Thursday, January 2, 2014
10 Mind-Boggling Pictures
from listverse.
If you are an avid fan of Listverse, chances are that you love reading. We read and soak up knowledge like sponges because we enjoy it! But there are those in the world who have no such desires. They would rather hug a cactus than snuggle up on the coach with a good book. Luckily, life has a way of educating us all. Every now and then the perfect mind-boggling or bizarre picture surfaces, awakening such curiosity or consternation that even the most uncompromising non-readers take note and open their browsers—finding out things they never thought they would.
10
Pupula Duplex
If the day comes that you fall off a building and Superman saves you, try not to look into his eyes because this is exactly what they might look like. A person with two pupils may have improved eyesight in more ways than one. They might be able to escalate the amount of visual information they take in as well as have enhanced focus. As the condition mostly appears in fiction many believe it to be myth—but there is sufficient proof of historical figures, most notably the famous Chinese emperor Liu Ch’ung, who were born with the condition.
9
Cannabis to keep HIV at bay
No it’s not a bunch of lively worms, just medical marijuana. In a study that was recently published in “The Journal of Leukocyte Biology” researchers found that THC, the chemical compound in Cannabis that gets the user stoned, impairs and depresses the most common and widely found strain of HIV. The study is very detailed and technical, but what they basically did was to inject the virus into macrophages (the white blood cells that helps to defend your immune system) and then subject them to THC. To everyone’s amazement the cells became stronger at fighting against and keeping the virus out.
8
Evolving Underwater Sculptures
Scientists have predicted that the world’s natural coral reefs will all be gone by 2050 if preventative measures aren’t taken. Jason de Caires Taylor’s underwater sculpture museums were all designed and constructed to boost the growth and habitation of threatened sea life. The sculptures are always strategically placed on the ocean floor from where they start to take on a life of their own—eventually disappearing completely. New coral reefs are formed and the surrounding ecosystems get a chance to recuperate. His first underwater sculpture park founded in 2006 off the coast of Grenada was recently named one of the 25 Wonders of the World by National Geographic.
7
Maggot Therapy
Hopefully you won’t remember this image when you have a very deep wound or ulcer that won’t heal. In many of today’s leading medical practices doctors make use of the maggots (or larva) of bluebottle flies to clean wounds situated away from organs or body cavities. The larva are sterilized and placed inside wounds, where they feed on the dead tissue and so assist the body in producing new cells. As ugly as they are, even their saliva helps to sustain the area’s sterility as it has anti-bacterial chemicals. The maggots are mostly used in the treatment of diabetic ulcers that form on the feet.
6
Mickey Mouse on Mercury
Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system and the closest to our sun. NASA’s Messenger probe has been circling Mercury since March 2012 taking hundreds upon hundreds of very boring grey images. Imagine the scientists’ childlike joy and delight when this image was discovered! Mercury has almost no atmosphere and as such, can’t stop any impacts. The planet is literally covered with craters. This picture was taken to the northwest of the “Magritte” crater that lies in Mercury’s south. The surprising Mickey Mouse likeness were created by the build-up of craters of Mercury’s past and perfect shadowing at just the right time.
5
The Penis Snake
I’m afraid it’s not a hoax. Atretochoana eiselti is one of the most important discoveries of 2011. This particular amphibian (yes, it’s not really a snake) was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in
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Drink Your Milk, Me Droogies..
In futuristic London, Alex DeLarge is the leader of his "droogs", Georgie, Dim, and Pete. One night, after getting intoxicated on "milk plus" (milk laced with drugs), they engage in an evening of "ultra-violence", including beating an elderly vagrant and fighting a rival gang led by Billyboy.[3]Stealing a car, they drive to the country home of writer F. Alexander, where they beat Mr. Alexander to the point of crippling him for life. Alex then rapes his wife while singing "Singin' in the Rain".
The next day, while truant from school, Alex is approached by probation officer Mr. P. R. Deltoid, who is aware of Alex's violence and cautions him. In response, Alex visits a record store where he picks up two girls, Sonietta & Marty. He takes them home and has sex with them.
