My entire body aches after seeing this video of a French Bulldog puppy performing some really easy tricks that any able-bodied 24-year-old woman could do, too.
Other than ingesting alcohol and narcotics in sufficient doses to induce a state of analgesia, for most of its history, people in the West got through surgery with the aid of little more than forcible restraint and grit.
In case you needed to feel the awesomeness of the universe this first weekend of 2015, here is a supercut of every time Carl Sagan said an “-illion” in Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. This video was technically cut together in 2011, but existence is still epic in its hugeness, so let’s all soak that in for a sec.
Tourists and hikers can rejoice that a piece of public land will finally be open for all once again, though you can't please everyone. Former president of the Hollywoodland Homeowners Association and resident Sarajane Schwartz sees no middle ground on this issue, even after all the changes the city has made: "I think they should close it." [ more › ]
As the cat cafe’s natural predator, it stands to reason that owl cafes would be the inevitable next step in the evolution of Japan’s hot beverage-plus-adorable-animal establishments. Although there are apparently already numerous owl cafes in Tokyo, Fukuro no Mise (pictured in the video above) is one of the most popular.
Travel writer Linda Lombardi recently paid Fukuro no Mise a visit, and describes what it’s like to share tea with off-duty Owl Post carriers:
I have to say that my initial skepticism totally vanished. It was amazing to be up-close with these wild animals that seemed totally un-fazed by the experience. Maybe they knew they had the upper hand, what with the sharp parts. And clearly they’re used to the adoration of the crowds. They were also quite beautiful and much more varied than I expected.
To learn more about Japan’s owl cafes, you can peruse a detailed review over on Lombardi’s website. What do you think, gang? Would you be willing to pay Fukuro no Mise a visit?
French company 3D Sound Labs is showing off a new set of headphones called Neoh. They're a personal 3D sound system capable of reproducing surround sound from any movie. But more than just a 3D virtualization of the kind we've seen before, the Neoh headphones create something closer to a virtual reality experience.
Plants and Animals
Photo credit:
Jim McGuire Photos. Newly described frog species, male (left) and female (right).
You’re probably all familiar with the slimy, jelly-like frogspawn from which tadpoles emerge; the vast majority of frogs reproduce this way, with females laying eggs which are then fertilized by males. But it turns out there is a species of frog out there that reproduces in a very different way, which is also completely new to science: the female gives birth to live tadpoles.
Though genetic and lifestyle factors can play a significant role in the development of certain cancers, a new study has found that bad luck in mutating stem cells is the biggest risk factor for 2/3 of all cancers overall. The work was performed by Cristian Tomasetti and Bert Vogelstein of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, respectively. The paper was published in Science.
A wax sculpture depicting the devil snared in a set of power lines built by Paul Fryer. The sculpture is illuminated by the church’s stained glass windows.
It can be seen at The Holy Trinity Church in Marylebone, Westminster.
Arrests for all kinds of crimes and tickets for minor infractions have declined sharply across New York City, reports the New York Times. The New York Post has described the drop in activity — a 94% drop in arrests or tickets for minor offenses, and a 66% decrease in arrests overall compared to the same time last year— as a "virtual work stoppage."
Is this the New York Police Department's attempt at reforming its increasingly controversial "broken windows" approach to policing? On the contrary, it could be yet another act of political spite by the NYPD, whose most powerful unions have responded to the murder of two of its officers in December by lashing out at the mayor and city protesters.
In the precincts closest to where the two police officers who were shot, one criminal summons was issued last week, compared with 130 during the same week the previous year, according to the New York Times. Read More
After more than 18 months, the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is finally underway.
Jury selection in the case against Tsarnaev, the 21-year-old accused of carrying out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, is set to begin today under heavy security at the Moakley federal courthouse in downtown Boston. Read More
Experimental rockers His Name Is Alive will celebrate their 25-year anniversary on an upcoming tour! The Michigan four-piece has a tour stop here in Los Angeles at The Echo on Sunday, April 5, in support of recent release Tecuciztecatl. L.A.'s...
The Norwegian Forest cat (Norsk skogkatt or Norsk skaukatt) is a breed of domestic cat native to Northern Europe. This natural breed is adapted to a very cold climate, with a top coat of glossy, long, water-shedding hairs, and a woolly undercoat for insulation. Norse legends refer to the skogkatt as a “mountain-dwelling fairy cat with an ability to climb sheer rock faces that other cats could not manage. (x)
Tourists and hikers can rejoice that a piece of public land will finally be open for all once again, though you can't please everyone. Former president of the Hollywoodland Homeowners Association and resident Sarajane Schwartz sees no middle ground on this issue, even after all the changes the city has made: "I think they should close it." [ more › ]
:strip_icc(1)/https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fpolicymic-images%2Fcyhfayfvwxxr0wabu0fem29j1wvfz1mrx3pl1nwjqo51h9zha9uccconpecbnh8q.jpg)
:strip_icc(1)/https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fpolicymic-images%2Fljqre1bealpyhym0ml0z4cdlmgbcfdw8lukxhxhteol2nccybrscg0vguuqtryyt.jpg)
No sex toys were used in the confrontation as weapons, according to reports, though we all know that'd be pretty funny. [ more › ]
