Shaolin Monk

Caterpillars are cool

Until you get a Bird-cherry Ermine infestation that is. The site also tells you more about the catepillars, and has links to photos of other infestations.

I'm Her Daddy

From Google Video, comes the I'm Her Daddy ad.

Space Shuttle Pics

Unfortunately I do not have a photo credit for these picutres, but they certainly are beautiful.

How to Speak 19th Century and Baltimorese

How to Speak early 19th Century. Compare and contrast with The Seigles' Dictionary of Baltimorese.

Armor of God PJs

For my readers who are Christian faithful, here is the Armor of God Pajamas for children.

Pictures of 9/11

From Bill Biggart, a journalist on the scene who did not survive the falling of the Twin Towers. Note the navigation links on the site to other photographers at the scene as well.

The Rising Costs of Keeping Cool

For those of us whose electric bills have soared from air conditioning in the hot summer, comes an article about what to do about it this winter: Store ice in a pit during winter to keep your house cool all next summer!

O.k., o.k. so maybe that is not so practical... BUT a new Chinese device the size of a cell phone will cut down those AC costs. Pretty ingenious.

Penn and Teller Are Free!

A blog page that links to all 23 full episodes of Penn and Teller's Showtime series, Bullshit, free for your viewing pleasure.

Video of a Scam

This scam supposedly originated in Russia. A rather interesting use of misdirection on someone succeptible.

Forget Mentos, Try Dry Ice for More Explosive Flavor

Dry Ice - video powered by Metacafe

The Ariel Atom

Top Gear's review of the Ariel Atom. 300 HP car that does better than the Ferrari Enzo - 0 to 60 in 2.9 seconds. The driver's expressions and descriptions are truly priceless. Buy one but be sure get life insurance first.

Frozen Niagara

Pictures of frozen Niagara Falls, and some information about it, the times it has frozen over.

Tricks on the Flybar 800 Pogostick

Hot Library Smut

From the nonist's blog, comes Hot Library Smut. To quote: "What I’m talking about here is the full-frontal objectification of the library itself" and not National Geographic spreads of natives... you cheeky bum-looker!

10,000 Reasons Civilization is Doomed

10,000 Reasons Civilization is Doomed is a webiste that sets out to list, exactly what it states. I don't beleive that they are in order, and currently there are only 2,381 reasons.

Crash Barrier Poles Work

For proof, just watch this video of a pole vs a truck.

Superlative Signage

It is always good to see people with a sense of humor when they name their businesses or do signage...

Neat Camouflage

The Marines painting this CH-53 SuperStallion must have heard a rumor that Muslim men are supposed to commit suicide if they see a woman naked...

Take your wooden car for a watery cruise

Pictures of a woodcarver's wood boats in the shape of a Ferrari,a horse and carriage, and a VW Beetle, and more.

Massive / Interesting LEGO Structures

First is a LEGO construct of a church that took a year and a half to build. See more pics at the website for The Abston Church of Christ.



And another massive LEGO structure, this time an aircraft carrier entirely made of Lego.





The aircraft carrier actually separates and you can see all the details inside, such as the aircraft storage hanger:



And a couple from LEGOland in California:





The LEGOLand site has many other cool pics of structures and projects, including ones of the World Trade Center's Freedom Tower (Liebskin's).

But this post wouldn't be complete without an interesting video of a much smaller construct. the LEGO marble carousel, that is set apart by its movement.

Fetus being removed from a man's stomach

Definitely not for the faint of heart / squeamish. This is a video of an Indian man having the fetus in his stomach removed. The fetus is the man's dead twin that has been with him since birth but never developed.

Ads from the Early 20th Century

Ad*Access is a collection of ads from the first half of the 20th Century, sorted into Beauty and Hygiene, Radio, Televsion, Transportation and World War II ads. Rather interesting for those interested int he history of advertising.

Grigori Perelman and the Poincare Conjecture

Wikipedia articles on the reclusive mathematician Grigori Perelman and his solution to the Poincaire Conjecture, one of the great math mysteries that mathematicians have focused on since a proven solution was found Fermat's Last Theorem by Andrew Wiles.

The Body Farm

To advance the study of forensics, Western Carolina University plans a "body farm" where decay, and the effects of dismemberment by various methods can be studied.

Penn Station Pictures

Penn Station Pictures from The Manhattan Institute.

Paper Sculptures

Two sites that deal with turning paper into three dimensional sculputres and objects. The first link is to Richard Sweeney's Flickr photoset of paper sculptures that are at once organic and intricate. Icosohedron II is pictured above. His other photosets are worth exploring as well.

http://www.oncotton.co.uk/peter/index.html. A detail of his work, Distant Wish, is below. He does other sizes as well and it is interesting to explore his site.

Toughing Out a Traffic Jam at 12,000 Feet

From the New York Times, comes an article about truckers Toughing It Out in a Traffic Jam at 12,000 Feet in teh Andes, with about 5,000 trucks ahead of you waiting for the weather to clear.

Hellboy 2

For those of you who enjoyed Hellboy, like I did, here are some Hellboy 2 Plot Details from Cinematical.

West Point thesis challenges military's gay policy

An article from the Northwest Florida Daily Newsabout a West Point thesis that challenges military's gay policy and won an award.

