Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway, has been working on a next-generation prosthetic arm that will blow your mind. A man who lost his arms 26 years ago can now peel a banana without squishing it. Read more about the project at ieee spectrum. Link -via Reddit
New homeowner Wayne Berkowitz heard cat noises from inside the drywall of his house. Workers spent days tearing out the new walls and ceiling to get the frightened cat out. Link -via Metafilter
The Poetic Prophet, aka The SEO Rapper has a nerdcore rap about properly coding your html to optimize your website. Now can someone explain to me why strong is better than bold? -via Viral Video Chart
Jedi Master Jonba Hehol was one of the founders of the UK Church of the Jedi. His friends and family know him as 36-year-old hairdresser Barney Jones. He was giving a TV interview in his back yard last week when a man wearing a Darth Vader helmet and a black trash bag leapt over the fence and began attacking him!
Wielding a metal crutch - his lightsaber presumably being in for repairs - the Sith Lord proceeded to lay about his opponent, whose Jedi powers proved inadequate for the task of defending himself.
After besting Master Hehol in single combat, Vader, who The Sun reports was under the influence of alcohol, went on to assault the camera crew and a hairdresser.
The kid at the spelling bee had never heard of the word, but neither had I. It is pretty funny! Try to use sardoodledom in a sentence sometime this week. -via the Presurfer
The people who brought you I Can Has Cheezburger? were inspired by the Jamphat collection of rap lyrics explained in graph form, and created a new blog. GraphJam invites everyone to make and submit funny graphs and charts about ...anything you wouldn’t normally find on a graph. If you have an idea but no graphic skills, there is a generator included. Link -via Wired
At one time, Quincy, M.E. was my favorite TV show. It ran from 1976 to 1983. If you’ve never seen it, the new lyrics will explain what it was all about. -via b3ta
Dark Roasted Blend welcomes guest blogger M. Christian as he profiles six very scary animals that you might not even see before they kill you!
As anyone who has studied nature can attest, the world and all its creatures (great as well as small) really are out to get us. Some of their attacks are easy to defend against, and we - in general - know how to survive them. Yet there are creatures on this globe that can snuff us out like a cheap candle in a stiff wind.
Pictured is the yellow-banded poison dart frog, which exudes a slime that can kill you just by a touch. Link
Social worker Julio Diaz was walking to a diner in the Bronx when a teenager pulled a knife on him. After handing over his wallet, Diaz offered the mugger his coat as well. The teen was even more surprised when Diaz asked him to join him for dinner.
"You know, I just felt maybe he really needs help," Diaz says.
After they ate, Diaz told the teen he’d have to pay for dinner, since he didn’t have his wallet. The teen handed the wallet back, and Diaz gave him twenty dollars, although he did ask for the knife, which the teen handed over.
"I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world."
Listen to the entire story at NPR. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89164759 -via reddit
Tim Tyler constructed his microswitch keyboard with 124 keys. Some of the keys are vertical, to alternate hand stress between the flexor and extensor muscles of the fingers. This would require a much larger desk than mine! Link -via b3ta
Ganvié is a community of around 3,000 stilted buildings on Lake Nokoué in Benin. It has a population of between 20 and 30 thousand people. The town on the lake was settled several hundred years ago to protect residents from slavery, as local religious tradition forbade attacking anyone on the water. See more pictures and video of Ganvié at A Welsh View. Link
Leonid Stadnik of Podolyantsi, Ukraine has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest human on Earth.
In 2006, Stadnik was officially measured at 2.57 meters tall (8 feet 5 inches), surpassing a Chinese man to claim the title of the world's tallest person.
His growth spurt began at age 14 after a brain operation that apparently stimulated the overproduction of growth hormone. Doctors say he has been growing ever since.
While he may appear intimidating due to his size, Stadnik charms visitors with a broad grin and childlike laugh. He seems at times like a lonely boy trapped in a giant's body, even keeping stuffed toys on his pillow.
Life has not been easy for Stadnik. He had to quit his job as a farm veterinarian because he could not afford shoes that fit, and suffered from frostbite. But since his recognition by the Ukraine government four years ago, he has received help from all over. Strangers have provided shoes and clothes to fit him, an oversized bicycle and exercise machine, and running water for his home. The president of Ukraine even gave him a new car- although he doesn’t fit into it well.
"I have always dreamt that my life and the life of my loved ones ... would become more comfortable," Stadnik said. "My dream is coming true."
His neighbors joke that they may also benefit from Stadnik's success. "Of course we are proud of him _ we may have gas here soon thanks to him," said Nila Kravchuk, 75.