News and other tidbits that Chad Cloman finds interesting enough to share
This is just bizarre. If you look straight at the graphic it appears to be moving vertically, while if you look out of the side of your eye it appears to be moving at an angle.
Link: http://illusioncontest.neuralcorrelate.com/…
(via Neatorama)
Here at Chad’s News, we believe in being prepared for all eventualities. Regular readers will recall the galactic road map for use with alien abductions, but what if you’re transported back in time? Fear not, for you will be wearing the Time Traveler Essentials T-shirt! Need some penicillin for an infection? Instructions are on the shirt. Need to build an airplane, and the Wright brothers haven’t been born yet? It’s there. Tired of reading by candlelight and want some electric lights? No need for Thomas Edison when you have the shirt. Even better, you can take the credit and be the Leonardo da Vinci of your time. It’s a win-win situation for reluctant time travelers.
On a side note, Chad’s News is celebrating a milestone today. This is our 1000th post.
Link: http://www.topatoco.com/…
(via Sci Fi Wire)
Here are 11 predictions in Back to the Future II that came true. Pretty good for a sequel!
Link: http://www.11points.com/…
(via mental_floss)
This Flash animation of the Easter Bunny doing a rap routine is hilarious. Thanks to June for this topic.
Check out these sculptures, made using only the natural colors of the melon itself. Some of them are fantastic, especially towards the end of the page.
Link: http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/…
(via digg)
Here’s the lowdown on how thieves stole tens of millions of dollars worth of diamonds from the Antwerp Diamond Center. Such a theft was considered impossible because of the extensive security measures in place. Almost all of the robbers were later caught, but they would have gotten away with it except for one weak link in the group. (Note to self: when performing a $100 million diamond heist, don’t rely on others to destroy the evidence.) What I found most interesting, however, is the claim that the theft was just a cover for insurance fraud.
Link: http://www.wired.com/…
(via Neatorama)
The linked article has some interesting facts about Dr. Seuss. For instance, he’s credited as the first person to use the word “nerd” in an English-language publication.
The linked article details the story of Phillipe Petit’s 1974 high-wire walk between the World Trade Center towers in New York. It took quite a bit of planning and deception. Among other things, he smuggled a 450-pound steel cable to the top of one tower. To string the wire, they used a bow and arrow with fishing line attached, then sent across progressively larger ropes. One witness said Petit was jumping up and down—that his feet were actually leaving the wire. That’s pretty impressive considering a fall would have been fatal.
The linked article has a nice selection of geeky t-shirts. I bought “There’s no place like 127.0.0.1” and am leaning towards shirt #2. Now if I only had a girlfriend I could get her shirt #11.
Link: http://www.geeksaresexy.net/…
(via Neatorama)
You never know when you might need an emergency yodel. Click the button multiple times for an even better result.
Here’s an interesting bit of research. Two students revisited every Super Mario video game and, based on how far and fast Mario fell, calculated the acceleration due to gravity. The lowest is still more than four times the actual value, with the highest up by a factor of eleven.
Link: http://hypertextbook.com/…
(via mental_floss)
Professor Richard Wiseman decided to research luck. He found that “lucky” people have attitudes/habits that actually create their luck, without their realizing it. He also determined it’s possible to increase a person’s luck by having him/her perform exercises to strengthen those attitudes and habits. I was astounded by the fake newspaper advertisement that went unnoticed by the “unlucky” group.
Link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/…
(via Neatorama)
