The Puppies of Chernobyl [video]

Boodle Fight – The Filipino Feast [video]

Zeppelins Once Served As Aircraft Carriers

This page has a lot of information about the two airships built by the US Navy in the early 1930s.

The ships were equipped with hangars, approximately 75′ long x 60′ wide x 16′ high, which could stow and service up to five aircraft in flight. Aircraft were launched and retrieved by means of a trapeze, and could enter and exit the hangar though a large T-shaped opening at the bottom of the hull.

Read much more about these two very strange zeppelins.

Sokushinbutsu – Buddhist Self-Mummification

Wikipedia explains Sokushinbutsu –

Sokushinbutsu (即身仏) refers to a practice of Buddhist monks observing Asceticism to the point of death and entering mummification while alive.^[1] This process of self-mummification was mainly practiced in Yamagata in Northern Japan between the 11th and 19th century, by members of the Japanese Vajrayana school of Buddhism called Shingon (“True Word”). The practitioners of sokushinbutsu did not view this practice as an act of suicide, but rather as a form of further enlightenment.^[2]

Continue reading HERE.

23 Of The Most Powerful Photos Of Last Week

BuzzFeed’s collection of photos from last week.

Tool-wielding Monkeys Push Shellfish To Edge Of Extinction

According to NewScientist –

HUMANS aren’t the only primate to have pushed their prey towards extinction. Monkeys have also over-exploited animals for food. Long-tailed macaques forage for shellfish on islands off Thailand, then crack them open with stone tools. They target the largest rock oysters, bludgeoning them with stone hammers, and pry open the meatiest snail and crab shells with the flattened edges of their tools. These macaques are one of three primates that use stone tools, alongside chimpanzees in Africa and bearded capuchins in South America. “Stone tools open up an opportunity for foods they otherwise wouldn’t even be able to harvest,” says Lydia Luncz at the University of Oxford.

Continue reading HERE.

Meet The Gila Monster [video]

Little Mistakes Can Mean A Lot

Cheezburger.com posted a list of 21 seemingly minor mess ups that led to huge problems. For instance, the Bay of Pigs invasion may have failed due to ignoring time zones.

Read explanations of all 21 HERE.

AUTOMATICA 4k – Robots Vs. Music – Nigel Stanford [video]

How Ford Tests Reactions To Self-driving Cars

According to WebUrbanist –

A Ford van zooming around the Washington D.C. area last month, seemingly without a human in the driver’s seat, wasn’t self-driving after all: it was a man in a ‘seat suit.’ A fake driverless car might seem like a weird experiment, especially considering the fact that there’s an entire fake town for testing self-driving vehicles at Ford’s disposal. But as it turns out, they have their reasons: observing how people react to seeing it.

Continue reading HERE.

Inside the World’s Smelliest Factory [video]

Peru’s King of Potatoes [video]