unique and interesting: April 2007

Monday, April 30, 2007

The He/She Ratio Of A Web Site

A site's he/ she ratio is measured by counting the number of pages on the domain containing the word 'he,' then searching for the number containing 'she,' and then looking at the two numbers in comparison.

It's a nice little application made by Philipp of Google Blogoscoped. It does not necessarily reveal whether a site is primarily appealing to a male or female audience.
Here is The Presurfer's he/she ratio.

A delightful love story told in just three pictures.

(via Barry's Blog)

Essentialist Explanations

This page comprises a list of 876 'essentialist explanations' of the form 'Language X is essentially language Y under conditions Z.' Some examples:

* English is what you get from Normans trying to pick up Saxon girls.
* Brazilian is essentially Spanish spoken by Portuguese hot babes with rhythm.
* Chinese is essentially German, only more so.
* French is essentially Latin spoken by a drunken Roman soldier.

Techno Tuesday is a comic based on technology and the modern world by Andy Rementer, a graphic designer/cartoonist from New Jersey, USA.

We Are Not Alone

Some examples of the numerous life forms living on our body made visible by scanning electron microscopes. Have a nice day!

Just 'Plane' Weird

The fact that hundreds of thousands of pounds of aluminum and pretzels can fly is weird enough, but it gets weirder.

Benno Meyer-Rochow, of the International University of Bremen, Germany, and Jozsef Gal from Loránd Eötvös University in Hungary found that adult penguins generate a pressure up to 60 kPa (450 mm Hg) to expel their faeces, which equals about twice the pressure of an ordinary car tire and is considerably higher than that of other birds.

A gallery of antique mouse and rat traps.

(via Everlasting Blort)

The Prison Guard

Funny commercial by Dutch insurance company 'Centraal Beheer.' It's one in a series of commercials where someone gets in trouble and all they have to do is call the insurance company.

100 Places To See Before You Die

Yes, some of these places I actually do want to see before I die. Like the pyramids, Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, Easter Island, and New York.

Your heart is a very hard working muscle, which unlike other muscles of the body has to work around the clock to keep your blood circulating. It is useful to know the normal heart anatomy, so as to understand the conditions affecting the normal heart.

This online presentation helps to understand the structure and function of the heart. Also, it explains the risks, complications and provides guidelines for living with surgeries, conditions and procedures.

Elephant Charges Car

(via Nothing To Do With Arbroath)

Linkdump

Top 5 Creepiest Robot Clones

Graffiti Covered Building

Giants From Times Past

What Did the Architect Smoke?

Home Schooled

Home Schooled is a comics series by American artist Ash Jackson.
Co-writing by Silas Jackson.
The Presurfer will feature a Home Schooled cartoon every Monday. This is an absolute exclusive cooperation between The Presurfer and Ash Jackson.

Home Schooled is more or less a reflection of the wacky and occasionally interesting adventures of the artist, Ash Jackson, himself, with the aid of his friends, family, and other cohorts.

Title: Just Makin' Banana Pancakes.

click on the picture for real size

A beautiful NASA Earth Observatory photo of the atmosphere taken one hundred kilometers above the earth.

Order Of The Science Scouts Of Exemplary Repute And Above-Average Physique

From the twisted minds of the Science Creative Quarterly, a publication by students of the University of British Columbia, Canada, comes the Order of the Science Scouts of Exemplary Repute and Above Average Physique - being an initiative aimed squarely at promoting informal networking amongst science communicators, and the sharing of merit badges.

They have a badge for everything. These include the 'Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah, I've got a TV gig' badge, the 'I'm pretty confident around an open flame' badge, and the 'I may look like a scientist, but I'm actually also a pirate' badge.

(thanks Ron)

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo

No, I'm not drunk. This is a grammatically correct sentence used as an example of how homonyms and homophones can be used to create complicated constructs.

It has been known to exist since 1972 when the sentence was used by William J. Rapaport, currently an associate professor at the University at Buffalo.

Here in the Netherlands, the Dutch equivalent is 'Als In Bergen, bergen bergen bergen bergen bergen bergen bergen bergen bergen bergen' wich means 'When in Bergen, heaps of mountains salvage heaps of mountains, then heaps of mountains salvage heaps of mountains.'

