This 8-foot Rebel Attack Cruiser was designed by Erik Varszegi and made from over 35,000 pieces of Lego. Link(via Mathew Ingram's Blog)

Martin Nweeia and colleagues discovered that the spiral tusk (basically, a tooth) of the unicorn whale or narwhal has a rare combination of strength and flexibility, and perhaps a "super-sensing" power as well.

The team also found compelling evidence that the tusk may be a hydrodynamic sensory organ that contains an extensive nerve system and gathers valuable information for survival in Arctic waters.

Researchers say the tusk's nerve system could detect temperature, pressure, motion, and chemical-solution gradients, such as differences in salinity and water particles that would indicate the presence of certain fish prey.

Link to National Geographics Article

A UMass Dartmouth senior doing a research paper on communism was visited by federal agents from Homeland Security after he requested a library copy of Mao Tse-Tung's "The Little Red Book".

Two history professors at UMass Dartmouth, Brian Glyn Williams and Robert Pontbriand, said the student told them he requested the book through the UMass Dartmouth library's interlibrary loan program.

The professors said the student was told by the agents that the book is on a "watch list," and that his background, which included significant time abroad, triggered them to investigate the student further.
"I tell my students to go to the direct source, and so he asked for the official Peking version of the book," Professor Pontbriand said. "Apparently, the Department of Homeland Security is monitoring inter-library loans, because that's what triggered the visit, as I understand it."

Standard Times Article (via Slash Dot)

Thomas Whaples noted that if you look up Mao's book on Amazon, the book is "better together" with Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto! (Amazon has since removed this - see Tom's screen shot).

UPDATE 12/24/05: Skinner pointed out to a The Standard Times follow-up article written by Aaron Nicodemus (the same journalist who broke the story):

The 22-year-old student tearfully admitted he made the story up to his history professor, Dr. Brian Glyn Williams, and his parents, after being confronted with the inconsistencies in his account.

Had the student stuck to his original story, it might never have been proved false.

The agents had returned, the student said, just last night. The two agents, the student, his parents and the student's uncle all signed confidentiality agreements, he claimed, to put an end to the matter.
But when Dr. Williams went to the student's home yesterday and relayed that part of the story to his parents, it was the first time they had heard it. The story began to unravel, and the student, faced with the truth, broke down and cried.

Standard Times Article: Federal Agents' Visit a Hoax.

"The JL421 Badonkadonk is a completely unique, extremely rare land vehicle and battle tank. Designed with versatility in mind, the Donk can transport cargo or a crew of five internally or on the roof, and can be piloted from within the armored shell or from an exposed standing position through the hatch, thanks to special one-way steel mesh armor windows and a control stick that pivots up and down to allow piloting from the standing or seated positions. The interior is fully carpeted and cozy, with accent lighting and room for up to five people."

For $19,999.95 (what, they think the 5-cents will make a difference?), it's a steal! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00067F1CE/104-7072075-7714328?v=glance

Sven Andersen's "Eros" watch with erotic automata has 11 different movements, a world record.

This is a fine wristwatch in gold of classic conception in normal dimensions with a simple and well legible dial.

At the back of the watch, however, nothing is "classical" any more, Under a sapphire glass one discovers an automaton representing a libertine love scene. A real miniature polychrome painting, handmade, with a variety of fine details.

Sven's website | Can't afford it? Try this one.

Workers were working (with a blowtorch!) on Frazee's (Turkey Capital of the World) beloved 22-foot tall Big Tom in preparation for the town's upcoming Turkey Day, when they accidentally set it on fire!

An errant tongue of superheated flame ignites one of the legs of the highly combustible paper mache gobbler. Within seconds, Big Tom is wrapped in a death mantle of black smoke, its body feeding the insatiable fire like grandma feeding gruel to a Thanksgiving season orphanage.

Link

See more of Daron Mouradian's quirky, fun illustrations here: http://www.galeriemouvances.com/peintres_Mouradian17.asp

A computer program by the University of Illinois and University of Amsterdam concluded that Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa was "mostly happy".

It concluded that the subject was 83% happy, 9% disgusted, 6% fearful and 2% angry...

Link

Police caught a 500-pound man with a long rap sheet for scamming fast food restaurants in Seminole County, Florida.

Investigators said George Jolicoeur, 33, would visit fast-food businesses and order food. Jolicoeur would then call or visit the restaurants posing as a police officer or a firefighter and ask for a refund because there was a hair in his food, according to the report.

"He would come back and say, 'Oh, there is something wrong with it,'" Seminole County Sheriff's spokesman Steve Olson said. "There was a hair in my shake or there was a hair in my tacos. And, then he wants his money back."

Link

Now you can have your own Robby the robot from the 1956 film Forbidden Planet!

Standing seven feet tall, Robby is created from the same blueprints, molds, and templates used to create the original costume. Robby is made by renowned artist Fred Barton, the man commissioned to restore the original robot ...

It's a steal at $49,999.95 (what, they think the 5 cents going to make a difference?) Link

Mehdi Hercberg and Raphael Seguin's art project is an interactive video installation called "Motor Karaoke".

In a nutshell, it's a bike race that's powered by human scream. The louder you scream, the faster the bike goes on the screen.

Maybe it should be called "Scream-a-roke", instead.

http://grogore.free.fr/event/motorkaraoke/motorkara (Thanks Mehdi!)

(Thanks Kandra!)

Rob Gardiner's black and white photographs are very cool. This one above is a timelapse of the London Eye in the UK. Link

How would you describe Joseph Seigenthaler's artwork? Link (Don't miss his Teething Baby)!