Whittle It a Little, It’ll Fit

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 » Get Your Flu Shot Now—This Flu Season Will Likely Be Worse Than Last Year

Thursday 12 January 23:30:00 UTC 2017

Flu cases are on the rise, and the most common virus strain is a serious one. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Golden retriever saves owner from freezing to death after he slipped and broke his neck on New Year's Eve. Your dog gets a lifetime of steak [Hero]

Thursday 12 January 23:20:05 UTC 2017

[link] [79 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Not that there's any reason to panic, but vampire bats have started living up to their name [Creepy]

Thursday 12 January 22:50:04 UTC 2017

[link] [31 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Fark Food Thread: So, foodies, chowhounds, and cooks of all levels… did you get any cooking-related gifts this holiday season? Show us your new shinies, our envy shall know no bounds [Interesting]

Thursday 12 January 22:30:59 UTC 2017

[link] [288 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » 13 Trailblazing Facts About Kamala Harris

Thursday 12 January 22:30:00 UTC 2017

Being a pioneer is nothing new for Kamala Harris. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Russia proposes a ban on selling cigarettes to everyone born after 2014. Which means there are going to be some mighty cranky three-year-olds waiting in line eight hours to buy some diapers [Spiffy]

Thursday 12 January 22:20:05 UTC 2017

[link] [106 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Get the Perfect Pour-Over with a Super-Smart Electric Kettle

Thursday 12 January 22:00:00 UTC 2017

Attention, fussy coffee fans: you’re going to want to see this. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Ever lose your football in a tree because you threw it up there to get your frisbee down? [Facepalm]

Thursday 12 January 21:48:01 UTC 2017

[link] [61 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Photoshop theme: An improvement to winter-weather technology [Photoshop]

Thursday 12 January 21:00:01 UTC 2017

[link] [18 comments] [Link]

Futility Closet » New Sounds

Thursday 12 January 20:53:16 UTC 2017

The Italian Futurist painter Luigi Russolo had no training as a composer, but in 1913 he argued that music had become “a fantastic world superimposed on the real one,” a collection of “gentle harmonies” that pursued “purity, limpidity and sweetness of sound” but had nothing to do with the real world. He proposed that “this limited circle of pure sounds … [Link]

Fark.com RSS » More victims come forward to accuse Google of grabbing them by the ad revenue – Boing Boing and Skepchick [Interesting]

Thursday 12 January 20:50:04 UTC 2017

[link] [227 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Police stop stolen van and find marijuana, a .40 caliber handgun, 7 children with their mouths taped shut and the driver going into labor [Weird]

Thursday 12 January 20:50:04 UTC 2017

[link] [66 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » We may as well surrender to the robots now and get it over with [Scary]

Thursday 12 January 20:20:05 UTC 2017

[link] [76 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Cotton Swabs Officially Declared Bad for Your Ears

Thursday 12 January 20:07:46 UTC 2017

Experts agree: Stop sticking things in your ears. [Link]

Mental Floss » 12 Historic Facts About Martin Luther King Jr.

Thursday 12 January 20:07:33 UTC 2017

In 1958, doctors told him that a single sneeze could have ended his life. [Link]

Mental Floss » Name the Band From These Lead Singers

Thursday 12 January 20:07:27 UTC 2017

Take the quiz! [Link]

Mental Floss » Researchers Can Now Make Mosquitos Dengue Resistant

Thursday 12 January 20:01:00 UTC 2017

Mosquitos can be genetically engineered to make them less susceptible to the deadly virus, making them less likely to infect humans. [Link]

Mental Floss » 5 Strange Microbes (and 1 Bonus Organism)

Thursday 12 January 20:00:00 UTC 2017

The world is teeming with life, and we're always discovering new species—including some that stretch the limits of how we view and classify biological life forms. Here are a few that clearly don't play by the rules. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Lay's wants your potato chip flavor suggestions. Again. What could possibly go wrong? [Silly]

