In a clear acknowledgment that it needs to right the wrong of centuries spent luring unsuspecting travelers into the domain of a bloodsucking monster, a Romanian town is now offering free COVID vaccines to visitors of the not-at-all-ominous Bran Castle.
Read the entire article: Romania would like you to get vaccinated at Dracula’s castle
Romania would like you to get vaccinated at Dracula’s castle Read Post »
Individual ketchup packets are in high demand — and suppliers can’t seem to keep up with it.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the price for individual ketchup packets has increased by 13%, the Wall Street Journal reports. Restaurants have been trying to stock up on the packets since the CDC recommended to “avoid using or sharing items that are reusable such as menus, condiments and any other food containers.” That, combined with many eateries reverting to take-out only orders where packets would be included, has resulted in a shortage at chains like Long John’s Silver and Texas Roadhouse, according to WSJ.
Read the entire article: A Ketchup Shortage Is Affecting Restaurants Across the Country | PEOPLE.com
A Ketchup Shortage Is Affecting Restaurants Across the Country | PEOPLE.com Read Post »
Sometimes, rays of sunlight hit objects at the perfect angle and cast shadows that are even more interesting than the object itself. Twitter user Joaquim Campa recently shared a gallery of “satisfying shadows for perfectionists” to reveal silhouettes, shapes, and contours that are seriously pleasing to the eye.
Read the entire article: Perfectly Timed Shadow Photos Are Seriously Satisfying To Look at
Perfectly Timed Shadow Photos Are Seriously Satisfying To Look at Read Post »
A submersible has dived to the world’s deepest-known shipwreck.
The vessel reached the USS Johnston, which lies 6.5km (4 miles) beneath the waves in the Philippine Sea in the Pacific Ocean.
Explorers spent several hours surveying and filming the wreck over a series of dives.
The 115m-long US Navy destroyer sank during the Battle off Samar in 1944 after a fierce battle with a large fleet of Japanese warships.
Victor Vescovo, who led the expedition and piloted the sub, said: “The wreck is so deep so there’s very little oxygen down there, and while there is a little bit of contamination from marine life, it’s remarkably well intact except for the damage it took from the furious fight.”
Read the entire article: USS Johnston: Sub dives to deepest-known shipwreck – BBC News
USS Johnston: Sub dives to deepest-known shipwreck – BBC News Read Post »
The Willamette Valley is the beating heart of Oregon’s picturesque wine region, home to two-thirds of the Beaver State’s wineries and famed for its exceptional Pinot Noir.
Sandwiched between the Oregon Coast Range and the Cascade Range, it also boasts the six largest cities in the state and some of the most pet-friendly destinations in the country.
Read the entire article: BringFido’s Guide to the Willamette Valley – BringFido
BringFido’s Guide to the Willamette Valley – BringFido Read Post »
The news of the (second) impeachment seems strangely pedestrian after the blowtorch intensity of Reddit vs. The Hedge Funds.
The good news is that the hedge funds didn’t conspire with market makers and trading apps to suppress a (warranted) generational revolution.
The inevitable Netflix/Hulu/Starz versions will not be so romantic; Reddit mainly inspired a transfer of wealth from one hedge fund to others. It was a pump and dump masquerading as a movement … with many retail investors left holding the bag.
Read the entire article: The Algebra of Wealth | No Mercy / No Malice
The Algebra of Wealth | No Mercy / No Malice Read Post »
“Homo Spaciens,” “Orbitons,” “Novanauts,” “Rocketeers,” and “Startans” — this is just a small sampling of the hundreds of suggested names for members of the military’s newest branch, the Space Force.
They were, of course, rejected in favor of “Guardians,” a name that folks seem to have gotten used to after it was roundly mocked for its similarities to the well-known Marvel Comics franchise, Guardians of the Galaxy. On that note, among the list of passed-over names was “Starlord” which is the main character in that comic book series, who’s played by actor Chris Pratt in the movies.
Read the entire article: Here’s the hilarious list of rejected names for Space Force personnel
Here’s the hilarious list of rejected names for Space Force personnel Read Post »
When classic car restorer and metal detecting enthusiast Kevin Duckett spotted a glint of gold peeking out beneath the soil of an English field in 2017, he initially thought he’d found a crumpled piece of foil. But as the Northamptonshire native continued digging, he soon realized he’d stumbled onto something far more valuable.
