Monday, March 30, 2015
The Secret Tomb of the First Chinese Emperor Remains an Unopened Treasure
The tomb of the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, despite being involved in one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all times, endures as a mystery to archaeologists and historians as it remains largely sealed up and unexplored. The strange and deadly history of the tomb and its contents was sealed within and buried beneath vegetation for thousands of years.
Inside China’s unknown mega-city
Tim Franco, a Paris-born photographer now based in Shanghai, has spent the past five-plus years documenting the intense change that urbanization has brought to the Chinese mega-city of Chongqing.
I Can Die Now: McDonald's is testing all-day breakfast
McDonald's is going to experiment with serving breakfast all day.
The chain will start testing a 24-hour breakfast menu next month at several locations in San Diego, the company told Business Insider.
If the test is successful, McDonald's could expand it to other markets.
The chain will start testing a 24-hour breakfast menu next month at several locations in San Diego, the company told Business Insider.
If the test is successful, McDonald's could expand it to other markets.
The Rise of the Mile-High Building
If you’ve sat in an airplane’s window seat, you know what the world looks like from a mile up. It’s that point during takeoff and landing when you can pick out an individual car beetling along a highway; when, on a clear day, you can see the city bleed into its suburbs and trace the outline of a mountain range beyond but still find your favorite bocce court if you know where to look. Individual humans are barely detectable from this height, but humanity’s traces ooze to the horizon. In the not unimaginably distant future, this will be the view from someone’s breakfast nook.
‘World’s most dangerous walkway’ to reopen next week
Are you brave enough to take on the world’s most dangerous walking path?
Spain's Caminito del Rey looks more like an “Indiana Jones” movie set than a walkway for mere mortals
Spain's Caminito del Rey looks more like an “Indiana Jones” movie set than a walkway for mere mortals
Built by Kings, the Ancient Bayon Temple of Cambodia Mixes Spirituality, History and Symbolism
The 12th century is generally regarded as a period of European decline. In other parts of the world, however, this was certainly not the case. In South East Asia, the Khmer Empire was enjoying its Golden Age. Under the rule of its kings, the empire extended its borders over much of mainland South East Asia. In addition, the prosperity and wealth of the empire allowed Khmer kings to build numerous temples throughout their lands as a sign of their piety. Of these temples, the most famous is undoubtedly Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world. Nevertheless, there are other Khmer temples worth mentioning, one of them being the Bayon Temple.
Visiting King Nut – Snack Provider to the World’s Airlines
King Nut and Summer Harvest: If you’ve ever enjoyed an airline snack at 35,000 feet and inspected the wrapper, chances are you are familiar with one, or both, of these name brands. They, alongside Peterson Nut Co., make up the King Nut Companies family. As a fan of the airline industry, and the companies that support it, I’ve long been familiar with King Nut, and have spotted their products on numerous airlines. Plus, here at AirlineReporter, we love telling the behind-the-scenes stories of the airline world.
Food & Consequences: Some Like it Hot
Today was a nice day in Miami, as far as I can tell—sunny and breezy and not too hot—but I’ve been inside for six hours, and all I’ve done is watch videos of people vomiting after eating the world’s hottest peppers.
Why Do People Have Such Strong Feelings for the Portland Airport’s Carpet?
Take a pic of your feet on the carpet,” texted my sister. I had just landed in Portland, Oregon, to visit my siblings, and was walking to the airport exit. Autocorrect must have made a mistake, I thought. Yet I was a little curious. I glanced at the turquoise-blue low pile beneath my feet: dated and tawdry. Basically forgettable. But then she texted an explanation of sorts: “[There’s a] cult following for our carpet that’s being torn up.”
King Tutankhamun's Trumpets played after 3000+ Years
Among the remarkable treasures found in Tutankhamun's tomb were two
ornate trumpets, one made of silver and the other of bronze. In 1939,
BBC radio broadcast the trumpets' music to 150 million people listening
in world wide, broadcast to "The Four Corners Of The World". During the
looting of the Cairo Museum in 2011, one of the trumpets had been stolen
and has since been recovered. King Tutankhamun's tomb was Discovered
by Howard Carter on February 16th, 1923.
