Here's a cute collection of famous artworks and cats striking the same poses. I found "Romeo And Juliet" by Ford Madox Brown particularly appealing, but you can see 21 such comparisons at Buzzfeed. Link
Miss Cellania's Blog Posts
Here's a cute collection of famous artworks and cats striking the same poses. I found "Romeo And Juliet" by Ford Madox Brown particularly appealing, but you can see 21 such comparisons at Buzzfeed. Link
You've heard of General Tom Thumb, one of P.T. Barmnum's most famous human exhibits. But how much do you really know about the man born Charles Sherwood Stratton in 1838?
Stratton lived an eventful and rather well-documented life, as you'll read in this biography at The Human Marvels. Link
When he was discovered at the age of four by P. T. Barnum little Charles stood a mere 25 inches in height and weighed 15 pounds. His father, long embarrassed by the miniscule stature of his offspring, gladly agreed to consign his son to a month-long trial as an attraction in Barnum’s New York Museum. The agreed rate of pay was $3 as well as room and board. This was a modest financial arrangement but the elder Stratton was probably just as content to simply see his tiny toddler be of some interest and monetary use.
In New York, Barnum renamed his new protege after the Arthurian legend of Sir Tom and, in a nod to noted midget Sir Jeffery Hudson, Barnum opted to christen Tom Thumb a General. He was billed as hailing from Europe and Barnum went to great lengths to teach the young prodigy etiquette, dance, song and keen wit. Dressed in military regalia, General Tom Thumb took to the stage like a fish to water and the public absolutely adored his charm, quips and showmanship.
Stratton lived an eventful and rather well-documented life, as you'll read in this biography at The Human Marvels. Link
How do you train a duck to play fetch? He must enjoy it. The real question is, can he play Duck, Duck, Goose? -via Blame It On The Voices
Over the past few years, you've probably read about how the age of puberty for girls is getting gradually younger. Surprise! Boys are affected, too. And the phenomenon is causing trouble for the world's most famous boys choirs.
When Johann Sebastian Bach led the St. Thomas Boys Choir in the 1700s, the average age for voice change was 17 to 18. Even then, the search for a lasting golden voice led to drastic measures that would never be considered today. Read more at the Washington Post. Link -via Breakfast Links
(Image credit: Jan Woitas/ZB)
At the venerable St. Thomas Boys Choir, where Bach once drilled pupils in their scales, leaders have redoubled recruitment efforts and taken in boys at a younger age to make sure the choir has a full stock of voices ranging from the deepest bass to the most clarion-pure soprano. Children whose voices are deepening wait out the change by working the ticket booth.
The cause of the shift remains unclear. But some choir leaders say it is having a subtle effect on their music, and it’s not just that they have to buy more acne medication. The younger the boy, the less life experience and maturity underpins the complex emotions in what they sing, even if they’re more willing to study their scores instead of pining about romance.
“We have only a short time, from age 9 until 12, to squeeze in all the musical training for the boys,” said Stefan Altner, manager of the St. Thomas Boys Choir and once one of its singers. When he started working at the choir in 1993, most voices broke when boys were 14 or 15, he said. Now the average is closer to 13.
When Johann Sebastian Bach led the St. Thomas Boys Choir in the 1700s, the average age for voice change was 17 to 18. Even then, the search for a lasting golden voice led to drastic measures that would never be considered today. Read more at the Washington Post. Link -via Breakfast Links
(Image credit: Jan Woitas/ZB)
Too much rage could be the death of us all! Things that make you mad get totally out of hand in this animation from Guy Collins. -via Everlasting Blort
Now that you can dress up your Facebook page and make it more personal, what do you want to show the world? Kiltak over at Geeks Are Sexy made up a batch of Facebook banners that showcase your favorite science fiction, gaming, and pop culture worlds. You can download and add them to your Facebook page if you like, as long as you credit the original photographer. Check them all out! Link
In the performance artwork "One More Kilometre" by John Wood and Paul Harrison, a belt sander is applied to a stack of paper which would be a kilometer long if laid end-to-end. Does it make any sense? No. Is it oddly satisfying to watch? Yes! Link -via Laughing Squid
Students at UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design created a Tumblr blog of cats that explains how the world's most quirky buildings became so quirky. Here you see one putting the finishing touches on Frank Gehry’s Dancing House in Prague. Link -via FastCo Design
Well can you blame him? Orangutans don't have pockets! This guy lives at Tanjung Puting National Park in Borneo. Rangers leave food out for the orangutans, but since tourists are often watching, they try to go elsewhere to eat them. -via Arbroath
Blood, sweat, tears, and a few other bodily liquids we don't talk about in polite company are the main body fluids you know. There are plenty more you might not know, but they all work together to make you exist and function properly. For example, have you ever heard of interstitial fluid?
Read about the rest and what they do at mental_floss. Link
Interstitial Fluid, AKA tissue fluid, works in conjunction with lymph and plasma (the liquid part of your blood) to maintain your body’s internal pressure and make sure your organs and other fluids properly interact. Most interstitial fluids have a specific job and a specific name, like peritoneal fluid, which lubricates everything inside the abdomen, or pleural fluid, which coats the lungs to allow them to do that whole oxygen exchange thing so you can live. And you were giving air all the credit.
