#Dangerous Dan&039;s

[plathway]

End of December so that means it’s BEST OF/END OF/WORST OF List time! As evidenced by the blog title I’m just going to be doing a summary (not in ranking order) of my favourite memories from 2017. I won’t even bother with a “Worst Of” because we all know about the terrible things that happened this year, things that we will still be dealing with long past 2018.

I personally am a huge fan of New Year’s Eve. Yes practically resolutions are never fulfilled and everything is extra expensive but I love the hopefulness that usually permeates around this time of year. The new year looks so shiny and new and there really is something seductive about (hopefully) becoming a new or better person. 

The last day of 2017 is a chiller. I was out taking a walk at around 4:30 and the air was so crisp and sharp but the light was so soft. It made me think about the year ahead, all shiny and new; hard and cold as yet untouched with familiar warmth. Daylight seemed to try it’s hardest to cling to the very end. The sky was all pale blues and soft rosy pinks. It made me the streetlight glow feel so golden yellow and the moon is full and such a pure perfect white, it looks like a pearl in the sky. 

I hope I become a better person than I was in 2017. I hope that I will have a lot of fun memories as I did in 2017. And now, in no particular order, my favourite 2017 memories. 

Art Shows: Mystical Landscapes, Blue Whale @ ROM and Georgia O’Keeffe @ AGO

I got to see some really cool gallery exhibits this year thanks to Helen. Mystical Landscapes was nice, got to see some of the classic Monet’s and Van Gogh’s. My favourite ones that I saw was the Blue Whale during one of the ROM’s Friday Night Lives and and the Georgia O’Keeffe at AGO’s First Thursdays.

The Blue Whale was really cool; whales are gigantic and everyone knows that but seeing it was really awe inspiring. I think it’s heart is like the size of a Fiat lol. I really really loved the Georgia O’Keefe exhibit. It was quite big and some of my favourite pieces were: – Lake George Reflection – Flower Abstraction 1924 – Abstraction White Rose – Horse’s Skull with Pink Rose – Farmhouse Window and Door (this one is really cool to see in person because it looks 3D or layered paper but it’s just paint.) – Mule’s Skull with Pink Poinsettias – From the Faraway, Nearby – Rust Red Hills – Red Hills and Bones – Red and Yellow Cliffs – Wall with Green Door 1953 – My Front Yard, Summer

I wish that you could see what I see out the windows – the earth pink and yellow cliffs to the north – the full pale moon about to go down in an early evening lavender sky behind a very long beautiful tree-covered mesa to the west- pink and purple hills in front an the scrubby fine dull of cedars- and a feeling of much space- it is a very beautiful world. Georgia O’Keeffe

Lol my celebrity encounter of the year happened when I was at the O’Keeffe show, I saw Camila Mendes from Riverdale walk by. I was honestly star struck. She walked by and I literally stood there gaping and then had a moment of panic because I wanted to chase after her but I also had to find Helen who had gone up ahead. I finally found her and then we spent the rest of the night running around the AGO looking for her but she had went back to her hotel to live tweet Riverdale lol. 

Women’s March

The Women’s March was the first protest that I’ve ever been to. My mom thought it was dumb of me for going because, “what is it really going to do?” which is a sentiment held by a lot of people. 

I went with Rebekah and it was a really fun experience. The turn out was much greater than I expected, not just in Toronto but all around the world. It felt nice being part of that crowd all with a similar goal. 

Brunch Club 

Brunch times with my Y&E girls and seeing baby Celeste! Lol it’s nice seeing Mei’s 1st OG team and Celeste who is the cutest baby in the entire world. 

Dangerous Dan’s

All the times Rebekah, Precillia and I would go to Dangerous Dan’s. We’d always get the same thing, a coffee shake for me and an uber Amy grilled cheese, with fries or onion rings on the side. Precillia would always get the gyros with a side of pierogies and Rebekah would get a grilled cheese and the owner would always tease her for being a vegetarian. And the very best, we’d get a cookie cow pie to share.

