Odds and sods I look at regularly, just because they amuse me. I hope they do the same for you. Incidentally, I found this page’s title on Greg Ross’s Futility Closet (it’s somewhere on this page) in a mini-article which also includes the delightful sentence in Icelandic: Barbara Ara bar Ara araba bara rabbabara. Ross points out that this, “besides being fun to say, is spelled with only three letters. It means “Barbara, daughter of Ari, brought only rhubarb to Ari the Arab.”
Mental Floss » This Brief Tutorial Helps You Hone Your Handshake Skills
Good impressions sometimes start small. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Divers find 17th-century cheese in Baltic shipwreck, hope to locate fine wine in Mediterranean Sea next [Interesting]
[link] [40 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Well, for $500,000 you could have sent your three kids to REALLY *nice* schools instead of trying to defraud the District of Columbia by lying about being a resident to send your kids to some of the top schools there. Let this be a lesson. A math les
[link] [65 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » 9 Surprising Movies ‘Shaun of the Dead’ Director Edgar Wright Loves
The director recently compiled a list of his 1000 favorite films—'Throw Momma from the Train' included. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » If you're planning to go to a party this weekend and you want to "WOW" your friends then I bet you would be interested in making an impression on them with your extensive knowledge of the exciting history of drywall [Interesting]
[link] [106 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Australia to update local coordinates over tectonic shift, as it moves seven cm northwards each year. It's true, not only is everything down under out to kill you, even the continent itself is stalking Indonesia [Interesting]
[link] [25 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Danish Pokemon corpse named as violent killer. Man, someome must have leveled him up [Followup]
[link] [9 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Damn, that is a HARD 33 [Scary]
[link] [180 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Here’s How You Can Prevent Motion Sickness
There are plenty of easy strategies for combating most forms of motion sickness. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Russian gas station offers free tank of gas to women (or men) wearing a swimsuit and high heels [Amusing]
[link] [50 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » You are NOT the father… however, you still have to pay $730 a month child support [Murica]
[link] [331 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » 5 Beguiling Facts About Burmese Cats
Get to know the kitty from Burma, today known as Myanmar. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Ohio Supreme Court tosses law that bars police officers from sexual relations with minors. So sex it up with the kiddies, cops. You've earned it [Sick]
[link] [107 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Photoshop theme: Ways to improve camping [Photoshop]
[link] [28 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Why Does Your Phone Die When There's Still Battery Left?
Don't take battery percentage at face value. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Welcome back, everybody. It's time for the Fark Weird News Quiz. Yes, yes AGAIN [Survey]
[link] [25 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Scientists Have Found a Weird Purple Orb on the California Seafloor
Researchers were ready to fight a crab over rights to the mysterious prize. [Link]
Futility Closet » Customer Service
The German papers reported that at Carlsruhe, toward the close of the late war, an aged mother came to the telegraph office carrying a dish full of sauerkraut, which she desired to have telegraphed to Rastadt. Her son must receive the kraut by Sunday. The operator could not convince her that the telegraph was not capable of such a performance. … [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Question on The Australian Sex Survey seems super simple, but there are 33 possible answers. Here are the 33 explanations [Followup]
[link] [121 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » 'France has problems, but it's not on the brink of civil war. And get away from the Bastille, you guys' [Scary]
[link] [78 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Celebrity Lobster Perishes During Fateful Rescue Mission
Larry the Lobster was spared from the dinner table, but he never made it to a safe harbor. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Man collides with UFO, runs away [Unlikely]
[link] [20 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Remember that puppy that followed you home, and you decided to keep it until the owners showed up and then you decided you really owned it? Putin just did that with Crimea [Scary]
[link] [83 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Old man faints while mowing his lawn, is taken to hospital. Responding police officer finishes mowing the man's lawn [Cool]
[link] [56 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » now has mosquitoes transmitting Zika, too [Florida]
[link] [26 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » "He said the car has been taken from his house twice before, but then returned" [Weird]