A computer mouse made from a real mouse. If this offends you, I'm with you. You got to be really brainsick to make, or use, something like this.

You are in control of these Disneyland rides: Tower of Terror, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain and Phantom Manor.

It's like playing The Sims. You control the gates, the rides, and do some maintenance if needed.

Linkdump

Monkey Business

8 Craziest Cults

Phone Interview Tips

Paleo-Future

Nosefrida is a doctor recommended nasal aspirator that removes mucous from your child's nose. When your child has a cold with a runny stuffed nose, it can be frustrating when they can not blow their own nose. Congestion interferes with sleep, feeding and makes for an overall cranky child, and parent too.

Place the large tube at the child's nostril and the red part at the other end in your own mouth. Apply gentle suction to begin with, increasing suction as necessary until you see mucous in the large tube. The filter will protect you from getting anything near your own mouth.

Flying Alarm Clock

This morning I had my alarm clock set at 8 o'clock. At that time, the alarm went off, I woke up, hit the button, and went to sleep for another hour. Fortunately, it's Saturday and I didn't have any appointments.

But this happens to me sometimes. I just hit the button and go back to sleep. Maybe I should buy one of these.

(via geekman)

My Hovercraft Is Full Of Eels

We've all encountered it before. Coming home from a trip, you find your hovercraft is full of eels. So, you go to see your hovercraft dealer and tell him: 'My hovercraft is full of eels.' He'll fix the problem.

But what if, for instance, you're on vacation in, say, Hungary. Finding a hovercraft dealer in Hungary is not that difficult, but do you know how to explain the problem in Hungarian? Do you know that you have to tell him: 'A légpárnás hajóm tele van angolnákkal'?

I bet you didn't know that. To avoid these problems here's 'My hovercraft is full of eels' in many languages.

Stallions4Mares is the on-line dating agency for horses and ponies.

Stallions4Mares finds the perfect stud and stallion for your mare. It's totally free to search. Whether you are looking for a huge hunter, thoroughbred or a small pony, simply search our database of available stallions.

Each stallion has his own profile showing pictures, and describing his nature, pedigree and statistical data.

Can one person slow global warming? Actually, yes. You - along with scientists, businesses and governments - can create paths to cut carbon emissions.

Time, in partnership with CNN constructed a guide to some of the planet's best ideas.

The internal watch is encased in leather, rendering it a non-functional timepiece. The hidden watch transcends typical associations of status by isolating the emerging form rather than acting as a flashy signifier.
Perfect for the man with no time. For only $275.00.

(via Boing Boing)

MEDgle

MEDgle is a search for general medical conditions, an online information and educational health service. It is not a diagnostic or decision making tool. MEDgle indicates the possibilities that exist for any given combination of symptoms.

Search over 900 symptoms and more than 1300 diagnoses. It excludes psychiatric, neonatal, obstetrics, orthopedics and other medical subspecialty information.

In the second half of the eighteenth century the hair of the fashionable world in England soared to new heights. The Lewis Walpole Library has a selection of prints focused on hair and wigs, and on the hairdressers and barbers who created and tended them.

These images of 'preposterous' hairstyles give evidence of the increased economic prosperity that made possible such extreme fashions as well as the luxury goods necessary to them.

(via Everlasting Blort)

Batavia

The Batavia was a ship of the Dutch East India Company, built in 1628 in Amsterdam, which was struck by mutiny and shipwreck during her maiden voyage.

In 1985 a start was made with the reconstruction of the Batavia on a shipyard in the Dutch city of Lelystad. Under the guidance of Master-shipbuilder Willem Vos a group of young people worked on this project. The keynote has been to achieve the most authentic reconstruction by using traditional materials and following the building methods of the day.

Thanks to QuickTime VR technology it is now possible to 'look around' on the Batavia. Click on 'Virtual tour Batavia' to see panoramic pictures of the entire ship.

The Transition

Terrafugia, Inc. is developing the Transition. The Transition is a road-able aircraft that will be able to land at the airport, fold up its wings, and drive on the road. Terrafugia's mission is expanding personal mobility through the practical integration of land and air travel.