Thursday 12 January 19:55:39 UTC 2017

[link] [148 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Citizens of Indiana officially redneckognized as "Hoosiers" [Amusing]

Thursday 12 January 19:35:05 UTC 2017

[link] [56 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » When Bond Battled Bond at the 1983 Box Office

Thursday 12 January 19:30:00 UTC 2017

In 1983, a producer's "bootleg Bond" promised mechanical sharks, Orson Welles, and the return of Sean Connery. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Fish fraud running rampant in LA; CHiPS called in to investigate [Interesting]

Thursday 12 January 19:20:05 UTC 2017

[link] [75 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » A 'Harry Potter'-Themed Pasta Restaurant Has Opened in New York City

Thursday 12 January 19:00:00 UTC 2017

Accio spaghetti! [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Fox News defends CNN against Trump's 'fake news' charge, as reported by AOL News. And you're reading this on Fark. Mind blown [Followup]

Thursday 12 January 18:50:04 UTC 2017

[link] [161 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » The internet can't stop laughing at this Obamacare hater learning he has Obamacare [Followup]

Thursday 12 January 18:49:51 UTC 2017

[link] [247 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Anthropologie is Having a 40% Off Sale

Thursday 12 January 18:36:58 UTC 2017

Hurry! [Link]

Mental Floss » Genealogy Site FamilyTreeNow Knows Your Addresses and Family Members

Thursday 12 January 18:00:00 UTC 2017

Here's how you can opt out. [Link]

Mental Floss » Can You Pick the Correct Word For the Definition?

Thursday 12 January 17:53:39 UTC 2017

You can do this. [Link]

Mental Floss » Poop Emoji-Inspired Doughnuts Are Now a Thing

Thursday 12 January 17:45:00 UTC 2017

Yum? [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Imagine the Gorton's fisherman, but even more terrifying-that's this guy [Interesting]

Thursday 12 January 17:20:05 UTC 2017

[link] [45 comments] [Link]

Overheard In The Office » That's What He Said!

Thursday 12 January 17:06:50 UTC 2017

Manager: Can you find these three files in our system?
Ditzy librarian: Sure. It'll either take me five minutes, or longer than five minutes. Mississauga
Ontaro
Canadia [Link]

Mental Floss » Look Up! Venus Will Be Bright and a Little Strange Tonight

Thursday 12 January 17:00:00 UTC 2017

Get your telescope. [Link]

Mental Floss » Scientists Find More Evidence That Your Appendix Serves a Purpose

Thursday 12 January 16:52:18 UTC 2017

A new paper supports the theory that the much-maligned organ may serve as a “safe house” for beneficial bacteria. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Douchebags who take up two parking spots – known as Jeremy Clarkson parking – defend being douchebags: "If people knew about the damage caused to my car by other drivers who can't park and can't drive, I like to think they would understan

Thursday 12 January 16:50:04 UTC 2017

[link] [642 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » 8 Actors and Directors Who Did Not Get Along

Thursday 12 January 16:30:00 UTC 2017

When two highly paid creative visionaries work together, things don’t always go smoothly. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Top druid goes to court to fight for free parking at Stonehenge, continued right to kite gnome guards around Ak'Anon [Strange]

Thursday 12 January 16:20:05 UTC 2017

[link] [89 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » 'Harry Potter' Cafe in Singapore Offers Literal Goblet of Fire

Thursday 12 January 15:30:00 UTC 2017

Muggles will be hard-pressed to find a drink that's more magical. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Bomb squad makes easter eggs for visually impaired. C'mon guys, they're the ones who can least afford to lose fingers [Strange]

Thursday 12 January 15:20:05 UTC 2017

[link] [29 comments] [Link]

Weird Universe » The Tullock Spike

Thursday 12 January 15:05:52 UTC 2017

The economic theory of risk compensation suggests that laws intended to increase safety, such as mandating safety belts in cars, can sometimes have the opposite effect by making people feel safer and therefore encouraging them to engage in riskier behavior. This is also known as the Peltzmann Effect.

