Pictured above is the oldest surviving prosthetic. Found in the necropolis of Thebes near modern-day Luxor, this prosthetic constructed of wood and leather is 3,000 years old. Testing was conducted as to whether the find was a functional prosthetic or merely a cosmetic fix; the determination was that it served as the former. See this article for 15 other examples recognized as the oldest surviving items of their type.
Image: BBC.com.
Lisa Marcus's Blog Posts
This video by Science at NASA discusses an upcoming summer evening — August 10th — that sky watchers won't want to miss. Via Geek Culture.
A visitor to Great Bend Zoo in Kansas attempted to take a selfie with a trumpeter swan habitat in the background, and a swan apparently had an objection to that idea. And told him so. With swift beak-to-back contact. Via Daily Picks and Flicks.
Oakland Zoo knew they had a photogenic girl on their hands early on in Mimi the baby hamadryas baboon's life. The cuteness was so abundant that they started a feature on their Facebook page in which one Mimi teething photo was posted daily for a week.
The zoo gives the baby baboons stuffed animals and teething toys in their teething phases so they have something to provide them comfort during the painful process. The babies' teeth start to appear within five days of birth.
The hamadryas baboon, native to the horn of Africa and the southwestern tip of the Arabian peninsula, was a sacred animal to the ancient Egyptians. The species plays various roles in ancient Egyptian religion, which is why it is also called the "sacred baboon." Via Zooborns.
Images Credit: Oakland Zoo (unless otherwise specified)
Image: Danielle Stith
To mark the 100th year since the first full day of Britain's involvement in the first world war, ceramic artist Paul Cummins and stage designer Tom Piper will be heading a grand-scale installation of ceramic poppies in the dry moat that surrounds the Tower of London.
The beautiful and powerful piece, entitled “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red,” will expand daily as the exhibit runs from August 5 - November 11, 2014. More ceramic poppies will gradually be added until 888,246—each representing a British or Colonial military fatality—are placed by volunteers.
Learn more at the Historic Royal Palaces Tower of London website. Via Colossal.
First Place Winner: The Independence Day
Image: Marko Korošec
The image above was chosen from 18,000 entries as the 2014 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest grand prize winner. Marko Korošec of Sezana, Slovenia captured the image near Julesburg, Colorado and called it "Independence Day," because the cloud formation reminded him of the spacecraft in the 1996 film. Korošec won an eight-day National Geographic expedition to Alaska's Inside Passage for two aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion or the National Geographic Sea Bird.
See all of the winning entries and learn the stories behind the images here. Via Twisted Sifter.
Merit Winner, "Light Source"
Image: Marcelo Castro
Third Place Winner, "Diver in Magic Kingdom"
Image: Marc Henauer
Merit Winner, "The End of the World"
Sean Hacker Teper
Merit Winner, "A Well Earned Rest in the Sahara"
Evan Cole
Watch the TIE Fight of the century, a Robot Chicken short on Adult Swim. Fighters, protect yourselves at all times. (I'm afraid the deflector shield will be quite operational when your punch arrives.) Via Laughing Squid.
Upworthy has been taking a ribbing for a while now. In that vein, Cracked presents "Every Upworthy Video Ever." Watch it, because it will change your life as you know it, and you can afford to make time for life-altering videos... unless you're an 88-year-old, one-legged female volunteer firefighter and yoga teacher rushing to a potentially deadly situation at your hot yoga class for terminally ill kittens. Via Viral Viral Videos.
Image: Philip Cornish
One of the best pieces of photography advice I've been given is "the best photo is often right behind you." You can be walking in new city and turn your head, often by chance, only to see unbelievably beautiful reflections in skyscraper windows and mirrored facades. Or in rural areas, a striking pastoral scene may be reflected in a fountain or body of water. As pictured here, even a glass of water or wine can be a blank canvas.
Yet the reflective photos shown here were not snapshots. Careful consideration is given as to the perspective from which to shoot. Sometimes the desired angle has the photographer assuming any number of uncomfortable positions to get the capture they want. In this collection of 25 photos of beauty as seen in reflective surfaces, the photographers' efforts paid off in spectacular captures.
Bridge, Commacchio, Italy
Image: uccio78
Chicago reflected in Lake Michigan
Image: Marc Hersch
Image: Patty
Milan, Italy reflected in a tuba
Image: Diego Bardone
Skyline of Doha, Qatar
Image: donyana.com
Move over Grumpy Cat. Like you, this Guinea Pig's standard answer is in the negative. And he actually makes noise. He might not have his Grump Face perfected, as it's still in Cute Face mode, but he's working on it. Better plan your retirement and put some of that money away for your Grumpy Grandkitties' college funds. Via Unique Daily.
Asap SCIENCE's latest video takes a look at sleep and how much of it allows for us to be productive, or even merely functional. I'm sure nobody is surprised that the news isn't good for people with a newborn in their house. The concept of sleep debt is also discussed. This morning I feel like my sleep debt has accumulated to the point that, soon, someone's Uncle Vito is going to whack me.
Niki Norberg is a tattoo artist working out of Gothenburg, Sweden. He's been working in the field since 2001. His flair for realism and fine detail has gained him wild popularity on Facebook and Instagram, with 171,000 and 256,000 followers respectively. Niki also has a great eye for what works in black ink, able to paint full black sleeves, as seen here, without the finished product looking exceedingly dark and simplistic.
See more work from this talented artist and keep up with him on social media at Instagram and Facebook. Via Twisted Sifter.
The unpredictable, boorish personality of President Lyndon B. Johnson has been featured previously on Neatorama in a great reprint from Mental Floss. Yet while descriptive, that article doesn't quite get down to brass tacks (or brass bungholes, as it were).
In a moment in which L.B.J. appears to be an early model for Mike Judge's Beavis, he gets on the phone with his tailor and orders some pants. However, in the same indelicate style for which he was famous, Johnson requests that the tailor let out a seam to make room for his "nuts" and his "bunghole." The tailor seems to take the conversation in stride.
An amusing animation of the phone conversation done by Put This On is featured here; see the full transcript of the call at Dangerous Minds.
Image: Imgur
People who take a ton of pictures know all too well that snapping the shot at the right split second is imperative when it comes to capturing good photos. They also know that doing so is harder than it seems. At times, the "perfect" shots are accidents, or the products of continuous high-speed (burst) shooting mode. Even if one plans a shot, if they're working with one or more moving subjects, it still takes a photographer with fast reflexes who is ready for anything to make the intended capture.
All the above verbiage to make the point that even if some of the shots featured in "33 Pictures Taken at the Right Moment" that appear spontaneous were actually planned, the execution was just right. (However if they're 'shopped, that's another matter.) Via Bored Panda.
Image: Imgur
Image: Reddit
Image:Imgur
Image: Imgur
Previously at Neatorama, there has been talk (and even song) about how to load a dishwasher. The people at Lifehacks put together a list that tells us things we might be doing wrong on a daily basis, and number four is loading a dishwasher. Their demonstration of the "right way" is this video by Chow.
Personally, I think it would kill me to load in dishes that dirty without pre-rinsing. I'm not certain that my dishwasher would get all of that mess off my dishes, which the video assures me is wrong. Maybe I'll do an experiment around that premise... or maybe not. Time will tell.
But regardless of my dishwasher babble, check out the other nine things you might be doing wrong on a daily basis and let me know what you think of their list. Via Unique Daily.
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