"Among my saddest moments as a career counselor is when I hear a story like this: I wasn't a good student in high school, but I wanted to prove that I can get a college diploma. I'd be the first one in my family to do it. But it's been five years and $80,000, and I still have 45 credits to go."
"In the late '90s, pop-culture historian Bill Geerhart had a little too much time on his hands and a surfeit of stamps. So, for his own entertainment, the then-unemployed thirty-something launched a letter-writing campaign to some of the most powerful and infamous figures in the country, posing as a curious 10-year-old named Billy."
"A male orangutan, clinging precariously to overhanging branches, flails the water with a pole, trying desperately to spear a passing fish.
It is the first time one has been seen using a tool to hunt.
The extraordinary image, a world exclusive, was taken in Borneo on the island of Kaja, where apes are rehabilitated into the wild after being rescued from zoos, private homes or even butchers' shops."
"One of the interesting things about being a serious Windows user is that very little attention is paid to efficient users of Windows, and that we suffer from a lot of folklore or misinformation that gets passed around."
"Water," Batali says. "Water is huge. It's probably one of California's biggest problems with pizza." Water binds the dough's few ingredients. Nearly every chemical reaction that produces flavor occurs in water, says Chris Loss, a food scientist with the Culinary Institute of America. "So, naturally, the minerals and chemicals in it will affect every aspect of the way something tastes."
"Completing that Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle isn't just a diverting — if usually futile — pastime. It's also a great way to keep your wits about you as you age. At least that's the common belief, which holds that a regular schedule of cognitive exercise can bulk up your brain with new neurons, the same way vigorous weight lifting can build muscle mass."
"Much to the dismay of wacky masochist everywhere, the human brain is wired against self-tickling. Because the brain controls movement, it knows what your hand is going to do before you do it."
"Sturgeon’s Law states that “90% of science fiction is shit — 90% of everything is shit” but, even though literally tons of crappy SF gets published every year, sometimes the absolute best gets shuffled into obscurity. Here, then, are ten novels that should have been elevated far above the stink of the heap… but somehow never got the buzz they deserve."
"Sometimes simply getting from point A to point B is not really the point. Some people want to do it in style and with a certain panache, some want to set their vehicles as far apart from the norm as possible (without crossing into the ridiculous). A few of the vehicles depicted here are made only for show, but some appear roadworthy and even...groundbreaking?"
"Young Me, Now Me is the brain child of Ze Frank (the man himself is an Internet phenomenon!). Basically, you can submit photographs of the "now" you imitating an old childhood photograph."
"The science of weather is a fascinating one; but even more so are the flukes and irregularities that can occur within our world. This is a list of 20 of the most amazing and unusual of those anomalies."
"Poisonous or dangerous food is considered a special delicacy by some cultures in several parts of the world. In most cases, a nice feast may turn into a deadly game of Russian roulette."
"In 1977 Irene Pepperberg, a recent graduate of Harvard University, did something very bold. At a time when animals still were considered automatons, she set out to find what was on another creature's mind by talking to it. She brought a one-year-old African gray parrot she named Alex into her lab to teach him to reproduce the sounds of the English language. 'I thought if he learned to communicate, I could ask him questions about how he sees the world.'"
"Long before MTV, performers expressed the visual dimension of their art through their album covers. Every music fan has his/her favorites, but several covers stand out for their brilliance, their impact and their ability to make as much of a statement as the music they represent. Every art form has its giants, and album cover art is no exception. The work of the designers featured here spans over 40 years of music."
"Reader Lona says that people in her family have called her a consumer advocate since she was sixteen, and now she is going to share with us 2,177 words on the customer service tactics and techniques she uses to get satisfaction. She writes, "in 99% of situations, it allows you to reach an agreeable solution to almost any problem."
"Space junk, space debris, space waste — call it what you want, but just as junk and waste cause problems here on Earth, in space spent booster stages, nuts and bolts from ISS construction, various accidental discards such as spacesuit gloves and cameras, and fragments from exploded spacecraft could turn into a serious problem for the future of spaceflight if actions to mitigate the threat are not taken now."
"THE BLOG SQUAD From left, Shaun Ironside, whose Nissan Skyline was recovered with help from Punit Patel, Shelton Kwan and James Lynch. Members of an Internet forum, they all met in person the first time for this photograph.
"In the bayous of Louisiana, researchers have discovered that alligators have a ferocious immune system that can take down a vast range of viruses, bacteria and other infectious microbes, including HIV, the virus that causes AIDS."
"So you just spotted that gizmo you've been lusting for at unbeatable price, but the only problem is it's for sale at an online retailer you've never heard of. How do you know if they're trustworthy? Consumerist reader "Gigantic Robotic Penguin" (don't let the name turn you off) has put together a comprehensive guide to evaluating unknown online retailers. Get started snooping, inside..."
"From classics and sci-fi to poetry, biographies and books that changed the world… we present the ultimate reading list."
"How can we define what’s a photo effect? That was my main concern when I started the research to build this list. Despite of this situation, I had one thing clear: the final result had to be quite different from the orignal picture and be recognized as a post production photo manipulation."
"In his new book, photographer Nick Veasey creates inside-out images of the everyday and the bizarre. Using a lead-lined studio he shoots his subjects, then composes and embellishes the images on a computer."
"One of my favorite professors in college was a self-confessed liar. I guess that statement requires a bit of explanation. "
"One of my favorite things about traveling is seeing how English is used, or misused. Apparently I'm not alone. Most of these seem to be from Asian countries, however there are a few from other parts of the world that are just as hilarious. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did."
"UK experts say research which finds drinking lots of water does little to improve health should not discourage people from topping up regularly."
"With 'The Ruins' creeping into multiplexes, we're turning down the lights for cinema's most terrifically terrifying -- from 'The Shining' to 'The Exorcist' to 'The Ring'."
