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GamesArchive for July, 2010
In this episode, Jonathan and Chris detail the rise and fall of Midway Games, a company that was once a major player in the video/arcade game business.
Ivan IV was still an infant when he was proclaimed the Emperor of Russia. In this episode, Katie and Sarah explain how this strange ascension occurred — and how Anna Leopoldovna became the power behind the throne.
Introducing Cornucopia, the food printer – “US scientists have introduced a concept design of the “Cornucopia” or Digital Fabricator, a “personal food factory” able to print food from specified ingredients, with no waste at the point of cooking…” Ecology: A world without mosquitoes – “Eradicating any organism would have serious consequences for ecosystems — wouldn’t [...]
It’s strung like a smile, maybe. But oh it’s not kidding.
Meet the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge in Northern Ireland, the famed swaying pathway that connects a cragged cliff on the mainland with a cragged cliff on the Carrick-a-Rede Island. Some form of this rope bridge has been around for more than 350 years — swinging in the wind above the 98-feet-deep (30-meter) chasm below.
I was lucky to get away for a short vacation recently. Since I was going to see family and would have ready access to a washer and dryer, I packed super light. I was amazed at how easy that made my life. But this has happened before when I’ve gone away on a trip with a limited number of clothing options — suddenly, getting ready takes so little time. In fact, on this trip, I was even the first one ready a few times — my family members were gobsmacked (especially my husband).
Did Mark Zuckerberg sign away 84 percent of Facebook?
by Jonathan Strickland | July 23, 2010
A couple of weeks ago, news broke that a man named Paul D. Ceglia claimed to have a signed contract that gave him 84 percent ownership of Facebook. Today, Caroline McCarthy reports on CNET that Facebook says the contract is a forgery. Ceglia’s claim is that he entered into a contract with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in 2003 to design the site that evolved into Facebook.
I’m so much of a Southerner, that when I first read the Science Daily headline “Solar Panels Can Attract Breeding Water Insects,” I thought, well, score one for solar! Surely anything that tricks mosquitoes into laying their eggs on a surface that will shortly fry them is a boon to the planet. Then the headline’s seemingly perplexing amendment (“…but Scientists Propose a Simple Fix”) made me realize that, one, I had the wrong insect, and two, there was more to the simple bug bakeoff I was imagining.
As I said earlier this week, social dancing is a lot like gaming, in part because both pastimes seem to attract lots of people of the geek/nerd persuasion. For example, one of my current teachers? Rocket scientist. I don’t know whether he classifies himself as a geek, but at the same time … rocket scientist. In the spirit of full disclosure, I’ve also danced with plenty of people who aren’t geeks, but none of them have made fun of me for showing up to the dance wearing “Star Trek” earrings.
TechStuff Talks About Editing Movies and Hard Drives
by Jonathan Strickland | July 23, 2010
It’s been another eventful week at HowStuffWorks.com. As always, we spent most of the week writing or editing articles, blog posts and podcasts. But we also made time to feel an intense sense of envy toward everyone attending Comic-Con. It hasn’t helped that a steady stream of Twitter messages have convinced us that we’re missing an amazing geek event of epic proportions. But the show must go one!
I’ve been investigating the future of hotels again, and some of them are submerged.
For example, for $15,000 (or $30,000 for you and your favorite companion), you can enjoy a package seven-day stay at Poseidon Undersea Resort off the coast of Fiji. What’s special about this luxury resort? Well, for one thing you take an elevator 40 feet down into the sea to access your room, which, judging from the drawings, is more like an underwater bubble.
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
