Kratnasamy

After running since 1944, the pitch drop experiment at Trinity College Dublin has finally yielded results: a drop has been caught falling on camera.

Pitch is an extremely viscous substance, about 2 million times more viscous than honey. Drops take 7-13 years to form and less than a second to fall. A similar experiment has been running at University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia since 1927...their next drop is expected to fall sometime later this year.

Derek Hansen’s guide to hammock camping revolutionized — and possibly saved — camping for me. Hansen’s friendly prose and clear, entertaining illustrations unlocked all the secrets of hammock camping.

As I’ve gotten older, sleeping on the ground has gotten more and more uncomfortable, despite the ever-growing thickness of my sleeping pads, and getting down on my hands and knees to crawl into my tent has also lost its charm. I had just about given up on camping, despite my love of spending time in the outdoors when a friend who had similar problems but who now sleeps in a hammock when he camps recommended that I read Hansen’s book.

Hammock camping is a tinkerer’s dream — there are lots of bits to DIY and customize — but can be somewhat of a beginner’s nightmare. There are a dizzying array of different hammock types and accessories.

Hansen covers every aspect of camping with a hammock, from a brief history of hammocks to camping site selection to how hammock camping enhances your use of Leave No Trace techniques while in the woods. He breaks the book down into chapters about each of the major components of a hammock camping rig: the hammock itself, the suspension (what you use to attach the hammock to trees), and the tarp (your “roof” above your hammock that keeps the rain and snow off of you. The book is full of solid advice and numerous little tips that make a huge difference in your hang.

The book would be useful and entertaining with just the text, but Hansen’s illustrations are what make the book really entertaining and easy to understand. The illustrations throughout the book started as a series of posts on hammockforums.net (one of the other resources he recommends in the book) and that eventually grew into the book. Hansen also has a great website at theultimatehang.com with more illustrations and advice on hammock camping.

-- Steven Jarvis

The Ultimate Hang: An Illustrated Guide To Hammock Camping
Derek J Hansen
2011, 130 pages
$13

Available from Amazon

Sample Excerpts:

Jason Polan draws Dr. Dre using beet juice.

Polan is a favorite...his other art is very much worth checking out.

I still can't get enough of their latest Mixtape and here comes another one. The Hood Internet has done a 54-minute mix for Frank & Oak. You can listen to it below, on Soundcloud, or download by liking Frank & Oak on Facebook.

I'm 27 minutes in and so far so good.

This made me Laugh Out Loud for reals...Simone Rovellini doctors clips from movies to make actresses' heads explode. The first clip features Dirty Dancing, When Harry Met Sally, Pretty Woman, and Ghost:

And this one features a bunch of Disney princesses:

More videos and animated GIFs on the Exploding Actresses Tumblr. (via @scottlamb)

When you think of noize-bringers these days, does anyone spring to mind more quickly than M.I.A.? I think it is safe to say that when M.I.A. brings the noize, the noize stays brought. You will not believe just how much noize M.I.A. brings in her new video. Take a minute to hear the sheer volume of noize broughted by M.I.A. And what's remarkable is not just the quantity of noize she conveys; this is also some high-quality noize that is bringed. The noize? Consider it officially broughtened. [Via]

---

See more posts by Alex Balk

1 comments

Andrew Johnson has been diagnosed with Early Onset Parkinson's Disease and recently underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery to implant a brain pacemaker that supplies his brain with regular and reliable electrical pulses. In this incredible video, Johnson turns the pacemaker off and you can see the effect that DBS has had on his life.

Understatement of the year at the end of the video. Wow. Johnson writes about his experience with Parkinson's on his site, Young and Shaky. (thx, eamon)

We mentioned an early version of Roadtrippers about a year ago, but the attraction-finding service has since added a ton of new content and features, and it's worth taking another look.

As before, you just enter the starting point and destination for your upcoming road trip, and Roadtrippers will prepare a Google Maps route to get you from A to B. From here, you can specify how far off the beaten path you're willing to go, and which types of attractions, historical sites, restaurants, and more that you're interested in seeing along the way. The map will then populate with pins to point out great places to check out during your drive.

The level of granularity available is impressive. Only interested in seeing amusement parks and microbreweries? You can filter the map down to just these options. Every point of interest also includes a place page with a crowdsourced "Rad-O-Meter reflecting the views of the Roadtrippers community. If you're just interested in browsing, the site also includes some handpicked guides that curate points of interest into unique tours. Want to visit the shooting locations of every American-filmed James Bond scene? RoadTrippers has you covered.

When you're ready to hit the road, you can even save your itinerary and pull it up on Roadtripper's iPhone app. Unfortunately, you can't plan new routes on the app, but you can check out attractions nearby, and pull up the directions you found on the web.

