Turn your Christmas tree into a rocket

Looking to recycle your Christmas tree? Turn it into a rocket.

Video of the moon swallowing Jupiter

This was the view one astronomer in Brazil had on Christmas day.

(via Slate.com)

Odor-eating, anti-flatulence undies fly off the shelves in Japan

Now if they could only make them soundproof...

UPS driver caught on camera stealing FedEx-delivered iPad

You're wondering why that Christmas present you ordered hasn't arrived yet. Well, maybe it did arrive...and was then stolen by a Grinch in a brown uniform. KHOU in Houston has the story:

Enjoy this 3-hour yule log video

Don't have a fireplace to huddle around this Christmas? Just huddle around your computer, tablet, or smart phone and fire up this video. Enjoy!

No emergency food supply is complete without canned bacon

Whether you're preparing for economic collapse, government tyranny, or the zombie apocalypse, no emergency food stash is complete without bacon. Thankfully, someone has thought of that.

You can order your emergency supply of Yoders Canned Bacon from The Ready Store.

Naming an extinct lizard after Obama gives me an idea

Scientists have named a species of extinct lizard after the president of these United States. Dubbed Obamadon gracilis, the lizard is thought to have been a victim of the asteroid many believe to be responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs.

As much as I relish the idea of naming extinct reptiles after their modern-day political counterparts, I'm much more interested in the economic side of it. The International Star Registry has made a killing over the last three decades marketing the prospect of naming a star after a loved one. Why couldn't the same thing be done with the naming of extinct species? I mean, if the environmentalist doomsayers are right, it could be a very lucrative business.

Latest trailer for "Man of Steel"

Sales training video from the "I can't believe this hasn't gone viral" file

The folks at the Once in a Blue Moose souvenir shop in Anchorage really take their business seriously:


(via Dave Barry's Blog)

Winter arrives in Norway without any warning

Ah! There's nothing like strolling along the fjord on a warm, summer afternoon.

Hmmmm. Is it suddenly getting a little nippy out here, or is it just me?

(from Google Sightseeing)

First trailer for "Star Trek: Into Darkness"

Benedict Cumberbatch, best known as the title character in BBC's Sherlock, is cast as the villain (rumored to be Khan) in the second installment of the J. J. Abrams reboot of the classic sci-fi series.

Piers Morgan pwned on the 2nd Amendment

Interesting little exchange on Twitter...

(via LewRockwell.com)

Real Facebook Ads #011

So, is the cost of the ear tattoo included in the tuition price?

The most realistic optical illusions I've seen

Prepare to have your mind blown.


(via Kottke)

Black Friday gives us a glimpse at what the zombie apocalypse will be like

Nothing gets me into the holiday spirit like seeing a horde of Walmart shoppers fighting over smart phones on Black Friday.

Sushi-scented cologne

It is the mission of the Demeter Fragrance Library to explore and expand the use of fragrances we experience in everyday life. I guess that explains this:

Not what you think it would smell like! Demeter's Sushi is the fresh scent of just cooked sticky rice and straight from the seaside seaweed, laced with hints of ginger and lemon essences. Simply delectable... after all, if it smelled like fish, would you wear it?

Actually, after looking at some of the other fragrances offered -- including classic scents like Black Pepper, Glue, Fireplace, Earthworm, and Humidor -- I'm tempted to check them out.

The problem with navel oranges

(from GoComics.com)

German driver stopped for speeding has entire mobile office in his car...just like police officers

When German police pulled a car over for speeding on the autobahn, they found the driver had an entire mobile office set up in his vehicle. Mounted on a wooden frame in the passenger seat was a laptop, printer, router, wireless internet stick, and WLAN antenna, all plugged into a power inverter.

There wasn't any evidence the equipment was in use while he was moving, so the driver only received a speeding ticket.

If you thought the interior of that car looked familiar, it's because it looks like just about every police car in America.

You probably haven't thought much about it, but distracted driving among police officers is a problem. A Minnesota study found that 14 percent of crashes between 2006 and 2010 involving police vehicles were caused by distracted driving, half of those due to squad car computers.

The quickest way through a security checkpoint

Christians are called to share the gospel, so that's exactly what we should do. If someone wishes to listen to what we have to say, all the better. But if it happens to get us through a security checkpoint more quickly...well, that's fine, too.


I wonder if anyone has tried this at the airport.

(via LewRockwell.com)

Your password can't protect you

Wired's Mat Honan has some sobering information for those of us who have so much of our lives online. He begins by focusing on what most computer hacks have in common:

The common weakness in these hacks is the password. It's an artifact from a time when our computers were not hyper-connected. Today, nothing you do, no precaution you take, no long or random string of characters can stop a truly dedicated and devious individual from cracking your account. The age of the password has come to an end; we just haven’t realized it yet.

