August 2012
158 posts
“A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither. A society that...”
– Happy 100th birthday, iconic economist Milton Friedman, author of Capitalism and Freedom. (via explore-blog)
July 2012
67 posts
List of Authors Whose Copyrights Have Expired →
The Flemish literary publication nY (formerly Yang) is putting together an issue around the central theme of authors whose copyright has passed because they’ve died more than 70 years ago, and whose works have subsequently entered the political domain, such as happened to James Joyce in 2012. Here is their (non-exhaustive) list consisting of authors that they thought would resonate with...
Termites explode to defend their colonies : Nature... →
Older workers use chemical reaction to increase toxicity of ‘explosive backpacks’.
“In America, the policeman is a working-class hero. In England, the policeman is...”
– Literary legend and freshly transplanted New Yorker Martin Amis on terrorism, pornography, idyllic Brooklyn and American decline (via explore-blog)
“Out: beards
In: farmer tans”
– (via magnificentruin)
The 'Strangelove' of Weegee →
cinephilearchive:
In early 1963 Arthur Fellig, better known to time, tide and memory as Weegee, journeyed to Shepperton Studios in Merrie England to document, however briefly, the production of Stanley Kubrick’s mirth-encrusted exploration of human dread, ‘Dr. Strangelove.’ In the process, the photographer not only captured more than one glimpse of moments that would not make it into the...
The Philosophy Of Kim Kierkegaardashian →
A new Twitter account brilliantly mashes up Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard’s existentialist thoughts with Kim Kardashian’s tweets and observations. It’s the only time the reality star will ever sound smart.
What Happened to Bob Ross' Paintings?
mentalflossr:
Bob Ross said he made over 30,000 paintings in his lifetime. If he didn’t sell them, where did his army of happy clouds go?
The smell of earth after rain
is called Petrichor, and it is caused by Geosmin.
Geosmin is an organic compound with the formula C12H22O. It’s produced by several classes of microbes, including cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and actinobacteria (especially Streptomyces), and released when these microbes die. The human nose is extremely sensitive to geosmin and is able to detect it at concentrations as low as 5 parts per...
Lowly Worm
citationneeded:
Lowly attends school with Huckle and plays with him and his friends, but also takes part in more adult activities, such as driving a car. Hilda Hippo also has a crush on him, which he’s reluctant to return, although he does consider Hilda a good friend.
Link
Q: Why Do We Wear Pants? A: Horses - Alexis... →
The surprisingly deep history of trouser technology.
WatchEvery Single Chewbacca Growl In The Star Wars Trilogy
SuperCut videos proudly presents the saga of the original Star Wars trilogy, as told by everyone’s favourite wookie!!
Clam stealing salt from a table
jkottke:
Can’t trust a clam farther than you can throw it, especially when salt is concerned, apparently.
Actually, I’m not sure if this video proves anything (what would happen if there was sugar on the table, or brownie crumbs, or cinnamon?) but it is pretty awesome. (via ★asimone)
Motorist banned from driving Flintstones car on... →
A motorist’s bid to begin driving a replica of Fred Flintstone’s footmobile has been foiled after German police ruled his Stone Age vehicle was too unsafe to take for a spin.
Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/903939-motorist-banned-from-driving-flintstones-car-on-german-roads#ixzz20AVHU5gA
