Customs officials working a post between Hong Kong and mainland China were suspicious when a woman crossed the border. There was something off about her breasts. Their shape, at least as visible through her clothes, was unusual. When they conducted a search, the South China Morning Post reports, they found 5 live snakes concealed in her bra.

These were corn snakes, which originate in the United States. They're popular with reptile collectors in China. The woman kept the snakes in stockings (not just loose) in her bra. The South China Morning Post reports that the customs officials seized the snakes, but does not report on what happened to the woman.

-via Dave Barry

If someone says "classic American diner", a lot of us instantly form a shared mental image. Why? What goes into this motif? In this video from Architectural Digest, architect Michael Wyetzner traces the history of the American diner.

It begins with railroad dining cars, from which the "diner" gets its name. Many of the common design elements of the diner, such as the open kitchen, booth seating, and steel construction, originate from the necessities of rail travel. Some of these dining cars were parked offtrack, becoming the first proper diners.

After World War II, car travel overtook rail travel and diners adapted to the needs of people on the road. Many new diners were built with circular designs to maximize parking space. These geometric patterns matched up with images from the Space Race in a style that came to be called "Googie" after one particular diner.

Googie architecture culminated in the 1964 World's Fair in New York City. But the late 60s saw increased pessimism in American life and the end of this stylistic development. Buildings constructed in the Googie diner style thereafter were intended to have retro rather than futuristic aesthetics.

-via Kottke

Weird Universe introduces us to the works of John G. Bourke, an American professional soldier during and after the Civil War. He was a prolific writer throughout his career and took detailed notes about his observations of the Native American peoples that he encountered in the United States' wars against them.

In 1891, he compiled his own observations and those of other writers into his most famous work, Scatalogical Rites of All Nations: A Dissertation upon the Employment of Excrementicious Remedial Agents in Religion, Therapeutics, Divination, Witch-Craft, Love-Philters, etc. in All Parts of the Globe.

It's a book about how different cultures view, make use of, or separate themselves from urine and feces to remain physical and/or ritualistically clean. You can read it online here.

While in the US Army, Bourke was able to observe a lengthy Zuni ritualistic dance that included the drinking of urine.

Men of a certain age may appreciate helpful tips that Bourke accumulated through sources that reflect folklore across the world. There is no indication that the various medicinal uses of excretory materials were subjected to empirical testing, but that is certainly an option for modern scientists.

On Feb. 14, 1904, someone curious about the emerging possibilities of a key force of nature checked out James Clerk Maxwell's “An Elementary Treatise on Electricity” from a Massachusetts library. After 119 years, the book was finally returned. https://t.co/VdsAMMh9CF

— AP Oddities (@AP_Oddities) July 8, 2023

British scientist James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879) really knew how to write a work of compelling scientific exposition. His book An Elementary Treatise on Electricity (available in full text on Google Books) can't stay on the shelves of the New Bedford Free Public Library in Massachusetts. After being checked out 119 years ago, it was just returned to that library.

A rare books librarian at another library found it among donations and noticed that there were no indications that the library-marked book had been formally withdrawn from the collection (such as the word WITHDRAWN ink-stamped on the title page). He sent it off to the New Bedford Free Library.

That library charges 5 cents a day for overdue materials. Thus the total fine should be about $2,100. But the library caps fines at $2 and the responsible patron is unknown, so the library is unlikely to recover either amount.

That time I hung my lovely gold Barney Gumble sign in the kitchen but quickly had to find a new place for it thanks to its terrifying reflection pic.twitter.com/LneUnYrheO

— Emily Cook (@Emelemy) July 7, 2023

Emily Cook, a video game producer, owns this lovely portrait of Barney Gumble from The Simpsons. Barney, the town drunk of Springfield, is delivering an ordinary beer-induced belch in the image, but its reflection resembles the haunted and terrorized soul of this broken man, whose potential is often alluded to but also shattered by alcohol.

The art is by British artist Alex May Hughes, who is noted for her shiny decorative signs. On her Instagram page, you can see psychedelic twists on The Simpsons and other sources of pop culture.