That night, his droogs express discontent with Alex's petty crimes, demanding more equality and more high-yield thefts. Alex reasserts his leadership by attacking them. Later Alex invades the mansion of a wealthy "cat-lady," while his droogs remain at the front door. Alex bludgeons the woman with a phallic statue. Hearing police sirens, Alex tries to run away, but Dim smashes a pint bottle of milk across his face, leaving him stunned and bleeding. Alex is captured and beaten by the police. A gloating Deltoid spits in his face and informs him that the woman died in the hospital, making him a murderer. Alex is sentenced to 14 years incarceration.
Two years into the sentence, the Minister of the Interior arrives at the prison looking for test subjects for the Ludovico technique, an experimental aversion therapy for rehabilitating criminals within two weeks; Alex readily volunteers. The process involves drugging the subject, strapping him to a chair, propping his eyelids open, and forcing him to watch images of violence. Alex becomes nauseated due to the drugs. He realizes that one of the films' soundtracks is by his favourite composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, and that the Ludovico technique will make him sick when he hears the music he loves. He tries to end the treatment but is unsuccessful.
After two weeks of the Ludovico technique, the Minister of the Interior puts on a demonstration to prove that Alex is "cured". He is shown to be incapable of fighting back against an actor who insults and attacks him, and he becomes violently ill at the sight of a topless woman. The prison chaplain protests at the results, feeling that Alex has been robbed of his God-given freewill: "He ceases to be a wrongdoer. He ceases also to be a creature capable of moral choice." The prison governor asserts that they are not interested in the higher ethics but only with "cutting down crime and relieving the ghastly congestion in our prisons."
Alex is released and finds that his possessions have been confiscated by the police to help make restitution to his victims, and that his parents have rented out his room. Homeless, Alex encounters the elderly vagrant from before, who attacks him with several other friends. Alex is saved by two policemen who turn out to be Dim and Georgie. They drag Alex to the countryside, where they beat and nearly drown him. The dazed Alex wanders the countryside before coming to the home of the writer Mr. Alexander, who is now paralyzed, and collapses. Alex wakes up to find himself being cared for by Alexander and his manservant, Julian. Mr. Alexander, who does not recognize Alex as his attacker, has read about his treatment in the newspapers. Seeing Alex as a political weapon to attack the government, Mr. Alexander prepares to introduce Alex to his colleagues, but then he hears Alex singing "Singin' in the Rain" in the bath, and the memories of the earlier assault return. With his colleagues' help, Alexander drugs Alex and places him in a locked upstairs bedroom. Alex wakes to hear Beethoven's Ninth Symphony playing loudly through the floor below. Experiencing excruciating pain, he throws himself from the window and is knocked unconscious by the fall.
Alex wakes up in a hospital. While being given a series of psychological tests, Alex finds that he no longer has an aversion to violence. The Minister of the Interior arrives and apologizes to Alex. He offers to take care of Alex and get him a job in return for cooperation with his PR counter-offensive. As a sign of goodwill, the Minister brings in a stereo system playing Beethoven's Ninth. Alex then contemplates violence and vivid thoughts of himself having sex in the snow with a woman in front of an approving crowd: "I was cured, all right!"
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission...
We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image, make it flutter. We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: there is nothing wrong with your television set. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to – The Outer Limits.
Tea Time At The Train Station...
Judge Upholds Key Provisions Of N.Y. Gun-Control Law
A federal judge has largely upheld New York's tough gun control law passed in the weeks after the Sandy Hook school shooting.
Judge William Skretny in Buffalo rejected arguments from opponents that its ban on large-capacity magazines and the sale of semi-automatic rifles infringed on Second Amendment rights.
He ruled that the provisions were constitutional because the state has an "important governmental interest" in public safety in a suit brought by the New York affiliate of the National Rifle Association.
However, the judge struck down one restriction that would have made it illegal to put more than seven rounds in a 10-round magazine.
The law was approved a year ago and some parts are already in effect, while provisions for background checks for gun and ammunition purchases are set to come into force on Jan. 15.
The New York Times says:
Data show that more than 1,000 gun possession charges – ranging from misdemeanors to felonies — have been filed in New York City since the law took effect, according to The Associated Press.
The Wall Street Journal reports:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/12/31/258698350/judge-upholds-key-provisions-of-ny-gun-control-law
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