The task of the game of Jenga is to remove blocks from the pile without collapsing the stack. 16-year old George Hirst of Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, UK had the onerous task of removing the only block on the very bottom of the pile. This means that the entire stack would be completely distabilized.
Amazingly, when George pulled out the block, the stack neatly dropped down completely intact! You can read more at the Telegraph (auto-start video).
One of the most popular subfora on reddit is /r/IAmA. Celebrities create threads that begin with "I am X, ask me anything" and invite people to ask them any question. This type of thread is colloquially called an AMA.
Bill Gates recently gave an AMA. As is standard procedure at reddit, he provided a photo to prove that the username was, in fact, him. Gates chose a novel way to prove his identity: he recreated a 46-year old photo of himself in nearly perfect detail.
-via Nerdcore
Unrelated question: how many of you would show up to an AMA by the internet-famous Miss Cellania?
(Photo: Frank Fox)
You can close your mouth, but your lips, however tighly sealed, are still a gap. It's a different situation for the Hydra viridissima. The hydra's mouth disappears at the cellular level when closed. Ed Yong explains at National Geographic:
In 1987, Richard Campbell from the University of California, Irvine discovered why: a hydra mouth is not a permanent opening. It constantly forms and vanishes. When it closes, a wide ring of cells around the edge of the mouth collapses into a small mound called a hypostome, with a rosette of 6 to 12 cells at its centre. These cells are stapled together by small junctions, so that not even a tiny pore remains between them. In many ways, Campbell wrote, closing the mouth is very much like healing a wound.
-via Super Punch
(Photo: unknown)
This clever girl has poured herself a cup of A&W brand cream soda. It flows out of the bottle as smoothly as well-conditioned hair.
I should try this on my own daughters' hair (while my wife is not at home). But to top this unknown girl's accomplishment, I'll do it with a 2-liter bottle.
-via Geekologie
(Photo: Iain Cameron)
The American Cheese Society calls the position "Content Manager." But dig into the job description and you'll see that the organization wants a librarian:
EDUCATION
Four-year accredited Bachelor’s degree with preference for degrees in library science/digital library science. MLS preferred
MLS stands for Master of Library Science, the standard degree that credentials a librarian in the United States.
There's a lengthy description of the typical job duties, most of which are not directly related to the consumption of cheese. But I'm not taking any chances. If I'm going to be ready for the interview, then I need to eat a lot of cheese.
-via Amanda Brennan
Tanya Malone, the bride, marched up the aisle with her escort at a church in Lucan, County Dublin, Ireland. Her beautiful gown flowed behind her with a billowing train.
A little boy in attendance understood perfectly why she had chosen that particular gown and acted accordingly.
Thus a new wedding tradition was born.
-via Pleated Jeans
It looks like a mass of foam forms shoved inside a frame. But it's much more:
It's a chair. Or a stool. Or a desk. Keren Shiker calls her design the Sink-In. It consists of 204 spongy foam units inside a birch frame. Users can adjust it to fit different needs, heights, and comfort needs. It can be turned around, flipped over, and used from any direction as needed.
-via Core 77
Here's the dangerous scenario that you've gotten yourself into:
You’re stranded in a rainforest, and you’ve eaten a poisonous mushroom. To save your life, you need an antidote excreted by a certain species of frog. Unfortunately, only the female frog produces the antidote. The male and female look identical, but the male frog has a distinctive croak.
As you begin to lose consciousness, you find yourself standing equidistant between two points. At one of them is a single frog. At the other are two frogs. You just heard the sound of the male croaking from the second point. You have time to get to one of those points and begin frantic frog licking. Which direction do you choose?
The answer isn't quite so obvious. Derek Abbott explains in this demonstration of conditional probability.
(Unrelated photo via Nathan Kavumbura)
Mark Hefley of Greenwood, Indiana had the worst luck, followed immediately by the best luck.
