Face-Off With a Deadly Predator

The wild. Scary and beautiful.

Radiolab Podcast: Parasites!

The WNYC show Radiolab delivers up fascinating tidbits about science, presented in compelling narratives. You can subscribe to their podcasts via iTunes or at the Radiolab website.

Tonight they are having a live event at Water Taxi Beach here in New York. Unfortunately it's sold out so I won't be attending but if any video of it surfaces don't be surprised to find it here.

Here's an mp3 of their latest episode, Parasites. Just so you're warned: there are some kind of gross parts in this episode.

Free. Will. Power.: Cool videos and T-shirt Design Contest

Naral Pro-Choice America has launched a new website, Free.Will.Power, to get younger audiences involved in the issue of reproductive rights. It features 3 videos of spoken-word artists with awesome soundtracks by DJ Spooky. Here's one that launched today:



(Side note: as of today, YouTube now supports larger video dimensions. Jams.)

They also have a t-shirt design contest. The winner gets $1,000 and their design will become the official T-shirt of Free.Will.Power. Comment with a link to your entry so we'll know to vote for you!

Make Your Own Netflix Origami

Here's a fun way to be a little nicer to the planet. Those Netflix flaps you tear off and toss? Why not make them into crazy awesome art? Netflix Origami will show you how to make everything from an origami swan to a dive bomber. Email us with pictures of your Netflix origami creations and we will post them on Web Diversions!

CNN Fact Checks Sarah Palin

I really don't like this lady. Can you tell?

Meals; for Moderns

Rebecca Kosick has started her own blogging empire! First it was the ever-fashionable on style; for moderns, then there was crafts; for moderns (or maybe I'm getting the order wrong?). Then there's her love letter to the Mitten state, HOMES at Last! which, though not stated out-right, I'm sure would be enjoyed by moderns.

A new and scrumptious blog has been added to the For Moderns catalog: Meals; for Moderns. The vibrant photography is just as delicious as the meals themselves. Check out today's dish, Kale Tortilla with Local Tomatoes:

                          

Yummmmmmmm! Save some for me!

This all leaves me wondering: fashion, art, feats of culinary delight.... is there anything Ms. Kosick isn't fabulous at? I guess we'll just have to wait for Brain Surgery; for Moderns to find out. 

Animal Noises in Other Languages

Ever wonder what a Bee says in Italian? It sure ain't "buzz".

bzzzpeek let's you hear the animal noises, and a few vehicle noises, that people use in nine different countries. For example, in Italy dogs seem to make a sound much like a fire truck: wOwOwOw! While their fire trucks sound like they're Mork from Mork and Mindy: Nanu Nanu!

Name That Accent Game

Can You Guess Where My Accent is From is a fun little game/quiz. You watch clips of people reading part of a Rudyard Kipling poem and try to guess where they're from based on their accent. You may be surprised how hard it is. I was!

Global Rich Test

Feeling broke? Gas prices and the real estate collapse bringing you down? Well, let the Global Rich Test put it into perspective. You may be surprised how well off you really are.

See a Life-Size Blue Whale

This website allows you to look at a blue whale in life-size. Pretty cool.

Gross Science 101

I never had to dissect a frog when I was a student. As a kid I did have to dissect an owl pellet though. This involved cutting open a giant hair ball, pulling the bones of a small animal out of it, reassembling said small animal, and writing a story about how it was eaten and killed by the owl. Yeah. Scarred for life. And, side note, whose job is it to go through the woods finding and collecting regurgitated owl lunch so little children can have nightmares for weeks?

Well, now I can relive that fun experience over again with Froguts!. And I can get that frog dissecting experience I missed out on.

Just go to Froguts! and click on the "demos" tab. From there you have three options: frog, squid, or owl pellet. For frog, dissect the little friend in eerie detail; you even have to pin down his lifeless body. Joy! Squid is kind of boring: you just take a little "name the parts of the squid" test. And for owl pellet, relive my 6th grade horror. minus the whole "write a story" part. If you DO want to write a story about it though, go for it! And then come back here and put it in the comments section.

Howipedia

Everyone knows Wikipedia by now (don't you? I mean my mom knows about Wikipedia by now) and it's popularity has spawned a Wikilution. Wiking for business is a new fad (move over business blogs!) and now there's the Million Dollar Wiki (doomed to failure as it's natural links could never overwhelm the spam links it will draw which will piss off Google no-end). But no Wikis seem to be able to live up to the standard set by Wikipedia.

But someone finally found a wiki niche that just makes sense. wikiHow is, in it's own words, "a collaborative writing project aiming to build the world's largest how-to manual." And, from what I see, it's a success. Keep getting an error 1418 on your iPod Classic? Well just put "error 1418 iPod" into wikiHow's search, and you get this. Too many martinis last night? Check out How to Get Rid of a Hangover. There are also plenty of articles that would fall under "advice" more than "how-to", such as "How to be Happy After a Divorce" or "How to Live Life to the Fullest"

And of course, being a wiki, you can add articles too. Know how to play the kazoo with your nose? Share with the class, dude! You can add your skills to the likes of "How to Get a Stubborn Horse to Jump", "How to Enjoy a Kung Fu Movie With a Friend Who Doesn't Enjoy Kung Fu", "How to Diagnose and Replace a Failed PC Power Supply", and "How to Copyright a Song."

Jog your book memory

What was that book with that woman, I think maybe in China? And she like kills a guy or something? Maybe there are some shoes involved?

Now that you've gotten appropriately addicted to goodreads.com, you've probably come across that annoying problem: what the hell was the title of that book you read 4 years ago about that kid who lives with that badger for awhile and like, learns to speak badger or something, but not in a Disney way, and maybe it was a true story?

Well fret no more, dear reader. Help is here in the form of the aptly named WhatsThatBook. This site allows you to submit extremely vague descriptions to their apparently psychic admins, who in turn will tell you what the title is and who wrote it. 

To give you some example of their genius, let me show you an inquiry I sent them recently: 

Looking for a book about a guy living and working in some sort of complex with a lot of other people, as a sort of indentured servant to a crazy rich guy who is ill and constantly on drugs. Maybe the people in the complex are also on drugs or brainwashed and don't know why they work for the rich fat man? any ideas?"

And from that sorry description I got a title (Louse) author (David Grand), a publishing date, Amazon link, and a synopsis 4 times as long as this Web Diversions post. It's like magic!

In Georgia, we call it "Brain Coke"

Remember in the 5th grade when you learned the parts of the electromagnetic spectrum? Yeah, neither do I. Good thing there's BrainPop 

BrainPop is a site for students and educators, but fun for everyone. It has over 600 informative, interesting, and extremely cute flash videos under the categories of Math, Science, Social Studies, English, Technology, Health, and Arts & Music. The videos are hosted by the affable Tim and his robot, Moby. Movies have supporting material in the form of comics, quizzes, and home experiments with Bob, the ex-lab rat.

Topics range from pirates to graphing linear equations to Louis Armstrong to AIDS. It's a subscription site, but there are always some movies for free under every category. You can also sign up for a 14 day free trial, which I highly recommend. Gift subscriptions are also available and make the perfect present for your favorite blogger.

So get watching and start reclaiming all that early education you erased with those college bong hits.