The late Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar had a pet hippopotamus named Pepe that went on the loose and was shot in 2009. This highly-detailed poster by Dan Zettwoch documents the foreign objects that Pepe ingested and were found after his death. Link -via Laughing Squid
Miss Cellania's Blog Posts
The late Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar had a pet hippopotamus named Pepe that went on the loose and was shot in 2009. This highly-detailed poster by Dan Zettwoch documents the foreign objects that Pepe ingested and were found after his death. Link -via Laughing Squid
(YouTube link)
You've seen this trick before, but this one is particularly well executed. -via Arbroath
The boss sent an email at 11:30 “reminding” everyone that he’s working from home today. He sent it from his Blackberry.This Twaggie, inspired by a Tweet from MeetingBoy, was selected for illustration by a contest at mental_floss. Link
The Daily Beast collected stories of animal heroism from the past year that might make you a bit teary-eyed. The story of Angel the golden retriever is an example.
See a video report about Angel and read about the other heroic animals in a slide show. Link -via Nag on the Lake
Eleven-year-old Austin Foreman was gathering firewood near his home in Boston Bar, British Columbia, when he came face to face with a cougar. When the wild cat lunged at him, his Golden Retriever, Angel, stepped in. She put herself between Austin and the cougar, giving him time to escape to the house. The cougar viciously attacked Angel, carrying her around by the neck while Austin’s mother called 911. Police arrived just in time to shoot the cougar, and after a few moments of suspense, Angel coughed back to life. She had several puncture wounds and a punctured sinus cavity, but she made a full recovery.
See a video report about Angel and read about the other heroic animals in a slide show. Link -via Nag on the Lake
Aren't they adorable? The best-dressed guinea pigs are wearing holiday costumes from Cuddly Cavies Costumes and Clothes for Guinea Pigs & Rabbits. It may be too late to order your Christmas clothing, but there are costumes for guinea pigs to wear for Halloween, Thanksgiving, graduation, Talk Like a Pirate Day, and everyday animal and super hero costumes as well! Link -via Rue the Day
The following is an article from the History's Lists book from Uncle John's Bathroom Reader.
Some familiar candy brands have been in production for more than a century, while some others reach back even further. How did these sweet treats get their start? We've got their sugar-coated beginnings right here.
1. NECCO WAFERS
The oldest mass-produced candy brand in the United States, NECCO wafers got their start in 1847 when Oliver Chase, a candy-making English immigrant, went into business selling the wafers with his brother Silas. (Chase also invented the machine the wafers were stamped out on.) Their company became the basis for the New England Confectionery Company, which rebranded the candy as NECCO Wafers around 1910 or 1912.
2. SQUIRREL NUT CHEWS
Adults today might be more familiar with Squirrel Nut Zippers as an eclectic rock band active in the 1990s, but the candies the band took their name from reach back a full century earlier to 1890, when the first of the excessively chewy taffy candies known as Squirrel Nut Chews rolled off the line of the Austin T. Merrill Company in Massachusetts. The "zippers" candy arrived in the 1920s. Since 2004, the candies have been made by NECCO.
3. HERSHEY'S CHOCOLATE BAR
The quintessential American chocolate bar got its start in 1900 when Milton Hershey perfected a formula to mass-produce milk chocolate, which until that time had been a confection limited primarily to the upper classes. The bar's widespread success helped Hershey to found what is now the Milton Hershey School, in 1909, which provides education for disadvantaged children.
4. TOBLERONE
The famously triangular bar of Swiss chocolate with nougat, almonds, and honey got its shape and name (a combination of the last name of inventor Theodor Tobler and torrone, the Italian word for "nougat") in 1908. Given the image of the Matterhorn on its wrapper, you may be forgiven for thinking the triangular shape is a tribute to the Alps, but the company website maintains the shape was actually inspired by "a red and cream-frilled line of dancers at the Folies Bergeres in Paris, forming a shapely pyramid at the end of a show."
5. GOOGOO CLUSTERS
A regional favorite from Nashville, Tennessee, where it was invented in 1912, this circular candy bar's claim to fame is that it was the first "combination" candy bar -that is, the first made with more than one type of candy (in this case, marshmallow, caramel, and roasted peanuts), all covered in milk chocolate. In the 1930s, the Standard Candy Company advertised the GooGoo Cluster as "a nourishing lunch for a nickel!" -a claim they'd be unlikely to get away with today.
6. MARY JANE
These pocket-sized taffies made from molasses and peanut butter were named for the aunt of Charles N. Miller, who invented the candy in 1914 and inherited the candy company his father had founded in a house originally belonging to Paul Revere. Mary Janes eventually became so popular that the Miller Company stopped making other candies to focus on that brand alone. At the moment, however, the candy is being made by NECCO.
7. CLARK BAR
The crispy, peanuty chocolate bar was the signature bar of the D.L. Clark candy company, named for Irish immigrant David Clark, and founded in what is now the north side of Pittsburgh in the early 1900s. The Clark Bar came into existence in time to become a favorite for U.S. soldiers fighting World War I, and its popularity carried over after the boys came home. Like so many early candy favorites, this one is also currently produced by NECCO.