He was helping a friend install tile in a condo in Panama City Beach, Florida. While taking a break, he leaned on a railing on the balcony. He leaned too far, though, and fell off. Hefley immediately realized the danger he was in and that he had to take action:
Frantically, he tried to grab something to catch himself. It was no use.
As his body plunged past the balcony railing on the floor below, Hefley said he reached and pushed himself as far as he could away from the building.
He knew there was a swimming pool down below. He just needed to get past the concrete and land the water.
Hefley hit the water in the 10-foot deep pool hard:
"Next thing I know I hit the water," Hefler said.
Hefler swam to the edge, pulled himself out and collapsed alongside the pool.
He said he screamed a little bit. A security guard approached and asked where he came from.
"I pointed up there," Hefley said.
Hefley not only survived the fall, but escaped with only bruises and a bloody nose. But he decided to cut his trip short anyway and go home to spend time with his 4 children. You can read more about his story at the Indianapolis Star.
The boy and a police officer crossed the snow-filled street in Belarus. The cop saw that a car driving toward them was going too fast and wouldn't be able to stop in time. So he grabbed the boy by the handle on his backpack and yanked him back, twisted around at the same time so that he, rather than the child, would take the brunt of the impact.
Surprisingly, neither of them was seriously injuried. Dashcam footage shows the cop standing up, opening the passenger side door of the car, and having a few words with the driver.
This is how many people are interpreting the video. But as the Daily Mail points out, other internet commenters say that the cop actually pulled the boy toward danger, not away from it. If he had only left the child alone, he would have missed the car completely.
-via Ace of Spades HQ
It's called an alpine coaster or Rodelbahn. It's a mechanical roller coaster that slides you down a metal chute through the most beautiful scenery in Kandersteg, Switzerland. Brice Milleson recorded his amazing experience on it in 2013.
-via Twisted Sifter
(Photo: Scott Davidson)
The writer for the Facebook page of the Bangor (Maine) Police Department is trying his hand at comedy and doing a fine job of it. The anonymous author has penned a regular feature called "Got Warrants?" It lists the current outstanding arrest warrants and asks for public-spirited citizens to turn in these miscreants.
Let's start with Todd who has decided to be that guy. We all know that guy and Todd of Bangor is a fine example of the breed:
A hearty, Hi-De-Ho to Todd. We call him Todd because that is his name. Todd made the pizza delivery lady feel very uncomfortable and along with his extremely inappropriate comments, hugged the young lady “not in a good way.” We note that Todd has spurned our advances to discuss this ridiculous and boorish behavior. File this under; we are not laughing and plan on a late night or early morning visit from the summons delivery guy. We do notice that you have been avoiding us and we have some paperwork for you. Your full name is on our contact list and it might be better if you swing by the station and ask for Officer Perry or any officer for that matter. If you do not like being named as a featured player or being called out for being loutish, show some respect to other people. We will see you soon. Toodles…Todd.
-via Debby Witt
The poor puppy was trapped in his pen, unable to escape. Her friend, Sriracha the cat, considered getting a map of the prison tattooed on her body, then committing a crime and getting sent to the same pen in order to break her out.
But then she realized that a simpler solution was to hold down the fabric frame so that the dog could escape. It worked! But it's still a felony.
-via Tastefully Offensive
(Photo: Roselle Police Department)
Police in Roselle, Illinois stopped a driver for driving while she had a large tree embedded in the front end of her car. The 15-foot tall tree was tightly wedged into the 2004 Lincoln.
Surprisingly, alcohol was involved. The driver failed sobriety tests and police cited her for driving under the influence. She told police that she had hit the tree at some point during her travels, but couldn't remember precisely where.
Amanda is a food photographer and chef in Sydney, Australia. At her blog, Chew Town, she reveals this incredible dessert that's perfect for an Easter gathering. She made them with hollow Cadbury creme eggs which she filled with tiramisu and savoiardi cookies. Then she topped them with shredded chocolate and what appears to be whole coffee beans.
-via Tasteologie
