(YouTube Link)

YouTube user andrewid1976 was flying his remote controlled airplane when it was attacked by a bird. After several attempts, the bird, which Andrew identifies as a raven, was able to take down its prey.

via The Presurfer

The Gamburtsev Mountains in Antarctica, named after Soviet geophysicist Grigoriy Gamburtsev, lie beneath a mile of solid ice. Scientists have known about their general location for a while, but only recently were able to take pictures of them:

The images are the result of radar technology, and reveal a dramatic landscape of rocky summits, deep river valleys, and liquid, not frozen, lakes, all hidden beneath the ice. The range itself rivals the Alps in size and cover an area that is roughly the size of New York State.

“What we’d shown before was an estimate based on gravity data — a little bit of a coarse resolution tool,” said Robin Bell, a senior research scientist at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in New York. “What we showed at this meeting was the radar data. It’s like going from using a big, fat sharpie to using a fine-tipped pencil.”

Link via TigerHawk | Image: NewsDesk

Richard Jordan had the American Dream unfolding before him: cars, a nice house, and a fiance. Then she left him suddenly, and Jordan didn't know what to make of his life. So he used all of his life savings to buy a Lamborghini Gallardo and drive across America in search of himself. Jalopnik has his story:

It wasn't actually as easy as that. No one wanted to buy his new house so he was stuck with it. It took him months to sell the rest of his possessions. That, combined with the majority of his life savings, he used to afford a $90,000 down payment on a Lamborghini Gallardo — one of the most expensive vehicles on the market.[...]

After locating the right model and arranging the financing he picked up his black Lamborghini Gallardo Coupe from Lamborghini of Ohio. The date? July 4th, 2006.

Independence Day was an almost intentionally ironic choice, as he picked that day to separate from everything he'd created but now no longer wanted, including the house.

"I'd become a prisoner to my house, to everything, to my fantasy of an American Dream or anything I could remotely call home."

Link via Glenn Reynolds | Photo (unrelated): Chrises Cars

(YouTube Link)

This time-lapse video shows artist Paul Alexander Thornton drawing a detailed human skull with bic pens. The four and a half minute video represents two days of work.

via Nerdcore | Artist's Website (warning: music)

A hen in Eastwood, UK, lay an egg that was 9.1 inches in diameter, exceeding the standing record of 8.6 inches:

Hens' eggs typically have a circumference of 5.5 inches and are 2.3 inches long.

Mr Barbouti, a 64-year-old taxi driver from Eastwood, near Southend in Essex, said yesterday: 'My hens have laid big eggs before but when I saw this one I was gobsmacked.

'Harriet is only a young hen, she's about six months old, and has only just started laying eggs.

'She was limping a bit but she was all right. I'm really proud of her. She doesn't seem to have been putting off laying as she's still producing eggs.'

Link via Ace of Spades HQ | Photo: Peter Lawson/Eastnews Press Agency

This is "Bon Bon Gold" by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders. It's a hollow chair made of crocheted rope that holds its form due to heavy coatings of resin and gold. At his website, you can view similar pieces of furniture made from woven rope -- just without the expensive gold.

Link via DudeCraft | Artist's Website | Photo: Sotheby's

The people at Wicked Lasers removed the laser from a Casio projector and put it into something that looks like a lightsaber prop. The Spyder III is not a toy, but is actually quite dangerous:

It will blind permanently and instantly and set fire quickly to skin and other body parts, use with extreme caution and only when using the included eye protection. Customers will be required to completely read and agree to our Class IV Laser Hazard Acknowledgment Form.

What could possibly go wrong?

Link via Nerd Bastards | Image: Wicked Lasers

Denmark consumes more meat per person than any other country in the world. The U.S. takes the #5 spot:

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the average Dane devours 321 lbs. of meat a year. This edges out New Zealand (313 lbs. per person) for the top spot.

The United States, at 275 lbs., is fifth -- also following the tiny nations of Luxembourg (312 lbs.) and Cyprus (289 lbs.) For the sake of comparison, the average citizen of the United Kingdom eats 175 lbs. of meat a year, and the typical Frenchman 222 lbs.

