Category: STORIES

August 23, 2012 at 4:23 pm

The Day Niagara Falls Went Dry

The Day Niagara Falls Went Dry

In 1965 a local newspaper editorial was published discussing the destruction of the American Falls (one of three waterfalls that together make up the Niagara Falls). It was believed that the destruction was being caused by previous rock debris that had gone over the falls and that the continued erosion would eventually lead…

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August 16, 2012 at 9:17 am

Bill Gates Wants to Reinvent the Toilet

Bill Gates Wants to Reinvent the Toilet

About 2.5 billion people use unsafe toilets or defecate in the open. Unsafe methods to capture and treat human waste result in serious health problems and death. Food and water tainted with fecal matter result in 1.5 million child deaths every year. Most of these deaths could be prevented with the introduction of…

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August 14, 2012 at 9:58 am

The 2011 Wikimedia Commons Pictures of the Year

The 2011 Wikimedia Commons Pictures of the Year

The winners of the Sixth Annual Wikimedia Commons Picture of the Year Contest were recently announced and the final round gallery is a sight to behold. Since 2006, the contest has featured the best photographs available on Wikimedia Commons. To be eligible, a photograph must first have been featured on the site in 2011.…

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August 8, 2012 at 3:42 pm

Rare Underwater Photos of a Shark Attacking a Marlin

Rare Underwater Photos of a Shark Attacking a Marlin

Photograph by Al McGlashan | (via Field & Stream) The original goal was simple. Tag the striped marlin for scientific research, and make an instructional video that demonstrates the proper way to release a marlin after tagging. Things were going smoothly. The marlin had been successfully tagged (1 of 2500 as part of…

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July 31, 2012 at 4:15 pm

Mom Gives Son Lamp Filled With Items She Found Doing His Laundry Growing Up

Mom Gives Son Lamp Filled With Items She Found Doing His Laundry Growing Up

Currently the top post on the front page of Reddit is this heart-warming lamp Redditor, justgrant2009, received from his mom on his wedding day. The lamp was filled with things his mom had found in his pockets whilst doing his laundry growing up. What a simple, sentimental and creative gift! I’m sure many may…

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July 27, 2012 at 12:48 pm

Friends Take Same Photo Every Five Years Since 1982

Friends Take Same Photo Every Five Years Since 1982

For the last thirty years, John Wardlaw, John Dickson, Mark Rumer, Dallas Burney and John Molony (from left to right in photos below) have been reuniting at Copco Lake in California to recreate the original photograph taken in 1982. Back then they were high-school friends hanging out at Wardlaw’s family cabin. What you can’t…

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July 26, 2012 at 3:38 pm

The Solar Powered Boat that Circumnavigated the World

The Solar Powered Boat that Circumnavigated the World

Photograph via PlanetSolar.org On Septebmer 27, 2010, the MS Turanor PlanetSolar set sail from the port of Monaco. The goal? To become the first solar-powered ship to circumnavigate the globe. On May 6, 2012, 587 days, 28 countries, 3 oceans, 11 seas and 60,006 km later, the PlanetSolar team achieved just that. Below…

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July 25, 2012 at 2:58 pm

The Undersea Cables that Connect the World

macro close up of a fibre optic undersea submarine cable and it's various parts

Photograph via fopnews.wordpress.com What you see above is a submarine communications cable. With a diameter of 69 millimeter (2.7 inches), it carries 99% of all international traffic (i.e., internet, telephony and private data) and connects every continent on Earth with the exception of Antarctica. These amazing fibre optic cables traverse oceans and span…

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July 17, 2012 at 9:52 am

Is This the Most Famous Photograph in the World?

Is This the Most Famous Photograph in the World?

Used with permission from Microsoft Recognize this photo? It’s the default wallpaper for Microsoft Windows XP. Released in 2001, there were over 400 million copies in use as of January 2006 (not including pirated copies). Now imagine how many friends, family members, work colleagues and people using public workstations have no doubt used…

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July 12, 2012 at 9:37 am

The Galleria: Milan’s Glass Covered Street

view looking up from the inside of the galleria in milan double arcade above

Connecting two of Milan’s most famous landmarks (The Duomo and La Scala) is the famous glass-vaulted arches of the Galleria. Formally known as the ‘Galleria Vittoria Emanuele II‘, the street is covered by an arching glass and cast iron roof. A landmark in its own right, the Galleria is a sight to behold. Below…

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