Archive Category: Society & Culture
Space Age Style Handgun
It was 1955 and the Space Age was about to launch. It would impact popular culture, art, architecture and design. And yes, even guns. That year, Robert Hillberg designed the Whitney Wolverine, a nickel-plated aluminum semi-automatic pistol that sported the flowing lines and curves of that era. It looks like a raygun, but instead fires .22 LR rounds.
Video Link -via Weer’d World
The Story of Send
The beauty of email is that seconds after you hit "Send," it magically appears on the recipient's inbox. But what happens in between?
Google has created The Story of Send, which illustrates the journey made by the bits of Gmail data as it zips across "the pipes" of the Internet: Link - via The Verge
You’ve Never Heard A Music Box Like This
The Music Box is a project in New Orleans that consists of nine shacks made of reclaimed building materials. But they’re constructed to create sounds, which the group of artists, musicians, and engineers who made them call “musical architecture.”
The new instruments inside are Rube Goldberg contraptions that bring to mind the ingenuity of Southern jug bands. There’s a twisting staircase that pumps out tones from organ parts retrieved from a church flooded during Hurricane Katrina; a giant stand-up bass with a weed-whacker line for a string and a bathtub for a resonator; a tall, weather-vane–like structure hooked up to an analog synthesizer. “It reacts to rain, sunlight and wind velocity and uses those variables to modulate an ever-present, droning E major chord,” explains its inventor, Quintron, a New Orleans musician who conducts Music Box performances. The concerts attract hundreds who wait in line for a chance to sit in a small set of bleachers.
Read more about The Music Box at Smithsonian. Link -Thanks, Perrin!
Applying to Join the Chinese Communist Party
If it weren’t for the English subtitles, you’d think this was an everyday pop song, possibly about family. It’s more like a love song to the Chinese Communist Party, the ultimate in this young man’s aspirations. The propaganda music video is both amusing and unnerving. -via Metafilter
Every Time Zone
Every Time Zone might be a real handy site to bookmark! See how your local time compares to that of other cities around the world right now. Or any time, for that matter. Click on a bar to pull up more information about that time, zone, or city. Link -via the Presurfer
Networked Clothes Hangers Let You Know How Many Times an Outfit Has Been Liked on Facebook
Because when you’re shopping, the opinions of people on Facebook matter to you.
The thoughtful Brazilian clothing retailer C&A has clothes hangers with digital numerical displays. Every time that a particular outfit has been liked on its Facebook page, the display ticks up. Customers can use this information to make purchasing decisions.
Link -via Marginal Revolution | Photo: C&A
Cow Shoes Helped Moonshiners Evade Prohibition Agents
Take notes, because this will be on the test. Revenuers are on the lookout for our still. How can we deceive them about our movements? Strap these wooden blocks on our shoes. They’ll leave cow prints behind us.
Link -via Kottke | Photo: Library of Congress
Teenage Burglar Arrested after Leaving His Homework at the Crime Scene
Are you a diligent student working hard to earn good grades and succeed in life? If so, be prepared to pay the price:
An 18-year-old Utah man was arrested on suspicion of burglary after police say he left his homework at the crime scene.
Police in Orem say they tracked a USB drive found at the burglarized home to [redacted -- ed.]. They say the computer hard drive contained his homework and was in a backpack abandoned in the backyard.
Link -via Dave Barry | Image: Jawa Flash Drive at the NeatoShop
Police Will Ticket People Texting While Walking
Sure, texting while driving is dangerous and you can get ticketed for it. But what about the dangers of texting while walking?
Officers in Fort Lee, New Jersey, have said some people are constantly putting themselves at risk of being hit by vehicles because they do not pay attention.
Police are stepping up patrols looking for "dangerous" walkers who are not obeying the rules of the road.
They have been handing out leaflets warning pedestrians about the crackdown.So far this year, more than 20 people have been hit by cars in Fort Lee. "It's a big distraction. Pedestrians aren't watching where they're going. They're not aware," said Fort Lee Police chief Thomas Ripoli at a news conference.
Getting a ticket for TWW (Texting While Walking)? That's not as bad as walking into a bear ... Link - via Arbroath
Redditors Surprise Terminally Ill Man
Scott Widak is a 47-year-old artist with Down Syndrome. He is also terminally ill with liver disease. His nephew Sean O’Connor posted his story on reddit and said Widak really enjoyed receiving mail. His address was only up at the site for four hours, but produced an amazing response.
