Videos
Podcasts
Blogs
Quizzes
GamesArchive for October 1st, 2009
You Asked: How is coal turned into electricity? — Darlene, Fort Gibon, Okla. Marshall Brain Answers: Most large power plants today work the same way. A source of heat is used to turn water to steam. The steam feeds into a steam turbine to make it spin. The spinning turbine turns a large generator that [...]
You Asked: How does an electrical inverter work? — Ozone, Owerri, Nigeria Marshall Brain Answers: An electrical inverter, also known as a power inverter, is a box that converts DC (direct current) electricity to AC (alternating current) electricity. The most common form of power inverter that we see on a day-to-day basis is the kind [...]
Why is it so difficult to separate ‘vampire’ from ‘sex’?
by Tracy V. Wilson | October 1, 2009
October is one of my favorite months. The temperature drops, leaves turn, and suddenly it becomes way more socially acceptable for adults to show up in public places wearing costumes. On top of that, the impending arrival of Halloween gives me a great excuse to spend my working hours researching zombies, werewolves and ghosts. It serves up food for thought for my colleagues, too. Earlier this week, one co-worker posed a question: Why are vampires and sex so inextricably linked?
A Twitter user in the United Kingdom has been posting under the name of right-wing political blogger Donal Blaney. Perhaps he or she should’ve picked someone who wasn’t as familiar with the law — since the real Blaney’s a lawyer. His firm delivered what BBC News said is the first court order ever served over Twitter at 7:30 p.m. British Standard Time.
Though I haven’t seen the order, I’m assuming it’s longer than 140 characters. So Griffin Law sent a direct message to the faux Blaney with a link to the full text. The BBC said the order says that the impersonator is breaching Blaney’s copyright, must reveal his or her identity, delete all posts from the account and stop posting as Blaney.
Though delivering a court order over Twitter may seem sort of groundbreaking, the laws in the United Kingdom permit delivery of orders via e-mail or fax.
Notorious Ring of Fire Keeps Earning Its Name
by Allison Loudermilk | October 1, 2009
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 rocked Sumatra last night, killing hundreds of people. As the Indonesians turned to the grim task of cleaning up — wham — another earthquake registering 6.6 struck.
Earlier in the week, we heard about how a tsunami ravaged American Samoa, leaving residents scrambling for high ground with very little warning.
Where did our universe come from? The following video looks at the latest scientific theories to answer the question: Today we will try to paint an accurate picture of the universe based on the Lambda cold dark matter model, which is the best cosmological model today. More info on the Lambda cold dark matter model: [...]
Recently, I was introduced to three intriguing words: “pole of inaccessibility.” A pole of inaccessibility is a place on Earth that’s difficult to reach — generally because it’s either really far from land or really far from sea. For example, the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility (aka Point Nemo) is out in the middle of the ocean — not so easy to reach by car.
But the truth is — I got interested in these poles primarily because their names imply they’re playing hard to get. I thought: What is it that they have that’s so great? Why do they have to be so aloof about it? Who do these inaccessible poles think they are?
Turns out, one of the inaccessible poles thinks it’s Lenin — Vladimir Lenin.
1) Arial & Helvetica 2) Thermaltake’s Jaw-Dropping Level 10 Chassis Unboxed! 3) Mexican industrial designer Victor M. Aleman has developed a concept fully collapsible, folding bicycle 4) Eye-Candy Bicycles: 45+ Awesome Examples 5) The Mojito shoe concept 6) OGC unveils new logo to red faces 7) Forget “Shrink It and Pink It”: the Femme Den [...]
In this illusion, things change color and then disappear: Green Catastrophe If your eyes follow the movement of the rotating pink dot, you will only see one color, pink. Green Catastrophe: If you stare at the black + in the center, the moving dot turns to green. Reality Shatter: Now, concentrate on the black + [...]
Let’s take a break from missiles, mayhem and global destruction today and instead have a little fun with the wonderful world of crackpot theories. Yes, I’m talking about the beloved Crackpot Index devised (and copyrighted) by mathematical physicist John Baez and one of the hosts over at the n-Category Cafe blog. In a 2008 “This American Life” interview, the scientist said he’s seen at least 100 different crackpot theories in his day, so he seems well-equipped to develop such a scoring system. Go see it and score your crazy theory yourself (and report back).
Here are a few of my favorites among the 37 different criteria that Baez lists.
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
- Traveling on the Orient Express
- Deep-fried Goodness at Carnival
- The Colors of the Running of the Bulls
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
- Blow Your Mind: In the Lair of the Rat King
- Mandala: Memory Palace, Inception and Simulated Worlds
- Virgin Galactic: $200,000 Ticket to Ride
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
- Was Chrysler’s “It’s Halftime in America” Super Bowl commercial a little too political?
- Why is NASA studying car safety?
- Tips for in-car Navigation Systems
How-to Stuff
- How to Make the Most of a Gallery Crawl (When You’re on a Shoestring Budget)
- How to Swim with Dolphins (When Deep Water Terrifies You)
- How to Cure a Homemade Cookie Craving Without Turning on the Oven
PopStuff
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 40: Did movies ruin love?
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 39: Urban Legends
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 38: Defending Disney Princesses?
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
