It’s always the obvious inventions that seem to get the most attention.  I mean, a flat ladle is a genius idea; aren’t you kicking yourself for not having thought of it first?  Or if you have invented something like it in your home workshop, aren’t you mad you didn’t pitch it?  It’s definitely better than scraping the bottom of the pot with a tablespoon, hoping to get the last of the chili out.

Tags: inventions, kitchen utensils, kitchen appliances, scrudle, combination ladle and spatula, Finish, Margaret O’Callaghan, Lakeland

This isn’t the first time we’ve had someone’s life get saved by a handy personal use device, but this is the first time that someone has saved himself accidentally.  Why didn’t he just take his backpack off before his attempted death plunge?  I don’t know.  Seems like a good question to me.

After all, you can’t take it with you.  Well, I guess in this case you can, but it will also keep you from successfully ending your life, so maybe it’s best not to take it with you.

Image:  Oddity Central

Tags: suicide attempts, man saved from suicide by backpack, life-saving backpack, man saved by backpack, Greece, Gulf of Corinth

Every day, Tom Baker deals with the issue of traffic.  Given Southern California’s massive concentration of cars, it’s no wonder that Baker would get frustrated dealing with the daily traffic routine.  That inspiration resulted in these great images of Los Angeles without the cars.   Here’s the full image gallery, and it’s awesome.

I love the movie 28 Days Later.  Set in a post-apocalyptic London, the movie was actually filmed in London.  You can’t exactly block off all the traffic on Fleet Street during the business day, so director Danny Boyle had some inventive solutions to his issue.  First of all, he did most of his daytime filming as early in the morning as possible, like 5 AM early.  Secondly, he used digital editing technology like the kind Tom used to remove the traffic.  The result is some very chilling scenes featuring a disheveled Cillian Murphy wandering around the creepy, empty streets of Great Britain.

Tags: photography, Los Angeles, California, Tom Baker, school projects, LA without cars, alternate universe, Photoshop, unusual images

Generally, I have no problem with automatic gratuity for large parties, but a group of six isn’t a large enough party to merit an automatic tip in my opinion.  If the service is that terrible, and it sounds like to me that it was simply because they had to set their own table and refill their own drinks, they shouldn’t have to pay a tip.  It would’ve been easier to just pay the bill, but doing the right thing has never been easy.

I hate to be that guy, but sometimes?  A waiter or waitress doesn’t deserve a tip.  There, I said it.  I’ve had great service, and I tip generously for it; I’ve also had some horrible service, where I left a dollar.  It’s not good etiquette, but if someone doesn’t earn more than a buck, they’re not gonna get more than a buck.  That’s just how I roll.

Image: me and the sysop Flickr

Tags: arrested for not paying tip, theft, tipping, bad service, restaurants, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Leslie Pope, John Wagner, Lehigh Pub

Have you ever wondered where salt comes from?  I mean, salt is in everything from fertilizers (potassium chloride) to the dinner table (sodium chloride), but where does it actually come from?  Why, salt mines, of course!  They’re not just for horrible industrial accidents or mad scientist lairs anymore.  English Russia has a great look inside the workings of an actual salt mine.

For example, I had no idea that salt was mined from the length of the tunnel (or longwall in mining parlance), rather than at the end of the tunnel like how I assume everything else is mined.   Each pass of that harvester up there eats up 10-20 inches of mine wall!  I guess that’s why salt mining operations expand outward, moreso than sinking deeper into earth.  Miners use giant hydraulic supports to hold up the roof; when it’s time to mine a different area, those supports are removed and (eventually) the mine collapses in on itself, sealing the hole.

Safe, huh?  You could not pay me enough to be a miner!  Working in a pit in the dark, below ground, constantly risking being buried alive?  No thanks.  Fortunately, we’ll soon be able to get all the salt we need from Mars.

Tags: mines, mining industry, salt mines, Russia, where salt comes from, potassium chloride, fertilizer, sodium chloride, table salt, behind-the-scenes

Revealing what is one of the worst-kept secrets in computing, Google has finally announced that they were indeed going public with the development of a computer operating system, cleverly called Google Chrome OS.  You can read the blow-by-blow coverage of the Chrome OS announcement press conference if you’d like (it’s worth a look for the illustrations and the answered questions), but the LA Times has cut to the chase.

Google’s OS philosophy is, basically, the computer as a television.  Turn it on, and it’s on and ready for use.  None of the very slow loading process users must currently endure.  While Chrome OS isn’t ready for this holiday season, Google has opened their code up to developers with an eye on getting the product onto netbooks by 2010.

