Krystyna Zbyszynska became the oldest skydiver in Poland over the weekend when she made her first jump. Reuters reports she is 84 years old; Polish news reports identify her as being 82. Either way, it’s an impressive feat. But Zbyszynska is no ordinary octagenarian.

"I survived World War Two and wasn't afraid, so what's there to be afraid of now?" she said after clambering out of her jumpsuit this weekend.

Zbyszynska says she will jump again when she turns 100. Link -via Fark

Guest blogger Joshua Hill has posted an article about bridges at Dark Roasted Blend. It’s not a list of world records or new designs, but several bridges that have interesting stories, such as the Gateshead Millennium Bridge in England. Link

From Wikipedia:

Laminar flow, sometimes known as streamline flow, occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption between the layers. In fluid dynamics, laminar flow is a flow regime characterized by high momentum diffusion, low momentum convection, pressure and velocity independent from time. It is the opposite of turbulent flow. In nonscientific terms laminar flow is "smooth," while turbulent flow is "rough."

This is a fluid motion demonstration by the Physics Department at the University of New Mexico. Comments at both YouTube and Videosift noted that the physicist had trouble counting five turns, but the brightest scientists I know have trouble matching their socks. Push play or go to You Tube. -via Videosift

An artificial toe found on an Egyptian mummy may be the oldest working prosthesis in existence. The leather and wood toe dates from between 1069 and 664 BC, and shows wear, meaning it was used during the person’s lifetime. Researchers will test a reproduction of the toe on volunteers who are missing their right big toe to see if it helps them walk. An earlier toe is believed to be merely cosmetic, since it doesn’t bend. Link -via Arbroath

The Daily Mail had a feature story with nice photos of lions and their cubs. This one seemed awfully familiar. Link

John Feigenbaum traveled across country to deliver one coin to an investor.

"All the way across the country I didn't sleep,'' Feigenbaum said. "I didn't eat and I didn't sleep. You wouldn't, either.''

That’s because the coin was a rare 1894-S dime. Only 24 were minted, and only nine are known to still exist. The investor in New York paid $1.9 million for the coin. Rare coin dealer Feigenbaum had to guard the coin on the trip, without looking suspicious to either Homeland Security or anyone who might want to pilfer the treasure. And he had to make sure not to spend it. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/27/DIME.TMP -via Reddit

Jumping spiders use their legs to communicate courtship interests to potential mates. The miniscule impacts of spider legs tapping against the ground surface are detected by nearby spiders. This "drumming" cadence signals the spider's reproductive interests. The female detects the low frequency vibrations through her legs. She responds by allowing the male to mount her.

He’s got the moves, alright. Push play or go to Videosift. More jumping spider courtship dance videos here. -via Cynical-C

Now, YOUR cat can look just like Hello Kitty! But Gizmodo’s product review and Google’s translation from the original Japanese is even funnier than the cat models. Link -va b3ta

The SkyScout is a revolutionary handheld device that uses advanced GPS technology with point and click convenience to identify thousands of stars, planets, constellations and more.

Simply point the SkyScout at any star in the sky and click the target button. The SkyScout will tell you what object you are looking at.

This would have made passing that astronomy final a whole lot simpler. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CNPAAA/104-9631934-7737552?ie=UTF8&tag=geeka07-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000CNPAAA -via Geek Alerts

Bunk Strutts at Say No To Crack explains where these “long eggs” come from. Why, from long chickens, of course!

“Yep they’re longer, bigger hens. But we don’t raise ‘em for the meat so much as the aigs. A reglar chicken don’t lay no more than one a day. These chickens lay one long one every three days, an’ it take about three hens lined up to hatch it.”

Link

Children of the Nujiang Great Canyon in China must cross a river to get to school, but there is no bridge. Instead, they harness themselves to a loop and cross on a rope suspended between trees on either side! Link

Apelad posted this panel of the Laugh Out Loud Cats at Hobotopia in response to Oscar, the death-predicting cat. Link -via Boing Boing

In this mental_floss article, find out which First Lady sold manure to cover her debts, which was suspected of murder, and which one was (surprisingly) the first one to sport gray hair while living in the White House. And then there’s the really strange ones. Link

Marti Guixe designs many things, including food.

Food Design makes possible to think in food as an edible designed product, an object that negates any reference to cooking, tradition and gastronomy.

For example, these I-cakes are decorated as pie charts that indicates the percentage of different ingredients. Also see Guixe's designs for kitchens, tools, packaging, and food performance as art. Link -via Grow-A-Brain

A Metallica tribute harp band? Ashley Lancz Toman and Patricia Kline are each accomplished harpists who collaborated on 10 Metallica cover songs for the CD Harptallica. You can hear the songs and see a video at their website, and order the CD. http://harptallica.com/ -via Gorilla Mask