It’s snowing heavily wherever redditor anneewanee lives. Her two dogs want to play outside, so she shoveled and shaped the snow in her yard into a maze.
The dogs are really enjoying it! For a while, they ran head-first into walls before they realized that some paths had dead-ends. You can see more photos here.
-via Boing Boing
(Photo: University of Tokyo and Kyoto University)
People may lose their ears in accidents or are born with disfigured ears. For these unfortunates, there’s a new hope: artificially-grown ears. Scientists at the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University took human cells and grew them in an ear-like shape with a mold. This ear form was then implanted on the back of a living rat and left to grow, nourished by the rat’s body, for 2 months. The result is a living human ear measuring about 2 inches long. Discovery reports on the development of tissue engineering:
So-called tissue engineering is being explored to grow other kinds of body parts, too, including noses and windpipes.
The Japanese researchers say because their ear is a living part, it would develop as a child grew.
They hope to start clinical trials in about five years.
-via Dave Barry
Dexter is a Boerboel, a working and guard dog of South African origin. At 175 pounds, he’s a lot for the vet techs to handle. Here he is at the veterinary clinic getting his nails trimmed. Two techs appear to have him under control while the third works on his nails. But when a 175-pound dog decides to leave, nothing is going to stop him. Dexter bolts and one tech rides him like he’s a bucking bronco at a rodeo.
The remaining vet tech appears to crack up laughing.
-via Tastefully Offensive
(Images: Kirsten Dirksen)
Charles Sacilotto and Marie Granmar of Stockholm, Sweden, found a novel way to keep their summer house warm all year around, even during brutal Scandinavian winters. They built an entire greenhouse around the outside of their home. The 4-militmeter thick glass keeps it toasty inside. Sacilotto says “At the end of January it can be -2°C outside and it can be 15 to 20°C upstairs.”
The 90s are all the rage with the kids these days, which means those NickToons we all loved when we were young(er) will inevitably be rebooted hard by Big Hollywood someday soon.
Directors like Michael Bay, Quentin Tarantino and Judd Apatow are lining up to take a crack at a NickToon reboot, yeah I said Judd Apatow, who else could possibly direct the dark rom-com update of Hey Arnold!?
Illuminating illustrator Mady G. created these guaranteed to be better than the actual reboot movie posters and I have to admit she has sold me on the idea of a gritty CatDog reboot...
Evil comes in all shapes and sizes, from the mighty demons that crawl out of sinkholes and destroy whole towns to that wicked cup of coffee you drink in the morning.
That's right- we're all starting our days with a steaming hot cup of sin, at least according to the Mormon church, and if you think their views on polygamy are a gas get a load of this riveting short film showing how evil is brewing around every corner.
Miss Robinson may have avoided temptation and stayed in the Mormon church's good graces, but what hope do the rest of us have if we can't get going without a cup of pure black evil in the morning?
Thanks a lot Hard-To-Find Mormon Videos, now I regret selling my soul to Folgers!
-Via Boing Boing
Steam locomotive was the original method of train power. The first steam train ran on February 21, 1804, its high-pressure steam operation developed by British inventor Richard Trevithick. The historic route ran from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales to Abercynon in South Wales.
The United States relied upon exports from Britain until 1830, when the first U.S.-built steam train, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Tom Thumb, was demonstrated. Mainly due to the high costs of maintenance of the steam engines, by the middle of the twentieth century, electric and diesel took over the industry.
The linked grouping of photographs documents steam train accidents during their years of operation. A few pictures are featured here; see the entire collection at Vintage Everyday.
(Photo: Klearchos Kapoutsis)
These aren't mutant ewoks. They're Kukeri--ceremonial protectors from Bulgaria who annually drive out evil spirits. On January 23, men don these elaborate, hairy costumes and set about the task of combating dark forces (note the red swords that look like light sabers) in order to protect the fertility of their towns.
