unique and interesting: June 2012

Saturday, June 30, 2012

The Weekend Will Last An Extra Second

Ever heard of a 61-second minute? Well, you're going to get one today. Time will stand still for one second today because a 'leap second' will be added to let a lagging Earth catch up to super-accurate clocks.

A leap second is a one-second adjustment that is occasionally applied to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) in order to keep its time of day close to the mean solar time. The leap second will be inserted tonight at 23:59:60 UTC.

The web today is a growing universe of interlinked web pages and web apps, teeming with videos, photos, and interactive content. What the average user doesn't see is the interplay of web technologies and browsers that makes all this possible. Over time web technologies have evolved to give web developers the ability to create new generations of useful and immersive web experiences.

Today's web is a result of the ongoing efforts of an open web community that helps define these web technologies, like HTML5, CSS3 and WebGL and ensure that they're supported in all web browsers.

Tic Tac - La Pire Haleine Du Monde

TicTac came up with a new version of the flash mob for its viral filmed in France. On a square a person is asked for directions. As soon as the person starts speaking, something strange happens. Watch La Pire Haleine du Monde (The Worst Breath in the World) yourself to find out what occurs.

YouTube link

(thanks Cora)

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Namaqualand is an arid region of Namibia and South Africa, extending along the west coast over 600 miles (970 km) and covering a total area of 170,000 square miles (440,000 km²). Namaqualand is dry for most of the year, yet when the rains are good, something like a miracle happens.

Water, the driving force of all nature, soaks in to the parched earth. An uncountable host of flowers materialize as if from nowhere, creating an extraordinary eruption of color, transforming the countryside and dazzling the eye.

Instructions on making a 4th of July pinwheel. You'll need: card stock, printer, scissors, glue, straight pins with a head, pliers and paper lollipop sticks.

(thanks Cora)

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Osedax is a genus of deep-sea siboglinid polychaetes, commonly called boneworms, zombie worms, or bone-eating worms, the name alluding to how the worms bore into the bones of whale carcasses to reach enclosed lipids, on which they rely for sustenance.

Until now scientists did not understand how the tiny creatures fed on bone, as they lack the body parts needed to drill physically. Fresh analysis by US scientists of the root-like tissues the worms use to attach to bones has identified acid-secreting enzymes.

(thanks Miss Rare)

Ilhama Featuring DJ OGB - Bei Mir Bist Du Scheen

Azerbaijani pop singer Ilhama Gasimova sings 'Bei Mir Bist Du Scheen' (actual title: Bei Mir Bist Du Schön).

YouTube link

(thanks Cora)

Background Check? How About Spell Check?

Are you a satalight installer? A contractor is now highering.

(via Criggo)

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My Little Pony galloped into the world in 1983 on a cloud of pink and purple sparkles, bent on winning the hearts of little girls. Set to a saccharine jingle, commercials showed pigtailed girls admiring these pastel-colored vinyl toy horses, unicorns, and pegasus, lovingly brushing their unnatural neon manes. And love them girls did.

Now, nearly 30 year later, My Little Pony mania has exploded again. But this time, the main drivers of the craze are teenage boys and 20-something men. Known as 'bronies' (a portmanteau of 'bro' and 'pony'), these bros fell under the Pony spell thanks to a clever new cartoon, 'My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic,' which airs on children-centered digital cable channel The Hub.

(thanks Lisa)

Cat Vs Kitty Coin Bank

A cat is fascinated by a Kitty Coin Bank.

YouTube link

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A set of photos of geisha and maiko (apprentice geisha) posing as bathing beauties during the Meiji and Taisho eras (1868 - 1926) of old Japan.

(via Everlasting Blort)

Sales Cartoon by Andertoons

Mark Anderson is a professional cartoonist from the Chicago area. His cartoons have been published in Reader's Digest, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Woman's World and the Saturday Evening Post, to mention just a few. Among his clients are GM, General Electric, FedEx, Microsoft, and IBM.

New York City Subway Stairs

The exit at 36th Street subway station near Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York, has something very peculiar about it. Something that makes it unique from any other subway station in the city. One of the stairs is a fraction of an inch higher than all the others. Making it just high enough so that nearly everyone trips on it.

The New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority are now investigating. Crews were sent to the station to block off the staircase in preparation for repairs.

Vimeo link

(thanks Cora)

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It's no mystery that dogs earned the moniker of 'Man's Best Friend' due to their longstanding service to mankind. But should you need an explanation beyond this, here are selected tales of some of the most awesome dogs that ever existed.

