Archive for December 8th, 2009
Dark matter discovered??? – “The essence of blogging is of course spreading wild rumors. This one is definitely the wildest ever. The particle community is bustling with rumors of a possible discovery of dark matter in CDMS…” The 6 Weirdest, Scariest Processed Foods – “Today, at the start of the 21st century, the miracle of [...]
You Asked: Why do fish float on their sides when they die? — Cierra, Franklin, Ind. Marshall Brain Answers: When a fish dies, it can do one of two things: it can float or sink. Dead fish tend to float, at least for awhile, as seen here: That happens because bacteria in the intestines produce [...]
You Asked: Will we ever see cars run on nuclear power? — Peter, Calgary, Canada Marshall Brain Answers: I’m a big believer in “never say never”, and I have even written an article on nuclear powered cars called How the nCar works (Yes, that was a April Fools article…) But it seems unlikely that we [...]
One hundred feet below the town of Corsham in Wiltshire, England, is a 35-acre, once top-secret city called Burlington. And, yes, it’s a whole city. There are 60 miles of roads, a railway station, hospitals, kitchens – there’s even a pub called the Rose and Crown, according to The Times. And if you were living in this city, you might well like a pint of ale. Why? It was built in the 1950s to accommodate 4,000 government cabinet members and civil servants in the event of nuclear war.
The subterranean city of Burlington includes a lake, believe it or not, which was supposed to provide drinking water to the 4,000 residents – that is, until it would inevitably run dry after about three months.
Get it while it’s hot, kids: The future of free TV at Hulu is up in the air at the moment thanks to the proposed Comcast/NBC deal, but as of this morning, you can sample five episodes of the cult classic “Mystery Science Theater 3000.”
Space Music: Cory McAbee, Stingray Sam and the Space Musical
by Robert Lamb | December 8, 2009
As we continue our voyage through space music, I thought it might be time to discuss space musicals. For my money, we just don’t have enough song and dance pictures set amid the stars — and there’s an even greater dearth of musicals concerning the exploits of cowboy/roughneck astronauts. I speak of Cory McAbee: writer, director and star of “The American Astronaut” and 2009′s “Stingray Sam.”
NASA is getting ready to launch its WISE (Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission: NASA to Launch Sky-Mapping Spacecraft NASA’s latest space telescope will scan the sky in search of never-before-seen asteroids, comets, stars and galaxies, with one of its main tasks to catalog objects posing a danger to Earth…. If all goes as planned, WISE [...]
There are a few things I definitely wouldn’t want to be the last thing I saw before I went under general anesthesia for an operation. I would say seeing Satan muttering behind his hand to his minions who then look at me and laugh scoffingly would really suck, especially if Satan says “See you soon,” real casually as I am wheeled past on a gurney and I say, “What did you say?” and he says, “Nothing. Nothing.” I wouldn’t like that at all.
Want to see a Ford Aspire get completely pulverized?
by Scott C. Benjamin | December 8, 2009
Yeah, I thought so. And I promise you, this short video clip is interesting enough to warrant a few minutes of your time. Besides, just look at the way that smug little red and white striped Ford Aspire is mocking the guys from MythBusters — it’s looking for trouble, if you ask me.
Google Goggles has come to life as a new way to search – visually: Use pictures to search the web With your camera phone you take a picture of something. Google defines “something” as: a landmark, book, business card, artwork, place, wine, logo (what, no barcodes?). Then Google uses the photo as a search key [...]
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
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

