Entries from June 2007 ↓

I’ll be on vacation next week. So posts may be a little less regular. In fact, I may not have much in the way of Internet access. But I’ll be back on the 9th.
So TTYL

Some of you may have already found the instructables website, but for those who haven’t, I thought I would point it out. Instructables is a website devoted to documenting detailed instructions on how to “do it yourself.” it’s a community oriented website, where all of the instructions are written by the users. The idea is that we all have things we know how to do, so why not share our expertise. To that end, once you sign up, you can create an “instructable” on nearly any topic. You just put in your own step by step instructions, and images. The instructable is then available to anyone who wants to do the project. Furthermore, the instructions are in a format that allows anyone to comment on them. So your instructions can be expanded and enhanced by the comments of other people who followed them. there are instructions on how to do almost anything on the site. Sewing, cooking, art, construction, and many more topics. Most of the instructions even have details on where you can buy the materials needed, and how much they cost. All you need to get started, is to sign up for an account. Signing up is free, so you really should.

www.instructables.com

The guy in the video above is named Theo Jansen and he works in Holland. Uses the crank shaft model to translate pedal movement into the circular motion of a wheel, thus maintaining his “animals” level with the ground on impact. All of his “animals” are powered by wind and nothing more. Even though he is an artist rather than an engineer, he and others have recognized the potential applications of his sculptures in the robotic field.

Here is his official website where you can watch several more videos and see a lot of pictures of his sculptures. www.StrandBeest.com
For a few more videos check out the links below.

The above map shows the spread of religious Memes throughout the world. It also highlights the major wars that were directly a result of clashes between religions. I’m not sure about some of the dates for the foundings, but otherwise it’s pretty good.
For more maps, go to www.MapsOfWar.com
Via VirusHead: Major Religious Memes in 90 seconds

An island off the coast of Hiroshima is being eaten away by crustaceans. The photo on the left is what the island looked like back in 1955. As you can see, the island had two peaks. One with a few trees growing on it. The photo on the right, shows the island as it is now.
It seems that the crustaceans burrow into the rock that makes up the island to lay their eggs. The small holes that they burrow then cause the island to be much more susceptible to natural tidal erosion and typhoons.

Via MSN-Mainichi Daily News: Crustaceans eating away island off Hiroshima

Earlier this month I posted about how the US had reclaimed the hot dog eating world record from Japan. Thanks to Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, we were able to reclaim the title from Takeru Kobayashi. At the time, Takeru said he was training hard for the upcoming 4th of July hot dog eating contest on Coney Island, Brooklyn. Now it seems that he has developed arthritis of the jaw. He claims he can only open his jaws a small way, hampering his hot dog eating abilities. At this time, he is receiving treatment and is still hopeful that he will be able to compete in the 4th of July contest.

BBC News story here: Japan speed-eater’s jaw arthritis
Check out his Blog post: Takeru-Kobayashi Blog: Vocational disease

Found this very interesting photo blog with a bunch of weapons that have been confiscated from rebels in Chechnya. Most of the weapons are hand made from materials not originally meant to be weapons. Chechnya rebelled against the Russian Federation shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. While the rebellion was ultimately a failure, there is still a great deal of unrest.
Check it out: Chechen Self-Made Weapons
For a little history on the fighting in Chechnya, read this Wikipedia Article: Chechnya

It seems that penguins haven’t always been as small as they are currently. Most modern penguin species top out at around 2 feet, but scientists in Peru have found penguin fossils that were much larger. 4.5 feet tall to be exact. That makes them almost human sized. Pretty amazing, considering that up until this find, scientists had never considered that they could get that big. Imagine some “happy feet” that are nearly as big as you!

Via national Geographic: Giant Penguins Once Roamed Peru Desert, Fossils Show

For most people, gaining weight isn’t a problem. The problem they have is losing weight. But for some of us who have abnormally high metabolisms, gaining weight is a real challenge. I’ve always been skinny, no matter what I do. You would think, based on my lifestyle, that I wouldn’t have a problem gaining weight. I work a desk job, where I sit in front of a computer for 8 to 10 hours a day. I eat fast food for lunch most days, and snack on candy throughout the day. Dinner, if at home, usually consists of high fat TV dinners. Which of course, I eat in front of the TV. LOL If I eat out for dinner, it won’t be a salad or something healthy. It will be steak or chicken, with the loaded baked potatoes on the side. So I should have no problem gaining weight. But unfortunately I am still as skinny as I was in high school. In fact, I believe I weigh less now than I did through high school and college.
So that is why I was excited to find a fitness Blog with an entire post on how to gain weight. It has a whole list of things you can do and eat to gain weight in a healthy way.

Fitness Caution: How to gain healthy Weight
Via Lifehacker: How to gain weight and stay healthy

Via JapanProbe: Square Watermelons Go On Sale!