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Archive for the ‘Wild Stuff’ Category

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Have You Heard About Naked Bike Day?

In Culture, Freedom, Funny Stuff, Wild Stuff on June 21, 2011 at 8:44 pm

If you haven’t, you should check this out. Obviously if you have a cause you feel passionately about, you should promote it by going naked. Just make sure to pick your weather carefully if you want a big turnout.

It was a typical early summer evening in Portland: cloudy skies threatening rain, temperatures in the mid-60s, and thousands of naked bicyclists gathered near the city’s waterfront for a clothing-free night ride.

The Portland version of the World Naked Bike Ride was about to begin.

“It is the most liberating, natural feeling possible,” said Brooklyn Jay, who came all the way from Phoenix for the ride.

World Naked Bike Ride is a globally observed event among hard-core bikers designed, at least ostensibly, to promote the use of the bicycle for transportation. But Portland cyclists have been especially adamant about making it another of the Pacific Northwest city’s quirky traditions. Read the rest of this entry »

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Spectacular Border Closing In Pakistan

In Culture, Funny Stuff, Strange Oddities, Wild Stuff on June 16, 2011 at 10:19 pm

Closing the gates on the India-Pakistan borderSo you think you’ve seen it all? Check this out and maybe you’ll change your mind.

This is an amazing video showing the unusual, to say the least, India-Pakistan border crossing at closing time. These are some pretty crazy antics and apparently this goes on every single day!

In fact, its become so popular they draw a tremendous crowd just to watch the ceremony. The video is fast loading and in high-quality HD. Enjoy!

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Science “Gods” Create New Life

In Life, Science, Wild Stuff on June 5, 2011 at 6:27 pm

In May of last year, scientists created new life from essentially four chemicals and in that single act, assumed godlike powers of creation.

Dr. Craig Venter, a biologist at the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville Maryland, who has been working on synthetic life for a decade, told The Times:

“It is our final triumph. This is the first synthetic cell. It’s the first time we have started with information in a computer, used four bottles of chemicals to write-up a million letters of DNA software, and actually got it to boot up in a living organism.

Though this is a baby step, it enables a change in philosophy, a change in thinking, a change in the tools we have. This cell we’ve made is not a miracle cell that’s useful for anything, it is a proof of concept. But the proof of concept was key, otherwise it is just speculation and science fiction. This takes us across that border, into a new world.”

Julian Savulescu, Professor of Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford, said:

“Venter is creaking open the most profound door in humanity’s history, potentially peeking into its destiny. He is going towards the role of a god: creating artificial life that could never have existed naturally. The potential is in the far future, but real and significant. But the risks are also unparalleled.” Read the rest of this entry »

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The Strange World Of Child Prodigies And Wunderkinds

In Mind-Body, Strange Oddities, Wild Stuff, Wonder on June 3, 2011 at 1:06 am

It is easy to feel humbled in the presence of a Wunderkind, or what is more broadly referred to as a Child Prodigy.

They appear most enigmatically, astounding everyone around them with jaw dropping displays of prowess well in advance of their years; more often than not, even well beyond the capabilities of professionals who have spent most of their life getting to the top of their class.

Many in fact, have little or no exposure to any source that might serve to explain how they may have come to their special gift. Some Child Prodigies display their amazing capabilities well before they have even mastered walking and talking, much less a far more complex maturity of body and mind.

“A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond their level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding field of endeavour.”  – Wikipedia Read the rest of this entry »

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PayPal Co-Founder Paying Students To Drop Out!

In Culture, Prosperity, Wild Stuff, Zowie Fun Facts on May 26, 2011 at 10:45 pm

Yep! You heard that right. Zowie!!

Peter Thiel, the PayPal co-founder and one of the first investors in Facebook, is proposing a controversial path toward more rapid innovation.

Today his Thiel Foundation announced that it was giving 24 people under 20 $100,000 fellowships to drop out of school for two years to start a their own companies.

Some of the recipients are leaving first-rate institutions like Harvard and Stanford to take the fellowship. In a press release, the foundation’s head, James O’Neill, said that in taking the fellowship they were “challenging the authority of the present and the familiar.”

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that Thiel thinks ideas can develop in a start-up environment much faster than at a university. And the project is also intended to question the idea of higher education. Thiel told TechCrunch in April that the United Sates was in a higher education bubble. Read the rest of this entry »

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Virgin Galactic Is Hiring Astronauts

In Fun Technology, Travel, Wild Stuff, Zowie Fun Facts on May 26, 2011 at 12:21 am

spaceport americaVirgin Galactic, the stepchild of Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic, has started hiring astronauts in anticipation of kicking off their commercial spaceflight business at Spaceport America later this year.

