The Bayeux Tapestry {wiki} illustrated the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The Historic Tale Construction Kit allows anyone to use pictures from the original tapestry to illustrate other things. Many panels have been made to illustrate pop culture and internet memes, and you can see in two collections. http://flabbergastedly.com/?p=1375 one and link two -via The Litter Box
Miss Cellania's Blog Posts
You'd take up model flying if you had a starship Enterprise, wouldn't you? Don't look in your local hobby shop; this is a one-of-a-kind built by John Krietzer. Link (embedded YouTube video)
What fun! Animate the raptor on your shirt with your sleeves! These shirts come in frog, alligator, and other styles for both children and adults from Mouth Man. And here's some unexpected trivia: the Mouth Man shirt company was founded by bass player Ross Valory, founding and current member of the band Journey. Link (warning: autoplay music video) -via reddit
The following is an article from Uncle John's Fast-Acting Long-Lasting Bathroom Reader.
Burning question: Did you ever wonder how fire works? We did. Here's what we found out.
HOT TOPIC
The scientific definition of fire is "a rapid, persistent chemical reaction that releases heat and light, especially the exothermic combination of a combustible substance with oxygen." That chemical reaction is called oxidation, which happens when oxygen atoms in the atmosphere combine with atoms "borrowed" from other elements, in this case, from fuel. (Another form of oxidation: rust- it;s just a lot slower.) For fire to occur, three ingredients must be present:
*An oxidizing agent. Can come from a pure oxygen source (like a welding tank) or, more commonly, the air. All that's needed is an atmosphere of at least 16 percent oxygen; normal air is about 21 percent.
*Fuel. Can be anything from a solid (wood, plastic, or wax), to a liquid (gasoline or alcohol), or a gas (propane).
*A heat or ignition source. Could be lightning, friction (as when striking a match), focused light, or a chemical reaction.
YOU'RE FIRED
For oxidation to take place, the fuel must be heated to a certain temperature, known as the ignition temperature. It's different for different substances: paper's ignition temperature, for example, is 451°F. When a fuel reaches it's ignition temperature, a chemical reaction occurs that begins to decompose it into flammable gases known as volatiles. Some solids, like wood, go directly from solid to gas, while others, like wax, go from solid to liquid and then to gas. This depends on the chemical makeup of the fuel. In either case, the volatiles then violently interact with the oxygen in the atmosphere-that's called combustion.
Using a candle as an example, when you apply a burning match (the ignition source) to the wax on the wick (the fuel), the wax will heat to a certain temperature (the ignition temperature). It will begin to evaporate and release gases (the volatiles), which then react with the oxygen in the air (combustion). Result: fire.
The heat from the fire will then cause the wax to keep melting and moving back down the wick, evaporating, igniting, and burning away. Because the fire then produces its own heat-a necessary ingredient-it's called a persistent chemical reaction.
EXTINGUISHED
You already know how to put out a candle-but do you know why it goes out? When you blow out a candle, the wax has cooled below its ignition temperature. If it didn't go out, you didn't lower the temperature enough-or for long enough. Try pressing the wick between your thumb and finger. The fire will go out because you removed the fuel source by stopping the wax from climbing the wick. Or put a glass over the candle, taking away the oxygen.
With larger fires, it's usually difficult to take away the fuel, so fire extinguishers work by eliminating either the oxygen, the heat, or both. Water extinguishers work by cooling the fuel; dry powder extinguishers work by smothering the fire, thereby taking away the oxygen; foam extinguishers both smother and cool the fuel; and carbon dioxide extinguishers displace the oxygen in the air while simultaneously cooling it.
MORE FACTS
*Spontaneous combustion occurs when a fuel reaches its ignition temperature without the aid of an outside ignition source.This can happen because some substances naturally react with oxygen in the air, but most often it's from spontaneous heating, a slow buildup of heat. A cause of many house fires is the spontaneous heating of oily rags. If there is insufficient ventilation-like in the back of a garage-the heat can build up enough for fire to occur.
*Hot fact: You can't have fire without oxygen, right? Wrong. All that's necessary is an oxidizing agent, meaning an element that easily takes electrons from other atoms. Oxygen is the most common agent, which is why the reaction is called "oxidation". Fluorine, however, is the strongest known oxidizer-much stronger than oxygen. Used in the production of atomic bombs and rocket fuel, fluorine can cause substances like steel or glass to instantly burst into flame. And those flames are virtually impossible to put out.
(Image credits: Flicker users Kuzeytac and ViaMoi)
The article above is reprinted with permission from Uncle John's Fast-Acting Long-Lasting Bathroom Reader.
Since 1988, the Bathroom Reader Institute had published a series of popular books containing irresistible bits of trivia and obscure yet fascinating facts.
If you like Neatorama, you'll love the Bathroom Reader Institute's books - go ahead and check 'em out!
