John Gordon Ross

A Man for All Reasons

John Gordon Ross header image 3

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 » How the Heart Symbol Got Its Shape

Friday 24 March 23:54:01 UTC 2017

Like a relationship status on Facebook, the story of how the heart symbol got its shape is complicated. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Florida man steals $138,000 from disabled woman, tries to launder money at a strip club [Florida]

Friday 24 March 23:50:04 UTC 2017

Florida [link] [21 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » In this era of nothing-to-see-here, isn't it nice to know we used to treat kids as spies for requesting airplane pictures? [Stupid]

Friday 24 March 23:32:54 UTC 2017

Stupid [link] [21 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Jewish center bomb caller caught because he forgot to hide behind 7 proxies. Shmendrik [Followup]

Friday 24 March 22:50:04 UTC 2017

Followup [link] [42 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » The First Digital Typeface to Include Welsh Letters

Friday 24 March 22:32:56 UTC 2017

Cymru Wales was designed for the Welsh government. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Headline: It's harder than ever to apply for student aid; article: you have to manually enter the information [Stupid]

Friday 24 March 22:20:05 UTC 2017

Stupid [link] [44 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Reality show contestants spend a year in the Scottish wilderness unaware the show was cancelled [Awkward]

Friday 24 March 21:50:04 UTC 2017

Awkward [link] [61 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Show and Tell: A Rose That Held a Princess's Secret

Friday 24 March 21:23:05 UTC 2017

Conservators at the Ransom Center weren't quite sure what they'd find. [Link]

Mental Floss » 11 Companies You Might Not Realize Are Owned by Amazon

Friday 24 March 21:23:04 UTC 2017

Shop at Zappos or Shopbop? You're giving money to Amazon. [Link]

Mental Floss » 7 of the Biggest Treasure Troves Ever Found

Friday 24 March 21:23:03 UTC 2017

Throughout history, valuable objects have been either deliberately buried or just lost to the ages. [Link]

Mental Floss » 11 Inventions Made By Kids

Friday 24 March 21:22:45 UTC 2017

The 5-year-old who created transforming toy trucks was the youngest patent holder ever. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Not news: Wuhan child welfare agency gives abandoned baby girl a name reminding her that the PRC considers its subjects to be its property. Fark: 20 years later, 50 couples think they may be her birth parents [Creepy]

Friday 24 March 21:20:04 UTC 2017

Creepy [link] [45 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » A Scientist Re-Engineered the Wine Bottle So It Doesn't Drip

Friday 24 March 21:00:00 UTC 2017

A very simple design tweak could make pouring wine neater for everyone. [Link]

Futility Closet » On Foot

Friday 24 March 20:55:21 UTC 2017

On May 20, 2005, to convey its size, Italian artist Gianni Motti walked the length of the nascent Large Hadron Collider, followed by a cameraman. At an average speed of 5 kph, it took him 5 hours 50 minutes to walk all 27 kilometers of the underground ring. Today a proton covers the same distance 11,000 times in 1 second. … [Link]

Fark.com RSS » New Jersey legislators pass the 'Snooki Bill' limiting speaking payments at public colleges to $10,000, after she was paid $2,000 more than Nobel Prize-winning author 5 years ago [Obvious]

Friday 24 March 20:50:04 UTC 2017

Obvious [link] [70 comments] [Link]

Weird Universe » 7 Clicks (March 24, 2017)

Friday 24 March 20:49:32 UTC 2017

7 Clicks
A Weird Universe News Service
March 24, 2017

Evangelist Lance Wallnau, emboldened in the current climate, told his 200,000 followers that he "heard about" (therefore: true) a born-again ex-hooker who baked a special cake so great it turned a gay man straight. Case closed. [Dallas Morning News]

Nashvillians finally learned who "Fred Douglas" was (as in the city's … [Link]

Mental Floss » Why Did 1366 x 768 Become Such a Common Laptop Screen Resolution?

Friday 24 March 20:30:00 UTC 2017

Why did 1366 x 768 become such a common laptop screen resolution? Phillip Remaker: In the beginning of the Video Graphics Array era, common resolutions of the 4:3 aspect ratio screen included 640 x 480, 800 x 600, and 1024 x 768. If you were really hardcore, you might have 1280 x 1024 and 1600 x 1200 monitor, which called … [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Photoshop this curler [Photoshop]

Friday 24 March 20:02:08 UTC 2017

Photoshop [link] [24 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » 13 Sonorous Terms for Snoring from Across the U.S.

