North Korea released the results of their "happiness survey" a few weeks ago (we had the item, but looking at it now would be *wink* cheating). According to the survey, South Korea and the United States are the UNhappiest places in the world. Meanwhile, Today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss asks you to name the top five happiest countries in the survey in one minute. Can you do it? Link
Miss Cellania's Blog Posts
North Korea released the results of their "happiness survey" a few weeks ago (we had the item, but looking at it now would be *wink* cheating). According to the survey, South Korea and the United States are the UNhappiest places in the world. Meanwhile, Today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss asks you to name the top five happiest countries in the survey in one minute. Can you do it? Link
(vimeo link)
This video is for the birds! A delightful animated music video for "Jubilation Day" by Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers. The music is great, but the last sequence is priceless! -via Laughing Squid
What's the use in taking a cell phone into space? After all, it's not like there's a cell tower nearby, and NASA has constant radio contact. But iPhones are going up on the final space shuttle mission in July, because ...there's an app for that.
Link
The app in question is called SpaceLab for iOS (opens iTunes) and might be used in future space missions for some navigation tasks. However, the company notes that on the shuttle mission, the iPhones will not be used for critical navigation. There will be four experiments done with the iPhone and the instructions for the experiments are integrated into the app.
The experiments will include a “limb tracker” that looks at the Earth’s limb (or curved edge) to determine the altitude of the iPhone. A sensor calibration tool will be tested that allows of the calibration of the sensors and gyroscope of the iPhone in space. The app will also be tested to determine latitude and longitude based on photos of the Earth and to test the effects of space radiation on the iPhone RAM.
Link
I wonder what this Twaggie (based on a Tweet by @DanaJGould) is insinuating. I am older than I've ever been and I also own more cats than I ever have before. Illustration by Sam Spratt. Link
Five TV series and 11 movies may be enough for some people, but the ones that were never brought to light still intrigue die-hard Star Trek fans. Read about 10 projects proposed between 1968 and 2005 that tried but failed to get off the ground for one reason or another. For example, Star Trek Phase II was supposed to be a TV series in the mid-1970s.
The series never got made because the TV network died, but the new characters were used for the first Star Trek film, and some of the episode plots were later recycled for the series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Read about the other projects at blastr. Link -via @johncfarrier
What it was: A sequel TV series. This series would've followed the now older (and thicker) crew of the USS Enterprise on an new mission into the unknown, along with a bunch of young new characters. They would've included Xon, a young Vulcan science officer (needed because Leonard Nimoy wouldn't sign on to the new series), first officer William "Will" Decker and Deltan empath Lt. Ilia. In addition to appealing to a younger (i.e. not middle-aged) demographic, the younger actors would've given the production more of a chance to continue if the original cast ever decided to leave.
The series never got made because the TV network died, but the new characters were used for the first Star Trek film, and some of the episode plots were later recycled for the series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Read about the other projects at blastr. Link -via @johncfarrier
You might have heard of some of these strange dog breeds, but I bet you don't know all of them! Are you familiar with the Puli? This dog was wearing dreadlocks thousands of years ago!
Also learn about the Xoloitzcuintli, the Catahoula Leopard Dog, and more at Oddee. Link
While no one knows exactly where pulis come from, there are indications that ancient Romans owned similar dogs and there is some evidence that shows the breed is over 6,000 years old. What is known is that they could be found in Asia over 2,000 years ago and were introduced into Hungary 1,000 years ago.
The Hungarians quickly took to the animals, which made great sheepherders, along with a similar, but larger breed known as the Komondor. The two dogs would watch the sheep day and night, with the Puli serving as the lookout and the Komondor operating as the muscle necessary to stop wolves and other predators.
Also learn about the Xoloitzcuintli, the Catahoula Leopard Dog, and more at Oddee. Link
(YouTube link)
The fashion industry unveils the latest swimsuits for the summer of 1952, designed to elicit wolf whistles. I can't decide which I like better, the Wingding (for "obvious" reasons) or the Dunk Me. -via Nag on the Lake
In the hands of a talented photographer, industry can become art. Well-designed machines can be things of beauty, and industrial decay can became emotion-stirring images. Dark Roasted Blend has a photography roundup of both styles from several photographers. Link
(Image credit: David Sommers)
In some cases, reliance on modern technology makes things more complicated and more expensive than a low-tech approach. The folks preparing for an election found that a short stack of paper worked as well as 30 laptop computers -and cost a lot less. That reminds us of the story of the toothpaste factory that had a problem detecting empty toothpaste boxes at the end of the assembly line.
