Summer time = biking time

I just discovered MADSEN Cargo Bikes, right after buying a cruiser and attaching a milk crate for my belongings. I'd say this:
  is much prettier and probaby more stable than anything I put together.

Tapestries as DIY sound insulation

In the Middle Ages, many cavernous halls displayed woven tapestries as symbols of status. However, living in a time of fiberglass insulation and central heating, we often forget the lack of sound-deadening qualities these large, cold halls exhibited, making large tapestries more than pieces of art, but a sound-proofing tool that protected againsted the damp, chilly winters. Tapestries had the further advantage of being easily transportable between residences while often depicting historical events.

Source: Dayton Art Institute, Wikipedia

How do they keep from poking each other?

Narwhals (monodon monoceros) are crazy looking creatures known as Artic unicorns. Seen here on BBC New's website, narwhals are rarely captured on film at all. The tusk is actually an over-grown left incisor that can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh over 20 pounds.

Where have all the stunt-ambulance-cycling-aviators gone?

It was a scandal that she didn't wear a corset while flying: 

Hélène Dutrieu (10 July 1877 – 26 June 1961), shown here in her aeroplane ca. 1911, was the fourth woman in the world, and the first from Belgium, to earn a pilot's license and reputedly the first woman to carry passengers and to fly a seaplane. Besides being a pilot, she was a cycling world champion, stunt cyclist, stunt motorcyclist, automobile racer, wartime ambulance driver, and director of a military hospital. After WWI she became a journalist.

Nicknames: The Human Arrow, Girl Hawk

Photo credit: Bain News Service

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%A9l%C3%A8ne_Dutrieu

Extra Second of Time

Don't we all wish we had just a little more time? This New Year's Eve, we all get an extra second of time. According to Discovery News, the second will come between 6:59:59 and 7:00:00 pm EST, making 2008 the longest year since 1992 given the leap year. The earth is slowing down and timekeepers must adjust the official watches, giving my sister a longer birthday than anyone.

This news reminds me of one of my favorite comics by xkcd called Angular Momentum:

Revolving Doors

One eighth the amount of energy is lost by using rotating doors than conventional doors.

Source: Lance.

Discover the world

Been a while since you checked in with Togo? How about Chile? No worries, Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) has your back. Their web program "Países" lays out current(ish) information on population, social indicators, economy, networks and environment all on a handy map. Can it get better? Oh yes, because this application is in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Woot.

Source: http://www.ibge.gov.br/paisesat/