What IS It?

One guess per person. No cheating!

It's a SHOE. I'm impressed that so many of you knew what it was!

The Lamp That Runs on Human Blood

Mike Thompson has designed a single-use lamp (shown above) that runs on human blood. The project was designed to help people realize just how precious energy is. More here.

Also precious and icky? Spider silk. Click here to see the largest piece of cloth ever woven out of the excretions of arachnids.

Don't Step on the Art!

I need to travel to London as soon as possible to visit my daredevil, girl-genius niece, Francesca. When I get there, I plan to keep an eye out for the street art of Slinkachu. He's responsible for the "Inner City Snail" project I wrote about a while back. But he's probably best known for his Little People art. (Shown above.) The idea is that tiny people have been brought to London and left to fend for themselves. They go about their daily lives without attracting much notice from the rest of us.

Slinkachu creates the tiny artworks, photographs them, and leaves them behind for the residents of London to find! (The pictures at the bottom were were taken during a recent trip to Italy.) Imagine peering into the gap left by a missing brick and finding THIS . . .




As you all know, I'm a big fan of leaving artworks and secret messages behind for others to discover. And while most of us probably can't replicate Slinkachu's fabulous tiny sculptures, it seems like this idea might easily be "borrowed" and brought to your own hometown.

On a Lighter Note

I had to put up something amusing after that last post! And oddly enough, it's kinda related. I saw this old ambulance on the street the other day. Any Brooklyn people out there know what this is all about?

The Blue Hill Horror

Right after I uploaded my post about the snake with a foot (see below), reports of another unfortunate creature began to surface.

On September 12, four teenagers were hanging out near Cerro Azul in Panama when they spied an unusual beast leaving a nearby cave. When it began to climb across some rocks toward them, they freaked out and began throwing sticks and stones at it. (I'd just like to point something out here: There were FOUR of them. And ONE creature. Draw your own conclusions.)

The beast died, fell in some water, and later washed ashore where it was photographed by locals.

Anyway, the creature's appearance is pretty unusual. You can see pictures (and read more) at Cryptomundo. The photos aren't gory, but they are pretty sad, if you ask me. So only the hard-hearted should take a look.

There's a Moral to this Story

Okay, so a snake with a foot (above) was discovered in China recently. Sixty-six-year-old Mrs. Duan, who lives in the town of Suining, was sleeping soundly when, she says, "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."

Let's stop for a moment. Go ahead and oooh or ahhh or scream in terror (depending on how you feel about snakes with feet). That isn't the point of this post. The point is what happened next.

According to this story, "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."

Why? The "terrifying" snake was sixteen inches long and the width of a finger. Why, when faced with an unfamiliar creature, do people often opt to beat it to death? I just don't understand.

When I discover Bigfoot (and I will). I'm not telling anyone. (Except you guys, of course.)

New to Me: Aerogel

A few facts about my recent FABULOUS discovery (which I made here) . . .

Aerogel (shown above) is the lightest solid known to exist. It weighs only three times as much as air.

It's also called frozen smoke because of its hazy blue appearance.

It holds 15 entries in the Guinness Book of World Records.

When handled, Aerogel feels like styrofoam.

It's chemically similar to glass, and shatters like glass, yet is incredibly strong and can support thousands of times its own weight.

Aerogel is awesome.

I Was Amused

Crosswalk hack by Ryan Laughlin

Why Not Try Something Different?

First a disclaimer. I don't drink soda. Ever. I haven't for years. But after watching the video below, I just might start.

OK, probably not. (If I'm going to add extra calories to my diet, they're going to be in cheese form.) But I do admire the hero of the video I've linked to below. He's a store owner who got bored selling the same old ordinary sodas. So he decided to offer all the lesser-known sodas he could find. Coffee sodas. Cucumber sodas. Banana sodas. Sodas made from flowers. Today his store features more than 500 flavors in all. But not Pepsi.

What's really awesome is that many of the products are still made by the same families that have been making them for 100+ years! (One brand is actually made and bottled by one mother and her three grown kids.) Now that I think of it, maybe I will try that coffee soda, after all! It's made in Brooklyn--and has been for the last 114 years!

See the video here. It's a little long, but totally entertaining I think.

Goodbye, Summer Odors

Last week, the New York Times website featured one of the coolest maps I've ever come across. (And you KNOW how I feel about maps!) It's an interactive exploration of Manhattan's summer smells.

