Men really ARE better at parking
December 29, 2009
It’s a thorny subject, so it is probably just as well it was a female scientist who confirmed that men are better at parking than women.
Men were typically five per cent more competent at parallel parking – where the car draws alongside anther vehicle before reversing into a bay – according to research.
They were also better at driving head-on into a space and then reversing into place.
Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Articles | No Comments »
Asia’s Top 10 Most Unique Deformities
December 21, 2009
Nobody has it easy these days, not even actors and actresses. The one thing that keeps us all trudging along though is hope, whether that hope entails faith in a returning Messiah, dreams of fame or fortune, or just the anticipation of a hot meal at the local homeless shelter.
Sometimes though, we become so enamored with our own burdens that we lose sight of hope. Perhaps the following stories of brave, albeit unfortunate souls will help relieve these burdens by reminding us that things could always be far worse.
Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Articles, Lists, Pictures, Places, Technology | No Comments »
Great New Idea For Blind Children
December 14, 2009
‘Hello Haptic’ is a flash card kit for blind children to learn various haptical experiences about nature. Visually impaired children are able to self-educate themselves about different parts of nature with this learning aid. They will be properly stimulated about diverse characters of nature as well as fulfilling their curiosity through their first-hand tactile knowledge. Collaborated with Sunmin Lee, Saehee Lee, Youngsoo Hong
Topics: Articles, Cool, Technology | No Comments »
13 Medical Conditions Named After People
December 7, 2009
Having a disease named after you is a decidedly mixed bag. On the one hand, your scientific developments are forever commemorated. On the other hand, though, you’re stuck with the knowledge that no patient will ever be happy upon hearing your name. Who are the scientists and doctors behind some of our most famous diseases and conditions, though? Here are a few of the physicians and their eponymous ailments:
1. Crohn’s disease
The inflammatory digestive disease could just have easily ended up with the name Ginzburg’s disease or Oppenheimer’s disease. In 1932, three New York physicians named Burrill Bernard Crohn, Leon Ginzburg, and Gordon Oppenheimer published a paper describing a new sort of intestinal inflammation. Since Crohn’s name was listed first alphabetically, the condition ended up bearing his name.
Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Articles | No Comments »
The Secrets Behind Your Favorite Toys
November 23, 2009
You know the toys. You’ve seen the commercials. But you definitely haven’t heard these stories. Listen up as game inventor Tim Moodie reveals the glorious secrets behind your favorite classic toys.
1. How the Slinky got stuck between a cult and a mid-life crisis
In 1943, naval engineer Richard James invented the Slinky. When a spring fell off of his workbench and began to “walk” across the floor, he figured he could make a toy out of it. His wife Betty agreed, and she came up with the name Slinky. Introduced in 1945, Slinky sales soared (say that three times fast), but that wasn’t enough to satisfy Richard James.
By 1960, despite his success, Richard James was suffering from a serious mid-life crisis. But instead of falling for fast cars, dyed hair and liposuction, Richard James went a different route, and became involved with a Bolivian religious cult. He gave generously to the religious order and left his wife, six children and the company to move to Bolivia.
Stuck with the debts left by her husband and a company that desperately needed her leadership, Betty James took over as the head of James Industries. A marketing savant, Betty James was responsible for additions to the Slinky line including Slinky Jr., Plastic Slinky, Slinky Dog, Slinky Pets, Crazy Slinky Eyes and Neon Slinky. It was great for boys and girls around the world that Betty James didn’t suffer a midlife crisis. In 2001, she was inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame, and perhaps even more laudably, her Slinky dog was forever immortalized in Disney’s Toy Story movies.
Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Articles, Cool, Lists | No Comments »