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!

Manhattanhenge!

At 8:17 PM TONIGHT!!! What is it?

"For 15 minutes around sunset on two days this summer, the sun will set in exact alignment with the cross streets of Manhattan's street grid, making the city's towering buildings function something like a modern-day Stonehenge.

They call it Manhattanhenge."

Read more here and here.

Sorry for the late notice!

The Forbidden Library

UPDATE: A reader has informed us that this was a hoax. I can't find proof either way, but it's a nice idea, isn't it?

A high school student who goes by the alias "Kat Atreides" (she's either a big fan of Dune or Greek mythology) claims to have started an unusual library. Her strict school banned a long list of books, so she's decided to keep a selection of the titles in her locker to lend to her classmates.

She now has over 60 banned books available to her fellow students, including:

His Dark Materials
The Divine Comedy
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Animal Farm
The Holy Qu'ran
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Slaughterhouse-5
Lord of the Flies
Bridge to Terabithia
Catch-22
The Brothers Grimm Unabridged Fairytales

What do you think? Is Kat a hero or a criminal? (I'm sure you know how I feel about this. Who bans the Brothers Grimm, anyway?)

Read the post that caught people's attention here.

The Poison Garden

Amy Stewart, author of Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities (which I plan to purchase as soon as I finish this post) is living my dream. In a plot of ground behind her house in California, she's growing her very own Poison Garden filled with killer plants such as hemlock, foxglove, jimson weed, and castor beans. She's even decorated her garden with tombstones, skulls, and half-buried books.

I'm so jealous I could spit. But at least I can visit the Stewart-inspired “Wicked Plants” exhibition that's coming soon to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. I'll try not to nibble anything while I'm there.

Read more (and take a peek at Amy Stewart's garden) here.

A Manhattan Mystery: Sad Panda

For several months, New Yorkers have been reporting sightings of a rather unusual beast. "Sad Panda," as he's called, has been showing up all over the city. He mopes around Wall Street. He pouts in front of FAO Schwarz. He rides the subway. (And in true New York fashion, he's generally ignored by his fellow passengers). He'll even offer tourists a melancholy hug.

Who IS this bear? No one seems to know. But apparently he accepts tips.

See a slide show (and read a few theories) here. (BTW, the tourists messing with the Wall Street bull are engaging in a rather distasteful tradition in which few New Yorkers would ever take part.)

Great Graffiti

I saw this yesterday, and it made me happy.

Gossip: Have You Been a Victim?

Liltomboyblue just asked an interesting question of all of us.

Should mean-spirited school gossip just be ignored--or does it need to be addressed?

Have you ever been the victim of nasty gossip? How did you deal with it? Did your parents or teachers help? Do you wish they had/hadn't?

Please share!

“I love this class! Where else do you get the chance to hold maggots?”

(Above: Homework)

When I was in high school, the most a budding coroner could hope for was a frog or two to dissect. (Sorry amphibian lovers--it was all in the name of science.) But these days, there seems to be no shortage of dead things for students examine.

That's because forensic science classes have grown quite popular recently. Everyone wants to learn how to calculate a corpse's time of death based on the size of the maggots feeding on the body. (Sorry to be so gross, but isn't it wonderful?!?)

Students also learn how to analyze a body's stomach contents, make sense of blood splatters, and reconstruct car crashes.

Where do I sign up?

Read more here.

New York Harbor's Dirty Little Secrets

We all know what lies beneath New York. But is there anything cool to be found underneath New York Harbor? How about a freight train, a giraffe skeleton, $26 million in silver bars, ice cream trucks, and lots and lots of dead people!

(And of course, until recently, that airplane that landed on the Hudson River.)

Check out the whole list of underwater sites here. Though I wouldn't recommend hopping into your dive suit for a closer look. Apparently there's a whole lotta sewage floating around out there, too.

I'm Feeling a Little Inferior Right Now

Some experts now believe that the awesome painting shown above was painted by Michelangelo when HE WAS TWELVE OR THIRTEEN.

