Joseph Burns, a rock historian at Southeastern Louisiana University, thinks that "That's All Right Mama" by Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup is the first rock and roll song:

"An argument can be made for and against every song mentioned," he said before adding "That's All Right Mama" is a better fit than all of the other tunes.

This song came out in September 1946 as a rockabilly piece with a blues melody line over top.

"It's sung with power, may contain the first guitar solo break, and, as a remake, became one of Elvis' first singles," Burns said.

The origin of the term "rock 'n' roll" is straightforward, he believes.

"It started as a nautical phrase meaning the movement of the boat up and down and back and forth," Burns said. "Sometime in the late 1800s to early 1900s, gospel and jubilee music co-opted the term and used it to mean being rocked and rolled in the arms of the Lord. In fact, the first recorded use of the term in a song was 'Camp Meeting Jubilee' in 1916."

You can listen to "That's All Right Mama" here.

Link via The Presurfer | Photo by Flickr user Never Slim used under Creative Commons license

Anthony Jurado and Nessa B. Wilson of Cracked wrote an article about five scientists who are respected today, but were considered fools in their own time. These include the physician Ignaz Semmelweis, who suggested that doctors should wash their hands after handling dead bodies in order to resist spreading infections:

Semmelweis didn't just have the disregard of his contemporaries, he had their flat-out scorn. Maybe it was because he didn't get around to explaining himself on paper right away, so no one understood what hand-washing had to do with keeping people alive. Some doctors were actually insulted that he was accusing Viennese medical students being dirty enough to kill people.

Within 14 years of his groundbreaking discovery, Semmelweis just stopped giving a [redacted -- ed.]. He got drunk all the time and called all his detractors "ignoramuses" and "murderers." He started chilling with prostitutes and lashing out at family. That last part proved to be a bad move, because in 1865 they had him committed to an insane asylum, where he was promptly beat up and stuck in a dark cellar.

He died two weeks later. It took another 20 years and Louis Pasteur's germ theory for the rest of the world to come around to the concept of washing your hands to keep from getting sick.

Link | Image: Prince George's Community College

The governments of Singapore and the European Union are trying to develop a computer chip the size of a single molecule. From Singapore's press release on the subject:

A*STAR’s IMRE and 10 EU research organisations are working together to build what is essentially a single molecule processor chip. As a comparison, a thousand of such molecular chips could fit into one of today’s microchips, the core device that determines computational speed. The ambitious project, termed Atomic Scale and Single Molecule Logic Gate Technologies (ATMOL), will establish a new process for making a complete molecular chip. This means that computing power can be increased significantly but take up only a small fraction of the space that is required by today’s standards.

The fabrication process involves the use of three unique ultra high vacuum (UHV) atomic scale interconnection machines which build the chip atom-by-atom. These machines physically move atoms into place one at a time at cryogenic temperatures. One of these machines is located in A*STAR’s IMRE.

http://www.a-star.edu.sg/?TabId=828&articleType=ArticleView&articleId=1393 via Glenn Reynolds | Photo (unrelated) via Flickr user Fabrizio Sclami used under Creative Commons license

Ben Lzicar turned an old beer keg into a PC case. Conveniently, it comes with a bottle opener. Inconveniently, it does not come with beer. You can view many photos at Lzicar's Facebook page, or a select few at Legit Reviews forums.

Facebook Link (login required) and Forum Link via Geekologie

Early in his career as a geologist, Dougal Dixon developed an interest in fossils and paleontology. But he took that curiosity in a unique direction. Dixon has published several books on speculative evolution -- imagining animals that may have evolved if conditions were different. Pictured above is an illustration from one of his books depicting a future version of humanity:

In Man After Man, genetically superior humans abandon a polluted Earth to colonize space. The remaining Homo sapiens tinker with their gene codes for a thousand years to achieve immortality. One such species is the Tic, who graft back-up organs and limbs onto their bodies like Mr. Potato-Head made flesh.

Link | Official Website

In 1973, Ann Margaret Zaleski patented a dog-shaped vacuum cleaner. Why? From the abstract:

A toy dog closely resembling a real dog and having a hollow interior in which is mounted a vacuum cleaner having a suction hose which is retractable from the tail end of the dog. This enables vacuuming a dog after a haircut and grooming without causing fear to the dog, inasmuch as the vacuum cleaner noise is greatly muffled by such an enclosure.

Link via Technabob | Image: USPO

I can't speak Russian, which is real shame right now, because I'm really curious about these Russian novels about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The illustrations are truly bizarre, such as the above scene. There are many, many more at the link.

Link via Geekosystem

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Activate your cute overload compensators. At the bottom of his pile of sleeping, purring kittens is ...another kitten!

via The Presurfer

Google Maps lets users submit reviews for different locations, including the mysterious Area 51 in Nevada. Most people seem to be displeased with the customer service found there.

Link via Glenn Reynolds

Previously: Travel Reviews for Mount Everest

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This video shows a terrible and rather odd gaffe by newscaster Cynthia Izaguirre of KOAT-7 of Albuquerque. It dates back to at least 2006.

via reddit

Every year, the editors of Popular Science compile a list of what they believe to be the 100 greatest technological innovations of the past year. This time, the #1 slot went to the Groasis Waterboxx. It's a plant incubator that reduces the need for irrigation:

The Waterboxx, shaped more like a doughnut than a box, helps plants survive long enough to make it through that layer of dry soil. Place the tub around a freshly planted seedling, and fill the evaporation-proof basin—just once—with four gallons of water.

The Waterboxx does the rest. At night, its top cools faster than the air, collecting condensation to supplement those initial gallons. The tub drips about three tablespoons of water a day into the soil, sustaining the plant while encouraging its roots to grow deeper in search of more water. Once the plant reaches the moist soil layer, usually after a year, the farmer lifts the box off the plant and reuses it on the next sapling. Each Waterboxx is expected to last 10 years, and, for about a buck or two per tree grown, is cheap enough to use in poor nations.

At the link, you can view the complete list of 100 innovations divided into 11 categories.

http://www.popsci.com/bown/2010 via First Things | Photo: Popular Science

American designer Mattias Pliessnig built this curvy custom bench out of thin sheets of oak:

pliessnig recently completed 'amada', a design for a private client who wanted a large bench flowing through his living space. the piece was designed to direct the sitter to face multiple directions. the seating unit is made entirely of air-dried responsibly harvested white oak that has been steam bent to create the curvaceous form of the bench.

Link via Dude Craft | Designer's Website | Photo: Gene Young/Smithsonian

Shove Mink makes delightfully twisted amigurumi, such as this scene from The Exorcist. The crocheted vomit is a nice touch.

Blog Link and Etsy Link via Super Punch

Deflexion, developed by Dow Corning, is a material that is normally soft. When something hits it, the material instantly hardens, and then returns to its previous flexibility. So far, it's being used to make body armor for athletes, such as motorcycle riders and rodeo competitors. Dow Corning says:

It can be stylishly incorporated into a garment such as a base layer shirt, it can be designed to create protective equipment, like a soccer shin guard, or it can be incorporated into protective cases for delicate equipment. Because this high performance fabric is flexible, it can be cut and sewn directly into clothing, eliminating the need to insert uncomfortable padding. It can be layered, so garments can be customized with increased levels of protection for specific areas.

Link via DVICE | Image: Dow Corning, Screenshot: Core77

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Marc Kossover attached neon light bulbs to a sheet of acrylic and put it inside a microwave. As the oven operated and microwaves flowed across the panel, the lights lit up.

http://kossover.squarespace.com/journal/2010/11/12/seeing-where-the-microwaves-are.html via CrunchGear