Given that Chrome OS is going to be running off solid-state drives and is going to be heavily based on cloud computing (using the internet to access the operating system and its various functions), it’s going to be very easy to use, take up very little space on your PC, and will be able to boot up in seconds.  For what most people use their computers for, it’ll be perfect, assuming it matches the quality of current instant-on Linux distributions.  My current desktop computer’s ASUS motherboard already comes with Splashtop, and I have to say that it’s awesome.  It boots up in seconds, and it gives me a web browser, music player, chat program, picture editor, and Skype.

If Chrome OS can do more than this on a netbook, then I’m sold.  Especially if it’s cheap.  I’m not crazy about it being so tied into an Internet connection, but that’s why I have my desktop.

Tags: Google, computers, technology, Google Chrome OS, operating system, Linux, Google OS, cloud computing, explanations, Splashtop, ASUS

When you’re sitting in the theater, all decked out in your Twilight gear, you’re going to want a snack.  I mean, it’s only natural, right?  Once you walk into the theater and you smell that wonderful popcorn smell filtering in from the lobby, even the strongest-willed of dieters feels a moment of weakness.  However, if you ARE a dieter, or you just care about the health of your heart, you might want to skip the popcorn.  And the fizzy drink.  And the pizza.  Basically, don’t eat anything at the movies.

This isn’t news.  I mean, people have been talking about how unhealthy the giant tub of movie popcorn is for years, but to see all the nutritional information right there is just impressive.  I mean, the medium popcorn bucket is 20 cups? A large soda has enough sugar in it to bake a chocolate cake?

That’s an impressive amount of unhealthiness, but like everything unhealthy, movie popcorn tastes awesome.  That’s why, if I’m going to succumb to the temptation, I’ll get a small popcorn and a plastic bag so I can save the rest for later/the next day.  That doesn’t make it any healthier, but it does spread the unhealthiness out evenly.

Image:  TMC

Tags: popcorn, movies, movie theater popcorn, movie theater snacks, dieting, giant portions of food, calorie content, calories, healthy snacks

For some reason, the kids these days love the Twilight saga.  Believe me, it pains me to call it the Twilight saga, because to me a saga is a great, sweeping work of masterful literature, not a teenage vampire romance novel.  Either way, the latest movie based on the Twilight books, New Moon (officially The Twilight Saga:  New Moon), is coming out today, and the market has been flooded with some downright disturbing Twilight tie-in products.

Some of these are just horrifying beyond words.  I mean, I kind of understand the Edward Cullen underpants, because that’s an article of clothing and can be worn.  However, the one thing that amuses me the most is the Twilight-themed perfumes.   I don’t know about you, but I want to smell like a wet dog, a dead guy, a boring chick, and someone named Alice.  For all I know, they smell great, but… yeah, the Twilight tie-in just makes me want to use them to mask the smell of my vomit.

I guess it’s no different than Forks, Washington marketing itself as the hub of Twitardation. People have to make money, and I guess once Twilight frenzy fades, you can change the labels on the scents back to something more respectable.  Some of this other stuff is just inexcusable.

Tags: Twilight, New Moon, movie marketing, tie-ins, souvenirs, disturbing products, Stephanie Meyer, movies, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, merchandise

The Moldovan military isn’t very large.  There are only about 6500 men in Moldova’s armed forces, defending a country of about 3.5 million.  However, what the Moldovan military lacks in manpower they make up for in breath power.  You see, in order to fight off the swine flu that is raging throughout the country, the Defense Ministry’s chief doctor, Col. Sergiu Vasislita, has ordered that all soldiers receive a ration of garlic and onions to be eaten daily.  After all, we can’t all get swine flu priority like Santa.

In Moldovan folklore, garlic and onions are felt to boost the immune system.  I guess the breath funk becomes so bad it kills the germs before they can make it through the mouth?  I’m not sure how it’s supposed to work, but I’m all in favor of garlic-flavored everything.   I don’t need a secret Soviet lab report to tell me that garlic-sauteed onions will be delicious.

Tags: Moldova, Moldovan army rationed garlic and onions, garlic and onions, swine flu, folk remedies, superstition, Col. Sergiu Vasislita

People worry about all kinds of crises as the world ends, but as the movie Zombieland taught us, sometimes it’s our snack foods that are most important to our happiness.  For Tallahassee, it was his beloved Hostess Twinkies.  If your favorite food is the humble Eggo waffle from General Mills, then you’d best head to the store.  Apparently, there’s a critical shortage of Eggos.

