In the comments for the item about “basketball girl” Qian Hongyan, who is training to be a competitive swimmer, some people speculated about the possibility of swimming prosthetics, so this item really caught my eye.

Double amputee swimmer Nadya Vessey of New Zealand will soon test a prosthetic mermaid fin designed to help propel her through the water. The article says the tail was designed by “the same special effects team behind blockbuster Lord of the Rings and King Kong,” which has to be Weta Workshop {wiki}.

Link -via Gorilla Mask

Things were a bit different in the 1950s. Today, this story might include the words “bail bond” and “removed from custody”. Push play or go to Live Leak. -via Arbroath

When Napoleon Bonaparte died in 1821, an autopsy led doctors to believe he died of cancer stemming from a perforated stomach ulcer. 20th century tests on souvenir locks of Napoleon’s hair led researchers to think he was poisoned with arsenic. But could it have been his own house that killed him? Link -via Metafilter

The earlier item on internet warning symbols reminded me of this “motivational poster.” -found at Bits and Pieces

The World Conservation Union (IUCN)'s 2007 Red List of Threatened Species includes the Chinese river dolphin, which was classified as "critically endangered (possibly extinct)". National Geographic has a gallery of animals from the new list. Link

The London Fire Brigade has a rap video to publicize their free smoke alarm giveaway. Artist Stephen-remell Coleman is a firefighter on Wimbledon Fire Station’s Red Watch, but in his free time performs as a rapper under the name ‘Controversy’. Push play or go to Glumbert. http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/news/detail.asp?id=892 to story. Link to Controversy’s MySpace page. -via Abroath

The World is the name of a group of about 300 man-made islands off the coast of Dubai designed for luxury living. There are planned communities, full utilities, and beachfronts for everyone. Seen from the sky, the groups of islands look like a map of the world! http://www.theworld.ae/slideshow.html -via Dump Trumpet

This Yahoo Map mashup overlays a 1660 map of Manhattan Island with a more recent map of the same area. You can manipulate the opacity of the overlaid map at the Yahoo Map site. 400 years of landfill makes a real difference. Link -via Gothamist

You have to admit, this movie has quite an agreeable cast. Push play or go to YouTube. -via YesButNoButYes

An abandoned baby macaque was taken in by an animal hospital in Goangdong Province, China. But he was lonely until he made friends with a white pigeon. The two are now inseperable. And make a cute photo. Link -via J-Walk Blog

Peter Feigenbaum reconstructs urban model train layouts with an eye for realism. He includes junkyards, slums, and graffiti! Some scenes are reproductions of actual city railroads; some are ficticious. http://www.vestaldesign.com/projects/modelrr/ -via Dump Trumpet

Popular Mechanics has published a list of 25 skills every man should know. They are:

1. Patch a radiator hose
2. Protect your computer
3. Rescue a boater who as capsized
4. Frame a wall
5. Retouch digital photos
6. Back up a trailer
7. Build a campfire
8. Fix a dead outlet
9. Navigate with a map and compass
10. Use a torque wrench
11. Sharpen a knife
12. Perform CPR
13. Fillet a fish
14. Maneuver a car out of a skid
15. Get a car unstuck
16. Back up data
17. Paint a room
18. Mix concrete
19. Clean a bolt-action rifle
20. Change oil and filter
21. Hook up an HDTV
22. Bleed brakes
23. Paddle a canoe
24. Fix a bike flat
25. Extend your wireless network

I know how to do most of these. What do you need to know to hook up an HDTV? Could it possibly be harder than hooking up my TV/VCR/DVD/RF/cable box combination? Link -via Fark

The water hoses used by firemen work under soem pretty serious pressure! Push play or go to Break.com. -via the Presurfer

Upload a photograph, and this application will generate a color palette, with hexidecimal codes! You can use it to match colors in your home decor, or generate pleasant colors for art projects or websites. These colors were generated from a photo of my front yard lilac bush. Link -via Dump Trumpet

The New Zealand All Blacks rugby team popularized the ceremonial haka {wiki} dance worldwide, although they are far from the only sports team to use it. The blog Rugby World Cup 2007 has several videos explaining the meaning of the haka, plus the lyrics. Link -via Reddit