Honan knows his stuff. He was a hacking victim whose online presence was virtually wiped out.

It's a scary article, but a must-read for just about everyone.

(via Kottke)

How hot dogs are made (watch at your own risk)

They certainly taste better than they look, but even that may not be enough incentive for some of you after seeing this.

(via Kottke)

An undeniable truth (11/10/2012)

You cannot rely on fair-weather friends in an emergency.

Tolkien fan re-creates hobbit house with 2,600 balloons

Balloon artist Jeremy Telford of Utah built a life-size replica of Bag End, the house belonging to Bilbo Baggins in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. The inflatable structure required 2,600 balloons and took nearly 40 hours to complete.

The best part is that he let his three kids demolish the whole thing when he was done.


(via Dave Barry's Blog)

Free online speed reading program

If you're like me, the arduous process of slogging through a massive tome is becoming more and more intimidating. This is, after all, the Information Age, and we're used to having pretty much everything reduced down to a few lines in a blog post, a two-minute YouTube clip, or a 140-character-or-less tweet. Anything beyond that...well, there just isn't enough time between Facebook status updates.

Eyercize is a free, online speed reading program that's designed to help you become a more accomplished reader. It's designed to help you:

ease your workload

reduce eyestrain

improve your job skills

get better grades

improve your material retention

The program allows you to adjust your reading speed from 100wpm up to 5,000. There are other helpful features, including a bookmarklet you can copy to your browser toolbar which, when clicked, takes text you have highlighted on a web page and pulls it into the speed reading trainer.

And did I mention that it's free?

(via Gary North's Tip of the Week email)

Cinematic trailer for Angry Birds: Star Wars

Tetris jack-o'-lantern you can actually play

Yeah, our family jack-o'-lanterns weren't quite this creative.

(via Engadget)

LHP Review: Lester's Fixins Peanut Butter & Jelly and Bacon Sodas

I very rarely drink soda, so when I'm in need of a carbonation fix it typically involves downing a can of sparkling water. However, I recently stumbled across a couple of Lester's Fixins flavored sodas that I just had to try.

That's right. Peanut Butter & Jelly and Bacon.

The sodas weren't cold, so I stuck them in the fridge when I got home. After an adequate chilling, they were ready.

Bacon Soda
When I twisted off the cap I half-expected my nose to be graced by the familiar scent of hardwood-smoked bacon. Nope. There really wasn't much of a bouquet at all. As for the taste...well, there wasn't a whole lot of bacony flavor either, though I could detect a hint of smokiness that settled along the back of my palette, enough to let me know it was there.

It was surprisingly light and slightly sweet -- not your typical high-fructose corn syrup sweet, but it was definitely more sweet than savory.

The most interesting thing I noticed was the lack of artificial flavors.

Of course, bacon isn't listed as an ingredient, which makes me wonder what "natural flavor" I was tasting.

Overall, it was rather pleasant, and I think the "less is more" approach to taste made it more enjoyable than trying to go for the full bacon flavor. After all, a soft drink is supposed to lift you up rather than weigh you down. It isn't something I would reach for on a hot day after mowing the lawn, but I could certainly see it being the beverage of choice at a backyard barbecue. I give it 3 slices of Lemon Harangue Pie out of a possible 5.



Peanut Butter & Jelly Soda
This one had a noticeable aroma when opened. The taste was overwhelmingly fruity, pretty much drowning out any peanut buttery goodness that might have been lurking in the background. Think of a PB and J with too much J.

I found it somewhat enjoyable, but it was much sweeter than I expected. Definitely more of a taste kids might enjoy.

The ingredient list noted a mix of natural and artificial flavors, and I'm sure the peanut butter fell into the latter category. I give it 2 slices out of 5.



Lester's Fixins sodas are made by the Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop.

Happy little birthday to Bob Ross

Google is celebrating the 70th birthday of painter Bob Ross with a happy little doodle.

A terrifying tale of the breakdown of the modern world

How to weaponize office supplies

Jörg Sprave has a unique hobby. He invents, builds, and tests all varieties of slingshots. He even has his own YouTube channel, appropriately called The Slingshot Channel. So, it isn't at all surprising that he would come up with some clever ways to weaponize ordinary office supplies -- you know, just in case the zombie apocalypse breaks out while you're at work.

The 11 Lego Doctors

(from photographer Andrew Cookston)

How well do you know your states?

In this geographical game, a random state shape appears at the top of the screen, and all you have to do is click and drag it into place. Simple, but not as easy as you might think. I actually did pretty well after a couple of tries. Click here to play.

(via Kottke)

Amazing photos offer a rare glimpse inside Google

The internet isn't, as Senator Ted Stevens suggested, a "series of tubes," but you will certainly notice a lot of tubes in this amazing photo gallery of Google's data centers.