The first prototype wil be ready in late 2008, while the first delivery is scheduled for late 2009.
The anticipated price of the Transition is $148,000.

The Elevator Hug

The Elevator Hug is a short animation, a virtual hug, meant to help raise funds for Meagan's Walk which raises funds to fight paediatric brain tumors. Meagan's Walk was started by Denise Bebenek after her 5 year old daughter Meagan died of a brain tumor 6 years ago.

Every year on Mother's Day, Denise leads thousands of people to hug sick kids where Meagan had received such excellent care.

(thanks Mike Erskine-Kellie of Avery Ant)

Game cakes are cakes decorated with video game themes. Michael Fahey, a writer for Kotaku (a blog which focuses on video and computer games, and part of Gawker Media), was slowly being driven insane by the influx of cake-related tips he received via email every day.

In the course of a month it wasn't odd to receive upwards of 30 cake submissions. That's why he started Game Cakes.

Does everyone you know have a digital camera? Are you sick of finding pictures of yourself on the internet? Are you annoyed by the way your eyes look? Do you wish that documentation did not exist? Are you awkward in front of the 'digital lens?' Would you like to maintain some realm of anonymity on the internet?

Finally, with FlickrBlockrs you're able to relax in front of the camera! Don't fret about looking awkward! No one will know who you are! You can now hide behind the anonimity of the Internet!

(via J-Walk Blog)

Sheep 'Poodle' Scam

According to English newspaper The Sun, thousands of Japanese have been swindled in a scam in which they were sold Australian and British sheep and told they were poodles. Flocks of sheep were imported to Japan and then sold by a company called Poodles as Pets, marketed as fashionable accessories, available at $1,600 each. That is a snip compared to a real poodle which retails for twice that much in Japan.

The scam was uncovered when Japanese moviestar Maiko Kawamaki went on a talk-show and wondered why her new pet would not bark or eat dog food.

I found this story hard to believe.
And indeed, it seems to be a hoax.

Chaoscope is a 3D strange attractors rendering software. It is an ongoing project created and maintained by Nicolas Desprez. You can check the gallery to see more examples of what Chaoscope can do.

(via Neatorama)

A selection of meals that are in the 300-400 Calorie range.
The visual representation gives an idea of portion size.

Turn Off The Interweb

What if you could turn off the Interweb just by pushing a button. Well, you can!

But wait a moment! First read today's other posts here on The Presurfer. Then go to this place to turn off the Interweb.

Online Dating Profile Dictionary

You've probably seen some of those dating advertisements before. Where people describe themselves as 'easy going', 'romantic', 'spontaneous' or 'creative'. But what do these words really mean?

The Online Dating Profile Dictionary.

Yesterday morning, President Bush marked Malaria Awareness Day by participating in a Rose Garden ceremony featuring Senegalese performers from the West African Dance Company. The President and First Lady Laura Bush danced along with the performers.

Melissa McEwan at Shakesville has posted a series of emotionally overwhelming pictures.

And The Huffington Post has the video.

Grailcode

Prince William is the Antichrist, King Arthur Prophecy, Satanic Conspiracy, Knights Templar, Holy Grail Code, Bible Revelation, Temple Israel, Royal Bloodline, Merovingian, Celtic Druid, Wiccan, Witchcraft, Mayan, New Age, Atlantis.

You got it!
Conspiracy theories. With annoying music.

Geminoid

Japan's latest humanoid brings new meaning to I-Robot, as Geminoid, the offspring of a university robotics professor, not only has his brains, but his looks.

Hiroshi Ishiguro, professor at Osaka University and researcher at ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories, crafted his android twin by molding a figure based on his body, even implanting his own hair.

Linkdump

Top 10 Worst Tag Lines Ever

Sunrise and Sunset Tracker

Cute Towel Foldings

Lamest Technology Mascots Ever

If you're hungry for a hotdog, you're in luck. For only $1, I will cook you a hot dog and mail it to you. Just PayPal me a buck, and I will personally cook you a delicious hotdog, and then ship it out to you!