How did he find the time? When I was thirteen, I was way too busy making my mother regret her decision to have children to create something so amazing.

Read more here.

Wanted: First-Hand Report of Horrible Spider Invasion!

Giant spiders are terrorizing the Australian town of Bowen. After heavy rains washed them out of their well-hidden homes, the normally reclusive eastern tarantulas (aka: "bird-eating spiders") started making quite a few public appearances.

The citizens of Bowen are justifiably concerned! No one wants to find a hairy, hissing (yes, they do that) six-inch-long spider in the garden. To make matters even worse, experts say the beasts ARE venomous. One bite from an eastern tarantula can kill a pet or make a human beg for mommy/mummy.

So I'm reaching out to all of our Australian readers. Do any of you have friends or family in Bowen? Any chance we could get a first-hand account of life in a town overrun by giant spiders?

Read more here.

This One's For All You Chicken Lovers

All I'm going to give you are three little words: Chicken Poo Catapult.

Here's the story. And there's even a video! I love this dude. I'm making him my honorary granddad.

(Below: Is this his chicken?)

Is THIS the Most Famous Fake of All Time?

According to a Swiss art historian, the iconic bust of Queen Nefertiti (shown above) may be nothing but a modern fake!

Henri Stierlin's latest book claims that in 1912, a German archaeologist asked an artist to create the bust. The poor man never intended to perpetrate a hoax--he merely wanted to test some ancient pigments he'd uncovered at a dig. But when the work was praised by a German prince, the archaeologist couldn't bring himself to embarrass his guest by exposing the bust as a fake. As a result, Nefertiti ended up in a Berlin museum alongside a plaque that gave her age as 3,400 years old.

This is an astounding theory! The bust only recently underwent a series of scientific tests, which supposedly found a more "realistic" portrait of the queen hidden beneath the glamorous plaster exterior.

Read more here.

It's Ninja Day!

A couple of you kindly alerted me to the photo shown above. (Thanks Nellie and Kiel!) Design student Sara Watson created her own "ninja car" by painting it to blend into it's environment. Cool--but what does it look like driving down the road? I'd like to see THAT.

On a somewhat related topic, I recently came across a list of the "Top Ten Myths about Ninjas." Though we've probably covered much of this information in earlier posts, I think ninjas are cool enough to merit the extra coverage. (They're certainly cooler than pirates--that's for sure.) And I was pleased to discover that while ninjas can't actually vanish, they CAN kill with a single touch. I'm packing my bags for ninja school!

The Fairy Doors of Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan, is apparently home to quite a few wee folk. How else would you explain the mysterious "fairy doors" that can be found all over town? (Tucked next to an otherwise unexceptional fireplace, perched high above a market entrance, or hidden in a library bookshelf.) No two tiny entrances are ever the same. They're all decorated in their own fashion, and sometimes you can even get a glimpse of the rooms beyond.

How lucky are the six-year-olds of Ann Arbor?

Check out dozens of fairy doors here, and read about the mastermind behind them here.

The Irregulars Salute: The Anonymous California Baton-Twirler

(Above: Show off your sequins and carry a big stick.)

When a 17-year-old student was attacked by two muggers earlier this week, she whipped out her baton and left the men limping and bloody.

According to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Rust, "The moral to this story is don't mess with the marching band girls, or you just might get what you deserve."

Read more here.

Whatever You Do, Don't Flush That Spider!

This week, while everyone was freaking out about the swine flu, I had bigger fears to face. What's scarier than swine flu, you ask? ZOMBIE SPIDERS.

I can't tell you how many times I've disposed of spiders in the toilet. Now I learn that those creepy little arachnids could have returned from the dead to seek their revenge! The horror!

Scientists have discovered that some spider species are "resistant to drowning." What does this mean? It means they can spend up to 36 hours underwater, looking completely lifeless. But let them dry off and a few hours later they're twitching back to life!

This is the stuff of nightmares, people. Zombie spiders crawling out of the toilet and taking their revenge on one's most private parts. Eeeek! It's worse than having to ride the subway during a flu epidemic!

Read more here.