These colorful pipes are responsible for carrying water in and out of our Oregon data center. The blue pipes supply cold water and the red pipes return the warm water back to be cooled.

Our Council Bluffs data center provides over 115,000 square feet of space. We make the best out of every inch, so you can use services like Search and YouTube in the most efficient way possible.

A rare look behind the server aisle. Here hundreds of fans funnel hot air from the server racks into a cooling unit to be recirculated. The green lights are the server status LEDs reflecting from the front of our servers.

(via Colossal)

Zombie-proof fortress for sale

If you're looking for the perfect place to hole up during the zombie apocalypse, why not consider a former anti-ballistic missile complex? Check out the details at GSAAuctions.gov:

The Stanley Mickelsen Safeguard Complex (SRMSC) is an Anti-Ballistic Missile complex which was developed to preserve the United States’ second strike capability against Soviet nuclear missile attacks. The property is located in North Dakota and was the United States’ first Anti-Ballistic Nuclear Missile Defense System. The SRMSC became operational in 1975 and was deactivated in 1976. Since then, the property has been in caretaker status.
The MSR site offers approximately 431 acres with various buildings totaling 258,441 square feet and 207.36 line of sight easement acres, more or less. The MSR site is identified in three sections: Vacant Land (approx. 201 acres); Non Tactical Area (approx. 118 acres) and Tactical Area (approx. 111 acres). The Vacant Land was developed for housing but the housing units were removed. The Non Tactical Area offers several improvements including a chapel, community center, administration building, industrial building, pump house, maintenance building, and office building constructed by former telephone service contractor. The Tactical Area offers the Missile Site Radar Building, power plant, universal missile building, warhead handling building and access sentry station. The tactical area also offers 30 Spartan and 16 Sprint missile silos.

Sorry. All the missiles have been removed.

(via Dave Barry's Blog)

Man cooking squirrel with blowtorch sets fire to apartments

Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Charlie Brown coming to the big screen

The beloved Peanuts characters created by Charles M. Schulz are headed to the big screen. The movie is scheduled to hit theaters in November of 2015, marking the 65th anniversary of the original comic strip and the 50th anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Schulz's son, Craig, and grandson, Bryan, are involved in writing and producing the film.

I was excited when I first heard the news, but something Craig Schulz said in a statement bugged me: "We have been working on this project for years. We finally felt the time was right and the technology is where we need it to be to create this film."

What does he mean by "technology"? Are we talking about state-of-the-art computer animation, or, worse, 3-D? Good grief! I'm sorry, but I just don't see what technology has to do with remaining true to the spirit of the classic comic strip. I think that moving away from the hand-drawn feel of the animation is the best way to ruin it.

Of course, I may be jumping the gun; the movie is still three years away. I guess I'll just have to wait and see along with every other fan.

Record-breaking freefall jump from 120,000 feet delayed

World-record BASE jumper Felix Baumgartner was supposed to have completed his 120,000-foot supersonic free-fall yesterday, but the mission was scrubbed because of high wind gusts. If successful, the jump will look something like this:


You can follow mission updates and watch the actual jump live at RedBullStratos.com.

Angry Birds: Star Wars due out next month

Angry Birds: Star Wars will be available for download on November 8.

A family of Imperial Walkers out for a drive

Car with built-in drive-in theater

Since drive-in theaters are going the way of the dodo, why not just take one along with you? The Smart ForStars from Daimler allows you to do just that. All you have to do is pull up to a flat wall and turn on the video projector mounted in the the hood. Bluetooth technology connects the car to your smart phone, allowing you to watch movies virtually anywhere.

I wonder if it would work while driving through thick fog.

(from Daimler, via DVice)

Squirrel Roundup (September 28, 2012)

Here's a look at some recent news stories involving everyone's favorite vandalizing vermin.

Flaming squirrel ignites grass fire
The humble town of Spearfish, South Dakota, was the target of a squirrel terrorist attack:

Chief Travis Ladson said a squirrel had gotten shocked while touching the power lines, which caused the transformer to blow forcing the squirrel, which was on fire, to drop to the ground. Dubbed the "Dead Squirrel Fire," crews had the blaze knocked down in 20 minutes. "We had a really good response and everyone did a good job," Ladson said.

Houston residents aren't aware of the threat squirrels pose
Squirrel Watch 2012 is under way! KPRC in Houston asks viewers to send in their squirrel shots. I'm thinking of having readers send in pictures of their shot squirrels.

