Internet's favorite astronaut Chris Hadfield explains what happens when you wring a wet wash cloth in space: Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - via Krulwich Wonders
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I'm so hungry. But he's so cute that I can't bear to wake him!
-via WTF Japan, Seriously
(Photo: unknown)
Ryazan Deulino's amazing 4-ton locomotive barbecue pit has three bays and a brick-lined furnace. Some of the controls in the cab are functional, too! The wheel turns the rotating spit. All aboard!
Link (Translation) -via EPBOT | Photo: Viktor Zkukov
This footage was filmed around 1900 in the cities of London, England, and Cork, Ireland. However, it doesn't look like any 100-year-old film you've seen, because it's been altered to make it more like being there than the film technology of the time could produce.
This video has been dramatically enhanced in quality, using modern video editing tools. The film has been motion stabilized and the speed has been slowed down to correct speed (from 18 fps to 24 fps) using special frame interpolation software that re-creates missing frames. Upscaling to HD quality was done using video enhancer software.
-via Nag on the Lake
The folks from The Perennial Plate visit a family-run coconut plantation in Sri Lanka, where we find out way more than we ever knew about coconuts. Every part of the tree is used, from the fronds to the alcoholic flower nectar. The coconuts are used in every way possible, too, for food, oil, rope, and even toys. -Thanks, Mirra!
The a cappella group Pentatonix gives us examples of popular music through the ages. As you'd expect, there are more examples from each time period as they get closer to the present. These guys are pretty good! (via Tastefully Offensive)
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)
C.G.P. Grey explains Vatican City in just a few minutes -which is a quick overview, because the smallest country in the world is apparently the most complicated. Or at least very odd when compared to other nations. -via Viral Viral Videos
See more videos from C.G.P. Grey.
Gabriel Dishaw, who created the Darth Vader's Mask from Old Machinery we told you about on Neatorama a while back, is back with another neat creation. This time, C-3PO got the honor of being made from discarded parts of adding machines, calculators, check printers, and typewriters. Human-cyborg relations have never looked so good!
Link - via Geeks Are Sexy
Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Visit Eddie at his website.
The story of TV's first-ever interracial kiss is actually one of the medium's biggest urban legends. Most believe it occurred on Star Trek in 1968. The common belief is that the first kiss between an African-American and a Caucasian happened in a third season Star Trek episode called "Plato's Stepchildren." Before I correct the common misconception, I will fill you in on the details of the Star Trek kiss, which is historic in its own right.
The "Plato's Stepchildren" episode involved the crew of the starship Enterprise being made into unwilling slaves, the condition being enforced by the "superior" beings called Platonians who have the power of telekinesis, which they employed to make the crew behave as their masters desired. William Shatner (Captain Kirk) and Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) are thereby "forced" to kiss.
The telekinesis made it easier for NBC to explain the kiss, as in the big scene Captain Kirk is forced to kiss the African-American Uhura against his will. Shatner, in his inimitable manner, emotes, "I-won't-kiss-you! I-won't-kiss-you!" But because of the great counter-effort, the kiss does, indeed, take place.
William Shatner, in his book Star Trek Memories, insists that he and actress Nichols never actually kissed during the scene; he maintains that their lips never touched. However, Nichols positively declares that they did lock lips. It seems incredible that such a major event is not more clearly recalled, as obviously either Shatner or Nichols is mistaken. The kiss itself is obscured by the back of Nichols' head, so we, the viewers, can't tell who is right.
After living 17 years in the ground, a swarm of cicadas ominously called "Brood II" is set to come topside. And if you live on the Eastern seaboard, you're in for a treat, as billions (that's right) of Magicicada will swarm and mate, and, of course, "sing" loudly at night.
Buy some earplugs so you don't have to say goodbye to a good night's sleep, then read on for some neat 17 year cicada facts, from Dan Mozgai's very cool Cicada Mania website:
They’ll
attackland on you if you’re using a power tool or lawn mower. Cicadas think the sounds made by power tools and lawn maintenance equipment are made by cicadas. They get confused and will land on the people using the equipment!Cicadas have five eyes: Cicadas have two, obvious, large, compound eyes, and three ocelli. Ocelli are three jewel-like eyes situated between the two main, compound eyes of a cicada. We believe ocelli are used to detect light and darkness. Ocelli means little eyes in Latin.
Cicadas pee: Yes cicadas pee, so wear a hat when walking under trees if that sort of thing bothers you. Cicadas drink tree fluids, and then expell the excess fluid they do now need. People call it “honey dew” or “cicada rain”.
There are billions of them: there are literally billions of 17 year cicadas. Why? One theory suggests that the large number of cicadas overwhelms predators, so predators are never able to eat them all and cicadas, and many always survive to mate. This is a survival strategy called “predator satiation”.
Stragglers: Periodical cicadas that emerge in years before they are supposed to emerge are called stragglers.
17 and 13 are prime numbers. Scientist speculate that one reason why these cicadas emerge in 17 or 13 year cycles is because those are prime numbers. The fact that 13 & 17 are relatively large* prime numbers makes it difficult for predators to synchronize with them. (*Relative to the average lifespan of an animal.) Annual cicadas (cicadas that arrive every year) often have wasps specialized to prey on them; periodical cicadas have no such wasp because no wasp could evolve to synch with it.
17 year and 13 year broods co-emerge every 221 years. Cicada Broods usually don’t overlap geographically, and it is very rare when they emerge in the same year. The next time Brood II (the brood emerging in 2013) will co-emerge with another brood will be in 2115 when it co-emerges with Brood XIX. You might need a time machine to see that happen.
Read more over at Dan's website: Link
Fairy doors lead to fairy houses, of course. But no one has seen these tiny dwellings before, until Boston-based illustrator Daniel Barreto came along. Enjoy his photo series Woodhouses, which is the cleverest use animated GIFs we've seen in a long time: Link - via Archie McPhee's Endless Geyser of Awesome
What has happened to telephone landline and CD sales is coming to television. And that has got broadcasters worried.
Ryan Nakashima of the AP wrote about TV broadcasters' biggest worry: the people who have no TV whatsoever (not even antenna ones that get free signals over the air). They dubbed this group "Zero TV"
Some people have had it with TV. They've had enough of the 100-plus channel universe. They don't like timing their lives around network show schedules. They're tired of $100-plus monthly bills.
A growing number of them have stopped paying for cable and satellite TV service, and don't even use an antenna to get free signals over the air. These people are watching shows and movies on the Internet, sometimes via cellphone connections. Last month, the Nielsen Co. started labeling people in this group "Zero TV" households, because they fall outside the traditional definition of a TV home. There are 5 million of these residences in the U.S., up from 2 million in 2007.
Link (Image: Retro TV Mouse Pad)
In a mere 7 minutes, Cargo tells the bittersweet story of a father's love and sacrifice. Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke's sad but beautiful short film was a film festival finalist--a well-deserved accolade.
-via io9
Norwegian artist Ida Skivenes puts art on toast! Every piece of toast is completely edible (and she eats them). All are photographed by phone and enshrined at Instagram. The Andrew Wyeth scene above was made with cheddar cheese, cream cheese, figs, dried strawberry, and dried blueberry. There are more famous artworks on toast, but Skivenes also loads toast with pop culture characters and other scenes. Continue reading to see some more of them.
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