This image of the annular solar eclipse was taken last night by redditor Titibu. It is from a reddit thread of eclipse photos taken in Japan, where you'll find many other great shots of the "ring of fire." Link



This picture is from redditor FANGO. It's from another thread of eclipse photographs, where you'll find links to other great images. Link

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Warning: this video is frightening and may induce vertigo. Last Tuesday, 19-year-old photographer Vitaly Raskalov and two friends climbed the Zolotoy Rog Bridge in Vladivostok, Russia. The next day, they climbed the even higher Russky Island Bridge. They may have never been caught if they hadn't posted pictures and video on the internet, but caught they were, and were fined 300 rubles each. That's about ten dollars US, so I hope they've learned their lesson. Neither of the bridges are open to the public yet. Link -via Cynical-C

Previously: Skywalking Is Not As Fun As It Sounds

Because you weren't going into botany, the priesthood, or coin manufacturing, you thought you were safe to dismiss Latin as a dead language. Obviously, you didn't graduate cum laude. Latin is about as dead as Elvis (who, by the way, made $54 million in 2004). Whether you're deciphering a cryptic state seal or trying to impress your Catholic in-laws, knowing some Latin has its advantages. But the operative word here is "some." The ability to translate The Aeneid probably isn't going to come in handy anytime soon, so we'll start you off with ten phrases that have survived the hatchet men of time (in all their pretentious glory).

1. Caveat Emptor
(KAV-ee-OT emp-TOR): “Let the buyer beware”

Before money-back guarantees and 20-year warranties, caveat emptor was indispensable advice for the consumer. These days, it’d be more fitting to have it tattooed on the foreheads of used-car salesmen, infomercial actors, and prostitutes. For extra credit points, remember that caveat often makes solo appearances at cocktail parties as a fancy term for a warning or caution. Oh, and just so you know, caveat lector means “let the reader beware.” (not that you'll ever, ever need to know that!)

2. Persona Non Grata
(puhr-SOH-nah non GRAH-tah): “An unacceptable person”

Remember your old college buddy, the one everybody called Chugger? Now picture him at a debutante ball, and you’ll start to get a sense of someone with persona non grata status. The term is most commonly used in diplomatic circles to indicate that a person is unwelcome due to ideological differences or a breach of trust. Sometimes, the tag refers to a pariah, a ne’er-do-well, a killjoy, or an interloper, but it’s always subjective. Back in 2004, Michael Moore was treated as a persona non grata at the Republican National Convention. Bill O’Reilly would experience the same at Burning Man.

3. Habeas Corpus
(HAY-bee-as KOR-pus): “You have the body”

When you wake up in the New Orleans Parish Prison after a foggy night at Mardi Gras, remember this one. In a nutshell, habeas corpus is what separates us from savages. It’s the legal principle that guarantees an inmate the right to appear before a judge in court, so it can be determined whether or not that person is being lawfully imprisoned. It’s also one of the cornerstones of the American and British legal systems. Without it, tyrannical and unjust imprisonments would be possible. In situations where national security is at risk, however, habeas corpus can be suspended.

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Meet Disco, a parakeet who has plenty to say! "What's the problem, officer?" is probably the most useful of his varied repertoire, although he also does foreign languages, and impressions of other species, too! -via Buzzfeed

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Here, for once and for all, is proof that everyone in the world over the age of ten knows the theme song to the TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air by heart. And they don't mind to sing it for you, either! Will Smith was one of the guests on the BBC's Graham Norton Show last week. -via Laughing Squid

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced a change in his relationship status yesterday. The 28-year-old billionaire married his girlfriend of nine years, Priscilla Chan yesterday. Chan received her medical degree last Monday, on Zuckerberg's birthday. They invited friends to what they thought was a graduation party Saturday, but instead it turned out to be a surprise wedding! At least it was a surprise for the guests, and was planned that way to ensure privacy for the ceremony, which took place in Zuckerberg's back yard. Link

or, Angels Are Insects
by Sally Y. Shelton, Washington, DC, USA
John E. Simmons, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
and Tom J. K. Strang, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

(With profuse apologies to A. S. Byatt)

The considerable body of literature about angels is cluttered, to say the least, with confused speculation that goes much beyond the facts. A simple scientific analysis of angels -- one based on observation -- can simplify our understanding of these much misunderstood organisms.

Entomological Biology, Evolution and Systematics of Angels1

Angels are most commonly represented as winged humanoids, with two arms, occasionally two feet suggesting the presence of legs, and two wings (often feathered). This six-limbed state is not a vertebrate structure, as any look at basic vertebrate anatomy quickly reveals. The capacity for flight has arisen in three vertebrate lineages -- volant flight in pterosaurs [Reptilia], birds [Aves], and bats [Mammalia]; gliding flight in a range of lizards, snakes, fish and -- and in NONE of those has it resulted in the addition of limbs. All three groups have wings derived from some element of the forelimbs. The forelimbs are dedicated to flight functions at the expense of some typical uses in the general vertebrate plan, but are never supplemented by additional limbs.

Angels therefore are not vertebrates or derived from vertebrate stock. The implications of this are profound. The only winged invertebrates are in the Class Insecta insects [Insecta]. Insects constitute the largest taxon on earth (or, apparently, anywhere else). Insects are six-legged (hexapodal) and may have 1-2 pairs of wings,2 for a total of 8-10 “limbs.” Angels thus represent a highly derived insect group with secondary loss of limbs, derived from a hexapodal ancestry.3

This reconsideration of our view of angels has implications for four major aspects of the species.

