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 » The One Thing You Will Never See While Driving in Vermont

Monday 17 April 23:53:22 UTC 2017

The scenery has little to compete with. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Mall shooter who killed 5 dies "mysteriously" while awaiting trial [Followup]

Monday 17 April 23:38:05 UTC 2017

Followup [link] [78 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » "Tune-in" at 8PM EDT for this week's Paul's Memory Bank. Geez, we're up to "J" already? At the end there will be a quickie tribute to J. Geils. Well, it's his band since he doesn't do vocals. But at least it starts

Monday 17 April 23:30:23 UTC 2017

Live [link] [36 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » The Deepest Shipwreck Ever Found

Monday 17 April 23:30:00 UTC 2017

We are only just beginning to find ways to explore the deepest trenches. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » If you live in Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana or Michigan, you get to join the good people of Ohio in playing Lunatic on the Loose as the police have no idea where he went. Stay safe [Followup]

Monday 17 April 22:50:05 UTC 2017

Followup [link] [140 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Zoning commish: "Your bar is too close to the road" Bar owner: *pound* *saw* *pound* *pound* *saw* *nail* *screw* *pound* *saw* *pound* *pound* *saw* *nail* *screw* "How about now?" Zoning commish: "Well alrighty then" [Strang

Monday 17 April 22:20:06 UTC 2017

Strange [link] [94 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » The Unsung Army of Women Who Fed America and Its Allies During World War II

Monday 17 April 22:00:00 UTC 2017

The forgotten story of 3 million women who dropped everything to help out on American farms. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » President to visit dildo factory [Giggity]

Monday 17 April 21:50:04 UTC 2017

Giggity [link] [79 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Is Being Double-Jointed Bad for You?

Monday 17 April 21:40:34 UTC 2017

Joint hypermobility can be a natural, if weird, phenomenon, but it can also be a sign of an underlying medical condition. [Link]

Mental Floss » 9 Signs You've Been in Your Job for Too Long

Monday 17 April 21:30:00 UTC 2017

Don't waste any more time in a boring, draining, or dead-end position. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » The AI has analyzed your life and attitudes and determined you are at high risk for futurecrime, so I sentence you to an additional 15 years in prison. Is this A) a scene from a Gibson novel B) a nightmare future? C) happening right now? [Scary]

Monday 17 April 21:20:04 UTC 2017

Scary [link] [99 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » United announces that it will no longer permit its crews to displace already-seated passengers, will have to find other reasons to beat them instead [Obvious]

Monday 17 April 20:20:04 UTC 2017

Obvious [link] [137 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Which Country has More Protestants (P) or Catholics (C)?

Monday 17 April 20:07:41 UTC 2017

[Link]

Mental Floss » Which Country has More Protestants (P) or Catholics (C)?

Monday 17 April 20:07:40 UTC 2017

[Link]

Mental Floss » Name These Geographical Areas

Monday 17 April 20:07:39 UTC 2017

[Link]

Fark.com RSS » Photoshop this ascent [Photoshop]

Monday 17 April 20:00:01 UTC 2017

Photoshop [link] [23 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » The University of Utah is Offering Scholarships to Video Gamers

Monday 17 April 20:00:00 UTC 2017

And they said games were a waste of time. [Link]

Weird Universe » 7 Clicks (April 17, 2017)

Monday 17 April 19:57:30 UTC 2017

7 Clicks
A Weird Universe News Service
April 17, 2017

Sounds Like a Too-Easy Joke: Researchers in Germany, flummoxed by female patients bodies rejecting ovarian cancer medications, are trying . . as delivery vehicles . . umm . . sperm cells. [Phys.org]

Want! Now! If you have hopelessly noisy apartment neighbors, there's a simple device in China called a "building … [Link]

Futility Closet » A Poet’s Arsenal

Monday 17 April 19:56:13 UTC 2017

Noted in passing: In the May 2004 issue of Word Ways, Max Maven notes that “English words containing ‘ag’ almost invariably have negative meanings, usually rather harsh.” He cites BRAG, DRAG, FLAG, GAG, HAG, LAG, NAG, RAG, SAG, SLAG, SNAG, and SWAG, among others. In May 1984 Bruce Price pointed out that words rhyming with ash tend to be “words … [Link]

Mental Floss » The Most Common Second Languages Spoken Around the World

Monday 17 April 19:30:00 UTC 2017

English is extremely popular as a second language, but some of the other commonly spoken second languages might surprise you. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » General Sherman calls upon the power of Thor to continue his siege on Atlanta [Scary]

Monday 17 April 18:50:04 UTC 2017

Scary [link] [100 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Amazon's Best Monday Deals

Monday 17 April 18:44:24 UTC 2017

From the Smart Shopping Team… [Link]

Mental Floss » Match the Disney Character to its Movie

Monday 17 April 18:44:16 UTC 2017

[Link]

Fark.com RSS » Moron puts racist sign in yard but discovers his racism is incorrect. Hilarious racism ensues [Dumbass]