Some have pointed out that the simple solution would not have been found if the complicated scheme hadn't been put into effect; others say a cash incentive to the line workers would have done the job. Whether the story is true or not, it illustrates the importance of thinking simple when possible. Link -via a comment at Hacker News/Metafilter
(Image credit: Flickr member Gustavo Durán)
Understanding how important that was, the CEO of the toothpaste factory got the top people in the company together and they decided to start a new project, in which they would hire an external engineering company to solve their empty boxes problem, as their engineering department was already too stretched to take on any extra effort.
The project followed the usual process: budget and project sponsor allocated, RFP, third-parties selected, and six months (and $8 million) later they had a fantastic solution — on time, on budget, high quality and everyone in the project had a great time. They solved the problem by using some high-tech precision scales that would sound a bell and flash lights whenever a toothpaste box weighing less than it should. The line would stop, and someone had to walk over and yank the defective box out of it, pressing another button when done.
A while later, the CEO decides to have a look at the ROI of the project: amazing results! No empty boxes ever shipped out of the factory after the scales were put in place. Very few customer complaints, and they were gaining market share. “That’s some money well spent!” – he says, before looking closely at the other statistics in the report.
It turns out, the number of defects picked up by the scales was 0 after three weeks of production use. It should’ve been picking up at least a dozen a day, so maybe there was something wrong with the report. He filed a bug against it, and after some investigation, the engineers come back saying the report was actually correct. The scales really weren’t picking up any defects, because all boxes that got to that point in the conveyor belt were good.
Puzzled, the CEO travels down to the factory, and walks up to the part of the line where the precision scales were installed. A few feet before it, there was a $20 desk fan, blowing the empty boxes out of the belt and into a bin.
“Oh, that — one of the guys put it there ’cause he was tired of walking over every time the bell rang”, says one of the workers.
Some have pointed out that the simple solution would not have been found if the complicated scheme hadn't been put into effect; others say a cash incentive to the line workers would have done the job. Whether the story is true or not, it illustrates the importance of thinking simple when possible. Link -via a comment at Hacker News/Metafilter
(Image credit: Flickr member Gustavo Durán)
Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Visit Eddie at his website.
Tastes in comedy vary and differ, just like tastes in colors, women, or cars. To me, Groucho Marx has always been the funniest guy ever. As talk show host Dick Cavett astutely observed, Groucho was the "consummate comedian." He looked funny, he talked funny, he walked funny, the content of what he said was funny, he danced funny, even his name was funny.
Like all of us, Groucho loved food and he loved to eat. Groucho always had a great fondness for chocolate. His first experience with chocolate happened when he was five years old. He and his older brother Leonard ("Chico") were traveling with their mother, Minnie, on a boat to visit Germany. Minnie was without her husband, Sam ("Frenchie") on the voyage, and like most single women, she attracted a man.
The man kept pursuing her, but Minnie told him to take a hike. Hoping to get his revenge, the man gave the young boys each a chocolate bar. He told them to go to a party their mother was attending that night. He said their mother wanted them to go to the party naked. Young Groucho and Chico did as the man said, but when they walked into the party naked, Minnie just laughed.
Even in his last days, Groucho craved chocolate, but limited himself to two pieces a day. ("Well, I've had my chocolates," he would say, "Now there's nothing to do but wait for tomorrow.")
Groucho loved sweets and as a young boy, he once ate six cream puff pastries called Charlotte Russes. After he scarfed them down, he threw up. ("I used to do a lot of vomiting in those days.")