[link] [18 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Dead shark found stabbed on the beach. Sea turtles refuse to talk to police [Florida]
[link] [29 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » 7 Tips to Read Faster (and Still Understand What You Read)
Slogging through dense passages can be time-consuming, mentally exhausting, and hard on your eyes. Speed up the process—without sacrificing comprehension—with these tricks. [Link]
Mental Floss » All the Wands Featured in the Harry Potter Series
Take a trip down memory lane in honor of this weekend's 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' release. [Link]
Mental Floss » The Notorious B.I.G.'s Lyrics Have Inspired a New TBS Sitcom
The series will be called 'Think B.I.G.,' after one of the late artist’s unreleased songs. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Man says God told him to heave a little boy into a filthy, scum-filled pool. Come on, it's not the worst thing God's ever told someone to do to a kid [Florida]
[link] [38 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Facebook Will Now Refund Accidental In-App Purchases Made by Your Kids
Blame the kids. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » You wouldn't listen to a back seat driver you were related to, but if that GPS tells you to do a U-Turn, you'll pirouette and end up on a tight wire like Leon Russell [Dumbass]
[link] [37 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Six Michigan state employees criminally charged in Flint water crisis. Potential penalties range from fines, to imprisonment, to being sent to Detroit [Followup]
[link] [70 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Big Questions: Talking Credit, Small Business, and Puppies with Bark
Presented by Chase Slate. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Oregon state fair to judge best baked goods [Spiffy]
[link] [21 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Byron Hamburgers in Britain held a mandatory staff meeting for all its cooks to show them the proper way to cook burgers. When everyone was present, management revealed it was an immigration raid they'd willingly taken part in [Scary]
[link] [129 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Let's see…kidnap child, enter a stranger's house and steal a cell phone, take off clothes, steal a blanket, crash car while naked, flee scene, get captured by police. Check, check, check, check, check, check, aaaand check [Weird]
[link] [11 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Skydiver from Darwin Parachuting Club to attempt parachute-less jump [Dumbass]
[link] [82 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Oral History: Tickle Me Elmo Turns 20
The hottest toy of 1996 led to concussions, mass hysteria, and one designer becoming a Unabomber suspect. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Ready to ride the world's tallest water slide? It'll take some Massiv cojones [Cool]
[link] [29 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Dress, dress, dress, dress, penis, dress, dress [Obvious]
[link] [37 comments] [Link]
FMyLife » mrsimintrouble says FML
Today, my first day on the job, I locked up the office after everyone left and set the alarm. An hour later, my new boss angrily emailed me that I locked him inside the building, setting off the alarm and prompting the entire police department to show up. FML [Link]
FMyLife » Sarah-D says FML
Today, a policeman pulled me over and proceeded to flirt with me. After I had rejected him, he gave me a ticket for "not paying attention to the road". FML [Link]
FMyLife » chickfilady says FML
Today, I was talking to a customer, when I choked on my spit. After I could breathe again I was so embarrassed I said the first thing that popped into my head, which was, "I'm sorry, I don't know how to swallow." FML [Link]
Fark.com RSS » ISIS has an end game, and it's global civil war [Scary]
[link] [109 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Woman taking court-ordered class on decision-making is arrested after trying to escape through the ceiling tiles. What have we learned? [Facepalm]
[link] [35 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Aggressive beaver terrorizing people. Madonna jokes to the right, please [Video]
[link] [49 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » The Weird Week in Review
MISSING CAT EMERGES IN PARIS EIGHT YEARS LATER Marna Gillian and Sean Purdy had a cat named Moon Unit, until she disappeared from her home in London as they hosted a New Year’s Eve party in 2007. They searched for her, and posted notices, but after a few months decided that Moon Unit was not coming home. Fast forward to … [Link]
FMyLife » someonesometime says FML
Today, I was fired from my job because my boss "doesn't think I'm happy there". FML [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Guy hears suspicious noises from his door, calls cops. Pair of hedgehogs seized for lewd conduct [Amusing]
[link] [31 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » The Woman Who Might Have Been D.B. Cooper
The only unsolved skyjacking case in history might have been pulled off by a woman. [Link]
Mental Floss » Friday's Amazon Deals You Can't Miss
As a recurring feature, our team combs the Web and shares some amazing Amazon deals we’ve turned up. Here’s what caught our eye today, July 29. [Link]
Mental Floss » Why Does Sunlight Damage Our Skin?
