Sans Forgetica – A Strange New Font That Promises To Help You Ace Every TestFrom creating crazy mnemonics to constructing elaborate mind maps, all of us have at some point experimented with techniques to help us recall relevant information during tests and exams. Now, a group of researchers at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia have devised a new trick to help boost our memories – a gap-ridden, and oddly slanted, typeface that they ironically called Sans Forgetica!...
Read news articleAdd An Extra Hour To Your Weekend By "Falling Back" This SundayThose of you having a hard time waking up in the increasingly dark mornings will be pleased to hear that Daylight Saving Time (DST) ends on Sunday, November 4. This means that most North Americans will “add’’ an hour to their day by moving their clocks back. In addition to allowing people to enjoy an extra 60 minutes on Sunday, the simple act will help provide more daylight hours and make getting up for school a little more palatable....
Read news articleRay Villafane's Spooky Carvings Take Center Stage At Carefree's Enchanted Pumpkin GardenThree years ago, in 2015, the Town of Carefree, Arizona was seeking a pumpkin carver to help their newly-planned fall festival become an instant success. Luckily for them, world-famous American sculptor and artist Ray Villafane fell in love with the Carefree Desert Gardens, and the annual Enchanted Pumpkin Garden was born. Now in its fourth year, the free event, which took place from October 19 to 28 2018, includes numerous fun Halloween activities for both kids and adults. However, it is the pumpkin carvings that remain the star attraction....
Read news articleThe Chinese City Of Chengdu May Soon Be Home To Multiple "Moons"Always wished the Earth had a second moon? Then you will be pleased to hear that the Chengdu Aerospace Science and Technology Microelectronics System Research Institute has plans to launch multiple mini moons, the first one of which will appear in the skies as early as 2020....
Read news articleJulia Mooney's "One Outfit, 100 Days" Mission Highlights The Downside of Fast FashionMany people, including successful entrepreneurs like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, wear the same clothing daily because they want to focus their decision-making energy on more important things. However, Julia Mooney’s, “One outfit, 100 days” challenge, has a more altruistic motive. The art teacher at the William W. Allen Middle School in Moorestown, New Jersey is wearing the same dress for the first 100 days of school to create awareness of the environmental costs of fast fashion....
Read news articleSpooky "Death Comet" Will Fly By Earth Shortly After HalloweenIt’s creepy, spooky, and scheduled to rendezvous with Earth shortly after Halloween, on November 11, 2018. Before you get your hopes up, we are not talking about an alien, but asteroid 2015 TB145, a skull-shaped space rock nicknamed ”Death Comet.” This is the second appearance of the eerie-looking asteroid that was first observed by the University of Hawaii's Pan-STARRS-1 (Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System) telescope on October 10, 2015....
Read news articleScientists Stumble Upon Dazzling New Fish Species In Atlantic Ocean's Twilight ZoneWhile the discovery of a new species is always newsworthy, that of a fish spectacular enough to be named Tosanoides Aphrodite, after the Greek goddess of love and beauty, is even more so! Hudson Pinheiro and Luiz Rocha were exploring the deep-sea coral reefs, nearly 400-feet underwater, around Brazil’s Saint Paul’s Rocks archipelago, when they spotted the dazzling pink and yellow fish. The California Academy Of Sciences researchers were so mesmerized by the colorful ocean-dweller that it was only later, when viewing the video footage, that they noticed the 10-foot sixgill shark that had been hovering above....
Read news articleRocket Malfunction Forces Astronauts To Make An Emergency LandingA rocket malfunction that forces astronauts to evacuate after its launched may sound like a plot straight out of a Hollywood movie. However, that is precisely what happened to Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and American astronaut Nick Hague on October 11, 2018. Fortunately, the “movie” had a happy ending with both scientists returning to Earth safely....
Read news articleYellowstone's Ear Spring Geyser Spews Out Water, Steam, Mud, And . . . Human Trash!Yellowstone Park officials were thrilled when the Ear Spring geyser suddenly came to life on September 15, 2018. Visitors fortunate enough to be in the area, watched in awe as the hot pool’s largest eruption since 1957, caused sprays of steaming 200 degree Fahrenheit (93 degree Celsius) water to leap as high as 30 feet (9 meters) in the air. However, the joy turned to shock when employees discovered that in addition to the expected rocks and dirt, the geyser had also ejected human-generated trash....
Read news articleOregon Resident Wins "Super Bowl" of Pumpkin Weigh-Offs For The Fourth TimeEvery October, farmers across the US harvest millions of pumpkins. Some make it to the dinner table in the form of delicious soups or pies, while others get transformed into scary Halloween monsters. Then there are the select few whose only purpose is to win contests like the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off held annually in Half Moon Bay, CA – the self-proclaimed “World Pumpkin Capital.”...
Read news articlePerfectly Preserved Ice Age Animals Still Have Skin, Muscle, and HairThe Klondike region in Canada’s Yukon territory, which is famous for its gold mines, was once home to a large variety of animals. They included the long-extinct saber-toothed cats and woolly mammoths, as well as creatures like gray wolves, whose descendants still roam the Arctic territories. Hence, it is not uncommon for miners to stumble upon fossilized remains of the Ice Age inhabitants while unearthing the precious metal....
Read news articleWorld's First Virtual Reality Water Slide Opens In GermanyVirtual reality (VR)-enhanced roller coasters that keep fans at the edge of their seats are not a new concept. Visitors aboard the Superman: Ride of Steel coaster at Six Flags in Maryland have been immersing themselves in the superhero’s world since 2016, while those aboard Cedar Point, Ohio’s suspended Iron Dragon ride have been dodging ogres and orcs since 2017. But given that water does not bode well for the sensitive electronics, the experience has been harder to offer for water slides. That, however, changed recently with the opening of the Space Glider, the world’s first virtual reality water slide....