1. Wing surfaces. Angels cannot have feathers on their wings. Only birds [Aves], a vertebrate group, have feathers.4 Future artistic interpretations must take into account the chitinous nature of all insect structures and depict angel wings as translucent structures with supporting veins (cf. cicadas), covered with scales (cf. butterflies), or with hairs (cf. caddisflies).

2. Angelic skeletons. Angels must have exoskeletons rather than endoskeletons. Leaving aside the question of metamorphosis and moulting (and the possibility of shed angel skins, or exuviae, as a major nuisance factor for cleaning crews), this means that angels must have a highly derived, lightweight exoskeleton in order to avoid violations of the squarecube law.5

3. The aerodynamics of angels. The question of aerodynamic stability in angels becomes much easier if it is predicated on an insect model rather than on a winged-humanoid one. Standard depictions of winged primates6 show incompatible grafts or additions of wings that are improbably jointed at the scapula and are of insufficient size, shape, and muscular insertion to permit effective flight. With insects, however, the questions of attachment, adequate musculature, and effective flight are resolved in several ways. It is not clear whether angels could sustain the aerodynamics of, say, dragonfly flight, but they should minimally be capable of bee- or beetle-grade flight. We might explore the possibility of a convergence with the “rowing action” of dragonfly flight wings; this follows from the clue “Daniel, row thy boat ashore” (T. Erwin, pers. comm.).

The blog Law & Order & Food has the tagline "You have the right to remain delicious." It is a photographic chronicle of the food eaten on the TV show Law & Order. That's all, but it's enough to keep it constantly updated -after all, the show was on for twenty years, and when that's all posted, they can start on the spinoffs! Link -via Nag on the Lake

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A series of stock photos of people sneezing illustrates "La donna è mobile" from Giuseppe Verdi's opera Rigoletto. From the Carmichael Collective. -via the Presurfer

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This is short and nonsensical but oh, so funny. Because they're TURKEYS! -via The Daily What

Last night I watched our son graduate from high school. I was ready for a long evening, because college graduations I'd been to have long "inspirational"guest speeches. But it wasn't like that at all! The speeches were short and meaningful, the graduates were all cute, and I was surprised at how many of them I knew through their parents or grandparents. And our young man has never smiled so joyfully! Congratulations to all those graduating this spring, and also to the parents and families of those celebrating these milestones. Now, where's my handkerchief?

Oh yeah, we had some great features this week: here's some links in case you missed any of them.

Eddie Deezen wrote about The Mickey Mouse Cartoon Banned in America.

John Farrier brought us 10 Facts You Might Not Know about Watership Down.

In light of the death of disco queen Donna Summer, it seems appropriate that we had Why Disco Happened, from Uncle John's Bathroom Reader. Part two will be published Monday.

The Annals of Improbable Research gave us Ig® Nobel Limericks: Promotion, Ignition, Spaghetti.

And Flex Appeal: The Father of Modern Bodybuilding came to us from mental_floss magazine.

In the What Is It? game this week, the object in question is a fence twisting tool, it’s for applying the vertical or stay wires to the lateral wires of a fence, patented even. The first person who figured out what it was for was theoneoneandonly. The funniest answer came from trishlovesdolphins, who recognized her Mother’s Day gift:

This is the gift my husband gave me on Mother’s Day morning. It was so romantic, as I was receiving my card from my son, I heard him mumble “aw, crap.” Obviously, he forgot to wrap it. He ran out to the garage, he must have hidden it well because I heard all kinds of boxes being tossed around. I’m afraid to ask him what it is since he obviously put so much time and effort into choosing it, so if someone knows, please let me know. Right now, I’m just using it as a paper weight.

Both win t-shirts from the NeatoShop for their efforts! See the answers to all the mystery items of the week at the What Is It? blog. Thanks, to everyone who played, and watch for another What Is It game coming soon.

The most comments this week came to the post Is It Ethical To Pay Drug Addicts To Get Sterilized? David Isreal's post about the verbal crutch I Mean came in second, and in third place we had the All You Can Eat Dispute. They are all very provocative subjects!

Now, even if you check out Neatorama every day, you'll be tickled to find even more and different neat stuff at our Facebook page, like this cleverly-placed piece of pirate art. Check it out and join in the fun! When you're caught up on everything from this week, you can access past feature articles at The Best of Neatorama. And have a great weekend!

Don't burn your fingers! Or do they mean the tortoise might be stolen property? Or do you suppose it is a commentary on its sex appeal? You have to wonder about the incident at the Pittsburgh Zoo that caused this warning to be necessary. It's part of a collection of creative and funny zoo signs at Environmental Graffiti. Link

(Image credit: Flickr user AxsDeny)

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While shooting footage for the series Planet Earth Live, BBC cameramen had to put up with the shenanigans of the wildlife itself. -via The Daily What

What happens when the Bad Astronomer goes full hipster on Twitter? A new meme is born! Science-related hipster jokes are showing up with the hashtag ##BadAstrohipster.


The jokes aren't limited to Twitter, either. You'll find more at Fark and in the comments of any post that mentions the meme. Link to article. Link to Tweets.

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Shrimp on a glockenspiel! Jonti Picking's new song might not be up there with Badgers, but the tune will get stuck in your head anyway (sorry about that). Oh yeah, the lyrics are posted at the YouTube link. -via b3ta