Starbucks is now offering the trenta size, which is just one ounce short of a full quart. Sadly, it will not be available for straight coffee — just icy drinks. In this infographic, Andrew Barr of Canada’s National Post points out that this size is larger than the average adult stomach capacity…
Continue reading… “Starbucks Offers Ginormous New Drink Size”
Dozens of starlings in the Karacabey district of Turkey’s Bursa province were among the victims of a recent spate of mass animal deaths around the world that initially provoked much international alarm. But though scientists have emphasized such incidents are not a sign of broader dangers, plenty of real threats face many of the hundreds of bird species in Turkey…
Continue reading… “Time Running Out For Many Bird Species in Turkey”
Photographer Rafaela Persson has lived in Afghanistan since 2008, and spends time getting to know her subjects.
I had an idea to photograph female drug addicts. Afghanistan is the world’s biggest producer of opium, from which heroin is derived. According to a study made by U.N. Drugs and Crimes Office in 2010, the rate of drug addiction in Afghanistan is twice the global average; Afghans have become the leading consumers of their own opium. Approximately one million Afghans, or eight percent of the war-shattered country’s total population is suffering from drug addiction, a 75 percent increase since 2005. What is even more alarming is that studies show that 50 percent of Afghanistan’s opium-using parents give the drug to their own children…
Continue reading… “The Plight of Female Drug Addicts in Afghanistan”
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a United States federal holiday. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around the time of King’s birthday, January 15.
King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honor began soon after his assassination in 1968, and was first observed in 1986.
Continue reading… “Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!”
Design a credit card, and some idiot will sign up for it. Here are the Worst Credit Cards of 2010.
Continue reading… “The Worst Credit Cards of 2010”
Not many of us realize this, but refrigerators are household appliances that play a much more important role than we give them credit for. Imagine if refrigerators would not have been invented; how we would preserve groceries and dairy products. The rectangular shaped, multi compartment refrigerator allows us the comfort of storing our food supplies for weeks on end in pristine condition. Ever since its inception, refrigerators have maintained a traditional shape and operated on the same mechanics. Innovations have largely been restricted to features such as auto-defrost. The University of Central Lancashire and online supermarket Ocado have come up with a concept for a new age refrigerator that marks a step ahead in refrigerator technology…
Continue reading… “A Self-Cleaning Fridge Concept”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oivUo2GzWGo&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
This video shot by Modernist Cuisine shows a drop of liquid nitrogen hitting a hot frying pan. It doesn’t instantly vaporize because a thin layer of vapor briefly insulates the drop. Scientists call this phenomenon the Leidenfrost Effect…
Continue reading… “Drop of Liquid Nitrogen Skittering Across a Frying Pan in Super Slow Motion”
Calcium supplements have been linked to increased heart attack risk.
A study published in the British Medical Journal via Natural Awakenings found thatcalcium supplements can increase your risk of a heart attack by as much as 31 percent. The new research looked at 11 studies on 11,921 individuals. It’s scary stuff for those at risk of heart disease and osteoporosis, both of which plague the U.S. But it’s also more proof that the best way to feed your body the nutrients it needs isn’t through supplementation, but through your diet. How can you feed your bones? Well you may be surprised at the foods with the highest percentages of calcium…
Continue reading… “Calcium Supplements Linked to Heart Attacks: Feed Your Bones Instead”
Iceland Wants to Be Your Friend is an initiative of the Icelandic Tourist Board.
Halló, my name is Iceland. I am an island, full of mountains and glaciers and hot water and sheep and other things. And also many nice Icelandic people, who like to make music, and who are sometimes cold.
(Maybe you have seen me on your tele-vision, or your Inter-nets.) I have heard that many people use the Inter-nets to make friends, and to talk about themselves. So that is what I want to do, too.
New York City held a design contest for new taxi cabs and have winnowed the finalists down to three designs, none of which are very exciting, but could make the manufacturer of the eventual winner rather wealthy. However, the city reserves the right to reject all three and start the competition over. However…
Continue reading… “Tomorrow’s Taxis”
A star-shaped mushroom, called the Devil’s Cigar (Chorioactis geaster) is one of the world’s rarest fungi. It’s also known as the Texas star. These fungi had been detected only in central Texas, two remote locations in Japan, and most recently in the mountains of Nara. The Devil’s Cigar is a dark brown cigar-shaped capsule that transforms into a tan-coloured star when it splits open to release its spores.
Continue reading… “Meet The World’s Rarest Fungi – The Devil’s Cigar (Chorioactis)”
It’s a tale that has all the trappings of a cult 1960s sci-fi movie: Scientists bring back ancient salt crystals, dug up from deep below Death Valley for climate research. The sparkling crystals are carefully packed away until, years later, a young, unknown researcher takes a second look at the 34,000-year-old crystals and discovers, trapped inside, something strange. Something … alive…
Continue reading… “34,000-Year-Old Organisms Found Buried Alive!”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.