Burning question: Did you ever wonder how fire works? We did. Here's what we found out.
HOT TOPIC
The scientific definition of fire is "a rapid, persistent chemical reaction that releases heat and light, especially the exothermic combination of a combustible substance with oxygen." That chemical reaction is called oxidation, which happens when oxygen atoms in the atmosphere combine with atoms "borrowed" from other elements, in this case, from fuel. (Another form of oxidation: rust- it;s just a lot slower.) For fire to occur, three ingredients must be present:
*An oxidizing agent. Can come from a pure oxygen source (like a welding tank) or, more commonly, the air. All that's needed is an atmosphere of at least 16 percent oxygen; normal air is about 21 percent.
*Fuel. Can be anything from a solid (wood, plastic, or wax), to a liquid (gasoline or alcohol), or a gas (propane).
*A heat or ignition source. Could be lightning, friction (as when striking a match), focused light, or a chemical reaction.
YOU'RE FIRED
For oxidation to take place, the fuel must be heated to a certain temperature, known as the ignition temperature. It's different for different substances: paper's ignition temperature, for example, is 451°F. When a fuel reaches it's ignition temperature, a chemical reaction occurs that begins to decompose it into flammable gases known as volatiles. Some solids, like wood, go directly from solid to gas, while others, like wax, go from solid to liquid and then to gas. This depends on the chemical makeup of the fuel. In either case, the volatiles then violently interact with the oxygen in the atmosphere-that's called combustion.
Using a candle as an example, when you apply a burning match (the ignition source) to the wax on the wick (the fuel), the wax will heat to a certain temperature (the ignition temperature). It will begin to evaporate and release gases (the volatiles), which then react with the oxygen in the air (combustion). Result: fire.
The heat from the fire will then cause the wax to keep melting and moving back down the wick, evaporating, igniting, and burning away. Because the fire then produces its own heat-a necessary ingredient-it's called a persistent chemical reaction.
EXTINGUISHED
You already know how to put out a candle-but do you know why it goes out? When you blow out a candle, the wax has cooled below its ignition temperature. If it didn't go out, you didn't lower the temperature enough-or for long enough. Try pressing the wick between your thumb and finger. The fire will go out because you removed the fuel source by stopping the wax from climbing the wick. Or put a glass over the candle, taking away the oxygen.
With larger fires, it's usually difficult to take away the fuel, so fire extinguishers work by eliminating either the oxygen, the heat, or both. Water extinguishers work by cooling the fuel; dry powder extinguishers work by smothering the fire, thereby taking away the oxygen; foam extinguishers both smother and cool the fuel; and carbon dioxide extinguishers displace the oxygen in the air while simultaneously cooling it.
MORE FACTS
*Spontaneous combustion occurs when a fuel reaches its ignition temperature without the aid of an outside ignition source.This can happen because some substances naturally react with oxygen in the air, but most often it's from spontaneous heating, a slow buildup of heat. A cause of many house fires is the spontaneous heating of oily rags. If there is insufficient ventilation-like in the back of a garage-the heat can build up enough for fire to occur.
*Hot fact: You can't have fire without oxygen, right? Wrong. All that's necessary is an oxidizing agent, meaning an element that easily takes electrons from other atoms. Oxygen is the most common agent, which is why the reaction is called "oxidation". Fluorine, however, is the strongest known oxidizer-much stronger than oxygen. Used in the production of atomic bombs and rocket fuel, fluorine can cause substances like steel or glass to instantly burst into flame. And those flames are virtually impossible to put out.
(Image credits: Flicker users Kuzeytac and ViaMoi)
_________________________
The article above is reprinted with permission from Uncle John's Fast-Acting Long-Lasting Bathroom Reader.
Since 1988, the Bathroom Reader Institute had published a series of popular books containing irresistible bits of trivia and obscure yet fascinating facts.
If you like Neatorama, you'll love the Bathroom Reader Institute's books - go ahead and check 'em out!
Here's a blog that consists of newspaper headlines that appeared in comic books. The lack of context makes them funnier than they were ever intended to be! Link -via Metafilter
Have you ever wondered what the inside of a nuclear reactor looks like? BibliOdyssey has a collection of posters showing cutaways of existing reactors around the world from the magazine Nuclear Engineering. The reactor shown is in Dorset, England. Link
Erik Martin always wanted to be a superhero. The 13-year-old even designed his own secret identity as Electron Boy. On Thursday, his wish came true with the help of the regional chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Erik suffers from liver cancer, but he was ready to respond when Spider Man called for his assistance.
That's just the beginning of the story. Dr. Dark and Blackout Boy had also trapped a city worker in a bucket truck and stalled elevators at the Space Needle. Erik rescued everyone, helped police arrest the bad guys, and accepted a key to the city. Link to story. Link to photographs. -via I Am Bored
(image credit: Dean Rutz/The Seattle Times)
Also, Electron Boy has a Facebook page.