Time to change the slogan to “Leggo my Eggo… or else feel the wrath of my hungry fists!”  Two of the factories that churn out the crispy waffly goodness that is the toasted-warm Eggo are out of commission or working at reduced capacity.  General Mills estimates production stock won’t be restored to normal until 2010, so I suggest you invest in your own Hello Kitty waffle iron at home, or find another way to use your maple syrup.

Tags: Eggos, waffles, The Eggo Crisis, Eggo waffle shortage, General Mills, frozen waffle shortage, food shortage, production problems, the waffle crisis

Lots of people like to think they’ve got the skills of a keyboard ninja, but what good is a ninja without weapons?  Yes, he can still sneak around and attack any technological problem with his or her bare hands, but it’s so much easier and messier if you have something you can do damage with.  So, for the digital ninja and webspace warrior, here are 15 awesomely geeky USB weapons.

Obviously, my favorites are the ninja weapons, but the USB .50 caliber bullet-casing thumb drives are also very awesome.  Just make sure you don’t take it through airport security, huh?  If those are a little too useful for your tastes, there are also a wise variety of USB-powered air cannons, Nerf guns, a radio-controlled tank, and all sorts of other fun, useless goodies that qualify as USB armaments under the Geneva Convention.

Tags: USB drives, toys, geeky gadgets, USB weapons, toy ninja weapons, USB ninja, memory stick, USB toys

I love goofy little websites like this.  From the Wal-Martians to quality engineering, I love a nice, odd corner of the Internet to investigate.  If it’s something that can result in some comedy thanks to random word generation, even better.   That’s why when Mysterio offered to predict my holiday gifts, I jumped at the chance.

I mean, come on!  Look at him up there!  He’s got to be some kind of super-magical genius.

Using his powers, I probed into the infinite to determine what my dad was going to get me for Christmas.  So far, I’m getting Jazzercize lessons, a bag of bees, and a much-needed coupon for back waxing.  I guess I can count on those in addition to the plush new housecoat I got from them just last night. That bag of bees is going to come in very handy.

Image and Hat-Tip:  Neatorama

Tags: websites, fun websites, mysterio predicts your holiday gifts, wry baby, mysterio predicts, holiday gift predictions, comedy, funny websites

While fishing in a retention pond in Palm Springs, Florida, a 14-year-old boy fished up something that doesn’t belong in Florida.  This invasive species is the dangerous meat-eating piranha.  That’s right, there were not one, but two piranhas caught in the wild in the United States. The most troubling aspect is that the two piranha that were found were a male and a female, which means there might be piranha babies out there, and that means there might be a self-sustaining population of those fish wreaking havoc on the local population.

Just think, people in Florida were worried about pythons.  Now, there’s a legitimate animal to be afraid of (because it could possibly come after humans).  If a piranha infestation sounds like something out of a horror movie, that’s because it is.  In 1979, Joe Dante teamed up with Roger Corman for Piranha, a movie about… well, a bunch of piranha that invade a quiet resort town.  A resort town like… Palm Springs.

Tags: piranha, flesh-eating fish, piranha caught in retention pond, Palm Springs, Florida, invasive species, dangerous fish, 14-year-old catches piranha

“I was interested in the question of whether my son, going through his first language acquisition process, would acquire it like any human language,” Speers said in this interview with the Minnesota Daily.  “He was definitely starting to learn it.”  Because that’s such a useful skill.

Here’s my question:  when it was time for the child to learn English, how much trouble did he have adapting to a normal-sounding language, rather than the extremely phlegmy Klingon dialect?

Tags: Minneapolis, Minnesota, d’Armond Speers, Klingon language, Star Trek, man teaches son Klingon as a first language, linguistics, experiments, Ultralingua

Among the many groups of folks who get swine flu vaccine priority are child-care workers like teachers, daycare employees, medical personnel, and those sorts of people.  Given that swine flu is everywhere, people are jockeying for a place on the swine flu priority list.  There are only so many vaccines to go around, and thousands of people want them.  That’s why one group of public employees, the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, is asking that Santa Clauses throughout the US get bumped ahead of normal people on the swine flu vaccine list.  They consider themselves a high risk group.

It might be an easily dismissed request, but once I started to think about it… it is perfectly reasonable.  The average Santa has to go through hundreds of kids in an 8-hour shift of picture-taking.  Given that Christmas is right around the corner, who do you think is going to handle more sniffly, sneezy, snotty little kids than all of those groups mentioned above?  Right, Santa.  Just imagine how many kids could get infected by one ill Father Christmas!