Get the basics on ultraviolet rays in this new video from the American Chemical Society. [Link]
Mental Floss » 12 Regal Facts About ‘The Princess Diaries’
When moviegoers first met Anne Hathaway, she was a frizzy-haired teen who lived in a firehouse and just happened to be royalty. [Link]
FMyLife » MyLifeSucks says FML
Today I found out that my mail man put my medicine (I order by mail) in another man's mailbox. The man has already eaten all the pills. Now I have a high neighbor shitting on my lawn and no meds. FML [Link]
FMyLife » Yocherrypicker says FML
Today, I got my report card. My teacher gave me an F, and under class comments she gave me a U for unsatisfactory. So I got an F U from my teacher. FML [Link]
Mental Floss » Wild Theory Suggests ‘Snow White’ is Actually a ‘Lord of the Rings’ Sequel
Mirror, mirror on the wall, what’s the most out-there Disney fan theory of them all? [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Pilot dies in tragic crop duster accident. Police searching for a tall man in a grey suit who was seen loitering in the area just prior to the crash [Sad]
[link] [61 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Apparently Yoga Rage is now a thing [Ironic]
[link] [58 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Laugh Riot: An Oral History of Tickle Me Elmo
The hottest toy of 1996 led to concussions, mass hysteria, and one designer becoming a Unabomber suspect. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Ooooklahoma, where-cough cough cough hack cough cough garble [Asinine]
[link] [52 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Make America incarcerated again? [Florida]
[link] [49 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » The Strange Coin Flipping Fact That Might Make Your Head Spin
Dr. James Grime explains why heads/tails pops up more frequently than heads/heads. [Link]
Overheard In The Office » …While I Raid Your Sampler Case?
Patient who just failed drug test: I need a note to stay out of work.
Doctor: What do you want me to say? That you're too stoned from taking too many Vicodin to be productive?
Patient: Sure, but would you mind wording it better? Orlando, Florida Overheard by: Amazed Nurse [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Meh … another Chinese rocket falling out of the sky and burning over the U.S. [Interesting]
[link] [28 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Photoshop this great wall [Photoshop]
[link] [27 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Over and Out
[Link]
Mental Floss » 7 Photographic Tricks, Hoaxes, and Fads Before Photoshop
Fake decapitation was the LOLcats of the 19th century. [Link]
Weird Universe » Trial By Touch
Back in colonial times, the American legal system occasionally relied upon a curious form of murder investigation known as "Trial by Touch." The book Legal Executions in New England: A Comprehensive Reference offers this explanation:
It was widely believed in those days that "murdered blood cried for vengeance" just as the blood of Abel was said to have "cried up … [Link]
Weird Universe » Teen Suicide Inspired by Media!
Yes, a "contemporary" trend happening in 1921.
Original story here. [Link]
Mental Floss » Lost Cat Is Reunited With Her Owners After 8 and a Half Years
An adventurous family cat named Moon Unit recently returned home after an eight and a half year odyssey. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » These days you can't even take a nice warm shower without being told you're doing it all wrong [Sad]
[link] [109 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Scientists Find the Earliest Human Cancer in a 1.7-Million-Year-Old Toe
It pushes back the date of the earliest known cancer in a human ancestor by more than a million years. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Dildonian Ryan Bundy's latest ultimatum: Either pay him $1,000,000 to act as his own judge in his upcoming trial, or compensate him $100,000,000 for being a defendant. And, oh yeah — he's created in God's image, too [Facepalm]
[link] [342 comments] [Link]
FMyLife » Omega says FML
Today, I was sitting outside while my dad was mowing the lawn. He ran over a hornet's nest with several now-angry hornets. He escaped unscathed. I didn't. FML [Link]
FMyLife » Fabio says FML
Today, my girlfriend started insulting me on Facebook. Angry and hurt, I let it all out and insulted her back with her obesity. Turns out it was her brother who used her account to play a "prank" on me. FML [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Good news, OCD Farkers: Here's a complete list of every item in your house that needs cleaned and how often you should wash stuff, down to the air vents. You're welcome [Cool]
[link] [98 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » GoPro Footage Shows What It's Like to Swim With Whale Sharks
Whale sharks can be as large as school buses. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Add the widow of Pavarotti to the growing list of artists who don't want Donald Trump playing their songs at his rallies [Followup]
[link] [55 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Morning Cup of Links: The Silly Side of the Moon
Start your day with a round of great links! [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Man tells police he didn't intend to film a woman using his shower. He was actually filming himself urinating beforehand and forgot to turn his device off (Bonus: Mugshot) [Unlikely]
[link] [92 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » 11 Rare Old Words for the Heinous and Villainous
We all could use a few new words for the diabolical. Fortunately, there are plenty of older words ready for a revival. [Link]
FMyLife » itsyaboi says FML
Today, I realized that I have bigger breasts than half the girls at my school. I'm a guy. FML [Link]
FMyLife » CyberPsycho says FML
Today, I noticed quite a few scars on one of my coworker's legs. I pulled her aside and told her that self-harm was never the answer, and if she needed to talk I was always there. Turns out she's just clumsy and trips a lot. FML [Link]
Fark.com RSS » OC-135B is the name of my U2 cover band [Facepalm]
[link] [52 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Looks like Yale, Alabama A&M, and others might want to think of a new mascot [Sad]
[link] [81 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Two men get in a fist-fight over their respective Pokemon Go teams, in front of a Texas courthouse [Silly]
[link] [53 comments] [Link]
Futility Closet » Mixing Day
A puzzle from P.M.H. Kendall and G.M. Thomas’ Mathematical Puzzles for the Connoisseur (1962): Start with two containers, one holding green paint and the other an equal quantity of red paint. Pour one pint of green paint into the red. Pour two pints of this mixture back into the green. Pour half the mixture in the green paint pot into … [Link]
Fark.com RSS » New Zealand's nightly cat curfew worked about as well as you'd expect [Fail]
[link] [80 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » How Can I Begin Tackling My Debt?