Pulling off a wish like this one required a big story, and a lot of heart. And so, with a note of panic in his voice, Spider-Man explained the dilemma: "Dr. Dark" and "Blackout Boy" had imprisoned the Seattle Sounders in a locker room at Qwest Field. Only Electron Boy could free them.
Erik got into his red-and-blue superhero costume, and called on the powers of Moonshine Maid, who owns a DeLorean sports car. For good measure, more than 20 motorcycle officers from the Bellevue Police Department and King County and Snohomish sheriff's offices escorted Electron Boy to Seattle.
"They shut down 405 — they shut down I-90," marveled Moonshine Maid, aka Misty Peterson. "I thought it would just be me, in the car."
At Qwest Field, Electron Boy was directed by frantic fans to the Sounders locker room, where the entire team was shouting for help behind jammed doors. With a little help from Lightning Lad, the alter ego of local actor Rob Burgess, Erik opened the door with his lightning rod. The Sounders cheered.
That's just the beginning of the story. Dr. Dark and Blackout Boy had also trapped a city worker in a bucket truck and stalled elevators at the Space Needle. Erik rescued everyone, helped police arrest the bad guys, and accepted a key to the city. Link to story. Link to photographs. -via I Am Bored
(image credit: Dean Rutz/The Seattle Times)
Also, Electron Boy has a Facebook page.
Because of the huge number of stories, links, and videos on Neatorama this past week, it's possible you might have missed some of our original articles. We don't want that to happen!
Jill Harness was very busy writing this past week. Last Sunday was International Penguin Day, so she collected fascinating fun facts about penguins in the article Chilling Out With Formal-Feathered Friends.
On Monday, she posted Doctor Who? What? about the many faces of the beloved British sci-fi hero.
She also brought us Dancing To The Beat Of A Different Bass, a roundup of strange and different guitars.
Jill was busy Catching Up with the A-Team by looking back at the TV show and looking forward to the feature film.
If you're looking for distractions on Facebook, she also gave us Fabulously Funny Facebook Fan Pages.
Stacy Conradt looked at Unexpected Inventions from Unexpected People. I had no idea that two of the Marx Brothers were inventors!
Stacy also posted If at First You Don’t Succeed: Very Famous Book Rejections. Do you think Shakespeare would have such problems getting published today?
Alex collected 10 Neat Facts About G.I. Joe in honor of the official declaration of April 30, 2010 as "G.I. Joe Day" in Rhode Island.
David gave us the debut of Ask Otis! to introduce Neatorama's new YouTube channel and invite your questions for future episodes of Ask Otis.
This week's featured guest post was 15 Little Known Geek/Nerd Holidays and Observances by D. Salmons from iGadget Life. A handy resource for filling out your calendar for the year -after all, you don't want to miss an opportunity to celebrate!
From Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, we learned about the Top Ten US Generals. Many folks added their favorite generals in the comments, and argued about whether a Confederate war leader can really be considered a "US" general.
From Mental_floss Magazine we found out about Little Guys Who Became Historical Heavyweights. It's the history we don't already know that's the most interesting!
Our contests included the What Is It? game. Congratulations to winners Jerry Kelly and das! Alex posted a rather cryptic teaser about an iPad giveaway coming soon. And as always, David is running nearly-constant contests on Neatorama's Twitter feed and Facebook page.
Neatorama is proud to team up with mental_floss for the How Did You Know? contest. You can catch up with the daily challenges on day one, day two, day three, and day four to get ready for the big challenge on Monday. There are several ways to win prizes, but you have to play!
Jill Harness was very busy writing this past week. Last Sunday was International Penguin Day, so she collected fascinating fun facts about penguins in the article Chilling Out With Formal-Feathered Friends.
On Monday, she posted Doctor Who? What? about the many faces of the beloved British sci-fi hero.
She also brought us Dancing To The Beat Of A Different Bass, a roundup of strange and different guitars.
Jill was busy Catching Up with the A-Team by looking back at the TV show and looking forward to the feature film.
If you're looking for distractions on Facebook, she also gave us Fabulously Funny Facebook Fan Pages.
Stacy Conradt looked at Unexpected Inventions from Unexpected People. I had no idea that two of the Marx Brothers were inventors!
Stacy also posted If at First You Don’t Succeed: Very Famous Book Rejections. Do you think Shakespeare would have such problems getting published today?
Alex collected 10 Neat Facts About G.I. Joe in honor of the official declaration of April 30, 2010 as "G.I. Joe Day" in Rhode Island.
David gave us the debut of Ask Otis! to introduce Neatorama's new YouTube channel and invite your questions for future episodes of Ask Otis.
