- Landfall: This amazing Photoshopped image looks like a waterfall of green fields.
- From Slaughter Truck to Start Box: The Unlikely Story of a Draft-Cross Event Horse: This is a lovely story… made all the better by the fact that he’s a draft-cross and a paint!
- New study: Vitamin D levels of the Maasai and Hadzabe of Africa: It looks like “natural” levels of Vitamin D are around 50 ng/ml.
- If ‘Real Men’ Posed In Underwear Ads: I’ll take the last guy… he looks nerdy, and that’s hot!
- Missed Connections for A-Holes: “At the gym parking lot today. You were the hot guy with the soul patch in the Kia Forte. You took my spot. I was waiting for that spot, and you just swooped in and took it. I wish you could have heard me honking at you. Our eyes connected but you just kept walking. If I had the chance to see you one more time, I would roll down my windows and call you a dick.”
- Researchers May Have Created A H1N1 Flu Strain Capable Of Evading The Immune System: How is this supposed to be a good idea?!?
- Blindfolded groom… at a bachelor party tricked into thinking he’s bungee jumping off a bridge. I’m not a fan of practical jokes, but this is pretty awesome.
- British Brewer Still Bitter Over American Revolution: Heh.
- Razr Burn: My Month With 2004′s Most Exciting Phone: Our current rate of technological change is astounding: high-tech from 10 years ago seems horribly primitive now.
Jul 112014
Jul 042014
- FTC: T-Mobile Took Hundreds of Millions of Bogus Charges on Phone Bills: I think I’d better check our recent cellphone bills. (We’re on AT&T, but I think it’s worth being vigilent about this kind of fraud.)
- The Publishing Business Is In Crisis: This is not the standard take, and it’s well worth reading.
- 50 Classy People From The Past Who Remind Us What “Cool” Really Means!: These are a fabulous set of pictures… and I love the variety!
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‘Why-Fi’ or ‘Wiffy’? How Americans Pronounce Common Tech Terms: If you prononce “meme” as “me-me,” I promise to laugh at you… hard.
- 24 Typos To End All Typos: Yikes! #11 has to be my favorite though.
- Why Anesthesia Is One of the Greatest Medical Mysteries of Our Time: This is an interesting read.
- Rainbow-Cake Recipe Inspires Comment Apocalypse: This is epic.
- Adorable baby has a heated argument with a bulldog…but the bulldog doesn’t care: The dog clearly doesn’t care about this baby’s impeccable logic.
- Euclid the Game: Geometry puzzle game… and it’s so addictive!
- A Fresh Cry Of Pain: Fat-Shaming In Science: The story in this short article is just mind-boggling. People, don’t be such jerks!
- Working Out Isn’t Enough: Advice for Desk Workers: Even though I work at a computer, I move around a lot during the day — and I’m now extra-glad of it! If you need to find ways to move around more, check out 11 Sneaky Ways to Move Every Day.
Jun 272014
- Which World Cup team should I root for?: This is very useful!
- This Is What Happens When The Public Sees A Woman Abusing A Man: This pair of scenes is a striking contrast because, if anything, the woman is much more physically abusive toward the man than when their roles were reversed. Men who restrain themselves in face of physical abuse by a girlfriend or wife should not be scoffed at, but offered assistance, dammit.
- D-Day in Color, Photographs from the Normandy Invasion: As always, color makes the past more real.
- For Hire: Dedicated Young Man with Down Syndrome: This is so heartwarming, and so tragic.
- I Was Raped, and I Stayed Silent About My ‘Coveted Status’: I can understand why she made the choice she did, but wow, the drugging and the rape should have been prosecuted.
- The Modern Male and Body Image: It’s Okay to Talk About It: For me, the major warning sign that I’m thinking unhealthily about my body is the thought that my body (if not my life) will be just perfect if I lose this or that bit of fat. I don’t think that’s unique to women.
- FDA Backs Down In Fight Over Aged Cheese: This is what happens when producers and consumers get into an uproar over ridiculous government regulations. Keep it up, people!
- Why It’s So Hard for Men to See Misogyny: I’m sure that I couldn’t agree with much that was said under the banner of #YesAllWomen, but what’s described here is very real.
- Woman Writes Perfect Response to Disrespectful Restaurant Employee: One person’s disability should not be an excuse for another person’s disrespect.
Jun 132014
- 18 Ugly Truths About Modern Dating That You Have To Deal With: These might be the norm today, but that doesn’t mean that you need to comply or partake!
