The board game Scrabble is 60 years old, or maybe 70, depending on where you start counting from. PES created this eye-popping stop-motion ad to honor the occasion. Link (embedded YouTube video)

What's it like when a canal city has a flood? Venice, Italy is undergoing its worst flooding in 22 years as water has risen five feet above normal levels.

Venice’s lagoon often rises to 40 inches above its normal level during 'acqua alta’ or high tides, particularly in autumn and winter.

But anything above 50 inches risks flooding the city and causing chaos for its 60,000 permanent residents and the tens of thousands of tourists who descend on it each day.

The worst flood in modern times was in 1966, when the lagoon rose more than six feet and caused widespread damage.

Experts say the severity and frequency of floods is becoming worse due to silt deposits raising the floor of the lagoon and a rise in sea levels caused by global warming

Flood control barriers under construction are not expected to be operational until 2012. Link -Thanks, Freshome!

(YouTube link)
YouTube member blinktwice4y wrote a song about Mario Kart and love. The lyrics are available at the YouTube page. My younger daughter will adore this! She recently traded in ALL her Nintendo DS games to get Mario Kart. I didn't realize that my older daughter didn't have any games of her own until every game cartridge in the house was suddenly gone! -via Viral Video Chart

Walruses can be cute -if they can play the saxophone like Sara!

The flippered, whiskered creature is delighting audiences with her human-like skills, playing the saxophone, blowing a whistle, or simply adopting the universal expression for 'I'm bored, get me out of here'.

When handed the brass instrument she gripped it with her flippers and simulated an energetic jazz performance to some backing music.

Sara is one of the star attractions at the Istanbul Dolphinarium in Istanbul, Turkey.

See more pictures and a video at the Mail Online. Link -via Unique Daily

For coffee, a pot just won't do. Neither will a microwave oven. How about a YAG laser beam? For hot dogs, forget the grill or toaster oven. Cook them with a 10-foot tall Tesla coil! See videos of both procedures at Talk Like A Physicist. Link -via Dark Roasted Blend

Today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss will tell how well you really know your American history. Who was president at the time these events occurred? Not easy! I scored 77%, but that's only because I'm old enough to remember the events as they happened! http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/20599

The Josephson Institute Center for Youth Ethics surveyed 29,760 American high school students about their ethics and activities. The results are disturbing.

*a total of 30 percent overall — admitted stealing from a store within the past year.

*More than two of five (42 percent) said that they sometimes lie to save money.

*A substantial majority (64 percent) cheated on a test during the past year

*More than one in four (26 percent) confessed they lied on at least one or two questions on the survey.

*A whopping 93 percent said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character

The report released yesterday covered honesty and integrity. A later report will have survey results on drug use and violence. Link -Thanks, Geekazoid!

That's one expensive chunk of fungus! A 1.08 kilogram white truffle was sold at an auction Saturday for $200,000. A total of $284,000 was raised for charity at the auction held simultaneously in Abu Dhabi, Macau, London and Rome.

Macau casino mogul Stanley Ho was the highest bidder for the 1.08-kg white truffle. The tycoon was also the highest bidder for last year’s largest truffle, a 1.5-kg piece that fetched a record $330,000.

Truffle is a precious ingredient in Italian and French gourmet for its pungent aroma and taste. White truffle is considered the best truffle; a kilogram of normal size white truffle could cost over $5000.

Link (with video) -Thanks, Jee!

(image credit: Xinhuanet)

There are places more remote, but Tristan Da Cunha is inhabited, even though the 270 residents only see a mail ship once a year!

When Napoleon was sent to St. Helena by the British, they annexed the closest chain of islands to prevent the French from attempting to rescue him. After all, who wouldn't travel a mere 2430 km over rough and hostile seas in order to rescue the Emperor himself? Yes, that's right, the islands of Tristan Da Cunha closest neighboring land mass, the island of St. Helena, is 2430 km away.

Tristan Da Cunha has a radio station, a convenience store, beautiful wildlife, and an active volcano! Link

Think of Krampus as the "anti-Santa", the demon who comes to punish children who misbehave during the year. Krampus Night is celebrated on the eve of St. Nicholas Day in Europe, particularly in Austria.

The Krampus tradition, whilst once done with a modicum of sobriety is now used as an enormously great excuse to get completely inebriated. Think of it as an old Europe version of Spring Break but, alcohol aside, with slightly different preoccupations and - of course - at a different time of year. Very well, just think of it as an excuse for young people to behave badly.

Read about the origins of Krampus and see more depictions from history at Socyberty. Link -Thanks, RJ!

(image credit: riptheskull)

Here's a collection of rear-view images that are SFW. Some are quite fetching!

A photograph taken from an unusual angle can take an image from the dull to the wonderful in an instant. Instead of concentrating on the face, why not take a chance on that sometimes neglected (and other times overused) part of the anatomy - the butt. Call it what you like, caboose, bum or bottom - its inclusion on film can make a photograph. Have a look at this collection - no ifs or ands, but quite a few butts.

Link -Thanks, RJ Evans!

(image credit: mysza831)

Windell and Lenore at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories used a 45 watt carbon-dioxide laser to score an Apple logo on the top crust of an apple pie. They used a square springform pan to get the crust centered just right, and kept a crust lattice inside the logo to prevent it from distorting while it baked. I heard it was delicious, too. Link

History is full of medical horror stories you've never heard of. Some doctors popularized theories that turned out to be just plain wrong, others made catastrophic misdiagnoses. Still others valued their research over their patients, to the detriment of both. Shown is Dr. Walter Freeman, who promoted the ice pick lobotomy in the mid-20th century.

It became incredibly popular, over 50,000 were performed, with Freeman performing over 3,000 himself in his lobotomobile. Freeman believed in lobotomies even after being discredited. He spent his final years visiting his victims, trying to prove they had benefited from his work.

Read about Freeman and nine other dangerous doctors. Link -Thanks, Sami!

Oooh -a bat-shaped boomerang that's really a money clip! The Batarang Folding Money Clip is just one of the picks at The Geek Guide to Holiday Gift-Giving. There's also gadgets, movies, jewelry, and fashions that you won't find at your local department store, all with links to ordering information. Link -Thanks, Yan!

The magazine Science has announced the winners of the 2009 "Dance Your Ph.D." contest. Sue Lynn Lau did a ballet to illustrate the role of vitamin D in beta-cell function. Miriam Sach used modern dance to portray cerebral activation patterns induced by inflection of regular and irregular verbs. Vince LiCata danced with his graduate students to represent the interaction of pairs of hemoglobin molecules. And Markita Landry tangoed her way through "Single Molecule Measurements of Protelomerase TelK-DNA Complexes." The judges included the winners of last year's competition. All the entries were posted to YouTube. Link (with videos) -via Metafilter