(Image: E.H. Shepard)

In the original Winnie the Pooh stories, Pooh and Christopher Robin like to play a game that they call "Poohsticks." This consists of standing on a bridge and dropping sticks over the upstream side. The person whose stick emerges on the downstream side the first wins.

This is an actual sport that people play.

If you play, it would be a good idea to master the physics of the game in order to optimize your performance. Experts at the Royal Academy of Engineering have figured that out. Ideally, a Poohstick is covered with bark, fairly heavy, and dense. The Daily Telegraph reports:

The main variables that need to be considered are cross sectional area, density, buoyancy, and drag.

Usually large objects are slowed down by drag but in water the large size will allow it to be swept along more quickly by the water.

“When it comes to Poohsticks the tubbier the better,” said Dr Rhys Morgan, Director of Engineering and Education at the Royal Academy of Engineering. “If more water is able to influence the trajectory of the stick, it will accelerate more quickly.

“Generally, a rough stick will create more drag than a smooth stick, so in general, bark is good.”

She could just tease him about his post-surgical collar. But instead, redditor kelldog24's kitty decided to hang out with her buddy. She crawled into his cone of shame to provide a snuggle.

-via Incredible Things

Instructables member Britt Michelsen is a chemical engineer specializing in computational fluid dynamics. She's also a fangirl with incredible crafting skills. In the past, we've seen her edible Harry Potter wands, pixelated trashcan, and dead Kenny doorstop. Now she presents to the world a table that looks like it's levitating. Deadpool has cut straight through 2 legs, but it's still standing. In fact, an adult can sit on it without difficulty. That's because the 2 cut legs are decorative. The table stays up because the other legs have metal reinforcements that connect to a plate beneath the rug.

On the mean streets of Coruscant, people can hear a revolutionary new sound. It is sweeping away the old order. Secretly, the electronic music duo of Darth Vader and Boba Fett are luring people over to the Punk Side of the Force. In this vibrant video by Infectious Design, they challenge a Jedi gang to a dance-off.

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Sweet, sweet coffee. You love other people. But, truly, only coffee loves you back. Coffee alone fully responds to your morning inquiries. Coffee alone provides the stimulation that you crave. That's why South Korean designer Jang Wooseok developed a coffee cup lid that looks like a pair of human lips. It's disposable--not something interested in a serious relationship.

-via Design Boom

(Photo: News 4 Jax)

10-year old Kaley Szarmack was swimming off Jacksonville Beach, Florida last Wednesday. A three-foot shark bit one of her legs--a wound that would eventually require 90 stitches. But Kaley didn't let that mere flesh wound distract her. After realizing that a 6-year old friend of the family was still in the water, she ran back out, grabbed the younger child, and pulled her in before the shark could get a bite from her, too. News 4 Jax quotes her father:

“I am just so proud of her. And so thankful that she is doing so well. You know, she's got no permanent damage that we know of at this point, and they said she is going to heal up. She'll be able to run, jump, swim and surf in not too long of healing time. Going to have a pretty big scar and quite a story to tell though,” Dave Szarmack said.

-via Ace of Spades HQ

(Photo: Varial)

Edison Conner, a rocket scientist who used to work for SpaceX, saw that surfboard design and manufacturing had not changed substantially in 50 years. It still consisted of mostly layers of fiberglass and resin over wood and foam. So Conner established a new company, Varial Surf Technology, and used the latest knowledge of materials science to develop a firm by extremely light surfboard. Popular Science reports:

They replaced the wooden stringer with an ultra­rigid foam similar to the type used in helicopter rotor blades and in rocket-propulsion systems. The foam is 30 percent stronger, with seven times the stiffness (or modulus) of conventional foam. It’s also 25 percent lighter. That means surfers have a board that’s easier to control and more durable.

