Videos
Podcasts
Blogs
Quizzes
GamesArchive for April, 2009
You Asked: How does an automatic ice cube maker work? — Pawlak, North Tonawanda, N.Y. Marshall Answered: Think about how you make ice in a normal (manual) ice cube tray: 1) You fill it with water 2) You let the water freeze 3) You remove the ice. An automatic ice cube maker does the same [...]
If you’ve ever sat through a viewing of Stephen King’s “Cat’s Eye,” you know that cats don’t actually climb into the beds of child actresses and suck their breath out — you’re thinking of tiny wall trolls.
Still, a great deal of concern persists among cat owners whenever there’s a new baby in the household. Will the cat and the baby become fast friends, or will one try to eat the other? How’s a person to be both a responsible parent and a decent pet owner?
According to an article from the Associated Press this week, the key is understanding how a cat reacts to the arrival of a newborn. Just think about the noises associated with a new baby. Think about all the curious new smells — the utter chaos that a baby brings into a household.
You Asked: How does a swamp cooler work? — Stacie, Sedro Woolley, Wash. Marshall Answered: Let’s imagine that you live in a hot area. With a fan, some window screen and water you can create a “swamp cooler”, also known as an evaporative cooler. You let water trickle down over the screen, and let the [...]
This video offers a nice explanation of a basic swamp cooler, also known as an evaporative cooler: Here’s an example, using a swamp cooler to keep the temperature down in a rabbit barn: The amount of cooling you get depends on the amount of humidity in the air. In very dry air (say in Phoenix) [...]
If you read yesterday’s post, you know that I’m on a quest this week to expand your recycling outlook. In fact, HowStuffWorks.com has a bit of a green mission this week. Esteemed podcaster, writer, blogger and general funnyman Josh Clark is writing about 5 emerging green technologies to watch while green goddess and editor Sarah Dowdey is obsessed with five ways to cut energy costs.
5 Ways to Cut Energy Costs – No. 4: Drive Less
by Sarah Dowdey | April 28, 2009
If you’re looking to cut your energy costs, your garage is a good place to start. It’s easy to be gratuitous in our driving habits — to take the car around the block or forget to bunch errands into one trip. Add to that the long, solitary commutes back and forth to work, and the money starts to add up. As do the emissions: According to National Geographic, a gallon of gasoline adds 19.6 pounds of CO2 to the atmosphere.
Fortunately, it’s relatively simple to start driving less. If you’re lucky enough to have a public transit system in your city or town, try it out, even if it’s just for a crowded event where you know parking will be difficult. If you don’t have mass transit, or it’s nowhere near where you work or live, carpooling allows you to split the cost of tolls and gas.
You Asked: How does acupuncture work? — Jerald, Poway, Calif. Marshall Answered: Science appears to be narrowing in on an answer to this question. It is known that acupuncture does relieve certain conditions (e.g. pain from arthritis of the knee), but the reason why is not fully understood. Supposedly, the insertion of needles at certain [...]
So it’s going down, folks. We’re launching a new weekly video webcast version of Stuff You Should Know – but way better! Tune in tomorrow at 10 am est and again at 1 pm est for some pure, live SYSK goodness – we’ll talk about newsy stuff like swine flu, tackle a bite-sized version of the SYSK podcast, and rock a cool segment about some of the great oddballs of world history. We’re also going to have some LIVE VIEWER MAIL. And you can watch it all right here by clicking on the video below.
We want to hear from the SYSK Nation in real time. So near the latter portion of our 30 minutes, we’ll read some viewer mails live as they come in. Submit your questions and comments about what we’re talking about – or about anything that strikes your fancy in the comments section below this very post. Give your first name and where you’re watching from too if you would.
Lockerbie Bombing Case is Still Around?!
by Charles W. Bryant | April 28, 2009
I suppose I’m posting this today just because it shocked me that this case is still slugging its way through the court system…
Remember when Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed over Lockerbie, Scotland? If not, here’s a quick recap – Way back in 1988 Libyan terrorists blew up a plane that left London bound for New York. All 259 people aboard the plane, as well as 11 people on the ground, died in the crash. In 2001, two men were prosecuted for the crime in the Netherlands. On man was acquitted, one was convicted. The appeal for the convicted man just cranked up yesterday in the high court in Edinburgh, more than 20 years after the incident.
This weekend David (age 11) and I spent a lot of time talking about perpetual motion machines. He has been convinced for about a year that he can create a perpetual motion machine from magnets. So we actually got out a bunch of magnets this weekend and tried many different ideas. Why does David think [...]
Recent Postings by Category
BrainStuff
- Thank You and Best Wishes to Marshall Brain
- Contest – Design a $300 house and win $25,000
- How the Philtrum works – the place under your nose where your face comes together
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
- Have a Coke and a Smile
- The Latest in Frugal Lodging: Camping in Somebody Else’s Backyard
- The Painted Beauties of Bucovina
Keep Asking
- Why can a 5 foot 8 inch man dunk a basketball on a 10 foot rim while some people of taller stature can’t?
- What happens to our sun once it runs out of fuel?
- How do we know the age of the universe?
Stuff Mom Never Told You
- Who invented the Christmas card?
- How the Kinsey Report Fueled Whiskey Sales
- How to Get Your Wedding Announcement into The New York Times
Stuff to Blow Your Mind
- Space Music: DJ Food and ‘The Search Engine’
- Stuff to Blow Your Mind: Hug it Out
- Space Music: Jay-Z and Beyoncé to Film Music Video in Orbit
Stuff You Should Know
- The Southern Death Cult, the Maya and Georgia
- Deformed Baby Spider Brains
- Amazing Medical Conditions: Maple Syrup Urine Disorder
The Stuff of Genius
CarStuff
- Why is NASA studying car safety?
- Tips for in-car Navigation Systems
- Tips for Using Bluetooth in the Car
How-to Stuff
- How to Swim with Dolphins (When Deep Water Terrifies You)
- How to Cure a Homemade Cookie Craving Without Turning on the Oven
- How to Know When It’s Time for a New Pet
PopStuff
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 36: Now Available in 3-D
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 35: Let’s do brunch!
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 34: Play it again, Sam
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
Stuff to Change the World
- Who will own the Arctic?
- Obesity: The New Global Crisis
- Bill Gates Makes For A Pretty Decent Cartoon
Stuff You Missed in History Class
- Butch Cassidy: Should we read between the lines?
- Are we rooting for D.B. Cooper?
- Party Time: A Look at Unconventional Politics