Now, because your hot dog may get cold during shipment, I also include instructions to re-heat your hot dog, at no additional charge.

(thanks Leo)

The Top 5 Brain Health Foods

Is there something like food for your brain? Food that can help turn your brain into a lean, mean thinking machine?

The brain is an extremely metabolically active organ, making it a very hungry one. Research labs around the world have established that the right food can enhance mental capabilities. The right food can help you concentrate, keep you motivated, enhance your memory, speed your reaction times, and defuse stress.

Here are 5 Brain Health Foods worth considering adding to your diet.

The Computer Monster

This is from an IBM training movie.
Created by Jim Henson and Frank Oz.

Yes, it's not for the really-weak-stomached. But those with bad sinuses or weird senses of humor will appreciate it. It's the Things From Wes' Nose section. Wes' family has rotten sinuses. Three of four aunts (including Aunt Priscilla, Queen of the Northwest) have had major surgeries to try and fix what nature wrought. Wes continues the tradition for the next generation.

Wes also shares tips on nose maintenance to help fellow sinus sufferers. And my number one tip: If your nose doctor causes you pain, fire that insensitive twit.

(via Everlasting Blort)

(thanks Mark)

Hello Kitty is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio. Hello Kitty is an anthropomorphized white cat, characterized by a distinctive bow or some other decoration on her left ear, and the absence of a mouth. Although originally aimed at the pre-adolescent female market, the Hello Kitty logo now adorns almost every product that one can imagine.

Here's a weblog by someone who has had enough of Hello Kitty. He finds himself in a Hello Kitty Hell.

I live in a Hello Kitty Hell, no if ands or buts about it. What makes it even more of a hell is that it is the result of my own doing. I have nobody to blame but myself which makes the daily torture that much more intense. I live with it because I helped to create it, I initially encouraged it and it gradually engulfed me until there was no escape.

(via Nag on the Lake)

Kryptonite Discovered In Mine

Kryptonite, which robbed Superman of his powers, is no longer the stuff of comic books and films. A new mineral matching its unique chemistry has been identified in a mine in Serbia. It's not green and it doesn't glow either. The real mineral is white and harmless.

The new mineral will not be called Kryptonite. It will be formally named Jadarite when it is described in the European Journal of Mineralogy later this year. Jadar is the name of the place where the Serbian mine is located.

The state of Discipline of Children in the Western World is in crisis! We all see it every time we go to a restaurant, ride a plane, or go into a convenience store: Young people totally out of Control! And who's to Blame?

The Blame lies squarely with today's Mothers and Fathers who abdicate their Duty to Police the behaviour of their very own children! By providing high quality and affordable Disciplinary Equipment, ChildRod.com seeks no less than the rescue of Modern Civilization.

(thanks Stella)

Smoking Fingers

How to make smoke by rubbing your fingers together.

Using your webcam, Snap lets you take snapshots and add stickers, speech bubbles, and wacky fun-house filters. With the click of a button, Snap allows you to instantly share your snapshots on the Internet using the popular photo-sharing site Photobucket.

You can use Snap to create your chat or myspace avatar, create personalized greeting card photos or just to play around when you are bored.

10 Hot Female Stars From China

CCTV International is the English-language 24-hour news channel of China Central Television, China's largest national TV network.

On their web site they are presenting the 10 hottest female stars of China. But they have a peculiar - though very honest - way of describing them.

On the left is Huang Shengyi.
The accompanying text says: 'She has a horse face, and big nose. When she smiles, she is fatally attractive.'

On the right is Zhang Baizhi.
The text says: 'Her face is perfect, but her voice is terrible, just like a weight lifter.'

10 hot female stars in China.

I think I'll pass.

The deep sea, which has been immersed in total darkness since the dawn of time, occupies 85% of ocean space, forming the planet's largest habitat. Yet these depths abound with mystery. The deep sea is mostly uncharted - only about 5 percent of the seafloor has been mapped with any reasonable degree of detail - and we know very little about the creatures that call it home.

Current estimates about the number of species yet to be found vary between ten and thirty million. The deep sea is without doubt Earth's largest reservoir of life.

