How much do you remember about the big events of 2011? OK, how about the not-so-big events that you should recall? That's the subject of today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss. It's not all that easy; there are some diverse subjects covered. I scored 67%, not because I forgot already, but because there were some thing I just never knew (like the sports). Link

Sascha Mehlhase built a model of the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider out of LEGO bricks! It contains around 9,500 bricks and took 33 hours to assemble, in addition to 48 total hours of work just designing it. Read more about and see more pictures at his site. Link -via reddit

There is an entire ecosystem in a previously-overlooked layer of a rainforest. Between the treetops and the forest floor, falling leaves are caught in a matrix of almost-inivisible filaments of the fungus Marasmius. Jake Snaddon from the University of Oxford has been studying this in-between layer of leaves and fungus.

When Snaddon shifted his focus to these hanging leaves, he soon realised their importance. In every hectare (the size of a rugby pitch, or London’s Trafalgar Square), the fungi hold around 260 kilograms of leaves. They hold 2-3 times more than other epiphytes can, and they’re more evenly dispersed.

These litter-traps are suspended worlds. Snaddon counted around 340 different species of insects and other arthropods among the dead leaves. If he removed the fungi, the number of species in the lower canopy fell by 57 percent, and the total number of individuals fell by 70 percent. That’s a huge figure, especially when you consider that around 60 percent of the canopy’s arthropods live in its lowest parts.  Clearly, our knowledge of the rainforest was missing a crucial layer.

Next Snaddon will look at the relationships between the different species of life in the rainforest mezzanine. Link

There's a danger in buying Christmas gifts without thinking of what they really mean. You might be surprised at some of the available gifts that send an awful message! Our own Jill Harness rounded up some of the strangest items advertised as Christmas gifts that might ruin a relationship because of the implied message behind them. And if you were to receive one of these, at least you know how much they really care. Pictured is a belly button brush -just what Mom always wanted. Link

(vimeo link) Not only is this claymation clip from Yo Gabba Gabba's Christmas Special as cute as it can be, but the song will stay with you. Produced by Kirsten Lepore with music by Adam Deibert, performed by James Husband. -via Buzzfeed

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Jib-Jab has released their annual musical tribute to the year that was. This little ditty crams as many of the memorable events of 2011 into a little over two minutes as possible!

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Tim proposed to his girlfriend Audrey through a glass door using image memes. This video is a lot sweeter and happier than that short description makes it sound. You can see all the individual images at Audrey's blog. Link -via YouBentMyWookie

This Christmas Twaggie was illustrated by artist Ingrid Doering from a Tweet by @1surlygurl. You have to feel sorry for Santa Claus -especially if you are Santa! Link

John Byrne was installing a new central heating unit in his home in Dublin in 1992 when he found a letter in the fireplace. It was a little scorched, but still readable.

On Christmas Eve 1911, a brother and sister, who signed their names, “A or H Howard”, penned their personally designed letter to Santa with their requests for gifts and a good luck message at their home in Oaklands Terrace, Terenure (or Terurnure, as the children spelled it) in Dublin.

They placed it in the chimney of the fireplace in the front bedroom so that Santa would see it as he made his way into the Howard household in the early hours of the morning.

A check of the 1911 census lead Byrne to believe the children were 10-year-old Hannah Howard and her seven-year-old brother Fred, who lived at the address with their parents and older sister. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2011/1221/1224309341785.html -via Metafilter

(Image credit: Eric Luke)

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While you're enjoying the holidays with family and friends, remember the many people who have to work straight through because it's necessary. ZDoggMD and Dr. Harry made a video about what Christmas is like for medical folks, to the tune of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" http://zdoggmd.com/2011/12/feed-the-wards/ -Thanks, Doc!

Pogo Dave is "not" selling his Candy Cane Car on eBay because he is a contrarian, a "a master of reserve psychology" who does "not" enjoy entertaining people with his car. The 1991 Toyota Camry is covered in red and white reflective tape and has an exercise machine on the roof. Read more about the car, and see pictures and video, at Art Car Central. Link -via Laughing Squid

A lot of wars get left out of our history books because they left no changes in maps or the balance of power. However, some of these lesser-known wars lasted for hundred of years! There are also declared wars in which no one was killed, and, in the case of the Paraguayan War, hundreds of thousands killed for no apparent reason.

The President of Paraguay, Francisco Solano Lopez, was a huge admirer of Napoleon Bonaparte. He fancied himself a skilled tactician and excellent commander, but lacked one thing, a war. So to solve this problem, in 1864 he declared war on Paraguay’s three surrounding neighbors, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. The outcome of the war? Paraguay was very nearly annihilated. It is estimated that 90% of its male population died during the war of disease, starvation, and battles with enemy armies. This was perhaps one of the most needless wars in history since Lopez had almost no reason to declare war on his more powerful neighbors.

Read about ten of these obscure and bizarre conflicts ay Listverse. Link -via The Daily What

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There are so many things wrong with this scene. People who live in climates where they might encounter ice occasionally should learn a few commonsense skills.

1. Don't use ice-covered steps if there is any alternative route.
2. If they are your steps, use salt or other chemicals to melt the ice. If it's too cold, you can use sand or ashes or maybe even block access.
3. Use the handrail. That's what it is for.
4. Watch where you are going.
5. Take your hands out of your pockets. You may need them to regain balance or break a fall.

-via Arbroath

Uncle John's Bathroom Reader is proud to announce their new mobile app, which enables you to enjoy bathroom reading on your iPhone, iPad, or Android mobile device! Which means, you can enjoy them anywhere, not just the bathroom.

...this app will give you a daily dose of the best of what Uncle John has to offer. You never know what’ll pop up: One day it might be a dumb crook, the next day, a popular myth from history debunked. With one click you can share your favorite Uncle John’s facts via email, Twitter, and Facebook. You can even enable push notifications to get daily facts or the weekly article sent directly to your home screen without having to open the app. And when you need a bit of bathroom humor, go ahead and squeeze the little yellow ducky—he’ll fart. (How many other apps can make you smarter and make fart noises?)

But that's not all -Uncle John's Bathroom Reader books are available now in ebook format, starting with nine of the most popular titles!

In honor of these new products, Uncle John is giving away free apps and books to Neatorama readers! We have five Bathroom Reader Mobile Apps for iPad or iPhone* to give away and five paperback copies of Uncle John's newest book, Uncle John's 24-Karat Bathroom Reader.

There are two ways to enter. You can leave a comment here, and tell us whether you prefer the app or the book. Or you can Tweet to your friends about the contest, directing them to this post and using the hashtag #neatUJ, and you'll be entered as well! We will draw ten winners, five from those who choose each prize, on Friday evening.

Meanwhile, how many of your friends and family members would like an Uncle John's Mobile App for Christmas? Get them while they're hot! And check out Uncle John's new ebookstore, too!

*(The Android version of the app is not yet available for giveaway.)

Update: Congratulations to the five who won the apps: iain, Akik P, anonymous coward, TohAtin, and Ben Ratner! And congratulations to the five who won paperback copies of Uncle John’s 24-Karat Bathroom Reader: e kolter, Miles G,  Shae, Dougert, and Brad!

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Who does better tricks, Kaiser the Bengal cat or Nana the border collie? I'd have to give the title to the dog, because I have a border collie, and can attest that they are always in a hurry to do everything perfect, as far as they understand it. However, getting a cat to do any tricks at all is a major accomplishment! This competition is from the pet trainers at Use Your Clicker. Link -via Laughing Squid