Interesting/Noteworthy Things of the Day

Toy related!
http://little-people.blogspot.com/
Lots of neat new posts recently...

These are pretty neat! Such a cool idea, and it seems like alot fun to put together.

Worth a gander
Secrets of the Dead (solved with SCIENCE! )

King Tut, debunked!
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/episode ... sode/1049/

China's Terracotta Warriors
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/episode ... isode/844/

Bones of the Buddha
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/episode ... sode/1073/

Sinking of the Andrea Doria (watching the simulated crash... a heart in mouth moment)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/episode ... doria/142/

The Kelpies, massive (each Kelpie is 300 tons! ) sculptures by Andy Scott, opened in Scotland in April 2014.

http://www.thekelpies.co.uk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kelpies

So is this our dedicated Science thread here? Hope so. Anyhow what will you Canadiens think of next?:

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/a ... da/372677/

http://www.hitchbot.me/

A hitch-hiking robot?! That's pretty cool. I'd pick it up. Hope he doesn't share the fate of the SB Moleskin lol.

So anyone else watch the whole new Cosmos series? I did. I love Neil Degrasse Tyson.

This is just obscene, bringing back the way archers shot in the days of yore.
Just nuts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zGnxeSbb3g&feature=kp

For those of you with four-legged pals, it's always important to keep on top of pet food recalls:

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/Saf ... efault.htm
https://www.avma.org/news/issues/recall ... lerts.aspx
http://www.petsadviser.com/pet-food-recalls/

It's also interesting to see the reviews on pet food as well. Some surprising evaluations too!

http://petfoodtalk.com/catfoodreviews/
http://petfoodtalk.com/dogfoodreviews/

For instance, I had no idea that Costco cat food was highly rated
http://petfoodtalk.com/catfoodreviews/k ... -cat-food/
I feed Henry and Emma a mixture of 1/2-part Kirkland Healthy Diet dry food (inexpensive!) with 1/2-part Royal Canin dry food (expensive!). They used to get just 100% Kirkland, but when I fostered a cat with sensitive food issues, I became acquainted with Royal Canin. RC was a miracle, in bringing a very sick kittee back to super duper healthy again. I and the vet also noted that Henry and Emma's fur and eyes really sparkled with the addition of RC.

Sort of a slow day here, so here is some cuteness

I adored watching Gumby when I was a teeny sprout, here is a charming documentary on Gumby and Art Clokey, celebrating the 10th anniversary...


http://video.kqed.org/video/2365317464/
or
http://video.kqed.org/video/2365317464/
*@ 45:20, is a cute gathering of dinos (reminds me of the vintage dinos!)

I thought this monster bunny was a photoshop fake at first, but it turns out they really do exist! They are known as Flemish Giants! Bred originally for their meat. These days, the cost of feeding & raising them, doesn't make it economical for meat farming (thank goodness!), so they are cute and fuzzy pets. It's a good thing these bunnies aren't carnivorous (although, they'd make a great Kaiju toy character )

More mud. This is a demo of slip-trail glazing. Patia Davis makes it look so easy (but it's NOT!)

I adored watching Gumby when I was a teeny sprout, here is a charming documentary on Gumby and Art Clokey, celebrating the 10th anniversary...


http://video.kqed.org/video/2365317464/
or
http://video.kqed.org/video/2365317464/
*@ 45:20, is a cute gathering of dinos (reminds me of the vintage dinos!)

^YES! Loved watching Gumby back in the day...actually watched the reruns all the way through high school. What a trippy and fun world. I think there is a lot of overlap in appreciating the handmade authenticity of claymation and the creation process behind these Japanese toys we rabidly pursue...

"Thousands of visitors are heading for the Tower of London to take in the design and structure of the memorial installation for the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. It has been created by ceramic artist Paul Cummins, with setting by stage designer Tom Piper. Close to 900 thousand ceramic poppies will progressively fill the Tower's famous moat. Called the 'Bloodswept Lands and Seas of Red' at the Tower of London, many spoke to ynuk.tv about the display praising the art installation. The aim is to fill the dry moat with poppies by Armistice Day November 11 2014.
The 1914-18 Great War left 17 million soldiers and civilians dead"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhiKD6YjUvg

...and yes! Every single one of those poppies were handmade!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58aX_EBwzr4

Note, from Wikipedia: "The total number of military and civilian casualties in World War I was over 37 million. There were over 16 million deaths and 20 million wounded ranking it among the deadliest conflicts in human history."

More mud again... Doug Fitch is an amazing ceramicist. He recently made a wonderful Wassail pot. All I can think of when I watch the video is C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExawBnXqWMg


Just in...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdoJh_d7Mbw
Glazing and stacking the kiln


the kiln firing takes ALL day!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utg4WowEGMY

Don't burn the kittee!!!

Unpacking the goodies!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6grpAoW9fs8

*They had some issues with the back portion of the kiln, for temperature control. That resulted in the cracked and broken pots. I sorta wish they'd fire the Wassail pot in an electric or gas kiln for stability, but they prefer the old fashioned wood-fire kiln.

The Wassail pot wasn't included in this firing, as it needs to dry out a bit...

In need of some cuteness today?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciiHJGPE4qA

"Don't do that my dear"...

Non-attacking variety...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd4ffXo ... YJg-eimoug


No, they're not giant hoppy rats, they are Quokka! (giant ratty marsupials )
A whole lot here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd4ffXo ... WJVVSgVhmP

never knew the cacao pods were so bright on the tree. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory will do this to you

Brrrrrrrrrrrrr..... looks like a lot of cold and wet hitting the USA. I have to admit to being a weather wimp, and not doing so well, when temps fall below the 50's . But for those experiencing polar temps, it would be so neat to see this...



Pancake ice!
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... w-science/

Last year there was a phenomenon locally, looked like a bunch of snow donuts sitting on there side in any large flat area of snow. Caused by wind and humidity being just right. I took some pictures but I'm too lazy to find them now

News posted today... giant 800 lb. stingray anyone?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/w ... y-rod.html


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYz8IFl4gyE

P.S. Some Bikke chipmunk cuteness too!
http://www.sun-gazing.com/nobody-believ ... ra-caught/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySURk6yw9rE
*if you ask me, I think Bikke has invented the new sport of bed swimming...

For you late nighters... neat critters hanging around the watering hole
http://www.apl.tv/explore-watering-hole.htm

...there's a herd of snoozing hippos just now

and nocturnal hedgies
http://www.apl.tv/hedgehogs.htm

kittens
http://www.apl.tv/kittens.htm

sharks
http://www.apl.tv/sharks.htm

parakeets
http://www.apl.tv/parakeets.htm

Angler fish in action!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

Last edited by Mr. Humphreys on Sun Dec 13, 2015 12:18 am, edited 2 times in total.

"so far as we know there is no tooth fairy in the deep ocean"

^ Ha, especially because I'm not sure he knows what the tooth fairy does (they take teeth, not grow them). I'd be fishing right now if fish had money. It was still funny to include the reference in an otherwise serious and factual narrative.

Wonderful video - it was so clear and crisp, that without the narrator informing us, most wouldn't know that this is miles below the surface.

Pandering to Gracie:

http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/20 ... a-happened

"Hmm, the pig can't do the math. Yep, she's a witch."

Ugh! Winter is here, really cold and dry, and that always makes me think of traveling (to warm places ). Anywhooo...


https://youtu.be/w7AFRg7-hrA

The Naica Crystal Cave in Mexico is especially intriguing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcWKZ-USkfE

And for all of you people who are still digesting your turkey dinners...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1h2VW8USCAA