mental_floss Blog » Miss Cellania

The Weird Week in Review

Miss Cellania — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:20:40 +0000

Lost Man Drives 400 Miles to Get Newspaper

Eighty-one-year-old Eric Steward of Yass, New South Wales, Australia went out to get a morning paper on Wednesday. He took a wrong turn onto a highway and drove for nine hours before stopping to ask for directions! Steward ended up in Geelong, Victoria, 400 miles from home. A policeman called Steward’s wife, and sent him in the right direction for home.

“I just went out on the road to have a drive, a nice peaceful drive,” he told reporters, adding he did not need a satellite navigation device as he’d only been lost once.

The Hamster Hotel

The Hamster Hotel is now open in Nantes, France. No, it’s not just a clever name. Frederic Tabary and Yann Falquerho converted a room in an old building to a human-sized hamster cage complete with a running wheel and hay to sleep on. Guests will live like a hamster, to the point of even having grain offered for meals. The price for the room is currently 99 euros for a night, but the price will go up when Wifi and a TV screen are installed.

Dad Spoke Only Klingon to Child for Three Years

Minnesota linguist d’Armond Speers has a doctorate in computational linguistics. He says he isn’t much of a Star Trek fan. But he spent the first three years of his son’s life speaking to him only in the Klingon language!

“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. “He was definitely starting to learn it.”

Speers helped develop a digital dictionary in Klingon for Mac, Windows, and iPhone for the software company Ultralingua. Speer’s son is now 15 years old and doesn’t speak a word of Klingon.

Trimming a Hedge with a Crane

Two men in Cambridge, in the Waikato region of New Zealand have a different idea of how to trim an unruly hedge. They were spotted mowing the hedge with a riding lawnmower hoisted above the foliage by a crane! The two men, who wished to remain unnamed, joked that they might go into business with their unusual trimming method. After a scheduled hedge-trimming service didn’t show up, they came up with the stunt in order to make a video and hoped it would be popular on the internet. The friends managed to get a crane and a lawnmower, but had no video camera. The mower operator broke a hand during the stunt in a fall from the crane. However, passers-found the sight quite entertaining.

North Pole Mail Program Dropped

The 2,100 citizens of North Pole, Alaska take Christmas very seriously. Since 1954, they’ve volunteered for Operation Santa, a program of the US Postal Service which answers letters to Santa Claus. The program has volunteers all over the country, and many letters are routed through Alaska to get the special North Pole postmark. However, the USPS is discontinuing the practice of sending letters to the town of North Pole. New security restrictions on letter-writer’s identities are not feasible in the small Alaskan town. Children can still write letters to Santa Claus and get an answer, but they won’t go to North Pole.

Lion Opens Car Door with Teeth

Lion Safari Park in Johannesburg, South Africa allows cars to drive through the lion enclosure so people can see the animals up close. A family in a white Toyota drove through with the doors closed, but apparently failed to lock at least one back door. A 300-pound lion deftly reached over and opened the back door with his teeth. The family remained still for several seconds, supposedly in shock, before driving off as quickly as possible. The lion chased the car to a gate, where a park attendant held it back by throwing stones. Richard Holden was in a car behind the Toyota took pictures of the incident.

Students Arrested for Not Paying Tip

College students Leslie Pope and John Wagner and four of their friends went to the Lehigh Pub in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The bill came to $73, which Pope and Wagner paid, but they refused to pay the mandatory $16.35 tip, because they said the service was lousy. So they were arrested.

The pub, which was very busy that night, took the $73, but then called the cops, who treated the matter as a theft.

The menu clearly states, “18 percent gratuity added to check of parties of 6 of more,” and a similar message is printed on receipts, a pub employee said this morning.

The students will be in court over the matter next month.

Morning Cup of Links: Be A Martian

Miss Cellania — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:07:09 +0000

NASA needs lots of help sorting through the hundreds of thousands of images they’ve collected from the surface of Mars. To enlist volunteer participation, they developed the online game Be A Martian, in which players analyze data and collect points. (via Metafilter)
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Will turkeys respond to beatboxing any sooner than plain turkey calls? Well, you also have to factor in the giggling.
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Foreign Afflictions: Mental Disorders across Country Borders. Are mental illnesses in other cultures really different, or are the underlying processes the same with different manifestations?
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Children re-enact the First Thanksgiving. And and then go on to illustrate a big chunk of American history.
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Watch Stefanie Germanotta perform at an NYU Talent Show. She would later make a name for herself as Lady Gaga.
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It’s the Mother Nature we rarely get to see. Feast your eyes on the winners of the Olympus BioScapes 2009 digital imaging competition. (via Neatorama)
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Five Other Thanksgiving Holidays. As much as we appreciate the Pilgrims’ contribution to our holiday calendar, they are far from the first to set aside a holiday to give thanks for a bountiful harvest.