The Dark Underworld of the Paris Catacombs
Paris, the capital of France, is often called La Ville Lumière (meaning ‘The City of Light’), however, beneath this bustling European city of 12 million people, lies a dark subterranean world holding the remains of 6 million of its former inhabitants. These are the Paris Catacombs: a network of old caves, quarries and tunnels stretching hundreds of miles, and seemingly lined with the bones of the dead.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Old age is getting younger
For all of those who are worrying about getting old, here is some good news: Old age is getting younger. On average, today’s 75-year-olds are cognitively much fitter than the 75-year-olds of 20 years ago. At the same time, the current generation of 75-year-olds also reports higher levels of well-being and greater life satisfaction. “The gains in cognitive functioning and well-being that we have measured here in Berlin are considerable and of great significance for life quality in old age,” comments Ulman Lindenberger, Director of the Center for Lifespan Psychology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development. The researchers relate the gains to sociocultural factors such as education. In their opinion, the increase in well-being is also due to better physical fitness and higher levels of independence in old age.
This Bad-Boy Geneticist Wants to Clone a Mammoth
Hwang Woo-Suk is the bad boy of genetics. He’s most famous for falsely claiming to have cloned human stem cells. This is, you can imagine, very bad in science. Yet last week, the South Korean researcher was in Siberia, drilling cells from the bones of a 28,000 year-old frozen wooly mammoth. The bones are the only place Hwang is going to find the DNA he needs to bring a mammoth back to life.
Scientists Want to Mine Our Poop for Gold
Every year, Americans are flushing a fortune down the toilet. Literally. More than 7 million tons of bio-solids—treated sewage sludge—pass through US waste-water facilities annually. Contained within our shit are surprisingly large quantities of silver, gold, and platinum.
This is why you shouldn’t believe that exciting new medical study
In 2003, researchers writing in the American Journal of Medicine discovered something that should change how you think about medical news. They looked at 101 studies published in top scientific journals between 1979 and 1983 that claimed a new therapy or medical technology was very promising. Only five, they found out, made it to market within a decade. Only one (ACE inhibitors, a pharmaceutical drug) was still extensively used at the time of their publication.
The 50 Best BBQ Joints . . . in the World!
Our definitive, soot-stained guide to the best purveyors of smoked meat in Texas—which is to say, the best purveyors of smoked meat on Earth.
With New Nonstick Coating, the Wait, and Waste, Is Over
If a glue did not stick to the inside of the tube or bottle, you might think it must not be a very good glue.
On the other hand, clinging glue has annoyed generations of parents and children attempting to scoop out the remaining bits with their fingers.
This is one of life’s little problems. LiquiGlide, a company started by a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one of his graduate students, has come up with a solution: a coating that makes the inside of the bottle permanently wet and slippery. The glue quickly slides to the nozzle or back down to the bottom.
On the other hand, clinging glue has annoyed generations of parents and children attempting to scoop out the remaining bits with their fingers.
This is one of life’s little problems. LiquiGlide, a company started by a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one of his graduate students, has come up with a solution: a coating that makes the inside of the bottle permanently wet and slippery. The glue quickly slides to the nozzle or back down to the bottom.
How a Technology That Helped Settle the West Became Known as the “Devil’s Rope”
In the mid-1800s, not many (non-native) Americans had ever been west of the Mississippi. When Frederick Law Olmsted visited the West in the 1850s, he remarked that the plains looked like a sea of grasses that moved “in swells after a great storm.” Massive herds of buffalo wandered the plains. Cowboys shepherded cattle across long stretches of no-man’s land. It was truly the wild and unmanaged West, but it was all about to change, due, in large part, to one very simple invention that would come to be known as “the devil’s rope.”
