A video primer on how to opt out of a DHS checkpoint

Like TSA "security" screenings at airports, highway checkpoints manned by agents of the Department of Homeland Security have less to do with keeping people safe than with conditioning people to submit without question. Fortunately, a few brave individuals show us that we are under no legal obligation to comply:


The comment from the DHS agent at the 9:45 mark sums up the government's attitude: "The normal person would allow us to run checks on their identification." In other words, if you have a problem with a government agent stopping and detaining you without probable cause, you aren't normal.

The fact that these agents eventually back off proves that they know full well they lack the authority to force people to comply. I hope more people follow the examples seen here.

Scientific explanation for why women talk more than men

From Science World Report:

You know all the times that men complain about women talking too much? Apparently there's a biological explanation for the reason why women are chattier than men. Scientists have discovered that women possess higher levels of a "language protein" in their brains, which could explain why females are so talkative.

Previous research has shown that women talk almost three times as much as men. In fact, an average woman notches up 20,000 words in a day, which is about 13,000 more than the average man. In addition, women generally speak more quickly and devote more brainpower to speaking. Yet before now, researchers haven't been able to biologically explain why this is the case.

Now, they can. New findings conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and published in The Journal of Neuroscience show that a certain protein may be the culprit.

Finally, it all makes sense.

Food under an electron microscope

The Telegraph recently posted a gallery featuring photos of popular foods examined under an electron microscope. Here's an appetizing assortment:

Broccoli floret

Blueberry

Grain of salt

Strawberry

See more photos here.

Carbon-based, biodegradable batteries that charge in 30 seconds?

While working on a new way to make graphene, Richard B. Kaner, a synthetic inorganic chemist and professor at UCLA, made a discovery that could very well revolutionize the way we make batteries.

The Super Supercapacitor | Brian Golden Davis from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.

Elderly couple pulled over when cops mistake Ohio State Buckeye symbol for marijuana leaf

Bonnie Jonas-Boggioni and her husband, Guido, were returning to their Texas home after a visit to Bonnie's hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Jonas-Boggioni, a lifelong Buckeyes fan, proudly displayed an Ohio State decal on the bumper of her car. On the decal was the same symbol the school's football players affix to their helmets to mark individual or team accomplishments on the field. It was this symbol that drew the attention of Tennessee police:

They were in the westbound lanes of I-40, a few miles east of Memphis, when a black police SUV with flashing lights pulled them over, Jonas-Boggioni said. A second black SUV soon pulled up behind the first one.

"Knowing I wasn't speeding, I couldn't imagine why," she said.

Two officers approached, one on each side of the car.

"They were very serious," she said. "They had the body armor and the guns."

Because the couple's two schnauzers were barking furiously, one of the officers had Jonas-Boggioni exit the car so he could hear her better.

"What are you doing with a marijuana sticker on your bumper?" he asked her.

She explained that it is actually a Buckeye leaf decal, just like the ones that Ohio State players are given to put on their helmets to mark good plays.

"He looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language," she said.

At that point, Boggioni got out of the car to show that he was wearing a commemorative sweatshirt from the 2002 national-championship season, complete with a Buckeye leaf.

The officer then explained that someone from outside his jurisdiction — apparently another officer — had spotted the leaf sticker and thought it might indicate that the car was carrying marijuana, Jonas-Boggioni said.

On the left, a marijuana leaf. On the right, what Tennessee cops think is a marijuana leaf.

I realize that being a cop is stressful. With countless government regulations to enforce and growing ticket quotas to fill, it's quite understandable that some among the ranks of our uniformed protectors would start looking for just about any reason to pull someone over. But a sticker that sort of looks like a marijuana leaf? Really?

What would have made more sense was to pull Bonnie and Guido over for displaying a Big Ten sticker in SEC country. After all, isn't that a more serious offense than smuggling marijuana?

Shock collars make soccer more interesting

What could be better than soccer? Electroshock soccer!

(via Dave Barry's Blog)

All Russian meteor videos in one place

Alexander Zaytsev, a web developer in Russia, has collected two dozen videos of the meteor that exploded over Chelyabinsk, less than 200 miles from his home. He has posted them all here.

Video of fireball over California

While not nearly as spectacular as the meteor that exploded over Russia yesterday, the one that burned up over the San Francisco Bay area last night was still pretty impressive.

Russian meteorite: Video compilation and photos of damage

(from RT.com)

Video of massive meteor exploding over Russia

By now you've probably heard of the massive, 10-ton meteor that streaked through the sky and exploded over Russia with the force of an atomic bomb, shattering glass and injuring nearly 1,000 people. Naturally, the incident was captured on video. (Seriously, how boring would the internet be without the Russians and their video cameras?)




