Videos
Podcasts
Blogs
Quizzes
GamesAbout Amanda Arnold
When Amanda was a kid, she spent most of her time running around outside. So she's happy she grew up to be HowStuffWorks.com adventure editor, where her "work" is to edit articles about travel and the great outdoors. When she's not at the office drinking free Cokes and blogging, she enjoys running, playing the guitar and spending time with her dog, River. Amanda has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Georgia State University. You can find Amanda on Twitter at @CoolestStuffHSW and on Facebook at the official CoolestStuff page.
Most Recent: Amanda Arnold Postings
The delightful strips of deep-fried dough pictured at the right are called chiacchiere, and they’re served during Carnival in Venice (happening right now!).
In Italian, chiacchiere means “gossip,” which is, like, the perfect word for deep-fried dough — ’cause we all know how deep-fried dough goes down (deliciously), particularly when it’s dusted with powdered sugar (a sprinkle of guilt).
During Carnival, you’ll find various versions of deep-fried dough treats around, and you might as well eat ‘em while you can, particularly if it’s Fat Thursday, which the Florentines once called Berlingaccio — another Italian word that has to do with running your mouth.
I was reading up on city parks yesterday and came across a BMW Guggenheim Lab Q&A with landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh, who designed Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York. Apparently, 13 years ago, when the park was just a proposal, it was fairly controversial, and not everyone was in support of the concept. But at the first meeting about the park, a woman about 80 years old got up, shuffled to the microphone and said something like this:
Vacation Deprivation: Who’s got it?
by Amanda Arnold | January 27, 2012
Well, you might say it’s the folks who live in these six countries: United States, Canada, Mexico, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, which are colored an alarming red on Expedia.com’s map of vacation deprivation.
According to Expedia’s study, in 2011, workplaces in the United States, South Korea and Japan gave out the fewest vacation days per year to employees.
Yes, you can do this! A newish Web site called Campinmygarden.com enables you to connect with folks who’ll let you pitch a tent in their yards for a small fee.
It’s the same online community concept established by sites like Airbnb.com and Couchsurfing.org — only you’ll sleep outside the house, rather than inside.
William Gillette set up his castle to play tricks on people. He installed a mirror system, so he could spy on guests from his bedroom — that way he could burst onto his living room “stage” at the most magnificent moment. At dinner, he and his guests were seated on a cushioned bench along the wall; the dining table was on a track, and he pulled it toward the group and locked it into place. “HA HA HA” Gillette probably snickered inwardly. “I own the most clever table-on-a-track in the universe.”
Five years ago Brent Christensen thought it might be fun to build his kids an ice fort on his front lawn. Building such a fort wasn’t exactly a cinch, however, and he spent several winters perfecting the process for constructing what his kids came to call “the ice castle.”
Soon, locals were cruising by his house to gawk the icy mass …
Here’s the story: In 1992, an artist named Frederic Baron decided to collect “I love yous” from non-French-speaking strangers on the streets of Paris.
The rules were this: The paper always measured 8.2 by 11.6 inches (21 by 29 centimeters). The strangers could write “I love you” in one of four colors …
OK — so, right now this is just a big idea, not an approved plan. But a French consulting company released an infographic detailing its hopes to cloak the Eiffel Tower in plant life, enabling it to serve as the ultimate symbol of France’s dedication to sustainability.
Will birds build nests in the tower? Will it turn golden in the autumn and then shed its leaves in the winter like a real tree? Good questions, good questions.
Sometimes you watch a movie and you think: This place is pretty. I would like to go there.
In this case I’m speaking of “Melancholia,” a not-at-all hilarious movie, filmed at a gorgeous waterfront property in Sweden called Tjoloholm Castle.
Adventure Sleeping at a Mountain Resort in Germany
by Amanda Arnold | November 30, 2011
Do you wish to dangle from great heights while you snooze?
Yes, you do. And you might as well do it in Bavaria, Germany, at an adventure resort called Waldseilgarten. Here at the mountain retreat, you will have three sleep-up-high options. They are as follows:
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
- Traveling on the Orient Express
- Deep-fried Goodness at Carnival
- The Colors of the Running of the Bulls
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
- Blow Your Mind: In the Lair of the Rat King
- Mandala: Memory Palace, Inception and Simulated Worlds
- Virgin Galactic: $200,000 Ticket to Ride
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
- Was Chrysler’s “It’s Halftime in America” Super Bowl commercial a little too political?
- Why is NASA studying car safety?
- Tips for in-car Navigation Systems
How-to Stuff
- How to Make the Most of a Gallery Crawl (When You’re on a Shoestring Budget)
- How to Swim with Dolphins (When Deep Water Terrifies You)
- How to Cure a Homemade Cookie Craving Without Turning on the Oven
PopStuff
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 40: Did movies ruin love?
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 39: Urban Legends
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 38: Defending Disney Princesses?
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