.@Outkast #HeyYa in the weather! #outkast #andre3000 @BigBoi pic.twitter.com/JIFbpRyJua

— Adam Krueger 💯 (@AdamKrueger) June 6, 2023

Adam Krueger is a television meteorologist in Houston, Texas. The common joke in Houston is "If you don't like the weather, just wait a moment." The weather is always volatile, except for the constant heat. Krueger thus has a lot to say while reporting from CW 39 News.

He has a lof fun on the job and his novel presenting style encourages many Houstonians to pay attention to his reports. Krueger finds ways to work song lyrics into his broadcasts. Embedded above is, for example, is "Hey Ya!" by Outkast.

On his Instagram page, you can find similar reports with "Uptown Funk" by Bruno Mars, "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, and "Bust a Move" by Young MC.

this is literally one of the dumbest places to keep undrinkable chemicals i’ve every seen in my life… pic.twitter.com/oXxtgACKsE

— Brennasaid (@brennasaid) July 4, 2023

Twitter user @Brennasaid offers this series of photos of a household cleaning product. It's Puracy, a new product that highlights its eco-friendly packaing. The use of an aluminum can is entirely intentional. The company hopes that customers will recycle the cans instead of just throwing away plastic bottles.

@Brennasaid notes some problems with this design. It looks almost exactly like a canned drink. The outside actually labels the product as "green tea + lime". I'll guess that's the scent, not the favor, and I'm most definitely not volunteering to test that hypothesis.

The paper label on top warns against drinking the product. But perhaps packaging should be designed so that such a warning is unnecessary.

-via Jeremy Barker

Despite having a population of only 370,000 people, Iceland is known for its huge literary output. That nation has the highest per capita number of published writers, including those that specialize in crime fiction.

Hildur Knútsdóttir is one those accomplished writers, although she is more widely known for her contributions to children’s literature. On Twitter, she shares that murder appears to be more common in fiction than in fact. The entire country has only one forensic scientist -- Pétur Guðmann Guðmannsson.

This gentleman found himself vexed by numerous professional questions from Iceland’s crime writers. In an effort to manage his workload, he conducted a seminar for them. It sold out. So, he offered a second seminar, which also sold out.

Photo: Ruv.Is

The Mütter Museum in Philadelphia is a public museum created by the College of Physicians in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its task is to educate the public about the history of medicine. It contains numerous artifacts from medical training programs, including this doll made in the 1930s. Her name is Michelle.

Dr. Chevalier Jackson (1865-1958) invented Michelle in the 1930s to teach doctors non-surgical methods of removing foreign objects trapped in children's throats. The trachea and esophagus are realistically child-sized.

This film shows Dr. Jackson using a probe to remove an object in Michelle's throat. This skill, as well as his ability to keep children calm during a panic-inducing procedure, made him a famous medical educator who directly or indirectly saved thousands of lives.

-via Museum of Curiosities

It's August in the year 410. The eternal city of Rome is captured and sacked by the Visigoth warlord Alaric. The Visigoths eventually left the city, but the western Roman Empire never recovered from this blow, triggering a sequence of events that would ensure that it would not survive another century.

If you were an accidental time traveler to Rome during this terrible time, how could you survive making best use of current knowledge of the event? Author Cody Cassidy has advice. His newly published book, How to Survive History: How to Outrun a Tyrannosaurus, Escape Pompeii, Get Off the Titanic, and Survive the Rest of History's Deadliest Catastrophes, has specific, detailed advice with a focus on European history.

Cassidy has published a summary in Smithsonian magazine, including helpful tips for living through the 410 sack of Rome (there were numerous sacks of Rome, so it's important be specific). Your best option is to flee the city toward the south and hide in the hills. You'll need to do so for only a few days because the Visigoths left the city quickly. If you're unable to get out of the city, hide in a church, as many of them were spared by the invaders.

Other calamities listed in Cassidy's article include the 1453 fall of Constantinople and the famine of 536. How can we escape a Tyrannosaurus Rex? We'll probably have to read the complete book to find out.

-via Nag on the Lake | Image: Andre Durenceau

YouTuber luisengineering likes to ramp up the power of ordinary household devices. In the past, he's modified a robot vacuum so that can move up to 37 MPH and adapted a Nerf Blaster to fire tampons.