Sometimes simply getting from point A to point B is not really the point. Some people want to do it in style and with a certain panache, and some want to set their vehicles as far apart from the norm as possible.

The World's Strangest Vehicles.

Linkdump

Basic Cloud Atlas

Free and Open Source Software Collection

Mini Haha's

What Tree Did You Fall From?

Did you know that your hairstyle reveals something about your character? It's true, I tell you! Everyone has one particular hairstyle which perfectly matches his or her character. Find out what hairdo suits you the most.

Shown here is my ideal hairstyle. It's unbelievable but that's my hairstyle exactly. What I don't understand is how they got hold of this picture of mine.

What's your ideal hairstyle?

Kako Messenger

With The Kako Messenger you can send singing messages instead of text emails. You choose a singer, then type your message and click on 'play.' When you're done, you can send your singing message by email in a secure way - the message is encrypted and requires an authentication of the sender.

Currently the singers are Gina from Alabama and Humphrey from Dubrovnik, Croatia, but more singers will be added in the future. I made a singing message for you, please click here to listen to Humphrey.

Then go and make your own singing message.

Third Man In History To Ever Walk On Water

The first one was Jesus Christ.
The second one was Peter the apostle.
And now there's this guy, Jose.

Totally Wrong Predictions Of The Past

American science and technology magazine Popular Mechanics said in 1949: 'Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.'

And in 1977 Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp. said: 'There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.'

They were, of course, totally wrong!

Hi and welcome to the home of tasty snacks for animal lovers. It's nice to see you. Back in the old days life was hard. Mom and Pop kept bunnies in the backyard.

The depression hit - and they ran out of money. There was nothing for it, they had to eat bunny. Before long, the recipes were complete. It was time for 'Bunny Snacks' to hit the street.

Playa Cofi Jukebox

The best of the top 100 from 1950 until 1984, the golden years of popular music. Just select a playlist and go back to work. It will play in the background.

The Mysterious Flying Humanoids

In December 2000, Mexican UFO skywatcher Salvador Guerrero videotaped a 'hombrecito volador' (a little flying man) in the sky.

This sighting signaled the beginning of a series of similar sightings in Mexico, and more reports and videos of these strange flying creatures followed creating a state of intense interest among Mexican ufologists.

If you are interested in UFO's, this article from Jeff Rense might need your attention.

32 Things You Can Do With Beer

Beer is so good that you should be able to do more with it than just drink it. Did you know you can bath in it, cure insomnia, catch mice, lower your blood pressure, and build a plane with it?

32 Things You Can Do With Beer.

Home Schooled

Home Schooled is a comics series by American artist Ash Jackson.
Co-writing by Silas Jackson.
The Presurfer will feature a Home Schooled cartoon every Monday. This is an absolute exclusive cooperation between The Presurfer and Ash Jackson.

Home Schooled is more or less a reflection of the wacky and occasionally interesting adventures of the artist, Ash Jackson, himself, with the aid of his friends, family, and other cohorts.

Title: Mr. Sardonicus.

click on the picture for real size

A Day In The Life Of A Digger

A Digger is a member of Digg, the community-based news website with an emphasis on technology, science articles, politics and videos.

MrBabyMan has been a member of Digg since 2005. People are always asking him 'How can you devote so much time to a single website? What does it take to be a Digger?' According to MrBabyMan it's really no different than any other person.

Our goal here at dogs w/wigs is to entertain and informt he public on the growing trend of putting wigs on ur dogs!! hopefully by looking @ dese pics u will become more knwledgeable about dogs w/wigs and we encourage you to supoport their cause of putting wigs on dogs thank you!!!

Dogs with Wigs.

(via Everlasting Blort)

Etymologic

From where does the word tadpole originate?
The origin of the word yacht?
What's the definition of epidermis?
What was the original meaning of pedigree?

Yes, it's The Toughest Word Game On The Web.

Acrobatic Robots.

Linkdump

How To Make Your Offline Life Easier

Simple Weather

Spiral Photo Gallery

The Evolution of Mealtimes

The wonderful paleo art of Heinrich Harder.