Run Your Life with Flowcharts!

Miss Cellania — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:36:08 +0000

Decisions, decisions -you make them constantly about big and little things. Daily decision making might be easier for you if you used these handy flowcharts. On the other hand, they might wreck your life! Choose wisely, but enjoy the ride.

Where should I eat?

Eating the Road has a handy flowchart to guide your decision depending on who you are, what you like, and what time it is.

How can I fix my computer?

You may as well do it yourself, as Randall Munroe laid out all the necessary steps in a flowchart at xkcd.

Which martial art should I use?

If you are in a situation in which you must defend yourself, the obvious answer would be “the martial art I know.” However, this is a Cracked flowchart, so we will assume that you know all forms. The linked article also includes a time line of the history of martial arts.

Does this webpage suck?

You don’t have a lot of time to waste, especially online where there is so much to explore. This flowchart helps you save time by quickly determining whether a web page is worth your time. See the full chart at Warped Visions.

Is he/she in it for love or for money?

Are you being taken for a ride in your current relationship? Logic will tell you, thanks to a flowchart by Michelle Lewis and Marek Haiduk. Don’t read it if you don’t want to know. The complete chart is at MadAtoms.

Should I buy her a drink?

There are a few things to keep in mind before you start something with a woman you never saw before in a bar. The rest of the chart is at Regretful Morning. The chart and/or the ads may be NSFW.

Should I buy more shoes?

The answer to this question depends on many things, most importantly your sex. For women, the answer is simple, although the decision-making process is so complicated it requires a flowchart. See the flowchart for men at Cracked.

See more funny flowcharts, including quite a few that will make the decisions in your life simpler, in these other mental_floss posts:
Fun with Flowcharts
7 Geeky Flowcharts
7 Brilliant and/or Baffling Flowcharts
7 Flowcharts for Fun

Morning Cup of Links: Ridiculous Invasions

Miss Cellania — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:07:55 +0000

20 Things You Didn’t Know About Sugar. Pick and choose the facts you need to bolster your argument for an extra dessert tonight.
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Six Crazy Internet Money Making Ideas (That Worked). The problem is that they most likely won’t work a second time. (via Gorilla Mask)
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Sidney the baby otter plays with his toys. I bet you haven’t seen anything this adorable all week.
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How Not to Take Over a Country: The Six Most Ridiculous Invasion Attempts in Military History. There are always a few folks with grand delusions who miss some vital detail, like resistance. (via Unique Daily)
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101 Ways to Get Ahead on Your Thanksgiving Cooking. You might save yourself enough time and stress to enjoy the parade on TV. (via Lifehacker)
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How (and why) did Twilight become such a phenomenon? It’s not just because preteen girls are smitten with vampires -older women are, too.
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Why We Eat What We Eat On Thanksgiving. Traditions may go way back, but many of them don’t go back as far as the Pilgrims.

Morning Cup of Links: Unfriend

Miss Cellania — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:12:36 +0000

Oxford Word of the Year 2009 is Unfriend. With friends like these, who needs unfriends?
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Not all mom and pop businesses are worth saving, but those who serve their community the old-fashioned way have a place. This look at Busy Bee Hardware in Detroit shows just why. (via Metafilter)
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Can you name the most commonly used words in the English language? In this quiz, you’ll have twelve minutes to name the 100 words most used. (via J-Walk Blog)
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Seventeen Things Worth Knowing About Your Cat. Who knew president Lincoln was such a cat lover?
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Subways provide a great laboratory for psychology experiments. Here are some things we’ve learned over the years from strangers crowded together in a moving tube.
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Gary Brolsma, the star of the hit video Numa Numa, conducts the MSU marching band. You can probably guess what song.
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The remote Mustang caves of Nepal are yielding treasures and artworks that lead explorers to think it may be the legendary Shangri-La.
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Before They Came to America: Giants of Hong Kong Cinema. You know the names, but you probably don’t know their history.

Nature’s Stone Giants

Miss Cellania — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:39:19 +0000

Stonehenge is impressive, but pales in comparison to the massive stone pillars Mother Nature gave us. The real stories of how they came to be are as fascinating as the legends that people use to explain unusual rock formations.

England: Brimham Rocks

The Brimham Rocks near Nidderdale, Yorkshire Dales, England are said to have been carved by druids, but they date back to around 320 million years ago when the Yorkshire area formed from sand and other materials washed down from Norway and Scotland, leaving an area known as the Millstone Grit. Later glaciers carved the land down, leaving the strangely-shaped stones exposed, in the period from roughly 73,000 BC to 10,000 BC. The rocks now stand at a little less than 30 meters tall. Some rocks resemble animals or human faces, and have been named for their appearance or for the local legends that grew up around them. The Brimham Rocks area is owned by the National Trust and is open daily for visitors. Image by Flickr user floato.