Tags: swine flu, swine flu vaccine, priority list, Santa Claus union demands swine flu vaccine, vaccine priority, Santa Claus, Christmas, holiday workers, Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, Father Christmas, mall Santas

You know, it’s got to be pretty embarrassing if you get stuck in a wall.  I mean, it’s okay for a cute little hedgehog to get stuck in a wall, because it’s a hedgehog.  It has a brain the size of a walnut; you don’t expect it to be smart enough not to crawl halfway into a hole it can’t fit all the way through.  But when you’re a 22-year-old man who gets stuck trying to break into a supermarket, you should be smart enough to know when you can’t fit.  You should also be smart enough not to lose your pants.

The Romanian was apparently trying to sneak his way into a window in Lisbon, Portugal.  Why did he lose his pants?  Nobody knows.  Maybe someone noticed he was stuck and pantsed him, to remind him that crime does not pay?  Or maybe someone pantsed him just because it’s funnier that way.  You never know.

Image: method sans madness

Tags: Lisbon, Portugal, stuck in wall, man stuck in wall, break-ins, man gets trapped during burglary, pantsless crook stuck in wall, bad ideas, robbery

It’s kind of a dreary, wet day here.  I’m not feeling my best, I’m having a bad day at work, and quite frankly, I could use a pick-me-up.  Thankfully, MLW Photography has put together an incredible slideshow video detailing a walk through Manhattan’s beautiful and famous Central Park set to the song “Life in Technicolor II” by Coldplay.  It’s just what I’m needing today.

I’ve always wanted to go to New York, if only to see this park.  It’s a must-visit stop on any tour of Manhattan for me, no matter what time of year I might be going, or whatever else might be going on.   Even though we have some Frederick Law Olmsted parks here in Louisville (Iroquois, Shawnee, Seneca, and Cherokee parks), all four of them together are nothing like Central Park.  Maybe because Central Park is in the most famous city in the world; or maybe because Central Park is one giant park rather than four very large parks.

Tags: slide shows, MLW photography, Central Park, New York City, New York, Manhattan, video tour of Central Park, Coldplay, Life in Technicolor II, music videos, parks, Frederick Law Olmsted, famous parks

I’ve never seen anything quite like this.  Just a little strip of it on one side of a wall helps support the bricks or concrete through any amount of abuse.  A wrecking ball would normally make short work of a red brick or concrete block wall, but with a strip of that adhesive webbing, it takes a beating but keeps on standing.  Even when the wall does take damage enough to bow in, the webbing holds the bricks together and keeps the wall from collapsing!

Talk about your Survival Town, USA.  If one strip of this paper is so damage resistant, I just wonder how two or three pieces together might work to support buildings and toughen car door panels.

Best Of What’s New 2009: Bombproof Wallpaper Test from PopSci.com on Vimeo.

Tags: X-Flex, bomb-proof wallpaper, Kevlar wallpaper, building materials, unusual videos, Berry Plastics, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

The idea is there.  You take a pair of normal workout pants, combine them with the MP3 player of your choice, and then figure out a way to turn the kinetic energy generated by movement (like running or biking) and turn it into actual energy to power the MP3 player.  That’s the idea behind the Dancepants Kinetic Music Player, a shortlisted entry in the finals of Designboom’s Green Life competition.

The entry was created by Lithuanian designers  Inesa Malafej and Arunas Sukarevicius, and I have to say, it’s genius.  It’s guaranteed to keep you moving and shaking your money-maker to the music so long as the good tunes keep coming, but there are some issues.  One of them is the question of how you generate the electricity from the leg movements.  The other is related to insulating the wires from those of us who tend to sweat heavily.  It wouldn’t do to be running along, only to drop dead from electric shock.

Image: Ecouterre

Tags: dancepants, workout clothes that generate power, MP3 player pants, kinetic energy, fitness clothes, green energy, unusual clothing, Inesa Malafej, Arunas Sukarevicius, Green Life competition

Fashion designer Marc Ecko’s designs draw from a variety of inspirations, but there’s nothing as cool as his Black Rhino clothing articles.  After all, the Black Rhino collection is the home of the incredibly awesome Black Rhino Jason Hoodie, inspired by Jason Voorhees and the classic 80’s slasher movies in the Friday the 13th series.  There are some other really cool designs in there:  a Saw-inspired Billy The Puppet hoodie, a Friday the 13th shirt, some Batman and Joker designs, and even some KISS wear.

However, there’s nothing like that Jason Hoodie.  It’s really killer.  (Sorry.)  Even though the hoodie retails for $98 dollars and I’m totally not the kind of guy that shops for designer duds, it’s a serious temptation.  Even moreso than his Star Wars collection!  Coming from a huge Star Wars nerd, that’s a gigantic compliment.

