Spluch

Man Re-Grows Finger

2008-03-25T09:05:00.003+08:00

Three years ago, Lee Spievack sliced off the tip of his finger in the propeller of a hobby shop airplane.

What happened next, Andrews reports, propelled him into the future of medicine. Spievack's brother, Alan, a medical research scientist, sent him a special powder and told him to sprinkle it on the wound.

"I powdered it on until it was covered," Spievack recalled.

To his astonishment, every bit of his fingertip grew back.

Video & Source: Cbs via A Welsh View
Tags: Medicine | Organ | Finger | Regeneration

Musician Plays Burning Piano

2008-03-19T12:05:00.003+08:00

Famed Japanese jazz pianist Yosuke Yamashita has expressed his burning passion for music by setting his piano on fire.

At a sunset performance on at beach in Ishikawa Prefecture, western Japan, the 66-year-old Yamashita, wearing a firefighter's uniform, recently played an improvised jazz piece before about 500 spectators seated in a wide semicircle around him.

No sooner had he begun playing, the piano burst into performance for a full ten minutes before all the strings were burnt out or snapped and the piano went quiet.

"I did not think I was risking my life but I was almost suffocating from the smoke that was continuously getting into my eyes and nose.

“I had decided to keep on playing until the piano stopped making sounds, so though I did not mean it but it ended up having a life-or-death battle between the piano and myself," said Mr Yamashita.

After the performance, there were some criticisms in Japan that it was wasting a piano.

Video: LiveLeak
Source: Sbs via Arbroath
Tags: Piano | Yosuke Yamashita | Jazz | Fire

Quick Paddel to Work for Commuter

2008-03-19T10:19:00.002+08:00

A commuter who was sick to death of car fumes and road jams has gone to extreme lengths to avoid them.

Trainee architect Ricardo Assis Rosa now travels to and from work in his canoe, which he manages to chain to railings outside his office.

The 29-year-old travels at no more than two miles an hour but says the slow speed is worth the extra time to avoid all the problems of everyday commuting.

Despite travelling at a snail's pace, it takes Mr Rosa just 35 minutes to canoe two miles to work and instead of facing congested roads his only problem is navigating around swans.

Mr Rosa said: "Canoeing takes longer than going by car, but it is a lot more pleasant.

"There are swans and ducks and animals along the way, and it's a great way of getting fit and breaking the routine. It feels like you're on holiday."

The journey home also takes about 35 minutes, but with much less paddling because it is downstream.

Source: The Sun
Tags: Ricardo Assis Rosa | Commute | Canoe | Paddle | Work

Indian Man Has World's Longest Ear Hair

2008-03-12T13:46:00.001+08:00

A man in northern India has been recognized by Guinness World Records as having the world's longest ear hair.

The tufts coming out of the man's ears measured more than 5 inches when he set the record in 2003.

The hair has now grown to nearly 10 inches. In fact, the hair is so long he has to shampoo and comb it.

Video: Nbc11
Source: Nbc11
Tags: Hair | Ear Radhakant Bajpai

Sea Cucumber Inspires Nano-Material

2008-03-08T21:27:00.004+08:00

Scientists have created a breakthrough substance that can change in seconds when exposed to liquid, shifting from hard plastic to soft and back again, and that has a wide range of potential medical applications.

Sea cucumbers, found on ocean floors around the world, have leathery skin, an elongated, cucumber-like shape, and a consistency that can be either gelatinous, stiff and rigid, or anything in between.

This "switching effect" in the tissue of the sea cucumber is derived from a distinct nanocomposite structure in which highly rigid collagen nanofibers are embedded in a soft connective tissue.

Stuart Rowan, professor of macromolecular science at Case Western Reserve, said: "The materials were designed to change from a hard plastic -- think of a CD case -- to a soft rubber when brought in contact with water."

Source: Discovery
Tags: Material | Cucumber

Sushi Art

2008-03-08T21:16:00.001+08:00

Sushi chef Ken Kawasumi shows a replica he created of Vincent van Gogh's 'Sunflowers' made of sushi at a press event in Tokyo Thursday, March 6, 2008. Kawasumi displayed his skill of transforming sushi into a colorful work of art at the special event celebrating the publishing of his new book 'The most simple way to make decorative sushi-rolls' in Japan.

Source: Yahoo News
Tags: Sunflower | Sushi | Ken Kawasumi

French Mayor Bans Dying

2008-03-06T21:27:00.004+08:00

The mayor of a village in southwest France has threatened residents with severe punishment if they die, because there is no room left in the overcrowded cemetery to bury them.

In an ordinance posted in the council offices, Mayor Gerard Lalanne told the 260 residents of the village of Sarpourenx that "all persons not having a plot in the cemetery and wishing to be buried in Sarpourenx are forbidden from dying in the parish."

It added: "Offenders will be severely punished."

