Here’s a 1930 Popular Science article "Thirteen New Aids Designed for the Busy Housewife" (including such gems as the electric lamp stove seen above, kitchen incinerator to burn all your garbage, electric toaster that toasts bread on both sides, and more!) : See Thirteen New Aids Designed for the Busy Housewife -
Welcome to the third in a Google Earth Sightseeing series that has seen competitive homeowners across the globe vying to emulate the affluence of their immediate neighbours - Keeping up with the Joneses! Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3. Check out neighbour copy behaviour - tennis courts, trampolines, and...airplane landing strips...
Don't try and lick your elbow (You can’t) and other interesting real facts (that are strange and might be true).
The "Forests Forever" project has been featured here many times before. Apparently this new beautiful forest photo exposition is the last part in the series. So check out Forests Forever, and take your time to slide through The Forest of Everlasting Admiration in the hidden valley of Shangri-La.
Dear right-minded people, check out this film about the annual Dolphin massacre in Japan (Please note: the video is shocking and gruesome.... be prepared!)
You don't have to watch it (completely), but at least sign the petition to stop this senseless butchery.
In Paris, a Roman City website, you can see the city as it stood when the Roman conquered it (then called a town of Lutetia [wiki]) in 52 BC: See Paris, the Roman City ....man, it's just a little village...
From George Washington's toothlessness (he has no teeth left by middle age), to Grover Cleveland's gout, to Franklin D. Roosevelt's polio, to Ronald Reagan's Alzheimer disease, and finally to George W. Bush's colon polyps, presidents throughout history suffer from the same diseases and ailments like the rest of us. Find out what diseases you have in common with the leaders of the free world!
A map showing which side of the road traffic drives on. If this world map vaguely looks like it’s highlighting a remnant of the British Empire, that’s no coincidence. But right-handedness, a trait shared by 85 to 90% of people, is the reason for the initial preference for left and for the switch to right side driving. See the map.
The Think Tank is a kinetic installation created in collaboration with the artist known as Trimpin. A system of 24 bobbing chickens triggers MIDI pulses, a typewriter controlled by a solenoid array types text, between the two, a computer generates random text based on President George Bush speeches analysis, and chicken pecking activity.
Design trends are constantly changing. After the vivid mix of different styles of the internet boom we have experienced a common trend to cleanliness and minimalism. What comes next?
Another great Google Earth sightseeing tour. In Chile’s Atacama Desert, there are many examples of ancient Incan geoglyphs, similar to the Nazca Lines in neighbouring Peru, but spread over a much wider area. In the northern desert the Chiza geoglyphs were made by carefully arranging the dark stones on the light sand to create figures of humans, birds and animals. Further south, we find the geoglyphs at Tiliviche - which is a huge drawing of a whole herd of Llamas being rounded up by a fat guy and a skinny guy. See for yourself.
With high-resolution images all over the globe, Google Earth has captured many sporting events actually in-progress, so today we proudly present - The Top 10 different sports you can actually see people playing on Google Earth!
From the the latest batch of Apple rumors it appears that Apple's next big move will be Multitouch displays. Just read the comments to see what the rumours are. Imagine a Macbook with no keyboard or trackpad, just a multitouch pad....moving your pointer to a dial in an audio app, then putting two fingers on the trackpad and rotating the dial? Scaling in photoshop? Put two fingers on the trackpad and pinch, At the presentation of the i-phone Steve Jobs at one point walked up to the 30" display ... and did a multitouch move. But the screen wasn't multitouch enabled, so it did nothing. Jobs moved on without mentioning it'. This is all concluded from the latest Apple patent apllications.
In this video, Jeff Han and Phil Davidson demonstrate how a multi-touch driven computer screen will change the way we work and play.
And here's more license plate fun. At "The Biggest License Plate Gallery Anywhere" there's a list of the Top 100 Rated Vanity License Plates.