Unfortunately it closed due to the increasing gentrification, but the memories of going there starving with Precillia and Rebekah, hearing the rest of the staff yell at Heather (or Helen? I don’t remember) just laughing and eating the most delicious food was truly some of the best times. 

My first time at a vape lounge

The day of the TRL sale, (Rebekah and I made out like a bandit, the books were like FIFTY CENTS!!!!) Rebekah took Precillia and I to a vape lounge for the first time. I don’t know if it was what she rolled or if it’s because other people were smoking but I have never gotten that high in my life. 

We were discussing middle school crushes and it was my turn, I stopped right in the middle of my story and I felt like it was so hard for me to speak and I could not stop laughing, my voice got so high it was practically a squeak. 

Birthday Party @ BATL

This year for my birthday we went axe throwing and also shot bows and arrows. I don’t know what was my favourite part… seeing old friends and catching up, when they gave us photos of Trump to put in the bullseye… 

Actually, the highlight was when we played the most intense game of gigantic Jenga of my life. 

Escape Rooms

This year we really got into escape rooms. Two of the ones we did were super scary and one of them we beat! The first one we did we were all locked in individual stalls and had to work our way out of them, the second one was a diamond heist so I got to live out my dream of being an actual cat burglar. 

By far the scariest one we did was for Precillia’s birthday. The theme of the house is that we broke into a haunted house but it really turned out to be a murder house. And we had to break through a series of clues to try to escape. I am a big fucking baby so I was useless and spent the whole time screaming. As far as escape rooms went it was really atmospheric. It gave us a lot of fun puzzles to solve that were really hard. And we got to move around the small room by climbing through a hidden cabinet, running up and down the stairs, pulling things out of grates etc.  The hardest part was the actual physical component. We had to make it across this set of monkey bars, I went first and fell into the foam–Rebekah was the only one to make it across. Unfortunately we ran out of time but we made it nearly to the end. Rebekah was the Judas and would have sacrificed us all if we had the time. 

All the visits to Doc

Whether I was freezing in the winter, or getting a sun burn during the summer or any of the visits by myself… hanging out at Doc was always a fun time. Riverdale park is gorgeous. My favourite thing is to go there listening to opera and reading. 

Summer in Port Dover

This summer Precillia told us about Port Dover which is one of the few beaches in Ontario that has palm trees. There are only three of them but a guy wanted them here so badly he planted them and they stand there lol. Port Dover is truly one of the best beaches I’ve been to in Ontario. I wish we were near ocean water but the water in Port Dover is pretty nice for lake water.  We’ve only been three times but each time was amazing. I think my favourite was the second time when Precillia, Rebekah and Ayan went. I think it was after a storm or a storm was coming but we stayed out in the water as the sky turned clear to grey to all these different shades of blue. We saw a rainbow and that day Rebekah and Precillia found twenty dollars in the water and we also got a football from these guys that were chilling near us.  Sitting in Precillia’s car, loose limbed and sun kissed eating salty messy Subway sandwiches before Precillia sped us off into the night that was so blue it felt like we were being wrapped up in it, it was so thick. Every time I hear “Sex on Fire” I can feel Precillia’s car flying down the road and the blue of the night blocking out the sound of the world as that “YeahhhHhHhHhHhHHHHhhh” fills my ears. 

Bruce Peninsula

So, we did everything right starting off the trip lol. We set out really early, got all of our snacks and drove all the way up there… only to stand in the woods for a bit. The Bruce Peninsula has grown so much in popularity, especially because of the Canada Park’s Pass that there were only a few slots during the day that we could go and all of those were filled up. In the end we ended up going to Port Dover. 

Kudos to Precillia for the drive because it was long AF. We eventually got so hungry we were looking for the nearest place to eat and I think we drove to an A&W in some small town. It was full of old white people but it was easily the cleanest and nicest looking A&W we’d ever been in lol. 