This concept inspired the economist Gordon Tullock to come up with the … [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Bigfoot photographed in Irish forest, although experts say it's probably just a ghost of a passenger killed in a plane crash there [Weird]

Thursday 12 January 14:50:04 UTC 2017

[link] [112 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » For those times when everybody just won't shut up [Amusing]

Thursday 12 January 14:14:36 UTC 2017

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Fark.com RSS » Photoshop this lonely one [Photoshop]

Thursday 12 January 14:00:01 UTC 2017

[link] [31 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Unless you're Troy McClure, there is no reason to install a 10,000 gallon aquarium in your living room [Weird]

Thursday 12 January 13:50:04 UTC 2017

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Fark.com RSS » Teen will face trespassing charge for getting locked up in jail [Ironic]

Thursday 12 January 13:18:37 UTC 2017

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Fark.com RSS » "Das Boot" [Facepalm]

Thursday 12 January 13:11:38 UTC 2017

[link] [65 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Subtle Survivor Belt Buckle Hides a Collection of Useful Tools

Thursday 12 January 13:00:00 UTC 2017

Everything you need while camping in one small place. [Link]

Mental Floss » 5 Questions: Smoking Section

Thursday 12 January 12:15:00 UTC 2017

[Link]

Fark.com RSS » Looks like the US and Iran have more in common than we thought [Sad]

Thursday 12 January 12:00:37 UTC 2017

[link] [43 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Calgary Police union boss, who recently complained that officers charged with criminal offenses were being named publicly has been… go on, take a guess [Ironic]

Thursday 12 January 11:40:39 UTC 2017

[link] [46 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Morning Cup of Links: The Rise of the Beauty Salon

Thursday 12 January 11:30:00 UTC 2017

Thanks for checking out the morning links! [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Does the world really need a modern elevator that can go 40 miles per hour? [Unlikely]

Thursday 12 January 10:39:38 UTC 2017

[link] [77 comments] [Link]

Weird Universe » Alice White and Bunnies

Thursday 12 January 9:56:00 UTC 2017

I am not sure why 1930s actress Alice White was made to pose with bunnies so often, but she certainly looked fetching with them.

Source of third foto. [Link]

Mental Floss » Meet the Man Who's Found 83 Messages in Bottles

Thursday 12 January 9:30:00 UTC 2017

Some people collect stamps or build models, but Clint Buffington has a more unusual hobby. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Not content with just poking the Panda, Rex Tillerson decides to steal its food and poop in its cage; Says China should be blocked from accessing the very islands it's preparing to go to war over [Asinine]

Thursday 12 January 9:29:39 UTC 2017

[link] [203 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » New York Is Becoming a Pickle Haven

Thursday 12 January 7:30:00 UTC 2017

There are two new pickle-focused restaurants coming to the city. [Link]

Futility Closet » Signing Off

Thursday 12 January 6:57:59 UTC 2017

That’s the final entry in a minutes book discovered in May 2015 at the YMCA Buffalo Niagara in Buffalo, N.Y. The management committee of the local railroad department had met there in December 1899. Who knows what it means? University at Buffalo archivist-in-training Matthew Oliver found it while reorganizing the YMCA’s records. Details are here. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » The only thing worse than being attacked by a coyote while walking your dog is if it's a rabid coyote [Scary]

Thursday 12 January 6:52:00 UTC 2017

[link] [44 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Theme of Farktography Contest No. 610: "Nighty Night 2 ". Details and rules in first post. LGT next week's theme [Farktography]

Thursday 12 January 5:01:00 UTC 2017

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Fark.com RSS » Man learns that bringing up election results is no way to pick up a woman in Massachusetts. What he brought out next didn't work either [Dumbass]