Construction on passenger terminal buildings, spacecraft hangars and launch facilities are already well under way with the official opening of the spaceport still on track for end of 2011. In 2008, Governor Bill Richardson announced that Virgin Galactic had signed a 20 year lease agreement with the State of New Mexico. Virgin Galactic’s world headquarters will be established in New Mexico and its operations will be located at New Mexico’s Spaceport America, the nation’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport.

“The signing of this agreement is a momentous day for our state and has cemented New Mexico as the home of commercial space travel,” Governor Bill Richardson said. “I want to thank Virgin Galactic for partnering with us to create a whole new industry that is going to transform the economy of Southern New Mexico—creating thousands of jobs, generating money for education, boosting tourism and attracting other companies and economic opportunities to the area.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Why Do We Fear Friday The 13th?

In Wild Stuff, Zowie Fun Facts on May 13, 2011 at 8:13 pm

Today is Friday the 13th again! Bwaahaaahaaa! And believe it or not, some people are pretty worked up about it still, even in these modern times of the 21st Century. 

“According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed. It’s been estimated that [US]$800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day.” - as quoted at Wikipedia. Wow, really?

References to Friday the 13th as a day connected with bad luck generally began to appear around the mid-17th century. Quotes referencing Friday the 13th date back to 1656, or perhaps earlier and can be found in numerous citations throughout Western Literature.

Fridays were already generally considered a bad day for many ordinary tasks, from writing letters to conducting business and receiving medical treatment. And adding the unlucky 13 to that just made matters worse. Read the rest of this entry »

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Fly With Your Own Personal Jet Pack

In Freedom, Fun Technology, Funny Stuff, Wild Stuff on May 9, 2011 at 10:45 pm

You have been dreaming about flying a personal jetpack for way too long. Your wait is finally over!

The JetLev company has produced a personal jetpack anyone can afford and learn to fly. Not only is it fun, it’s good clean fun because it uses water as fuel and propulsion. All you need is open water and an hour or so practicing basic flight maneuvering. What could be more simple?

Mankind has always dreamed of being able to fly. Some estimate that about one-in-three persons have had flying dreams. We express our yearnings for personal flight in our paintings, cartoons, science fiction, poetry, songs, films, and in our dreams. We invented balloons, airplanes and other devices to carry us into the air.

In the 1960’s, invention of the rocket belt brought us within reach of achieving personal flight. However, only a handful has ever flown one. Its short flight duration, weight, expensive and dangerous fuels, high noise levels, difficult controls, and extremely high risks of death and injuries would continue to thwart commercialization efforts.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Amazing Coincidences And The Strange Power Of Synchronicity

In Life, Mind-Body, Wild Stuff, Wonder on May 6, 2011 at 11:40 pm

The world is filled with astonishing occurrences of coincidence and synchronicity that defy explanation. Are these incredible true stories of mere chance… or the hand of fate?

Finnish twin brothers, aged 71, were killed in identical bicycle accidents along the same road two hours apart, police said. “This is simply a historic coincidence. Although the road is a busy one, accidents don’t occur every day,” police officer Marja-Leena Huhtala told Reuters. “It made my hair stand on end when I heard the two were brothers, and identical twins at that. It came to mind that perhaps someone from upstairs had a say in this,” she said.

Identical twins. Identical accidents. Identical deaths. Two hours apart. This astonishing coincidence was reported in newspapers and on newswires around the world in early March, 2002. The odds of it occurring seem remote in the extreme, and it causes one to wonder, as the woman did above – even for a moment – if there’s more at play here than mere coincidence. Is it the hand of fate? Is it true, as author Elizabeth Kubler-Ross wrote, that “there are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Bride Wears Gown Made From WWII Pilot’s Parachute

In Life, Quality of Life, Wild Stuff, Zowie Fun Facts on May 2, 2011 at 10:51 pm

Kate Middleton’s Sarah Burton dress was lovely, but when it comes to back story, a unique wedding gown in the Smithsonian has a romantic tale that’s hard to beat (see pictures at the Smithsonian).

“This wedding dress was made from a nylon parachute that saved the groom’s life during World War II.”

In August of 1944, Major Claude Hensinger, a B-29 pilot, bailed out of his aircraft over Yowata Japan after an engine caught fire.

The major landed on rocky ground, suffering only minor injuries. He slept outdoors that night, using the parachute as a blanket, before being found the next morning.

Hensigner kept the parachute and brought it back to the United States with him when he returned from war. In 1947, he proposed to his girlfriend, Ruth, suggesting that she create a wedding gown out of his lifesaving parachute. Read the rest of this entry »

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