Varial’s chemists altered the poly­mers of the foam, producing high levels of crystallinity. The crystallized foam consists of structured, rigid latticelike polymer chains. Crystallization also makes cell walls thinner. That lets chemists pack more cells into a tighter, more-angular (or poly­gonal) cell structure. The structure is stronger and firmer than the looser, more-bubblelike cell structure of conventional polyurethane foam.

Because these boards are so much lighter than common surfboards, they can be used to ride much smaller waves.

-via Glenn Reynolds

(Photo: Felix Mayr/Privat)

Leonie Müller, 23, is a college student in Cologne, Germany . . . sometimes. She goes to college in Cologne, but doesn't live there. When her apartment rent reached $450 per month, she found a way to save money. She bought a $380 train pass that lets her ride as many trains on Germany's fast and effecient rail service as she wants for an entire month.

So when Müller is done for the day at college, she gets on a train. The destination isn't really important--just as long as she's back in Cologne by the morning. The Washington Post reports:

Now, Müller washes her hair in the train bathroom and writes her college papers while traveling at a speed of up to 190 mph. She says that she enjoys the liberty she has experienced since she gave up her apartment. "I really feel at home on trains and can visit so many more friends and cities. It's like being on vacation all the time," Müller said. […]

"I read, I write, I look out of the window and I meet nice people all the time. There's always something to do on trains," Müller told German TV station SWR in an interview. Since risking the move, Müller's life fits into a small backpack in which she carries clothes, her tablet computer, college documents and a sanitary bag. 

-via Marginal Revolution

(Photo: Anders Sune Berg)

Whenever I see photos of Copenhagen, I want to go there.

For hundreds of years, the capital of Denmark has been one of the great trading centers of the world. Ships from many nations touch there, so it is appropriate that this footbridge reflects that heritage.

This is the Cirkelbroen bridge, a gift to the people of Copenhagen from the non-profit Nordea-Fonden. Architect Olafur Eliasson designed it with high masts and lines to remind viewers of the great sailing vessels that once poured into and out of the harbor. He expects that daily traffic will be about 5,000 people. You can see more photos of it at Contemporist.

Actor Bruce Campbell is currently promoting his film Ash vs. Evil Dead, the latest production in the long-running Evil Dead horror/comedy franchise. While attending Worldcon in Chicago, he hung out with the crew of the local news program Good Day Chicago. Not one to be idle, Campbell got right to work, providing both the weather and traffic reports for the Chicago area, which now apparently includes Iowa and Ohio.

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-via Geek Tyrant

And you've got to admit that the design is absolutely perfect. The hacking kit pictured above has a pen testing drop box, a wireless router that can run continuously, an open network jack, a USB keystroke recorder with built-in memory, a retractable ethernet cable, a shim, and 5 lockpicks.

Natalie Nakles, a medical student, uses her in-depth knowledge of human anatomy to create terrifyingly realistic body art. She appears to dissect her own left hand with markers and pen. When placed against a black background, her drawings look 3-dimensional. You can find more of Nakles's work on her Instagram page.

-via Twisted Sifter

Like a young child, this bear is easily entertained. Visitors to Denali National Park in Alaska recently spotted a resident bear idly rolling down a hill. It looks like fun! Let's go out and join him.

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-via Lost at E Minor

It has the sophistication of luxury furniture with the playfulness of childhood. App One Design, an Italian design firm, developed a set of interlocking LEGO-like bricks of marble. They can be arranged and re-arranged however you wish and matched with glass tops with precision-cut holes for the studs on the bricks. Although you are unlikely to accidentally step on one barefoot, stubbed toes are now a hazard. You can see more photos at Home Crux.

Last year, cat lovers were ecstatic to see the CATable, a desk designed specifically for cat owners. Recently, the company that designed it offered a new furniture set that offers even more options for cats who need the finer things in life. LYCS Architects recently unveiled the CATable 2.0. It's a set of modular wood blocks that are stacked and re-arranged however your cats want. Together, they offer countless opportunities for exploration and play. The set is like a pillow fort for cats!

-via Dornob