Tuesday, June 27, 2006
- According to National Geographic, schools of herring communicate by breaking wind (believe it or not, I first read about this on the Feast Of Fools podcast website) - and they can also repel predators, like whales, with said gaseous emissions. But, you know what's really wild? National Geographic actually used the word "farting" in their article. Twice.
This intriguing idea comes from scientists who discovered that herring create a mysterious underwater noise by farting. Researchers suspect herring hear the bubbles as they're expelled, helping the fish form protective shoals at night. It's the first ever study to suggest fish communicate by breaking wind.
If you'd like to hear the sound of herring farts for yourself, go to the University of British Columbia's website, which also links to a Dave Barry riff on the news piece. Digging a bit deeper, one learns that New Scientist published a piece on this in 2003, where the herring farts were referred to as (drumroll, please) FRT's, or Fast Repetitive Ticks. Skøl! - I can't quite tell if this is an elaborate hoax, or the real thing - but the BBC has a story on a German entrepreneur's proposed "all-smoking, all the time" airline, SMINTAIR:
[via BoingBoing] Intial flights on this Austin Powers Express would travel between Düsseldorf and Tokyo, the reigning Smoking Businessman capitals of the world. Apparently no connection with the company (Chupa Chups) that makes SMINT mints, but there's a golden business opportunity/merger waiting to be had - fighting all that smoker's breath.
As the World's first smoker's airline, SMINTAIR is entering many uncovered niches in aviation, designed to give the traveller maximum pleasure out of their flight experience. SMINTAIR spends more than three times the amount usually invested on passenger's nourishment. Signature recipes created by internationally renowned chefs will make each meal a feast. Charming and beautiful flight attendants in uniforms designed by famous couturiers are there to take the very best care of you. Every two years, a new designer will be elected to keep the uniform design á la mode. SMINTAIR is currently in motion to aquire sponsors offering luxurious merchandise. Everything from caviar to clothes and smoker's utensils to jewellery will be offered for free consumption or at special duty free prices during our flights. And Because They're a Great Way to Have Tuna
[also see Overheard in Chicago]
Incredibly Jappy woman #1: I'm looking forward to using these bath melts I made.
Incredibly Jappy woman #2: Bath melts?
Incredibly Jappy woman #1: Yeah, I call them bath melts because "bath bombs" really doesn't seem PC.
--JCC, 76th & Amsterdam via Overheard in New York, Jun 23, 2006- Nolo Press, known for their popular line of legal self-help guides, has a series of nifty free podcasts available for download on ACIDPlanet.com.
- Could the "Badger, Badger" viral Flash animation theme get any worse? Yes; yes it could.
- File Under "No Comment": A La Paz, Bolivia supermarket chain has prepared a 6-meter long sausage:
For the seventh year in a row, the Hipermaxi supermarket has taken to manufacturing giant sausages. They have upped the stakes annually, with this year's sausage measuring a metre longer than its 2005 counterpart. This year's sausage weighed over 30 kilos and measured 10 centimetres in diameter. [Reuters]
As my friend Norm would quip, "It's all size with you people!!!" - Just Plain Creepy: "Tension," an art installation/electrostatic-powered chandelier made of human hair that resembles a sea anemone.
- Fontsuckers beware: a UK publishing firm has been fined £80,000 following a "font audit raid" that revealed the company had been using over 11,000 unlicensed fonts. Perhaps this tipped the Business Software Alliance (BSA) off?
"Of particular concern, given the nature of Campden [Publishing]'s business, was the enormous number of unlicensed fonts they were discovered to be using," a BSA statement said. "When completing the BSA's audit report, Campden initially claimed to be using only one font, which – for a leading publishing firm – was clearly incorrect."
A large publishing firm that uses only one font. Riiight. [via UK Register]
farkleberries Links du Jour 153: The Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em Edition