Following the post, Widak received hundreds of letters from all over the world, including the United States, Sweden, Finland, Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom and Mexico. According to O’Connor, there is still mail coming in.
In addition to beautifully written letters, Reddit users have sent custom artwork, art supplies, DVDs and personal keepsakes that they wanted to pass on to Widak.
Sony Music Entertainment sent him 15 CDs/DVDs, which were mostly by Johnny Cash.
“The mail that’s arrived has all been extremely positive and thoughtful,” says O’Connor. “My family and I are amazed at how so many strangers could come together for a random act of kindness.”
See pictures from Widak’s family at Mashable. Link -via The Daily What
Zookeepers Drank Elephants’ Alcohol
The elephant keepers at the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad, Pakistan, ordered a supply of alcohol each of the past twenty years -for the elephants. They said the alcohol was necessary to calm the elephants down during mating season. The orders were filled each year, and listed under the elephant’s food expense budget. But the elephants never drank the liquor.
The bills amounted Rs80,000 at maximum and minimum at Rs40,000.
Locally-manufactured liquor would be supplied to the zoo and the cost would be added to the food expense.
Veterinary doctors while speaking to Express News said that alcohol cannot be consumed by elephants.
Once that fact came to light, an investigation was opened. Two of the zookeepers have been suspended. Link (related video) -via Arbroath
Trip Out On Pics From ROFLCon 2012
Well, ROFLCon 2012 went off without a hitch on May 4th and 5th in Cambridge, Massachusetts so the interwebs is safe for another year.
Double Nyan Cat rainbows were spotted in the sky, cat breading and LOLz were enjoyed by all in attendance, and Rage Faces Mountain became a popular tourist destination.
The future of internet humor rests squarely in the hands of these fantastically funny people, and Scott Beale from Laughing Squid has the pictures to prove it. ROFL on and on!
Link –via Laughing Squid
Custom Made Gears Of War Replica Shotgun
Show your fellow cosplayers that you mean business with this DIY Gears Of War replica shotgun, which lets you load actual shells and scare the crap out of anyone suckered in to believing it actually fires live ammo.
Built by Mike Iverson of Blind Squirrel Props, the end result is stunningly realistic, and Mike was kind enough to include exhaustive step by step photos of the process, and basic plans so you can build one of these bad boys for yourself.
Now that’s one good looking boomstick!
Link –via Nerd Approved
Thief Forgets to Logout of Facebook Before Robbing Internet Cafe
Well-appointed Internet cafes have signs that remind users to log out of any applications before leaving. Not everyone pays attention, including as two robbers at one in Colombia:
It happened in the neighborhood of Calima, north of the city of Cali, Colombia. Two men arrived to an internet cafe, rented two computers, did their thing for a bit and, as they pretended to be paying, they took out guns and got all the money.
One of the two robbers forgot to log out of his Facebook account. Police used it to trace his home address.
Link (Google Translate) -via Gizmodo
Photo (unrelated) via Flickr user glenmcbethlaw
The Hashtag Tower
Now this is something to tweet about: Danish architects BIG have designed an apartment tower complex that looks like a hashtag.
“The Cross # Towers constitute a three-dimensional urban community of interlocking horizontal and vertical towers. Three public bridges connect two slender towers at different levels – underground, at the street and in the sky. Catering to the demands and desires of different residents, age groups and cultures the bridges are landscaped and equipped for a variety of activities traditionally restricted to the ground. The resultant volume forms a distinct figure on the new skyline of Seoul – a “#” that serves as a gateway to the new Yongsan Business District signaling a radical departure from the crude repetition of disconnected towers towards a new urban community that populates the three-dimensional space of the city.”
