John Farrier's Blog Posts

Jill the Squirrel Won't Sleep without Her Teddy Bear

In 2012, Hurricane Isaac slammed into Louisiana. This little squirrel fell out of her nest during the storm, so nearby humans took care of her. It was a perfect match, so they decided to stay together.

Now the squirrel, whom the humans have named Jill, lives among the Two-Legs. They provided her with a teddy bear, which she clutches when it's bedtime.

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Dude with Sign Speaks for the Masses

@DudeWithSign is a dude with crudely-made protest signs about the actual injustices that we face in everyday life. His name is Seth and he regularly protests the real issues that the human race must address before it's too late.

I have personally been in a company-wide email reply-all chain. It lasted two days.

Two. Days.

Two whole days of people replying-all and saying "Please remove me from this list" or "Don't reply-all to this email."

Therapy helped.

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Baby Greets Christmas Trees

Lauren Green McAfee decorated her home for Christmas. Her daughter saw the decorated trees for the first time in her life. She decided that the appropriate reaction was to walk around and greet them by shaking their hands--that is, their limbs.

-via Kurt Schlichter


Where Did the Time Go?

You see, it was a trap all along. The "weekend" was just a block of time devoted to responsibilities that you didn't have time for during the regular workweek. When you run out of time to finish them (not when you finish them, as that will not happen), then Monday arrives. Lunarbaboon understands.


Bar Installs 70 Big Mouth Billy Bass Plaques to Sing in Unison

Because a Big Mouth Billy Bass animatronic singing fish brings class and joy to every room, it only makes sense to multiply the number of Big Mouth Billy Bass in order to multiply the elegance and happiness.

And so the Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club, a shuffleboard bar in Chicago (like an axe-throwing bar, but you play shuffleboard while getting drunk), bought 70 of these gems and mounted them on a wall.

It called in engineers to design custom hardware and software to make all of the fish in the chorus sing simultaneously. The result is, as you can see and here, magnificent.

-via Dave Barry


AI Writes an Episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation

Botnik Studios is a collection of human (or so they tell us) comedians who use artificial intelligence to re-write famous stories, such as a new chapter from a Harry Potter novel and the script for a new Seinfeld episode. Their system predicts new text based on inputted text.

In this case, it's the collected scripts of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Botnik Studios has produced episode 279, which is titled, "Here's Looking at Q." Read the whole thing.

I hope--I pray--that the TNG actors meet to record a reading of this script. Someone will have to fill in for the computer voice, as Majel Barrett Roddenberry has passed away.

-via Geek Tyrant


The Texas Longhorns' Stadium Modifications Look Like the Female Reproductive Tract

At least, that's what a lot of people are seeing. The "Longhorns Patio" has a distinct shape, especially when it gives birth to the team onto the field.

Let's back up a bit for our non-Texan readers (my condolences on being non-Texan).

The Texas Longhorns are a football team based in Austin. I understand that there's a small school attached to it. Their stadium is being modified to include the above feature that looks like the logo of the Longhorns . . . and possibly something else.

There have been many jokes on Twitter.

I just hope that the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide doesn't get any ideas.


A Maytag Gasoline-Powered Washing Machine

David Burge, an antique car expert and respected internet scoundrel, informs us in a Twitter thread that the Maytag Corporation used to make cars.

Although it's most famous for its household appliances, the company founded by F.L. Maytag made cars for several years, starting in 1910. It was most famous for its hill climbing cars. During the Great Depression, it also produced what we would today call go-karts.

That line of go-karts was powered by the same gasoline-fed engine available in its washing machines.

It would make a lot of sense to have household appliances, if they were available at all, powered independently.


This 9-Year Old Boy Is the Youngest Person to Ever Graduate from College

Laurent Simons (left) of Amsterdam will soon become the youngest person to ever complete college. In December, he will complete a degree in electrical engineering from Eindhoven University of Technology.

What were you doing when you were nine? Yeah, same here.

