These super sweet, six-week-old micro pigs have a snack and they're giving it their full attention, particularly the spotted one of the group. An apple a day keeps the vet away, piggies! Via Pleated Jeans
Lisa Marcus's Liked Blog Posts
I should warn readers up front: if you're prone to dizziness or motion sickness, this isn't your video. I'm rarely bothered by roller coasters or heights, but just the video footage of this ride made me a little dizzy, as well as prompting me to mutter a few expletives and Hail Marys. Talk about seemingly straight up and down!
The ride, called the Fury 325, debuts March 28 at Carowinds Park in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Fury 325 is now the tallest Giga Coaster in the world. A Giga Coaster is defined as any roller coaster that has between a 300 and 400-foot drop and completes a full circuit. The Fury is 325 feet tall, tops out at 95 miles per hour and has an 81-degree drop. Hold me.
Via Daily Dot | Image: Carowinds Park
In the beloved Dr. Seuss tale Horton Hatches the Egg, a mother bird sitting on her nest is fickle and flighty. The bird, Maysie, says to Horton the elephant,
"I'm tired and I'm bored and I've kinks in my leg from sitting, just sitting here day after day. It's work, how I hate it. I'd much rather play. If I could find someone, I'd fly away free. You've nothing to do, and I do need a rest. Would you like to sit on the egg in my nest?"
Poor, sweet Horton takes over Maysie's job and learns the sacrifice hatching an egg entails and the hard times he must endure to stay "faithful 100 percent."
Apparently, Maysie wasn't a bald eagle. The female bald eagle shown here is remaining faithful to her nest and the two eggs inside, even in the face of heavy snowfall that buries her up to her neck. These photos from the Pennsylvania Game Commission via the Hanover Eagle Watch Facebook page are a testament to a mother's protective instincts. A representative of the Commission says that the eggs will be fine, and these snowy conditions are common for eagles that nest as far north as Maine, Alaska and Canada.
Don't miss the Hanover Eagle Watch Facebook page for a series of incredible photos of and updates on this regal mother bird. A Game Commission webcam streams live footage of the nest as well.
Images: PA Game Commission | Via Twitchy
Stephane Gaudette, a history teacher in Timmins, Ontario, Canada recently got more than he bargained for when he opened a box of Frosted Flakes at the breakfast table with his children. What he found inside the box on the plastic bag containing the cereal was a message written in black marker and dated December 4, 2014. It read:
"This is the very last bag of Canadian cereal for the Canadian market from Kellogg's London, Ontario Plant."
Beneath the message were the signatures of three men. The message writers were dealing with an era of their lives that had come to an end. The Kellogg's factory for which they worked was closed on December 21, 2014 after being in operation for 107 years. Mike Cascadden, the man behind one of the signatures under the message, had the idea to write it because he said the factory was "in his DNA." Cascadden told the London Free Press that his family had spent a combined 184 years of their working lives at the plant: 30 years for his grandfather, 38 years for his father, 32 years for his aunt, 20 years for his son and 24 years himself.
Gaudette didn't take Cascadden's message lightly. He recognized its significance in the history of London, Ontario. Gaudette said,
“It’s kind of ironic it falls into the hands of a high school history teacher. It's a great history lesson.”
See a video and read more about Gaudette's find, including the fate of both the box and the factory, at the London Free Press.
Via The Daily What | Images: Ron Grech, Timmins Daily Press
The beautiful insect shown here is a planthopper nymph. During the span of time after it hatches and before it becomes fully mature, the planthopper nymph secretes a waxy substance from its abdomen that gives its tail the look of a colorful fiber optic display. It is both a defense from predators who are somewhat hypnotized by the effect, as well as a way to facilitate a gliding movement as they jump, as seen in the video below. There are a number of species of planthopper nymphs, with a variety of different tails. The photos and video above and below show a few varieties. See additional photographs here. -Via The Presurfer
Millions of people are familiar with the view of a remote location in the Sahara desert, and some might not even be aware of it. For in Tunisia lie the remains of the planet Tatooine, the birthplace of Anakin Skywalker.
This set from the Star Wars franchise has been left intact at the request of the government of Tunisia. The location, once bustling with the excitement and fast pace of a film production crew and cast, is now abandoned and is disappearing at a rapid rate due to sand dunes swallowing the set whole. If nothing is done to stop the encroaching dunes, the days of this site being seen by fans from all over are numbered. But as of now, people still have a chance to visit the arrangement of 20 structures, located near the city of Tozeur.
This is one of the many examples of movie sets that sit abandoned. Learn about 21 other such sites here.
The Rubik's Snake Lamp by Maria and Ivan Zverev of Oikimus Design is a clever lighting option based on the Rubik’s Snake puzzle. The hinged lamp can be arranged in a number of shapes, depending on the lighting needs and aesthetic preferences of the user. The lamp is made of plywood and frosted Plexiglass.
See more images of this attractive and functional home addition here and visit the designers' website to see more of their work.
Original Photo
Kim Jong-un seems to be prime fodder for humor of all kinds, and it doesn't look as if that will change anytime soon. A photo was snapped of the North Korean leader bending over a mattress and assumedly feeling it for firmness by pressing on it with his hands. That's really all the encouragement Redditors at r/PhotoShopBattles needed to go to work.
