A half-century ago, building ski jumps out of scaffolding was pretty popular, especially at stadiums, where they would be used to draw a crowd. Deputy dog takes a look at several of these oh-so-scary contraptions. The ski jump pictured was used at Soldier Field in Chicago in 1954. http://deputy-dog.com/2009/06/madness-of-temporary-ski-jumps.html

Some types of invisible ink are right there in your kitchen cupboard!

Hundreds of liquids, from fruit juices to specially formulated chemicals, can be used as invisible ink. Here we explore six of the most interesting and accessible types. We hope you’ll be inspired to make your own invisible ink at home. With a bit of practice, you too can become a master of steganography (which is the art of writing hidden messages, in case you didn’t know that already!)

How much money does a professional steganographer make? Link -via Geek Like Me

(YouTube link)
Since when is this possible? Long Beach Armada outfielder Josh Womack shows off a bit at training camp. Can I learn to do this, or would I just hurt myself? -via Reddit

I can't say I begin to understand this video from Marco Brambilla, but the sheer scope and intricacy of it takes my breath away.

This interpretation of Dante’s Divine Comedy is precisely the experience video artist Marco Brambilla (director of Demolition Man) and Toronto-based studio Crush were striving for in Civilization, a video mural created for the new Standard hotel in New York City.

The entire mural uses over 400 video sources, including samples from several films—something Brambilla is well-known for in his work. This particular project came with some special technical challenges, though.

Link to story. Link to video. -via Dark Roasted Blend

(YouTube link)

Mid-June in east Tennessee means fireflies that flash in unison!

In 1995, scientists confirmed the existence of the Great Smoky Mountain synchronized fireflies, and have subsequently discovered other populations in the Congaree Swamp in South Carolina and other high altitude locations in the Appalachian mountains. As this curious phenomenon remained undiscovered for years, it is quite possible that there are other varieties of fireflies blinking in unison throughout the United States, perhaps even in your own backyard.

Link

Wildlife photographer Jason Edwards seized an opportunity few ever get -to take pictures of a newborn kangaroo inside its mother's pouch. Two years ago, Edwards encountered a wild kangaroo that was unusually friendly. The scientist who was with Edwards then recognized the animal as the orphan 'roo she had hand-raised six years earlier! The kangaroo recognized the scientist, too.

After a few days of returning to the semi-desert national park in far northern New South Wales and talking to and sitting with the kangaroo, the researcher was able to get close enough to her former orphan to open her pouch.

In a matter of seconds, Mr Edwards managed to slip in a macro lens and capture this rare glimpse of life inside the marsupial’s pouch. The photo – of a newborn joey, known as a pinkie, suckling the mother’s teat – is being exhibited as part of the New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography Exhibition in Sydney.

“It was one of those frames you don’t get very often,” Mr Edwards told The Times.

The mother kangaroo was calm and not at all bothered by the photo shoot. Link -via Arbroath

I once thought that sun tea made in a jar was really something, but how cool is storing sunlight in a jar? The Sun Jar is a regular Mason jar with solar cells, rechargeable batteries, and LED lights. It also has a light sensor, so it turns on automatically when darkness falls. And get this: they are completely sealed, with no switches, so you can even leave them outside as garden lights. Available in yellow, blue, or pink. Link -via the Presurfer

Today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss is my favorite kind -geography! You'll be given a pair of US states. Do they share a border or not? I scored 100%, of course. http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/26488

An 18-year-old Belgian girl is suing a Romanian tattoo artist over the 56 stars on her face. Kimberley Vlaminck says she requested three small stars, but the tattoo artist didn't understand her French and English.

Rouslan Toumaniantz, who runs the tattoo parlour called The Tattoo Box in Courtrai, denies her claim.

He said she knew 'exactly what she wanted'.

He added: 'She was awake and looked into the mirror several times as the procedure was taking place.

'The trouble all started when she went home and her father and boyfriend threw a fit.

'They are saying things now like I doped her or hypnotised her. What rubbish!

'She asked for 56 stars and that’s what she got.'

Vlaminck says she fell asleep during the procedure. She is seeking £8,500 to pay for tattoo removal. Link -via J-Walk Blog

Artist Mark Wagner takes one dollar bills and cuts them with an Exacto knife, then reassembles them into works of art that sometimes have no resemblance at all to the original bill.

The one dollar bill is the most ubiquitous piece of paper in America. Collage asks the question: what might be done to make it something else? It is a ripe material: intaglio printed on sturdy linen stock, covered in decorative filigree, and steeped in symbolism and concept. Blade and glue transform it-reproducing the effects of tapestries, paints, engravings, mosaics, and computers-striving for something bizarre, beautiful, or unbelievable... the foreign in the familiar.

Link -via Reddit

(YouTube link)
Socks play hide and seek in this new ad from PES for Orange Telecom in Europe. -via Unique Daily

A litter of four baby armadillos have been taken in by environmental activist Kamilo Lara after their mother was killed by poachers in Nicaragua. When the pictures in this article were taken, they were a mere four days old.

When they are old enough - in about two months' time - Mr Lara will release them back into the wild.

The tiny creatures, who are being bottle-fed, are Common Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), an endangered species, and were found and rescued by Mr Lara of environmental organisation Alerta Mundial (World Alert).

Mr Lara eventually wants to create a rescue centre that will focus on restoring the natural habitat of the armadillos and other at-risk creatures.

Link -via Unique Daily

In 1989, ABC’s block of Friday night programming became collectively known as TGIF (Thank Goodness It’s Funny). Do you remember the shows that have aired under the TGIF slogan throughout the years? Today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss will refresh your memory! I didn't know any of the answers, and still scored 58%. http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/26401

The Maryland Zoo recently unveiled a new prairie dog exhibit. The zoo's prairie dogs had not been on display for four years, until a new $500,000 enclosure was designed and built. Despite a concrete base, aircraft wire, and slick walls, several prairie dogs got out of the habitat within a few minutes! None got away, as zookeepers responded with nets.

Zoo staff members say the animals cannot burrow their way out because the former Kodiak bear environment is essentially a large concrete swimming bowl. The soil depth at Prairie Dog Town ranges from 6 feet to 8 feet.

"The dirt must be deeper than 36 inches in order for the prairie dogs to make their burrows under the frost line," Kranz said. "We took soil samples from the old exhibit so the soils could be matched exactly to what they were used to having."

After foiling the escape attempt, zoo workers adjusted wire fencing and installed more slippery plastic on the walls.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-md.ci.zoo12jun12,0,685569.story -via Boing Boing

(image credit: Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun)

Comfy furniture envelops you like a hug from a trusted friend. Then there are new designs that may haunt your nightmares! Pictured is a bench called Evolution by Nacho Carbonell. There are eleven more pieces that might be even more frightening! Link -via the Presurfer