Link via Ace of Spades HQ | Photo: USDA

(YouTube Link)

The Upright Citizens Brigade, a comedy troupe, describes a nightmarish environmental disaster: someone at BP international headquarters spills coffee. The executives take immediate and sensible action to contain the damage. Warning: some foul language.

via reddit | Official Website

A city in China banned the admission of bald visitors, citing that it's easier for bald people to disguise themselves:

The rule imposed by the southern Chinese city of Xiamen barred bald people from applying for one-year multiple-entry permits, the type usually used by frequent business travellers.

Chinese authorities imposed the ban over fears that "it was easier for bald people to disguise themselves", according to a report in the Taipei-based Liberty Times, which cited unnamed travel agents.

The city has since rescinded its ban and now allows the hairless to enter.

Link | Photo: ALAMY

(YouTube Link)

An old Soviet recording of singer Eduard Khil (Mr. Trolololo) singing a wordless song became an Internet sensation a few months ago. If it can be said that an Internet meme ends once it goes mainstream, this is that moment. Khil's song is the basis for the above commercial for an Israeli bank.

via Albotas

(Video Link)

Television directors used to communicate to talk show hosts with lighted signs saying that their time was almost up. Dave Chappelle was inspired by this tradition to create a sketch about a man with his own personal "wrap it up" box.

I'd love to have one of them. I'd wear it around my neck all day and turn it on when needed. Now that's actually possible because Spikenzie Labs built a working model. At the link, you can view detailed instructions and process photos on how to make your own.

Link via Make

Three years ago, Alex posted about the discovery of a 3,000-year old shoe. It was then thought to be the oldest ever found. Now archaeologists have found one about 5,500-years old in a cave in Armenia:

Stuffed with grass, perhaps as an insulator or an early shoe tree, the 5,500-year-old moccasin-like shoe was found exceptionally well preserved—thanks to a surfeit of sheep dung—during a recent dig in an Armenian cave.

About as big as a current women's size seven (U.S.), the shoe was likely tailor-made for the right foot of its owner, who could have been a man or a woman—not enough is known about Armenian feet of the era to say for sure.

Made from a single piece of cowhide—a technique that draws premium prices for modern shoes under the designation "whole cut"—the shoe is laced along seams at the front and back, with a leather cord.

There's a comment on its design from fashion mogul Manolo Blahnik at the link.

Link | Photo: Gregory Areshian

(YouTube Link)

Emerging YouTube star Rachel Zylstra responds in song to reader queries for advice. All of her songs and the lyrics to them are posted on her blog. The above video is a response to this conundrum:

Dear Advice Music,

I was thinking about getting a Roomba to help tidy up my apartment. But, according to such hit TV shows as "Battlestar Galactica," robots like the Roomba are merely setting the stage for a Robot Apocolypse. Am I being too paranoid about emerging technology, or should I have reason to fear our emerging robotic overlords?

-Scared about Being Stalked by a Robot in NY

Here is (in part), her reply:

Robots are the next frontier of
Machines humankind could make a rival of -
Follows perfectly: when we create a thing
We see it turn against us as our enemy.
It's got religious parallels, I see.

But, for real - could be you're paranoid
To believe a Roomba’d overthrow you
Much less do a single task other than vacuum your room
(And sing a mournful tone when it gets stuck)

Which is a reckless response to the inevitable Robopocalypse. But Zylstra does give sound relationship advice in other songs.

Link via Urlesque | Official Website

Pop Crunch has a list of fifteen ambitious or original movies that never completed production. Among them is an adaptation of John Kennedy Toole landmark novel A Confederacy of Dunces:

The book’s journey to film is a perplexing one. In 1982, Harold Ramis was slated to write and direct an adaptation starring John Belushi and Richard Pryor. After Belushi’s untimely death, John Candy and Chris Farley were picked to replace them, but filming was put on hold after they passed away too, ascribing a curse to the film. Another adaptation by Steven Soderbergh was scheduled for release in 2005, starring Will Ferrell, Drew Barrymore, Mos Def, and Lily Tomlin. But after three decades as a work in progress, it’s status is still unknown. ?

Link via Sci Fi Wire | Image: diggin88nine