Rebekah had an edible that she split with me and it really gave me a new appreciation for Ontario. I truly live in a beautiful province, there were so many gorgeous fields and fields of flowers and farm stands and we saw Mennonites just trundling along beside us in their horse and buggy.

Carly Rae Jepsen @ TSO

For Canada’s 150th birthday, actual Canadian treasure Carly Rae Jepsen played her greatest hits accompanied by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. I went with Precillia and it was truly a magical night. Everyone was dancing and singing along, it was just a fun night with great pop music full of love. 

Janet and Petr visiting

Janet is officially back in Canada with her husband Petr!!!! They came up to visit me for a week and I was ecstatic because I had my foodie buddy back. We ate at some of my favourite restaurants in Toronto such as Descendant for Detroit style pizza, Maha’s for Egyptian food, Hot Star fried chicken, Patois, FuZen, Tsujiri and some of my Kensington Market favourites as well.

Friendsgiving2k17

The second annual Friendsgiving was even more lit than the first if you can believe it! We got a beautiful house with a sauna and stuff this time because I got a credit from AirBnB because they cancelled my original reservation. I have like 5 memories from that night because I decided to compete with Tsering but I cherish all 5 of them. I know we did White Elephant, we had a lovely family dinner, I think Beer Pong was played and we played Monopoly for a few rounds and then Precillia and I murdered a unicorn cake. 

Expectations are HIGH for #Friendsgiving2k18 but know that Precillia, Rebekah, Ayan and I are going to pull it off. 

Anyways, those are some of my favourite memories of 2017! I know I had many more and I’m excited for what 2018 has to offer. I hope it’s nothing but good things for all of us.

Happy New Year’s Eve!

xoxo Cat

Today's featured image is by Pedro Miranda Filho

lmaoooo down to the wire here is my last 2017 post!!! End of December so that means it's BEST OF/END OF/WORST OF List time! As evidenced by the blog title I'm just going to be doing a summary (not in ranking order) of my favourite memories from 2017.

[fumpkins]

I built a smell machine to protect dogs

↑ Jennifer Day, biologist at the University of Washington at Seattle

Each year, poachers traffic countless lots of prohibited wildlife items through the world’s greatest ports. Detector dogs like the ones I deal with are amongst the most reliable methods of discovering that contraband. Trained dogs can ferret out tiny quantities of ivory, rhino horn, tiger bone, and other prohibited items with higher than 90 percent precision.

However these remarkable canine employees will press themselves too hard if you let them. In browsing freight containers, experienced animals can come across poisonous compounds, hazardous equipment, and severe heat. Some have actually even passed away on the task.

There is a method to make things more secure (and more effective): drawing air from delivering containers, running it through scent-trapping filters, and after that considering that smell to sniffer dogs in a regulated environment. That method, customizeds authorities can browse inside a container without anybody in fact opening it up. South African mine-clearing business Mechem initially established such gadgets in the1990 s in orderto spot bombs, however little governmental wildlife departments can’t manage them. So my university’s Center for Preservation Biology coordinated with the World Wildlife Fund to make our own variation from raw materials.

For the previous year, we have actually been refininga15- pound Ghostbuster- design knapsack. Inside,a lithium battery powers a leaf blower with an engine we reversed so it absorbs air. That blast takes a trip througha hose pipeto(*********************************** )detachable cylinder– it connects with bespoke 3D -printed parts– which contains the cotton scent-collection pad.I led the style, andI keep in mind going to the hardware shop while really, really pregnantto take a look at leaf blowers and vacuums, putting my hands on them, and brainstorming.

Quickly, we’ll begin carrying out small trials, screening(**************************************** )with samples of shark fins. Once we identify just how much smell they requireto make (*********************************** )detection, we’ll train them on other products. This has the capacity to truly change the method customizeds identifies contraband.