Sundays
Mischa Rozema and PostPanic Pictures' debut film project SUNDAYS completes a first step towards its Feature Film goal with the release of this ambitious proof-of-concept short. Much-anticipated and widely-supported by the international creative community (over 50K US Dollars was donated on Kickstarter alone for the live action filming part in Mexico City), SUNDAYS is directed by Mischa Rozema.
Set in Mexico City sometime in the future and starring US actor Brian Petsos and Mexican actress Sofia Sisniega, SUNDAYS is an ambitious philosophical science-fiction proof-of-concept short.
The end of the world seems like a nightmare to Ben. A memory of a past life that doesn’t belong to him. When Ben starts to remember Isabelle, the only love he’s ever known, he realises she’s missing in his life. An existential descent into confusion and the desperate need to find out the truth begins. This reality depicts a stunning, surprising and dark world. A world that is clearly not his.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
The Chinese Now Drink Harder Than You and Your Washed-Up College Buddies
The drinking prowess of countries like the United States, Germany, and England is notorious. But it seems that even in this respect, a key economic rival has usurped all three.
According to Quartz, the Chinese now drink more alcohol per year on average than developed countries with more renowned boozing cultures. The publication points to a recent paper published by U.K. medical journal The Lancet, which summarizes how the cash flow from the country’s growing middle-class has lead to an increase in drinking.
According to Quartz, the Chinese now drink more alcohol per year on average than developed countries with more renowned boozing cultures. The publication points to a recent paper published by U.K. medical journal The Lancet, which summarizes how the cash flow from the country’s growing middle-class has lead to an increase in drinking.
This Secret CIA Video Showed Ronald Reagan How the Soviets Viewed America
When President Ronald Reagan took office in 1981, he became the first president to receive Central Intelligence Agency briefings in video format. The CIA produced more than 40 short informational videos for Reagan, ranging from evening-newsy looks at topics like the Chernobyl nuclear accident to profiles of foreign leaders.
Friday, March 20, 2015
How a Michigan Farmer Made $4 Million Smuggling Rare Pez Containers into the U.S.
It was the first week of January 1994 and snow drifted across the Hungarian border into Austria. The mechanical sputter of a small car approaching the rural checkpoint broke the afternoon silence. Peering through binoculars, an armed guard noticed the car’s driver, his face obscured by dark glasses and a long beard. The guard gestured with his leather-gloved hand for the vehicle to stop. Steve Glew, 42, stepped out of the car wearing a long trench coat, a blue velour tracksuit and Nike sneakers. His son Joshua, a college freshman, emerged bleary-eyed from the passenger side. A bulging military sack occupied the backseat.
The smudged stamps inside their passports told the guard of the Americans’ haphazard route across the freshly divided Yugoslavia. Just days earlier the men had arrived in Slovenia by plane from the U.S. with no luggage and thousands of dollars strapped to their bodies. Now they were trying to cross the border into Austria from Hungary, one of Europe’s most beleaguered countries, with a bag full of mysterious cargo. The guard pointed at the sack with the barrel of his semiautomatic rifle.
“Open,” he said in an iron voice. “Schnell.” Quickly.
The Americans refused.
The smudged stamps inside their passports told the guard of the Americans’ haphazard route across the freshly divided Yugoslavia. Just days earlier the men had arrived in Slovenia by plane from the U.S. with no luggage and thousands of dollars strapped to their bodies. Now they were trying to cross the border into Austria from Hungary, one of Europe’s most beleaguered countries, with a bag full of mysterious cargo. The guard pointed at the sack with the barrel of his semiautomatic rifle.
“Open,” he said in an iron voice. “Schnell.” Quickly.
The Americans refused.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
The History of Saint Patrick’s Day (And Why We Drink)
Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of St. Patrick’s Day is aware of the fact that the celebration is inexorably tied to the excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages. While some may believe that this is just another example of lively individuals taking advantage of a celebration, there is actually a solid reason why alcohol has long been a part of the holiday that is now celebrated worldwide.
While there is a justifiable reason for drinking somewhat excessively in celebration of St. Patrick, there are plenty of misconceptions that surround the history of the holiday and the man in whose honor the celebration occurs.
