curious facts

leedermeg

Was given some old postcards and found this one with Leedermeg in it! I remember seeing this thing as a kid but only saw Brian Blanchflower’s book many years later. The story I heard that was there was a chrome plating plant that was bulldozed when the Mitchell Freeway went through and the strange chemical …

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Christmas Island Pipistrelle bat day

The very last Xmas island Pipistrelle bat was heard on 25 August 2009 with no further ‘sightings’ (hearings) despite intensive efforts to locate the species. http://www.perditaphillips.com/the-very-last-christmas-island-pipistrelle-bat/ A tribute to an incomprehensible inability to act.

star compass from the knowledge of Pius “Mau” Piailug

  Pius “Mau” Piailug (1932-2010) was venerated as a master of non-instrument wayfinding. Mau’s traditional navigational system used clues using the sun and stars, winds and clouds, seas and swells, and birds and fish to determine position away from sight of land. He was born on the island of Satawal (Federated States of Micronesia) and …

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First anniversary of Eyjafjallajöku eruption

The icelandic earthquake Eyjafjallajöku erupted a number of times in April and May 2010 causing considerable interference to airplane travel. According to Wikipedia what made this volcanic activity so disruptive to air travel was the combination of the following four factors: The volcano’s location is directly under the jet stream The direction of the jet …

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Cognition and art

  Does education in the arts transfer to seemingly unrelated cognitive abilities? Researchers are finding evidence that it does. Michael Posner argues that when children find an art form that sustains their interest, the subsequent strengthening of their brains’ attention networks can improve cognition more broadly http://www.dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=23206