A white cat nicknamed Macavity has the habit of boarding bus 331 in London Wolverhampton several times a week and riding to the next stop, where he gets off near a fish and chips shop. No word on whether he takes the same trip home or walks the 400 meters back. Link -via Cynical-C

Michelle commented on the Joshua Bell post that Saw Lady had a busker’s response to the Washington Post article. I think you should read that article and more! Saw Lady is Natalia Paruz, who plays the musical saw in the New York subway system, and has appeared with some of the finest orchestras in the world. She writes on music, her musician friends, and life in New York City. You’ll also hear her music. Link to her blog. Link to her website. -Thanks, Michelle!

According to The Sun, scientists have determined the precise formula for the perfect bacon sandwich. The research was done at Leeds university, where four scientists spent 1,000 hours testing over 700 varieties of bacon sandwiches. What a job.

The Formula

N = C + {fb(cm) . fb(tc)} + fb(Ts) + fc . ta

N = force in Newtons required to break the cooked bacon.
fb = function of the bacon type.
fc = function of the condiment/filling effect.
Ts = serving temperature.
tc = cooking time.
ta = time or duration of application of condiment/filling.
cm = cooking method.
C = Newtons required to break uncooked bacon.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007160287,00.html -via Fark

To add to our growing collection of “animals on treadmills” videos, here is a penguin on a treadmill. It may seem cruel, but it’s part of a legitimate experiment. Scientists at Birmingham University in England are studying penguins in the wild to see if they are undergoing increased stress do to global warming. Fifty penguins on the Crozet Islands, in the southern Indian Ocean were fitted with monitors to measure heart rate, breathing rate, and body temperature. Ten penguins in captivity are being used as control subjects, to study normal penguin metabolism. The scientists hope to determine whether the Crozet Island penguins are having to expend extra energy by traveling further than normal to find food. Push play or go to YouTube. Link to article. -via Arbroath

When you are up the creek without a paddle, you might use your steam shovel to propel the barge! This video is entitled Загребущий экскаватор, which may be translated as Zagreb Excavator, but that’s all I know about it. Push play or go to YouTube. -via VideoSift

This Viper Fish lives about a mile deep in the ocean, which is fine with me. It’s one of Ten Horrible Deep Sea Ceatures listed at Odd Week. Link -via the Presurfer

For those of you who would like a somewhat larger Cadbury Creme Egg, here’s an oldie but goodie: Pimp My Snack’s recipe for making your own giant creme egg at home! Insulin not included. Link

Internationally-known violinist Joshua Bell played busker at a Metro station in Washington, DC during morning rush hour recently. It was an experiment to see if anyone would recognize him, recognize the talent behind the music, or would drop money in his case. What do you think happened? The results may surprise you. The cover story in today’s Washington Post Magazine includes videos of the experiment. Link -via Grow-A-Brain

You may have noticed that Cadbury Creme Eggs are a bit smaller this year. The Cadbury website denies it, saying the size of the egg hasn’t changed. But BJ Novak of the TV show The Office appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and presented proof! Push play or go to YouTube. -via YesButNoButYes

(YouTube link)

Carolyn Scott & Golden Retriever Rookie are masters of Canine Musical Freestyle, which is competitive dancing... for dogs and their owners. The pair were the top-ranking American team in the sport at one time. Carolyn, who suffers from the aftereffects of polio and a heart disorder, no longer competes, but gives demonstrations and conducts seminars. Rookie still dances at age 14! Link to Carolyn and Rookie’s story. -via Metafilter

These peeps don’t come in a box, or an Easter basket. They aren’t even made of marshmallow! Evil Mad Scientist shows how to make your own meringue “pseudo-peeps” in your own kitchen. Link

Rapitinui has a way to recycle the foil wrappers on your chocolate Easter eggs. Here are step-by-step instructions for making a lovely hat for your cat! Link -via b3ta

We all break things, and a lot of us like to make things, too. Which of all the available glues is best for your job? The site This to That will tell you. Enter what you are gluing to what, and the database will recommend the top glues for the job and give you tips on doing it. You might also get a dose of snark about what you broke. Link -via Mental Floss

This video of a roller coaster ride was constructed using data from American housing prices over the last 117 years. Push play or go to Google Video. The graph used to plot the video can be found at Speculative Bubble. Link -via Simply Left Behind

The 2007 Easter Egg Collection continues the tradition that began in 1994 where each state sends a decorated egg to the White House for display. Artists from across the United States created the decorated eggs, which represent each state and the District of Columbia. Each year the artists vote amongst themselves to select the artist to create the following year's commemorative egg which is presented to the President and First Lady.

You can see the egg from each state at the White House website. The egg shown is, of course, from the state of New York. Link -via Metafilter

Update: Commenter Smurf Kicker pointed out Wyoming’s egg as a “true masterpiece”. There is some controversy over that one, since the artist was not from Wyoming.