Take a look at the rest over at BIG: Link - via Dezeen
Magnetic Implant to Hold iPod Nano
Tattoo artist Dave Hurban of Dynasty Tattoo in Newfield, New Jersey, likes to have his iPod Nano handy, so he decided to attach it to his wrist with magnets:
Hurban explained that the technique he used to get the four magnets under his skin to hold the iPod in place is actually a fairly typical one in the world of body piercing. “Those magnets are actually called micro-dermal anchors,” Dave explained, “and in body piercing they are very common. The tops are actually just 5 millimeter magnetic tops.” If you check out the admittedly cringe-worthy video of the process that the design firm Kaleidoscope Kreative shot, you can witness Hurban planting those very anchors, with a look of placid concentration on his face. “I took the ends of magnets and actually adhered them to the back of the iPod, and that’s how they click into my skin.”
Jeff Saginor of Digital Trends has the story: Link
Man Stole Own Bicycle Back After Spotting it on Craigslist
Danny Lesh noticed that his stolen bike ended up for sale on Craigslist. When police declined to intervene, Danny decided to take justice into his own hands (or feet, in this case):
After haggling over the Craigslist price, Lesh says, he asked for a test ride. The vendor agreed, and Lesh pedaled around the block back to the waiting cab. He tossed the Cannondale in the trunk and rode off. The vendor called about half an hour later, demanding Lesh return the bike and threatening to notify the police himself, though it appears that call never materialized.
The DCist has the story: Link | Video Clip over at NBC4 Washington
School Forfeited Baseball Game Rather Than Playing A Girl
Mesa Prep second baseman Paige Sultzbach, image: Facebook
There’s no crying in baseball, and now we learn that there’s also no
playing against girls in baseball. At least, that’s what happened in Arizona
last week:
All second baseman Paige Sultzbach wanted to do was play in her
school’s state championship baseball game tonight.But because she is a girl, that won’t happen.
Sultzbach is a freshman at Mesa Preparatory Academy, which had
been scheduled to play Our Lady of Sorrows Academy in tonight’s Arizona
Charter Athletic Association state championship at Phoenix College.But Our Lady of Sorrows, a fundamentalist Catholic school in Phoenix
that lost twice to Mesa Prep during the regular season, chose to forfeit
the championship game rather than play a team fielding a female player.Our Lady of Sorrows school officials would not comment, but Sultzbach’s
mother, Pamela Sultzbach, said her daughter and the rest of the team
received the news after Wednesday afternoon’s practice."This is not a contact sport, it shouldn’t be an issue,"
Pamela said. "It wasn’t that they were afraid they were going to
hurt or injure her, it’s that (they believe) that a girl’s place is
not on a field."
David Rookhuyzen of Arizona Republic was there: Link
– via Yahoo’s
Prep Rally
Online Self-Blackmailing Service
You may have already engaged in the blackmail of other people for fun and profit. But why not experience it for yourself?
Aherk! is an online service that holds you accountable to a goal that you’ve chosen. Submit an incriminating photo of yourself. When the deadline hits, your Facebook friends vote whether you’ve achieved that goal. If not, Aherk! posts the photo online. Then, presumably, the police arrive sometime later.
Link -via Marginal Revolution
Photo: Flickr user sirtrentalot
One Holi Mess: India’s Incredible Color-Soaked Festival
The Hindu Holi festival may be a mess, but it makes for some vivid pictures!
The spring festival of Holi, celebrated across many parts of India, but especially in the north, is a time when barriers are torn down and the usual rules, if not entirely broken, are at least well and truly bent. It’s a time when adults can be children again, and children can get away with all kinds of mischief. The air is full of laughter and joyful shouts as brightly colored powders and water fly.
See more photographs, and read about Holi at Environmental Graffiti. Link
(Image credit: Antonio Gibotta)
Nonchalant Robber Held a Cup of Coffee During Robbery
Most robbers use knives or guns to rob a convenience store, but not this guy. Instead, he used nonchalant badassery:
The masked raider walked into the shop holding a mug of black coffee in his right hand - then told the sales assistant to empty the stock of cigarettes into a binbag. [...]
Shop assistant Mubin Najib said despite the casual nature of the men, he had felt threatened: ''I noticed the guy carrying a cup of coffee but I was more worried about the way he was acting.
''I actually thought he had a knife with him and he making threats saying: 'Don't move or tell anyone otherwise we will come back and kill you'. [...]
''The guy with a coffee actually came round the counter and I was very frightened. He may have been carrying a cup of coffee but I was on my own in that shop and had no idea what he was capable of.