Read about the rest and what they do at mental_floss. Link
A British reality TV show called The Pet Fit Club takes overweight pets and tries to reform their lives. It sounds like a better concept than The Biggest Loser, because we can all root for the pets, who are not only obese through no fault of their own, but also cannot say dumb things to make us dislike them. Their owners, on the other hand.... Link -via The Daily What
The science of naming species comes with a few perks. If you were studying the genus Gelae, how could you possibly resist naming the little beetles Gelae belae, Gelae donut, Gelae fish and Gelae rol? The bug pictured here is of the species Gelae baen. Pronounced just like you'd think. Yes it is. And that's just one of 17 examples of taxonomy humor you'll find at Buzzfeed. Link
(Image source: taringa.net)
Purdue University's Society of Professional Engineers broke its own world record Saturday by demonstrating a Rube Goldberg contraption with 300 steps. Not only that, they made it relatively compact, as these things go, by creating rotating courses that fold out on cue. All that just to blow up and pop a balloon! Link -via The Daily What Geek
Previously: Purdue Sets World Record in 2011.
Previously: Purdue Sets World Record in 2011.
Totally rad! You can be a Nintendoid, too, with all this cool gear from Homer's of Omaha! That is, if you were a young gamer in the early '90s who bugged his parents until they bought such stuff. Clothing available in men's and children's sizes. Link
by R.R. Bukrey
Physics Department
Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois
We are pleased to report that a classic atomic-scale physics experiment -- the double-slit experiment -- has now been carried out on a macroscopic scale. We have demonstrated the wave/particle duality of a familiar, "everyday scale" phenomenon -- the stream of cars passing through the exit lanes of the Loyola University of Chicago parking garage.
"Is it a wave or a particle?" For centuries, physicists have employed the "double-slit" experiment to answer this question about new and unexplained phenomena. Starting with Thomas Young’s 1810 measurement of the wavelength of light, and continuing with similar studies of subatomic particles in the early 20th century, the double-slit experiments all confirmed Louis deBroglie’s now-famous "wave-particle duality" hypothesis: that absolutely everything should show both kinds of properties -- wave and particle -- at one time or another.
Until now, however, this wave/particle duality had been observed only for extremely tiny phenomena. It had not been demonstrated convincingly for large objects such as baseballs or bullets. Indeed, hardly anyone bothered trying until we came along.
Now, thanks to the foresight and insight of the campus sign painter at Loyola University of Chicago, we have direct evidence that automobiles also share this wondrous duality.
See Figure 1, which shows the twin exit lanes of the parking garage. The sign -- "USE BOTH EXITS WHEN LEAVING THE PARKING STRUCTURE" -- directs patrons of the campus parking ramp to exit via both lanes. We know from previous experiments that during this process the cars must travel as waves.
Observation shows that, without exception, the emerging vehicles are intact and have restored to their condition as particles.
This dual nature, this automotive wave/particle duality, is proof positive that nature continues to surprise and amaze us.
Some of the credit for this breakthrough must be given to my colleagues here in the Physics Department. The idea that the sign could be so interpreted (the so-called "Chicago Interpretation," also known as the "Far-From-Copenhagen Interpretation") came from C.M. Brodbeck. The photograph was taken by J.V. Mallow. The person pictured on the right is G.P. Ramsey (the author is on the left). We all of us owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the sign painter; however, as he did not grant us co-authorship on his sign, we feel it would be presumptuous to give him co-authorship on our paper.
Visit their website for more research that makes people LAUGH and then THINK.
Physics Department
Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois
We are pleased to report that a classic atomic-scale physics experiment -- the double-slit experiment -- has now been carried out on a macroscopic scale. We have demonstrated the wave/particle duality of a familiar, "everyday scale" phenomenon -- the stream of cars passing through the exit lanes of the Loyola University of Chicago parking garage.
Figure 1. The twin exit lanes of the parking garage.
Background: The Wave-Particle Duality
"Is it a wave or a particle?" For centuries, physicists have employed the "double-slit" experiment to answer this question about new and unexplained phenomena. Starting with Thomas Young’s 1810 measurement of the wavelength of light, and continuing with similar studies of subatomic particles in the early 20th century, the double-slit experiments all confirmed Louis deBroglie’s now-famous "wave-particle duality" hypothesis: that absolutely everything should show both kinds of properties -- wave and particle -- at one time or another.
The Auto-Slit Experiment
Until now, however, this wave/particle duality had been observed only for extremely tiny phenomena. It had not been demonstrated convincingly for large objects such as baseballs or bullets. Indeed, hardly anyone bothered trying until we came along.
Now, thanks to the foresight and insight of the campus sign painter at Loyola University of Chicago, we have direct evidence that automobiles also share this wondrous duality.
See Figure 1, which shows the twin exit lanes of the parking garage. The sign -- "USE BOTH EXITS WHEN LEAVING THE PARKING STRUCTURE" -- directs patrons of the campus parking ramp to exit via both lanes. We know from previous experiments that during this process the cars must travel as waves.
Observation shows that, without exception, the emerging vehicles are intact and have restored to their condition as particles.
This dual nature, this automotive wave/particle duality, is proof positive that nature continues to surprise and amaze us.
Acknowledgements
Some of the credit for this breakthrough must be given to my colleagues here in the Physics Department. The idea that the sign could be so interpreted (the so-called "Chicago Interpretation," also known as the "Far-From-Copenhagen Interpretation") came from C.M. Brodbeck. The photograph was taken by J.V. Mallow. The person pictured on the right is G.P. Ramsey (the author is on the left). We all of us owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the sign painter; however, as he did not grant us co-authorship on his sign, we feel it would be presumptuous to give him co-authorship on our paper.
_____________________
This article is republished with permission from the November-December 2001 issue of the Annals of Improbable Research. You can download or purchase back issues of the magazine, or subscribe to receive future issues. Or get a subscription for someone as a gift!Visit their website for more research that makes people LAUGH and then THINK.
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