Colorful And Picturesque Villages Of Faroe Islands

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The Faroe Islands are a group of 18 islands in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of Scotland and halfway between Iceland and Norway. The Faroe Islands are undeniably beautiful: green, rugged and wind-swept. The countryside is dominated by steep mountains, vertical sea cliffs and picturesque valleys.

There are over a hundred villages in the Faroe Islands. The houses are either painted in bright colours or the traditional black, whilst the roofs are often turf covered. The buildings are usually built very close to each other, which is very cosy. In most places sheep occupy the outfield throughout the whole year.

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In 1992, Nickelodeon got together with the Kids World Council to decide what was most important to kids at the time. Then they assembled those items, put them in a big orange time capsule, and buried it in front of the Nickelodeon Studios.

The time capsule was removed in August 2006 and was replaced with a concrete slab. It is now buried outside the entrance of Nickelodeon Suites Resort where it is set to be opened in April 30th, 2042. Here's a list of everything inside.

Back To The Start

A stop-motion animated film about farming commissioned by Chipotle Mexican Grill. It shows the life of a farmer as he slowly turns his family farm into an industrial animal factory, before seeing the errors of his ways and opting for a more sustainable future. Willie Nelson was commissioned to record a cover version of Coldplay's song, 'The Scientist', for the film's soundtrack.

Vimeo link

(thanks Cora)

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What seems weird to us may be totally normal for people in other countries. For example, insect-eating is common in parts of North, Central and South America; and Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. However, in some societies insect-eating is uncommon or even taboo. The same goes for guinea pigs, llama brain and cow stomachs.

Here are 10 interesting cuisines from around Latin America.

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As we bid farewell to Lonesome George, the last of his Galapagos tortoise subspecies, remember that plenty of other species have been declared extinct pretty recently.

World Record: Most Consecutive No-Look Half Court Shots

Jason 'White Shadow' Gibbons completed three no-look half court shots in a row, a world record.

YouTube link

More records at RecordSetter.

(thanks David)

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Lego struck gold when they started releasing collectible minifigures 1978. They have become hugely successful, with over 3.7 billion produced in both limited edition waves and in blind packaging. These figures are highly detailed and imaginative, and include very specific character types, many that wouldn't otherwise fit in standard Lego sets.

The selection has been amazing and revolutionized the very concept of the ever-popular Lego minifigure. Here are the 21 best collectible minifigures that Lego has released thus far.

SKYS

A wonderful short film of beautiful skies created using time-lapse photography from amateur photographer and film maker Daniel Gregoire. SKYS is the culmination of about two years of setting up a tripod and a camera, pointing it at the sky and waiting for something interesting to happen.

Vimeo link

(thanks Cora)

For those times you need the president to agree with your friends for you in GIF form.

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Disney's Mary Poppins might be a cherished childhood memory for a lot of us, but for author P.L. Travers it was a complete slap in the face. Despite having script approval, Travers' edits were largely disregarded. Travers loathed the movie's animated sequences and was perturbed that Mary Poppins' strict side was downplayed. Some of the most beloved movies ever were based on books. But just because we loved them doesn't mean the original author did.

11 Authors who hated the movie versions of their books.

Humanity today is facing a massive extinction: languages are disappearing at an unprecedented pace. Experts estimate that only 50% of the languages that are alive today will be spoken by the year 2100. And when that happens, a unique vision of the world is lost. With every language that dies we lose an enormous cultural heritage.

The Endangered Languages Project is an online resource to record, access, and share samples of and research on endangered languages, as well as to share advice and best practices for those working to document or strengthen languages under threat.

How To Improve Your Relationship

Parker and The Numberman, a San Diego hip hop duo, teamed up with Qualcomm's Snapdragon to create this music video.

YouTube link

(thanks Jesse)

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Don't look at any of these guys! Your untoward glances are making them blush.

Sometimes its hard to keep your desk clean and tidy. Turns out, men seem to find it a bigger problem, because a recent study suggests that men have far, far dirtier desks than women. To establish that, a team of researchers from the University of San Diego sampled bacteria from offices in New York, San Francisco and Tucson, Arizona.

They took swabs from everywhere and made a note of the gender of the person using the particular space the sample was taken from. From there, they analyzed the levels and types of bacteria present in the samples. The results show that the areas inhabited by men are, well, just plain dirtier.