As he and his brothers toured the vaudeville circuit with their comedy act, they often stayed at cheap boarding houses. They were forced to eat the sloppy, unpalatable meals these homes often served. At one boarding house, the boys had to endure eating chili, three times a day, for two weeks. At another, on Thanksgiving, they were served fish. Angrily (and hungrily), they made a late-night ice box raid that night, consuming all the remains of the turkey. They left an ominous note in the ice box: "The Black Hand." Groucho developed a lifetime aversion to seafood and later always ate huge turkey meals on Thanksgiving, giant spreads with all the trimmings.
Because of the greasy food served all slopped together in the boarding houses, in his later years Groucho always insisted he be served his food in separate dishes. Each main course, vegetable, salad, potato, whatever, was always served alone, in its own dish. "I'm rich enough to eat my food in separate dishes," he would explain. Groucho hated mixed vegetables, calling them "trick vegetables."
Groucho had a lifelong love of clam chowder. In his youth, his Aunt Hannah would cook up batches of the delectable soup for the Marx family. She would cook it out of the same pot the family used to do their laundry. Groucho claimed the dual-purpose pot enhanced both the wash and the flavor of the chowder. "I wish I could remember what it tasted like," Groucho later recalled wistfully as an octogenarian. In his later years, the Beverly Hills Hotel would break their ironclad "only on Fridays" rule and serve Groucho his beloved clam chowder any day he dropped in there.
Groucho loved bread, especially pumpernickel. He was absolutely crazy about pumpernickel. Chasen's, one of his favorite restaurants, served him his beloved pumpernickel and always kept a private stock of his favorite sweet butter.
He was never a big drinker. ("I only got drunk once in my life and that was in Jamaica drinking those sweet rum drinks.") Groucho was an extremely slow eater, chewing and relishing every bite. He liked to dine with friends, who were often surprised to find that as they had finished their meal, Groucho was still working on a half-a-plate full of food.
He took a walk each day in Beverly Hills, and he liked to stop and treat himself to an ice cream cone. Groucho was always very partial to a strange food combination: he loved to eat ice cream along with saltine crackers. He was crazy about the banana shortcake at Chasen's, but in spite of his sweet tooth, Groucho never let himself grow overweight. If he gained two or three pounds, he would discipline himself and cut back.
He enjoyed dining with his brothers, often being driven from Beverly Hills to Palm Springs to see them (a five-hour drive).
He always kept his icebox stocked full of his favorite goodies from Jurgenson's, his favorite market. Interestingly, Groucho hardly ever entered his kitchen. He liked to leave his cooks alone to prepare his meals.
In his last days, Groucho's health deteriorated severely and he was put on a salt-free, milder food regimen. His diet was bland, and salt-free tomato juice was a staple. For breakfast, he'd have orange juice, soft-boiled eggs, and decaf. "When I was a young man and I went to a restaurant, I used to look first at the prices. Now I'm an old man and I look at how fattening it is," he said.
Towards the end, a dining partner remembered Groucho sadly informing him that "I don't eat pumpernickel anymore." The great Groucho Marx, the funniest man in the world, passed away on August 19, 1977. If the universe is a just one, wherever Groucho is now, there is plenty of chocolate, clam chowder, and pumpernickel, and all the food is served in separate dishes.
Tastes in comedy vary and differ, just like tastes in colors, women, or cars. To me, Groucho Marx has always been the funniest guy ever. As talk show host Dick Cavett astutely observed, Groucho was the "consummate comedian." He looked funny, he talked funny, he walked funny, the content of what he said was funny, he danced funny, even his name was funny.
Like all of us, Groucho loved food and he loved to eat. Groucho always had a great fondness for chocolate. His first experience with chocolate happened when he was five years old. He and his older brother Leonard ("Chico") were traveling with their mother, Minnie, on a boat to visit Germany. Minnie was without her husband, Sam ("Frenchie") on the voyage, and like most single women, she attracted a man.
The man kept pursuing her, but Minnie told him to take a hike. Hoping to get his revenge, the man gave the young boys each a chocolate bar. He told them to go to a party their mother was attending that night. He said their mother wanted them to go to the party naked. Young Groucho and Chico did as the man said, but when they walked into the party naked, Minnie just laughed.
Even in his last days, Groucho craved chocolate, but limited himself to two pieces a day. ("Well, I've had my chocolates," he would say, "Now there's nothing to do but wait for tomorrow.")