8. BABY RUTH
A popular misconception about this chocolate-covered bar of caramel and peanuts, created in 1920, is that it was named for baseball player Babe Ruth. While disputed, it has never been proven false. But Baby Ruth candy maker Curtiss Candy Company sued another candy maker who put out a "Babe Ruth Home Run Bar", on grounds that the candy names were too similar. The official line from Curtiss Candy, echoed to this day from contemporary producer Nestle, is that the bar is named after Ruth Cleveland, daughter of U.S. president Grover Cleveland. Some sources allege that Curtiss Company made up the Ruth Cleveland story in order to win the lawsuit and that it was actually named for the baseball player. Skeptics note that "Baby Ruth" died in 1904 -16 years before the creation of the candy bar.
9. MOUNDS
The Mounds Bar was created in 1920 by the Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company and was originally a single bar of chocolate-covered coconut instead of the current two smaller bars. Although the Peter Paul Company would later produce a number of coconut-based treats (including Almond Joy), during World War II the company faced severe coconut shortages. Rather than ration its top product, the company temporarily discontinued several other candy brands to ensure that Mounds would stay in production.
10. MILKY WAY
Mars Inc., one of the largest privately-held companies in America, got its start with this candy bar in 1923, when the candy maker Forrest Mars developed the candy to approximate the taste of a malted milk drink in chocolate bar form. In 1926, the bar was offered in chocolate and vanilla flavors, with the vanilla version becoming the Forever Yours bar for over fifty years before becoming the Milky Way Dark bar (now the Milky Way Midnight).
BEST-SELLING CANDY BY COUNTRY
1. United States: M&Ms
2. Australia and the United Kingdom: Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar
3. Germany: Milka milk chocolate bar
4. Brazil: Trident chewing gum
5. Japan: Meiji chocolate bar
6. France: Hollywood chewing gum
7. Russia: Orbit chewing gum
8. Mexico: Trident chewing gum
9. Thailand: Hall's cough drops
Uncle John's Bathroom Reader is having their annual Holiday Sale, in which you can save 30% on your purchase! Get free shipping on orders of $35 or more by using the code HOL10SHIP. And check out the BRI's newest volume, Uncle John's Heavy Duty Bathroom Reader.
Some familiar candy brands have been in production for more than a century, while some others reach back even further. How did these sweet treats get their start? We've got their sugar-coated beginnings right here.
1. NECCO WAFERS
The oldest mass-produced candy brand in the United States, NECCO wafers got their start in 1847 when Oliver Chase, a candy-making English immigrant, went into business selling the wafers with his brother Silas. (Chase also invented the machine the wafers were stamped out on.) Their company became the basis for the New England Confectionery Company, which rebranded the candy as NECCO Wafers around 1910 or 1912.
2. SQUIRREL NUT CHEWS
Adults today might be more familiar with Squirrel Nut Zippers as an eclectic rock band active in the 1990s, but the candies the band took their name from reach back a full century earlier to 1890, when the first of the excessively chewy taffy candies known as Squirrel Nut Chews rolled off the line of the Austin T. Merrill Company in Massachusetts. The "zippers" candy arrived in the 1920s. Since 2004, the candies have been made by NECCO.
3. HERSHEY'S CHOCOLATE BAR
The quintessential American chocolate bar got its start in 1900 when Milton Hershey perfected a formula to mass-produce milk chocolate, which until that time had been a confection limited primarily to the upper classes. The bar's widespread success helped Hershey to found what is now the Milton Hershey School, in 1909, which provides education for disadvantaged children.
4. TOBLERONE
The famously triangular bar of Swiss chocolate with nougat, almonds, and honey got its shape and name (a combination of the last name of inventor Theodor Tobler and torrone, the Italian word for "nougat") in 1908. Given the image of the Matterhorn on its wrapper, you may be forgiven for thinking the triangular shape is a tribute to the Alps, but the company website maintains the shape was actually inspired by "a red and cream-frilled line of dancers at the Folies Bergeres in Paris, forming a shapely pyramid at the end of a show."
5. GOOGOO CLUSTERS
A regional favorite from Nashville, Tennessee, where it was invented in 1912, this circular candy bar's claim to fame is that it was the first "combination" candy bar -that is, the first made with more than one type of candy (in this case, marshmallow, caramel, and roasted peanuts), all covered in milk chocolate. In the 1930s, the Standard Candy Company advertised the GooGoo Cluster as "a nourishing lunch for a nickel!" -a claim they'd be unlikely to get away with today.
6. MARY JANE
These pocket-sized taffies made from molasses and peanut butter were named for the aunt of Charles N. Miller, who invented the candy in 1914 and inherited the candy company his father had founded in a house originally belonging to Paul Revere. Mary Janes eventually became so popular that the Miller Company stopped making other candies to focus on that brand alone. At the moment, however, the candy is being made by NECCO.