If you've read Kiki Strike, then you're probably familiar with some of New York's less appealing summer scents. (If not, spare yourself and don't ask.) But this map by Jason Logan charts the good (orange blossoms and hot dogs) and the not-so-good (dog poo and heavy cologne) neighborhood by neighborhood.

Take a look here. I love the idea of different kinds of explorations and different kinds of maps!

First Day of School?

Today marks the first day of school for many kids here in New York (and the rest of the US). So . . . how's it going so far? Send us your stories whether they're triumphs or tragedies!

Nope, I'm Not Dead

I'm just taking a little break. Gotta go wish my granny a happy 90th birthday. I'll be back after Labor Day!

P.S.: Happy belated birthday, Justine!

Brave? Foolish? Or Maybe a Little Bit of Both?

Thirteen-year-old Laura Dekker has one simple wish. The Dutch girl would like to sail around the world in the yacht she's named Guppy. By herself.

She would need to miss two years of school, but if she's given permission to go, Laura will be the youngest person ever to make a solo trip around the globe.

This isn't some crazy fantasy. Laura, who was born on a yacht was given her first boat at age six, and she's been sailing solo for the past three years.

So who's stopping her from breaking the record? Not her parents--they're totally on board. No, Dutch social workers have stepped in to prevent poor Laura from living her dream. They say it's too dangerous for a girl her age.

How do we feel about that?

Read more here, and then write in to vote yay (she should go) or nay (keep that kid on dry land). I'll forward your thoughts to the Dutch government. (JK)

(Below: Is Laura aware of what's in the ocean?)

Happy Birthday, Kaddie

Your anonymous best friend told us it was your birthday!

Parkour Bear

So there was a bear loose in the suburbs of LA yesterday. But it wasn't just any bear. This bear was AMAZING. He was hurdling over tall fences like they were nothing! I'm telling you, he was the bear equivalent of parkour legend, David Belle.

Bear video here.

This Guy Has the Right Idea About Aliens

Check out these awesome sculptures of the kind of aliens I'm expecting to show up in my front yard any day now. (I am kidding. Kind of.)

Is This A Mini UFO?

One of the things that amuses me most is the lack of imagination people display when it comes to extraterrestrials. More often than not, we depict them as the same size and shape as ourselves. But if aliens exist (and my personal vote is: YES THEY DO), it's unlikely they'd be anything like us. (My personal vote: GIANT BENEVOLENT SLUGS.)

Still, it feels strange to find stories in which the aliens aren't quite what we expect. For instance, this afternoon I came across the photo shown above on the Pink Tentacle blog. The caption said it's a mini-UFO that was captured by a bunch of Japanese kids in 1972. (How mini? It was roughly the size of a hat.)

My first reaction was, "yeah right." But hey, who's to say that we weren't visited by beings so diminutive in stature (really short E.T.s)?

Read the story here and let's hear what you think.

On a Lighter Note

I LOVE beluga whales. Not only are they cute, they may just save your life!

Read more here.

Killer Seaweed

Whatever you do, stay away from the beaches of northern France this summer! Other vacation spots may have man eating sharks or giant jellyfish waiting to greet hapless bathers, but an even deadlier creatures has recently washed up on Brittany's beaches. Killer seaweed.

This year, pollution from French farms has led to a bumper crop of a seaweed known as sea lettuce. It's harmless when fresh, but as it rots, it releases deadly hydrogen sulphide gas. The gas, which smells like rotten eggs, can kill a person in minutes.

Recently a popular beach had to be closed after a man and his horse succumbed to the fumes. The man recovered. His horse, unfortunately, did not.

Isn't it about time for us to start cleaning up the messes we've made?

More here.

Inside the Empty Quarter, the Sand Sings

For centuries, the barren desert of Arabia's "Empty Quarter" was said to be haunted by evil spirits and djinn. Terrified travelers often reported hearing strange sounds and ominous music coming from the dunes.

We now know that those sounds were a phenomenon known as the Singing Sands. But that doesn't make them any less eerie. Listen to them here and here.

A Message for Anna and Sophia

I'm thinking about you guys, and I hope things get a little brighter soon. I thought you might enjoy this picture. In case you can't tell, it's the end of the rainbow.

Swamp Sports Spectacular!

(Photograph by Cathal McNaughton/Reuters)

I'm a pretty adventurous lady. I've done the breast stroke through dark caves in the rain forests of Belize. I've eaten things that would make most people keel over with disgust. And I've never met a roller coaster I didn't like.

But hats off to the person in the picture above, cause I would NEVER, EVER participate in the Northern Ireland Bog Snorkeling Championships. Sure you get flippers. And sure you only have to swim 360 feet.

