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You Asked: What does a avocado grow on? — Sarah, Tuson, Ariz. Marshall Brain Answers: An avocado is a fruit that grows on a tree. You can see an avocado tree in this video: The hard ball-shaped object in the middle of an avocado is an immense seed. You can grow an avacado tree from [...]
Considering that he wrote the source material for some of the most innovative science fiction movies ever made (“Blade Runner,” “Total Recall” and “A Scanner Darkly,” just to name three), it’s about time that the literary world gave sci-fi icon Philip K. Dick the respect he so richly deserves. Oh … wait. It just did.
When many people hear the words “One Tree Hill,” they think of the WB TV show or the 1980s song from U2′s Joshua Tree album. But One Tree Hill is actually a real place in New Zealand. And the weirdest thing about it is that there is no “one tree” on the hill.
Why? Because one October night in 1994, a chainsaw-packing Maori man named Mike Smith climbed the hill to murder it.
Imagine that you are a large enterprise with a petabyte of data that you need to back up. Or imagine something smaller – you do video editing at home and you have a machine with eleven 1-terabyte drives in a RAID array – for a total of 10 terabytes of usable space. How are you [...]
Dear Newscientist.com – Is it possible that your paywall is hurting you?
by Marshall Brain | January 28, 2010
Dear Newscientist.com, I love your articles – I am a fan of your content, and your mission. However, your paywall is becoming especially annoying. I’ve hit it a dozen times in the last few days (enough times that I am taking time to write this letter to you). Let me help you see how your [...]
If you read between the lines on this article, you can see why it is that there can be “best selling products.” It also explains one reason why people develop brand loyalty. Too much choice leaving us bewildered and depressed From the foods we eat, to the television channels we watch, to the schools we [...]
Sometimes, when I can’t get to sleep, I play the blame game. I make lists of all the reasons why I’m not yet asleep, be it that Diet Coke I had late in the afternoon or the window blinds that don’t block all the light coming into my room. Lately, I’ve been blaming my pillows. I just can’t get comfortable!
Whenever I shop for new pillows, however, I get very confused.
There is no denying that bodies do have a language. If someone comes up and punches you in the face, he has used his body to convey a message. It’s the more subtle stuff that people debate about. If a man stands facing you with his arms crossed while talking to you, does it really [...]
DIY – Now you can program a computer inside your watch
by Marshall Brain | January 28, 2010
If you have ever played with a microcontroller development kit (including the BASIC Stamp), you know that they are usually large and use a fair amount of power. Now you can get a dev kit for the CC430 microcontroller that fits inside a wristwatch. The microcontroller also has access to an accelerometer, a temperature sensor [...]
Hello there, people. If you’re like me, then you enjoy watching the good old State of the Union Address. They’ve been a dependable source of entertainment for me since I was a kid, even before I got into politics. There was always something about the gravity of it all, the President broadcasting live on every [...]
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
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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?
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Stuff to Blow Your Mind
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- 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
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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