As impressive as that was, this meteorite was nowhere near the size of the one that exploded over Tunguska in 1908, leveling over 800 square miles of Siberian forestland.

Tour New Zealand with Google Sheep View

I'm surprised this sort of thing isn't seen more often on Google Street View in New Zealand.

View in Google Maps here.

(Google Sightseeing)

The invisible billion-bug highway in the sky

Someone on Facebook posted a link to this fascinating story featured on NPR a few years ago:

You're a man. Time to start smelling like one.

Are you tired of showering with your wife's floral-scented girly soaps? Do you want to smell like a real man? If your answer is "yes," then Man Soap is for you. Here's a sampling of available scents:

Bacon
By far the manliest of meats, Bacon Soap is the only soap meat lovers need to smell like clean sweet swine all day.

Baseball Glove
There's nothing quite like that rich smell of a leather baseball glove. The game is on everywhere you go.

Beer
There is perhaps no manlier smell than the scent of a cold pint of beer. Why wait until the drunk guy dumps it over you in the packed bar?

Bonfire
Only real men can build a bonfire, and only the manliest can smell like one.

Brewed Coffee
Don't worry you won't smell like a Frappuccino with whipped cream, we're talking a manly blend of black coffee.

Cash
There is no smell a young female will be more attracted to, trust us.

Cedar Log Cabin
Relax to the smell of a cozy log cabin from the comfort of your apartment full of smelly sweat socks and rotting food under your bed.

Fresh Cut Grass
Nothing screams man like mowing the lawn, so this smell will remind you of the smell of a job well done.

Top Soil
Nothing says manly like dirt, so now's your chance to smell like you're covered in it without all the worms and gravel.

Urinal Mint
The urinal mint is unique in that usually only men are around them staring down, wishing that smell could be all theirs. But its usually covered in pee. So if you want to smell manly, clean your hands with a soap that smells like a freshly un-pee'd on urinal cake."

There are 9 more manly scents to choose from. Check them all out at Gadgets and Gear.

Disney announces plans for Han Solo and Boba Fett spin-off movies

Disney announced yesterday that plans are in the works for several Star Wars spin-off movies. These films would include one about a young Corellian smuggler and one focusing on the exploits of an infamous galactic bounty hunter:

The Han Solo story would take place in the time period between Revenge of the Sith and the first Star Wars (now known as A New Hope), so although it's possible Harrison Ford could appear as a framing device, the movie would require a new actor for the lead — one presumably much younger than even the 35-year-old Ford when he appeared in the 1977 original.

The Boba Fett film would take place either between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, or between Empire and Jedi, where the bounty hunter was last seen plunging unceremoniously into a sarlacc pit. Exactly who would play him isn't much of a complication – in the original trilogy, he never took off his helmet. And in the prequels, we learned he was the son of the original stormtrooper clone, played by Temuera Morrison, who's still the right age for the part if his services were required.

May the Force be with you, Disney!

If all your friends jumped off a bridge...

"And it says a lot about you that when your friends jump off a bridge en masse, your first thought is apparently 'my friends are all foolish and I won't be like them' and not 'are my friends ok?'."

(from xkcd)

Skeet-shooting Obama now an action figure

Remember that skeet-shooting photo of Obama the White House didn't want manipulated? You knew it was only a matter of time before someone made an action figure.

And, as far as I know, the White House hasn't issued any statement regarding the manipulation of presidential action figures.

Tour the Grand Canyon with Google Maps

Visit Google Sightseeing and take the tour.

Replace your usual Super Bowl snacks with bacon

For many health-conscious folks who want to cut out unnecessary carbs and avoid the problems associated with a diet high in grains and processed foods, the "paleo diet" is the way to go. The bad news: such a diet doesn't allow much room for the usual Super Bowl snack fare. The good news: those foods can be replaced with bacon!

Amy Kubal, a registered and licensed Dietitian, provides this handy comparison chart to show you the bacon equivalent of your favorite game day foods:

White House: Photo of shotgun-wielding Obama "may not be manipulated in any way"

The White House would rather you didn't Photoshop this result of a staged photo op intended to back up President Obama's claim that he knows what a gun is and has actually fired one before:

President Barack Obama shoots clay targets on the range at Camp David, Md., Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

Don't worry. No one has ever accused me of saying or doing anything "that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President."

(via Breitbart)

Happy Groundhog Day!

Relax. Turns out spring will be early this year.

Facebook responsible for most accurate NFL fandom map ever

Thanks to data collected from Facebook, we now have the most accurate map showing the geographic fan base locations of each NFL team:

That should silence all those who think social media sites are just a waste of time.