(via Incoming Signals)

The Only Cleaner You'll Ever Need

Most cleaning products fall into one of two categories: toxic or expensive. While both types will clean almost anything (or at least, anything within their limited range of capabilities), there's a third option.

It's inexpensive and not at all poisonous to humans. It's multi-purpose as well - one container will take care of laundry, kitchen cleaning, even bugs and weeds.
This 'miracle cleaner' is vinegar.

(via swissmiss)

UFO Cow Abduction

A video of what appears to be a cow being abducted by a UFO.
I think it's fake. Or is it?

How to Pick Your Nose Inconspicuously

The Thumb-Finger Method and the Advanced Hand-Guard Method. These are just two methods of picking your nose in public without getting noticed. Although not socially accepted, nose picking can, at times, be necessary.

When something in your nose needs help finding its way out, you can be ready to respond by following one of these basic stealth techniques for public nasal manicuring.

Looks like an old Singer sewing machine doesn't it? It's not! It's a cake. No plastics or any other artificial stuff is being used - everything is eatable.

More Russian Cake Art.

77 Ways To Learn Faster, Deeper, And Better

Knowledge is the backbone of society's progress. Knowledge can lead to a new job, better pay, a new hobby, or simply knowledge for knowledge's sake - whatever is important to you as an end goal.

Life-changing knowledge does typically require advanced learning techniques. In fact, it's been said that the average adult only uses 10% of his/her brain. Imagine what we may be capable of with more advanced learning techniques.

Here are 77 tips related to knowledge and learning to help you on your quest.

MSNBC launched a breaker-style game called Newsbreaker. The object of the game is to clear all of the bricks on the level. Collect Headlines and Power Ups for bonus points.

Browse the news with your mouse by hitting Pause, clearing a level or at Game Over. Click a headline for the full story.

(via Ursi's Blog)

Anatomy Models

Anatomical models contain more than just information about human anatomy. They convey social meaning. By examining the way in which anatomy models are fabricated and decorated, the values and attitudes of the societies that produced them can be further understood and analyzed.

An analysis of anatomy models from three centuries.

(via plep)

Leo Of The Light

Unlike most people, Leo of the Light never gave up his psychic abilities when he was a child. Instead, he developed what he thought was a natural part of himself. And, when Leo saw a monster or alien being in another dimension, he stood up to it and showed it that he wasn't afraid.

Leo of the Light believed in himself so much that he wasn't afraid and he grew stronger and more clever every day in dealing with the aliens and monsters. Now Leo of the Light wants to share his knowledge with children all over the world who are being bullied by alien monsters. For the first time, someone can help kids who are in trouble.

Power Line Maintenance

Have you any idea how power lines are maintained? Here's a documentary called 'Straight Up!' showing power line maintenance being performed on live wires by a man from a helicopter. You won't believe your eyes.

These hand sculpted wooden coffins or decorated chests are made by the famous Ga coffin carpenters in Accra, Ghana. Traditionally these chests are the size of a full coffin or a half-length coffin.

The coffin carpenters can make just about anything you want. They can work from a photo or a model. Order a chest according to your hobby or interest - these are truly antiques of the future.

No Man Is An Island, He Is An Ecosystem

This article from National Geographic Magazine will surely take away your appetite. It's about 'life on the human body.'

Our skin is a habitat for roughly as many bacteria as there are people in the United States, for fungi and viruses, and on occasion for mosquitoes, fleas, bedbugs and kissing bugs, blackflies and botflies, lice, leeches, ticks, and scabies mites, which tunnel across the backs of an afflicted person's hands like moles burrowing in the front lawn.

Odie The Pug

Odie the Pug on the Late Show with David Letterman.
Odie loves you!

Everyone enjoys a little bit of earwax excavation every now and again, but if you want to take that potential hobby a little bit further, then you'll need the Ear Scope GXL.

Simply stick the tiny video camera and ear-pick combo into one of your lugs, look into the eyepiece, then scope out problem pieces of wax with astonishing precision. You can even use a TV or LCD screen, like pictured here.

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Monday, April 30, 2007

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Friday, April 27, 2007

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Monday, April 23, 2007

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Thursday, April 19, 2007