There’s a warmonger, a cure-all, and a former currency in your cabinet. Do you know which is which?

CINNAMON STORKS

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In ancient times, the origins of cinnamon were a mystery to the Western world, and Arab merchants wanted to keep it that way. To hike up the price, they spun an elaborate tale, claiming that giant birds collected cinnamon sticks from far-off lands and used them to build nests on cliffs. To get the precious sticks, traders laid out massive chunks of ox meat, which the birds grabbed and carried to their nests. But because the slabs were so large, the nests would collapse, allowing the clever merchants to collect their prize.

Europeans bought this story until the late 1400s when the Portuguese found the real source of cinnamon—lush groves in Sri Lanka. Once they’d figured it out, the Portuguese struck a deal with the Sri Lankans to monopolize the trade and built a fort there to protect their assets. They were displaced by the Dutch in 1658, who were subsequently displaced by the Brits in 1796. But by then, the trees had been exported worldwide, so there was little need to fight for a cinnamon fix.

THE POWER OF CUBEB COMPELS YOU

With notes of allspice and clove, cubeb comes from a plant that’s a close relative to black pepper, and it tastes somewhat similar. So it’s no surprise that cubeb was used as a cheap stand-in for its far more expensive cousin during the Middle Ages in Europe and through the 1800s in the U.S. Today, cubeb is rarely found outside Indonesian cuisine, but it’s a key ingredient in a ritual far more interesting than dinner: exorcisms.

In his 17th-century book Demoniality, Italian priest Ludovico Maria Sinistrari recalls that cubeb did wonders for a “young maiden of noble family, who was tempted by an Incubus that appeared to her both by day and by night.” He tossed a few kernels of cubeb into her bedroom, and “the Incubus came, but never dared enter.”

THE GREAT TEXAS SALT FIGHT

The real-time Media Map by Bit.ly shows the preferred media outlets in each state. Click on a state at the interactive page, and get the top ten for that state. In this screenshot, you can see what online media is preferred  in each state; you can also look at the most popular newspapers, TV/radio news outlets, and magazines rank in each state. Or you can watch the real-time information on users, with dots popping up when someone accesses the news.

The data is based on the Bit.ly stream, which is not necessarily representative of the real world, but it's pretty neat to look at. -via Digg

As the Pirates go against the Cardinals in the playoffs, the folks in Pittsburgh are getting excited about the postseason play. St. Clair Hospital in Pittsburgh presents its newest Pirates fans, displayed in the "Baby Bucco bullpen." The baseball team onesies and the red bandanas indicate that these children will be loyal fans for life. They've even got itty bitty bats!

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Sony Pictures Television and Teleset are collaborating on a new series that will follow a chemistry teacher in Colombia who turns to making meth. Sound familiar? Diego Trujillo will star as Walter Blanco, with Roberto Urbina as his younger sidekick Jose Miguel Rosas. Walt and Jose will not be cooking in an RV, but an old bus, otherwise, the story remains the same in the series called Metastasis. The Spanish language version of Breaking Bad will air in the U.S. as well as Spanish-speaking countries to the south. You can see a promo trailer at HuffPo. The series will premier in 2014.  

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The couch gag opening of The Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror" episode this weekend was created by Guillermo del Toro and is three minutes long. You may have to watch it twice: once to enjoy it, and once again to see how many horror movie references you can spot, because it's chock full of them! -via Buzzfeed

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Sure, they look terrifying to us, but that was the point! Halloween is supposed to be scary, creepy, and simple enough to involve everyone! Sexy, funny, or pop culture costumes had no place in the Halloween of yesteryear. -via Buzzfeed

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Workers at fast-food restaurants have seen just about everything now. When a car comes through being driven by a skeleton, they don't faint, they don't scream, they just get their phones out to take a picture. But then, the skeleton turns to look at them and all bets are off! -via The Chive

Popcorn and movie theaters seem to go together naturally. Popcorn is easy to make, easy to eat with your hands, can be made without a huge kitchen, and the smell makes people want to buy it. Back in the mid-1800s, the popping itself was considered entertainment.

But it wasn't theater owners who made popcorn a part of the movie-watching experience. Early movie theaters did not want to sell snacks, and they would not allow food in their fancy cultural establishments. However, street vendors sold popcorn to the crowds waiting to get into the theaters. Patrons had to sneak their popcorn into the movies!

Read the story of how theaters owners gradually came to see the value of popcorn, even if they had to clean it off those fancy carpets, and how the snack fuels the theater industry today, at Smithsonian's Food & Think blog. -via Digg

(Image credit: Flickr user Joakim Wahlander)

Nacho Cheese Doritos are the powerhouse of chips, known for being particularly addictive. Once you start eating them, there's a tendency to continue until they are gone. Then you can lick your fingers. What's the secret to this behavior? It's not just one ingredient, but a whole kitchen laboratory of flavors and flavor-enhancing substances.

Oh, you know they have cheese, and salt, and artificial coloring, but did you know that the flavoring powder is ground into the finest powder possible to aid its adherence to the chip (and to your fingers)? The amount of fat is carefully balanced to sooth your brain, and lactic acid is in there just to get your mouth watering.