Tags: horror fashion, Friday the 13th, Star Wars, Black Rhino, Cut & Sew, Jason Voorhees, Black Rhino Jason Hoodie, Marc Ecko, designers, hooded sweatshirts, hoodies, unusual clothing, cool clothes

Police in Tamarac, Florida, are looking for a man who robbed a TD Bank location in Broward County on Monday morning.  The clues to his identity are sketchy, but odds are you’ll smell him before you see him.  You see, this mystery robber has been called the bad breath bandit (by me) due to his “notably bad breath.”

There have been a lot of weird criminals lately, from bank-robbing geezers to crooks armed with spoons and magic marker masks.  Has the economy gotten so bad that everyone is getting desperate enough to rob banks, even when they’re not the hardened criminal type?  Once upon a time, bank robbers were professional criminals, looking to merely get in and get out as fast as possible and with a minimum of interaction.  Or at least that’s what the TV tells me.

Image:  Doctor Secrets!

Tags: bad breath bandit, robber with bad breath, bank robbery, unusual crimes, Tamarac, Florida, TD Bank

Accidents happen, but who is responsible for those accidents?  When Shane Reese, a 12-year-old kid at Intermediate School 219 in the Bronx, New York, took a soccer ball to the face during an impromptu dodgeball game involving over 100 students, he got hurt.  It’s not surprising, considering soccer balls are much harder than those soft red rubber playground balls.  Shane wasn’t even involved in the game, given that he’d recently had dental surgery to repair some teeth lost in a car wreck.  When the ball hit Shane’s new grill, those new teeth broke.

Pretty much any injury on school grounds is troublesome for school officials, so they offered Shane and his family an immediate $20,000 settlement to make up for the injury.  Of course, given that dodgeball is discouraged these days, school officials used the wrong kind of ball, and they had entirely too many students playing at once, they’re just trying to cover their own behinds from the inevitable lawsuit.  They probably won’t regret not taking the money.

Tags: Shane Reese, Bronx, New York, student lost teeth in dodgeball games, lawsuits, Intermediate School 219, student offered 000 settlement for missing teeth, injuries, dodgeball

The common belief is that this cryptid is nothing more than a snake or, perhaps, a manatee.  They’re known to get into the canals down there in Florida, so it’s not difficult to imagine that might be what it is, but Sittlow is convinced it’s more than that (and given that the shadow caught on film moving in the water is 30 feet long, odds are it’s not a manatee). At the very least, it’s some sort of mutated version of a giant snake in his eyes.  It’s a retreat from the sea monster line, but not much of one.

It would be really cool if it was a legitimate sea monster, wouldn’t it?

Tags: sea monster, canal monster, Tampa, Florida, Madeira Beach Monster, Normandy Nessie, beach monster, cryptids, cryptozoology, Russ Sittlow

Unfriend is basically adding a prefix to an existing word, so I’m not sure how it counts as word of the year when you have legitimately new words entering the lexicon like netbook, sexting, paywall, and hashtag. Considering that there seems to be a pretty big fissure between those who say unfriend and defriend for the definition, “to remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook,” it’s clear that unfriend is causing a lot of controversy.

Personally, I would’ve gone with netbook.  It’s an entirely new category of consumer electronics device that didn’t exist last year.  Much like the iPod before it, these extra-small, energy-efficient, subcompact computers are becoming the must-have accessory for college students and others who need to work on the go.

Tags: word of the year, unfriend, Facebook, Twitter, New Oxford American Dictionary, dictionary word of the year, new words, language trends, social networking

I’m not even sure how that’s possible outside of the sideshow.  I mean, that’s either a really big suitcase they stuffed into the back of their Ford Explorer, or it was a very small woman they brought across the border into Texas.  My back’s cramping up just thinking about that hot ride through the desert in a Samsonite.

Tags: illegal immigration, woman tries to sneak across the border in a suitcase, woman hides in suitcase, Maria Candelaria Moreno, Ricardo Moreno Esparza

As the old saying goes, “Be careful what you wish for, you must might get it.”  No doubt Cheng Yu was like every other kid growing up and wished he could have dessert for every meal.  Then he met Tian Mae, compulsive baker.  Now his marriage is on the rocks thanks to cake for every meal.  As it turns out, that’s not quite as much fun as it seems when you’re told, “If you don’t eat your dessert, you can’t have any dinner!”

Cheng says he was happy with all cake, all the time at first, but eventually it got old.  “Egg cake, fruit cake, chocolate cake.  I felt like a bakery dustbin,” he was quoted as saying.  I can’t say I blame him; I was okay with the idea of eating cake with every meal until he mentioned fruit cake.  Blech.