(via Look At This...)

It's just a week now until The Amazing Spider-Man comes out, so here's something to keep you busy until then. The 1981 Spider-Man Mad Libs book. There's a fun story with Electro and one where Spidey fights the most horrible evil of all, costume odor. You can download the whole thing as a PDF too.

(thanks Mark)

Box Of Garbage Thrown Into A Volcano Lake

The test was performed with a box of camp waste (largely food rests) in a bin bag. The lake reacts with violent lava fountaining activity, presumably in part due to steam produced from the organic matter.

YouTube link

(thanks Cora)

Kraplap is the Dutch word for bodice. The kraplap is part of some of the traditional costumes from the Netherlands. Originally the kraplap was a part of the underwear, but it has developed into an important decoration of the outerwear; often very visible and showy, but also sometimes hidden under shawls only revealing a small part under the chin.

(via Everlasting Blort)

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Some islands were used for military purposes, for the construction of individual buildings or for permanent settlements in which people lived for centuries. However, loss of strategic position, natural disasters, nuclear tests or simply a wish to live in civilization, led to the abandonment of these islands.

A list of abandoned islands, where time has stopped, where homes, buildings and streets standing untouched for decades.

(thanks Bosko)

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If you have been in a plane over a large agricultural hub you may have casually glanced out of your window. And then you may have performed a very, very quick double take. What on earth are those circular shapes below? They are not the alien crop circles of infamy that's for sure - in fact whole fields seem to be circular in shape.

There are way too many of them, too, to have been done as some sort of practical joke. So, what are they? Welcome to the world of center pivot irrigation.

Where The Hell Is Matt? 2012

Matthew Harding is an American traveler, video game designer, and Internet celebrity known as Dancing Matt for his viral videos that show him dancing in front of landmarks and street scenes in various international locations.

Last week, Harding released 'Where the Hell is Matt? 2012.' The video features Matt and many others dancing in 71 locations, comprising 55 countries and 11 US states. The song is 'Trip the Light,' composed by Garry Schyman and sung by Alicia Lemke.

YouTube link

(thanks Ron)

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Staff at the Galapagos National Park in Ecuador say Lonesome George, a giant tortoise believed to be the last of its subspecies, has died. Scientists estimate he was about 100 years old. Lonesome George, a giant tortoise, was believed to be the last of his subspecies.

With no offspring and no known individuals from his subspecies left, Lonesome George became known as the rarest creature in the world. For decades, environmentalists unsuccessfully tried to get the Pinta Island tortoise to reproduce with females from a similar subspecies on the Galapagos Islands. Park officials said the tortoise was found dead in his corral by his keeper.

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It does not matter if someone is outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts, his enemies will wait patiently to attack him one by one until he has knocked out their predecessors. No matter how fuzzy the photograph, it can be enlarged and enhanced to show the finest detail. When someone turns out the light to go to bed, everything in the room will still be clearly visible.

24 Frustrating Movie Facts Of All Times.

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Researchers have discovered evidence that there's a lot more water on Mars - at least on parts of Mars - than anyone previously thought. Using new technology, scientists examined the water content in meteorites from the planet, and it points to a lot of it in the Martian mantle.

The meteorites they studied are called shergottite meteorites, and they likely broke off from Mars about 2.5 million years ago. Even though the meteorites had a different elemental composition, the amount of water was consistent, bolstering the idea that they're representative of the planet as a whole.

Scientists Make Easter Island Statue Walk

Researchers Terry Hunt of the University of Hawaii and Carl Lipo of California State University Long Beach test a new theory that suggests how ancient Easter Islanders may have used ropes to 'walk' the moai to their platforms.

YouTube link

The average weight of an adult human is 137 pounds (62 kg) according to a league table of the world's 'fattest' nations from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Find out how you compare to other adults using an interactive graphic.

Three bathrooms in 20 minutes? He's quite the catch.

(via Criggo)

The three terrain vehicles in the picture above appear different in size because of the surrounding environment. This is because of depth perception our brain automatically processes. Take something to measure them, and you'll see they are exactly the same.

(via Bits & Pieces)

Sharks Feed Off A Devoured Whale

About 100 sharks line 400m of the shoreline of Warroora Station in Australia to feed off a devoured whale. Some were tiger sharks, thresher sharks and others were reef sharks. Horrific yet intriguing.