That's just the beginning; read more specific Nacho Cheese Dorito ingredients and their purpose at the New York Times. -via the Presurfer

The Giraffe is a functional coffee cup that's also an art piece. Each cup stands on three long legs, which is not only a conversation-starter, but makes reaching a cup on a low coffee table easy, too! Designed and handcrafted by Madrid artist Raúl Lázaro, they are sold in pairs, but look good in a herd.

You can order the Giraffe cup through Lázaro's Etsy shop. -via Laughing squid

Hey look! It's time for our collaboration with the wonderful What Is It? Blog! Do you know what the object in this picture is? It doesn't really matter if you do, because we are looking for the funniest guesses. You can win a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! But first, read the rules:

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many as you'd like. Post no URLs or weblinks, as doing so will forfeit your entry. Two winners who submit funny and/or clever (albeit ultimately wrong) answers will each win a T-shirt from the NeatoShop.

If you guess the correct answer, you'll get a big pat on the back.

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize, okay? May we suggest the Science T-Shirt, Funny T-Shirt and Artist-Designed T-Shirts?

See more clues at the What Is It? Blog. Good luck!

Update: the pictured object is a twelve-barrel hand-crafted copper brewing kettle that was used by the Lemp Brewing Company in St. Louis, circa 1840. That's interesting, but not nearly as funny as the answers Neatoramanauts came up with! Bryan Hoerber said it was the tomb of Augustus Gloop inside Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory. Samantha Simons said it was the first attempt at an Iron Man suit.

While doing an experiment with using methane gas as a fuel there was an accident. At first he had the right amount inside the suit, and the suit looked normal. But here's where things went bad. The previous night, he had eaten several burritos with extra beans. So with the combination of the gas inside the suit and the gas created by Iron Man himself, his suit expanded with a loud Phhhtttttbbbbttttt! Sound!

Both those answers are good enough to win a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! And the rest of the entries are pretty funny, too -you should check then out. Find the answers to all of this week's mystery items at the What Is It? blog.

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EmperorTigerstar made a map showing the allegiance or occupation of Europe for every day of World War II. Watch the slow, steady, ominous growth of Nazi-controlled territory. The map also shows the massive involvement and contribution of the USSR, which America downplayed in history classes due to Stalin's reign of terror. Here's what the colors mean:   

Maroon: Axis Power members, their dependencies/colonies, and annexed lands.
Burgundy: Areas militarily occupied by the Axis Powers.
Red: Axis puppet states.
Pink: Axis gains during that day.
Blue: Allied powers and areas occupied by the allies.
Light blue: Allied gains for that day.
Purple colors (left to right): Finland, occupied by Finland, and Finnish gains that day.
Dark Green: The USSR before it joined the allies and annexed lands.
Green: Areas militarily occupied by the USSR before it joined the allies.
Light Green: Soviet gains for that day.

As you watch, remember that there were people dying because of the war every day, both in the red and at the fronts. EmperorTigerstar has lots of other animated history maps. -via Metafilter

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There are so many things to enjoy in the fall. Cats are experts at enjoyment, so it seems a good idea to illustrate the joys of autumn with cats! This pleasant interlude is brought to you by Pleated-Jeans.

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The answer is yes, your brain can be hacked. AsapSCIENCE explains how, as far as the current technology indicates. Biomedical engineering can do amazing things, such giving disabled people workarounds to make their lives more like those who have fully-functioning bodies. The example given is the cochlear implant to restore hearing. It's a miracle in itself, but new technology aims to make it even better.

But there is a downside. You've heard it said that any technology that can be used for evil will eventually be used for evil. If we can make a deaf person hear or a mouse run around in circles by implanting things in the brain, couldn't humans eventually manipulate each other on a large scale? The advances in brain hacking are inevitable, but the ethics of its use must be also be addressed. -via Viral Viral Videos  

Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Visit Eddie at his website or at Facebook.

Rock music is one of the great art forms of the twentieth century. But a sideline for those of us who love rock music, like the many movie fans who try to figure out or "interpret' what the filmmakers were trying to say in their movies, is trying to figure out what the songwriters were trying to say in their songs.

In this activity, no greater challenge comes than America's classic tune "A Horse With No Name." A pleasant, catchy, albeit haunting song, it was America's very first single and was also to be America's biggest hit. A number one chart topper in several countries, the song was certified gold in 1972. It remains America's most identified song, almost the group's "theme song."

But what the heck is "A Horse With No Name" about, exactly? What does it mean?

The folk/rock group America originally consisted of three members: Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek. The band was formed in England and the members were sons of U.S. servicemen. The group found success early, when the members were barely out of their teens.

              
America's first album, redundantly titled America, was released initially in Europe in 1971 with only moderate success. This album did not contain "A Horse With No Name."

Trying to find a song that would be popular in both America and Europe, they came up with a song about the desert. "A Horse With No Name" was originally titled just that: "Desert Song." The song was written while the band was staying at the home studio of Arthur Brown in Puddletown, Dorset. The first two demos of the song were recorded there, by Jeff Dexter and Denis Elliot.