Image: Cake Wrecks

Tags: forced to eat cake, man divorces wife over cake for every meal, be careful what you wish for, unusual divorces, Cheng Yu, Tian Mae, Beijing, China, too much cake, cake for every meal

What do you do when the bear won’t shoo?  Well, if you’re an anonymous 11-year-old boy in Driggs, Idaho, and you’ve got an American black bear on your front porch, threatening your family, there’s only one thing you can do.  Take care of the threat.  The boy grabbed a rifle and, after the bear refused to budge, shot it at point blank range.

It’s no fun to shoot a bear, but when it’s your life or the bear’s life, what choice do you have?  Given how inquisitive bears get, it’s not surprising when this kind of thing happens.  The area around Driggs has been the site of frequent bear sightings in the days leading up to the shootin, with another bear getting trapped and put down for home invasion in that area, and other bears have been spotted around the county transfer station.

As the weather turns colder, bears often come down from the mountains in search of food, leading to an increase in human/bear scuffles, sometimes with deadly results.  In this case, the bear ended up on the short end of the stick.

Tags: Driggs, Idaho, 11-year-old shoots bear on porch, boy kills bear, boy shoots bear on front porch of his home, black bears, animals

In some ways, the biggest mistake you’ll ever make is your last one.  That’s what a crocodile in Tanzania found out when he confronted a group of hippos in the River Mara.  The creature approached the group of hippos, but when they formed up defensive ranks to protect their babies, for some unknown reason, he thought it’d be a great idea to try to run across their backs to get away from the more aggressive members.  As this resulting photo gallery from BBC Wildlife Magazine shows, that idea was made of fail.

It looks like he made it a pretty far distance before the crushing hippo mouths and tusks did their damage to him.  I’m kind of impressed he was even able to clamber up onto the backs of those hippos, myself, given how aggressive and dangerous they are.  That cuddly exterior belies a seriously butt-kicking beast; don’t be fooled by looks.

Tags: fail, crocodile attacked by hippos, animal warfare, animal fights, nature photographs, animals, nature, wild animals, Africa, crocodile walking across hippos, BBC Wildlife Magazine, River Mara, Tanzania

There is nothing more exciting to the mind of a creative person than the allure of infinite possibilities.  And what sort of novel utilizes infinite possibilities more than science fiction?  There is no genre of literature that has so captivated the mind and so inspired the inventor than sci-fi, as you can see by these 15 inventions inspired by science fiction.  Who would have thought words in a book or images on a screen could drive those clever scientists to create some of our greatest technological wonders?

For example, the cell phone was inspired by the communicators of Star Trek and that e-readers like the B&N Nook were inspired by the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but those are pretty obvious examples.  I’ve also talked before about power-loading exoskeletons inspired by James Cameron’s movie Aliens.  Did you know that the atomic bomb was inspired by science fiction?  And that the home theater set-ups we love, with wall-sized TVs and surround sound, had their genesis in George Orwell’s 1984?  I didn’t.

That’s what I love about science, and science fiction.  Science fiction says, “Here’s something really cool that doesn’t exist!”  Science responds by making it exist.  I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Tags: inventions, science fiction, sci-fi, real-world inventions inspired by sci-fi, science inspired by literature, fictional inventions made real

Throughout history, there’s been one constant.  People are going to do whatever they can to make themselves more beautiful.  Whether it’s a tattoo of an Internet superstar like Tay Zonday, a tooth tattoo, an eyeball coloration, or even an amputation disguise, there’s no shortage of ideas on what people can do to the body to customize their appearance.  Web Urbanist has a great discussion of some of the weirder body mods out there, along with awesome (and awesomely gross) images to accompany each way to pimp your person.

I’m something of an oddity in my generation.  I don’t have any tattoos or piercings, and I never have.  I probably never will, either.  I have some scars, but they’re the kind I earned, not the kind I just got put on me so I can look cool.   Considering that everyone I know has some kind of body modification except for me, I feel like I’m the unusual one, rather than the chick with all the tattoos or the guy with a nose ring.

Tags: body modifications, body mods, amputations, corset piercings, unusual body modifications, tattoos, piercings, decorations, unusual implants

In some ways, Kavisha Seevnarain is a lucky woman.  I mean, sure she got robbed, carjacked, and thrown off a bridge, but other than that she’s pretty blessed.  Why?  Because she was thrown off a 200-foot bridge into a mostly dry river, yet she survived.

While driving to a friend’s house in Durban, South Africa, Kavisha was ambushed and kidnapped by four armed men.  They drove her around until 2 AM, forcing her to withdraw money from her bank account.  When she hit her daily limit (or they got tired of dragging her around), the thugs dragged her to the parapet of a bridge and callously tossed her over the edge.  She fell a staggering 200 feet, landing in a few inches of water.