What will Laurent do now? He's keeping his options open. He's considering California because the weather is nice or Oxford or Cambridge because he could get a fairly good education there. Stuff quotes Laurent's father:

"There is definitely competition to get him on the course. If he goes to America then we will go out with him and split our time there with his grandparents," Alexander, 37, said,
"But Oxford and Cambridge are also in the major league" the Belgian dentist said, "and it would be very much more convenient for us."
John Wilkes, who went to Jesus College, Oxford, taught Laurent in summer courses. He said: "He really was a delight to tutor and very well balanced; able to be like a child and an adult at the same time.
"I taught him when he was six and we studied at the level of a 16-year-old. I really would recommend Oxford for him."
Laurent only began his university studies in March. His tutor said he was three times more intelligent than his next cleverest student.

Photo: Laurent Simons


The World's Smallest Chess Set Can Fit on a Fingertip

Master craftsman Ara Ghazaryan of Los Angeles made this nearly microscopic chess set by hand. You can watch a video of the crafting process at Guinness World Records, one of which Ghazaryan holds.

The pawns are a mere 2.3 millimeters tall! Playing this game requires not only a sharp mind, but also a steady hand and a pair of tweezers.

This chess set is a true luxury item. Ghazaryan made it from Brazilian cherry wood, yellow and white gold, and diamonds.


Coming Soon: Twinkies Cereal

As Ben Franklin said, "Twinkies are proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." You should enjoy them for every meal of the day, including first breakfast and second breakfast.

So it is proper that the companies Post Holdings and Hostess Brands are teaming together to make a Twinkie-shaped and flavored cereal as a replacement to your morning bowls of regular Twinkies doused in milk. CNBC reports:

The cereal is intended to emulate the classic sponge cake snack in all aspects, including taste and the oblong shape, according to a press release.
“In developing a cereal version of the iconic Twinkies, our top priority was focused on delivering the great Twinkies flavor in each bite,” Josh Jans, brand manager of cereal partnerships at Post, said in the companies’ joint press release. “We think fans will find that it not only tastes great with milk but also outside the bowl.”

-via Dave Barry | Photo: Post Hostess Twinkies


Coke, Mentos, Then a Surprise

The rough texture of Mentos candies allows the carbon dioxide within Coke and other carbonated beverages to separate, leading to a violently expansive chemical reaction.

This person adds Coke and Mentos to what appears to be a hole in the ground. You won't believe what happened next.

It's a clever solution to a simple problem, and one apparently widely used by the good people of YouTube.

-via Nag on the Lake


The Gift of a Power Washer Inspired This Woman to Become an Artist

For years, Dianna Wood of Burlington, North Carolina has wanted a power washer. This year, her husband gave her one as a birthday present. She felt inspired to clean her driveway--and more.

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Meet Narwhal, The Puppy with a Tail Growing out of His Head

Narwhal is a 10-week old puppy who lives at Mac's Mission, an animal rescue center in Cape Giradeau, Missouri. In addition to his regular, aft-mounted tail, he has a little one sticking out of his forehead. X-rays confirm that it's not connected to anything and offers only decorative function. BBC News quotes Rochelle Steffen, the operator of Mac's Mission:

Narwhal is not yet available for adoption as the staff want him to "grow a bit more and truly make sure the tail doesn't become a bother or a problem".
Ms Steffen said Narwhal was one of hundreds of dogs dumped in rural Missouri.
Those taken in by Mac's Mission, who mostly had special needs - deformities, clefts, trauma, "anything major", would otherwise be more likely to be put down, she said, so "there is a great need to give them a chance".
"We give them that chance."

-via Nag on the Lake


Scientists May Have Figured out Why We Hiccup

Scientists at University College London studied thirteen newborn babies. The researchers found that when the babies hiccuped, there was a surge of neural activity. They speculate that hiccuping teaches babies how to regulate their own breathing. CNN reports:

Scientists found that contractions in the babies' diaphragms produced three brainwaves, and believe that through the third brainwave babies may be able to link the 'hic' sound of the hiccup to the physical contraction they feel.
Kimberley Whitehead, the study's lead author, told CNN: "The muscle contraction of a hiccup is quite big -- it's good for the developing brain because it suddenly gives a big boost of input, which helps the brain cells to all link together for representing that particular body part."

Whitehead thinks that hiccuping adults are just engaging in an old reflex that is no longer useful. It's a holdover from infancy.

-Thanks, Virginia! | Photo: Rachel Wilder


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Profile for John Farrier

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