Voice of famous cartoon squirrel turns 95
June Foray, the voice of Rocket J. Squirrel (a.k.a. "Rocky") turned 95 on September 18:

In her decades as a voice actress, June Foray has portrayed a multitude of animated characters: From Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Natasha Fatale on "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show," to Witch Hazel from Looney Tunes and Cindy Lou Who on "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Is that a squirrel in your shirt?
Sure, the guy had a few beers, but I think the squirrel orchestrated the whole thing:

Squirrel home invasion in Germany
This is why we Americans have the Second Amendment:

Of course, even I have to admit that exit was pretty amazing!

Clever squirrel prank
Gets rid of the critter with no messy cleanup:

(via 22 Words)

Global bacon shortage?!

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!

About that Packers-Seahawks game...

For those still scratching their heads over the controversial call at the end of Monday night's Packers-Seahawks game, this excerpt from the NFL Rulebook should clear things up:

In the event of simultaneous conflicting rulings on the field, the official in the black and white stripes shall have precedence over the official in the white and black stripes.

There. Case closed.

Father sends son's toy train into space

What little boy wouldn't like to send his favorite toy on an epic journey into space? That's what Ron Fugelseth did for his four-year-old son. Check it out:

The hazardous job of a pencil sharpener

(from 9 Laughs)

Warp drive may be more feasible than we thought

According to some physicists, the trick to achieving faster-than-light speed is relatively simple. All one has to do is figure out how to manipulate space-time itself -- because, after all, space-time isn't limited by the speed of light. Duh.

Scientist Harold "Sonny" White of NASA's Johnson Space Center explains:

The secret to warp speed is in spaceship design. Below is one concept:

I'm not sure how this works, but apparently the football is crucial.

There is, however, one major obstacle: energy. Studies have estimated that the minimum amount of energy required for a working warp drive would have to be "about equal to the mass-energy of the planet Jupiter."

Come on, scientists. "Feasible"? You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Woman who botched painting restoration seeks royalties

All for charity, of course. The Telegraph reports:

Cecilia Gimenez, who is in her 80s, made headlines across the world after attempting a DIY restoration that left the 19th century fresco of Christ at her local church in Borja resembling a monkey.

The altered image of Ecce Homo – Behold the Man – became an internet sensation and sent thousands of curious sightseers to the Sanctuario de Misericordia to laugh at her handiwork.

Authorities threatened to sue Mrs Gimenez for her unauthorised attempt, which she insisted had been carried out with only good intentions because the painting was in need of repair.

But popularity for the modified masterpiece grew with even budget airline Ryanair offering cheap deals to nearby Zaragoza airport encouraging "pilgrims" to visit the work that was quickly dubbed "Ecce Mono" – Behold the Monkey.

An internet petition to keep the repair job garnered widespread support and seizing an opportunity to swell its coffers, the church began levying a 4 euro (£3) entrance fee on visitors, earning 2,000 euros in the first four days.

Lawyers acting for Mrs Gimenez now insist she should be entitled to a cut of the profits, which she wants to go towards a charity of her choice.

Charity or not, why does money always seem to be the preferred prescription for public humiliation?

Mark Twain made of LEGOs

(via The Mark Twain House & Museum's Facebook page)

The original stuffed animals that inspired Winnie the Pooh

As this evening was winding down, we were chilling to some toddler tunes on one of the cable TV music channels. Our four-year-old daughter perked up when she heard the first couple measures of a Carly Simon song. "This is from Winnie the Pooh!" she exclaimed. Sure enough, it was from the soundtrack of Piglet's Big Movie.

Now when it comes to the history of one of the most beloved children's characters of all-time, I am a bear of very little brain. I had a vague memory of hearing somewhere that A. A. Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh, based his stories on stuffed animals belonging to his son, Christopher Robin.

Well, it's true. And it turns out those stuffed animals are still with us.

Kanga, Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, and Tigger are on display at the Main Branch of the New York Public Library in New York City.

1930s health drink: vitamin D beer

Healthy beer? Who'd a thunk it? Back in 1936, Milwaukee's Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. began marketing a new product designed to boost the health of those who drank it: Sunshine Vitamin D.

Did this concoction do its drinkers any good? No one knows, but it apparently wasn't very profitable. The company quit making it in 1938.

(via LewRockwell.com)

Man pays ticket with 137 dollar bills folded into origami pigs

Frustrated with a $137 ticket he received because of a red light camera, one man decided to pay his fine in style. He showed up at the police station with two Dunkin' Donuts boxes containing 137 dollar bills -- and each bill was folded neatly into an origami pig. The entire process took him about six hours.

You have to admire his perspicuity. He even got the whole incident on video:

19th-century inspiration for Star Wars?

These firefighter rescue masks, dating between the late 1800s and World War I, were steampunk a century before steampunk came into existence. And they bear a striking resemblance to a couple of familiar Star Wars faces.

It is interesting to note that a popular 19th-century manufacturer of smoke helmets was Vajen-Bader. Vajen-Bader? Vader? Hmmmm?