A must-see website for all of you in your thirties: . It's based around toys from the '80s. Start with a quiz to challenge your memories, and when you're done explore all the toys who populated your childhood. Meet Alf, the Cabbage Patch Doll, He-Man, My Little Pony, the Commodore 64 and many more... .... Good Game Good Game
Brace yourself. James Cameron, the man who brought you 'The Titanic' is back with another blockbuster. This time, the ship he's sinking is Christianity. In a new documentary, Cameron makes the starting claim that Jesus wasn't resurrected and that his burial cave was discovered near Jerusalem. And...Jesus sired a son with Mary Magdelene. ...It's supposed to be true ! Cameron is holding a press conference tomorrow (Monday) at which he will reveal three coffins, of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother Mary and Mary Magdalene. See Jesusfamilytomb.com.
The Archaeology of Westpoint website presents over 4000 years of history to a broad audience through media-rich storytelling, while providing a useful tool for researchers to explore in detail the artifacts found at the Westpoint (USA) dig site. See The Archaeology of Westpoint
Always wondered how the occupation of America took place?? An animated map of U.S. county formation from 1643-present. See U.S. counties from 1643 to now.
Apple is introducing the long awaited iPhone as Steve Jobs announced during his annual keynote speech at MacWorld. But there's more. In this spoofed keynote speech by Greenpeace we hear that Apple turns green. Nice timing! See Green My Apple. (Apple knows more about "clean" design than anybody, right? So why do Macs, iPods, iBooks and the rest of their product range contain hazardous substances that other companies have abandoned?)
About an Australian Coca-Cola Poster Campaign that went horribly wrong, because of a hidden picture painted in ice-cubes at bottom right corner - a woman performing "an act". Wonder what happened to the guy responsible? Anyone know? See the banned poster.
The creative minds between Kazaa and Skype bring us Joost, which, like previous offerings, merits a pronunciation lesson: "yohst," not "juiced," according to AdCritic. It used to be called The Venice Project. Joost.com makes it so you can watch TV on the internet.
Today's lunatic might be tomorrow's Da Vinci... This fellow Paul Lafolley is certainly an interesting guy, with a different look at life and at art. Fascinating stuff. Just listen to his story here, and he'll even tell you that time-travel will be possible. Part 2 and Part 3 of the interview are here.
An answerbot integrated with a search engine, ...if you're ready for this smart talking radical broad giving comments about your search quiries...(she even handles a machinegun) ...try Ms Dewey
A wikipedia list of the largest historic gatherings of people for a single event. Naturally, top 5 gatherings were in India and in China
Strange blue lights in the night sky Wednesday in the USA were seen, but there are reports of similar sightings in Europe, a BBC story tells about strange lights in the night sky above Wales. And the US Air Force reveals secret weapons tests that sparked a global UFO frenzy ignited by an Air Force officer
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Another great use of Google maps. If you dig straight down, where will you end up? Only if you live in Chile or Argentina you will end up in China :)... Dig Straight Down
Good use of Google Maps in thsi one: they created dynamic maps of sea level rise. Does global warming matter to you? ....A rise of the sea level at 7 meters and there is not much left of countries like Holland or Bangladesh. But also Florida is in grave danger! See The Flood Maps
Find out more about myhts like Chickens can live without a head, Humans use only 10 percent of their brains, Yawning is "contagious", Animals can predict natural disasters, or You get less wet by running in the rain. See The most popular myths in science.
Writer's Dreamtools has a timeline of events, people, entertainment, fashion, money, etc. for every decade since 1650. This allows the writer to put herself in that time period and as a jumping off point for further historical research. Favorite categories: "who's in" and "what's in". What a great resource for writers: History By Decades
Was The Apollo Moon Landing Fake (And why haven't we been back to the moon in 36 years?). While common sense would say no, these folks say yes.
Just as the title says; your manual how to get rid of stuff - everything from stress, pubic hair, menopause, yellow teeth, cigarette smell, computer viruses, ...but also how to get rid of your girlfriends or your in-laws. See Howtogetridofstuff.com
The 50 greatest commercials of the 1980s. Amazingly includes video of every single commercial...prepare to waste your entire afternoon.And here are dozens of additional 80s commercials.
The shapes of things to come. What form will the phones of the future take? If they take any form at all. Interesting article (Economist).
If you watch the morning or evening sky these days and have a clear view of the horizon, you will be able to spot a bright object with a prominent tail: it's the Comet McNaught ! Instructions for viewing the comet in the morning from Spaceweather.com: 1) At dawn, go outside and face east 2) Using binoculars, scan the horizon 3)The comet is located just south of due east.