Friday 24 March 19:30:00 UTC 2017

According to the National Sleep Foundation, about 90 million Americans experience some kind of snoring activity. Here's what to call 'blowing Zs' no matter where you are. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » I'm proposing enslaving old ladies at nursing homes to knit microwave cozies to protect against the NSA cameras. In the meantime, it's the Fark Weekly Weird News Quiz [Amusing]

Friday 24 March 18:58:12 UTC 2017

Amusing [link] [44 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » The internet has a theory on who the Zodiac killer is. Surprisingly, this one doesn't involve Ted Cruz [Interesting]

Friday 24 March 18:50:05 UTC 2017

Interesting [link] [83 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Patton Oswalt delivers jokes from Mike Huckabee's Twitter feed, bombs spectacularly [Obvious]

Friday 24 March 18:20:02 UTC 2017

Obvious [link] [153 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Some headlines are made for Fark: Man wearing leopard print robe and Crocs used a hairbrush to rob McDonald's [Strange]

Friday 24 March 17:50:04 UTC 2017

Strange [link] [34 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » 11 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets of Reality TV Producers

Friday 24 March 17:49:39 UTC 2017

If all else fails, they will force the ending. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Florida man disrupts traffic to eat pancakes in roadway. Charged with Obstruction of Breakfast [Florida]

Friday 24 March 17:20:05 UTC 2017

Florida [link] [39 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Man says he accidentally ran over his ex-wife. Four times [Obvious]

Friday 24 March 16:50:11 UTC 2017

Obvious [link] [84 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » This Craft Beer is Made With Recycled Toilet Water

Friday 24 March 16:16:49 UTC 2017

"Toilet to tap" might be coming to a city near you. [Link]

Mental Floss » Comet 67P Transformed as It Approached the Sun

Friday 24 March 16:16:48 UTC 2017

Fractures grew, cliffs collapsed, and boulders rolled. [Link]

Mental Floss » You Need to See Amazon's Friday Deals

Friday 24 March 16:16:29 UTC 2017

From the Smart Shopping Team… [Link]

Fark.com RSS » This is for you, Jeff Sessions: A list of who's using marijuana in the Seattle area [Misc]

Friday 24 March 15:20:05 UTC 2017

Misc [link] [102 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Meet Asperitas, the Newest Addition to the Cloud Atlas

Friday 24 March 15:02:07 UTC 2017

After years of lobbying by cloud-spotters, the World Meteorological Organization has granted asperitas a spot in the official cloud canon. [Link]

Mental Floss » 5 Questions: "Hi" in the Middle

Friday 24 March 15:02:01 UTC 2017

[Link]

Mental Floss » You Need to See Amazon's Thursday Deals

Friday 24 March 15:01:49 UTC 2017

From the Smart Shopping Team… [Link]

Mental Floss » 10 Invasive Facts About ‘Mars Attacks!’

Friday 24 March 15:00:00 UTC 2017

Independence Day wasn’t the only star-studded alien invasion flick to come out in 1996. That year, Tim Burton saluted the campy sci-fi epics of decades past with his big-budget B-movie Mars Attacks! Here are 10 facts about the cult classic that’ll blow your mind—just like a certain Slim Whitman song. 1. IT’S BASED ON A CONTROVERSIAL SET OF TRADING CARDS. … [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Trump lays pipe [Followup]

Friday 24 March 14:50:04 UTC 2017

Followup [link] [240 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » How to Check the Status of Your Tax Refund Online

Friday 24 March 14:30:00 UTC 2017

It only takes a minute to see if your refund is on its way. [Link]

Mental Floss » How China Uses Its Pandas as Diplomacy Tools

Friday 24 March 14:00:00 UTC 2017

A panda loan costs a foreign nation $1 million a year. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » How many cute little ducks have you killed by feeding them bread you evil duck-destroying monster? [Misc]

Friday 24 March 13:50:04 UTC 2017

Misc [link] [147 comments] [Link]

Overheard In The Office » Well Said, Mr. Secretary!

