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.”
Fark.com RSS » The FBI, NSA, and CIA have an active criminal investigation into whether the Russian government transferred money to the Trump campaign through two foreign banks [Followup]
[link] [321 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » 12 Old Hat Styles Due for a Comeback
With a healthy dose of fashion and confidence, these styles could still look just as fabulous today. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Not to worry anyone, but Taiwan has scrambled F-16 fighter jets and dispatched a frigate to the Taiwan Strait after China sent its sole aircraft carrier into their waterway [Scary]
[link] [65 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » A 79-year-old great-grandmother who shoplifts 'because she's bored' is convicted for the 39th time [Facepalm]
[link] [11 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Storms Dump Billions of Gallons of Water Into Lake Tahoe
The water level has risen by a foot since January 1. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Man charged with running heroin manufacturing facility is also a mugshot of the year candidate [Scary]
[link] [33 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » 11 International Borders That Defy Convention
Borders between countries are never just straight lines, but these are especially unusual. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Sink maker: "I gave Donald Trump a golden shower." With video and thank-you note [Followup]
[link] [42 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » This Bumble Bee Just Became an Endangered Species
The plight of the bumble bee is getting serious. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » That kiddie porn on your computer? Planted by the Russians. That's what everyone busted with kiddie porn on their computers will be saying after today – and they could be right [Scary]
[link] [77 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » 40 Words Turning 40 in 2017
If you're turning 40 this year, you have something in common with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Saturday Night Fever, and the Chia Pet. You also got to grow up with these words, dated by first citation to 1977 in the Oxford English Dictionary. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Hipster hookers dub themselves "courtesans," dub herpes "Monday" [Stupid]
[link] [70 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Meet the 7-Year-Old Boy Who Runs His Own Recycling Business
Ryan Hickman's business, “Ryan’s Recycling," has recycled approximately 200,000 cans and bottles. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » 2017's top predicted baby names: Literary and historical names up, stripper and -en names down [Interesting]
[link] [141 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Photoshop this neat little trick [Photoshop]
[link] [28 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Why Do People Say 'Bias' Instead of 'Biased'?
It’s an error you see a lot these days, and it happens for a variety of reasons. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Were you hoping that truck you stole was full of TVs or computers? Good luck with your 18 tons of dog food [Amusing]
[link] [56 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spice will convince a naked man to break into your house searching for sesame seeds for his hamburger bun [Florida]
[link] [31 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Here Are the Highest Paying Jobs in the U.S.
All those years in medical school really do pay off. [Link]
Mental Floss » 13 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Substitute Teachers
Here's how they always know how to spot a troublemaker. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » CNN discovers spine, dares Trump to call their bluff [Interesting]
[link] [555 comments] [Link]
Futility Closet » The Full Story
U.S. senator Alan Cranston once lost a copyright suit to Adolf Hitler. Cranston, who had begun his career in journalism, spotted an abridged translation of Mein Kampf in a New York bookstore in 1939. He had read the full text in German and was concerned that the English adaptation omitted Hitler’s anti-Semitism and ambitions to dominate Europe. To publicize the … [Link]
Futility Closet » Child Protection
Should parents be licensed? We ask teachers to study full-time for years and to pass qualifying exams before we let them educate children for six hours a day. And we carefully assess the suitability of adoptive and foster parents. But anyone has the right to become a biological parent without any training at all in child development. Philosopher Peg Tittle … [Link]
Futility Closet » The Real World
I had a growing feeling in the later years of my work at the subject that a good mathematical theorem dealing with economic hypotheses was very unlikely to be good economics: and I went more and more on the rules — (1) Use mathematics as a shorthand language, rather than an engine of inquiry. (2) Keep to them until you … [Link]
Futility Closet » Podcast Episode 136: The Boston Molasses Disaster
In 1919 a bizarre catastrophe struck Boston’s North End: A giant storage tank failed, releasing 2 million gallons of molasses into a crowded business district at the height of a January workday. In this week’s episode of the Futility Closet podcast we’ll tell the story of the Boston Molasses Disaster, which claimed 21 lives and inscribed a sticky page into … [Link]
Futility Closet » New Light
Our legal system assumes that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. But what constitutes a reasonable doubt? Law professors Ariel Porat and Alon Harel suggest that an “aggregate probabilities principle” might help to determine whether an accused party is innocent or guilty. Suppose we’ve decided that the evidence must indicate a probability of 95 percent … [Link]
Futility Closet » Crying Wolf
A puzzle from reader Paul Sophocleous: Van Helsing, who is of course famous for his part in the destruction of Dracula, has had many other encounters with supernatural creatures. In the early hours of one morning, he was woken by a loud knock at the door. “Come quickly!” cried the chief of police. “There’s been a ghastly attack at the … [Link]
Futility Closet » Taste
Cheering news from India. My press clipping agency has sent me a letter from the correspondence column of an Indian paper about a cow that came into the bungalow of a Mr. Verrier Elwyn, who lives at Patengarth, Mandla District, and ate his copy of Carry On, Jeeves, ‘selecting it from a shelf which contained, among other works, books by … [Link]
Futility Closet » Traffic Planning
Towns A and B are connected by two roads. Suppose that two cars connected by a rope of length 2r can travel from A to B without breaking the rope. How can we prove that two circular wagons of radius r, moving along these roads in opposite directions, will necessarily collide? 