Shown here are some samples of their creativity. See more at Reddit. -Via Design Taxi
Image: JominathorImage: helloLeoDiCaprio
Image: Eslik11
Image: PhoneyBadger
An art museum in the Philippines features artworks designed for its visitors to experiment, touch, photograph and otherwise interact with. The museum, called Art in Island, takes advantage of the "selfie culture" of the Philippines. The country's financial center, Makati City, has the dubious distinction of being called the "selfie capital of the world." Check out some of the museum's paintings that beg for human interaction in the video. It looks like a fun place to visit. -Via The Presurfer
Jeff Hader over at Inc. has compiled a list of words that are often used incorrectly, particularly in business communications. The list is full of good advice about usage of common words. For instance,
"Impact and affect (and effect)Many people (including until recently me) use impact when they should use affect. Impact doesn't mean to influence; impact means to strike, collide, or pack firmly.
Affect means to influence: "Impatient investors affected our rollout date."
And to make it more confusing, effect means to accomplish something: "The board effected a sweeping policy change."
How you correctly use effect or affect can be tricky. For example, a board can affect changes by influencing them and can effect changes by directly implementing them. Bottom line, use effect if you're making it happen, and affect if you're having an impact on something that someone else is trying to make happen.
As for nouns, effect is almost always correct: "Employee morale has had a negative effect on productivity." Affect refers to an emotional state, so unless you're a psychologist, you probably have little reason to use it.
So stop saying you'll "impact sales" or "impact the bottom line." Use affect.
Read about 38 other words that are commonly misused at Inc.
As more and more information becomes accessible via the internet, people are increasingly ridding themselves of paper and physical reference materials. Cookbooks are part of that downsizing. Any recipe one can imagine is free of charge and at the fingertips of anyone with an internet-enabled device.
Thus, Google is used by millions of people daily to search for recipes, and their "Google Trends" capability is one way to glean further insight. The results are not scientifically accurate, but they are a good benchmark. Below is information on what dinner recipes are Googled the most, by state. Learn more and see the results for all fifty states at the Huffington Post.
Hawaii: Chicken Salad
Idaho: Tilapia Fish Tacos
Illinois: Salmon
Indiana: Potato Skillet
Iowa: Pizza Dough
Kansas: Casserole
Kentucky: Sweet Potato
Louisiana: Chili
Maine: Boiled Ham
Image: Arizona Diamondbacks via Twitter
Are you a baseball fan who loves to grab a hot dog at the ballpark? Some people say that no other hot dog tastes as good. As it happens, this season's attendees of Arizona Diamondbacks games will have the option of snacking on a new kind of dog: the Churro. The Churro Dog is a warm cinnamon churro inside a split-open, glazed chocolate Long John doughnut and topped with frozen yogurt, caramel and chocolate sauces. Calories? The estimated count is 1,117. The price will be $8.50, pretty much in line with the high prices of snack foods at stadiums.
This isn't the first hot dog gimmick offered at the Diamondbacks' stadium, called Chase Field. Last season, the D-Bat Dog appeared. The $25.00 "snack" is an 18-inch long corn dog stuffed with cheddar cheese, jalapeños and bacon, served with french fries.
Looks like sports franchises need to do whatever they can to fill stadium seats; some more than others. What do you think? Would you eat a Churro Dog or a D-Bat dog? I kind of hate to say it, but the photo above is looking pretty delicious to me.
Read more about the Churro Dog and other ballpark offerings at ESPN.
A little girl named Noa gives a thorough veterinary checkup to Neckar, likely the most chill and patient bull terrier ever. Every bull terrier I've encountered is so excited about life and gregarious that they are practically bouncing off walls. It makes me wonder if the "doctor" didn't administer a sedative to her patient prior to the checkup. Whatever the case, it's adorable. Via Tastefully Offensive
Karloff in makeup department
Vintage Everyday has published these wonderful photographs of English actor Boris Karloff on the set of James Whale's classic film Frankenstein, which premiered in 1931, as well as on the sets of the sequels. Frankenstein's monster became the character that Karloff was best known for during his career as an actor; Karloff went on to play the monster in Bride of Frankenstein and Son of Frankenstein. After those films, his popularity surged.
For Frankenstein, the 5'11" Karloff had to drag around more than his large frame. His costume included four-inch platform boots that weighed 11 pounds each. The facial makeup was burdensome as well, but Karloff handled it professionally and with good humor. Karloff also was beloved for his later voice work as the Grinch in Dr. Seuss' 1966 animated version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
Be sure to visit the link above to see the full photo gallery. It's worth the time of any film or monster movie enthusiast.
Karloff and Whale
The goblin shark in the YouTube still shot above was found in Australia in January and was donated to the Australian Museum of Sydney. In the video (which can be accessed by clicking on the YouTube link above) Mark McGrouther, the Collection Manager at the museum, shows off the dead specimen, allowing for a close-up view and explanation of its unusual jaw structure, nose and teeth.
To see a video of a live goblin shark biting in the manner explained above, visit this earlier Neatorama post for that fascinating footage.
Email This Post to a Friend