This painting went to auction with an estimated value of £300-£500. Two bidders really wanted it, and the final price was £205,000! Art dealers now think it’s an original Titian, dated between 1510 and 1520. If so, the painting could be worth around £5 million. Auctioneer Mark Gilding said:

"Our opinion was it was 18th century, after an early Italian artist. Obviously a couple of people thought differently: two people on the day turned up and battled it out.

"The people bidding on it handle these things day in, day out. On this occasion, as a provincial auctioneer, we bow to their superior knowledge."

Link to auction site. Link to story. -via Arbroath

Worth1000 had a contest to depict The Beatles in a different era from their heyday in the 60s. See the group as a barbershop quartet, 80s hair band, medieval minstrel show, metal group, American Idol contestants, and more! Link -via J-Walk Blog

Davis Lassman took chapters from three of Jane Austen’s books, Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, and Persuasion, and sent them to 18 different literary agents and publishers. He changed the titles (although he left some hints) and the characters’ names. Of the 18, one recognized the work (and warned him of plagiarism), one said they were 'a really original read', but the rest either rejected the chapters or never responded. Link -via Reddit

40 videos of Pachelbel's Canon were edited to create this video, which has been viewed almost a million times. Push play or go to YouTube. The individual artists videos are listed here. -via These Thoughts Escape Me

Ring is an alarm clock you wear on your finger! Place the ring on the charging cradle and set the time you want to wake up. Then slip the ring on your fingertip. It will begin vibrating at the proper time. Not only a great idea for the hearing-impaired, but also handy for couples who need to get up at different times. Link -via mental_floss

This film from Amnesty International won the Cannes Lions 2007 Gold Lion Award for Public Service. Push play or go to YouTube. -via Ursi’s Blog

Check out this collection of Olympic posters, from 1896 through 2012! Bonus: click on each poster to go to the Wikipedia entry on the games of that year. Link -via Dump Trumpet

Oddee has a look at public housing for the leaders of various nations. Quite a few are recycled palaces from former monarchs or aristocrats. Link -via Look at This

Untamed is a book of images taken all over the world by wildlife photographer Steve Bloom. 43 of those stunning pictures can be seen in this slideshow. Link -via the Presurfer

Walk Score helps people find walkable places to live. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc.

My neighborhood scored 34 out of 100, which is awful, and they didn’t even take into account that there are no sidewalks! Link -via Reddit

Like the two-legged dog named Faith, Sugar has adapted well to life on two legs.

Sugar is a 2-legged miracle dog, who was found here in Taiwan more dead than alive as a puppy. She overcame abuse, pneumonia, a badly broken leg, an unsuitable adoption family, brain damage and ensuing paralysis from being left on a rooftop without any shade. http://www.AnimalsTaiwan.org rescued Sugar, gave her a wheelchair, and just found her a new family. After all she's been through Sugar has nothing but love to give. Love for humans and for the other animals in our family.

Push play or go to YouTube. -via Arbroath

Jason at mental_floss has taken advantage of The New York Times archives to determine when they first mentioned certain subjects. Some of the entries seem strange from the vantage point of many years later, like the first mention of Microsoft in 1981:

Instead of having to type detailed instructions on a keyboard, using a special language, in a few years users will be able to communicate with computers more like they do with fellow human beings. Computers might develop the ability to understand the particular nuances and style of their owners. “They will have as much stored knowledge of what you know, what you’ve said, what you’ve done than any friend would have the patience to learn,” predicts William H. Gates, president of Microsoft, a Bellevue, Wash., company that has designed software for many personal computer manufacturers, including I.B.M.

Other “first mentions” include The Simpsons and Barack Obama. Link

Simon Waldman found a 1938 issue of Homes and Gardens magazine, containing an article called "Hitler’s Mountain Home", about the dictator’s private retreat. He scanned the pages and posted them (not without some controversy), along with readable-size text. Link -via Reddit

Brisbane rugby player Ben Czislowski found out his headaches were caused by a tooth (from opposing player Matt Austin) that had been lodged in his forehead since April first! The original wound was stitched up, but the embedded tooth was apparently missed at the time. Or not missed, on Austin’s part.

"I've got the tooth at home, sitting on the bedside table," he said. "If he (Austin) wants it back he can have it. I'm keeping it at the moment as proof that it actually happened."

Czislowski had been competing for four months with the extra tooth in his head. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/17/asia/AS-ODD-Australia-Embedded-Tooth.php -via Arbroath

Fun with Sodium acetate {wiki} in a supersaturated solution, which becomes exothermic (releases heat) when it crystallizes. Push play or go to YouTube. -via Dark Roasted Blend