GLOBAL warming is one of the greatest threats to present day civilisation but work by a team of Scots scientists suggests the ancient Egyptians may have been earlier victims of climate change. Insight into this radical climate change at the heart of Africa has important implications for trying to understand the past, present and future climate. The flow of water would have slowed to a trickle, causing a devastating famine that lasted for 200 years, destroying the Old Kingdom and its people., leaving only the pyramids and the Sphinx at Giza as their legacy..
Always interesting...Soviet propaganda carpets....
In late December, Discovery Channel (US) aired a great documentary about the history of iPod. Since it's introduction in October 2001, Apple sold over 70 million pieces worldwide. An amazing story. (43 min. documentary)
The Disney website is pending a relaunch, which CEO Bog Iger is calling "the single most important, companywide strategy Disney is currently implementing." will allow people to personalize pages, play games, and create mash-ups of Disney content - and, under parental control, kids chat. The website will also offer an experience like a trip to Disney World: Smart, built-in revenue streams offer pay-to-play games, e-commerce (DVDs, theme park tickets) and advertising. Check out Disney.com
The BBC's annual list of 100 things we didn't know last year. "Barbie's full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts." Here are the 2005 and 2004 editions. The Tampa Tribune has a list of 50 things for 2006.
The pages of a medieval prayer text also contain words of ancient Greek engineer Archimedes. The sheepskin parchment originally contained a 10th century Greek text, which was erased by a 13th century scribe who replaced it with prayers. 700 years later, a forger painted gilded pictures of the Evangelists on top of the faded words. Underneath it all, however, is an exceptional treasure — the oldest surviving copy of works by the ancient Greek mathematician and engineer Archimedes of Syracuse, who lived in the 3rd century BC.
The Nepalese Ram Bahadur Bomjan, a teenaged boy who was hailed as a reincarnation of the Buddha (see earlier post) has reappeared after nine months of wandering through the jungles of eastern Nepal, police said. He disappeared in March after he reportedly shunned food and water for almost 10 months while he meditated under a pipal tree in Bara near a holy site in Nepal revered by Hindus and Buddhists. The mystery of the vanished Buddha Boy gripped Nepal.
The world is better in 100 different ways this year. Here you'll find a collection of this year's most stunning innovations: from the $100 computer to the Bugatti Veyron, from the Venus Express to the Nintendo WII. Check out the overview.
Test yourself: how well can you pick out countries on a map of the world?
It's the new YouTube. No, wait. The new MySpace. No, wait, the new Transbudha. No wait, the new Second Life. No, wait...oh fuck it, it's the Venice Project, it's just new. At least one major research outfit predicts that the online venture will do nothing less than create a new model for online video. Read more about it this thing...
What's the best selling book at Amazon for 2006? Well of course: it's Cesar's Way: (The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems) by Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer.
Just in time for the holidays, America's best-known Scottish terrier is back with a new video on the White House Web site. It's "Barney's Holiday Extravaganza," a production that follows Barney around the White House as he plans a holiday show, runs into trouble developing a plot and then wrangles over his budget with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Budget Director Rob Portman. The supporting cast includes President Bush, his wife, Laura, entertainer Dolly Parton, political strategist Karl Rove, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, Press Secretary Tony Snow and others. Miss Beazley, the Bushes' other Scottish terrier, and the first cat, Willie, also make appearances
The rowdy Dutch are at it again: "For over 200 years, we’ve watched our proud city evolve the wrong way. But the bell has chimed! The time has come for New York to be returned to its righteous owner: The Netherlands!” Check out the site "Give Us Back New York" - we demand let it again be New Amsterdam.
This one's going to be a collector's item in 50 years...when all polar caps have melted and most animal species have disappeared. Incredible naive stuff.. .though very interesting to know all the counter-arguments as well: the US Government Publishes The 'Skeptics Guide' To Global Warming...
Great stuff!! Another Forest Forever gallery. I always (!) go here whenever another beautiful photo gallery of a beautiful forest comes out. This time it's the Amazon. "It is more than just a forest. It is a veritable sea of trees.This carpet of dark green velvet covers the earth, An overwhelming number of strands of biological chains are woven into a tapestry that depicts the cosmos: a mandala of life. Why not go and explore it with us?" - The Green Cosmos of Life
