Friday Links!
Leading off this week is the curious case of Snowball, the parrot who can dance. I don't mean "dance" as in "canned routine," either--he can speed up or slow down depending on the beat of the song. In other words, Snowball has rhythm, which is something that has never been observed in non-humans before. The story of how this was researched is pretty fascinating, and watching Snowball dance is incredibly funny as well. There are videos inside the link, plus here's a video of him dancing to Another One Bites The Dust.This next link is an absolutely fantastic read, sent in by Yacine Salmi. It's an article written by the guy who (in his own words) wrote the software that turned mortgages into bonds. Yes, the man who (in some ways) created the tools to facilitate the epic train wreck.
Next, and this is so totally NSFW, it's the most inspired mash-up I've ever seen (submitted by my wife): it's Miss Piggy (and her Muppets Show companions) singing Peaches' "F-ck The Pain Away."
From Andrew B, a link to a classic pop-up book from the 1980's: a pop-up guide to the personal computer. Next, a story about the real-life inspiration for Shrek, and believe me, the likeness is unmistakeable. Then there's The Book Inscription Project, and it's exactly what it sounds like.
From The Edwin Garcia Links Machine, a link to images of a remarkable piece of architecture: the Khyber Ridge residence. Also, a link to a video of a McDonald's meat factory (a supplier), and whether you're fascinated or repelled is entirely up to you. Here's one more, and it's quite a bizarre read--How An Intern Stole NASA's Moon Rocks. It's a heist story, but not necessarily the kind you'd expect.
Sirius has broken the bank this week. First, in Russia they apparently drive solid-gold covered Porsches. Next, photos of an incredibly rare weather phenomenon: snow rollers. Next, from the Big Picture (and these pictures are just fantastic), it's Cassini's Continued Mission. Then there's a troll, and you really need to see this image, because it's just stunning.
A second link from Yacine Salmi, this one to the story of a writer who found his stolen laptop. The cyber-sleuthing involved was more interesting than the laptop, and it's an interesting read.
From Jarod, a link to X-ray gaming goodness, a series of x-rays of gaming hardware.
From Jesse Leimkuehler, a mind-bending link: warp drive may be possible. Mind-bending because of this:
While any given object can't travel faster than light speed within space-time, theory holds, perhaps space-time itself could travel.
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