Read the entire article: Amateur Treasure Hunter Unearths Missing Centerpiece of Henry VIII’s Crown | Smart News | Smithsonian Magazine
Singer Tim Storms currently holds the Guinness World Records for “lowest note produced by a human.” Here’s how he sounds singing.
Read the entire article: Listen To The Guy With The World’s Lowest Voice Sing ‘Lonesome Road’ – Digg
Listen To The Guy With The World’s Lowest Voice Sing ‘Lonesome Road’ – Digg Read Post »
SpaceX announced Monday that it will fly a space tourism flight as early as the fourth quarter of this year, billing it as the first “all-civilian” mission to space.
A tech entrepreneur named Jared Isaacman has financed the mission, named “Inspiration4,” and will serve as commander aboard the autonomous Crew Dragon spacecraft. Isaacman, 37, is a pilot-rated to fly commercial and military aircraft, but he has no formal astronaut training. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Shift4 Payments, a digital payments company.
Read the entire article: SpaceX announces first “free flyer” human spaceflight | Ars Technica
SpaceX announces first “free flyer” human spaceflight | Ars Technica Read Post »
Beats a second career of working as a Walmart greeter, right? -Jeff
TOKYO — A 37-year-old Tokyo man who says he rents himself out to other people “to do nothing” has been inundated with gratitude from Twitter users, indicating people are happy with his new form of support.
“I’m glad I was able to take a walk with someone while keeping a comfortable distance, where we didn’t have to talk but could if we wanted to,” one user wrote. Another reflected, “I had been slack about visiting the hospital, but I went because he came with me.”
Read the entire article: ‘Rent-a-person who does nothing’ in Tokyo receives endless requests, gratitude – The Mainichi
Humans. I’m tired of it. I’m tired of emails that say “I hope you’re doing well in these trying times,” (although I may, cough, be guilty of sending 1 or 70 of ‘em). I’m tired of conversations (mine included) that default to politics, protests, posturing.
Conversations where we are all-knowing and the other is an imbecile. Yes, I am very worried about our government, Big Tech, overreach, social unrest, and tactical things like inflation, stock market plunges, and economic downturn.
But here’s the truth…we all need to gander a second or two longer in the mirror and do a little less pointing with those trigger-happy index fingers. I’ve never met a perfect human. I’m not, and I’d wager a bet you also aren’t.
Read the entire article: The Dead Bodies I Left – Contrarian Thinking
The Dead Bodies I Left – Contrarian Thinking Read Post »
New scholarship points to a paradox of historic scope: Our writing system was devised by people who couldn’t read.
Centuries before Moses wandered in the “great and terrible wilderness” of the Sinai Peninsula, this triangle of desert wedged between Africa and Asia attracted speculators, drawn by rich mineral deposits hidden in the rocks. And it was on one of these expeditions, around 4,000 years ago, that some mysterious person or group took a bold step that, in retrospect, was truly revolutionary. Scratched on the wall of a mine is the very first attempt at something we use every day: the alphabet.
The evidence, which continues to be examined and reinterpreted 116 years after its discovery, is on a windswept plateau in Egypt called Serabit el-Khadim, a remote spot even by Sinai standards. Yet it wasn’t too difficult for even ancient Egyptians to reach, as the presence of a temple right at the top shows.
Read the entire article: Who Invented the Alphabet? | History | Smithsonian Magazine
Who Invented the Alphabet? | History | Smithsonian Magazine Read Post »
A week ago, Boston Dynamics posted a video of Atlas, Spot, and Handle dancing to “Do You Love Me.” It was, according to the video description, a way “to celebrate the start of what we hope will be a happier year.”
As of today, the video has been viewed nearly 24 million times,
Read the entire article: How Boston Dynamics Taught Its Robots to Dance – IEEE Spectrum
How Boston Dynamics Taught Its Robots to Dance – IEEE Spectrum Read Post »
In the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, travel screeched to a halt in the United States. In April, airports were devoid of their usual crowds, with ghostly security checkpoints seeing a mere 4 percent of typical traveler volumes that month.
Daily passenger levels — which in 2019 were usually around 2 to 3 million travelers daily — dipped to their lowest levels in a decade; a mere 100,000 travelers passed through airports most days in April.
Read the entire article: Holiday travel numbers broke records. Will the trend continue in 2021? – The Washington Post