- The Nakeds Next Door: I’m very glad to live in the country, where my neighbor’s genitals, if exposed, would be too far away for me to see. In any case, I agree that “Usually… nakedness is simply a violation of good taste.” It’s not a cause for alarm, as some people suggest at the end of the article. (“Oh my, the children!”)
- The Bully Too Close to Home: This is a wonderful — and painfully honest — article. Parents, take a read!
- Photos: America in Color from 1939-1943: Oh color, how I do love thee! Plus, these are amazing pictures.
- When did white trash become normal?: I’m reasonably certain that these complaints are overblown… and common for every era in human history.
- I choose to be fat: I have mixed feelings about this article, but I can’t but respect this woman’s very clear and determined choice.
- I Am A Difficult Woman: Hooray for difficult — strong, stubborn, honest, determined, assertive — women!
- Whole9 Presents: Nutrition in 60 Seconds: This is a really nice elevator pitch for paleo.
- Google Taps the Brakes on Self-Driving Cars: Interesting news on self-driving cars here. I wonder when these self-driving cars will become common enough that norms of driving change radically and then few people actually know how to drive themselves.
- Things you didn’t know about your family tree: Thanks to this handy video, now I know that Phantom is second cousin once removed from California Chrome. Or maybe that’s half second cousin once removed.
Jun 062014
- 14 Habits Of People With A Healthy Relationship To Food: Gluten gives me migraines. Corn makes me feel like I’ve eaten a handful of tiny razorblades. But according to Sarah Klein at HuffPo, I don’t have a healthy relationship to food because I decline to eat those foods. Screw that! Sure, some of the advice here is fine, but I just can’t get over that bit of dogmatic “eat everything in moderation” nonsense.
- Teen Tennis Star’s Success Is A Powerful Argument Against Body-Shaming: Wow, kudos to rising tennis star Taylor Townsend for not allowing the USTA to dictate what her weight should be. She’s clearly an amazing athlete!
- Pilots and flight attendants confess dark secrets about flying: Do they really make coffee and tea with the water from the holding tank?!? If so… eeek!
- Why The Solar Roadway Is A Terrible Idea: Did you hear of the over $1 million raised for the “solar roads” project? It sounds fabulous in theory, but the engineering difficulties look insurmountable. Or, as Jimmy Wales said, “This seems sort of obvious. Let’s see, where in this giant and largely empty planet shall we put delicate electronics? I know! The corridors where we drive tons of steel around at high speeds!”
- A programmer’s view of Apple’s new Swift language: I’m intrigued!
- Hearing to resume in alleged Army prostitution ring at Fort Hood: Sgt. 1st Class Gregory McQueen was a noncommissioned sexual-assault prevention officer now accused of setting up a prostitution ring with cash-strapped female soldiers. You just can’t make this stuff up.
- St. John memo bars hospital’s name from birth control prescription pads: But the religious right loves and respects women, right? Right?!?
- Golfer’s Shot Bounces Off Of Bird In Flight: Life imitates unrealistic examples found in philosophy books!
- MRI Scans of Fruits and Vegetables: I love these way too much. Really, go take a look.
- The itchyfeet guide to differentiating between asian scripts: Heh.
May 302014
- Trajan is the Movie Font: You’ll never look at Trajan the same again!
- What to Call Your Academic Event: Pretty much!
- Chief Justice Of Alabama’s Supreme Court Says First Amendment Only Protects Christians: Words cannot adequately express just how wrong and stoopid such claims are. Unfortunately, too many people believe them.
- The Great Unveiling: Iranian Women Are Ditching Their Head Scarves on Facebook: Thank you, brave women of Iran!
- What Parts Of The Country Get The Worst Weather Predictions?: These maps are pretty interesting, and you can look at any location too.
- Men with long hair try fancy feminine up-dos: These are hysterical and awesome!
- The Difference Between Porn & Real Sex Explained With Food: This is fabulous but not for prunes… er, I mean prudes!
- Most People in the World Have No Idea How to Manage Their Money: Wow, just wow.
- Figure out German animal names with this handy flowchart: Oh, you wacky Germans…
- Kids react to old computers: “This thing right here has nothing!” True!
- US man finds lost mother in Amazon tribe: The father is certainly not going to be nominated for father of the year, husband of the year, or anthropologist of the year. ICK.
- A World of Difference: This is a world map of income inequality.
- Join the Fight Against Cruelty Allowed by the FEI: Unfortunately, until dressage judges dramatically reduce the scores of horses who are tense and unhappy because they’re shoved into a frame rather than properly collected, these kinds of abusive training practices will persist. For example, Totilas was very obviously tense in his recent comeback, but he got a fabulous score and won.