As informedto Mary Beth Griggs and Rachel Nuwer

This post was initially released in the Winter Season2018 Risk problem of(**************** )Popular Science.

( function() . *$/, "$1");. if (cookieValue) return real;. ! function( f, b, e, v, n, t, s) if( f.fbq) return; n= f.fbq= function() n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply( n, arguments): n.queue.push( arguments); if(! f. _ fbq) f. _ fbq= n;. n.push= n; n.loaded=! 0; n.version=' 2.0'; n.queue =-LRB- ***); t= b.createElement( e); t.async=! 0; t.src= v; s= b.getElementsByTagName( e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore( t, s) (window,. file,' script','// connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');.

fbq(' init', '1482788748627554');. fbq(' track', "PageView"); )();-LRB- ******************).

New post published on: https://livescience.tech/2019/01/02/i-built-a-smell-machine-to-protect-dogs/

[laurianemennesson]

Séance #13 - Le côté obscur du Web est bien « réel »

La séance qui a su le plus retenir mon attention est celle des angoisses et des vertiges du numérique. Durant cette séance, les thèmes de la cybercriminalité, de la cyberintimidation, du cyberterrorisme et de la cyberdépendance ont été abordés et expliqués plus en profondeur.

J’ai trouvé le thème la cybercriminalité particulièrement intéressant. Le thème se définit en bref comme « tout crime où Internet et les technologies numériques, par exemple des ordinateurs, des tablettes ou des appareils mobiles, sont utilisés pour le commettre » (Gendarmerie royale du Canada, 2020). En d’autres mots, ce sont des crimes se disant « conventionnel » qui sont commis via des outils modernes (Lemain-Langlois, 2006, 11eme par.).  Il y a tellement de catégories de crimes en ligne possibles que je n’avais même pas imaginé. On a abordé les fraudes et les arnaques financières, les agressions suite à une rencontre en ligne, les sites web encourageant des pratiques dangereuses, etc. (Gadeau, 2020, p.4). J’ai aimé le fait d’approfondir mes connaissances de la cybercriminalité. On entend souvent parler des crimes sur le Web les plus « classiques » comme la fraude mais en réalité, il y a un vaste éventail qui y sont commis.

En outre, comme j’ai fait un certificat en criminologie avant d’étudier en communication, ce domaine reste toujours un champ d’intérêt pour moi. De base, je n’avais pas nécessairement fait le lien entre les deux. Ce fut donc agréable de pouvoir jongler avec ces deux domaines dans un même cours et de biais, y comprendre le fort lien que ces deux peuvent avoir ensemble.  

Même si nous sommes derrière un écran, nous ne sommes pas à l’abri des actes cruels que les autres peuvent commettre. Nous partageons nos informations personnelles au quotidien sans nécessairement comprendre l’importance et le danger potentiel de la chose. L’écran ne nous protège en rien, il peut peut-être même accentuer le risque.

Gadeau, O. (2020). Angoisses et vertiges du numérique [présentation PowerPoint]. Monportail. https://sitescours.monportail.ulaval.ca/contenu/sitescours/039/03907/202009/site117980/modules768439/module982745/page2661385/bloccontenu2710646/COM%202404%20A20%20_%20Séance%20%2305%20_%20Diaporama.pdf 

Gendarmerie royale du Canada. (2020) Définition de la cybercriminalité. Repéré à : https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/fr/definition-cybercriminalite

Leman-Langlois, S. (2006). Questions au sujet de la cybercriminalité, le crime comme moyen de contrôle du cyberespace commercial. Criminologie, 39 (1), 63–81. https://doi.org/10.7202/013126ar 

[beardedshreekna-blog]

