Be assured that the tractor did not originally go as fast as the video does. This pleasant taste of country living is accompanied by the music created for the South Park "Jewelry Polka" sequence. Which will be in your head the rest of the day. -via reddit
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You know period, comma, semicolon, asterisk, etc. but there are a lot more punctuation marks. Can you name some that we don't use all that often? Easier still, can you match the punctuation mark with its proper name? That's the challenge in today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental Floss. I am embarrassed to tell you I only got 3 out of 10 correct. I'm sure you can beat that! Link
Yes, I said "track," not "kill." This is a method scientists used to track the spread of lice among brown mouse lemurs.
You can read what they learned from this study at Discoblog. But you can't help but picture what it's like to camp in the forests of Madagascar, with a toothpick of nail polish in one hand and a magnifying glass in the other, painting each louse on a five-inch lemur. For science! Link -via Not Exactly Rocket Science
The brown mouse lemur of Madagascar is a five-inch-long primate that sleeps in tree-holes all day and only comes out after dark. To study their social interactions, scientists had to get crafty with toothpicks and a few bottles of nail polish. They trapped 23 male and 9 female lemurs, finding and tagging the lice on each of them with a unique pattern of nail polish dots.
From August to October, they then mapped how lice spread from lemur to lemur, which seemed to mostly happen mostly between males fighting each other for mates. Breeding season began a few weeks into the tracking period, and lice transfers between males shot up dramatically.
You can read what they learned from this study at Discoblog. But you can't help but picture what it's like to camp in the forests of Madagascar, with a toothpick of nail polish in one hand and a magnifying glass in the other, painting each louse on a five-inch lemur. For science! Link -via Not Exactly Rocket Science
This woman, who goes by the online name Spiffzaya, must be a full-time cosplayer, as she has over 100 pictures of her various costumes online. That's enough to give her the title of Cosplayer of the Week at Unreality magazine! Check out a gallery of her best looks. The costume pictured here is Captain Hans from Hellsing. Link
As I have a houseful of teenagers, this Twaggie really strikes home. It was illustrated from a Tweet by @Fallun_Angel. In fact, the entire past week of Twaggies seem to have a theme of laziness! You can see a new Twaggie every day at GoComics. Link
Where are the best places to hide from a zombie attack? We know from watching TV that the CDC in Atlanta is no help; neither is a bucolic farm. But there are some really fortified landmarks that could shelter you from the undead. Fort Knox is the closest sanctuary to me, but for aesthetic interest, I'd prefer Fort Boyard off the west coast of France.
Disregarding the fact that you would go to the closest shelter in the event of a zombie attack, which of these refuges would you like best? Link
Now completely uninhabited, this island fortress would make the perfect refuge from a Zombie attack, as it is surrounded by a particularly large moat: the Atlantic Ocean. Designed to repel the British, this fortress comes equipped with canon mounts and was once used as a prison, meaning it is pretty secure. So, if you find yourself stuck on a ship during the Zombie attack, why not head to Fort Boyard for a vacation from the undead.
Disregarding the fact that you would go to the closest shelter in the event of a zombie attack, which of these refuges would you like best? Link
Shiro, Japan's most laid-back cat, has reached a level of fame in which fans can buy their own version of him (but only in Japan). Watch Shiro test the new toy to show how authentic it is. The plushie is almost as patient and tolerant as Shiro is! Link to pictures. Link to video. -via Buzzfeed
(Image credit: kagonekoshiro)
The latest video from OK Go features a lot of wardrobe changes and probably some extensive location scouting, but the results are quite colorful! And the song -oh, there was a song with this? -via Nag on the Lake
The following is an article from the book Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into the Universe.
Stop that. You're not 13 anymore. And besides, Uranus is possibly the best planet ever. Really.
LOOKING AT URANUS
Gaze for a moment, if you will, on the featureless disk that is Uranus (stop that). The discovery of Uranus ranks as one of the top scientific finds of history. (I mean it. Don't make me come back there.) In fact, we can safely say that science today would be entirely different, if it wasn't for Uranus...
I can wait until you're done, you know.
WHERE URANUS CAME FROM
"Uranus," of course, has nothing at all to do with your terminal excretory sphincter. First off, it's pronounced "yooor-ah-nus," not "yer-anus," as folks are so wont to do. Second, the word refers to one of the oldest characters in Greek mythology, the personification of the heavens, who with Gaia, the personification of the Earth, sired the Titans, a.k.a. the Elder Gods. They in turn sired the Olympians gods, whose names (in the Roman versions) grace the other planets, excepting Saturn, who was the most important Titan, and our own little Earth, the most boringly named, probably from the Olde English "earthe," meaning "earth."
THE IMPORTANCE OF URANUS
When Uranus was given its name, it was to imply the majesty of the vast reaches of the universe. Its present status as the butt of butt jokes is an unfortunate and cruel irony.
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Stop that. You're not 13 anymore. And besides, Uranus is possibly the best planet ever. Really.
LOOKING AT URANUS
Gaze for a moment, if you will, on the featureless disk that is Uranus (stop that). The discovery of Uranus ranks as one of the top scientific finds of history. (I mean it. Don't make me come back there.) In fact, we can safely say that science today would be entirely different, if it wasn't for Uranus...
