Archive for July, 2010
There’s a part in the movie Big Fish where the protagonist, Edward Bloom, loses his shoes to a girl named Jenny Hill. Jenny doesn’t want Edward to leave the subtly mythical town of Spectre and indoctrinates him as per the town custom: tying the laces of one’s pair of shoes and throwing them over a telephone wire, to dangle out of reach. The logic, ethereal as it is, goes that without one’s shoes, one can no longer travel and might as well settle down.
Another week has flown by here at HowStuffWorks, which means there are two new Stuff Mom Never Told You podcasts that you can check out. First up this week, we discussed the Chinese practice of foot-binding. It was very interesting to learn about the women who bound their feet in secret after the Chinese government banned the practice in 1912. The women would undo the bandages during the day, when they might be seen by inspectors, only to re-bind them at night.
Good day, SYSK Army. Have you ever heard the term “hotter than Georgia asphalt?” Well it’s a saying for a good reason. I’m melting as we speak and I’m no where near asphalt.
This week on the Stuff You Should Know podcast program, Joshers and I talked about taste and saunas.
There’s a whole lot of drama in Spain right now surrounding the country’s fiesta nacional, otherwise known as bullfighting. Some want to ban it, others want to preserve it as part of the country’s cultural heritage. No matter which camp you fall into, you’re bound to find some cause for fascination Aranjuez’s Plaza de Toros, a small, centuries-old bullring about a 40-minute train ride south of Madrid.
In this documentary you go on board a modern aircraft carrier to see how many of its different systems work. In part 1…
Something like 10 years ago, HowStuffWorks wrote its first iteration of the article How WIMAX works. It spells out the promise of WiMAX this way…
This week there has been much wringing-of-hands because the bond market in the United States came to a halt. This article from the Washington Post states the problem succinctly…
When (dental) metal in your mouth comes in contact with aluminum foil, your teeth get a painful shock from the electricity produced. Marshall Brain explains how the voltaic effect plays out in your mouth in this episode.
Every year, the Scottish village of Braemar hosts one of the most famous Highland gatherings in the world. Take in the sights, sounds (and Scots) of the Braemar Gathering, from kilts and queens to caber tossing, in this episode.
Nowadays zippers are everywhere — they’re faster than buttons, convenient and reliable. But where did they come from? Tune in and learn more about Whitcomb Judson’s stuff of genius in this episode.
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

