Geekologie

[Prettyphile]

Human Bodies Produce Visible Light

Thats right folks, the human body actually produces visible light -- and not just if you live under power lines! Unfortunately, it's not visible to us because it's 1,000 times weaker than our eyes can detect.

The human body literally glows, emitting a visible light in extremely small quantities at levels that rise and fall with the day, scientists now reveal.

In fact, virtually all living creatures emit very weak light, which is thought to be a byproduct of biochemical reactions involving free radicals.

The researchers found the body glow rose and fell over the day, with its lowest point at 10 a.m. and its peak at 4 p.m., dropping gradually after that. These findings suggest there is light emission linked to our body clocks, most likely due to how our metabolic rhythms fluctuate over the course of the day.

[TheBaronOfFratton]

Mexican midget wrestlers arrest

The wrestlers wear masks in keeping with their adopted characters

A woman has been arrested in Mexico over the deaths of two midget wrestlers - twin brothers - discovered in a hotel room last month.

Prosecutors allege she was one of two women who spiked the wrestlers' drinks with eye-drops as part of a robbery.

The 65-year-old woman denies the charges. The police said they were searching for her alleged accomplice, known as "The Fat One".

The wrestlers were part of the popular Lucha Mini wrestling circuit.

The brothers, Alejandro and Alberto Perez Jimenez, 35, fought under the names El Espectrito II ("The Little Ghost") and La Parkita ("Little Death"). Many professional Mexican wrestlers wear masks as part of their adopted characters.

'Big dose'

Prosecutors say the suspect met the two wrestlers in the centre of Mexico City and agreed to go back with them to their hotel room.

There, it is alleged, she and her friend put eye-drops into the brothers' alcoholic drinks.

Surveillance cameras showed the two women leaving the hotel. The suspect held by police was allegedly traced through calls made on one of the wrestlers' mobile phones.

The prosecutors say female gangs have been drugging men to rob them. The suspect and her accomplice, they allege, failed to take into account the wrestlers' small stature, and gave them too big a dose.

She admits meeting the wrestlers but denies drugging or killing them, telling prosecutors she stayed in their hotel room for just 20 minutes.

Be careful with those little guys...

[TheBaronOfFratton]

CANADIAN SCIENTIST AIMS TO TURN CHICKENS INTO DINOSAURS

After years spent hunting for the buried remains of prehistoric animals, a Canadian paleontologist now plans to manipulate chicken embryos to show he can create a dinosaur.

Hans Larsson, the Canada Research Chair in Macro Evolution at Montreal's McGill University, said he aims to develop dinosaur traits that disappeared millions of years ago in birds.

Larsson believes by flipping certain genetic levers during a chicken embryo's development, he can reproduce the dinosaur anatomy, he told AFP in an interview.

Though still in its infancy, the research could eventually lead to hatching live prehistoric animals, but Larsson said there are no plans for that now, for ethical and practical reasons -- a dinosaur hatchery is "too large an enterprise."

"It's a demonstration of evolution," said Larsson, who has studied bird evolution for the last 10 years.

"If I can demonstrate clearly that the potential for dinosaur anatomical development exists in birds, then it again proves that birds are direct descendants of dinosaurs."

The research is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Research Chairs program and National Geographic.

The idea for the project, Larsson said, came about during discussions with renowned American paleontologist Jack Horner, who served as technical advisor for the Jurassic Park films.

Horner recently wrote a book entitled How to Build A Dinosaur, in which he refers to the embryo experiment as part of a quest to create a "chickenosaurus."

Larsson's team has previously worked to uncover prehistoric animal remains, including eight unknown species of dinosaurs and five new types of crocodile in Niger. He also recently uncovered the remains of a new carnivorous dinosaur in Argentina.

(source: AFP)

WHY?

YOU CRAZY FOOLS!!!

[TheBaronOfFratton]

^You could still be a Terminator - just one suffering from the effects of LSD and marijuana!

JAPAN'S FIRST LADY: 'UFO TOOK ME TO VENUS'

The new first lady of Japan has described receiving a visit from a UFO and meeting a Hollywood actor in a past life.

Miyuki Hatoyama and her incoming Prime Minister husband Yukio Hatoyama have been propelled into the global media spotlight by his sensational election win.

Mr Hatoyama - who is nicknamed "the alien" - scored an historic victory on Sunday, booting the ruling party out of office for the first time since 1955.

His wife has spoken publicly of an apparent alien visit, and said she was taken to a "beautiful place" two decades ago.

"While my body was asleep, I think my soul rode on a triangular-shaped UFO and went to Venus," she wrote in a book called Very Strange Things I've Encountered.

Her then-husband told her it was probably a dream, but she said she thinks her current spouse, Mr Hatoyama, would not have been so dismissive.

Mrs Hatoyama cuts a flamboyant figure in the Japanese media. She has worked as a cookery writer and an actress, and often appears on television chat shows.

During one programme, she claimed she became friends with Hollywood actor Tom Cruise after meeting him in a previous incarnation.

"He was Japanese in his past life, and we were together so when I see him, I will say, 'Hi. It's been a long time,' and he will immediately understand," the 66-year-old explained.

Mr Hatoyama, the grandson of a former prime minister, is expected to be confirmed as the country's next leader on September 16.

His Democratic Party of Japan toppled the Liberal Democratic Party in last week's vote, ending an unbroken stint of more than 50 years in power.

(Source: Sky News, UK)

Rock on, Japan. All our politicians do here is 'skim a little off the top' (allegedly) and pass on the presidency to their wives...

[Michael*]

However, it turned out that Smith was not a time-travelling Terminator

This is my favourite line, as if the police actually considered it a possibility

[TheBaronOfFratton]

However, it turned out that Smith was not a time-travelling Terminator

This is my favourite line, as if the police actually considered it a possibility

^Have to keep your options open!!!

