NASA Contemplates System To Chuck Shuttles Into Space Horizontally

Posted by on September 14th, 2010

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Launching gigantic shuttles into orbit (although awesome) is costly. So what if we just threw that bad boy as hard as we could like a paper airplane and then fitted it with some super sweet rockets to blast that sucker into the cosmos?

An early proposal calls for a wedge-shaped aircraft with scramjets to be launched horizontally on an electrified (magnetic levitation) track or gas-powered sled. The aircraft would fly up to Mach 10, using the scramjets and wings to lift it to the upper reaches of the atmosphere, where a small payload canister or capsule similar to a rocket’s second stage would fire off the back of the aircraft and into orbit.

Engineers also contend the system, with its advanced technologies, will benefit the nation’s high-tech industry by perfecting technologies that would make more efficient commuter rail systems, better batteries for cars and trucks, and numerous other spinoffs.

So we get a reusable solution for shuttle launches and the latest monorail technology? Well that’s good enough for me to link this song!

[Kurzweil]


Dude Sticking Entire Hand Into Liquid Nitrogen!!!! [Video]

Posted by on September 13th, 2010

Pretty hardcore. Granted, the publisher of this site, Andrew Mayne has been known to gargle the stuff but this is awesome just the same.

Get way more detail on why this works at the man’s blog, including one of the most bad assed pictures you will see today.

Thank to Weird Things reader Mitzula for the tip.

[Pop Sci]


The Mystery Of The Lake Travis Photo Monster

Posted by on September 13th, 2010

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This picture was taken in 2007 by a college biology professor simply trying to test the flash during a research project near Lake Travis, TX. The professor and his student wrapped up their business near the creepy lake and left.

It was only after he noticed two points of light that he thought was an animal in the distance. He light blasted the snaps and eventually revealed the lumbering monster you see above.

What could it be? Bigfoot? Ghost? Old Man Withers who wants to scare everyone off the lake so he can buy the land cheap and build an amusement park?

Thanks to Weird Things reader Mike for passing this along.

[Examiner]


Spider Thread Milked From Goats Could Fuse Your Bones

Posted by on September 10th, 2010

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Hell yeah.

Spider silk milked from goats may be used to replace body’s strained tendons, ligaments and bones in the future.

In a new experiment, Professor Lewis and his team at the University of Wyoming successfully implanted the silk-making genes from a golden orb spider into a herd of goats.

Spider silk has been used for centuries to dress wounds with varying degrees of success, but the problem has until now been how to get it.

“We needed a way to produce large quantities of the spider silk proteins,” News.com.au quoted Lewis, as saying.

He added: “Spiders can’t be farmed, so that route is out and since they make six different silks, even that would not work if you could.”

It’s all fun and games until spider DNA in a goat creates a real Chupacabra…

Thanks to Weird Things reader Fracis for passing this along.

[ThaIndian]


Terrifying Close Calls With Asteroids? Not Such A Big Deal

Posted by on September 9th, 2010

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Astronomers are chuckling to themselves after laypeople paying attention freaked out last week when two astroids swooped through Earth’s orbit, nearly missing our planet. While a double complete asteroid swipe is rare, the still scary idea of a single asteroid nearly destroying our lives happens, like, all the time.

In fact, with a rough estimate of 50 million unknown asteroids, a 33-foot-wide (10-meter) near-Earth object could pass harmlessly between Earth and the orbit of the moon every day, Johnson added. Such an asteroid might hit Earth’s atmosphere once every 10 years, but because of its small size, it would pose no substantial threat to the people or property below.

“They would certainly break up in Earth’s atmosphere, or we might get some meteorites on the ground,” Johnson said.

So, don’t worry so much. Or worry every day. Either way.

[Space]


Horrifying New Speed Bump Makes You Think You’re About To Kill Little Girl

Posted by on September 8th, 2010

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This is what some Vancouver motorists will see surrounding a local school over the next week. It’s a horrific reminder that YOU ARE ABOUT TO RUN OVER A HELPLESS LITTLE GIRLWATCHOUT!!!! Oh wait, it’s fake? I guess we better slow down then…

These kind of remind me of George Bluth hiring a one-armed actor to have his “arm” “ripped off” in front of his children so they’d learn to follow directions.