This can be solved neatly by creating a configuration … [Link]
Futility Closet » Rough
Image: Wikimedia Commons SIR, — While surveying in northern Labrador I had occasion to visit the island of Nukusustok, a few miles to seaward of the village of Nain. On the slope of a hill, and about 300ft. inland, I found a golf ball in good condition. How did the ball come to be there, and so far inland? It is … [Link]
Fark.com RSS » News: Gary Busey's nephew apparently built a sex party house called "The Sausage Castle" Fark: It just got cooked [Florida]
[link] [40 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Walking Dumpster Fire attacks Buzzfeed as "a failing pile of garbage" and other civilized highlights from PEEOTUS' first news conference [Followup]
[link] [357 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » The AI That's Learning to Diagnose Health Issues
Your doctor may soon be examining you with a cell phone instead of a stethoscope. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » 20 people in Australia traumatized after being trapped at the top of a roller coaster for almost two hours, and being forced to survive on American beer [Fail]
[link] [45 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Trains in the Netherlands Now Run Entirely on Wind Energy
It's the first train system in the world to run entirely on renewable energy. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » To save cyclists, councilor wants motorists to start using the "Dutch reach", which involves opening the car door using the opposite hand from the side of the door. Having your friend hold your forearm while you do it is totally optional [Gig
[link] [115 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Nearly naked man found trapped inside New York City apartment wall. I'm pretty sure I've seen this movie [Scary]
[link] [48 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » New ads target the Mormon church and its tax-exempt status. Wait, "trillion dollar business empire"? [Interesting]
[link] [121 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Grayson Allen sucks #dukesucks [Obvious]
[link] [67 comments] [Link]
Futility Closet » The Holdout
Reader Joe Antognini sent this in: Brazilian mathematician Inder Taneja has found a way to render every number from 1 to 11,111 by starting with either of these strings: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 and applying any of the operations addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and exponentiation. Brackets … [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Even the CBC is calling Trump fat [Amusing]
[link] [43 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Interview From 1999 Shows David Bowie Predicting the Rise of the Internet
His interviewer wasn't convinced. [Link]
Mental Floss » 5 Questions: Stephen Foster
[Link]
Fark.com RSS » Fark needs an invariant tag, eh? [Interesting]
[link] [64 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » A 1950s TV Show Featured a Character Named Trump Who Wanted to Build a Huge Wall
The man appeared in one episode of the series 'Trackdown.' [Link]
Fark.com RSS » High-profile killings have made police officers' jobs harder [Sad]
[link] [296 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » How a Child’s Toy Inspired a Super-Cheap Paper Centrifuge
Each whirligig “paperfuge” costs about 20 cents and can process blood samples in two minutes. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Christie is the country's least popular governor – so why is there talk of a comeback? [Unlikely]
[link] [73 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Watch the Song Recording Sessions from 10 Classic Disney Movies
Be our guest. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Man dies trying to win bet he couldn't eat four pickled eggs in a minute [Awkward]
[link] [111 comments] [Link]
Weird Universe » Anti-Cow Kicker
October 1938: Alice Anthony models an "anti-cow kicker" invented by Bill Vernia of Odebolt, Iowa.
Pittsburgh Press – Oct 16, 1938
The Franklin News-Herald – Oct 7, 1938 [Link]
Weird Universe » The Whittlesea Straw Bear
Official site here.