HOLY DARWINISM BATMAN!

Snake with foot found in China

A snake with a single clawed foot has been discovered in China, according to reports.

Dean Qiongxiu, 66, said she discovered the reptile clinging to the wall of her bedroom with its talons in the middle of the night.

"I woke up and heard a strange scratching sound. I turned on the light and saw this monster working its way along the wall using his claw," said Mrs Duan of Suining, southwest China.

Mrs Duan said she was so scared she grabbed a shoe and beat the snake to death before preserving its body in a bottle of alcohol.

The snake – 16 inches long and the thickness of a little finger – is now being studied at the Life Sciences Department at China's West Normal University in Nanchang.

Snake expert Long Shuai said: "It is truly shocking but we won't know the cause until we've conducted an autopsy."

A more common mutation among snakes is the growth of a second head, which occurs in a similar way to the formation of Siamese twins in humans.

Such animals are often caught and preserved as lucky tokens but have very little chance of surviving in the wild anyway, especially as the heads have a tendency to attack each other.

:shock:

[Limerlight]

Now i want a snake with two heads.

Cool story nonetheless.

[TheBaronOfFratton]

Olympics and Olympic Sports - Olympic weightlifter gives birth while training

An Olympic weightlifter experienced a huge shock while practising for an event when she unexpectedly gave birth to a baby boy.

Chilean Elizabeth Poblete, who competed at the Beijing Olympics, was training in Sao Paulo, Brazil ahead of a meet when the baby boy was born. Poblete said she had no idea she was pregnant although she did admit to feeling unwell at practice a week before the birth.

(source: Eurosport - Tue, 15 Dec 11:02:00 2009)

:shock: Whoah! That's some 'straining' right there...

[azgirl]

^^ NO kidding.. I have heard about women not knowing they are pregnant .. funny thing i can not recall any of them having a girl..

I can imagine women who have a little flex weight issue not knowing but an actual wieghtlifter.. WOW

[Enrico_sw]

I'm bored. So, I'm asking to myself a couple of geek questions:

- if a moron is bored, is he a boron?

- if someone is bored while being sarcastic, can his drool acid be boric?

- if you have a bored mate, is he a borate?

- if I'm bored while I think, will my dandruffs become borate of zinc?

- if a king is bored while being coronated, will his crown be boronated?

- if I don't abbreviate, the absurdity will get harder than borosilicate...

 

... and this questionning is probably boring...

[Enrico_sw]

On 20/07/2009 at 8:18 PM, Prettyphile said:

Cats Manipulate People With Their Purrs

Researchers at the University of Sussex have discovered that cats use a "soliciting purr" to overpower their owners and garner attention and food. Unlike regular purring, this sound incorporates a "cry", with a similar frequency to a human baby's.The team said cats have "tapped into" a human bias - producing a sound that humans find very difficult to ignore.

Source: Geekologie

 

Interesting So it's purr evil then?

[Enrico_sw]

http://www.lovewhatmatters.com/i-am-groot-student-gets-95-100-on-epic-resume-cover-letter-assignment-repeating-famous-marvel-catchphrase-hundreds-of-times/

Quote

I am Groot’ Student gets 95/100 on epic resumé/cover letter assignment; repeating famous Marvel catchphrase hundreds of times

 

 

 

This kid is a freaking genius

 

Quote

The student received a 95 and 100 on two separate grades. he had points taken off for capitalization and inconsistency on his name ‘Groot’ he left out ‘I am.’  Grammar is very important.

 

Oh, yeah, grammar is important (and BTW, when somebody writes that, he'd better not forget the capital letter for "He" )

[Enrico_sw]

On 20/07/2009 at 8:17 PM, Prettyphile said:

Kid Drinks Gasoline To Be Like Transformer

Some 14-year old kid in China has been drinking gasoline since he was 9 to become more like a Transformer. Unfortunately, he's become more like an moron.

 

 

The youngster was so impressed that he began drinking fuel on a daily basis to "obtain energy" and become a mighty warrior like the Transformers.

 

 

I imagine that if this kid had wanted to become the Hulk or Spiderman, then maybe... he would've asked his father to go to a nuclear plant in order to dive in the Spent Nuclear Fuel Pool! Maybe Dr. Manhattan could've prescribed him a good treatment: "Take a 8 mm nuclear pallet every day kid. Possible side-effects: losing your hair, frying your brain..."

 

[Enrico_sw]

Fermat's principle... Does it mean that nature is lazy? Does it mean that nature is smart? Or does it mean nothing? Is there a sense in looking for a meaning? Are these useless questions? The advantage of questions: you never get short of them...

[Prettyphile]

Cosplayer Mods Nerf Gun With Holographic Spell Caster

 

Note: Keep your volume in check.

This is a video demonstration of a Nerf gun modified by a Japanese cosplayer to cast some custom holographic spells in the air. Obviously they're not REAL holograms, they're images created by one of those quickly spinning LED wands that tricks your eyes into seeing things thanks to humans' persistence of vision. Some more info while I close my eyes for a few and pretend I'm on a beach somewhere, hopefully in your arms:

    The holographic images are created using an effect called persistence of vision, where the human eye holds onto images for a split second longer than light rays are actually hitting the retina. It's what allows us to interpret the images flashing across the pixels on a screen as moving video, instead of just a slideshow.

That's just like my eyes -- always playing tricks on me. Take the girl I was making out with at the bar Saturday night for example. "That was a empty beer pitcher." She was a perfect ten.

Keep going for the video, demo starts at 0:35, and a look at the build at 1:20.