Monday 17 April 18:20:05 UTC 2017

Dumbass [link] [247 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » A pastor and a geneticist team up to find Jesus' DNA, offering hope for those of us holding out for a new sequel to Jurassic Park [Unlikely]

Monday 17 April 18:20:04 UTC 2017

Unlikely [link] [88 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Because nothing says "Happy Easter" like sitting down as a family and watching that timeless classic "Watership Down" with all the cute little bunnies… OHMYGOD [Facepalm]

Monday 17 April 18:20:04 UTC 2017

Facepalm [link] [129 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Frank Lloyd Wright Home in Minnesota Goes on Sale for the First Time Ever

Monday 17 April 18:00:00 UTC 2017

It was one of the last houses Wright designed in his lifetime. [Link]

Mental Floss » Selfie-Takers Are Damaging California’s Super Bloom

Monday 17 April 17:30:00 UTC 2017

Tourists looking for the perfect Instagram shot can leave damage that lasts for years. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Campfires banned at Walt Disney World. Man, the waiting lines must be intense this time of year [Florida]

Monday 17 April 16:42:34 UTC 2017

Florida [link] [55 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » 12 Ways to Use Leftover Eggshells

Monday 17 April 16:30:00 UTC 2017

Don't throw out all those extra eggshells! [Link]

Mental Floss » Street Signs Reimagined for the Digital Age

Monday 17 April 16:00:00 UTC 2017

The traffic light hasn't gotten a design update in nearly a century. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Dylan Roof's sentencing, the last meal on the Titanic, and the fate of Uber in Italy. These are YOUR Headlines Of The Week for Sun 2017-04-09 to Sat 2017-04-15 [FarkBlog]

Monday 17 April 15:19:45 UTC 2017

FarkBlog [link] [18 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » 5 Questions: Bunnies

Monday 17 April 15:04:44 UTC 2017

[Link]

Mental Floss » Tiny Prehistoric Beetle Was First to Mooch off Termites

Monday 17 April 15:00:00 UTC 2017

The horseshoe-crab-shaped bugs have been hanging out in a drop of amber for the last 99 million years. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » The latest fitness trend? "Powwow sweat," where traditional Indian dances are turned into exercise moves. Nobody could possibly have a problem with this [Amusing]

Monday 17 April 14:50:04 UTC 2017

Amusing [link] [179 comments] [Link]

Overheard In The Office » Mind the Generation Gap

Monday 17 April 14:27:53 UTC 2017

Boss, in response to employees discussing Project Runway: Oh, what is that? A show about airports? Washington, DC [Link]

Mental Floss » 8 TV Shows That Were Creatively Altered by a Writers Strike

Monday 17 April 14:00:00 UTC 2017

What a difference a writers room makes. [Link]

Mental Floss » Society6 is Offering 20% Off Everything, Plus Free Shipping

Monday 17 April 13:51:03 UTC 2017

A real crowd-pleasing deal! [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Sad: Teenager battling cancer is unable to go to her prom. Awesome: So the other students bring the prom to her [Sappy]

Monday 17 April 13:26:01 UTC 2017

Sappy [link] [32 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » 'Exorcists' attempt to cast government demons out of the AT&T building in lower Manhattan thinking it's a NSA spy building [Amusing]

Monday 17 April 13:20:05 UTC 2017

Amusing [link] [87 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Photoshop this self-centered surfer [Photoshop]

Monday 17 April 13:00:01 UTC 2017

Photoshop [link] [24 comments] [Link]

Weird Universe » Vexations by Erik Satie

Monday 17 April 12:58:39 UTC 2017

Eccentric composer Erik Satie wrote "Vexations," a four-line piece of music, around 1893, though that date is a guess because it remained undiscovered until his death in 1925. It was an unexceptional piece of music (by design), except for the instructions he attached that seemed to indicate that it should be played "840 times in succession" by a pianist who … [Link]

Weird Universe » Mystery Gadget 47

Monday 17 April 12:58:38 UTC 2017

What is going on here? Find out at this link.

Or after the jump. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » NYC Pizza Rat gets tired of pizza slices, now has a hankering for human flesh [Scary]

Monday 17 April 12:50:04 UTC 2017

Scary [link] [45 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Hate buffet of conspiracy theories Alex Jones is just "playing a character," claims his attorney, who tried to defend his client's bigotry in a custody hearing over his three children [Creepy]

Monday 17 April 12:06:59 UTC 2017

Creepy [link] [242 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » 11 Fast Facts About the Boston Marathon

Monday 17 April 12:00:00 UTC 2017

Heartbreak Hill isn't actually *that* high. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Nursery lets the kids go clambering over trees, rolling around in the mud, sawing wood, chopping vegetables and cooking lunch on an open fire. This should go well [Interesting]

Monday 17 April 11:45:24 UTC 2017

Interesting [link] [75 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Addressing loneliness in children can prevent a lifetime of loneliness in adults [PSA]