May 232014
- 4 other states love themselves like Texans love Texas: Basically, what percentage of people in each state wish to move to another state? I’m surprised by how much Montanans love Montana. I’ve never even visited, but perhaps I ought to do so!
- Caution: Dead Whale Contents Under Pressure: I think that some kind of mask and eye protection was in order here!
- Honey Badger Houdini: Wow, the honey badger isn’t just badass, he’s clever and determined too!
- Is It OK to Invest in a Company if Its CEO Beats Women?: This article raises important moral concerns about the kinds of personal behavior that should be acceptable in business partners. In my view, such violence (whether against men or women) is far more significant and appalling than a person’s political views on gay marriage, for example.
- Striking, Creepy Photos of Christian “Purity Balls”: Wrong and creepy!
- Motherhood in the Starbucks line: Have you ever had strangers make rude and unjust comments about your parenting in public? This woman did… and her thoughts on it are well worth reading.
- First openly gay Episcopal bishop divorces husband: Progress! No, really, I mean it! Gay marriages will fail, just like straight ones do. Soon, that’ll be no big deal.
- Dude’s Demand for an Open Relationship Backfires Spectacularly: Ah, the pleasure of seeing a shallow jerk get his comeuppance!
- Those Vibram Shoe Refunds? I’m Not Claiming One: Paul and I won’t be claiming refunds either. I love my Vibrams!
May 162014
- Underprepared and hungover Britain’s Got Talent contestant wows the crowd: Crazy… and then awesome!
- Here’s What College Professors Do All Day: So many reasons here to be glad that I left academia!
- The haunting effects of a minor key on the U.S. national anthem: It’s our National Anthem… if we’d lost to the British!
- ‘Verbatim: What Is a Photocopier?’: A short film hilariously recreating a heated exchange in a deposition about the definition of a photocopier.
- Can you find the snow leopard in these incredibly unlikely photographs?: I did!
- Women Wear Too Much Makeup Because They Mistakenly Think Men Like It: This study is limited, but nonetheless very interesting!
- 21 Office Notes That Prove Having Co-Workers Sucks: Really, some of these make me want to work in an office with such funny, clever people!
- The 30 second habit with a lifelong impact: I like this idea!
- The Hidden Ingredients in Pizza: I don’t agree with all of the concerns in the article, but I’m really blown away by the truth-in-labelling issues here. How can “100% beef” contain anything other than beef?!?
May 022014
- Death and Anger on Everest: “The worst accident in Everest’s history underscores an unfortunate reality: ascents have gotten safer for Westerners, but not for Sherpas.”
- America summed up in 4 words: Yup, pretty much… and both are poisonous to me!
- Adorable photos of cat and dog capture their super close friendship: AWWWW!
- The ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Solo Everyone’s Talking About!: Wow! This is well worth watching.
- Who’s Really Interested in Alternate Relationships?: Hrm, interesting data.
- Gender and the Dual Career Academic Couple: More interesting data!
- True Facts About The Octopus: EPIC.
- SMBC on Disagreement: Heh. *cough*PremiseCheckers*cough*
- Dogs Annoying Cats With Their Friendship: Poor doggies!
- 33 Amazingly Useful Websites You Never Knew Existed: Some of these look pretty awesome.
Apr 252014
- Shakespeare Summarised in Short Comics: To my amusement, my reaction is “Wow, that’s brilliant!” for those I’ve seen or read. But I think “Wow, that sounds boring!” for those I haven’t. Silly me.
- Expressive Photos Reveal a Rare, Alternative View of Iran: These are wonderful, truly wonderful.
- U.S. map shows each state distorted to be as large as its population: This map is a a fascinating way to represent population size. The contrast between New Mexico and Arizona is particularly striking to me. And… oh my California.
- Breathtaking Northern Lights Time Lapse Over Alaska: I want to see this so badly!
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The world’s happiest pigs gleefully slide down a muddy hillside: Better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a pig satisfied? After watching this video, I’m not so sure about that! In any case, aim to be Socrates satisfied!
- Putting on the Pounds, in Photoshop: Airbrushed Deception Works Both Ways: In some ways, this seems far worse than photoshopping away pounds.
- We Hacked North Korea With Balloons and USB Drives: I’m particularly fascinated by the response of South Korean government to these efforts.
- A Sick Stigma: Why are cancer patients blamed for their illness?: The link between behavior and cancer isn’t as clear as many people assume… and morally that assumption is often perilous.