3 Sword Swallowing World Records Ripley's World Sword Swallower's Day Panama City Beach Big Swallow

3 Sword Swallowing World Records Ripley’s World Sword Swallower’s Day Panama City Beach Big Swallow

http://CuttingEdgeInnertainment.comWatch 3 World Records get set at the same time as 6 sword swallowers swallow 58 swords at ONCE for World Sword Swallower’s Day 2016 at Ripley’s Panama City Beach, FL Feb 27, 2016. Sword Swallower Franz Huber swallowed 25 swords to break the Guinness World Record of 24 swords, and Dan Meyer…

[graphicpolicy]

DOLLFACE ST. PATRICK’S DAY SPECIAL 2017

Writer(s): Dan Mendoza & Bryan Seaton Artist Name(s): Dan Mendoza Cover Artist(s): Dan Mendoza (regular and Tattered & Torn variants), Marcelo Trom, Bill McKay Cover A – Dan Mendoza (unlimited) Cover B – Tattered & Torn variant cover (limited to 2000): Dan Mendoza Cover C – Pin-up variant cover (limited to 1500): Marcelo Trom Cover D – Pin-up Tattered & Torn variant cover (limited to 2000): Marcelo Trom Cover E – Pin-up variant cover  (limited to 1500): Bill McKay Cover F – Pin-up variant cover (limited to 1500): Bill McKay 32 pgs./ M / FC $3.99 (reg.), $4.99 (var.)

Lila’s first St. Patrick’s Day celebration at a local pub is quickly interrupted by a disgruntled leprechaun out for revenge.

#gallery-0-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 25%; } #gallery-0-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Dollface St. Patrick's Day Special 2017 preview. Celebrate at the pub! #comics DOLLFACE ST. PATRICK'S DAY SPECIAL 2017 Writer(s): Dan Mendoza & Bryan Seaton Artist Name(s): Dan Mendoza…

[fumpkins]

The weirdest things we learned this week: starting fires with astronaut farts and dancing yourself to death

What’s the weirdest thing you learned this week? Well, whatever it is, we assure you’ll have an even weirder response if you listen to PopSci’s hit podcast. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week strikes iTunes, Anchor, and all over else you listen to podcasts every Wednesday early morning. It’s your brand-new preferred source for the strangest science-nearby truths, figures, and Wikipedia spirals the editors of Popular Science can summon. If you like the stories in this post, we ensure you’ll like the program.

Today’s episode is additional unique: it’s the very first half of our 2nd live program, which occurred on February 1 at Caution in New York City. As discussed at the top of this week’s episode, you might hear hosts or audience members yelling “drink!” This is since we were playing a drinking video game, which you’re welcome to recreate by yourself time (presuming you’re of legal age and not driving while you listen). Take a beverage of your incredible and rejuvenating drink of option whenever:

Somebody makes a pun (2 beverages if it gets a groan!)

Rachel makes a joke about the reality that we clearly prepared the live program in advance although the podcast is absolutely spontaneous we swear

Jason makes a look

Somebody in the audience is audibly horrified (or simply appallingly audible)

A cast member states the word “Weird”

Eleanor discovers a reason to raise taxidermy

Rachel discovers a reason to discuss her fiancé or feline

Anybody discovers a reason to raise some sort of body scary or otherwise extreme reference of viscera

If we attempt to state a tie you have to surface your beverage, so you’d much better cheer loud for your favorite

Reality: Dancing plagues were as soon as really typical

By Eleanor Cummins

The human mind is absolutely nothing like a steel trap at all. It’s a genuine mess in between your ears, making all of us prone to rational misconceptions, heuristic faster ways, and false information. Maybe the weirdest thing that can occur to our highly-social brains is “mass hysteria,” which takes place when big groups of individuals physically manifest an illness that, biologically, there is no proof for.

The list of reported mass hysteria cases is long. (I understand, since I review all of them.) They consist of a windscreen pitting epidemic in Seattle, something called the “2016 clown sightings,” and even that quarantine on an Emirates flight in 2015, when it looked like a hundred guest had unexpectedly all contracted a significant disease.