Vimeo link

(thanks Cora)

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There are countless Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts backpacking through forests in 155 countries around the world. But while those iconic khaki uniforms are associated with childhood adventure, scouting was actually forged in the heat of battle by a desperate British military officer.

Rules For The Cat

Rules for cats? I don't think so!

source: unknown

(thanks Cora)

The Charlie Brown Cafe in Busan, South Korea, is dedicated to all things Peanuts. This coffee house provides stressed-out college kids the chance to escape into a simpler world. Your cappuccino is served with Snoopy-shaped cinnamon matching the powdered sugar on the brownie. Everything from the cups, plates and chairs are Peanuts-based.

(thanks Juergen)

related post:
Puppy Cafe

Zipper Truck At Work On Presidio Parkway

Presidio Parkway is a roadway tucked into the natural contours of the Presidio of San Francisco and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, one of the largest urban parks. Watch as the barrier transfer machine, known as a 'zipper truck,' adjusts the moveable median barrier.

YouTube link

(thanks Cora)

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They appear throughout the Middle East: Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan have these antique Persian designs dotted around their towns and cities. They are windcatchers, known in the area as Bâdgir.

Serving as ventilation systems they have given the people of the Middle East air conditioning for thousands of years. Yet despite their antediluvian origin, windcatchers may even provide a solution for some very modern architectural problems.

(thanks Robert-John)

A 20 gigapixels photo of central London.

The Musalman - Preservation Of A Dream

The Musalman is the oldest Urdu-language daily newspaper published from Chennai in India. It's an evening paper with four pages, all of which are handwritten by calligraphers, before being mass-produced with a printing press. The Musalman is possibly the only handwritten newspaper in the world.

YouTube link

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Drinking a daily cup of coffee - or even several cups - isn't likely to harm your health, and it may even lower your risk of dying from chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests. The relationship between coffee drinking and health has been a hot topic in recent years, but research has produced mixed results.

Some studies have linked coffee consumption to better health and a lower risk of premature death, while others suggest that coffee might contribute to heart disease through negative effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart rate. The new study is by far the largest of its kind to date. As part of a joint project with the AARP, researchers from the National Institutes of Health followed more than 400,000 healthy men and women between the ages of 50 and 71 for up to 13 years, during which 13% of the participants died.

The 'stache is back! Only this time, it's not just a fashion statement. It's also a finely crafted corkscrew and bottle-opener. Because beverage containers are no match for the sheer power of a manly moustache!

(thanks Cora)

World Record: Man Balances Glasses Of Water On Brooms On Rola Bola

Brian Pankey balanced a glass of water on a broom in each hand while standing on a rola bola for 1 minute, 30.50 seconds, an official world record.

YouTube link

More records at RecordSetter.

(thanks David)

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Beer is the world's most widely consumed alcoholic beverage; it is the third-most popular drink overall, after water and tea. And it's usually pretty cheap. But not always. If you like sampling new beers or hate having money, you might want to try one of the world's most expensive beers.

Alan Mathison Turing (1912 - 1954) was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of 'algorithm' and 'computation' with the Turing machine, which played a significant role in the creation of the modern computer. Turing is widely considered to be the father of computer science and artificial intelligence.

Today's Google doodle features a Turin machine, a device used to simulate the logic of a computer algorithm and is helpful in explaining the functioning of a CPU. The doodle is interactive and requires users to break a set of six codes and each successful code break adds colour to a letter of the greyed out Google logo.

The Art Of Packing From Louis Vuitton

Whether it's a week-long stay in an exotic locale or simply an overnight excursion just across state lines, packing can be both bothersome and tricky. Luckily, Louis Vuitton presents 'The Art of Packing' - an array of travel tips that teaches the viewer how to pack smartly, while not sacrificing the integrity of one's wardrobe.

YouTube link

(thanks Cora)

Titanic assistant ship's surgeon Dr John Simpson's note to his mother will go on display this summer at the new Belfast visitors' centre dedicated to the liner. It was brought ashore at Cobh, County Cork, the Titanic's last stop. Days later on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic in April 1912, it sank with the loss of more than 1,500 lives.

Dr Simpson was married and had one son when he took the commission on Titanic. He previously worked on another White Star Line ship, the Olympic. In his letter, dated 11 April 1912, Dr Simpson said he was settling into his cabin well and that the accommodation on board his new vessel was larger.

