In the 1920s, a "Dr. Lawson" offered a gadget you could rub on your body to erase fat. How about tapeworms you ingest on purpose to lose weight? And I'm not even going to describe what the Prostate Gland Warmer is like. These are part of the list of the 12 worst fitness inventions of all time at Men's Fitness. Pictured is the Battle Creek Vibratory Chair. Link -via Digg
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24-year-old Darren McWalters married his bride Katie Hodgson while flying over the English countryside on top of separate biplanes! The minister, 67-year-old George Bringham conducted the rites while standing on a third biplane. They communicated by wireless, and the vows were transmitted to witnesses on the ground over a loudspeaker. Link -via Arbroath
The US flag has 13 stripes, to represent the original 13 colonies. The United States Postal Service always has stamps that depict the flag, although the design changes occasionally. On April 18, a new set of stamps were released, featuring four paintings of flags at different times of the day. The set is called "Flags 24/7". But wait! How many stripes does the fourth flag image have?
If the Postal Service is forced to change the design, these stamps may become collectors items. Link -via the Presurfer
In the magnified view of the stamp image, there are 6 more stripes visible, before the image is clipped off. The small area located in the lower-left corner of the design is clearly white. By counting the stripes below the blue canton, starting with the white stripe (number 8) it is very evident that there is a 14th stripe and it is white.
This raises an even further design issue ... if the flag was bounded by red stripes as the top-most and bottom-most stripes, which every flag issued by the United States since the founding of the country in 1776 has been, it would leave one to think that the flag on the stamp, if it followed the usual red stripe convention, would actually have had 15 stripes!
If the Postal Service is forced to change the design, these stamps may become collectors items. Link -via the Presurfer
The New York Times has an interactive timeline/map/infographic that shows the medal count of each country for all of the Modern Games since 1896. At the link, select a year, then click on each country's circle to see the medal count. Link -via Digg
A farmer in Hooper, Utah built a fence out of old cars! Homeowners in a new subdivision were complaining about farming activities and the smell, but the neighbor who adjoins his property wouldn't help pay for a fence, so he built one from the material he had.
Link (with video) -via Unique Daily
Creator Rhett Davis calls it his "Redneck Stonehenge." It's not that he doesn't like his neighbors, he's just not sure they understand him and his kind.
What used to be farmland is now filling up with subdivisions. "The unique community coming in, I don't think they're used to the farm life," Davis said. "I think the residential is starting to overpower the farmer."
A neighbor in one house complained about flies and smells and dust. The neighbor wouldn't pay half the cost of a fence, Davis says, so he built one himself with a Ford and two Toyotas stuck grill-first into the dirt.
"I kinda like them. I thought about putting Christmas lights on them," he said.
Link (with video) -via Unique Daily
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We've featured the documentary clip of the amazing lyrebird before, but Waverly Films made the footage with Sir David Attenborough even better! -via Unique Daily
A sportswriter lists the most memorable Olympic performances of the modern Games. Sure, you've heard of Nadia Comaneci, Mark Spitz, and Jesse Owens, but are you familiar with Abebe Bikila, Emil Zatopek, and the other past Olympic stars? What other Olympic performances would you add to the list? http://www.sportingo.com/olympic-games/a9858_top-ten-greatest-olympic-moments -via Digg
Griffin attempted to replicate, and even improve upon, a Super Aussie Burger.
I bought half a kilo of bacon, half a kilo of cheese, six eggs, lettuce, 3 tomatoes, an onion, beetroot, sesame seeds, mustard and ketchup, from Coles, the 4kg of mince from Fine Freddys' Meats again, and flavourings from my own kitchen. Total cost of the items bought was about $58.
It's the second project of the Giant Burger Project. Link -via Unique Daily
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Before the era of mass entertainment, we watched kittens playing to amuse ourselves. Then came the cinema, radio, TV, and the internet. Now we use the internet to watch kittens play -and they are still entertaining! -via Arbroath
Today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss is about Larry David and his TV show Curb Your Enthusiasm. It's designed to get you through 'til the new season begins. I scored 20%, probably because I have never seen the show. http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/16098
The Boy Scout Store has merit badges available for purchase for accomplishments that aren't spelled out in the Boy Scout Manual. Show off your accomplishments in the fields of drinking, cat herding, belching, and going bald! http://www.boyscoutstore.com/store/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=252 -via Everlasting Blort
The St. Petersburg Times reports on a feral child found living in an urban apartment under horrific conditions. Danielle was almost seven years old, yet she had never been to school, didn't speak, and did not react to human contact. The story is heartbreaking.
The special report includes the story, videos, and a photo gallery, and well as links to child abuse, adoption, and historical information. Link -via trendalicious
Dr. Kathleen Armstrong, director of pediatric psychology at the University of South Florida medical school, was the first psychologist to examine Danielle. She said medical tests, brain scans, and vision, hearing and genetics checks found nothing wrong with the child. She wasn't deaf, wasn't autistic, had no physical ailments such as cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy.
The doctors and social workers had no way of knowing all that had happened to Danielle. But the scene at the house, along with Danielle's almost comatose condition, led them to believe she had never been cared for beyond basic sustenance. Hard as it was to imagine, they doubted she had ever been taken out in the sun, sung to sleep, even hugged or held. She was fragile and beautiful, but whatever makes a person human seemed somehow missing.
Armstrong called the girl's condition "environmental autism." Danielle had been deprived of interaction for so long, the doctor believed, that she had withdrawn into herself.
The most extraordinary thing about Danielle, Armstrong said, was her lack of engagement with people, with anything. "There was no light in her eye, no response or recognition. . . . We saw a little girl who didn't even respond to hugs or affection. Even a child with the most severe autism responds to those."
Danielle's was "the most outrageous case of neglect I've ever seen."
The special report includes the story, videos, and a photo gallery, and well as links to child abuse, adoption, and historical information. Link -via trendalicious
This just makes sense. Bandaids are imprinted with exclamations that may serve as the story of how the "boo-boo" happened! "Ouch!" pretty much says it all. Link -via Geek Like Me
The Hong Kong LEGO Users Group created this miniature version of the Olympics in Beijing in less than 100 hours. In this picture, you can see the National Aquatics Center. Other photos show the Olympic Stadium (also known as the Birds Nest), Olympic Park, and other venues. Link -via Digg
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