In a similarly practical vein, he wants to deal with a roommate problem. His video is in German, but I gather that our hero lives with three other men and all four like to use electric toothbrushes. There aren't enough electrical outlets in the bathroom to keep all four toothbrushes juiced, so he has built an off-grid solution.

Luisengineering bought a 2-cyclinder 4-stroke gasoline engine with a 7 cc displacement. After designing and 3D printing new parts, he was able to drive this power to his toothbrush.

Hearing protection is advised while using this powerful and loud tool.

-via Hack a Day

In 1990, United Airlines offered a lifetime, unlimited pass for flights. It cost Tom Stuker of New Jersey $290,000, but with that pass, he's flown 23,000,000 miles, which is equivalent of three round-trip journeys from the Earth to the Moon.

Pictured above is an infographic created by the Washington Post, which interviewed Stuker. It shows just one year of flights. As you can see, he averaged more than one per day.

United Airlines doesn't offer this special pass anymore, but it doesn't resent Stuker's hustle. He's treated like royalty by the airline and given luxury hotel stays, gourmet meals, and limousine service as he travels over the world.

Stuker is arguably the world's foremost expert on airline travel and offers advice to flyers. This includes telling flight attendants that he remembers them from previous flights, even if it's a lie, because they'll provide extra service. That may be unethical, but he's certainly correct about his final piece of advice: if you use your cell phone, use headphones instead of playing the speaker.

That should be common courtesy, but is occasionally uncommon.

-via Flowing Data | Image: Washington Post

Why are there so many Irish or Irish-like pubs around the world? They're popping up all over the place.

One contributing factor is the work of companies that mass-produce flat-pack Irish pub kits with all of the necessary components. Eater reports that all that's necessary is to assemble, stock, and open them.

Mel McNally, an Irish architect, launched one such company in 1990. The Irish Pub Company offers six different styles of Irish pub: Shop, Gastro, Victorian, Brewery, Country, and Celtic. You can find thee pubs around the world, including in the US, Canada, Switzerland, Russia, and Kazakhstan. But the company manufactures the components in Ireland, so they are, strictly speaking, Irish pubs. 

Another company named ÓL Irish Pubs has produced similar pubs in Oman, New Zealand, India, and other countries. A firm named Ballance Hospitality helps bars develop menus that reflect actual Irish foods mixed with those in demand by customers. This is a thriving industry.

It's unclear how long international markets will continue to favor the development of these "McPubs." But as long as the style is in demand, these companies will supply drinkers with the Irish experiences that they crave.

-via Messy Nessy Chic | Photo: Irish Pub Company

Amazon Echo and Alexa are pretty cool virtual assistants to have so that we get to live in a science fiction future. But it doesn't feel like we're living in the future unless we can convince ourselves that we're actually on an old science fiction television show. You might prefer a virtual assistant more like Theopolis on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century than a subtle assistant that fits modern decor.

Instructables member dermbrian sympathizes. He repackaged his Amazon Echo to reflect vintage science fiction aesthetics. The new case is actually a cookie tin to which he added LED notification lights. One of these is ominously labeled "sentience". If that unfortunate event happens, dermbrian can use the toggle switch, which is as shut-off for the entire system in response to an AI uprising.

The voice is nice. But, personally, if I had a digital assistant, I'd want it voiced by Majel Barrett Roddenberry.

-via Hack A Day

The lowest car in the world

[📹 carmagheddon (IT): https://t.co/9z0IrZySua]pic.twitter.com/AvExqIFJnA

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) June 25, 2023

For the ultimate lowrider experience, we aren't just on the ground. We appear to be actually sinking into the earth!

Carmagheddon is an Italian car modification shop that produces the wildest and most surreal vehicles imaginable. They include a toilet go-kart, a compact car with a jet engine, and a car with springs for tires.

One of Carmagheddon's recent projects is a lowrider that fits entirely within the upper half of the original body. You can watch a lengthy build video in Italian here. I gather that the car now has only one drive wheel positioned in the center of machine. It's not remote controlled; there's actually a person squeezed inside.