Canada: Flowerpot Island

Flowerpot Island, Ontario gets its name from two rock formations on its eastern shore. A local legend says that two lovers from warring tribes eloped to the island and were somehow turned to stone. A profile of a face is visible on one of the stones if you view it at the right angle. The island is part of The Fathom Five National Marine Park and is a popular tourist destination. Image by Thesofa.

Madagascar: Tsingy de Bemaraha

Tsingy de Bemaraha national park in Madagascar has a forest of limestone pillars. The word tsingy means “where one cannot walk barefoot.” Water eroded caves and passages through the land, the roofs of which eventually collapsed and left the pillars standing up to 70 meters tall. The tops of the rocks have a vastly different ecosystem from the valleys, and from the surrounding savannahs. The stone forest is home to thousands of species not seen outside of Madagascar. Image by Stephen Alvarez for National Geographic.

Russia: Man-Pupu-Nyor

Seven rock formations called Man-Pupu-Nyor (little mountain of the gods) stand in the Komi Republic, a part of the Ural Mountain area of Russia. The seven pillars range from 30 to 42 meters tall! They formed when erosion washed away the mountain that once surrounded them over a period of 200 million years. Legend says the stones are evil giants who had a spell cast upon them. The remote location of the pillars makes tourism difficult, but you can get there by helicopter or snowmobile if you are determined.

Northern Ireland: The Giant’s Causeway

The Giant’s Causeway is on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland. Legend says that the giant Finn McCool built the causeway so he could fight his enemy Benandonner in Scotland. The rock formation looks like a set of mostly hexagonal man made stepping stones, but this is a natural formation of basalt laid down by volcanic activity. During the Tertiary period some 65 million years ago, this piece of land was near the equator. Lava tubes pressed up through a chalk layer to form the pillars. The geometric shapes were caused by crystallization of the basalt as it cooled and cracked. The causeway is open to the public and can be reached by a shuttle bus. Devil’s Postpile is a similar formation in California. Image by Flickr user Jimbofin.

Faroe Islands: Drangarnir

Two sea stacks situated between the Faroe islands of Vagar and Tindhólmur are collectively called Drangarnir. The two rocks are called Stóri Drangur (large cliff) and Lítli Drangur (small cliff). You’ll find them halfway between Scotland and Iceland. They, along with the rest of the islands, were formed by eruptions of volcanic basalt. The best view of the stones are from the mountain on Vagar, which has tourist facilities. Image by Erik Christensen.

Morning Cup of Links: Altered Brains

Miss Cellania — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:02:06 +0000

Reprogramming brains with algae DNA and lights sounds like an evil plan for world domination. In this case, the aim is to cure patients of debilitating diseases.
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Twilight: Three Wolf Moon. In case you don’t get the joke, the backstory is here.
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The murders that inspired the book In Cold Blood happened 50 years ago this week. Here’s a look back at the crime, the book written about it, and how the town of Holcomb, Kansas dealt with its notoriety. (via Metafilter)
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7 Badass Vikings. Funny how a few bloodthirsty berserkers can give an entire ethnic group a bad name.
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A drunk bridesmaid, a bride with a nosebleed, and a disastrous pole dance attempt. Now that’s what you call a wedding to remember!
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National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen made friends with an Antarctic leopard seal. It was mostly a one-way relationship, as the seal considered him to be helpless and not-too-bright.
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7 Famous Phrases Famous People Own. Oh, you can say them, but you might get a bill afterward.

Cool Rider

Miss Cellania — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:34:05 +0000

We’re always looking for cooler methods of transportation. Cooler, meaning it looks good, it goes fast, it’s fun, and more and more it also means smaller and simpler. We want smaller bicycles we can carry with one hand or in a backpack. We want skates that don’t take up the entire closet floor. We want smaller engines that consume less power.

The Cool Rider is a minimalist design with the motor right inside the wheel. Fully assembled, it looks somewhat like a scooter. Take the bottom part off and it is even more minimalist -just a wheel on a stick that will pull you on your skates or a skateboard. The electric motor can achieve speeds of up to 12 miles per hour. A removable battery plugs into your wall to recharge, and will power the Cool Rider for an hour.

I couldn’t find a video of this gadget in use, and I haven’t read a review from anyone who has one, so I have all kinds of questions. How heavy is this? If it’s light enough to carry up the stairs, then I can see a problem with it bouncing on the pavement instead of hugging the road. The road? It doesn’t seem safe enough for a busy road. If it is to be driven on a sidewalk, then it may run into the same problems as the Segway in that it is just too fast to share space with pedestrians. I hope that it has a kill bar like a lawnmower that makes the motor die if it gets away from you. A commenter at Dvice compared this idea to using a weed whacker to propel yourself along the street. The price is $1,250 with a $50 shipping charge, so I suppose the machine has some heft to it. Yeah, that’s a lot cheaper than a Segway, but a lot of money to put out for an online purchase. I want to try something out before I lay down that kind of cash. Or at least see someone use it on YouTube.

