More Alike Than We Thought?
Similar Diversity is a data visualization of a textual analysis of various religious books spanning several religions, showing the overlap in words, ideas, and meaning. Other infovis religion goodness includes a 90 second geographic history of the world’s major religions, a a map gallery of USAian religious adherance, and a timeline mashup of Jewish and Christian histories.
Share this:
Jump back, wanna kiss myself!
If you could kiss yourself, would you?
These photos make it happen, and the results are … disturbing.
Site is in French.
Share this:
Strange Little Wars
Strange, small wars throughout history. Some were border clashes named after the item that sparked the confrontation, like the British-American Pig War or the Missouri-Iowa Honey War. Some were bloodless, such as the Maine-New Brunswick Pork and Beans War and the Texas-Oklahoma Red River Bridge War. North Carolina’s War of Regulation resulted in eighteen deaths and six later executions.
Share this:
Flash Tactics
Tactics 100 Live A flash game similar to Final Fantasy Tactics or Ogre Tactics. Spend 100 points to create an 8 unit army and battle it out on a 7×7 grid. Practice against an AI opponent, or face off in multiplayer combat.
Share this:
Embryo-free Embryonic Stem-Cells
Simple switch turns cells embryonic. "Researchers have finally hit the jackpot: Embryo-free embryonic stem-cells!"
Share this:
You are boring the $#!* out of me!
A new video by Jed Davis’ Hanslick Rebellion. A meanspirited, though easy to identify with, piece about office small-talk. A feel good summer song for those of us tied to desks. Warning: Loud swearing.
Share this:
Japanese historical photographs ca. 1910
A nice set of photographic glass-plate transparencies depicting life in Japan ca. 1910. These "Yokohama photographs" were sold to foreign tourists between about 1868 and 1912. I found the Crafts and Trades section most interesting.
Share this:
Hi, I’m a Marvel…and I’m a DC
Hi, I’m a Marvel…and I’m a DC. A collection of videos on youtube targeting both the Mac/PC ads and comic book based movies. Ten videos so far, with more coming.
Share this:
Star Wars Meets Hello Kitty
Wicked Crispy is the personal site of artist & animator Jeff Victor, who draws Star Wars characters (among other things) in adorable bobblehead style.
Share this:
Navy Numa Numa
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you combined In the Navy with the Numa Numa song? The crew of the USS Enterprise has the answer.
Share this:
Fifties housewives’ tarot deck (predict casseroles, aprons, A-bombs)
Found this for
Jenn to Neatorama post, here’s the deck itself.
Share this:
Neuroscience of deja vu
MIT researchers report the identification of a mechanism in the brain that’s tied to the experience of deja vu, French for “seen already.” The neuroscientists studied how subregions of the hippocampus–a part of the brain responsible for creating memories–contribute to our ability to differentiate between distinct places that are very similar. To conduct their study, the scientists observed the behavior of genetically-engineered mice in similar chambers, one with a floor that could shock them. (Yeeowch!)
From the MIT News Office:
Researchers believe that a set of neurons called place cells fire to provide a sort of blueprint for any new space we encounter. The next time we see the space, those same neurons fire. Thus we know when we’ve been somewhere before and don’t have to relearn our way around familiar turf.
But if we enter a space very similar to one we have seen before, a new but overlapping set of neurons creates the blueprint. When there is enough overlap between the two sets, we experience an eerie feeling of deja vu–a French phrase that literally means, “already seen.”
Share this:
vermont secession movement
13% of Vermont wants to secede, up from 8% last year. Here is their manifesto. Also Texas, Alaska, South Carolina, Hawaii.
Share this:
To Silently Go Where No Man Has Gone Before
Steam Trek: The Moving Picture – Absolutely charming Star Trek parody done in the silent movie style.
Share this:
Free Online Film School
TakeZer0 is a weekly videoblog by two young filmmakers aiming to be a free basic film school for anyone interested, with lessons so far on shot composition, lighting, camera stabilization & the overall process.
Share this:
The last samurai
Bakumatsu – from this to this. Photographs from an exhibition at the University of Tokyo.
Share this:
The Beast of Omaha
63 years ago today, 20-year old German lance-corporal Hein Severloh was armed with a rifle, a machine gun and 16,000 rounds of ammo when American forces landed in the early morning hours off Omaha Beach on D-Day. During the next nine-hour "Longest Day", Severloh gunned down up to 3,000 Americans before running out of ammo, making him personally responsible for about three-quarters of all casualties at Omaha Beach, comparable in scale to 9/11 or the Iraq War. Nicknamed The Beast of Omaha, today he says "I never wanted to be in the war. I never wanted to be in France. I never wanted to be in that bunker firing a machine gun. Thinking about it makes me want to throw up."
Share this:
Cat has camera on collar so we can see what he does
Mr. Lee is a cat in Germany, whose owner has attached a camera to his collar so that we can share his daily adventures! Some of the photos are mysterious. Others are beautiful. I love this!
Share this:
Get your cat totally wasted: brew ultrapotent catnip extract
Here’s a how-to on making an ultra-potent, 99%+ pure Catnip extract to help form that cat army you’ve always been dreaming of. The guide uses readily available materials and provides very detailed, easy to follow instructions which makes this within reach of the average person with too much time on their hands.
Caveat stoner. This may be potentially harmful to cats, I do not know. Also, the idea of intoxicating animals who cannot give informed consent to getting totally baked raises issues of ethics and animal cruelty. I’m posting this here because I think it is funny, not because I think drugging animals IRL is cute.
RobDurdle.com 
You must be logged in to post a comment.