7. CLARK BAR
The crispy, peanuty chocolate bar was the signature bar of the D.L. Clark candy company, named for Irish immigrant David Clark, and founded in what is now the north side of Pittsburgh in the early 1900s. The Clark Bar came into existence in time to become a favorite for U.S. soldiers fighting World War I, and its popularity carried over after the boys came home. Like so many early candy favorites, this one is also currently produced by NECCO.
8. BABY RUTH
A popular misconception about this chocolate-covered bar of caramel and peanuts, created in 1920, is that it was named for baseball player Babe Ruth. While disputed, it has never been proven false. But Baby Ruth candy maker Curtiss Candy Company sued another candy maker who put out a "Babe Ruth Home Run Bar", on grounds that the candy names were too similar. The official line from Curtiss Candy, echoed to this day from contemporary producer Nestle, is that the bar is named after Ruth Cleveland, daughter of U.S. president Grover Cleveland. Some sources allege that Curtiss Company made up the Ruth Cleveland story in order to win the lawsuit and that it was actually named for the baseball player. Skeptics note that "Baby Ruth" died in 1904 -16 years before the creation of the candy bar.
9. MOUNDS
The Mounds Bar was created in 1920 by the Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company and was originally a single bar of chocolate-covered coconut instead of the current two smaller bars. Although the Peter Paul Company would later produce a number of coconut-based treats (including Almond Joy), during World War II the company faced severe coconut shortages. Rather than ration its top product, the company temporarily discontinued several other candy brands to ensure that Mounds would stay in production.
10. MILKY WAY
Mars Inc., one of the largest privately-held companies in America, got its start with this candy bar in 1923, when the candy maker Forrest Mars developed the candy to approximate the taste of a malted milk drink in chocolate bar form. In 1926, the bar was offered in chocolate and vanilla flavors, with the vanilla version becoming the Forever Yours bar for over fifty years before becoming the Milky Way Dark bar (now the Milky Way Midnight).
BEST-SELLING CANDY BY COUNTRY
1. United States: M&Ms
2. Australia and the United Kingdom: Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar
3. Germany: Milka milk chocolate bar
4. Brazil: Trident chewing gum
5. Japan: Meiji chocolate bar
6. France: Hollywood chewing gum
7. Russia: Orbit chewing gum
8. Mexico: Trident chewing gum
9. Thailand: Hall's cough drops
___________________
The article above was reprinted with permission from Uncle John's Bathroom Reader History's Lists.Uncle John's Bathroom Reader is having their annual Holiday Sale, in which you can save 30% on your purchase! Get free shipping on orders of $35 or more by using the code HOL10SHIP. And check out the BRI's newest volume, Uncle John's Heavy Duty Bathroom Reader.
This bag doesn't reflect light -it produces its own light! The secret is electro luminescent wire and batteries. Ladyada and Becky Stern used the wire to make a Tron-flavored messenger bag. Once you get the technique down, you can use electro luminescent wire to spice up any clothing or fabric items. Complete instruction and a video will show you how. Link -via Lifehacker
Santa Claus came about when the story of the St. Nicholas of Myra was melded with the legend of Odin. The image was refined by poetry, illustration, and advertising. Get the details on the origins of Santa Claus at it THING. Link -via the Presurfer
The new Google Cr-48 notebook doesn't have the standard Caps Lock key you see on other keyboards. Is this the beginning of the end of Caps Lock?
Will anyone miss this key when it's gone? It won't make a bit of difference to me, as Caps Lock is one of three keys on my keyboard that don't work anyway. Link -via Bits and Pieces
Caps Lock had its uses back in the olden days. Some of the earliest computers were business machines, used to input product keys and other strings of letters and numbers that often included all caps. Some of the first programming languages, like FORTRAN and Basic, were composed entirely in caps. (They didn't always require Caps Lock, mind you—a lowercase a would often automatically show up as A.)
By the 21st century, Caps Lock had become an outdated scourge. Modern-day personal computing—surfing the Web, writing school papers, chatting online—doesn't require nearly as much capitalization. As of 2010, the most-common Caps Lock users are enraged Internet commenters and the computer-illiterate elderly.
Will anyone miss this key when it's gone? It won't make a bit of difference to me, as Caps Lock is one of three keys on my keyboard that don't work anyway. Link -via Bits and Pieces
Looking for something to amuse the kids while school is out? This online game of Jenga might be a challenge. Mine had a tendency to move around before I removed the first block! http://frank.urugate.com/jenga2.swf -via mental_floss
This geothermal geyser is somewhere near Gerlach, Nevada. The colors are due to different mineral deposits as well as algae growing on it. Read about how this strange formation came about at Kuriositas. Link
(vimeo link)
Go skiing with a parasail down Mt. Superior in Utah! A helmetcam puts you in the action. I watched with my thoughts bouncing between "This is awesome!" and "This is where I get caught on a tree and crack my head open." -via reddit
Look! Even Bobba Fett is in the Christmas spirit, with a wrapped gift ready for Jabba the Hutt! This strange Christmas figurine also comes in a snow globe version. It's part of a collection of 20 Geeky Christmas Decorations To Nerd Up Your Holidays at Oddee. Link
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