The Kukeri are one of many wild men of Europe--old pagan shamanistic traditions that endure to this day. Photographer Charles Fréger, who previously showed us the painted elephants of India, explores this continent-wide tradition in his book Wilder Mann: The Image of the Savage. You can see photos of 18 of these wild men at Flashbak.
(Photo: The Telegraph)
January 25 is Burns Night, an annual celebration of the works of Scottish poet Robert Burns, as well as all things Scottish. To participate, you should prepare a haggis dinner. Ideally, you should catch your own wild haggis and cook it yourself.
But as wild haggis are rare in an increasingly urbanized Scotland and the animal has never been successfully domesticated, then you may use a common substitute: the ground heart, lungs, and liver of a sheep boiled in its own stomach.
Or you can get creative, as chef Paul Wedgwood did under the tutelage of Peruvian chef Mitsuhara Tsumura. Guinea pigs may be pets elsewhere, but in some parts of South America, they're also a food source. The chefs found a way to make haggis using guinea pigs. The Telegraph reports:
Wedgwood, who prides himself of "raising haggis up to new gastronomic levels", decided to deviate from the traditional sheep's-pluck-and-oats dish after travelling in South America and tasting local dishes.
He joined Peruvian chef Mitsuhara Tsumura (one of Latin America's best chefs) at his restaurant to make the twist on a traditional haggis, using a popular Peruvian food, guinea pig.
Wedgwood said: "The whole experience was amazing and the haggis tasted awesome."
-via Dave Barry
Body painting is no longer just about enhancing the look of the physical form or expressing a motif- it's about transforming the person sporting the paint into something else entirely.
Illusion has become a big part of the body painting game, and sometimes the optical trickery can be used to terrify as well as amaze.
When photographer Alex Markow heard the Primary Projects building in Miami was slated to be demolished he saw an opportunity to make a big mess and snap some amazing pics at the same time.
Alex brought artist Magnus Sodamin on board to create an immersive, and totally psychedelic, art installation called "infinity split", then he let some body painted models get "lost in infinity split".
Image: Facebook
An unlikely bond between a rhesus macaque monkey and a puppy warmed hearts and brought out curious crowds in Erode, India earlier this month. The monkey apparently took the stray pup under her wing and off she went.
The macaque made sure her adopted baby ate well, and kept a tight hold on him as she traveled both on the ground and up in the treetops. Locals who found the pair endearing set food out for them and watched as the monkey had the puppy eat before her.
ஈரோட்டில் நாய்க்குட்டியை சுமந்துகொண்டு குரங்கு நடத்திய பாசப்போராட்டம் #எங்க பாசம் வேஷம் இல்லாதது pic.twitter.com/ozrjmLZ1DA
— சிந்தனைவாதி (@PARITHITAMIL) January 2, 2016
There are now unconfirmed reports that local officials may have taken the puppy away from mama monkey, which, though a sad parting, is likely better for the puppy in the long run.
See additional photos — including one of the monkey flying through the trees with the puppy under her arm — and read more on the story here.
Grant Snider of Incidental Comics takes a look at motivation in his latest. All of us have experienced at least one of these mental methods for lighting a fire beneath us. Sometimes giving ourselves that first push can involve a lot of interior discussion and mind wrangling. But after all is said and done, it feels wonderful to have accomplished, whether the item is big or small.
Posters of Snider's witty look at life can be purchased here. Fans of his work can follow the artist on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr.
8 inches of snow has fallen on Nashville, Tennessee. So when life hands you snow, make snowmen. Jeremy Skates and his friend made this BB-8 droid from Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Hopefully he can roll through snow as easily as he traverses the sand on Jakku.
-via Amanda Brennan
Tian Tian is an 18-year old panda that lives at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The winter snow storm has hit that region hard, but Tian Tian and his friends are having a great time there. This morning, caretakers spotted him rolling playfully in the snow. Pandas have thick coats and the cold doesn't bother them at all.
-via Jonah Goldberg
We have children for two reasons: to play pranks on and put to practical use around the home. This young boy isn't ready for the latter, but he is for the former. Just strap on a full size leaf blower and send him on a fun trip.
-via Gizmodo
