Many of the Valentines Day roses presented in Europe are grown in Ethiopia. Over 100,000 roses are exported each day! And the custom of giving flowers is catching on domestically. Floriculture is one of Ethiopia’s fastest-growing industries, because the government makes it easy for flower companies to obtain land and startup loans. National Geographic has a video report on Ethiopian roses. Link

Read the stories behind the development of classic videogame characters Donkey Kong, Mario, Sonic, and of course Pac-Man.

Japanese game designer Toru Iwatani was 26 when he invented the timeless masterpiece. In the original Japanese release, our star was called “Puckman” which was just a wee bit too close to a certain English swear word for the developers’ liking. Thus, “Pac-Man” emerged. His name is derived from the Japanese slang term ‘paku paku,’ which describes the motion of the mouth opening and closing while eating, and in the literal English translation means “to eat.”

Link

A beautifully preserved fossil of a tiny pterosaur has been discovered in China. And he’s just plain adorable!

The new fossil, which was discovered in 2004 in western Liaoning province, China, is about 120 million years old.

The specimen is an almost complete, articulated skeleton with a wingspan of just 25 centimetres, making it about the size of a swallow, says its discoverer, palaeontologist Xiaolin Wang of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

The little dinosaur had curved toe bones, suggesting that it perched in trees. It appears to be a primitive relative of the giant pterodactyls we are familiar with. Scientists have named the species Nemicoloperus crypticus. Link -via Digg

(image credit: Chuang Zhao)

The Deadbolt takes a look at previously-unused Indiana Jones scripts that may or may not contain spoilers for the new movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. We just don’t know yet. Read about Indiana Jones and the Monkey King, Indiana Jones and the Saucer Men from Mars, and a script that was never titled. http://www.thedeadbolt.com/news/104036/indy4scripts_feature.php

Victoria Falls is on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is 360 feet tall. At the top is a natural rock pool, called Devil’s Pool, where the water is relatively calm. From September to December, when the water level is low, you can swim in Devil’s Pool. The pictures are bound to make you just a little nervous. Or a lot. Link (with video) -via Dark Roasted Blend

Just because you can flush it down the toilet doesn’t mean it’s gone forever! In this article, Roto-Rooter lists their top five things they’ve found, and then there’s more sewer stories from all over. http://www.lifeinthefastlane.ca/weirdest-things-found-in-sewers-and-drains/offbeat-news -via reddit

(image credit: Beothuk)

We already have the Easter bunny and the Thanksgiving turkey, why not a Valentine pig? Valentine the Gloucester Old Spot piglet was born ten days ago at Byford's Farm in Taynton, Gloucestershire. Farmer Eric Freeman said:

"I've bred thousands of Old Spot piglets over the years but this is the first ever to have such a clear heart-shaped mark.

"It couldn't be more appropriate with Valentine's Day just around the corner."

Link -via Fark

During World War II, Nazi scientists worked at a secret lab in Hillersleben to develop weapons of mass destruction. One of these proposed weapons was the Sun Gun, a space station that would focus the sun’s rays on the enemies of the Third Reich! Read the story at Damn Interesting. Link

(Live Leak link)
How police are dealing with departmental budget cuts which have left them without proper bagpipes. -via Arbroath

Dignity Village in Portland, Oregon was founded by 8 homeless people. In 2001, city officials granted them rights to live on a selected plot without interference. Now with a population of about 60, the community has a village council, 24-hour security, and a website. deputydog calls it “the most organized shantytown on earth.” http://deputy-dog.com/2008/02/08/the-most-organised-shanty-town-on-earth/

(YouTube link)
A Valentines Day music video from PostSecret. This week’s secrets are all about love, both sweet and heartbreaking. http://postsecret.blogspot.com/2008/02/sunday-secrets.html -via Viral Video Chart

What would the world be like if the oceans were land and the land were oceans? This world map takes that idea and runs with it! The picture here is just a detail; see the entire inversed world at Vladstudio. Link -via the Presurfer

(YouTube link)

Silent film footage taken in 1909 by Thomas Edison at Stormfield (CT) at Mark Twain's estate. Twain is shown walkng around his home and playing cards with his daughters Clara and Jean. The flickering is due to film deterioration, but this is the only known footage of the great author.

-via Grow-A-Brain

Gravity does the work in this game, all you have to do is rotate the circle, allowing the ball to fall through the maze. It seems simple, but it’s not easy! Link -via b3ta

Deeda Blair has scanned images from Vanity Fair’s Hollywood issue, featuring today’s movie stars in roles from Hitchcock films. Jodie Foster makes a wonderful Tippi Hedren. Link -via Metafilter