Friday 24 March 13:45:19 UTC 2017

Office grunt: This water is so cold. It’s like liquid ice. 1401 Constitution Avenue NE
Washington, DC [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Can soundwave replace erectile dysfunction pills for men? Does Laserbeak record it? [Interesting]

Friday 24 March 13:20:05 UTC 2017

Interesting [link] [62 comments] [Link]

Weird Universe » Target Practice

Friday 24 March 13:11:38 UTC 2017

Did she hit her target, or miss?

Grand Prairie Daily News – May 13, 1954

In Gutersloh, Germany, police arrested Friedelina Kleine-Beek after she followed her husband to a local tavern, watched through the window as he raised a glass of beer to his lips, then carefully aimed a rifle and fired, shattering the glass, but leaving her husband unscathed. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Photoshop this protestor [Photoshop]

Friday 24 March 13:00:01 UTC 2017

Photoshop [link] [24 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » 12 Creative Ways to Get More Spinach Into Your Diet

Friday 24 March 13:00:00 UTC 2017

Channel your inner Popeye. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Fourth astronaut to walk on the moon knows we are not alone, explains why he thinks aliens haven't visited Earth yet [Weird]

Friday 24 March 12:50:04 UTC 2017

Weird [link] [168 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » The Trump family has big phallic plans for 666 5th Ave [Interesting]

Friday 24 March 12:21:01 UTC 2017

Interesting [link] [61 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Chicago will lose $17 million in revenue by delaying their red light cameras by two tenths of a second. Actually, they could slow their cameras by 20 minutes and still catch red light runners stuck in the intersection [Asinine]

Friday 24 March 12:20:05 UTC 2017

Asinine [link] [63 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » 15 of the Best Cities for Women in Tech

Friday 24 March 12:17:07 UTC 2017

Silicon Valley isn't quite there yet. [Link]

Mental Floss » "Hi" in the Middle

Friday 24 March 12:15:00 UTC 2017

[Link]

Mental Floss » Plush Piranha Plant Puppet Is Perfect for 'Super Mario' Reenactments

Friday 24 March 12:00:00 UTC 2017

Fireballs not included. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » White supremacy spokesman: "White supremacy is a religion of peace." Sometimes, a single facepalm just ain't gonna cut it [Facepalm]

Friday 24 March 11:57:01 UTC 2017

Facepalm [link] [176 comments] [Link]

Weird Universe » The Vidifont Titling Device

Friday 24 March 11:45:04 UTC 2017

How did TV put a caption on the screen in the Sixties?

Graphics, including all title graphics (i.e. "President Lyndon B. Johnson” or "Walter Cronkite”) were set in type or drawn by graphic artists. The graphic was photographed using 35-mm film, the film developed, and a 35-mm slide generated. The time to generate a slide exceeded one hour. The slide, … [Link]

Fark.com RSS » In the old days, we called believing in something because your friend said it was true "argumentum ad verecundiam" and it was a logical fallacy. Today, we call it social networking, and it's worth billions of dollars and elects Presidents

Friday 24 March 11:11:01 UTC 2017

Facepalm [link] [28 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » 12-year-old boy carrying wooden sword and toy gun confronted by police in a public park. Guess how it ends (Hint: happened in Canada) [Obvious]

Friday 24 March 10:45:00 UTC 2017

Obvious [link] [100 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Morning Cup of Links: Nowruz Celebrations Around the World

Friday 24 March 10:30:00 UTC 2017

Start your weekend with these awesome links! [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Caption this picture of our President pretending to drive a big truck on the White House lawn [Caption]

Friday 24 March 10:00:00 UTC 2017

Caption [link] [109 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » London attacker was born in Kent. Britain to be added to Trump's travel ban shortly [Followup]

Friday 24 March 9:38:16 UTC 2017

Followup [link] [82 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Author Jami Attenberg on What It Means to Be an Adult

Friday 24 March 9:00:22 UTC 2017

What does it mean to be an adult? That’s the question author Jami Attenberg asks in her latest novel, 'All Grown Up.' [Link]

Mental Floss » See the Process of Cell Division Up Close With This Timelapse of a Tadpole Egg

Friday 24 March 9:00:00 UTC 2017

Life is pretty cool, even at a cellular level. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Ask a student to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance? That's a firing [Stupid]

