Saturday, December 20, 2008

Valuev stops Holyfield by majority decision


Valuev stops Holyfield by majority decision: "Nikolai Valuev likely ended Evander Holyfield’s last chance at winning a fifth heavyweight title, narrowly defending his WBA title by majority decision on Saturday night.

The 46-year-old American, attempting to become the oldest heavyweight to win a major belt, started the fight by moving around the ring to neutralize Valuev’s long reach advantage.

The 7-foot Russian, the tallest and heaviest champion ever, struggled to close down Holyfield early but began asserting his jab as Holyfield tired."

Coolspotters


Coolspotters: "Coolspotters is a online service that makes it easy to discover and buy the products, brands, and fashions being used by your favorite celebrities – in their real lives, and in movies and television.

New Mexico Departament of Tourism

Spread Heads Spew Condiments onto Your Food




The Jesus Christ hypothesis for the evolution of flight

The Jesus Christ hypothesis for the evolution of flight: "Did the ancestors of birds walk on water before they took to the air? This intriguing idea is known as the Jesus Christ dinosaur hypothesis.

It was inspired by the basilisk. Not the beast of the Chamber of Secrets, but the somewhat smaller 'Jesus Christ' lizard found in Central and South America, which can walk on water on its hind legs. Or rather, it can run very fast across the water's surface - if it slows, it sinks.

Now, my mental picture of the earliest known 'bird', Archaeopteryx, has always been of quite a large, hoatzin-like creature living in the depths of a rainforest.

In fact, all the fossils of this half-bird, half-dinosaur have been discovered in what was, 150 million years ago, a shallow tropical ocean surrounding an archipelago of coral islands. The absence of tree pollen suggests there were no forests in the region at all."

Why Does War Breed More Boys?

Why Does War Breed More Boys?: "A curious shift occurs during and right after a war: more boys tend to be born than girls. It’s been documented for decades in many nations, especially during long conflicts with many troops deployed. The cause of this boy boom has long flummoxed thinkers and scientists. Ideas have veered from the theological—a divine call for new men to replace those lost in battle—to the coital—returning soldiers have lots of sex, and so will be more likely to fertilize at a time in their ladies’ cycle that’s ripe for making boy babies. A new study in the journal Evolutionary Biology rejects them all. Instead, it pins the “returning soldier effect” on a gene expressed by men only. It also shows how researching your family tree can help you place bets on the sex of your next kid."

Men Flirt with Risk to Score Women

Men Flirt with Risk to Score Women: "Men make up four-fifths of the world's skydivers and two-thirds of all rock climbers, and a new study suggests they do it for more than just the thrill.

Men may flirt with risk because they think it will help them score women."

Curse of the fish that time forgot


Curse of the fish that time forgot: "What Marjorie had stumbled on, 70 years ago this month, would change her life for ever. More than that, it would profoundly alter man's understanding of the natural world.

For this was the first recorded specimen of a coelacanth (pronounced see-la-canth) - a fish thought to have been extinct for more than 65 million years, which was believed to be 'the missing link' that marked the moment when animal life first left the ocean for the land.

Previously, the coelacanth's existence had only ever been known from fossil records that showed the species had lived as long as 400million years ago - 200 million years before dinosaurs had first walked the Earth."

World's Smartest Mouse

Friday, December 19, 2008

6 Medical Myths for the Holiday Season


6 Medical Myths for the Holiday Season: "Last year, the British medical journal BMJ reported on a series of medical myths that even doctors believe. Among them: Turkey makes you drowsy. Dim light ruins your eyes. Drink at last eight glasses of water a day.

This year, the same researchers, Dr. Aaron Carroll and Dr. Rachel Vreeman of the Indiana University School of Medicine, offer six new medical myths for the holiday season. The latest set of myths, published this month in BMJ, are commonly believed by the general public and many doctors, said the researchers. However, a search of the medical literature shows these myths aren’t true or lack evidence to support them."

More Scary Santa...


Scared of Santa

Chrysler’s 1956 Highway Hi-Fi Phonograph


Chrysler’s 1956 Highway Hi-Fi Phonograph : In 1956 they teamed with CBS to create the “Highway Hi-Fi” – an under-dash phonograph that played vinyl records at a super-slow 16-2/3 revolutions per minute. The slow speed allowed a small disc to pack up to an hour of entertainment on each side. Special mechanical engineering reduced the number of times and distance the needle would skip across the disc as the car drove over bumps in the road."

"Five Modern Abandoned Cities"


"Five Modern Abandoned Cities": "The stillness that surrounds these towns seems almost palpable -- and it's strange to think that neighboring cities are still full of bustling people. Perhaps it’s our ability to relate to the people who lived here that make modern ghost towns so haunting.

Whatever our attraction to abandoned cities may be, it’s difficult not to be engrossed by them. In that spirit, here are five modern abandoned cities you might find interesting."

