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9 People Who Did It Anyway

When you tell someone they can't do something, it often serves as a motivation to prove you're wrong, and disabled people are no exception. Of course, that's not the only reason they do exactly what they are supposedly not able to do. Some want to prove their abilities to themselves only, some want to set an example or help others, some do what they are good at, and some just do what they love. Dustin... READ ON

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The Many Views of Abbey Road

The Iain MacMillan photograph gracing the 1969 Beatles album Abbey Road made it one of the most famous album covers ever. It's such an iconic image that whenever you see a group walking single file on a zebra crossing, you automatically think of Abbey Road. It's been imitated, honored, lampooned, and recreated by countless artists. We'll take a look at just a few of their creations, but first, the original. The Simpsons The Simpsons TV show contains frequent Beatles references. This... READ ON

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6 Ways to Decorate Easter Eggs

Decorating eggs is a custom that dates back before what we know as Easter was ever celebrated. Eggs are a symbol of spring, renewal, and fertility for many cultures. And sometimes they are works of art. 1. Pysanky Eggs Pysanky eggs are an example of Ukrainian folk art. They are decorated in nature motifs using a batik method. The designs are drawn in negative with wax, and colors are built up using successive dye immersions. The wax design is changed as different colors of dye are used. The results can... READ ON

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6 More Restless Corpses

Many people are so fascinated with earthly remains that they want to view them long after death. To some, it's a sign of devotion to the person who once inhabited the body. For others, it's just plain morbid curiosity. And for a few, it's something even stranger. More stories can be found in the previous post 6 Restless Corpses. Bernadette Soubirous is St. Bernadette of Lourdes. Her 18 visions led to the establishment of a chapel at the grotto in Lourdes, France, and her later... READ ON

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6 Things that Resemble the Death Star

It's a simple shape, a sphere with a concave dish set in the surface. In 1977, the shape was forever linked to the movie Star Wars and is known as the Death Star. In the movie, it was a space station as large as a natural moon that housed the "ultimate weapon", a planet-destroying laser. 1. Hotel Full Moon The Hotel Full Moon in Baku, Azerbaijan is a design from Heerim Architects of Korea, to be built on a peninsula overlooking Full Moon Bay. The luxury hotel will have 382 rooms in its 35... READ ON

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Zebroids: On Beyond Zebra

Zebras are one of the few members of the Equidae family that haven't been fully domesticated. Zebras belong to the genus Equus, and as such they can crossbreed with other Equus species. The resulting hybrid is almost always sterile. The three species of zebras have between 44 and 62 chromosomes, donkeys have 62, and horses have 64. In case you don't recall what they look like, here are typical zebras. A crossbred zebra is known as a zebroid or zebra mule. Zebroids were originally bred as pack... READ ON

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Universally Accessible Treehouses

Forever Young Treehouses is a corporation that designs treehouses for communities, camps, and organizations with a special emphasis on accessibility for the disabled. Their treehouses are also environmentally-friendly, and incorporate existing trees into the design. Their goal is to have an accessible treehouse in every state. Forever Young's staff will scout the area, inspect the trees, make a custom design, and help to organize local financing and labor. Take a look at some of their projects.... READ ON

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6 Restless Corpses

This article has nothing to do with the supernatural; it's about real bodies that just can't seem to rest in peace, or at least had to wait for their chance.A couple of recent cases raise the question of how much respect a dead body should be given. The mummy of King Tut was taken from his tomb in 1922 after 3,000 years. Since then, it's been robbed, dismembered, scanned, and finally displayed to the public last year. Padre Pio was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002. Now, the... READ ON

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Coney Island Freaks of Yesterday and Today

Although the first "freak show" at Coney Island opened in 1880, the golden age of the village's side shows began in 1904 when Samuel W. Gumpertz opened Lilliputia, an entire miniature city scaled for its dwarf and midget inhabitants. Lilliputia became such a popular tourist attraction at Dreamland, Gumpertz spend many years afterwards finding and promoting human oddities. After Dreamland burned in 1911, he opened Dreamland Circus Sideshow. Other side shows soon opened, including The... READ ON

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Fun with Venn and Euler Diagrams

A Venn diagram is a mathematical illustration that shows all of the possible mathematical or logical relationships between sets. A Euler diagram resembles a Venn diagram, but does not neccessarily show all possible intersections of the sets. A Euler diagram is often more useful for showing real world data, because not all sets partially overlap with all other sets.I used the 3 Circle Venn Diagram Applet to make a diagram of food preferences in my family. I have one child who won't eat much in... READ ON