However far and away the strangest cases were a series of middle ages dancing plagues. Vigilantly recorded by John Waller in his thorough 2009 Lancet post “A forgotten plague: making sense of dancing mania,” these events led to numerous individuals dancing, typically up until they passed away, in the belief they had in some way all contracted the very same illness. There was one in 1021 (that’s the one Waller called “a ring dance of sin”), and once again in 1247, and once again in 1518. Then, simply as rapidly as they appeared, dancing pesters passed away out.

In this live episode, I discuss the advancement of mass hysteria, and the methods they take advantage of our inmost and most culturally-specific worries. While you listen, don’t forget to truly absorb the significant inscription at the top of this post.

Reality: A teenage lady scammed the Royal Academy of Arts real excellent

By Rachel Feltman

This is a story about art history, chemistry, and hubris. We start in the late 1700s, when Benjamin West—referred to as the “American Raphael,” a painter of historic scenes who functioned as president of the Royal Academy of Arts in London—got some art lessons from a woman called Ann Jemima Provis. Along with her daddy, Provis was hawking painting tutorials based upon a journal offered to her by a late relative, which she declared included the secret Rennaisance masters utilized to produce their extraordinary art. See, West and his contemporaries were desperate for there to be a trick—some sort of chemical mixture or light-bending method of layering paint—since if not, that suggested they simply weren’t as excellent as icons like the excellent Titian. (Side note: here’s that Titian painting I point out in the program—he truly caught my future husband’s beard completely!)

Discover more about how Ann Jemima Provis’ con decreased—and what the genuine trick behind Renaissance art ended up to be—in this week’s episode. Here she is, resplendent in her scammery, in the only image I was able to discover of her. It takes place to be a tabloid animation made to mock the guys she fooled. What an icon.

If you’re questioning simply how ridiculous Benjamin West looked when he revealed the painting explained throughout this week’s episode, here it is. Compare it to the renovate he launched a couple of years later on painted in the real design of his day, and you’ll comprehend why his peers all teased him. And here’s a painting he did of an incredibly silly lion and a slobbering horse simply to include insult to injury.

Reality: NASA as soon as fretted that astronaut farts would present a fire risk in space

By Claire Maldarelli

While humans haven’t made it to Mars yet, we have—without a doubt—come a long method in our understanding of space travel. Don’t think me? Think About this research study. It’s called, “Intestinal hydrogen and methane of men fed space diet”, however its name doesn’t provide it the strange science credit it should have. Nevertheless, simply a quick skim of the very first line of the abstract—Digestive germs form 2 gases, hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4), that might make up a fire risk in a closed chamber—offers a tip at the research study objectives: NASA had severe issues about whether the typical quantity of flatulence discharged by astronauts when consuming space food would be a fire risk on space flights.

The research study was carried out in the late 1960s, after the Apollo objectives and in the middle of the Gemini program. The in-flight food Apollo astronauts consumed was rather unappetizing. (See this photo for recommendation.) NASA had huge prepare for updating its menu service for the Gemini flights, however initially, they required to address a huge concern: Would the freshly enhanced space grub cause enough flatulence that it would present a fire risk? As one outdoors scientist warned to NASA, astronauts in external space are usually secured little pills without an escape valve and so, realistically, the hydrogen and methane—the 2 most typical gases in all human farts—that the astronauts excrete get secured too.

Spoiler alert: Numerous research studies and farts later on, there has actually never ever been a space pill surge brought on by human flatulence.