Thursday 12 January 3:50:05 UTC 2017

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Fark.com RSS » Want to get your boyfriend out of prison? Simple, just pack him into a large suitcase and walk out the door [Fail]

Thursday 12 January 3:31:37 UTC 2017

[link] [33 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Krispy Kreme Japan unveils "Sweet America" range of doughnuts dressed up with M&M's, Oreos, and Hershey's chocolates. Not all on the same doughnut, as Americans typically prefer [Murica]

Thursday 12 January 3:26:56 UTC 2017

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Fark.com RSS » While we laugh every time Best Korea attacks the sea, our anti-missile defenses actually get tested less often and have about the same success rate [Fail]

Thursday 12 January 3:13:09 UTC 2017

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Fark.com RSS » Source of the Trump dossier identified as ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, not to be confused with porn star Chris Steele [PSA]

Thursday 12 January 2:54:41 UTC 2017

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Fark.com RSS » A classic hot vs crazy conundrum [Obvious]

Thursday 12 January 2:36:14 UTC 2017

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Mental Floss » 7 Tips for Traveling to Cuba

Thursday 12 January 2:30:00 UTC 2017

Traveling to Cuba is easier than ever—but that doesn't mean it's easy. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » If you invite your church group over to the house to watch religious DVDs, make sure you clear your laptop's browser of child porn before hitting Play [Awkward]

Thursday 12 January 2:17:46 UTC 2017

[link] [67 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Mexicans flood across the border for cheap gas, wave at the flood of Americans going the other way for cheap medicine [Weird]

Thursday 12 January 1:59:18 UTC 2017

[link] [24 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Nothing to panic about, just a huge hole that has opened up on the surface of the Sun and is blasting Earth with solar winds [Scary]

Thursday 12 January 1:46:05 UTC 2017

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Fark.com RSS » Firefighters called to Nestle plant; concerned neighbors show up with graham crackers & marshmallows [Obvious]

Thursday 12 January 1:43:33 UTC 2017

[link] [13 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Portland buried under foot of snow, causing mass chaos as highways, offices, craft breweries and ironic old-timey barbershops shut down [Scary]

Thursday 12 January 1:40:51 UTC 2017

[link] [117 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » A $10 Donation Can Better the World—and Make Idris Elba Your Valentine

Thursday 12 January 1:30:00 UTC 2017

"Idris is a great listener. He’s also a great talker. He’s pretty much great at everything. I mean, have you seen 'Luther'?” [Link]

Fark.com RSS » 'Zoats'. It's what's for breakfast [Weird]

Thursday 12 January 1:29:05 UTC 2017

[link] [31 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Remember the couple who advertised for a nanny to join them on a trip around the world to assist them with their three kids? Well … 19,000 applicants later [Followup]

Thursday 12 January 1:23:06 UTC 2017

[link] [27 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Today it's kale, coconuts and avocados that will KILL YOU. Water still unsafe [Scary]

Thursday 12 January 1:22:23 UTC 2017

[link] [41 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » I want to support fark. So here's the deal. I will sponsor two fark liters for 6 months of totalfark . Present your case to the right why it should be you. Any other philanthropists that want in on this should sponsor their own show ponies as wel

Thursday 12 January 1:10:20 UTC 2017

[link] [379 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » "It's never too early to start thinking about what I'll put up next Christmas," says man whose Satanic display in a public park to combat the Jesus stuff drew criticism, applause [Florida]

Thursday 12 January 1:03:55 UTC 2017

[link] [24 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » It turns out that when the media tells you constantly that washing your hair too much causes problems, people stop washing their hair enough, which causes problems [Obvious]

Thursday 12 January 0:27:00 UTC 2017

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Fark.com RSS » Science says it is actually totally OK if your New Year's resolution to work out daily only lasted 3 days [Interesting]

Thursday 12 January 0:08:32 UTC 2017

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John Gordon Ross

A Man for All Reasons