Baby born with 'foot in brain'

Baby born with 'foot in brain': "US surgeons operating on a brain tumour in a baby boy found a tiny foot inside his head.

Doctors operated on three-day old Sam Esquibel after finding what looked like a microscopic tumour on an MRI scan.

But while removing the growth, they also found a nearly perfect foot and the partial formation of another foot, a hand and a thigh.

The growth may have been a case of 'foetus in foetu' in which a twin begins to form within its sibling."

Nathan "Flutebox" Lee and Beardyman

Thursday, December 18, 2008

100 Cereal Box Covers


100 Cereal Box Covers

The Video Game Systems of the 1983 Sears Wishbook


The Video Game Systems of the 1983 Sears Wishbook "1983 was the year of the video game crash and that year’s Sears Wishbook was chock full of the detritus of a bloated dying industry. You got the handhelds, Vectrex, Gemini, Colecovision, Intellivision, Odyssey 2, Atari 2600 and Atari 5200 in this issue. Along with some great games and accessories. My favorite is the Handsome Hassock storage system on Page 9. I would love one of those now."

Scientists find way to turn cheap plonk into premium wine


Scientists find way to turn cheap plonk into premium wine: "Scientists have found a quick way to turn cheap plonk into something pleasantly drinkable.

With a burst of electricity, a young acidic wine can be rapidly aged, creating something more mellow and aromatic.

So promising are the results, that no fewer than five wineries have invested in the technology which could allow them to get their wines into the shops faster and cut the costs of storage."

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

'Death Map' Shows Where Americans Most Likely to Die


'Death Map' Shows Where Americans Most Likely to Die: "A new map plotting deaths resulting from forces of nature reveals where Mother Nature is most likely to kill you.

People living in the South along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts have a higher likelihood of dying from a natural hazard compared to residents of the Great Lakes area and urbanized Northeast."

Drillers break into magma chamber


Drillers break into magma chamber: "It has been described as a geologist's dream - a unique opportunity to study up close the volcanic processes that built the Earth's continents.

Drillers looking for geothermal energy in Hawaii have inadvertently put a well right into a magma chamber.

Molten rock pushed back up the borehole several metres before solidifying, making it perfectly safe to study.

Magma specialist Bruce Marsh says it will allow scientists to observe directly how granites are made."

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Showcase Showdown!

Monday, December 15, 2008

AFI Names Its Top 10 Movies of 2008


AFI Names Its Top 10 Movies of 2008: "The American Film Institute (AFI) responsible for those “100 Years, 100 _____” lists that get people riled up every year have come out with their list of 2008’s top films. Mirroring their recent Golden Globe nominations, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, and Wall-E were included in the list of Top 10 of the year. Though, the story here is the movies that were left off the list altogether."

Ten Family-Friendly Beach Vacations


Ten Family-Friendly Beach Vacations : "These resorts are geared to fun for families and kids, not honeymooners and party animals.

When Judi Silverman's children were young, she used to take them to Half Moon Resort in Jamaica's Montego Bay on holiday.

Forty years later, the New Jersey-based travel agent happily sends young families there because, she says, she knows firsthand that 'when they say they are a family resort, they mean it. A lot of times resorts will call themselves 'family friendly' but you can tell right away if it's just in the brochures but not in the attitude of the staff.'"

Mike Tyson Got Thick!


Mike Tyson Got Thick! : "Mike Tyson made a rare appearance at the sixth annual Video Game Awards which aired last night, showing that he has gained a bit of weight over the past few years.

The 42-year-old ex-Heavyweight Champion’s waistline revealed that he certainly doesn’t take care of his body the way he used to!"

The Japanese snow monkeys who enjoy nothing more than a hot bath


The Japanese snow monkeys who enjoy nothing more than a hot bath : "Most monkeys are happy swinging in the trees of tropical jungles but from the look on the face of this one there is nothing like indulging in a hot bath after a long day.

These incredible pictures are of Japanese macaques relaxing in a hot spring in Yamanouchi, central Japan."

Found in Mom's Basement


Found in Mom's Basement: "Vintage advertising -- found in my mother's basement, flea markets and various corners of the Internet -- dusted off and displayed for your viewing pleasure."

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Eat fast! Eat until full! Get fatter!

Study concludes: Eat fast! Eat until full! Get fatter!: "A Japanese-U.S. study found that the quicker a person eats and those eating until they feel full are much more likely to be overweight."

The top 10 rock albums of 2008

The top 10 rock albums of 2008: "Rock music in 2008 was dominated by relics from the past, most returning with respectable albums: Guns 'n Roses, AC/DC, Metallica and, er, Coldplay. But there was better stuff to be found, even if it didn't, like 'Chinese Democracy,' take 17 years to create.

With apologies to fans of Kings of Leon and Bon Iver, here are the top 10 rock albums of the year. (Note: Radiohead's 'In Rainbows,' given away in 2007 and released traditionally in 2008, was rated last year, when it topped this list.)"