Archive for January, 2011
If you have a big sliding door in your house, along with kids and/or a dog, you know how quickly the glass can get dirty. The dog puts nose prints all over the glass, and kids put fingerprints over the nose prints. If you own a retail store, you know how often the glass – [...]
Making humor of the simplest, little human things – eyebrows, standing, smells, stories and so on: It is funny that such simple little things can be made funny. Perhaps the key to the whole thing is that these simple observations are true, but we’ve never really stopped to think about them. They have woven their [...]
New Device May Revolutionize Computer Memory – ““We’ve invented a new device that may revolutionize computer memory,” says Dr. Paul Franzon, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the research. “Our device is called a double floating-gate field effect transistor (FET). Existing nonvolatile memory used in [...]
5 Things Rattlesnakes Do in ‘True Grit’ (but not in Real Life)
by Tracy V. Wilson | January 24, 2011
I know it’s been out for an entire month, so this post is woefully late, but I finally saw “True Grit” this weekend. When the credits rolled, I turned to my friend and movie-watching companion extraordinaire, Jack, and said, “I have a problem with the depiction of rattlesnake behavior in this movie.”
In case you’re wondering, yes, I was the kid who would correct the teacher in elementary school.
Find out what was so wrong after the jump.
You’re Chipping in for Fannie and Freddie’s Execs Attorney Fees
by Josh Clark | January 24, 2011
The New York Times had a bit of gloom as it’s lead story in its bacon email this morning. The article broke the bad news that the attorney fees for top former executives at the public/private hybrid mortgage behemoths Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These execs are the ones who helped fuel the current housing crisis — and, indeed, the global financial meltdown — by creating the pools of toxic mortgages that were securitized and sold to investors big and small.
Amazon started selling groceries and mailing them to your home back in 2006. This is a commercial of that era advertising this development: Amazon also came up with a subscription service, which is a novel way to think about groceries and staple items: Amazon is not the only one doing this kind of get-your-groceries-mailed-to-you approach. [...]
World Record #160 – Surfing for 26 consecutive hours, riding 147 waves
by Marshall Brain | January 24, 2011
This video describes one man’s successful attempt to break the world record for the longest surfing session. He surfed for 26 consecutive hours and rode 147 waves: What could have gone wrong? For one thing, there is this risk – 25 foot waves: – Surfer Seriously Injured At Mavericks Surf Spot (video) – “The surfer, [...]
Consider the content spectrum on the Internet. On one side, you have purely original content, generated by the webmaster or by those who work for him/her. On the other, you have user-generated content. With this model, the Web site is really just a forum in which users can post their own content for the enjoyment of other users. Most Web sites fall somewhere between the two extremes. Justin.tv, a site that allows users to stream video over the Web, slants more toward the user-generated model than the other. That’s what has caused the UFC to take notice.
For many of us, when someone utters the phrase “road trip,” our eyes begin to glimmer with enthusiastic anticipation. These two little words can cause our hearts to race with excitement as our minds fill with thoughts of adventure. But for others, these two little words can cause gut-wrenching dread. OK, if you’re in the heart-racing, excited camp, you’re probably wondering what could be so awful about an open-road adventure. More than a few people from the knotted-stomach camp would say, “Packing for it!”
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
- The Latest in Frugal Lodging: Camping in Somebody Else’s Backyard
- The Painted Beauties of Bucovina
- The Cat Passageways and Track Furniture of Gillette Castle
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

