[Pretty funny, I thunk. -egg]
Video of kids’ reactions to watching viral videos: “
I can’t wait to see how my kids react to this delightful video of kids reacting to viral videos.
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Snow Chihuahua (Boing Boing Flickr Pool)
Snow Chihuahua (Boing Boing Flickr Pool): “
‘Cliffy Explodes,’ a photograph contributed to the Boing Boing Flickr Pool by BB reader Andy Meehan of Bozeman, Montana, where it is undoubtedly very cold today. Who says Chihuahuas aren’t snow dogs?
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Poland’s "Crooked House"
The Krzywy Domek (Crooked House) is part of a shopping center in Sopot, Poland. The 2004 structure looks like a set from Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari, but according to Wikipedia, it was “designed by Szotyńscy & Zaleski who were inspired by the fairytale illustrations and drawings of Jan Marcin Szancer and Per Dahlberg.” Krzywy Domek
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Scientists figure out structure of enzyme that causes plaque to stick to teeth
[Oh please oh please oh please. -egg]
Scientists figure out structure of enzyme that causes plaque to stick to teeth: “Scientists have modeled the structure of the enzyme used by the dirty rotten Lactobacillus reuteri bacterium to attach itself to tooth enamel and cause cavities. ‘This knowledge will stimulate the identification of substances that inhibit the enzyme. Just add that substance to toothpaste, or even sweets, and caries will be a thing of the past.’
The University of Groningen researchers analysed glucansucrase from the lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus reuteri, which is present in the human mouth and digestive tract. The bacteria use the glucansucrase enzyme to convert sugar from food into long, sticky sugar chains. They use this glue to attach themselves to tooth enamel. The main cause of tooth decay, the bacterium Streptococcus mutans, also uses this enzyme. Once attached to tooth enamel, these bacteria ferment sugars releasing acids that dissolve the calcium in teeth. This is how caries develops.
Tooth Decay to Be a Thing of the Past? Enzyme Responsible for Dental Plaque Sticking to Teeth Deciphered
Photo by Shakespearesmonkey. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
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Recent Billboard Liberation Front project in New York City
Recent Billboard Liberation Front project in New York City: “
Somehow, I missed this Billboard Liberation Front improvement project that took place in New York City on September 30th. Fortunately though, BLF founder and BB pal Jack Napier updated me as to the various BLF efforts currently underway, including a planned documentary film directed by Olivier ‘Dust & Illusions‘ Bonin! As all of the BLF’s projects, this one at the corner of 38th Street and 8th Avenue is an instant classic. The BLF dramatically enhanced the Stella Artois messaging simply by removing the words ‘of beauty.’ From the BLF:
We at the BLF have been assisting fatigued advertising copywriters to strengthen their corporate messages for over thirty years. Advertising is the language of our Culture, as BLF CEO Jack Napier noted almost as many years ago. And the primary use of language is to to communicate ideas. The most efficient and direct communication of an idea comes through the most elegant use of the least amount of words to communicate that idea. It’s quite clear from the image in this Stella Artois billboard ad what the message IS. The BLF merely wishes to assist this campaign by paring down the words in order to match that message most perfectly.
‘Stella Artois, A Thing of Beauty‘ (Thanks, Jack Napier!)
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Maps: Google vs. Bing vs. Yahoo
Maps: Google vs. Bing vs. Yahoo: “
Justin O’Beirne takes a close look at the most popular online map sites to try and figure out just why Google Maps is more readable. It comes down to the finest of details: Google adds white outlines to city names that are just thick enough to conceal what is behind the text, has a finely-tuned contextual hierarchy of type sizes, and a carefully selected color scheme.
As an aside, it’s intriguing how each service’s maps artistically reflect their corporate operators’ natures. Google’s is perfectly organized and functional, devoid of embellishment. Microsoft Bing’s is beautiful and overdesigned, with a subtle palette of lavender and teal. Yahoo’s looks like someone vomited a spaghetti dinner in Carrot Top’s hair.
Google Maps & Label Readability [41Latitude via DF]
Update: Wow, Tumblr has a bandwidth limit? Here’s a cached version of the site if it’s down for you.
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The Best Beards & Moustaches in the World
[AH! So amazingly inspiring! -egg]
The Best Beards & Moustaches in the World: “
Official Wondermark beard correspondent Pat Race writes in to share this stirring highlight video his team shot at the 2009 World Beard & Moustache Championships in Anchorage, Alaska. If you would like to see three minutes of amazing beard after amazing beard after amazing moustache after amazing moustache, are you ever in luck.
He’s also got a longer video account of his and his cohorts’ trip to the WBMC up at his blog. Thanks for sharing, Pat!
#677, Much musing about Pumpkin
Brick-road-laying machine
Tiger-Stone makes this enormous, unlikely and quite marvellous road-laying machine that semi-automatically sets down neat sets of interlocking bricks, ready to be sealed with a light dusting of sand.
The machine consists of an angled plain that workers feed with paving stones or bricks. As the electric crawler inches forward along a sand base layer, the bricks are automatically packed together by gravity. A small telescoping forklift feeds the hopper, allowing the Tiger-Stone to lay out an impressive 400 meters of road day, and the span can be adjusted up to six meters wide. Here’s a stereophonic video of the machine in action.
Amazing Brick Machine Rolls Out Roads Like Carpet
(Thanks, Mark!)
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Housecat attacks alligator
A tourist visiting a Florida Louisiana tourist dump caught this intense scuffle between a cat and an alligator at a swamp. To see who won, click the play button above, where arketron’s rare and excellent video can be viewed. ‘Housecat Attacks alligator‘
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