Mark Johnson traveled the world to record musicians all performing the same song. The result is an uplifting and entertaining music video of Stand By Me. There will be a documentary film "Playing for Change: Peace Through Music" about the project next year. The Playing For Change Foundation is dedicated to connecting the world through music by providing resources to musicians and their communities around the world. Read about projects established in South Africa and Tibet at the website. http://www.playingforchange.com/episodes/2/Stand_by_Me (embedded YouTube video) -Thanks, Robin!

A team from the University of St Andrews in Scotland has developed a machine only 2 millimeters wide that can fire a tiny laser beam so accurately that it can puncture individual cells!

The device was developed by Professor Kishan Dholakia from the university's school of physics and Dr Frank Gunn-Moore from the school of biology.

Dr Gunn-Moore said: "You could think of these as tiny light sabres like they had in Star Wars inside your body.

"We can use lasers to punch tiny holes exactly where we want them. We can produce a rod of light - sometimes described as a sword - that can even go around objects. It really does sound like science fiction."

The new device relies on a method called "photoporation", allowing insoluble compounds such as genes and drugs to be injected into individual cells with the assistance of light.

Link -Thanks, Yash!

The Poitou region of France spawned the Poitou donkey, a large hairy breed that almost died out thirty years ago.

The Poitou comes from the Equus asinus species and is - basically - a donkey with dreadlocks. It looks as if it could have been genetically engineered to satisfy the faddish longings of a billionaire's daughter but has in fact been living and working
in this region of France for hundreds of years. The Poitou was bred exclusively to be used in the breeding of mules (one of the traditional activities of the region) and as such was exported throughout the world in numbers.

In 1977, there were only 25 Poitou donkeys in existence. Now, thanks to a conservation program and the donkey's gentle nature, there are over a thousand worldwide! Link -Thanks, RJ Evans!

(image credit: dynamosquito)

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) administered a 33 question basic civics test to 2,500 randomly-selected people. Included were some who identified themselves as "elected officials", although the story does not say how many elected officials there were, or what offices they held. The elected officials scored only 44% on the 33-question test, compared to a 49% average score for the rest of the respondents. One of the questions was "name two countries that were our enemies during World War II."

Sixty-nine percent of respondents correctly identified Germany and Japan. Among the incorrect answers were Britain, China, Russia, Canada, Mexico and Spain.

Forty percent of respondents, meanwhile, incorrectly believed that the US president has the power to declare war, while 54 percent correctly answered that that power rests with Congress.

Asked about the electoral college, 20 percent of elected officials incorrectly said it was established to "supervise the first televised presidential debates."

In fact, the system of choosing the US president via an indirect electoral college vote dates back some 220 years, to the US Constitution.

Link -Thanks, Geekazoid!


You can take the test yourself. Link -Thanks, AJ!

(Brightcove link)
Nice fireworks! What's the occasion? It's the grand opening of The Atlantis, a luxury resort on the man-made Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. To get a scale of the fireworks, keep in mind that the "trunk" of the palm island is five kilometers long!

One million fireworks – almost 10 times the scale of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony – lit up the Palm, with the organisers claiming the display was visible from space.

Even in Dubai, a part of the world renowned for excess, there had never been a party like it.

"We built something that's quite extraordinary. We've got to tell the world about it," said Sol Kerzner, the South African billionaire hotelier and casino tycoon.

The 1,539-room Atlantis took two years to build and cost £1 billion. Mr Kerzner admitted that the global economic downturn would have an effect on business.

The launch party cost £15 million ($30 million). Link

How do you improve upon a turducken (turkey stuffed with duck stuffed with chicken)? Behold, the Turbaconducken. It's a turducken wrapped in bacon! Bacon Today has the step-by-step recipe with pictures. Link -via Cynical-C

(Metacafe link)
On the b3ta boards this was titled "Look what Mum's getting for Christmas!" It would be a nice little experiment to explain how steam power works to the kids. http://www.b3ta.com/links/Look_what_mums_getting_for_Christmas

A kitten with two faces was born yesterday at a veterinary clinic in Perth, Australia. A newspaper photographer was at the clinic to shoot pictures of greyhounds when the birth occurred, and took the opportunity to snap pictures of the newborn kitten.

Louisa Burgess, a veterinary nurse who helped deliver the kitten, told InMyCommunity.com.au that she had never seen such an unusual animal in her 12-year career.

"I have seen cats with two tails and extra legs, but not this,” she said.

Ms Burgess said the cat appeared healthy, but it would be closely monitored over the next few days.

"It has a full tummy and it survived the night so that is a good sign,” she said. "It seems content, it meows and purrs.

The kitten's two mouths meow simultaneously. In a radio interview (included with the story), it was revealed that the kitten has only one brain. http://www.theage.com.au/national/twofaced-kitten-born-in-perth-20081120-6cpv.html -Thanks, Jayne Howley!

(image credit: Mathew Poon)

This week, we've started to feature another layer in the Google Earth Gallery, showing several thousand panoramic views provided by 360cities.net. This layer contains exciting 360 degree panoramas from a variety of great photographs taken all over the world!

This screengrab is from the Synagogue of Dohány Street in Budapest, which does NOT do justice to the panorama. Link to story. Link to website. -Thanks, Jeffrey Martin!

Every time you reload the page, you'll get a different randomly-generated recipe. This goes a long way toward proving that machines can't cook. Here's what I got on the first try:

Coffee Surprise
Serves 5
You will need:

* 20ml coffee
* 3 slices of bread
* 20g sugar
* 20ml red wine
* 100ml tabasco sauce

Instructions:

1. pre-heat the oven to 230 C
2. fry the slices of bread until browned
3. microwave the red wine
4. fry the coffee
5. saute the slices of bread
6. spoon the coffee onto a warmed plate
7. saute the red wine
8. microwave the sugar
9. eat the slices of bread
10. slice the tabasco sauce
11. bake for 80 minutes and serve hot

Yum.

http://jamesoff.net/site/fun/random-recipe-generator/ -via b3ta

(image credit: bitzcelt)

How do you get your cables from one side of the bridge to another when your suspension bridge will be 560 meters above the river? The Siduhe Grand Bridge in China is nearing completion after four years of construction.

previous solutions have included: attaching the cable to a kite and flying it over (e.g. niagara falls suspension bridge), carrying one end by helicopter (e.g. akashi kaikyo bridge) and floating one end on a boat (e.g. brooklyn bridge). the brains behind the siduhe bridge decided to ignore all those options and break another record instead. they attached the 3200ft cables to rockets and accurately fired them over the valley, becoming the first people to do so.

http://deputy-dog.com/2008/11/rockets-help-build-bridge-higher-than.html

(YouTube link)
The comedy duo Paul and Storm explain what to do with homeless nuns. -Thanks, Christophe!

Flickr user Vintage Lulu posted a lovely set of vintage geisha postcards from the late 19th and early 20th century. Link -via Everlasting Blort

(Current TV link)
An unidentified Englishman and Frenchman jumped from 650 meters up in the Burj Dubai tower -the tallest building on earth- in May of 2008. Both were arrested shortly afterward. -Thanks, Adam Fuhrer!

(YouTube link)
From the folks who brought you Digital Conversion. -via Grow-A-Brain