11 Nineteenth-Century VP Candidates Who Vaguely Resemble Famous Actors
One of these days (I’m not holding my breath), Hollywood will produce a feature film about vice-presidential candidates in the 19th century, and the casting will be spot-on. That is, once the casting director gets hold of historical photos of politicians most of us haven’t ever seen. Or, in some cases, paintings. Shown here are John Breckinridge of Kentucky, who served vice-president under James Buchanan, and actor Matthew Perry. See eleven of the men who ran for vice-president and the actors they resemble at mental_floss. Link
Social Media Sentiments Explained
WHEN I TRY TO EXPLAIN TO MY PARENTS WHAT MY JOB IS.
If you work in social media, then this is the Tumblr for you: Link - via Adverve
Kids Singing About Death = Creepy
This music video by Peter Alsop is supposedly meant to teach children about death, but I think it’s actually just a cheap way to scare the living hell out of people searching the interwebs for cute kid vids.
And the way Peter inserts himself into the video doesn’t help reduce the creepy factor. My favorite line-”will my foot hurt when I kick the bucket?”
–via Best Week Ever
Using Super Mario Bros. to Explain Medieval Manuscript Illumination
No, you’re not looking at a secret level in a Super Mario game. This is a picture of a medieval illuminated manuscript with a touch of photoshoppery applied. Carl Pyrdum, a medieval scholar, uses our friendly plumber to explain the artistic norms of the medium:
In order to keep the man and his goat in the middle from falling right on through the bottom of the page, the artist draws in little patches of ground beneath them.** Mario, no stranger to platforms that hang in the air as if bolted to the background, would feel right at home with this arrangement.
Link -via Boing Boing
Good News, Neatoramanauts: The Mayan Doomsday is Delayed
Photo: Tyrone Turner/National Geographic
Did you just put a down payment on that luxury missile silo condo to spend the Apocalypse in comfort? See if you can get your money back as archaeologist William Saturno has discovered a mural in a Mayan ruin that contradicted the Maya Doomsday of December 21, 2012:
Link - Thanks Tiffany!Working with epigrapher David Stuart and archaeologist and artist Heather Hurst, the researchers noticed several barely visible hieroglyphic texts, painted and etched along the east and north walls of the room.
One is a lunar table, and the other is a "ring number"—something previously known only from much later Maya books, where it was used as part of a backward calculation in establishing a base date for planetary cycles. Nearby is a sequence of numbered intervals corresponding to key calendrical and planetary cycles.
The calculations include dates some 7,000 years in the future, adding to evidence against the idea that the Maya thought the world would end in 2012—a modern myth inspired by an ancient calendar that depicts time starting over this year.
Live Tweeting a Brain Surgery
Live tweeting a tech conference is so mundane compared to what neurosurgeon doctor Dong Kim of Memorial Hermann hospital in Houston, Texas.
He live tweeted a brain surgery yesterday.
It's a good thing that we didn't see "oops" being tweeted during the operation: Link (warning: graphic images. It is, after all, brain surgery, folks!) | Mashable has the backstory.
Blinged Out Machine Gun
This beautiful/hideous machine gun is a customized Browning M1919, converted to semi-auto and covered with nickel plating. All of the accessories, including the tripod and ammunition boxes, have been decorated in exhaustive, shiny detail. You can view several more pictures at the link.
The Strangest Tanks of World War I
Yesterday we posted about The Strangest Tanks in History at Dark Roasted Blend. Now part two is up, covering tanks of World War I, when armies got serious about building tanks, and tried a wide variety of designs. The tank pictured here is called Best’s Track Machine Model 75, an American design. See lots more in part two of this tank history series. Link
Woman Fired For “Living in Sin”
Could you lose your job because you're "living in sin" with your boyfriend?
That's what Ashlie Simpson, 31, of Colorado, claimed. She said that her employer Colorado Christian University fired her because of her lifestyle:
"I was shocked to learn that CCU was concerned about my personal life, and even more distressed when they chose to fire me because of it," Simpson told ABC news. "When they refused to discuss it further, I felt I had no choice but to take legal action."
Simpson's attorney, Elwyn Schaefer, said a coffee break may have sparked offensive questions about his client and her lifestyle by university staff.
"We believe she was penalized for her lifestyle, mainly living with her boyfriend," Schaefer said.
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