This week's featured guest post was 15 Little Known Geek/Nerd Holidays and Observances by D. Salmons from iGadget Life. A handy resource for filling out your calendar for the year -after all, you don't want to miss an opportunity to celebrate!
From Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, we learned about the Top Ten US Generals. Many folks added their favorite generals in the comments, and argued about whether a Confederate war leader can really be considered a "US" general.
From Mental_floss Magazine we found out about Little Guys Who Became Historical Heavyweights. It's the history we don't already know that's the most interesting!
Our contests included the What Is It? game. Congratulations to winners Jerry Kelly and das! Alex posted a rather cryptic teaser about an iPad giveaway coming soon. And as always, David is running nearly-constant contests on Neatorama's Twitter feed and Facebook page.
Neatorama is proud to team up with mental_floss for the How Did You Know? contest. You can catch up with the daily challenges on day one, day two, day three, and day four to get ready for the big challenge on Monday. There are several ways to win prizes, but you have to play!
A house cat in Florida named Bobbi had six kittens and then nursed two other kittens for an animal shelter. Her latest assignment: three bobcat kittens!
The baby bobcats — two females named Midnight and Rain, plus a male, Storm — will be fed by Bobbi for up to four weeks, Big Cat Rescue president Jamie Veronica said. The kittens were given those names because "we drove through a midnight rain storm to get them," Veronica said. A hunter brought the kittens to a veterinary clinic in Alabama earlier this month, Baskin said. Vets said they think the hunter shot the kittens' mother. It is legal in many states, including Florida, to hunt bobcats for sport, Baskin said. "He walked in with a shotgun in one hand and a bag of kittens in the other," she said.
The bobcats will be sheltered for about 18 months and then returned to the wild. There's a video and a news story of how Bobbi came to be involved. Link -via Arbroath
A group of GIs stationed in Afghanistan lip sync and dance to Lady Gaga's song "Telephone". They did a great job, but you can almost feel the boredom that inspired this. -via YesButNoButYes
Racing is in the spotlight as the annual Kentucky Derby is set for tomorrow. Horse breeding and racing are expensive businesses which can pay off big or turn out to be a money pit. Mental_floss has several stories of studs that were duds, and some that succeeded way beyond the investor's expectations.
How did The Green Monkey perform? Read and find out. Link
When the auctioneers brought a colt who was only known as “number 153” to the auction block, a fierce bidding war broke out. Buyers weren’t afraid to open their wallets for a colt that was described as “perfect,” and when the hammer dropped the horse went for a record $16 million. The winning bidders quickly christened the colt The Green Monkey, and excitement to see how the horse would do in races began to build. After all, the colt had run an eighth of a mile in a blazing 9.8 seconds in pre-auction workouts, so anything was possible once he started racing.
How did The Green Monkey perform? Read and find out. Link
Ken and Carol Marcoux of Boulder, Colorado were parked on the side of a road to watch planes take off from the local airport. They saw a small plane approach, buffeted by the wind.
The plane stopped in a field. Pilot Joe Curtis grabbed a mysterious bag, jumped out, and ran toward the airport! Curtis contacted the FAA about the accident hours later. Link
(image credit: Marty Caivano)
To the couple's horror, the plane -- whose pilot was later identified as Joe Curtis, 67, of Commerce City -- was pointed right at their car and approaching at what Marcoux estimated was 100 mph. Carol Marcoux screamed "Ken!" and her husband stepped on the gas, moving the Prius forward just enough to spare them a potentially fatal hit.
Carol Marcoux said she heard "a big sound of glass breaking" as the right wingtip of the plane slammed into the back of the car -- shattering the rear passenger window and denting the rear quarter panel -- just inches behind her head.
The plane stopped in a field. Pilot Joe Curtis grabbed a mysterious bag, jumped out, and ran toward the airport! Curtis contacted the FAA about the accident hours later. Link
(image credit: Marty Caivano)
Noëlle took her favorite fortune found in cookies and made it big enough to wear as a scarf! You can get one at her Etsy store. Link -via The Daily What
On this date in 1939, the New York World's fair opened. One of the exhibits was a ride called Futurama, sponsored by General Motors. Visitors got a glimpse of what life would be like in 1960, particularly the vision of an interstate highway system and urban planning. Separation of industrial, commercial, farmland, and residential areas were presented as an admirable goal. Curiously, new highways bypassing the slums was proposed as preferable to improving those neighborhoods. Read more about Futurama and Futurama II (at the 1964 World's Fair) at Wired. Link -via Metafilter
An overwhelmed young woman wrote to ZeFrank and asked for a pick-me-up. She sounded depressed, so he wrote a song for her. Then he got other people to sing it as well, and then mixed the voices into a lovely choral affirmation. It made her feel better. It might make you feel better, too! Read the story of how the project came about. Link -via b3ta
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