The Wireless DJ Music System

Definitely droolworthy: The Wireless DJ Music System from Logitech.

CSIRO unveils fire-proof plastic

From ABC news: CSIRO unveils fire-proof plastic.

Practical invisibility

An article from CNN.com about Scientific advances in invisibility.

An Earthquake So Violent It Shook Gravity

The NY Times reports that GRACE, a pair of satellites orbiting the Earth tracking and mapping Earth's gravitational pull and climate, recorded an earthqauke so violent it shook gravity just before before the great Tsunami of 2004. Apparently, earth's gravity is not an even constant over the entire globe.

Professional Can Tossers

A video of guys tossing cans into garbage cans in a variety of impossible distances and ways.

Welcome to Lauer Custom Weaponry

Welcome to Lauer Custom Weaponry

Pamukkale

The Wikipedia article on Pamukkale (Turkish meaning "Cotton Castles"), a mineral spa that is rather spectacular. Click on the Stromboli link on the bottom for more pictures.

Floating bed

From Yahoo! News comes an article about a designer who has created a floating bed, that can also double as a dining table etc.

Thanks to C. Junceau for the lead.

Naoshima: Japan's "Art Island"

A Flickr photoset of Naoshima an island in Japan that features art and architecture.

Bump keying

A somewhat unnerving video of bump keying, a process by which it seems most cylinder locks will open with a key blank and a good jolt.

You are what you like

An interesting site that tells you a little bit about your personality based on a series of choices of photos that you are given to choose from. After doing a bunch of pictures click on the brain to see what things it will tell you!

The Best Excrement Disposal Accessories

An interesting review of Excrement Disposal Accessories (i.e. toilets) that are high tech, strange, or just, uh, interesting.

Idiot's Guide to Neural Networks

So you've watched Star Trek The Next Generation, and you love Data, the android, and have always wondered what makes his brain tick. A neural net we are told... Surely that is just fiction? Well a quick websearch tells you that neural networks are not fiction, but getting someone to tell you about them in English is really, lreally hard! Well, Richard Bowles' Idiot's Guide to Neural Networks tells you about these computer models that are based on the neurons in the human brain which scientists make behave intelligently and learn from experience. For the true geek there are computer models that you can upload to see them in action.

The Megapixel Myth

An article by Ken Rockwell called "The Megapixel Myth" which talks about why sometimes more megapixels isn't necessarily better in digital cameras depending on your use and printing ability.

Rainbow Gallery

This is the Rainbow Image Gallery from a site called Atmospheric Optics which is interesting because it talks about all kinds of different atmospheric effects, from sundogs, to moonbows to rays and shadows. It is also takes the time to describe the actual atmospheric phonomenon and what causes it.

The gallery also has a great picture of nacreous or "mother of pearl" clouds in Antartica, which has been in the news as of late for their surreal look.

Free movies and films online

These are older movies and films available online legally as they have fallen out of copyright.

Darn it! What was that song just now on the radio?

Well now you can find out on yes.com.

The Alliance to Rescue Civilization

A somewhat operatic name, but one that seems to have some legs. The Alliance to Rescue Civilization's purpose is to ensure human survival should the earth be destroyed and was just featured in a NY Times article.

Iron Man Beware! Exoskeletons, Future Soldiers and Liquid Armor

A news article from NY1 about a powered exoskeleton developed in Japan which allows the user to lift 10 times his original ability. Be sure to click on the link to the video.

On a similar note, check out the Wikipedia article on powered exoskeletons / armor, and an article from The Engineer on future soldier soldier programs across the globe, including the US Army's Integrate Future Force Warrior project.

Speaking of armor, from BusinessWeek, comes an article about liquid armor. Early next year Armor Holdings Inc. aims to start selling "liquid armor" -- garments constructed from layers of tough fibers and fluid polymers.

Abstracted: Today's body armor is composed of 20 to 30 layers of synthetic fibers and is bulky and can't stop high-velocity bullets, or all bomb fragments. Armor Holdings' product is a liquid that stiffens instantly into a shield when hit hard by an object and reverts to its liquid state just as fast when the energy from the projectile dissipates. Armor Holdings' new vests, in which the substance would be sandwiched between layers of ballistic fibers, would be lighter than current versions, which weigh four pounds or more. Liquid armor seems tailor-made for combat personnel or police, but it can also protect from stabbings, something even a top-of-the-line bulletproof vest can't do.

Global Birth and Death Rate

An interesting graphical representation of how fast the population of the world is growing by showing births and deaths.

Napoleon and the Google Microsoft war

An interesting article by an electrical engineer about how history can teach and inform about current events. Specifically, the article addresses the current war between Microsoft and Google and Napoleon's military strategies.

Ice Sculpture

This is a video of an elaborate outdoor ice sculpture nearing completion... In fact, the video shows that all the sculptor has to do to finish is to remove 4 left over ice supports and it will be done...

Coke, Soda or Pop?

I grew up calling fizzy drinks like Coca Cola "pop" and was rather interested to know that in the US some call it soda or just Coke (regardless of the actual drink). Here is a map that shows who calls it what and where in the US (click on the map for a larger, more readable version).



The original site's version of the map is interactive, showing the splits in the counties after you click on the state on the map.

Long Exposure Penlight Animations

These pictures from a Japanese blog show long exposures capturing people with penlights making freehand animations.