(thanks Miss Rare)

A team of engineers and two crazy drivers are preparing for a history-making challenge drawn from the daydreams of every child who's ever crisscrossed his parents' living room with plastic race tracks: building, and racing on, a human-scale Hot Wheels double loop track, just like the one you had when you were a kid.

The 'Hot Wheels Double Loop Dare' is set to take place at this month's Summer X-Games in Los Angeles. Drivers Tanner Foust and Greg Tracy will attempt to race through a 60-foot vertical loop modeled after the new Double Dare Snare Hot Wheels toy, in what would be the first time in history two cars mounted a vertical loop at once.

Star Trek Alternate Title Intro

This animation is an homage to one of the most groundbreaking sci-fi television shows ever to beam down to Earth.

Vimeo link

(thanks Cora)

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A Flickr set of photos from the Newcastle City Gaol and House of Correction collection. Particulars of criminals convicted of a crime specified in section 20 of the Prevention of Crimes Act, 1871 and reported to the Secretary of State as being imprisoned in Newcastle Gaol. All the prisoners photographed spent time in Newcastle Gaol between December 1871 - December 1873.

(via Everlasting Blort)

How do you get your dog or cat to stop drinking from your toilet? Buy them their own. Then, just to confuse them, you drink out of it. The Toilet Bowl emulates a pet's favorite alternative drinking source in smaller form. As with most toilets, this is made of ceramic but only weighs in at 6 pounds.

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There's a reason we use red to highlight objects we need people to notice - whether they're fire hydrants, stop signs, or warning flags at the beach. No color screams for attention like red, and of all the primary colors, it's certainly the most striking. It's virtually impossible to paint something red without making a statement - as these gorgeous, fiery-hued windows prove.

Toddlers And Tiaras And Tammy

Haulin' Ass with Tammy is a tongue 'n cheek beauty series. Tammy used to work in a salon out on Highway 71 South near the mall, so she knows stuff. In this video Tammy shows you how to do a full glitz makeover for your Toddler to win that Crown.

Unfortunately, Tammy doesn't have a child, so she is using her beauty and pageant coach Kevin as a model. Tammy goes over hair and makeup and what to wear in order to be crowned Grand Supreme.

YouTube link

(thanks Brian)

Animal Cartoon by Andertoons

Data never sleeps. Every minute massive amounts of it are being generated from every phone, website and application across the Internet. Just how much data is being created and where does it come from?

(via Neatorama)

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Across the western United States, wildfire season is well underway, and dozens of fires are currently being fought. In Colorado, the High Park fire has destroyed more than 180 homes, the most in state history. The Whitewater-Baldy Complex fire, New Mexico's largest-ever wildfire, was recently declared 75 percent contained, after the lightning-sparked blaze began has burned for more than a month.

Crews from California to Wyoming are approaching the wildfires with aerial water drops, ground equipment, brush clearing, and controlled burns. Gathered here are recent photos of some of these incidents, early glimpses of an already-busy 2012 wildfire season.

(thanks Cora)

Slinky Slow-Mo

If you hold a Slinky by one end and drop it, the bottom end doesn't actually move until the top end catches up with it. Why is that? Here's an explanation.

YouTube link

Shoveling sand or dirt is fun. It's also messy, which makes it even more fun. But using a little shovel or spade or trowel is just plain ok. Like the HandTrux Construction Digging Tool. It's super durable and slips over your forearm. Grip the handle and flex your wrist forward and the shovel bends.

This will in essence turn your arm into a version of the big digging machines used by construction workers. Yes, your arm will be turned from boring arm into an excavator of mass enjoyment.

(via UniqueDaily)

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Rare are the countries that do not have mountains in their territory. The inhabitants of these countries have to go abroad if they want to engage in winter sports. This list deals with countries that have the largest area among the countries with no mountains.

Top Gear Break A World Record

The Top Gear Live Stunt Team has set a new world record by becoming the first to complete a spectacular double loop-the-loop on four wheels. The ground-breaking feat was the amazing finale to the first of four Top Gear Festival shows staged in front of a sell-out 15,000+ live audience at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban, South Africa.

YouTube link

(thanks Jon)

The Puppy Cafe is located in Busan in South Korea right above a pet shop. About twenty dogs of all species, age and size are running around there. People can enter the cafe - for a $7.20 fee - get a free coffee and get acquainted with the dogs.

(thanks Juergen)

Pages - Menu

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Friday, June 29, 2012

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Monday, June 25, 2012

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Friday, June 22, 2012

Thursday, June 21, 2012