The mayor said he was forced to take drastic action after an administrative court in the nearby town of Pau ruled in January that the acquisition of adjoining private land to extend the cemetery would not be justified.

Source: Reuters
Tags: Mayor | Cemetery

Shopkeeper Erects Poo-Filled Catapult

2008-03-06T21:17:00.002+08:00

A British shopkeeper, frustrated by repeated break-ins, said he has installed a catapult full of chicken droppings to deter burglars.

Joe Weston-Webb, proprietor of Grumpy Joe's Flooring in Nottinghamshire County in England's East Midlands, said he installed the 30-foot catapult and a cannon that fires railroad ties after security fencing, motion-sensor lights and CCTV cameras failed to put an end to repeated nighttime burglaries, The Times of London reported Wednesday.

"Warning: These premises are protected by smart-poo and railway sleeper projectiles," a sign posted on the premises reads.

"I have an exploding coffin too. The intruder would have to climb into the box in order to be blown out of it and I don't expect anyone would be stupid enough to do that, but I'm working on it."

Weston-Webb said he has a theory about the identity of the culprits.

"We are pretty certain it was a rival company, but I can't prove it," he said.

Source: UPI
Tags: Catapult | Joe Weston-Webb | Security

Cloud Streets

2008-03-06T21:12:00.002+08:00

This video provides a rare close-up bird’s-eye view of cloud streets, which are created when convection currents cut low-lying cumulus into long, clean strips. According to the video narration, these clouds floated just over the sea surface, stood 300 meters tall and stretched for over 100 kilometers.

Video: YouTube
Source: Pink Tentacle
Tags: Cloud Street | Nature | Cloud

Disabled Duck Gets Custom Made Scooter

2008-03-06T21:00:00.003+08:00

She looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, but Lemon doesn't really walk like a duck.

She was hatched two years ago in Laura Backman's kindergarten class at Melville Elementary in Portsmouth, Rhode Island but a neurological disorder prevents the duck from walking.

Backman and her students brainstormed and came up with the idea for a little duck scooter.

You could say Lemon is one lucky duck. Not only did Backman adopt her, but the diapered duck lives in Backman's home and comes to school with her every day.

The kids love Lemon and learn from her.

Video after the jump.

Video: Wcsh6 (Wmv format)
Source: Wcsh6
Tags: Duck | Lemon | Scooter

Big Breasts Win Verdict for Japanese Pin-Up

2008-03-05T22:38:00.003+08:00

A Japanese pin-up model says that her big breasts have not only boosted her career -- they also helped her overturn a court verdict.

"I used to hate my body so much," Serena Kozakura, who has appeared in product commercials on television said. "But it was my breasts" that won in court, she said.

Kozakura, 38, was convicted last year of property destruction after a man said she kicked in the wooden door of his room and crawled inside, apparently because he was with another woman. Kozakura had said the man made the hole himself.

In her appeal, the defence counsel held up a plate showing the size of the hole and said that she could not squeeze through with her 110-centimetre (44-inch) bust.

"The judges were very good-mannered as they showed no expressions on their faces. I guess they're well-trained," Kozakura said.

Tokyo High Court presiding judge Kunio Harada agreed and threw out the guilty verdict on Monday, saying there was reasonable doubt over the man's account.

Video: LiveLeak
Source: Yahoo News
Tags: Breast | Court | Serena Kozakura

The Canteen at Harvard University

2008-03-05T22:22:00.007+08:00

Here’s a look at the beautiful canteen of Harvard University. More pictures after the jump.

Source: Csbbs
Tags: Canteen | Harvard

Student Gets Rich Staying In Bed

2008-03-05T22:12:00.003+08:00

A Dutch student has come up with the ultimate way of making easy money - by staying in bed.

Yde Van Deutekom, 22, from Zoetermeer, is selling advertising on a website featuring a webcam showing him in bed.

So far, he has been in bed for 21 days and has had more than £3,500 paid into his bank account.

Mr Van Deutekom said: "Sleeping is just a hobby of me, and it is the only thing I'm very good at. Everyone is asking what I want to do with me life, but what I really want to do is sleep.

"I stay in bed all day, except for taking a shower, going to the bathroom and making something to eat. That's all I want to do. And I want to stay in bed until I'm very rich."

More than 450,000 people have visited his website - www.slapendrijk.nl.

Source: Ananova
Tags: Money | Bed | Yde Van Deutekom

Baby Can Read At 17 Months

2008-03-05T22:02:00.001+08:00

Elizabeth Barrett is now 17 months old. She looks and acts like most babies her age, but Elizabeth can read.

Her mother Katy, a speech pathologist who is married to Michael, another speech pathologist, said that most people don't believe their infant is a reader.

Aside from reading books every day, play-time means mom writes down a word on paper and Elizabeth figures it out. Katy explained that Elizabeth not only reads the word, but signs them as well.