But imagine wearing a snorkeling mask and coming face-to-face underwater with THIS.

(More here.)

How to See Through Frosted Glass

Who knew it was so simple? Just make sure this trick isn't used against YOU!

PS: Happy belated birthday, Anonymous.

Questions? Comments? Lavish Praise? Send Them All

Hello! It's been a tough couple of weeks, but I'm back! I must admit--I haven't been reading the comments as thoroughly as I usually do. So if you sent me a note or question via the comments, I probably didn't get it. Sorry about that!

So, here's your chance. For a limited period of time, I will answer any questions posted in the comments section of THIS POST. (Within reason, of course. There's certain information that the government won't let me reveal.)

UPDATE 8-4-09: This has been fun, guys. But I'm afraid question time must end. I must go write a book or two!

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

From the people who brought you Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.

Awesome.

A Giant Blob is Threatening Alaska!

"Something big and strange is floating through the Chukchi Sea." (I stole that line 'cause it was just too awesome to pass up.)

Seems a thick, gooey blob that's 15 MILES LONG is currently floating off the coast of Alaska. No one has been able to figure out what the blob is, but scientists have made one startling discovery . . . IT'S ALIVE. Oh yeah, and it smells terrible.

For more information and a really nasty photo, be sure to check out this article.

Art You Can Cuddle

Work from artist Florentijn Hofman's latest exhibition.

The World's Biggest Alarm Clock

(Above: Just a watermelon.)

Are you a heavy sleeper? A REALLY heavy sleeper? I am. I usually have at least two alarms set to go off if I plan to wake at an early hour. Unless I'm scared senseless by a beeping, blaring, screeching alarm, my brain will happily drift back into oblivion.

So I'm thinking of investing in the handy little devise shown in this video. I think it might just do the trick.

Who Wants a Little Yogurt on Her Permanent Record?

(Above: Don't throw it, Fiorello!)

Happy Fourth of July! Yes, I know I'm a little late. I was busy exploring the sewers of North Carolina in search of new life forms. (Sorry for leaving that last, horribly disgusting post at the top of the page for so long!)

So now that we've learned about water boogers, the next topic must be . . . food! In June, a number of Wisconsin teens were frog-marched out of their school in handcuffs. What was the nature of their offense? Drugs? Violence? No. They were arrested because they had participated in a food fight.

Of course this was no ordinary food fight. Apparently, the prank had been planned long in advance, and the students had smuggled massive quantities of yogurt and other supplies into Portage High School. Then, at the appointed time, the entire school went completely mad.

"So on the count of three, we stood up, whipped it, (and) everyone started screaming, running," said sophomore Dylan Mitchell.

Within seconds, yogurt and taco salad were flying across the cafeteria. "(I) threw my milk. I picked it up, spilt it all over me, threw it," Mitchell said.

Hmmm. Very mature, Mitchell. But did he (and his friends) deserve a criminal record AND a $172 fine? I wonder.

For those of you who are hankering for a food fight, I strongly recommend this Mentalfloss list of The World's 10 Messiest Food Festivals. (Perhaps I'll see you at the West Virginia Roadkill Cook-Off?)

Water Boogers

The video above was taken with a sewer cam. I can honestly say that I've never laid eyes on creatures as disgusting as the ones that it captured. At first I wondered if slimy aliens might be colonizing our sewers and feeding off our . . . well, you know.

But then I learned that they MIGHT BE byrozoans, otherwise known as water boogers. (A fitting moniker if ever there was one.)

(Or it might be a hoax. Or viral advertising for a new movie. Or aliens.)

The Perfect Pet: A One Hundred-Pound Rodent

(Above: Caplin Rous.)

This post is dedicated to all of the readers who said they'd rather cuddle rodents than eat them. (Anyone who wouldn't mind giving them a nibble can skip this post and click here.)

Texan Melanie Typaldos knew she could never be satisfied with a hamster for a pet. No, Ms. Typaldos wanted all the rodent love she could get. So she adopted a South American capybara. Though the enormous beasts can weigh over a hundred pounds and are widely believed to be dumb as rocks, Ms. Typaldos insists they make perfect companions.

She claims her capybara, Caplin Rous, can perform more tricks than most dogs and likes to cuddle up on cold winter nights. He follows her around the house all day and sits in her lap nibbling treats until his bulk begins to cut off the circulation in her legs.

Aww. I never thought I'd say this, but he is kind of cute. Maybe I won't try that capybara chili after all.

