This week's recommended links are bursting with content: a Russian methane-powered rocket, why people living higher up age faster, the worst Conan imitations, a chimpanzee forced to live as a human, and much, much more. Enjoy!
Why do people on higher floors age faster than those below?: "Anywhere on Earth, time moves a little faster for people living on the upper floors of buildings than for those on the lower floors. The cause is gravitational time dilation, a phenomenon predicted by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity (1915). To understand this phenomenon, we must first consider that every corner of the universe is made up of spacetime."
Predjama, the astonishing castle in Slovenia built inside a cave: "In southwestern Slovenia, in the town of Postojna, we find one of the most astonishing castles on Earth. Predjama Castle is located about 9 kilometers from the city of Postojna and was built in 1570 at the entrance of a cave that is more than 35 meters high. Additionally, it holds the Guinness Record for being the largest castle in the world built inside a cave."
Changing the packaging of shells saved thousands of lives in World War II: "In the utmost meticulousness of the Briton's work, it was impossible to miss which position in each box the damaged shells were in. They were all at the ends of their boxes, so Povey only had to use common sense at that point. This point had already involved many hours of systematic and dedicated work. The Briton concluded that the impact of the shells against the walls of the boxes during transport, caused by the rocking of the ship, generated the problem."
My goodness! The 10 worst Conan imitations: "Barbarian sword-and-sorcery adventure films from the 80s number in the dozens. And for every likeable and fun film, such as The Beastmaster, Yor, or The Barbarians (the one with the brothers), there are four or five shoddy efforts made half-heartedly, with a lot of nerve and very little money, to cash in on the Conan phenomenon. But don't think there aren't more recent examples as well. Today I bring you... THE WORST IMITATIONS OF CONAN THE BARBARIAN."
Prohibition, or the mistake of trying to repress human desires with legislation alone: "In Denver, for example, animal carcasses were left in the streets so that the stench would mask the persistent aroma of illegal stills. In Chicago, the solution to get authorities to look the other way in neighborhoods that reeked of liquor was simpler: bribe the police officers who were part of the force created specifically to enforce the prohibition and whose salaries were ridiculously low."
The USS Cyclops, an unsolved mystery: "Over a hundred years ago, in March 1918, the USS Cyclops, a large supply ship of the United States Navy, described by the press as a 'floating coal mine', was supposed to have docked at the port of Baltimore, Maryland, after departing from Brazil. (...) To this day, its whereabouts remains a mystery despite the arduous search efforts carried out over the years, without any success."
The day the Inquisition tried... a fan: "As strange as it may seem, the Inquisition's labors also cast their eyes on fashion, and there were records against objects that did not follow the established canons of the era's morality. Generally they were accessories that carried drawings or ornaments 'too indecent', where there were playing cards, snuff boxes, handkerchiefs, watches,... or even fans. These processes mostly took place during the 18th and 19th centuries, due to new fashions."
The ordeal of Oliver, the chimpanzee forced to live as a human for years: "Oliver's story could have been just another unfortunate case of animal trafficking, but unlike other chimpanzees, he had a too-human appearance. When he was acquired by Frank and Janet Berger, they quickly noticed that their new 'pet' had freckles, a flat face, big eyes, walked upright, and felt comfortable with humans. As if that were not enough, Janet and Frank Berger made Oliver sit and watch television with them, smoking and drinking soft drinks."
Stanisław Lem's Solaris, or the impossibility of extraterrestrial contact: "The analysis of the figures that emerge on the surface of Solaris conforms to terrestrial canons related to our nature (the mimoids: a butterfly) or to architecture and geometry (the symmetriads, for example). The problem lies in the narrow-mindedness of our imagination, of our science, which must be objective, whereas if we let ourselves be guided by intuition to establish contact, we would fall into the subjective, something forbidden in all scientific study."
The volcanic eruption bombed by the United States: "The objective of these bombings was not to completely stop the lava from descending into populated areas and strategic structures, but to attack the cone, the lava channels and tubes to reduce the flow of the main lava flow, dispersing it and helping it cool before it gets too far. Of course, the idea was designed for the type of lava emitted in Hawaii, and on other volcanoes the results might have been different. The tests in 1975 helped define what type of bombs to use, how to bomb the targets, and what results are achieved according to their characteristics."
Irkut, the new Russian methane rocket: "Irkut is a project promoted by the Russian military that is to launch from the Plesetsk cosmodrome. The disposable version of Irkut will weigh 23.6 tons at launch and will be able to place 584 kg of payload in a low orbit of 200 kilometers, or 84 kg in geostationary orbit. The reusable version will have a capacity of 398 kg in low orbit and 60 kg in geostationary orbit. To return to the launch site, it will use deployable wings."
Leonardo da Vinci created the first globe showing America, using ostrich eggshells: "If the first map to represent the American continent is that of Juan de la Cosa, made in 1500, and the first in which the name America appears to identify it is the so-called Universalis Cosmographia by Martin Waldseemüller, from 1507, the first globe that showed the New World was created by none other than Leonardo da Vinci in 1504."
Videos: The Simpsons in Latin, Don't Choose Extinction, water rocket with parachute, the Keanuverse, time-lapse of a giant pumpkin growing from seed, fat seal is heavy, aerial exploration of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, robots in Squid Game, lava rock rolling down a snowy mountain, Behaviorism - Imprinting in ducks, Facebook's Meta(verse) in 11 minutes, puppy gets offended, little monkey with piglet, Jungle Metal!, Oh Long Johnson x The Kiffness, robot that eats trash, strange Halloween toys, Taiwanese candy, De Staat - Witch Doctor, the singing of whales, confused cat, sculpting epoxy mushrooms, and the shorts: Gertie the Dinosaur (1914), Down to Earth (animated pilot), and Runaway Brain (the horror short banned by Disney).
Galleries: Disney characters with the faces of their voice actors, grotesque and erotic images, little animals dressed up, Charlotte Roberts' body painting, terror with clay, photos from drones, daguerreotypes of people during the gold rush in 1850s California, best close-up photos, winning ecology photos, illustrations by Rory Hayes, bamboo insects, more photos of Cathy Lee as Wonder Woman, abandoned houses, Halloween posters around the world, threatening clouds pouring onto Earth, the Animated Dump of the Week and the Visual Dump.
I hope you had a great time! That's all that matters. See you next time!
