‘Various & Sundry’ Archives
Airplane window pictures
When I travel, I almost always sit on the aisle. I value the legroom I can pilfer from the flight attendants and their band of rolling carts. But, every so often I end up next to the window. And, without fail, I spend the next hour, or 10 snapping shots of the cloud formations, or geography I see below. I'm simply fascinated by the [...]
100 foot tall crossword puzzle
I think this may very well be the largest crossword puzzle ever made. It's on a 100 foot tall building in Lvov, Ukraine. At night, as seen in this photo, with the help of special lights, the letters appear. Way, way awesome.
Neighbors
When I think about the places I've lived, the neighbors I had made all the difference. The last neighbors I had walked my dog everyday while I was at work. They'd come over and take her out so their kids could see her, and I wouldn't have to rush home. And we'd cat-sit when they went out of town. Awesome neighbors really can make the [...]
Generating energy from roads
Being more efficient with our resources--all of our resources--is more than just plain smart, it's becoming more and more necessary. Did you know it's possible to generate energy from roads, sidewalks and even our breathing? Movements on any surface can be converted into clean energy by power-scavenging devices fitted with piezoelectric (PE) [...]
Sand Castles
I don't know about you, but for me, the call of the sand is almost undeniable. Anytime I go to the beach, I want to do three things: lie in the sun, swim in the water, and build a sand castle. I can remember being 6 or 7 years old, in the school playground, building fortresses complete with moats, drawbridges, arrow slots and turrets. [...]
Gozaic
Gozaic, a site about cultural and heritage travel, is part of the National Trust for Heritage Preservation. On Gozaic you'll find cool travel destinations that have some cultural significance. For example: Florida Carriage Museum in Weirsdale, Florida The Florida Carriage Museum & Resort is home to one of the world’s finest [...]
Salerno sanitation department
This suggestion comes to us from Leslie Haramis (my aunt). We're traveling together in Italy. When I asked her what we'd seen that was awesome, she didn't say "temples" or "churches" or "the sea." "I think the sanitation department is awesome!" She declared. Every morning, we sit out on our patio and watch the world go by. People [...]
Bacteria that makes you smarter
Here's a naturally occurring bacteria that seems to be able to make you smarter. Well, it makes mice smarter. Maybe there's hope for us, too? From eScienceNews: Exposure to specific bacteria in the environment, already believed to have antidepressant qualities, could increase learning behavior according to research presented today at the [...]
Bike rack cozy
Biking around Portland, you see some cool things. Whether it’s the jasmine by the Rose Garden, or the street performers downtown, biking is rewarded. And people love to bike in this town. Take, for example, this amazing bike rack cozy, someone has lovingly crocheted. My bike smiled when I locked it up to this.
Catalogue of Life
The Catalogue of Life indexes 1.25 million known species and organisms on earth. It divides this massive list into 7 categories: animals, plants, fungi, protozoa, chromista, bacteria and viruses. According to the website, the Catalogue of Life Special 2010 Edition "is the most complete and integrated species list known to man." Did you [...]