I can wait until you're done, you know.
WHERE URANUS CAME FROM
"Uranus," of course, has nothing at all to do with your terminal excretory sphincter. First off, it's pronounced "yooor-ah-nus," not "yer-anus," as folks are so wont to do. Second, the word refers to one of the oldest characters in Greek mythology, the personification of the heavens, who with Gaia, the personification of the Earth, sired the Titans, a.k.a. the Elder Gods. They in turn sired the Olympians gods, whose names (in the Roman versions) grace the other planets, excepting Saturn, who was the most important Titan, and our own little Earth, the most boringly named, probably from the Olde English "earthe," meaning "earth."
THE IMPORTANCE OF URANUS
When Uranus was given its name, it was to imply the majesty of the vast reaches of the universe. Its present status as the butt of butt jokes is an unfortunate and cruel irony.
Imagine taking a road trip with some friends, but this time, you’re not in a Winnebago during Spring Break or runnin’ a quickie to Tijuana and back. There are no cell phones, no GPS systems and no 24-hour convenience stores. Nope, this little jaunt is about 8,000 miles round-trip, and you’ll be lucky to travel 12 clicks on a good day. There’s no reliable map to guide your path. You’ll have to chow stewed dog meat to stave off starvation. Oh, and you’ll encounter hail the size of grapefruit, rattlesnakes galore and potentially hostile tribes who very well may want to kill you. The good news? You can’t get lost because you have no idea where you’re going.
We’re talking, of course, about the great journey of Lewis and Clark, the original cross-country Hikapalooza over 200 years ago when the first U.S. citizens reached the Pacific by land. Together, the members of the expedition braved that big mass of unknown territory known as “the geography of hope,” an uncharted land full of rumors, from Bigfoot to savage cannibals. Not to mention gold under the rainbow.
1778 Map of Western North America
A Three Hour Tour…
President Thomas Jefferson was the one who came up with this crazy idea, but he made it sound pretty simple: Explore a water route up the Missouri River and then along the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Coast. Yeah, right. While the idea of finding a path connecting the two shores was a good call, it was pretty much impossible because of those pesky Rocky Mountains (who knew?). So what was supposed to be a quick trip to the Pacific ended up lasting 28 months.
To organize the expedition, Jefferson called on Meriwether Lewis, a 29-year-old fellow Virginian and his personal secretary. Lewis accepted the challenge and got his old Army buddy, William Clark, to ride shotgun. Of course, for Clark, partnering with Lewis meant demoting himself from Lewis’s previous superior officer to the equal-ranking position of captain. It was an important political move, and one that he wouldn’t forget (stay tuned).
While Clark recruited and trained the team, Lewis took a series of crash courses in kayaking, medicine and scientific observation (image of their compass courtesy of Smithsonian Legacies). The crew consisted of a black slave (Clark’s) named York, a dog (a Newfoundland named Seaman) and a support staff of four dozen (mostly soldiers and gung-ho frontiersmen).
For provisions, the group took along some party mix, mainly in the form of “ardent spirits” — a.k.a., 120 gallons of Kentucky Whiskey, about 30 gallons of brandy and a spot of rum (to ward off the chill, of course). The caravan also toted a traveling library, cooking kettles, canvas tenting, trade goods, axes, and personal possessions such as Lewis’ writing desk and his favorite blankie. They called their new troop the Corps of Volunteers for North Western Discovery. Although, had the crew known what they were in for, they might have called it, Do It Yourself; We’re Not Crazy.
The cats have won! DeviantART has been conquered! And this is the guy behind the revolt:
I am `MajorGeneralWhiskers. My hobbies include sleeping on your face, making claw-graffiti on leather couches, and seeing how far I can kick litter outside the box. I lead the Feline UpRising, also known as FUR. We're an army of expert cat hackers and script kitties who have been working tirelessly to take over deviantART. We even reduced our sleep schedules to a scant 17 hours per day, and it's all paid off. Now that we've seized control, we'll be making a few changes to make things more to our liking.
What do they want? Well, for starters, they want a lot more cat-related art on the site. Maybe you can help. Link -via Buzzfeed
(Image credit: DeviantART member liquisoft)
If you got a kick out of The Hunger Games By Any Other Director, check out this re-imagining of The Hunger Games book by other bestselling authors! Artist Ray Kampf gave it the mashup treatment in book jacket form, using the style of other bestsellers. Imagine what the dialogue would be like if this story really was written by Jacqueline Suzann or Jackie Collins! Link
Vietnamese architect Dang Viet Nga wanted to create a house like no other on earth, and she did it. The Hang Nga Guest House in Da Lat, Vietnam, is more often called the Crazy House. No single picture can do justice to even just the exterior, so you should go see more of them at Kuriositas. Link
(Image credit: Flickr user upyernoz)
The site April Fool's Day on the Web keeps track of pranks played by websites each year. The list for 2012 is growing by the minute! If you are directed to something that looks too good (or too odd) to be true, it may be listed there already! And if you need some more laughs, check out their archives for internet pranks from previous years. Link
(Image credit: Flicker user Dave Gough)
(Image credit: Flicker user Dave Gough)
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