Why the Best Ideas Come to You in the Shower

Slate: "Why the Best Ideas Come to You in the Shower"

The Closest Thing on Earth to the Battlestar Galactica's Flight Deck

"The closest thing on Earth to the Battlestar Galactica's flight deck"

The Case Against ‘Soul Mates’

Believing in a "soul mate" may be bad for a relationship.

Zapped By A Particle Accelerator

"What happens if you get hit by the main beam of a particle accelerator like the LHC?"

The Business of Fake Hollywood Money

"The Business of Fake Hollywood Money". (Via Trey P.)

Sleeping-In Fatigue

"Why Does Sleeping In Just Make Me More Tired?"

Insane Water Slide

"How Do You Build the World's Tallest Water Slide?"

X-rays of Toys

"X-rays of Toys". (Via @debbywitt.)

The Legend of Kevin Bacon

Clip from Guardians of the Galaxy includes teaching an alien warrior about the Legend of Footloose and the great hero Kevin Bacon. (Via DJF.)

Sauron Was Misunderstood

"Sauron, The Misunderstood Hero Of Middle Earth"

Related: "Unused Audio Commentary By Howard Zinn And Noam Chomsky, Recorded Summer 2002 For The Fellowship Of The Ring"

13 Commonly Misheard Song Lyrics

"13 Commonly Misheard Song Lyrics That Are Way Funnier Than The Real Ones"

21 Books That Changed Science Fiction And Fantasy Forever

"21 Books That Changed Science Fiction And Fantasy Forever"

[Off Topic] Hsieh Forbes Column: No, Gun Violence Is Not a 'Public Health' Issue

[Off-Topic] My latest Forbes piece is now up: "No, Gun Violence Is Not a 'Public Health' Issue".

I discuss 4 reasons we shouldn't frame "gun violence" as a "public health" issue, including:

1) Gun violence is not an “epidemic”, except in a metaphorical sense.

2) If “public health” includes “gun violence”, then intellectual fairness demands that we consider pro-gun arguments as well as anti-gun arguments.

3) Expanding “public health” to include “gun violence” diverts us from genuine public health threats.

4) Guns are not the doctor’s “natural enemy.”

Although I think gun crime should not be shoehorned into the category "public health", I recognize that others may disagree. In that case, lives saved by allowing concealed carry should be just as much of the “public health” discussion as lives lost to gun violence.

For more details on each of the four points above, see the full text of "No, Gun Violence Is Not a 'Public Health' Issue".

Sapphire Glass Maker

"The New Machine That Could Be Making the iPhone 6's Sapphire Screen". (Via H.R.)

Warning Sign of The Day

Helen Hou-Sandi: "Somebody had way too much fun with the bottom line of this sign."

10 Worst Types of First Messages in Online Dating

"10 Worst Types of First Messages in Online Dating"

Giant Siberian Holes

"Two new mysterious giant holes found in Siberia, scientists puzzled".

Hole-In-One Insurance

Yes, you can buy insurance against unusually good luck such as hole-in-one insurance:

The concept of hole in one insurance may baffle the uninitiated, but to many it is a wise precaution as golf tradition holds that anyone who scores a hole in one should buy drinks back at the clubhouse for his playing group -- if not everyone present. In Japan, many give extravagant gifts to friends and family after scoring a lucky ace...

A number of firms offer hole in one insurance, frequently bundled with other services that golfers commonly buy like insurance for golfing equipment or personal liability. (Apparently yelling “Fore!” can’t ward off lawsuits if you hit a ball right at someone.) Golfplan, a U.K. insurer, covers $340 to $510 worth of drinks for hole in one celebrations. (Clubs’ set of rules for validating a hole in one makes it easier to process claims.) When it is sold unbundled, hole in one insurance can be cheap; Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co. Ltd offers Japanese golfers hole in one insurance for as little as a $3 premium. Outside of individual policies, golf tournaments also get hole in one insurance so that they can offer huge cash prizes for a hole in one as a marketing promotion -- it's the same type of "prize indemnity" insurance that covers teams when a fan sinks a half court shot or makes a field goal.

(Via Marginal Revolution.)

The Psychology of First Impressions

"The psychology of first impressions - digested".

I'm sure glad I got rid of those facial piercings! (Via Marginal Revolution.)

Free Self-Education Resources

"12 Dozen Places To Educate Yourself Online For Free".

On a lighter note: "10 Odd Skills You Can Learn Online".

High Speed Photos of People Shot Out Of Water Slide

"High Speed Photos of the Moment People are Shot Out of a Water Slide"

Lego Microscope

"This fully functional microscope is built entirely out of Lego". (Via S.F.)

Alternative Fusion Technologies

"Alternative Fusion Technologies Heat Up: Start-ups in fusion-energy research are fueled by venture capital and a lot of hope".

(Click on image below to see full-sized.)

Redesigned Parking Sign

A Redesigned Parking Sign So Simple That You’ll Never Get Towed". (Via Trey P.)

Induction Lightbulb

"This Super-Efficient Lightbulb Uses Tesla Tech for an Incandescent Glow". (Via H.R.)

Crazy Circle Illusion

Superb visual "illusion".  (Via IFLS.)

Watch a Watch Being Made

BoingBoing: "Watch a watch being made". (Via H.R.)

Darth 2016!

"Darth Vader More Popular Than Anyone Who Might Run For President In 2016".

Why waste your vote on the lesser of two evils?

MIT Professor Proposes Better Traffic Light Timing

"By optimizing the timing of traffic lights beyond the capabilities of current systems, new software models have been shown to cut rush-hour travel times by 22 percent."  Work from MIT professor Carolina Osorio.

Imitation Game Trailer

"The Imitation Game is a historical drama about Alan Turing, focusing on his efforts in breaking the Enigma code during WWII. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Alan Turing."

The trailer looks excellent:

Delayed DNA Testing

"Sitting on the evidence: The scandalous backlog of untested rape kits"

Turban Trick

NPR: "How Turbans Helped Some Blacks Go Incognito In The Jim Crow Era"

Ocean Waves As You Have Never Seen Them Before

NPR: "Ocean Waves As You Have Never Seen Them Before"

The Coding 2%

"10,000-developer survey: 2% of coders split staggering 54% of all app revenue"

The Proliferation of Bad Science

Bill Frezza: "Bad Science Muckrakers Question the Big Science Status Quo"

Cut-throat Diplomacy

Grantland: "The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds".

The history and culture of the world of high-level Diplomacy gamers.

Robotic Fingers

"MIT scientists develop sensor-operated robotic fingers"