Groucho loved sweets and as a young boy, he once ate six cream puff pastries called Charlotte Russes. After he scarfed them down, he threw up. ("I used to do a lot of vomiting in those days.")
As he and his brothers toured the vaudeville circuit with their comedy act, they often stayed at cheap boarding houses. They were forced to eat the sloppy, unpalatable meals these homes often served. At one boarding house, the boys had to endure eating chili, three times a day, for two weeks. At another, on Thanksgiving, they were served fish. Angrily (and hungrily), they made a late-night ice box raid that night, consuming all the remains of the turkey. They left an ominous note in the ice box: "The Black Hand." Groucho developed a lifetime aversion to seafood and later always ate huge turkey meals on Thanksgiving, giant spreads with all the trimmings.
Because of the greasy food served all slopped together in the boarding houses, in his later years Groucho always insisted he be served his food in separate dishes. Each main course, vegetable, salad, potato, whatever, was always served alone, in its own dish. "I'm rich enough to eat my food in separate dishes," he would explain. Groucho hated mixed vegetables, calling them "trick vegetables."
Groucho had a lifelong love of clam chowder. In his youth, his Aunt Hannah would cook up batches of the delectable soup for the Marx family. She would cook it out of the same pot the family used to do their laundry. Groucho claimed the dual-purpose pot enhanced both the wash and the flavor of the chowder. "I wish I could remember what it tasted like," Groucho later recalled wistfully as an octogenarian. In his later years, the Beverly Hills Hotel would break their ironclad "only on Fridays" rule and serve Groucho his beloved clam chowder any day he dropped in there.
Groucho loved bread, especially pumpernickel. He was absolutely crazy about pumpernickel. Chasen's, one of his favorite restaurants, served him his beloved pumpernickel and always kept a private stock of his favorite sweet butter.
He was never a big drinker. ("I only got drunk once in my life and that was in Jamaica drinking those sweet rum drinks.") Groucho was an extremely slow eater, chewing and relishing every bite. He liked to dine with friends, who were often surprised to find that as they had finished their meal, Groucho was still working on a half-a-plate full of food.
He took a walk each day in Beverly Hills, and he liked to stop and treat himself to an ice cream cone. Groucho was always very partial to a strange food combination: he loved to eat ice cream along with saltine crackers. He was crazy about the banana shortcake at Chasen's, but in spite of his sweet tooth, Groucho never let himself grow overweight. If he gained two or three pounds, he would discipline himself and cut back.
He enjoyed dining with his brothers, often being driven from Beverly Hills to Palm Springs to see them (a five-hour drive).
He always kept his icebox stocked full of his favorite goodies from Jurgenson's, his favorite market. Interestingly, Groucho hardly ever entered his kitchen. He liked to leave his cooks alone to prepare his meals.
In his last days, Groucho's health deteriorated severely and he was put on a salt-free, milder food regimen. His diet was bland, and salt-free tomato juice was a staple. For breakfast, he'd have orange juice, soft-boiled eggs, and decaf. "When I was a young man and I went to a restaurant, I used to look first at the prices. Now I'm an old man and I look at how fattening it is," he said.
Towards the end, a dining partner remembered Groucho sadly informing him that "I don't eat pumpernickel anymore." The great Groucho Marx, the funniest man in the world, passed away on August 19, 1977. If the universe is a just one, wherever Groucho is now, there is plenty of chocolate, clam chowder, and pumpernickel, and all the food is served in separate dishes.
(Image manipulation via Speechable)
Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Visit Eddie at his website.
(Image credit: Flickr member ilovememphis)
At the age of two, little Elvis Presley cried for two days when his pet rooster died. Elvis always had a fondness for animals, even stuffed ones, including his beloved teddy bear, which he named "Mabel."
Elvis had a huge collection of teddy bears in the early days of his career; they were sent to him by swooning girls by the score. He even had a model of "Nipper," the RCA dog, which he kept in his bedroom in later years. In 1957 in L.A., Elvis simulated a sexual act onstage with a stuffed version of "Nipper," which got him plenty of severe criticism.
