among other things

Big rig carrying fruit crashes on 210 Freeway, creates jam

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:14:39 -0400

Big rig carrying fruit crashes on 210 Freeway, creates jam

An alligator sitting on the back of a turtle. Mary Ellen...

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:46:24 -0400

An alligator sitting on the back of a turtle.

Mary Ellen Urbanski.

folhadespaulo: http://folha.com/131372 (Foto: Carters News/The...

Sun, 19 May 2013 12:23:00 -0400

folhadespaulo:

http://folha.com/131372 (Foto: Carters News/The Grosby Group)

Dajan Chiou, Common Kingfisher.

Sat, 18 May 2013 13:11:00 -0400

Dajan Chiou, Common Kingfisher.

Discovery: Ancient lore has suggested that the Vikings used...

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:54:32 -0400

Discovery:

Ancient lore has suggested that the Vikings used special crystals to find their way under less-than-sunny skies. Though none of these so-called “sunstones” have ever been found at Viking archaeological sites, a crystal uncovered in a British shipwreck could help prove they did indeed exist.

The crystal was found amongst the wreckage of the Alderney, an Elizabethan warship that sank near the Channel Islands in 1592. The stone was discovered less than 3 feet (1 meter) from a pair of navigation dividers, suggesting it may have been kept with the ship’s other navigational tools, according to the research team headed by scientists at the University of Rennes in France.

A chemical analysis confirmed that the stone was Icelandic Spar, or calcite crystal, believed to be the Vikings’ mineral of choice for their fabled sunstones, mentioned in the 13th-century Viking saga of Saint Olaf.

Today, the Alderney crystal would be useless for navigation, because it has been abraded by sand and clouded by magnesium salts. But in better days, such a stone would have bent light in a helpful way for seafarers.

Because of the rhombohedral shape of calcite crystals, “they refract or polarize light in such a way to create a double image,” Mike Harrison, coordinator of the Alderney Maritime Trust, told LiveScience. This means that if you were to look at someone’s face through a clear chunk of Icelandic spar, you would see two faces. But if the crystal is held in just the right position, the double image becomes a single image and you know the crystal is pointing east-west, Harrison said.

These refractive powers remain even in low light when it’s foggy or cloudy or when twilight has come. In a previous study, the researchers proved they could use Icelandic spar to orient themselves within a few degrees of the sun, even after the sun had dipped below the horizon.

Birefringence is awesome; figuring out how to manipulate it to make a compass when you’re a 13th century viking is awesomer.

Photo

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:26:50 -0400

This is a very small monkey eating a noodle.

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:12:25 -0400

This is a very small monkey eating a noodle.

These pretty flowers are on every tree in Madison right now. And...

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:47:00 -0400

These pretty flowers are on every tree in Madison right now. And they smell like rotting garbage.

I call them poopblossoms, but surely someone out there knows the actual name of this tree?

EDIT: Turns out they’re pear trees. Shitty callery pear trees.

Thanks christielouwho, sparklykiss and moribundity!

MGMT - Kids

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:02:00 -0400

MGMT - Kids

Batman, Batgirl, and Robin.

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:36:50 -0400

Batman, Batgirl, and Robin.

Nina Katchadourian: Mended Spiderweb #19 (Laundry Line)...

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:44:22 -0400

Nina Katchadourian:

Mended Spiderweb #19 (Laundry Line) (1998)

Mended Spiderweb #14 (Spoon Patch) (1998)

Do-it-Yourself Spiderweb Repair Kit (1998)

“People love chocolate.”

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:31:01 -0400

“People love chocolate.”

"Our guest today is the author of Paper: An Elegy. Paper is everywhere. I have a big stack of paper..."

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:15:42 -0400

“Our guest today is the author of Paper: An Elegy. Paper is everywhere. I have a big stack of paper right in front of me right now, telling me about this book that has more than 200 pages of paper in it that talks about the history, and the future, of paper.”

- Joy Cardin, on Wisconsin Public Radio this morning.

I do love public radio, but sometimes NPR is a little too much like NPR.

James Nares, Tetragram (1999).

Sun, 12 May 2013 13:58:17 -0400

James Nares, Tetragram (1999).

Welcome to Madison.

Sun, 12 May 2013 10:54:43 -0400

Welcome to Madison.

Jaydiohead - 99 Anthems For my 9-toed shipmate: I got 99...

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:40:49 -0400

Jaydiohead - 99 Anthems

For my 9-toed shipmate: I got 99 problems but memory allocation ain’t one.

Madeline Sharafian, Omelette. Good dog.

Thu, 09 May 2013 22:58:35 -0400

Madeline Sharafian, Omelette.

Good dog.

Jellyfish - Sabrina (Paste and Plato) Koolaid. Sandwiches. And...

Wed, 08 May 2013 22:59:31 -0400

Jellyfish - Sabrina (Paste and Plato)

Koolaid. Sandwiches. And chips for all the shoulders.

A Boy and His Atom. The world’s smallest movie, by IBM.

Tue, 07 May 2013 23:33:20 -0400

A Boy and His Atom.

The world’s smallest movie, by IBM.

"See if there is any bacon, and if there is, ask the cook which pan to fry it in. Then ask if there..."

Tue, 07 May 2013 23:17:21 -0400

“See if there is any bacon, and if there is, ask the cook which pan to fry it in. Then ask if there are any eggs, and if so try and persuade the cook to poach two of them. It is better not to attempt toast, as it burns very easily. Also, in the case of bacon, do not turn the fire too high, or you will have to get out of the house for a week. Serve preferably on china plates, though gold or wood will do if handy.”

- Zelda Fitzgerald’s solicited submission for Favorite Recipes of Famous Women.