John Farrier's Blog Posts
(Photo: Kate Monkey)
Researchers tested the attention spans of 2,000 people in Canada. They found that their ability to focus on one thing had dropped from 12 seconds to 8 since the year 2000. As goldfish are thought to have an attention span of 9 seconds, this puts us humans a step below them.
The researchers suggested that the practice of constantly reading and using smartphones and other electronic devices has impaired this ability. But the Daily Telegraph explains that this finding more likely reflects a general trend in technological interest:
Bruce Morton, a researcher with the University of Western Ontario's Brain and Mind Institute, suggested it is the result of humans craving information.
"When we first invented the car, it was so novel," he said.
"The thought of having an entertainment device in the car was ridiculous because the car itself was the entertainment.
"After a while, travelling for eight hours at a time, you'd had enough of it. The brain is bored. You put radios in the car and video displays.
"Why? Because after the first 10 minutes of the drive I've had enough already. I understand this.
"Just because we may be allocating our attention differently as a function of the technologies we may be using, it doesn't mean that the way our attention actually can function has changed."
-via The Presurfer
Well, almost. You could also include Babylon 5, Stargate SG-1, Space 1999, among others. This is a highly customizable concept. But if you don't want to go through the work of building your own clock, you can buy this one from Etsy seller Trish Mercer. It comes with a key to decipher it if you are (to your justifiable embarrassment) struggling with some of the numbers.
-via Nerd Bastards
Meg Favreau predicts "CBS will buy the rights to this video and have a show called 'Bird Dentist' on air within six months." Bird Dentist sounds like the great premise for a failed pilot episode. David Boreanaz should play the parrot and Andy Dick should play his sassy dental hygienist who has pyrokinesis.
Aston Androshchuk, the boy in this video, should have at least a cameo in the pilot.
-via Dave Barry
(Images: AMC, Amazon)
Sterling Cooper & Partners has a shot at a big account: children's literature. The percentage could be very favorable if Don Draper can reach into himself and draw out the right way to tell the story. How will it sell? First, Don explained the classic story of perseverance The Little Engine That Could:
"Success comes from standing out, not fitting in. This little engine, who saw opportunity where bigger engines only saw risk and obstacle, isn't just an anthropomorphic piece of technology -- it's the American dream. You want some respect? Go out there and get it for yourself."
This is 1 of 5 Don Draper-style pitches written by the CBC. You can read the rest here, including Draper's take on Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Green Eggs and Ham.
-via Nag on the Lake
Bro, you've got to try yoga. It's good for you! Artist Hannah Rothstein shows you the most common poses, such as this one called the Shotgunosana. As usual, you'll need a six-pack.
Instagram member @dad_beets seems persuaded that any food can and therefore should be cooked in a waffle iron. And why not? It's a perfectly suitable griddle that leaves handy indentations to catch chocolate syrup.
Among his unusual uses for the waffle iron is preparing sushi, which does not, strictly speaking, have to be raw. These are spicy tuna avocado rolls that he purchased at a Whole Food store. @dad_beets froze the rolls for 20 minutes and heated the waffle iron as high as possible. Then he cooked them for under a minute, leaving each roll crispy. Here's what they look like:
I call myself a librarian, but some people in my profession prefer to refer to themselves as information management specialists. Either way, you still need to get the toilet plunger and unclog that beast. Make sure that nothing unfortunate splashes on your fancy name badge while you’re providing excellence in user experience at the point of service.
Some E-Cards explained what 20 common job titles really mean, including summer intern, CFO, and HR director. What’s your job title?
Slap that mouse! The allure of this feline version of the carnival game whack-a-mole is irresistible. A generous cat owner made this impressively detailed game that manually pops mice up holes. The resident cats jump at the chance to jump at mice. You can see built photos here, as well as instructions in Japanese (translation). It’s much better than the reversed version of the game: whack-a-kitty.
-via Laughing Squid
Hannah Jesus Koh is an art teacher in San Francisco. She travels around the world, painting watercolors in her journal. To compose her paints, she acquires water from the subjects of her landscapes. When she paints the Grand Canyon, she gets water from the Colorado River. To compose the Golden Gate Bridge, she paints with the San Francisco Bay.
I outgrew coloring books by the time I was about 7. Now that I have kids, they’re fun again. They’re also very cheap. You can pick up one for a quarter if you know a good dealer.
They’re cheap to buy because they’re cheap to make. Advertisers produce them for promotional purposes, including for products you might not think about. Flashbak has pictures from 11 old and strange coloring books, including one that shows how to eat at Bonanza restaurants and another that encourages young boys to talk to truckers on CB radios.
Mr. T doesn’t belong on the list. Mr. T was cool back in the 80s and has been ever since. He has no pity for fools, but he’s tender.
It’s naptime for Rumba. So he lies down on his pillow and pulls his blanket over himself. Now he’s all snuggly and warm and ready for a restful afternoon. He can do all of this thanks to horse trainer Georgia Bruce.
-via Tastefully Offensive
Chris Kessler’s young son makes a speedrun down a sidewalk level of Super Mario Bros. He snatches up coins and vanquishes koopas and goombas that lie in his path. The boy is just a toddler, but he’s already a masterful player. I look forward to a video of his Grand Theft Auto gameplay.
-via Nerd Approved
Need some excitement on a Saturday night? Ultron will funk you up. Filmmakers Angie Griffin and Chad Nikolaus, who are known as the Screen Team, offer this parody of Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk." The hit movie Avengers: Age of Ultron is now about an unstoppable dancing robot. If you look carefully, you'll see Hawkeye appear . . . somewhere.
-via Nerd Bastards
(Photo: Chris-Rachael Oseland/BBC)
With a clever pun, Chris-Rachael Oseland, AKA the Kitchen Overlord, devises a great treat for Doctor Who fans. Keep your eyes on the deadly Weeping Angel inside this cake. She made them in a Bundt cake pan that highlights the Gothic architecture that appeared in the famous episode “Blink.” Don’t eat. Eat and you’re fed.
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