, you'll probably want to go back and watch the full report we posted a few years ago. -via Tastefully Offensive


The Pianobike

What's that vehicle in the bike lane? That's Gary Skaggs's Pianobike. You can find it and Skaggs cruising through San Francisco playing jazz. The best part: although it began as a hobby project, the pianobike is now how Skaggs earns a living.

Link and Video -via Lustik

(photo: Gary Skaggs)


A Knitter Down on Her Luck

Don't enable her. The only way to help her stop crafting is to get all of that yarn completely out of her system.

-via Makin'ology | Image: unknown


He Loves the Hair!

(YouTube link)

Boris the cameraman has a thick head of curly hair. When the crew was shooting footage at the Nambiti Private Game Reserve in South Africa, a serval became fascinated with it. The grooming session that followed was recorded for posterity. That the kind of experience you never forget!


Moondog Over Alaska


Photo: Sebastian Saarloos

It was 10 degrees below zero, with 30 mph winds in the Alaskan wild, where the nearest town was 50 miles away, but Sebastian Saarloos came out alive and with this gorgeous souvenir: a magnificent photograph of a moondog.

In this image, the first quarter moon is flanked on both sides of a halo by "mock moons," also known as paraselenae or "moondogs." The apparitions are formed when moonlight is refracted through thin, plate-shaped ice crystals in cirrus clouds. They are easy to spot at an angle of 22 degrees from the moon when it is low in the sky.

SPACE.com has the story: Link


Alexey Menschikov's Subtle Street Art

The best street artists need only add a few touches to the pre-existing environment to bring out striking images. These three pieces by Russian artist Alexey Menschikov are good demonstrations of this ability.

Menschikov's LiveJournal Page -via Twisted Sifter


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