Elvis had several pet dogs over the years. As a boy, he looked after two small dogs that he named "Woodlawn" and "Muffy Dee." When he was serving in the army and was stationed out in Germany, he kept a poodle named "Champagne."
He liked giving dogs as gifts to the women in his life he loved. He gave his beloved mother, Gladys, a dog called "Sweet Pea;" he gave a toy poodle named "Little Bit" to his early girlfriend, Anita Wood; he gave a poodle named "Honey" to his wife Priscilla; and he gave "Foxhugh," a Maltese, to one of his last girlfriends, Linda Thompson.
By the end of 1960, Elvis' pet collection at Graceland included a monkey, spider monkeys, peacocks, chickens, pigs, poodles, and a Great Pyrenees dog called "Muffin." Elvis had a chow called "Get Low" in the seventies who outlived his master by a year.
Elvis wasn't so fond of cats, although stray that turned up on the Graceland grounds would be found new homes. He did reputedly have a pet cat called "Wendell," named after his co-star in his movie Loving You, Wendell Corey.
When Elvis and his family moved to Graceland mansion in 1957, the barns were stocked with pigs and chickens. That year, Elvis drove out to the country, filled the back seat of his Cadillac with geese and brought them back to Graceland to keep the lawn trim.
Elvis also kept a few donkeys he had been given in the drained Graceland swimming pool when he first moved in, until work was finished on the fence around the property. Thought the larger farm animals were gradually pensioned off, Elvis retained a hen house at Graceland for a supply of fresh eggs. At one time or another, Elvis also had goats and turkeys (one called "Bow Tie").
Elvis donated a wallaby to the Memphis Zoo after receiving it as a gift from Australian fans in 1957. He became a serial wallaby donator by repeating the gift in 1962.
(Image credit: Flickr member Geir Arne Hjelle)
Elvis was briefly a cattle rancher when he bought the Circle G Ranch in 1967. He bought horses for all his entourage and his wife Priscilla. Elvis loved riding his horse "Rising Sun." He often went out riding with Priscilla, he on "Rising Sun" and she on "Domino," the horse Elvis bought for her. Once "Rising Sun" got upset and started running amok with Elvis on him. Elvis couldn't so anything to stop him. Finally, after a wild, uncontrolled ride, "Rising Sun" came to a stop. Most people would have been scared in such a situation, but Elvis was furious. According to a witness, Elvis jumped off the horse and -literally- punched him in the face (much like the famous scene in the Mel Brooks movie Blazing Saddles a few years later).
For a while, he had a peacock on the Graceland grounds, but the bird started damaging the cars, after which it was given away. He also owned myna birds, one of which could say, "Elvis! Go to hell." The Graceland menagerie included mules at one time. Snakes that happened to venture onto Graceland had a rough time. A maid remembers Elvis blazing away with a rifle at a tree after a snake was seen slithering up the trunk.
He acquired his first monkey, a spider monkey called "Jayhew" back in 1956, to liven up his home. His best known pet was a very fresh, mischievous chimpanzee called "Scatter." Elvis loved this crazy monkey, but hardly anyone else shared the King's affinity. Elvis enjoyed walking around and carrying "Scatter" on his shoulder and often brought him out to Hollywood when he was filming movies in the '60s. "Scatter" liked to wear clothes, drink whiskey, and tear up rooms. Elvis bought him a wardrobe of suits and ties. "Scatter" had the annoying (at least to the women involved) habit and penchant for pulling up women's dresses. When drunk, he had no qualms about about engaging in public masturbation. "Scatter" was reputedly poisoned in revenge by a maid he had bitten. Other sources pin his demise on alcohol-related liver problems.
One more degree of difficulty, and this picture might have been a candidate for the What Is It? game. It's a graduating class that really called for an overhead shot.
They are the Graphic Design Majors of the CalPoly Pomona graduating class of 2011, who received their diplomas last night. Each decorated their mortarboards with an oversized Pantone chip! Congratulations to all. -Thanks, Professor Ray Kampf!
(Image credit: Robby Cavanaugh)
Retired engineer Ken Yankelevitz has been making custom video game controllers for quadriplegics for 30 years. He designs joysticks and other devices that can be controlled by a tongue, a puff of air, or whatever method is most useful to each client, giving them the ability to play, to compete, and to engage in online communities.