It wasn’t enough water to cushion her fall, but it was enough to drown her if she lost consciousness, but she was able to stay awake and drag herself to the edge of the riverbank, where her cries attracted attention and help.  She broke seven ribs, fractured her pelvis, and injured her lower spine, but she’s alive.  Had the water been higher, she would have been swept out to sea.  Had she landed wrong, she would have lost consciousness and drowned (assuming she didn’t die on inpact).

Tags: crime, woman robbed and thrown off a bridge, South Africa, Durban, Kavisha Seevnarain, woman survives 200-foot fall into dry river

Everyone wants to eat healthier these days.  With all the weird chemical preservatives and colors in our food, it’s no wonder people are looking for any way they can to eat a more natural, balanced diet.  Shockingly, some people who aren’t me don’t want caffeine pumped into their food, even if there is the possibility that food additives will make them look younger.  But what about the pets?  Apparently, the raw food revolution is going to the dogs (and cats) with sushi for pets.

Out in the hipper parts of the country, dogs and cats are being trotted out to places like S.A.D. Dog Sushi and Pussy & Pooch’s Pawbar for California rolls and other pet-friendly sushi designed to be healthier for animals than traditional pet foods.  Given the amount of unnatural grains and general nasty garbage that goes into store-bought pet munches, I can’t really blame anyone for wanting to find Rover and Mittens a better way to eat.  If I wouldn’t eat it, I shouldn’t force my cat to eat it, either.

Tags: raw food, pets, animals, pet food, raw food for pets, Pussy & Pooch, Pawbar, S.A.D. Dog Sushi, healthier food for pets

However, it is pretty funny.  Adams has already apologized, and undoubtedly he’ll get a fine like the players get when they lose their cool during the game and start making rude gestures.  Given the historic rivalry between Adams Titans/Houston Oilers and Ralph Wilson’s Buffalo Bills, it’s only natural that there’s some animosity between the two ancient owners during the AFL’s 50th Anniversary celebration.

At his age, it’s still cool that he cares so much about the game and is more than willing to show his emotions.  Plus, given his money, a $10,000 fine is nothing.  He probably spends that much on powder blue suits and Ensure.

Image:  Globe and Mail

Tags: Bud Adams, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, NFL, team owner flips the bird to visiting team, rude gestures, Nashville, Tennessee, middle finger

In the predawn hours tomorrow, November 17th, keep your eye on the sky.  The annual arrival of the Leonid meteor shower is scheduled to peak in North America sometime between 3:30 and 5:30 Eastern time.  While the display is a yearly event, this year’s shower is expected to be especially impressive thanks to the limited amount of moonlight interference (the new moon was last night).

The Leonid meteor shower is an annual event for me.  Every night I’ll roll out of bed, wander outside in my coat, and watch the skies for a few minutes or longer (if it’s not too cold).  Then, satisfied with my galactic light show, I’ll trundle back inside and return to bed.

The Leonid meteor shower originates from the tail of the 55P/Tempel-Tuttle comet, first discovered in 1865 and 1866 by Ernst Temple and Horace Tuttle, respectively.   This year’s display is expected to be particularly strong, despite the comet’s distance from earth, due to the planet’s passing through the comet’s left-behind rubble.  It’s the prettiest space junk light show you’ll ever see (that isn’t astronaut pee).

Tags: meteor shower, Leonid meteor shower, astronomy, sky-watching, 55P/Tempel-Tuttle asteroid, light show in the sky

Katie Lynn Smith, a 20-year-old from Nitro, West Virginia, had a crush on a customer.  She saw the guy regularly, we assume, and eventually grew fond of the man.  In an attempt to curry favor with her suitor, she made him a sweetheart deal.  Namely, she gave him over $20,000 in discounted items from the Lowe’s Home Improvement warehouse where she worked in an attempt to buy his love.

I’m not sure if she successfully wooed her contractor love interest or not, as the article doesn’t say.  What is said is that Ms. Smith is now facing some pretty serious charges thanks to her “love for sale” scheme.  Here’s hoping it worked out better for her than it did for Brooke Hundley!  It’s always risky for an employee to pursue an customer, or vice versa.

Here’s hoping it was worth it.

Tags: Lowe’s Home Improvement, Nitro, West Virginia, clerk seduces customer with free goods, Katie Lynn Smith, unusual crimes, theft, 000 in discounts, love

The Register says they have assembled the world’s best gallery of the world’s filthiest computers.  That might not be hyperbole, as I don’t think I’ve ever seen a computer infested with spiders or with dead mice inside.  These images are truly impressive examples of how not to keep a computer in good working order.  Also, some of them are slightly stomach-turning, so be warned.