Friday 24 March 8:26:00 UTC 2017

Stupid [link] [166 comments] [Link]

GraphJam » Please Tell Me You Play the Flute

Friday 24 March 7:32:38 UTC 2017

american pie band camp How People View Me instrument Pie Chart Graph by: XcrazytrainletlooseX Tagged: american pie , band camp , How People View Me , instrument , Pie Chart Share on Facebook [Link]

Fark.com RSS » 🎶They un-paved a parking lot and put up paradise🎶 [Spiffy]

Friday 24 March 7:01:00 UTC 2017

Spiffy [link] [22 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Is there a dating site specifically for people that practice martial arts? [Survey]

Friday 24 March 7:00:10 UTC 2017

Survey [link] [83 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Okay, stay with me. Hookers allegedly turned a gay man straight. Wait, there's more. This claim comes from a "Christian consultant." WAIT, there's more. The hookers accomplished this feat not as you would expect, but with an anointed

Friday 24 March 6:10:00 UTC 2017

Unlikely [link] [102 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Some people just don't appreciate having domestic violence humor on a billboard [Murica]

Friday 24 March 5:54:00 UTC 2017

Murica [link] [76 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Dog saved from an abusive owner takes time out of licking her own ass to save a toddler's life [Hero]

Friday 24 March 4:22:00 UTC 2017

Hero [link] [38 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Hey, it looks like you're designing a skyscraper. Would you like help? [Strange]

Friday 24 March 2:54:09 UTC 2017

Strange [link] [98 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Ugly-ass capybaras give birth to three ugly-ass capy-babies. Ugly-ass [Sappy]

Friday 24 March 2:29:12 UTC 2017

Sappy [link] [33 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Time for my yearly donation to Goodwill. Shirts? Check. Pants? Check. Loaded gun? Who wouldn't want a loaded gun in their pants, right? [Asinine]

Friday 24 March 2:05:11 UTC 2017

Asinine [link] [23 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Your phone, your remote, and even your reusable grocery bags are full of disgusting germs. Basically, you're gross and you should feel bad [Obvious]

Friday 24 March 1:59:46 UTC 2017

Obvious [link] [86 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Faced with the U.S. laptop travel ban, Arab airlines are experiencing an explosion of snarky advertising [Followup]

Friday 24 March 1:49:12 UTC 2017

Followup [link] [51 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Let's check an early review of Rachel Dolezal's autobiography….ohhh lawd [Amusing]

Friday 24 March 1:41:37 UTC 2017

Amusing [link] [150 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » If you tell state troopers in one different state that you are heading out of state to purchase heroin, shouldn't you be locked up so you don't do it again? Not if you do it in Connecticut [Dumbass]

Friday 24 March 1:09:12 UTC 2017

Dumbass [link] [12 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Why Polar Bears Would Make Great Spies

Friday 24 March 1:00:00 UTC 2017

It's not just white fur in the snow that makes polar bears hard to spot—they're also blessed with nature's invisibility cloak. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Study shows most cancers are random, are unavoidable. Science to the left; calm, rational discussion on the right. Choose your side carefully [Obvious]

Friday 24 March 0:58:06 UTC 2017

Obvious [link] [111 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » The most adorable pics of a toddler getting his first ride in a big rig that you'll see all year [Amusing]

Friday 24 March 0:54:51 UTC 2017

Amusing [link] [134 comments] [Link]

Futility Closet » Green Indeed

Friday 24 March 0:31:05 UTC 2017

Image: Wikimedia Commons Thailand’s Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew has a unique distinction among Buddhist temples: It’s made of beer bottles. When the building was begun in the 1980s, the monks were seeking ways to encourage waste disposal and promote environmentalism. They had been collecting beer bottles since 1984 and decided to use them as a building material. The main temple, … [Link]

Fark.com RSS » MP Tobias Ellwood, who battled to save the life of stabbed policeman at Westminster, lost his own brother in the 2002 Bali terrorist bombings [Hero]

Friday 24 March 0:29:12 UTC 2017

Hero [link] [20 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Grabher by the licence plate [Asinine]

Friday 24 March 0:20:59 UTC 2017

Asinine [link] [54 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Photoshop this baby manatee [Photoshop]

Friday 24 March 0:00:01 UTC 2017

Photoshop [link] [25 comments] [Link]

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