While there is a justifiable reason for drinking somewhat excessively in celebration of St. Patrick, there are plenty of misconceptions that surround the history of the holiday and the man in whose honor the celebration occurs.
This mind-blowing new 3-D printing technique is inspired by ‘Terminator 2’
In an iconic scene in the movie "Terminator 2," the robotic villain T-1000 rises fully formed from a puddle of metallic goo. The newest innovation in 3-D printing looks pretty similar, and that's no mistake: Its creators were inspired by that very scene.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Saturday, March 14, 2015
c. 1912 The gym on the Titanic
From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of World War II, the shipping route across the Atlantic was extremely popular, driven by waves of European emigrants from all parts of Europe to the United States. Travel on these liners was not a recreational cruise but merely a means of transport between the two continents.
10 Ridiculous Movie Sets Created For A Single Scene
These days, it’s hard to be impressed by movie set pieces. While watching films like The Hobbit, World War Z, and The Avengers, we’re all too aware that we’re seeing computer-generated special effects. However, there was a time when grand set pieces had to exist in the real world in some shape or form, and you won’t believe the lengths that some directors went to to create them. Even in some modern films, practical effects are still used over cheaper CGI. Here are some of the biggest, most expensive, and most insane movie set pieces in history that were created for single scenes.
Happy deathday? You're more likely to die on your birthday
Besides the cards, cake, candles, and gifts, there might be one more unexpected surprise in store for you on your birthday -- a higher risk of dying.
Found: A Legendary Lost Civilization Buried In the Honduran Rainforest
The City of the Monkey God. La Ciudad Blanca, or The White City. All the names given to the lost city rumored to exist in a pristine Honduran rainforest sound mythical, but National Geographic reports
that now we have evidence that the legendary city was real.
What Your Bones Have in Common With the Eiffel Tower
Everyone loves the Eiffel Tower. Its classic, iconic shape is an instantly recognizable symbol of Paris. So you might be surprised to learn that while the tower was being built, art critics were not quite as glowing in their praise. Here are some of the more colorful phrases they used to describe it.
“this truly tragic street lamp” (Léon Bloy)
“this belfry skeleton” (Paul Verlaine)
“this mast of iron gymnasium apparatus, incomplete, confused and deformed” (François Coppée)
“this giant ungainly skeleton upon a base that looks built to carry a colossal monument of Cyclops, but which just peters out into a ridiculous thin shape like a factory chimney” (Maupassant)
“a half-built factory pipe, a carcass waiting to be fleshed out with freestone or brick, a funnel-shaped grill, a hole-riddled suppository” (Joris-Karl Huysmans)”
The Peak of Imagination - The World's Most Iconic Toys
Toys take us back to our childhood, bringing back warm memories of times when all we had to worry about was who we would play with that day. This infographic takes a look at some of the most iconic toys of the past century. Which ones did you play with?
Speak Colorfully about Colors!
If you are like me and only know three or four types of red, a couple kinds of white, and just one way to refer to black, The Color Thesaurus will open a new world for you. These charts, created by writer and Children's book illustrator Ingrid Sundberg, show some of the names of the different tones of basic colors.
A Visual History of Inflight Luxuries
While the modern flyer can now enjoy everything from on-demand entertainment to gourmet meals and generous sleeping arrangements, life in the skies hasn't always been this cozy — or convenient, or fun, or even healthy.
Since the first winged commercial flight in 1914 (a 23-minute open-air voyage across Tampa Bay in a tiny biplane), airlines have been constantly introducing new tweaks and treats that have gradually transformed flying into something an average of more than eight million passengers globally per day not only endure, but might actually enjoy. On this count, has led the way, earning the distinction of providing some of the most futuristic and luxurious inflight amenities (first-class shower spas and in-flight cell phone use, anyone?) Here's a look at how far the inflight experience has come over the decades:
Since the first winged commercial flight in 1914 (a 23-minute open-air voyage across Tampa Bay in a tiny biplane), airlines have been constantly introducing new tweaks and treats that have gradually transformed flying into something an average of more than eight million passengers globally per day not only endure, but might actually enjoy. On this count, has led the way, earning the distinction of providing some of the most futuristic and luxurious inflight amenities (first-class shower spas and in-flight cell phone use, anyone?) Here's a look at how far the inflight experience has come over the decades:
Which Flight Will Get You There Fastest?