Yankelevitz's work is not profitable, but it means the world to the 800 or so people he has made controllers for over the years. Link to story. Link to website. -via Boing Boing
But with the retired Bozeman engineer's 70th birthday approaching, disabled gamers say they fear there will be no one to replace Yankelevitz, who has sustained quadriplegic game controllers for 30 years almost entirely by himself. The retired aerospace engineer hand makes the controllers with custom parts in his Montana workshop, offering them at a price just enough to cover parts.
Gamers and gaming advocates say the Yankelevitz controller's functionality and price is unrivaled for quadriplegics.
Yankelevitz began his work on mouth-operated video game controllers in 1981 for the Atari game console to give quadriplegic people a chance to engage with one of the few activities open to them. The design was simple on the early models; users only needed to be able to push a few buttons and move a joystick through their controllers.
Over time Yankelevitz adapted the designs to more complex consoles including the XBox and PlayStation platforms. He has no formal relationship with any of the companies, saying they aren't interested because there isn't a sufficient market..
Yankelevitz's work is not profitable, but it means the world to the 800 or so people he has made controllers for over the years. Link to story. Link to website. -via Boing Boing
The following article is from the book Uncle John's Heavy Duty Bathroom Reader.
More than 30 years after his death, the Who's drummer, Keith Moon, is still remembered as one of the best in rock history. And as more than one hotel chain learned to their regret, that wasn't all he was known for.
MY GENERATION
In the summer of 1967, the British rock group the Who embarked on their first concert tour of the United States. They were the opening act for Herman's Hermits, best known for their hit single, "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter." The Who had played dates in the U.S. before, including their breakthrough appearance at the Monterrey International Pop Festival just a few weeks earlier in June. But this was the band's first cross-country tour, and there was still much about America that was new and unfamiliar to them. (Image credit: Wikipedia user MachoCarioca)
Take American fireworks, for example: In many Southern states, giant firecrackers much more powerful than the "penny bangers" sold in England were perfectly legal. They could be bought cheaply and in large quantities all over the South. The Hermits had discovered them on their first American tour in 1965, and now, on a swing through Alabama, they introduced Keith Moon, the Who's 20-year-old drummer, to his first bag of American fireworks -cherry bombs.
Cherry bombs are still sold today, but in the 1960s they contained as much as 20 times the explosive power they do now -more than enough to maim or blind anyone who was holding them when they went off, or who happened to be standing too close. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned original-strength cherry bombs in 1966m but judging from the reign of terror on which Keith Moon was about to embark, they must have still been available.
Continue reading
More than 30 years after his death, the Who's drummer, Keith Moon, is still remembered as one of the best in rock history. And as more than one hotel chain learned to their regret, that wasn't all he was known for.
MY GENERATION
In the summer of 1967, the British rock group the Who embarked on their first concert tour of the United States. They were the opening act for Herman's Hermits, best known for their hit single, "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter." The Who had played dates in the U.S. before, including their breakthrough appearance at the Monterrey International Pop Festival just a few weeks earlier in June. But this was the band's first cross-country tour, and there was still much about America that was new and unfamiliar to them. (Image credit: Wikipedia user MachoCarioca)
Take American fireworks, for example: In many Southern states, giant firecrackers much more powerful than the "penny bangers" sold in England were perfectly legal. They could be bought cheaply and in large quantities all over the South. The Hermits had discovered them on their first American tour in 1965, and now, on a swing through Alabama, they introduced Keith Moon, the Who's 20-year-old drummer, to his first bag of American fireworks -cherry bombs.
Cherry bombs are still sold today, but in the 1960s they contained as much as 20 times the explosive power they do now -more than enough to maim or blind anyone who was holding them when they went off, or who happened to be standing too close. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned original-strength cherry bombs in 1966m but judging from the reign of terror on which Keith Moon was about to embark, they must have still been available.
(YouTube link)
Mama told me not to trust those Martians! The song is from The Imagined Village. The clips are from various space movies and TV shows that you'll find listed at the YouTube page. -via Buzzfeed
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