Monday 17 April 11:20:04 UTC 2017

PSA [link] [57 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Bunnies

Monday 17 April 10:45:00 UTC 2017

[Link]

Fark.com RSS » This is certainly going to calm down tensions on the Korean Peninsula [PSA]

Monday 17 April 10:42:23 UTC 2017

PSA [link] [90 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » Let This Triceratops Feed You Tacos

Monday 17 April 10:30:00 UTC 2017

Sure, it was designed for kids, but we see no problem with adults enjoying it as well. [Link]

Mental Floss » Morning Cup of Links: Yellowstone Vandalism

Monday 17 April 9:20:42 UTC 2017

Awesome links to start your work week right! [Link]

Mental Floss » What Those Symbols on Your Dashboard are Trying to Tell You

Monday 17 April 8:30:00 UTC 2017

The answers are rather illuminating. [Link]

Mental Floss » Who Took the Photo of the First Man on the Moon?

Monday 17 April 7:54:43 UTC 2017

Who took the photo of the first man on the Moon? C. Stuart Hardwick: If you mean this: This is a frame from the slow-scan, low resolution TV camera mounted in the Modularized Equipment Stowage Assembly (MESA). The MESA folded down out of a small equipment bay clockwise from the ladder (as you look down on the LEM) when Neil … [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Not satisfied with the tension surrounding North Korea? Awesome. Here come Russian and Chinese surveillance ships to follow U.S.S. Carl Vinson's every move [Scary]

Monday 17 April 7:28:31 UTC 2017

Scary [link] [113 comments] [Link]

GraphJam » Candy Package Sizes v.s. How Fun They Are

Monday 17 April 7:22:53 UTC 2017

bar,candy,cool,fun,normal,packages,size,Travel,WoW Graph by: Unknown Tagged: bar , candy , cool , fun , normal , packages , size , Travel , WoW Share on Facebook [Link]

GraphJam » Video Games Are Very Constructive

Monday 17 April 7:22:16 UTC 2017

lazy,planning,useful,venn diagram I'm learning valuable skills for the apocalypse Graph by: satanstolemysocks Tagged: lazy , planning , useful , venn diagram Share on Facebook [Link]

GraphJam » They'll Never Suspect Anything

Monday 17 April 7:22:15 UTC 2017

lunch Pie Chart school unsuspecting - 5366426368 Graph by: thelolbringer Tagged: lunch , Pie Chart , school , unsuspecting Share on Facebook [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Do you seek to engage in or have you ever engaged in terrorist activities, espionage, sabotage, or genocide? ☑ If this box is checked, did your parent fill out this form for you? ☑ [Fail]

Monday 17 April 6:12:27 UTC 2017

Fail [link] [47 comments] [Link]

Futility Closet » Podcast Episode 150: The Prince of Nowhere

Monday 17 April 6:04:37 UTC 2017

In 1821, Scottish adventurer Gregor MacGregor undertook one of the most brazen scams in history: He invented a fictional Central American republic and convinced hundreds of his countrymen to invest in its development. Worse, he persuaded 250 people to set sail for this imagined utopia with dreams of starting a new life. In this week’s episode of the Futility Closet … [Link]

Mental Floss » Watch This Very Important Video of Goats in Sweaters Learning to Jump

Monday 17 April 6:00:00 UTC 2017

Baby. Goats. In. Sweaters. [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Did you catch the deplorable punching of a girl in the face at the Berkeley demonstration? You can now [Asinine]

Monday 17 April 2:40:28 UTC 2017

Asinine [link] [944 comments] [Link]

Fark.com RSS » An elderly man has died while receiving a lap dance at a strip club in Texas. Fark: The dancer initially thought he could have been faking to get out of paying his bill [Facepalm]

Monday 17 April 1:21:41 UTC 2017

Facepalm [link] [77 comments] [Link]

Mental Floss » What Was the Flaw in the Enigma Machine?

Monday 17 April 0:21:58 UTC 2017

Alan Turing broke the Enigma code. What was broken in the Enigma system itself? [Link]

Fark.com RSS » Photoshop this bubble blower [Photoshop]

Monday 17 April 0:00:01 UTC 2017

Photoshop [link] [16 comments] [Link]

Archive

28 Mar 2024  27 Mar 2024  26 Mar 2024  25 Mar 2024  24 Mar 2024  23 Mar 2024  22 Mar 2024  21 Mar 2024  20 Mar 2024  19 Mar 2024  18 Mar 2024  17 Mar 2024  16 Mar 2024  15 Mar 2024  14 Mar 2024  13 Mar 2024  12 Mar 2024  11 Mar 2024  10 Mar 2024  09 Mar 2024  08 Mar 2024  07 Mar 2024  06 Mar 2024  05 Mar 2024  04 Mar 2024  03 Mar 2024  02 Mar 2024  01 Mar 2024  29 Feb 2024  28 Feb 2024  27 Feb 2024  26 Feb 2024  

No Comments

0 responses so far ↓

  • There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.

You must log in to post a comment.