Read a full interview with Melanie Typaldos (complete with photos and videos) here.

UPDATE 8-9-9: NEW VIDEO BELOW!

In Case You're Wondering

I'm on a trip at the moment. I'm sitting in a little cottage in Martha's Vineyard, looking out at the ocean (photo below). At the bottom of the hill is a little fishing village where Steven Spielberg filmed several of the key scenes in his masterpiece, Jaws. (I choose my vacation spots wisely!)

Unfortunately, it has rained every day of my trip, so I haven't been in the mood for posting. I've been too busy building roaring fires to keep out the damp and the cold.

Which brings me to the subject of today's post. The weather. Japan experienced some interesting precipitation recently. Seems fish and tadpoles were falling from the sky. (Pictures here.) Apparently, this phenomenon is called "Fafrotskies," which is short for "fall from the skies."

This sort of thing is unusual, but not as rare as one might think. Since people started keeping records, the following creatures have rained down on the earth: fish, tadpoles, jellyfish, bats, turtles, dead birds, worms, frogs, and toads.

Scientists believe that "creature rains" are caused by waterspouts, which lift the animals into the air and can deposit them miles away from home. I don't buy it. You can't tell me that extraterrestrials aren't involved in some form or fashion. And I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were in league with Earth's meteorologists. (Just look at your local weatherman and tell me he's not an alien!)

New York Travel Guide: The Earth Room

So I've heard that a few of you guys are planning trips to New York this summer. Well I have a recommendation for you. The Earth Room is a 140-ton "interior earth sculpture" created in 1977 by artist Walter De Maria. What's an interior earth sculpture, you ask? In this case it's an enormous room filled with dirt.

Now before you object, here are four reasons you might consider giving it a look:

1. It's really weird and wonderful in person.

2. It's worth over a million dollars. (If you can figure out a way to get it to your house.)

3. It's free to visit.

4. It's worm-free (for now, hint-hint).

Oh yeah, and while you're here you might want to drop by THE COOLEST PARK IN THE UNIVERSE.

This Is How I Spent My Sunday

I wish. Hope yours was more relaxing than mine!

German Kid Beamed By a Meteorite

Ever wonder how it feels to be hit by a pea-sized meteorite traveling 30,000 miles per hour? Now there's one person on earth who knows. Fourteen-year-old Gerrit Blank was walking to school in Essen, Germany, when a "ball of light" struck his hand--then created a (get this) FOOT-WIDE crater in the ground.

Gerrit is now being studied by scientists who believe he may soon begin to exhibit super-human powers. JK.

Read more here.

(Many thanks to Big K and S for sending me this story!)

Things I Will Have in My Yard One Day

(When I get a darn yard.) I can't imagine anything more awesome than a goat tower. (Though cleaning it sounds a bit disgusting.)

More here.

So Long, Suckas!

A little bird told me that the school year is ending for many of you this week. So . . . how was it? Share your best (or most horrifying) story of the year! Don't be shy. We want the good stuff.

(Just kidding about the suckas part. No indignant emails, please!)

Lucky Kid

(More pics here.)

Now might be a good time to introduce you to some other great stuff I've found lately . . .

An innovative way to ensure straight A's.

A little something special to amaze the guests at your next dinner party.

A cool use for old crayons.

And, of course, My Little Zombie Pony (more pics here).

I Couldn't Resist

From the same people who brought you that wonderful list of meats in a can comes 18 Delicious Rodents!

Smothered Muskrat and Onions, anyone? How about Three Bean Chipmunk Chili?

Love it!

Was the Lake Champlain Monster Caught on Film?

You guys remember Champ, right? He's the Loch Ness Monster of North America. For centuries (possibly as early as 1609), he's been scaring the pants off of visitors to Lake Champlain--and now he may have been caught on video.

On May 31, Burlington, VT resident Eric Olsen filmed a strange creature swimming across the lake. A still from his 2-minute cell phone video is shown above. The video itself can be seen here.

Is it a monster? Is it a deer? You be the judge!

Read more at Cryptomundo!

Meat in a Can

I loved this collection of canned meats from around the world. I've already gone on record as a haggis lover. I've also consumed a Vienna sausage or two. But the photo above makes me violently ill. How far would the rest of you go? Bugs? Lambs' tongues? Where do you draw the line?

Also, I've been a bit busy lately, so I've been posting a little less frequently. (And I've been slow to answer emails and post comments as well.) But I should be back up to regular speed pretty soon!