Roadtrippers

Does anyone do menace prettier than The Weeknd? I think not. [Via]

---

See more posts by Alex Balk

0 comments

Watch as a giant albino python opens a door and comes right on in, thank you very much.

Bored of being in a dark room, she flips on the light, opens the door and bails. This particular episode takes place at 1am. This is why we keep doors locked with her around. We don't need her harassing the neighbors.

Maybe don't watch this if you want to sleep tonight. (via @daveg)

https://www.blackandmild.com/blackandmild/welcome.action

Totally Free Deals

Baltazar Ushca is the last ice miner of Ecuador's Mt. Chimborazo. Dozens of men, including Ushca's brothers, used to mine Chimborazo's glacial ice but commercial ice production has rendered the arduous process obsolete.

Also, it appears that the rocks and grass aren't separated from the ice before it goes into the blender?

Have you seen this already? Well shut up and watch it again. Good lord, it's not going to kill you to enjoy something more than once.

---

See more posts by Alex Balk

1 comments

Why go to medical school when you can just read this Medical School tumblr blog? Includes posts on open heart surgery, sickle cell anemia, and a simple suturing demonstration:

This weekend, Sarasota once again celebrates the life of the first openly gay politician with the fourth annual Harvey Milk Festival.

The three-day event espouses the late Milk’s ideals by showcasing emerging musicians and artists who support diversity and reject discrimination, while promoting equality for the LGBT community.…

[ Read more ]

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Once when I was driving on Route 80 in Pennsylvania, I passed a car being driven by a man holding a book open between his two hands on the steering wheel. It was a thick book, like a big novel, and he was reading it while driving 65 miles per hour on the highway. This seemed like one of the more dangerous things I had ever seen. So I hope Gunplay doesn't try to, like, look up any particular passages of scripture while he's rolling. But this is a great song.

---

See more posts by Dave Bry

1 comments

"Current marijuana users had significantly smaller waist circumference than participants who had never used marijuana, even after adjusting for factors like age, sex, tobacco and alcohol use, and physical activity levels. They also had higher levels of HDL ('good cholesterol'). The most significant differences between those who smoked marijuana and those who never or no longer did was that current smokers' insulin levels were reduced by 16 percent and their insulin resistance (a condition in which the body has trouble absorbing glucose from the bloodstream) was reduced by 17 percent."

---

See more posts by Alex Balk

2 comments

Watch as wingsuit pilot Alexander Polli flies through a hole in a mountain. And it's not that big of a hole either.

Watching this, I kept seeing an image of Wile E. Coyote wearing an Acme-brand wingsuit smacking into the side of the mountain. (via stellar)

Frank Ocean put this up on his Tumblr page Friday afternoon, titling it "summer 2012." It's basically a series of Vine clips documenting his travels around the world last year—Egypt and Dubai are prominent settings. But since he soundtracked them with the excellent song "Lost" from his double-plus excellent Orange album, it counts as a new video—and a good one! It's just that easy when you're a super-talented R&B star signed to Island/Def Jam.

---

See more posts by Dave Bry

0 comments

NPR's Planet Money talked to Ed Herr of Herr Foods about how potato chip manufacturing has changed since 1946, when the company was housed in a barn on his family's land.

Herr estimates that if they currently made chips the way they did back in the 1940s, they'd cost about $25 a bag.

 
Let's talk tacos first and foremost. I love them. Growing up in Southern California, tacos have always been a part of my life. There is just something about them that screams comfort food. I have even enjoyed authentic homemade versions of tacos from food trucks and little stands in the Baja region of Mexico. All are different but so many have been worthy of my love.

What has appealed to me most about tacos is their adaptability to so many fillings and flavors. Growing up we ate them only...

Read the whole entry... »

Comments

• I agree with Krystal! Thumbs up! I lived in Cincinnati for 13 ... by Kristin
• By: Carrie @ Bakeaholic Mama by Carrie @ Bakeaholic Mama http://www.bakeaholicmama.com
• This girl born and raised in Cincinnati gives you a big thumbs ... by Krystal
• Inn a taco shell….brilliant! I love Cincinnati chili too and ... by Rita
• Yum!! I love the idea of this. I love Cincinnati chili too but ... by Val

Related Stories

• Creamy Gnoochi with Walnuts and Fried Sage
• Mesquite Barbecue Meatballs
• Cheesy Four-Mushroom White Pizza

https://www.marlboro.com/marlboro/

check your offers

Surveys & Rewards Deals

Technically this photo was taken several years (probably in 1986 or 1987) before Radiohead officially came to be, but it features four out of the five members, back when the group was called On a Friday.

From left to right, Thom Yorke, Phil Selway, Ed O'Brien, and Colin Greenwood. This occasion marked one of the last times that Yorke smiled for a photo. (via buzzfeed)