A group of French-Canadian good old boys (Beau and Jean-Luc Duc?) re-enact a scene from The Dukes of Hazzard or something. It was recorded from many angles, all of which you'll be shown. Tenez ma bière et observez ceci ! -via Daily of the Day
Miss Cellania's Blog Posts
Shining a light on your inner demons doesn't sound so positive now, does it? This comic is from Josh Mecouch of Formal Sweatpants. Link -via Tastefully Offensive
City Plates are 12-inch porcelain plates that have grid maps of 24 different cities on them, from Boston to Brasilia to Berlin. They are more of an art display than everyday dishes, because you wouldn't want to risk breaking one. However, the full collection of 24 plates has been marked down to just $1,080.00. Link -via Nag on the Lake
The iconic photograph we recall from the movie Paper Moon was a common trope in the early 20th century. The crescent moon, sometimes with a face, was an available photo setting at many photography studios, carnivals, and fairs on which to have your picture made.
An interesting fact about most examples of paper moon photographs is that we can see stars in the center of the moon’s crescent… something which in reality is blocked by the darkly shadowed sphere of the moon. It was clearly something not understood in the pre-space travel era of early 20th century America and still frequently overlooked today.
See a collection of these vintage portraits at Visual News. Link -via the Presurfer
A stormtrooper manages to infiltrate a rebel unit, but I think they may be onto him. DeviantART member Daniru184 took a picture of his brother crashing a Civil War re-enactment. Link -via Geekosystem
The zookeeper wants to hose down the pen, but the wombat wants his undivided attention. Guess who wins that battle? I believe this is at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. -via Daily Picks and Flicks
(Image credit: Nicola Kastner)
(Image credit: Ali McNicol)
(Image credit: Nancy Dowling)
(Image credit: Graham McGeorge)
Aren't these great pictures? They are early submissions to the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest. If you have a great photograph, get your entry in for your shot at a 10-day expedition to the Galapagos Islands for two! There are plenty of other prizes, too. The contest is open for submissions until June 30. Even if you don't enter, you'll want to go see the pictures already entered at NatGeo Traveler. Link
Rick and the gang from The Walking Dead try to determine is there is still life in Washington. If there ever was. -via Digg
The following is an article from The Annals of Improbable Research.
by Mark Benecke, Forensic Biologist
Astronomer Tygo Brahe (born 1546, died 1601; Latinized name: Tycho Brahe) was not just an early geek. When he was exhumed in 1901 to celebrate the three hundredth anniversary of his death (and also to restore his grave), many people were eager to get a look at the famous metal insert that had been substituted the Brahe's birth nose.
The Coming of the Nose
In 1572, as a Student at the University of Copenhagen, Brahe observed a very bright star. He proved that it was a Supernova located outside our solar system. Brahe's later observations of the orbits of Cassiopeia and of a comet made clear that those objects, too, were located more distantly than our moon. All this meant that, contrary to what many people believed, the heavens were changeable, not immutable as Aristotle had long ago postulated. Still, Brahe avoided painting a heliocentric view of the universe; he described the earth, rather than the sun, as being at the center of all things heavenly.
To take up his studies, Danish student Tygo had moved from Copenhagen University to the German cities of Leipzig, Wittenberg and Rostock. There, he developed an interest in alchemy and astronomy. He soon became a successfui astronomer. In 1572, he observed the new star Cassiopeia and in 1574, he became a lecturer for astronomy in Copenhagen. Shortly after that, he took up an invitation by Prussian Kaiser Friedrich II to set up the finest astronomical observatory of its time, the "Uraniborg," on the island of Hven in the Sont near Copenhagen. From 1599 on, Brahe worked in Prague. In 1600, the German astronomer Johannes Kepler joined him. Kepler caiculated planetary orbits - basing his caiculations on Brahe's meticulous observations, which Brahe had performed without a telescope.
The Going of the Nose
Tycho Brahe's nose got lost, quite early, in a student fight. On December 10, 1566, Tycho and the Danish blue blood Manderup Parsbjerg were guests at an engagement party at Prof. Bachmeister in Rostock. The party included a ball, but the festive environment did not keep the two men from starting an argument that went on even over the Christmas period. On December 29, they finished the matter with a rapier duel. During the duel, which started at 7 p.m. in total darkness, a large portion of the nose of Brahe was cut off by his Opponent. It was the most famous cut in science, if not the unkindest.
The following is an article from The Annals of Improbable Research.
An analysis of the world’s rarest and most expensive coffee
by Massimo F. Marcone, Ph.D., C.Chem., Chimiste (PQ) Adjunct Professor, Department of Food Science University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
[EDITOR’SNOTE: Kopi Luwak (sometimes spelled Kopi Luak) is a rare and prized variety of coffee. It was the subject of the 1995 Ig Nobel Prize in the field of Nutrition. Professor Marcone’s work, described here, advances our understanding of Kopi Luwak. Title image by Praveenp.]
No coffee is perhaps in shorter supply and has a more distinct flavor and history than “Kopi Luwak” from Indonesia. With an annual production of less than 500 pounds and a price tag of 500-600 dollars (Canadian) per pound, it commands the undisputed reputation of being the rarest and most expensive coffee in the world. This is indeed a unique coffee, as it is processed through the digestive system of a palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). This three-to-ten pound arboreal animal uses its keen sense of eyesight during the night to smell and seek out only the ripest reddish coffee cherries to eat. The coffee cherry fruit is completely digested by the civet, whereas the actual coffee beans are excreted in their feces, being deposited in civetries. These are ultimately collected and washed by local coffee collectors. The internal fermentation and action by different digestive enzymes add a unique flavor to the beans. This flavor has been described as earthy, musty, syrupy, smooth, and rich with both jungle and chocolate undertones.
The author displays some coffee beans.
Curiously, Kopi Luwak is not the first nor the only food that-- prior to human consumption-- makes a passage through the entire, or partial, digestive tract of an animal.
Vi Hart, who really knows how to make a video we want to watch, explains why a video with five reasons is a sure-fire hit. At least I learned that birds suck at foosball, even if I didn't learn why. -via Viral Viral Videos
Russian president Vladimir Putin arrived in Amsterdam today to celebrate new economic ties between the Netherlands and Russia. He was greeted with rainbow flags flying at half-staff from gay rights groups. Amnesty International had welcome signs out as well, with several along the lines of the one pictured here, which you can see in an imgur album. Link -via reddit
Read more at NPR. Link
He put a hotdog down a hole and caught crabs. That's the joke, but it's also what redditor dustbin3 did when he saw a large hole in his yard. This crustacean is a crayfish, also called a crawfish, crawdad, yard lobster, freshwater lobster, mudbug, yabby, and other names depending on where you live. They can be tasty with the right sauce. This one is, ahem, larger than average. Link
Rapid City, South Dakota, has been welcoming U.S. Presidents since 2000. Statues of the presidents, that is! Every year, two new bronze statues (each created by one of four South Dakota sculptors) are added to the downtown tour of presidents. Now every president is represented except for the incumbent (which is coming soon). If you can't get to Rapid City, you can see all the statues at Kuriositas. Shown here is Andrew Jackson. Link -via the Presurfer
(Image credit: Flickr user Robert Cutts)
This sign should save him a lot of time! In addition to the actual time spent dealing with people who interrupt you, there's the time you spend reorienting yourself once you are free of them, and the time re-doing whatever it was you were doing when the interruption occurred. My kids were on spring break last week, so I know of which I speak. No sign whatsoever would have helped me. -via Geeks Are Sexy
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