The average computer has lots of free time where it just sits around, unused.   Like anything, if you leave a computer sitting long enough, it’s going to gather dust and, every so often, you should get inside its case and, you know, DUST IT.  Just use a low-powered vacuum or air duster and knock out all the crud that’s gathered up over the month; just be careful not to damage any of the small working parts or to fry the motherboard with a burst of static electricity.

Tags: dirty computers, filthy computers, cleaning computers is important, computer infested with mice, computer infested with spiders, Internet Technology, IT, unusual images, disgusting images, pictures

Roopa Gulati from the Good Food channel wanted some enduring image that would remind people that food can be fun. Fruit and vegetables are the core of a good diet, to be sure, but there’s nothing fun about asparagus or celery or melons.  That’s why he turned to Carl Warner and a team of designers to craft a fruit-flavored London.  It’s an incredible display of delicious beauty.

Most of London’s notable landmarks were designed by Christopher Wren after the great fire of 1666, and it is his vision that is depicted in the fresh fruit and veggies in most of the places recreated in edibles.  There’s the Houses of Parliament depicted in green beans, runner beans, and baby sweet corn; St. Paul’s Cathedral rendered in baby leeks, various colors of courgette, and carrots; and even a depiction of Nelson’s column out of cucumber, courgette, and almond!

Image: Philipp Klinger

Tags: London skyline made of fruit and vegetables, Good Food channel, Carl Warner, Roopa Gulati, unusual food items, art with food, London landmarks made of food

As lights get smaller and more powerful, you’re going to start seeing them in more and more places.  For example, check out the Galaxy Dress from CuteCircuit.  This formal-style gown made of crinoline, chiffon, 4,000 Swarovski crystals, and 24,000 LEDs is a pretty impressive combination of form and function.  Assuming you want to function as a reading lamp or decoration, of course.

According to designers Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz, the designer dress uses the same amount of energy as two household lightbulbs, and is powered by a variety of tiny iPod batteries located throughout the dress.  I have to wonder one thing:  does it get hot?  I mean, not hot in the sense of thick clothing layers hot, I mean hot as in overheating batteries hot.  The dress has never been worn, after all, so nobody really knows.  Since it’s on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago right now, we may never know (at least until they make another one).

Video: Engadget

Tags: LED dress, galaxy dress, dress decorated with 24, 000 LEDs, Francesca Rosella, Ryan Genz, CuteCircuit, designer clothing, unusual clothing, light-up dress, Chicago, Illinois, Museum of Science and Industry

It’s not often that a professional football player feels the need to apologize for his on-field behavior when he does something smart, but Maurice Jones-Drew isn’t your ordinary football player.   Generally listed at 5′6, MoJo is a human pinball on the field, using his 200-pound bulk to run through and bounce off tacklers, making him a dynamo during the games and a sought-after player in fantasy football.  During a game Sunday against the New York Jets, with his team up by one with 1:48 left in the game, Drew took a knee on the Jets’ 10-yard-line, denying himself a touchdown, but allowing his team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, to run out the clock, kick a field goal, and win the game.  For this smart play, he apologized.

In fantasy football, you assemble a roster of players from the real world and are rewarded for their performance with points.  If MJD up there scores that touchdown rather than takes the knee, he adds six points to his total for the weekend.  By taking that knee, he denied his owners (himself included) of a crucial score.  By doing what was best for his team, he harmed his fantasy ownership.  It’s refreshing to see a football player apologize for doing the smart thing, rather than a dumb thing.

Image: NFL

Tags: football, fantasy football, maurice jones-drew, maurice jones drew, football player apologizes to fantasy football owners, games, unusual press conferences, public statement, mo-jo, jacksonville jaguars, new york jets, NFL, national football league

NASA’s crazy plan to bomb the moon to look for water might not have set off a war with the moon, but it did briefly capture the imagination of the public.  Also, it was successful.  That’s right, NASA’s LCROSS mission to punch a hole in the South Pole of our nearest celestial neighbor found water on the moon.  Best of all, NASA assures me that no naked moon penguins were harmed in the bombing of the lunar South Pole.

Our next step, of course, it to set up a lunar colony so we can fly deeper and deeper into space.  With this discovery of moon water, now we can make our own mooncrete.  After that?  Time to build a Starbucks and a McDonald’s next to the miniature art museum.  Moonsylvania looks like a great vacation spot this time of year, doesn’t it?

Tags: water found on the moon, the moon, space exploration, moon colony, NASA, moon bombing, LCROSS, experiments, weird science, water found in space