Friday, July 03, 2009

Friday Links!

It's a three-day holiday for most people in the U.S. (to celebrate July Fourth), so if you're at work and unmotivated, close your door and enjoy.

I thought I'd linked to the worst music video in history last week, but Bob Taylor corrected me--it seems that this video is worse (and yes, it's another Mark Gormley video).

From Matt Vanner, a link to the website of a crazy person who unicycled across Canada. The mind reels, especially since it doesn't look like he had a support van with him--he's unicycling with a big backpack!

From David, the story of a 13-year old who swapped his iPod for his Dad's vintage Sony Walkman for a week. Hey, I remember when the Walkman first came out--it was a miracle.

From Jesse Leimkuehler, a link to new information about the Tunguska explosion, which has endured as one of the most mysterious events in history.

Here's a provocative story in the New York Times about competitive cyclists reduced bone density.

From Nate Carpenter, a link to some nifty graphics explaining the food industry. Not quite Tufte, but extremely interesting.

From The Edwin Garcia Links Machine, more information about the SAGE system, this time in video form. It's insightful both in terms of technology and the fear of the times. Also, a picture of an F-22 going supersonic. Next, a closer look at a plane that could have won the war for the Nazis--the Horten 2-29 fighter, described as "decades" ahead of its time. And one more--the most incredible papercraft castle I've ever seen.

From Sirius, a link to video footage of the red-capped Manakin, a bird that (incredibly) moonwalks. Also, a fascinating story about biodiversity titled The Extinction Oscillator. And here are some ornate headstones with an incredible photo of a granite quarry.

From Ben Younkins, a link to a fascinating video of Richard Feynman explaining how trains stay on the tracks. Also from Ben, a recent article from Sports Illustrated that's a great read: How (and why) Athletes Go Broke.

From Andrew B, it's the Atari 2600 VCS Program Cartridge Tour. Some screenshots are missing, so I'm not sure this is complete, but it's worth a look.

From Geoff Engelstein, a link to a remarkable story about ant colonies, and here's an excerpt:
A single mega-colony of ants has colonised much of the world, scientists have discovered.

Argentine ants living in vast numbers across Europe, the US and Japan belong to the same inter-related colony, and will refuse to fight one another...

In Europe, one vast colony of Argentine ants is thought to stretch for 6,000km (3,700 miles) along the Mediterranean coast, while another in the US, known as the "Californian large", extends over 900km (560 miles) along the coast of California. A third huge colony exists on the west coast of Japan.

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