Presented by Chase Slate. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Scientists aboard the research vessel Nautilus, who are probably all dead already, discover a mysterious living purple orb floating off the Channel Islands near the coast of California [Cool]
[link] [94 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » How Photo Retouching Worked Before Photoshop
Photographers and cultural critics have long debated the ethics of retouching—even when it took place directly on the negative in the 19th century. [Link]
Mental Floss » Researchers Identify a New Species of Beaked Whale
Japanese whalers nicknamed it karasu or "raven." [Link]
Weird Universe » Not The Right Tool For The Job
A Lamborghini towing a trailer. It..it..it leaves me speechless. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » This time for real– Final DNC discussion thread and libby afterglow lounge [Live]
[link] [1048 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Have we really reached the point where car seats need to beep to remind us not to leave the baby in the car? [Asinine]
[link] [96 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Researchers Identify Two New Carcinogens in Electronic Cigarettes
Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory recently identified 31 harmful chemicals in e-cigarette vapor, including two probable carcinogens. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Swimming in the Los Angeles River won't cost you an arm and a leg, but it may add a 3rd or 4th nipple to your collection [Sick]
[link] [31 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » This Ivory Tool Was Likely Used to Make Rope 40,000 Years Ago
For years, archaeologists have wondered how hunters and gatherers wove plant fibers into tough, strong cord. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Man tries to hide 7 grams of cocaine under his foreskin, but it slowly "emerged." Dick move [Fail]
[link] [55 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » 8 Years On, Dolly’s Clones Are Doing Just Fine
Dolly herself fell ill and died relatively young, raising concerns that the cloning process might somehow cause accelerated aging. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » There are drug problems, and then there are "taking elephant sedatives" problems [Scary]
[link] [50 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Wells Fargo facing investigation for repossessing cars belonging to active duty servicemembers since, ya know, that's illegal under The Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act. But in Wells Fargo's defense the law was only passed in, uh, oh…
[link] [76 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » The parties' parties are coming to an end. Katy Perry leads into a couple Clinton ladies – This is your (probably) final DNC discussion thread [Live]
[link] [1757 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Syrian Nusra Front "rebrands" and announces alleged split from al-Qaeda after it found out Russia and the US were gunning for it. Suggested name: al-Julani and the Destroyers. Also, and no one is using Blackwater anymore [Obvious]
[link] [18 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Mass murderer pledged allegiance to Hitler weeks before carrying out bloody attack on care home. Well, that's a switch [Followup]
[link] [37 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » After-Hours Work Emails Are Bad for Our Emotional Health, Study Says
After-hours work emails can cause emotional exhaustion and burnout. [Link]
Mental Floss » How Tomatoes Fend Off Parasitic Vines
This tomato plant can sense and defend itself against invading plants. [Link]
Mental Floss » Rikers Island Opens Its First Ever Permanent Public Library
It's the unofficial 93rd branch of the New York Public Library. [Link]
FMyLife » ReayHorse says FML
Today, I ran into an old couple everyone has been avoiding in my small town. Four weeks ago, they accidentally posted a picture of their pierced junk on Facebook, and I was one of the unlucky people who saw the actual picture. I can't make eye contact with them anymore. FML [Link]
FMyLife » 2.5-long-months says FML
Today, my husband and I had our first prenatal appointment. My doctor told us we shouldn't have sex during the first trimester, "just to be safe". He has no evidence to back this, but now my husband is too scared to touch me. FML [Link]
Mental Floss » 9 Forms of Birth Control Used in the Ancient World
Women and men in ancient cultures used a variety of unusual methods to prevent pregnancy, with differing levels of success (and hygiene). [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Photoshop this soaked musician [Photoshop]
[link] [17 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Tiny Fairy Penguin Hatches at the Bronx Zoo
The bird is a member of the smallest penguin species on Earth. [Link]
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