Katy is convinced that sign language helped launch her daughter's reading skills, partly by watching shows like "Signing Times" on public television.

So what does her doctor think? Dr. Steve Stripling, Elizabeth's pediatrician, says at 14 months he saw her sight read the word avocado. "I was floored", he said.

Source: Koaa via Arbroath
Tags: Elizabeth Barrett | Read

Man Flies Son to Tennis to Beat Traffic

2008-03-05T20:50:00.003+08:00

When Robert Kadera's teenage son was running late for a tennis date near their northern Illinois home, Kadera came up with a novel way to avoid 45 minutes' worth of traffic—fly. There was just one problem—he had to land, without permission, at a golf course.

Kadera, a 65-year-old electrical engineer, flew his 14-year-old son, Isaac, in a four-seat 1949 Piper Clipper from their Lake Villa home to the golf course in Lincolnshire across a highway from the tennis club. They were on their way to the tennis club when authorities stopped them.

The plane had had to circle twice before landing Saturday afternoon, and witnesses called police, fearing there had been a crash.

Kadera, a Navy veteran with about 40 years of flying experience, wasn't allowed to fly the plane home, and it had to be towed.

He said he thought flying his son would be "a convenient way to get him down there and get him to his tennis on time."
And next time, he said, he'll drive.

Source: Chicago Tribune
Tags: Robert Kadera | Plane | Traffic | Golf Course

'No Chicken' on Washing Label!

2008-03-05T10:19:00.003+08:00

Stacey Arnold writes: "This washing label on my daughter's T-shirt [from Thailand] seems to suggest I can set the garment on fire, but NO CHICKEN. Huh?"

Source: Nzherald
Tags: Washing Label | Chicken | Fire

Man, 101, To Run London Marathon

2008-03-04T21:40:00.003+08:00

A 101-year-old man has his sights on the London Marathon in a bid to become the world's oldest competitive runner.

Working plumber Buster Martin ran Sunday's Roding Valley half marathon in Essex in five hours 13 minutes, and is now focusing on London's 26-mile event.

On finishing the run, the first words of the ex-member of rock band The Zimmers were: "Where's my beer?"

Source: BBC News
Tags: Buster Martin | Marathon

A Six-Legged Hexapus

2008-03-04T21:34:00.002+08:00

It would of course be technically nonsensical to describe this creature as a "six-legged octopus".

"Octopus" meaning "eight-legged", it would be similar to talking about a "three-wheeled bicycle".

What this picture depicts, therefore, is a hexapus. Henry the Hexapus - as he has been christened by his keepers - is a resident of Blackpool Sea Life Centre in the north-west of England.

His shortage of extremities is the result of a genetic defect, rather than an accident, and he is believed to be the first of his six-legged kind known to humanity.

Source: Telegraph
Tags: Henry | Hexapus | Octopus

Spacecraft Photographs Mars Avalanche

2008-03-04T21:14:00.000+08:00

A robotic spacecraft circling Mars has snapped the first image of a series of active avalanches near the planet's north pole, scientists said Monday.

The image, taken last month, reveals at least four avalanches of fine ice and dust breaking off from a steep cliff and settling on the slope below. The cascade kicked up massive debris clouds, with some measuring more than 590 feet across.

It is rare for scientists to catch a natural event in action on the surface of Mars. Most of the landscape that has been recorded so far has not changed much in millions of years.

The avalanches occurred near the north pole and broke part of a 2,300-foot cliff.

Scientists were unsure what set off the avalanches and whether they occur frequently or only during the spring.

Source: Ap
Tags: Mars | Avalanche

Ring Of Fire

2008-03-04T20:34:00.001+08:00

These guys make a big ring out of mousse and light it on fire with cool results.

Video: Break
Tags: Fire | Mousse

	It sounds like the stuff of science fiction - beetles, rats and sharks turned into cunning spies courtesy of a brain implant or two. [DailyMail]
	How not to Refuel. [LiveLeak]
	Earth and moon as seen from Mars. [Nasa]
	Pictures of people ‘holding the sun.’ [Linkinn]
	Patient takes drip to shop. [Lep]

	A clothes designer is branching out by creating an entire range of eco-underwear - made from wood. [DailyMail]
	After losing control on a patch of ice, this pickup truck is literally hanging on with only a tiny piece of metal. [WreckedExotics]
	The underground tunnel beneath Niagara Falls. [Vanishing Point]
	How retailers trick you in to buying stuff you don’t need. [Joe Consumer]
	UK enlisted astrologer to fight Hitler. [Yahoo News]
	The world's fastest limousine. [DailyMail]

	Bacon-flavored vodka. [YesButNoYes]
	The latest anti-ageing food? Pigs' trotters. [Telegraph]
	"Lizard Man" returns? [Wis10]
	Eur-eek-a! The moment a pupil jumps 40ft from crane with only helium balloons to keep her afloat. [DailyMail]