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I really never get tired of blogging about this place.
Behold the latest addition to the Museo Subacuatico de Arte (MUSA) off the coast of Cancun. Not far from the underwater crowd of people and man sitting on his couch watching TV parks this Beetle — with a sleepy person on the hood.
Each year, the developed world pours billions of dollars in aid to developing countries — in 2006, private aid in the United States alone added up to about 34.8 billion dollars. And, while this money has certainly made some sort of difference, it hasn’t solved the chronic problems of developed countries: High rates of crime [...]
In his mere 62 years on the planet, Carl Sagan proved himself an irreplaceable advocate of science and space exploration. His legacy lives on today in his beloved series “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage,” as well as in everything from obnoxious t-shirts to action comics and Auto-Tune tracks. He remains something of a scientific saint. One of more famous nuggets of wisdom is probably this one, related to star stuff:
Well whaddya know! After much gnashing of teeth in recent months over the dearth of female-authored works featured in prominent magazines and reviews, here’s a bright finding for pen-wielding women out there. New York Times articles written by female reporters are shared among online readers more than those written by male reporters. This comes from [...]
The Pooping Duck: Marvel of 18th Century Robotics
by Robert Lamb | June 22, 2011
Radiolab’s recent “A Clockwork Miracle” episode concerns a sixteenth-century mechanical monk, but Jad also briefly mentions the wonders of a robotic pooping duck from the 1700s. Yep, you read that right: a centuries-old automaton designed to digest food and poop it out like a duck.
The fabulous digesting duck was the handiwork of Jacques de Vaucanson, a French engineer who excelled in the creation of automatons — specifically “philosophical toys” (curios that combined science and amusement) composed of clockwork gears and moving parts. Here are just two of his creations leading up to the duck:
If you’ve read “How to Spruce Up a Green Space,” “How to Make a Difference in Four Hours” or “How to Discover Your Impact,” then you know Jessika and I are pretty keen on volunteerism. And you also know what Jessika did to celebrate Discovery’s Discover Your Impact Day. Although I would have loved to join Jessika in ATL at the park cleanup, I needed to opt for something I could do from my desk. Find out what that was after the jump.
The property was slated to be a parking garage [sigh], but construction workers accidentally excavated something so much more delightful: Roman ruins [wahoo!].
So, the city of Seville, Spain, nixed the garage project and staged a grand design competition — for a structure that would shade and protect the ruins, as well as attract locals and tourists to a plaza in this somewhat down-and-out area of the city.
It is fairly rare when physiology is used to test the claims of psychoanalysis. This is just one of the many, many reasons a study carried out at my almost alma mater, the University of Georgia — while I was attending, even — captured my imagination. Probably most acute, though, was my utter and near complete disbelief that someone actually carried out this study.
Have you heard about Bitcoin? It’s a digital form of currency. There’s no central bank or government that backs it — it’s a decentralized form of currency that relies on a peer-to-peer network. The idea behind it is pretty interesting. By devoting computational power toward solving difficult computer problems, users “mine” Bitcoins, which they can then spend. But Bitcoin currency isn’t universally accepted and recently the revolutionary medium of exchange has experienced some problems.
The newest episode of Stuff Mom Never Told You tackles a question that my mama certainly never discussed with me: Does semen make you happier? And by you, I mean heterosexual women who are sexually active. Though potentially blush-inducing, Molly and I didn’t cull this question from some crude bathroom humor source…
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
