Very impressive, but with 8 N engines and a central P engine and the thing only got to 4000'? That thing is far, far more powerful than many of the early sounding rockets which got to 40 miles altitude.

I guess they were going for aethetics, not pure performance.

Really. Blonde humor? Are we in fifth grade now?

Cute, if hyperbolic.

Definitely a corn sheller. Removes the kernels from a dried ear of corn. I've used one myself.

If the comments on this post are any indication, there are a lot of culturally ignorant people even in the Neatorama readership. Vietnam =/= Taiwan.

And I can also attest that Pocari Sweat (despite the odd name), is pretty good as fitness hydration products go (certainly tastier than Heed).

Frankly, I think anyone who asks these questions (don't they eat dogs) is culturally ignorant. Well written Neil. Entertaining and informative. Much of what I consider fun about international travel (any travel really) is the culture shock of everyday life, not the packaged tourist opportunities that are in all the guide books.

It's a pretty impressive bit of work. Well done, "kids". This particular quote caught my eye:

"At over 100,000ft the balloon lost its inflation and the equipment was returned to the earth."

Now there's a euphemism!

Another one I see all the time is the Gambler's Fallacy:
"I've flipped five heads in a row, the next one is bound to be tails". "It's been 100 years since the last big earthquake so we're overdue for The Big One." "I've had three daughters and I really want a son, one more child will definitely be a boy."

Brian May (of Queen) holds a PhD in Astrophysics and has several publications. I'm sure there are others.

@ted: That's the whole point; you are left to infer the story from the clues in the movie. The plot points left unsaid are far more satisfying than anything that could be explicitly stated in a 9 minute film.

The juxtaposition of Manilow right after a string of photos of feral children brings up some intriguing mental images... and would explain a lot about Barry. ;-)

Stunning! Just... wow!

I must admit, I used to think balance and fade worked something like that. Glad to see I was right all along ;-)

That's a pretty cool reworking of a tradition that goes back a long long time. Shipwrights used to put a gold coin under the mast of a newly built ship for good luck. Framers used to all sign one of the timbers of a new house or barn that was built a century ago. I'm sure there are other examples as well.

"Hayling" by FC Kahuna is the song. Finally, something useful and intelligent in YouTube comments.