(function() .*$/, "$1"); if (cookieValue) return real; !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments);if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, file,'script','//connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js');

fbq('init', '1482788748627554'); fbq('track', "PageView");)();

New post published on: https://www.livescience.tech/2019/03/12/the-weirdest-things-we-learned-this-week-starting-fires-with-astronaut-farts-and-dancing-yourself-to-death/

[fumpkins]

The weirdest things we learned this week: starting fires with astronaut farts and dancing yourself to death

What’s the weirdest thing you learned this week? Well, whatever it is, we promise you’ll have an even weirder answer if you listen to PopSci’s hit podcast. The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week hits iTunes, Anchor, and everywhere else you listen to podcasts every Wednesday morning. It’s your new favorite source for the strangest science-adjacent facts, figures, and Wikipedia spirals the editors of Popular Science can muster. If you like the stories in this post, we guarantee you’ll love the show.

This week’s episode is extra special: it’s the first half of our second live show, which happened on February 1 at Caveat in NYC. As mentioned at the top of this week’s episode, you may hear hosts or audience members shouting “drink!” This is because we were playing a drinking game, which you’re welcome to recreate on your own time (assuming you’re of legal age and not driving while you listen). Take a drink of your fabulous and refreshing beverage of choice whenever:

Someone makes a pun (two drinks if it gets a groan!)

Rachel makes a joke about the fact that we obviously planned the live show in advance even though the podcast is totally spontaneous we swear

Jason makes an appearance

Someone in the audience is audibly appalled (or just appallingly audible)

A cast member says the word “Weird”

Eleanor finds an excuse to bring up taxidermy

Rachel finds an excuse to mention her fiancé or cat

Anyone finds an excuse to bring up some kind of body horror or otherwise excessive mention of viscera

If we try to declare a tie you have to finish your drink, so you’d better cheer loud for your fave

Fact: Dancing plagues were once very common

By Eleanor Cummins

The human mind is nothing like a steel trap at all. It’s a real mess between your ears, making us all susceptible to logical fallacies, heuristic shortcuts, and misinformation. Perhaps the weirdest thing that can happen to our highly-social brains is “mass hysteria,” which occurs when large groups of people physically manifest a disease that, biologically, there is no evidence for.

The list of reported mass hysteria cases is long. (I know, because I read through all of them.) They include a windshield pitting epidemic in Seattle, something called the “2016 clown sightings,” and even that quarantine on an Emirates flight last year, when it seemed like a hundred passenger had suddenly all contracted a major illness.

But far and away the strangest cases were a series of medieval dancing plagues. Vigilantly documented by John Waller in his comprehensive 2009 Lancet article “A forgotten plague: making sense of dancing mania,” these incidents resulted in hundreds of people dancing, often until they died, in the belief they had somehow all contracted the same disease. There was one in 1021 (that’s the one Waller called “a ring dance of sin”), and again in 1247, and again in 1518. Then, just as quickly as they appeared, dancing plagues died out.

In this live episode, I talk about the evolution of mass hysteria, and the ways they capitalize on our deepest and most culturally-specific fears. While you listen, don’t forget to really soak up the dramatic engraving at the top of this post.

Fact: A teenage girl scammed the Royal Academy of Arts real good

By Rachel Feltman

This is a story about art history, chemistry, and hubris. We begin in the late 1700s, when Benjamin West—known as the “American Raphael,” a painter of historical scenes who served as president of the Royal Academy of Arts in London—got some art lessons from a girl named Ann Jemima Provis. Along with her father, Provis was hawking painting tutorials based on a journal given to her by a late relative, which she claimed contained the secret Rennaisance masters used to create their incredible art. See, West and his contemporaries were desperate for there to be a secret—some kind of chemical concoction or light-bending way of layering paint—because if not, that meant they just weren’t as good as icons like the great Titian. (Side note: here’s that Titian painting I mention in the show—he really captured my fiance’s beard perfectly!)

Find out more about how Ann Jemima Provis’ con went down—and what the real secret behind Renaissance art turned out to be—in this week’s episode. Here she is, resplendent in her scammery, in the only image I was able to find of her. It happens to be a tabloid cartoon made to mock the men she conned. What an icon.