Morning Cup of Links: Computer Filth

Miss Cellania — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:05:57 +0000

In most societies, men are more competitive than women. But not all, which points to the idea that competitiveness is a learned behavior and not a product of evolution.
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Have you cleaned your computer lately? You don’t want yours to end up in this gallery of dirty, dirty PCs.
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Diplomatic relations can get a little crazy when it comes to World Cup soccer. The last message is the most believable.
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The Physics of Touching Your Toes. A simple parlor trick can teach kids about stability, or else leave someone flat on their face.
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A soap bubble with a tornado inside? This has to be way more difficult than it looks!
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Apelad (of Laugh Out Loud Cats fame) has been writing and illustrating Limericks for Naughty Children. Safe for work, and even for naughty children. (via Neatorama)
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Amazin Blaze Heatin ana Beatin Welding Service. “If you don’t like the way I do it, I’ll let you try it.”
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Famous Globsters. Basically, a globster is a blobby-looking, unidentifiable carcass that has washed up on a shore somewhere.

The Weird Week in Review

Miss Cellania — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:29:13 +0000

Alfie the Canine Arsonist

A hungry dog in Llanfairfechan, Wales set fire to a home and caused £6,000 in damage. Paul Gregson, his wife, and two sons escaped the burning house just after midnight Tuesday. Alfie apparently was looking for something to eat when he jumped on the stove and turned on a burner. A chip fryer on top heated up and started the fire. Smoke alarms woke the family up and they were able to evacuate the home. Three-year-old Alfie is a flat-coated retriever, a breed Gregson says is “slow to mature”.

Thief Takes Van with Lion Inside

A thief in Wuppertal, Germany made off with a Mercedes Transporter owned by Circus Probst, apparently unaware that a lion was in the back. The van was recovered Wednesday morning with Caesar still inside. It is not yet known whether the presence of the lion led to vehicle being crashed and abandoned. It was found with the motor still running. Police who had the van towed away were also unaware of the lion in the back. Caesar was finally returned to the circus about twelve hours after the theft, and is reported to be fine.

25 Middle-school Students Arrested in Food Fight

A food fight broke out last Thursday at the Calumet middle school campus of Perspectives Charter Schools in Chicago. A campus police officer called for backup and Chicago police responded. By the end of the day, 25 students aged 11 to 15 were arrested and taken to jail for reckless conduct. The students were released to their parents and suspended from school for two days. Parents are questioning the decision to arrest the children. Erica Russell, the mother of two girls who were arrested, said:

“I was all for some other kind of punishment, but not jail. Who hasn’t had a food fight?”

Shark Gives Shark Caesarean Section

A shark at Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World in New Zealand was carrying four baby sharks when she was bitten into by another shark. The young were released into the water from the hole in her abdomen. Staff at the aquarium had no idea the shark was pregnant, and said the attack probably saved the baby sharks’ lives. If they had been born naturally in the same tank, stingrays and other adult sharks would have most likely eaten the babies. In this case, the newborns were quickly captured and isolated. They will eventually be released into the wild. The mother shark survived the incident.

Burglar Falls Asleep While Picking Lock

An unnamed 35-year-old man was found sound asleep at the entrance to a shopping center in Perth, Australia. He had a lock-breaking wire in his hand. Keys found on the man fit a nearby car that contained drugs stolen from a pharmacy. Samuel Dinnison of the Perth police department said he apparently fell asleep while picking the lock.

“He obviously had a long night, whatever he was doing, and that got the better of him,” Dinnison said.

Grizzly Bear Eats Airplane

An unnamed Alaskan bush pilot went on a fishing trip and neglected to wash down his plane afterward. The 1958 Piper Cub was just too much temptation for a passing grizzly bear to bear. The bear tore apart the wood-and-fabric plane looking for the fish he smelled, to the point of chewing on the tires! When the pilot returned to find the plane in tatters, he radioed for supplies to repair the plane: duct tape, cellophane, and two tires. He wrapped the plane in duct tape and flew home. The story includes a picture of the plane after repair.

Wedding Ring Found in Ten Tons of Trash

Bridget Pericolo put her wedding ring in a disposable cup, which no one should ever do. Her husband Angelo threw the cup in the trash. By the time the couple realized their mistake, the trash had been picked up by the Parsippany, New Jersey sanitation crew. The Pericolos, who have been married for 55 years, contacted the supervisor, who told them to go to the dump. Three sanitation workers sifted through garbage estimated to weigh about ten tons until they found the Pericolo’s trash bag, with the ring inside.