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The bridge officers on the Enterprise-D encounter strange sensor readings. What is that huge sphere? How should they respond? Who shot first, Han or Greedo?

-via Fanboy

I've long suspected this to be true, but Kara Crabb's successful experiment has only confirmed it. "As the old saying goes, the best way to get raccoons to swarm over your body is to think like a raccoon." We know that raccoons are highly motivated by food, so she baited them with food duct-taped to her body. She was successful. And now, thanks to her work, you know that you can be, too.

Link -via American Digest | Photo: Kara-Lis Coverdale and Rose Athena

Bruce Wayne has a lot of accidents. Why is that? Dr. Russell Saunders's comprehensive medical report offers clues, but no definitive answers. A sample:

By far the greatest contributor to patient’s ongoing morbidity are his multiple and seemingly ceaseless musculoskeletal injuries. The most significant of these was sustained several years ago, when he was rushed to GCGH with several fractures of his lumbar vertebrae, reportedly after falling while rappelling. Skeletal series obtained at that time revealed numerous (>20) areas of orthopedic injury in various states of healing, which could not be fully explained by recent fall, including areas of all extremities and many ribs; confirmatory bone scan similarly showed many areas of increased uptake. Patient’s robust stature is not consistent with osteogenesis imperfecta, and skin biopsy was negative for abnormal collagen and P3H1 or CRTAP genetic defects. Malignancy was suspected, but eventually ruled out following oncology consultation. Patient explained most of these (and most subsequent) injuries as being the result of membership in a private and apparently quite intense mixed martial arts club. Patient has denied being the victim of domestic abuse by Mr. Grayson following indirect and direct questioning on numerous occasions.

Link -via Glenn Reynolds| Image: deviantART user ErikVonLehmann

The US Army wants a means of determining if mysterious objects may be improvised bombs. Specifically, they want to be able to fire a chemical pellet at an object and tell from the color of the splatter if the object is an explosive:

The system would work by loading up projectiles with materials that advertise the presence of explosives — sort of like a litmus test for bombs — and firing them at the suspected bombs. Picture paintballing, but with a target that might really kill you. [...]

The paintball idea is comparatively low-tech. The Army notes that the technology to detect explosives with paints and powders is already a commercial reality. They point to Raptor Detection Technology’s SAFE-T Spray, which turns orange on contact with certain explosives, as an example.

Link -via GearFuse | Photo: Flickr user VisitLakeland

A true artist conceives of projects never before contemplated by ordinary men and women. Flickr user Tizerone ID is such an artist.

Link -via Blame It on the Voices

Inspired by the drama and majesty of the Bayeux Tapestry, Anna Hrachovec created an enormous, sprawling battlescape showing the savage war fought between snowmen and gnomes for control of Mochimochi Land. The panel-by-panel story presented in it is hilarious.

Gallery and Exhibit Website -via Craft

"And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left." This eye-catching installation called the Moses Bridge lets you cross the moat of a Seventeenth Century Dutch fort beneath the water level. From a distance, it can't be seen, so people walking on it appear to be moving through the water.

Link -via My Modern Met | Official Website | Photo: RO & AD Architects

Stephanie Vetter captured this amazing photograph of the Skógafoss waterfall in Iceland. The rainbow is caused not by sunlight, but the illumination of a nearly full moon against the backdrop of the Northern Lights.

Link | Photographer's Website

The port of Singapore is very busy and maritime traffic there is only increasing. The number of oil, gas, and chemical tankers alone has risen by 5.8% in just the past month. Ron Wheeler snapped this picture of a near collision between two oil tankers in the crowded port. You can view three more in the sequence at the link.

Link -via Jalopnik | Photo: Ron Wheeler

You ate that thing? You're hungier than I thought. Amy Radcliffe made an apple pie in the shape of the Millennium Falcon. Much like the ship itself, the project required clever modifications to the original pie pan design. You can read her step-by-step instructions at the link.

Link -via Bit Rebels

Creative bartenders have lately been mixing cotton candy into cocktails for a pretty presentation as well as a sweet flavor. The blogger behind Nom Nom Cupcake discovered that it mixes well with lemonade for a sweet summer treat.

http://nomnomcupcake.co.za/2011/11/14/candyfloss-lemonade/ -via Tasteologie

An Yashi, a professor at Sinchuan University in China, has produced tea which is fertilized with panda droppings. At $80,000 per kilogram, it'll be the most expensive tea in the world when it reaches the market. Yashi claims that it's worth the price because of special health benefits:

"Pandas have a very poor digestive system and only absorb about 30 percent of everything they eat. That means their excrement is rich in fibres and nutrients," he told Chinese website Scol.com.cn.

"It has a mature, nutty taste and a very distinctive aroma while it's brewing."

He also believes there are serious health benefits to the drink.

"Just like green tea, bamboo contains an element that can prevent cancer, and enhance green tea's anti-cancer effects, if it is used as fertilizer for the tea," the professor said

Link -via Born Rich | Photo: Flickr user Danforth1

In 1978, Glen A. Larson launched his ambitious space saga Battlestar Galactica. It was a grand story of a clash of civilizations and battle for survival. But its ratings could not justify its enormous production expense, and the show folded. A brief return in 1980 offered hope, but that came to nothing. For a generation, Battlestar Galactica fans lobbied for a revival and their efforts finally came to fruition in a re-imagined version of the show in a 2003 miniseries, followed by four seasons of storytelling. Here are eleven facts that you might not know about that latter series.

 

1. Laura Roslin’s swearing-in ceremony as the President of the Twelve Colonies was modeled after that of Lyndon Johnson onboard Air Force One after the assassination of President Kennedy.

2. Grace Park initially auditioned for role of Dualla. She was turned down, but told by directors to audition for the role of Starbuck. She did so, but was instead offered the role of Boomer.

3. At 22, Katee Sackoff was much younger than what the directors had in mind for Starbuck, but she aced the audition and was given the role. The decision to make Starbuck a woman although the original Starbuck had been a man was deeply controversial among BSG fans. Dirk Benedict, the actor who played Starbuck in the 1978 series, strongly and repeatedly objected to this change. But eventually he and Sackoff came to an understanding that allowed them to work together.

4. Sackoff has a tattoo of the Latin words bona fiscalia, which means "public property." It’s a reminder to her that she is a role model to people and that this entails a high responsibility.

Marco D'Alfonso created a gallery of funny and well-drawn pop culture mashups. Among them are Catwoman with Garfield, Professor X with Professor Farnsworth, and lots and lots of Deadpool. Pictured above is a scene from a Transformers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles crossover episode that was meant to be.

Link -via The Mary Sue

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Cyriaque Lamar io9 brings us this wonderfully bizarre science fiction music video. It's the theme song to a 2004 German comedy called Traumschiff Surprise – Periode 1. The movie is a parody of classic Star Trek and, just from the clips included in the video, looks promising.

-via io9