If you’re wondering just how silly Benjamin West looked when he unveiled the painting described during this week’s episode, here it is. Compare it to the redo he released a few years later painted in the actual style of his day, and you’ll understand why his peers all made fun of him. And here’s a painting he did of an extremely goofy lion and a slobbering horse just to add insult to injury.

Fact: NASA once worried that astronaut farts would pose a fire hazard in space

By Claire Maldarelli

While human beings haven’t made it to Mars yet, we have—without a doubt—come a long way in our understanding of space travel. Don’t believe me? Consider this study. It’s called, “Intestinal hydrogen and methane of men fed space diet”, but its name doesn’t give it the weird science credit it deserves. However, just a brief skim of the first line of the abstract—Intestinal bacteria form two gases, hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4), that could constitute a fire hazard in a closed chamber—gives a hint at the research goals: NASA had serious concerns about whether or not the normal amount of flatulence emitted by astronauts when eating space food would be a fire hazard on space flights.

The study was conducted in the late 1960s, after the Apollo missions and in the middle of the Gemini program. The in-flight food Apollo astronauts ate was rather unappetizing. (See this picture for reference.) NASA had big plans for upgrading its menu service for the Gemini flights, but first, they needed to answer a big question: Would the newly improved space grub cause enough flatulence that it would pose a fire hazard? As one outside researcher cautioned to NASA, astronauts in outer space are typically locked in small capsules without an escape valve and so, logically, the hydrogen and methane—the two most common gases in all human farts—that the astronauts excrete get locked in as well.

Spoiler alert: Many studies and farts later, there has never been a space capsule explosion caused by human flatulence.

(function() .*;s*)__tacs*=s*([^;]*).*$)();

New post published on: https://www.livescience.tech/2019/03/12/the-weirdest-things-we-learned-this-week-starting-fires-with-astronaut-farts-and-dancing-yourself-to-death/

[fumpkins]

I built a smell machine to protect dogs

↑ Jennifer Day, biologist at the University of Washington at Seattle

Each year, poachers traffic thousands of tons of illegal wildlife products through the world’s biggest ports. Detector dogs like the ones I work with are among the most effective means of finding that contraband. Trained canines can sniff out minuscule amounts of ivory, rhino horn, tiger bone, and other illegal products with greater than 90 percent accuracy.

But these amazing canine workers will push themselves too hard if you let them. In searching cargo containers, trained animals can encounter toxic substances, dangerous machinery, and extreme heat. Some have even died on the job.

There is a way to make things safer (and more efficient): drawing air from shipping containers, running it through scent-trapping filters, and then giving that odor to sniffer dogs in a controlled environment. That way, customs officials can search inside a container without anyone actually opening it up. South African mine-­clearing company Mechem originally developed such devices in the 1990s in order to detect bombs, but small governmental wildlife departments can’t afford them. So my university’s Center for Conservation Biology teamed up with the World Wildlife Fund to make our own version from basic materials.

For the past year, we have been perfecting a 15-pound ­Ghostbuster​-style backpack. Inside, a lithium battery powers a leaf blower with an engine we reversed so it sucks in air. That blast travels through a hose to a removable canister—it attaches with bespoke 3D-​printed ­components—that contains the cotton scent-collection pad. I spear­­headed the design, and I remember going to the hardware store while very, very pregnant to look at leaf blowers and vacuums, putting my hands on them, and brainstorming.

Soon, we’ll start conducting small-scale trials, testing dogs with samples of shark ​fins. Once we determine how much odor they need to make a detection, we’ll train them on other materials. This has the potential to really revolutionize the way customs detects contraband.

As told to Mary Beth Griggs and Rachel Nuwer

This article was originally published in the Winter 2018 Danger issue of Popular Science.

(function() // Check if the __tac cookie (Piano's access control) has the correct values. var cookieValue = document.cookie.replace(/(?:^)();

New post published on: https://www.livescience.tech/2019/01/02/i-built-a-smell-machine-to-protect-dogs/