FiveThirtyEight analyzed 6 million flights to figure out which airports, airlines and routes are most likely to get you there on time and which ones will leave you waiting.
The Origin of the Anus
Before we discuss the origin of the anus; let’s back up a little. It’s a subject surrounded by, how should we put it, a bit of cheek. A topic right for puns, or a touch of verbal diarrhea as we can’t but help see the innuendo.
See what I mean? So we try to get serious, to focus, and ask why has no one gotten to the bottom of this particular mystery before? Is it a crappy research topic, or by not addressing it, have other scientists fallen behind? Is even reporting such a subject, well, a little anal?
Perhaps, if jokes and innuendo are all we care about. But if we’re interested in some of the most fundamental questions about how animals evolved and function, then read on.
See what I mean? So we try to get serious, to focus, and ask why has no one gotten to the bottom of this particular mystery before? Is it a crappy research topic, or by not addressing it, have other scientists fallen behind? Is even reporting such a subject, well, a little anal?
Perhaps, if jokes and innuendo are all we care about. But if we’re interested in some of the most fundamental questions about how animals evolved and function, then read on.
The Rise and Fall of the 'Wilhelm Scream'
Chances are, you’ve heard the Wilhelm Scream -- but you probably haven't heard of it.
Since being recorded in the 1950s, the sound effect -- an overly-dramatic, desperate yelp -- has become a staple in some of Hollywood biggest films. It is the choice cry of Stormtroopers falling to their death in Star Wars; it is emitted by Buzz Lightyear as he is sent careening out of a window in Toy Story; it is cried out as Jafar lifts the palace in Aladdin, and uttered by a man who’s being crushed by a monster in Avatar.
The Wilhelm Scream has made an appearance in more than 300 films, television shows, and video games, and has cemented itself as the inside joke of the industry's best sound editors. Most frequently used when someone falls to his death, is shot, or is thrown aside by an explosion, the Wilhelm is often cited as cinema's most-used sound clip.
But how (and why) did such a horrible sound effect become so ubiquitous?
Since being recorded in the 1950s, the sound effect -- an overly-dramatic, desperate yelp -- has become a staple in some of Hollywood biggest films. It is the choice cry of Stormtroopers falling to their death in Star Wars; it is emitted by Buzz Lightyear as he is sent careening out of a window in Toy Story; it is cried out as Jafar lifts the palace in Aladdin, and uttered by a man who’s being crushed by a monster in Avatar.
The Wilhelm Scream has made an appearance in more than 300 films, television shows, and video games, and has cemented itself as the inside joke of the industry's best sound editors. Most frequently used when someone falls to his death, is shot, or is thrown aside by an explosion, the Wilhelm is often cited as cinema's most-used sound clip.
But how (and why) did such a horrible sound effect become so ubiquitous?
time.is
What makes Time.is exact
- Time.is displays the time for your detected (or chosen) location, not the time according to your computer's clock.
- The server which hosts Time.is is synchronized to atomic clock time.
- Time.is adjusts to DST (Daylight Saving Time) even if your computer clock doesn't.
- Time.is is always updated with the latest information about DST transitions and time zone modifications.
- The displayed time is not just updated once a second, but at the beginning of every second. Many web clocks, and even the clock of some operating systems, will update the seconds at an arbitrary time within the second, and will drift when the computer is busy, causing jumps of two seconds when the drift has accumulated to a second.
- If you adjust your computer clock, Time.is will issue a resynchronization.
- Time.is is hosted on a modern, quick, dedicated server, which delivers the requested page in minimum time.
- The code for Time.is is trimmed and light-weight, thus eliminating latency caused by the time it takes for the page to load and render.
- Synchronization via Ajax ensures maximum accuracy.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
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