Wikipedia page here. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Highlights for Children magazine makes history in doctor's offices around the country by showing same-sex parents for the first time [Spiffy]
[link] [102 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Mesmerizing Wooden Lamp Uses Magnets to Switch On
It’s the winner of a coveted design award. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Man accused of pulling gun on woman, attempting to sexually assault her after she turned down grilled cheese. Rare grilled cheese gunplay trifecta in play [Scary]
[link] [101 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » The next time you go to the dentist and intensely feel the cold steel bite of his drill spinning vigorously into your decaying, exposed, cavity-riddled tooth, you can now blame a genetic mutation for why the anesthesia didn't work [Scary]
[link] [84 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » George Lucas's Museum of Narrative Art Will Be Built in Los Angeles
The 'Star Wars' creator's long-awaited museum, which will see Norman Rockwell paintings hanging next to sketches from 'Indiana Jones,' is set to open by 2020. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » 'Knights of Malta condom scandal stretches from Myanmar to the Vatican'. That's some impressive elasticity [Strange]
[link] [37 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Trumptanic sinking in polls before maiden voyage [Followup]
[link] [247 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Photoshop these buddies [Photoshop]
[link] [19 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » 13 Furry Facts About Pallas’s Cat
Get to know the rare, fluffy wildcat from Central Asia and Eurasia. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » LA will be where George Lucas almost blows Episode 1 of his new museum [Obvious]
[link] [42 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Are you the "bad emailer" in the office? Here's how to tell [Dumbass]
[link] [137 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Retirement home for prostitutes helps them get back on their feet [Interesting]
[link] [45 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Obama's final speech transcript. tl;dr: STFU & GBTW [Cool]
[link] [99 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Stephen Foster
[Link]
Mental Floss » Uncork Bottles Like a Cowboy With This Gun-Shaped Wine Opener
We assume this is how people drank wine in the Wild West. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » The day Boston prison inmates took over their prison, prepared for war. "When it was apparent the prisoners were not going to go back into their cells, the (officers) backed out of the unit" [Scary]
[link] [37 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » 2016 Father Of The Year, recently convicted of causing son's death by eschewing medicine for garlic and horseradish, is back on the speaking circuit shilling more "natural" cures [Sick]
[link] [93 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » "Basically, goat yoga is yoga except instead of with no goats, goat yoga has goats." Goat [Followup]
[link] [55 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Morning Cup of Links: 'Metropolis' at 90
Great links for great folks! [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Afterward, he said, "Nacho cheese" [Repeat]
[link] [13 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » How to Fix a Candle That Won’t Light
Unable to light your candle because of a buried wick? There’s a quick fix. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » What happens when you combine Walmart and Florida? Here's one of the many possibilities [Florida]
[link] [48 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » 7-Eleven announces breakfast pizza, meant to accompany your morning coffee or Big Gulp. $1.29 per slice, or a whole $5.55 breakfast pizza to share with your coworkers [Strange]
[link] [94 comments] [Link]
Mental Floss » Infographic: 12 of the World's Most Amazing Train Journeys
Slow down and enjoy the journey. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Avon lady experiments with drive-thru service. Tree miraculously survives unscathed [Dumbass]
[link] [15 comments] [Link]
Futility Closet » The Full Story
U.S. senator Alan Cranston once lost a copyright suit to Adolf Hitler. Cranston, who had begun his career in journalism, spotted an abridged translation of Mein Kampf in a New York bookstore in 1939. He had read the full text in German and was concerned that the English adaptation omitted Hitler’s anti-Semitism and ambitions to dominate Europe. To publicize the … [Link]
Mental Floss » 7 of History's Greatest Robots
Presented by Neato Robotics. [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Oldest evidence of silk found in 8,500-year-old Chinese tombs. Curiously, the label reads 'Made in Bangladesh' [Spiffy]
[link] [35 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Frozen waterfalls look pretty from up close, until the 20ft long icicles start falling on you [Scary]
[link] [48 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Is it art if you send glass boxes via FedEx to see what they look like afterwards? Yes, yes it is [Misc]
[link] [57 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Michigan Gov. Snyder's brilliant plan to balance the budget: "Let's just not pay back any of that money we stole from unemployed people" [Fail]
[link] [69 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » The woman who broke the story on the start of World War II passes at 104. Subby is happy he could get out of bed and drop his kids off at school [Hero]
[link] [61 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Washington State seeks to make simply touching your phone while driving illegal. Shaving, doing makeup and chugging that five shot triple mocha soy whip extra hot extra pickle juice latte still A-OK [Interesting]
[link] [116 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Prius driver located after slowly fleeing fatal hit-and-run accident [Florida]
[link] [27 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » The caricuture artist you saw at the summer fair apparently works for the Toronto Police in the winter [Weird]
[link] [33 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Only the best pot stores have price-matching, knowledgeable security guards AND midnight Glow-in-The-Dark miniature golf excursions: "People drive way far to come here, way farther than I think is rational" [Amusing]
[link] [20 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » King Cake Baby account brings nightmare-inducing selfies to your Twitter feed, will battle winner of Trump vs. Cherokee County School District [Amusing]
[link] [27 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Researchers captured a Japanese macaque male mounting a female Sika deer in an attempt to have sex. Guess their offspring would be a Sigma Chi err Sika Que [Strange]
[link] [42 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Actual headline: 2 Ohio men in hot water after prank involving zombie decor, frozen pond [Amusing]
[link] [23 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » It was -22 degrees in Moscow, Russia. Did they stay inside? No they partied hardy [Cool]
[link] [42 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Britain to be hit by thunder… thunder… thunder… THUNDERSNOW, HOOOOOOOOOOOO At the weekend [Unlikely]
[link] [26 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Icelandic airline offering $69 flights from U.S. to Europe. Bonus: Hot pink airplanes [Spiffy]
[link] [34 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Photoshop these desert walkers [Photoshop]
[link] [28 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » So, let's catch up with Matthew Roberts, who at the age of 25 discovered that his real father was Charles Manson [Followup]
[link] [16 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » BuzzFeed publishes entire 35-page confidential dossier detailing Trump's connections to the Russian government. It includes blackmail, peeing prostitutes, espionage, and the conclusion that Russia has spent years cultivating Trump as an asset [Ne
[link] [1960 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Denmark's "100-year-flood" turns out to be more of a weekly event [Scary]
[link] [7 comments] [Link]
Fark.com RSS » Two girls fighting in the adult novelty store? HOT *clicks link* Uh, grandpasimpsonwalkout.jpg [Awkward]
[link] [37 comments] [Link]
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