The illustrations will be removed in a week to evaluate effectiveness.

[PopSci]


Unconscious Human Actions Transferred To Computer Characters

Posted by on September 8th, 2010

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All of your unconscious reactions can now be transferred to Sims like computer characters. The Singularity will arrive with a green crystal over its head.

[Science Daily]


Florida Police Explode Toy Pony

Posted by on September 8th, 2010

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In a bizarre scene, members of the Orlando bomb squad exploded a lovable toy pony next to an elementary school. The fake horse was initially suspected as a possible bomb and authorities quickly locked down the scene and took immediate action to deal with the stand-up stuffed animal.

The video on this is pretty amazing.

[WFTV]


On The Road To Dragon*Con… [WeirdThingsTV]

Posted by on September 2nd, 2010


Surprise! Family Finds Random 18-Foot Deep Hole In Backyard

Posted by on September 2nd, 2010

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The random opening could be related to an oil well abandoned in 1950 that’s close to the home. The only silver lining now is if the opening leads to a Goonies-style adventure.

But it probably won’t.

Unless it does.

[KTLA]


Scientists Succeed In Creating Quantum Cats

Posted by on September 2nd, 2010

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Apparently “quantum cats” are “photons (particles of light), boosting prospects for manipulating light in new ways to enhance precision measurements as well as computing and communications based on quantum physics” and not a new Saturday Morning cartoon featuring super powered felines solving mysteries and learning a little about themselves and others along the way.

[Science Daily]


The Red Rain That Fell From Space!

Posted by on September 1st, 2010

A crimson rainfall in India at the turn of our most recent century has been rumored to feature properties that we’ve never seen on Earth before or since. New research demonstrates that the cells of the rain can replicate in extremely hostile environments. The results also suggest that the rain might have originated in extragalactic dust clouds.

This only ends one of two ways. 1) the rain creates the zombie disease outbreak which changes our lives (and since it will be local to India: Bollywood films) forever 2) this is the first sign of the coming of Galactus.

[arxiv.org via Kurzweil]


Who Created A Smooth 200-Yard Trench On Mars?

Posted by on September 1st, 2010

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Well… duh.

Other theories (notably less awesome than an all powerful, semi-emo superman) include an “oblique impact, when a small body struck the surface at a very shallow angle.”

Boring.

[Pop Sci]


A Dude Gets Sucked Into A Freaking Jet Engine And Survives (Video)

Posted by on August 31st, 2010

Thanks to Weird Things reader Dan Wheeler for sending this in.


How A Dead Sorcerer Began The Concept Of Feasting For The Deceased

Posted by on August 31st, 2010

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The oldest known shaman died and was buried in a Northern Israeli cave. Everyone thought it would be a good idea to stuff their faces with food in her memory. Because of this, you ate a ham plate at your Uncle Barry’s wake.

Life is strange.

A study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Grosman and Natalie Munro, a zooarchaeologist at the University of Connecticut, reveals that the shaman’s burial feast was just one chapter in the intense ritual life of the Natufians, the first known people on Earth to give up nomadic living and settle in villages.

The other traditions? Carried the dead bodies along with the party supplies up the mountains to their elevated resting places. Who’s got two thumbs and is pretty psyched we dropped that one?

[Nat Geo]


Grandfather’s Family Ghost Story Leads To Horrific Mass Grave

Posted by on August 27th, 2010

So your kindly grandfather makes it a point every Thanksgiving to spook the kids with a little ghost story. Back in 1832, he’d say whilst wiping the remains of cranberry sauce from his white button down, 57 Irish immigrant railroad workers were murdered and buried in a spooky old spot by the rail road tracks called Duffy’s Cut.

Fat on stuffing, everyone would shuffle home, wondering why grandfather kept telling that story on Thanksgiving instead of Halloween.

Timing aside, it turns out that story wasn’t so much as a spook tale meant to give the youngins nightmares as it was a grisly confession that he had proof of a few dozen murders. Now a pair of twin grandsons are spearheading a project to dig up the bodies and find the truth.

Oh grandpa…