Someday I want to learn all about lock-picking. I think it would be terribly fun.
Actually, I will try to be sure never to learn more about lock-picking because I am not sure I could stop from picking locks once I knew how. Just for fun.
H/T Hip And Thigh.
Here is a cool little game that makes an important philosophical point. Sadly the game can only be played once. That is because they never change the underlying rules so each time you play the game will get easier even if you do not read the explanation at the end. Still, I only got 3 errors so all you competitive people can see if you can do better on your first try.
Somebody took the audio recorded from the Flight 1549 crash in the Hudson and put it over a re-creation of the events in Microsoft Flight Simulator. The guy wasn’t able to get all the details right, but the audio itself is funny enough to listen to. That flight controller just didn’t seem to get it.
I am amazed the pilot was so cool over the radio. If you check the related videos you can find slightly more extended audio.
Mozart’s sister as quoted in Wikipedia…..
He often spent much time at the clavier, picking out thirds, which he was always striking, and his pleasure showed that it sounded good. […] In the fourth year of his age his father, for a game as it were, began to teach him a few minuets and pieces at the clavier. […] He could play it faultlessly and with the greatest delicacy, and keeping exactly in time. […] At the age of five he was already composing little pieces, which he played to his father who wrote them down.
The kid in the clip below does not quite top that. Still, it is a little unnerving to watch him play (they make him do to much talking at the start of the show to demonstrate how cute he is or something. But if you endure it, you will get to see him play.)
In what must be the ultimate exercise in navel-gazing, an Austrian scientist has solved the mystery of belly button fluff.
I don’t think the resolution to this “mystery” will shock anyone.
I found a neat video on Dark Roasted Blend of a Golden Eagle preying on goats. The video tends to start half way, so rewind it to the beginning. Look at the legs on that sucker!
Even more impressive to me was a related video of mongolians hunting “wolves”. Not such a cakewalk:
So that was a cheap shot. But for those who have already seen this clip before (like me), The Common Room has a rough translation of the lyrics.
Sick, depressing, scary music for a sick, depressing, scary week.
Persecuted for wearing a beard back in the good old days. (h/t Wondermark)
An interview over at Abu Muqawama where they talk about how much damage the recently uncovered Israeli spy did to Hezbollah. I hope Israel puts a lot of work into saving this guy’s bacon. Otherwise there won’t be too many repeats.
India’s Hindu nationalist movement is launching a new soft drink made from cow urine.
Edit: The Times has a more detailed description of why they are doing this if you want to know.