Read news articleRare Two-Headed Copperhead Snake Found In Virginia Is A Social Media SensationFound all the way from New England to West Texas and northern Mexico, copperhead snakes, which get their name from their reddish-brown heads, are the most commonly seen snakes in North America. Hence, a sighting of the venomous reptile is not earth-shattering news, unless, of course, you happen to find one with two heads! Believe it or not, that is what a Woodbridge, Virginia homeowner stumbled upon while tending to her flowerbed on September 20, 2018....
Read news articleColumbus Day Or Indigenous Peoples' Day? You Decide!Columbus Day, which is celebrated annually on the second Monday of October to honor the Italian explorer credited with “discovering” the Americas, has always been somewhat of a controversial holiday. That’s because while Christopher Columbus stumbled upon what we now call the Caribbean on October 12, 1492, he never set foot on the mainland – even on his subsequent three journeys. Besides, North America had already been “discovered” by the Native Americans, who had been living there for many generations....
Read news articleThe Iconic Rubik's Cube Goes Hi-Tech!With over 350 million cubes sold since it hit toy stores in 1974, the Rubik’s Cube is probably one of the world’s most popular toys ever. However, while the iconic cube has an avid fan base, which regularly compete to be the fastest, the brain teaser is daunting for most. It is, therefore, not surprising to hear that even though the toy has been on the market for over 44 years, less than 6 percent of the world’s population is able to solve it. Now, Israel-based startup Particula is introducing GoCube, a hi-tech version of the classic toy that promises to make the puzzle fun and interactive for both beginners and experts....
Read news articleSeagrass Munching Bonnetheads Indicate Sharks Eat Their Greens Too!Mention the word shark, and the first image that comes to mind is that of a ferocious carnivore circling helpless prey. However, while the bonnethead enjoys meat as much as any other shark, it seems to love its greens as well – so much so that about 50 percent of the shark’s diet is plant-based....
Read news articleThese Structures Take 3D Printing To A Whole New Level3D printing has come a long way since Massachusetts Institute of Technology students Jim Bredt and Tim Anderson modified an inkjet printer to expel a binding solution on to a bed of powder. The technology, which works by “printing,” or laying down, successive layers of material until the object is created, has been used to build a wide variety of things – from electronic devices to jewelry to artificial organs. Now, 3D printing is escalating to a whole new level with the creation of homes, art installations, and even barracks for the U.S. Marine Corps....
Read news articleUsain Bolt, Fastest Human On Earth . . . And Space?After breaking numerous records on Earth, retired Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt recently put his legendary speed to test in “space.” The “out-of-this-world” race, staged in a zero gravity environment aboard an airplane designed for scientific research, took place over France on September 13, 2018. It was a publicity stunt organized by champagne-maker G.H. Mumm, to showcase their newly-designed bottle created to make it easier for astronauts and future space tourists to enjoy the beverage while floating through outer space....
Read news articleMeet Naomi Osaka, 2018 US Open Champion And Japan's First Grand Slam WinnerNaomi Osaka was just two years old when Serena Williams beat the world’s highest-ranked women’s tennis player, Martina Hingis, to win her first US Open title in 1999. Since then, Naomi has watched her idol conquer the tennis world with 22 more Grand Slams, the four most important annual tennis events – the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open. On Saturday, September 8, the now 20-year-old Naomi stunned the world by winning the 2018 Women’s US Open Singles Championship, stopping Serena’s quest to achieve her 24th Grand Slam title and tying with Australia's Margaret Court for the all-time record. Naomi’s first Grand Slam victory was particularly sweet given that she is the first Japanese tennis player to achieve this honor....
Read news articleEco-Friendly Airlander 10 Will Soon Be Taking Tourists On Luxury Air CruisesWhat could be better than enjoying pristine water views aboard a luxurious cruise ship? How about floating leisurely across the skies inside a palatial airship that promises a birds-eye view of our gorgeous planet? If British aerospace firm Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) has its way, you will soon not only be floating amid the clouds but also heading to remote, unexplored destinations....
Read news articleHow Online Gaming Platform Roblox Is Helping Teenagers Become MillionairesWith over 64 million monthly active players, up to 1 million of whom are logged on simultaneously during peak times, chances are you have heard of online game creation platform Roblox. Fans are probably also aware that all the games in the Lego-like virtual world are created by users, typically teens and young adults....
Read news article43-Year-Old Gymnast Oksana Chusovitina Proves Age Is Just A NumberWhile elite athletes like Simone Biles and McKayla Maroney make it look easy, gymnastics is one of the hardest sports on the planet – both physically and mentally. It is, therefore, not surprising to hear that most gymnasts retire in their late teens or early 20’s. But don’t tell that to Oksana Chusovitina. The veteran gymnast, who has been in the limelight since winning her first major competition – the USSR’s junior national championships – at age 13, is still going strong at the ripe “old” age of 43!...
Read news articleNational Zoo's Adorable Giant Panda Bei Bei Turns Three!The Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s charismatic giant panda Bei Bei, who has won over millions of hearts with his playful behavior and bold personality, turned three on August 22, 2018. To celebrate the occasion, the Zoo’s youngest panda bear was treated to a special enrichment painting session, gifted a new toy, and, best of all, given a massive ice cake, complete with the number 3, to feast on all by himself!...
Read news articleCandytopia Is A Wonderland Of Sweet TreatsEven if an art museum featuring portraits of legendary singer Frank Sinatra and Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe is not your idea of fun, you may want to give Candytopia a chance. That’s because, in this museum, everything is made from candy! The best part? There is no need to find a “Golden Ticket” to gain admission to this real-life Willy Wonka world that is making its way around the US — tickets can be purchased online, or in-person at the venue....
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