Posted by on under boing boing, death syndrome, dance party, doctors, speakers, peoe, heart | 
A 19-year old university student at a dance party was apparently killed by bass, after being pushed up close to speakers blasting very loud techno. Doctors say he died of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS), a heart disorder which kills 12 young people a week. (via Doug Lussenhop)...
Tagi: boing boing, death syndrome, dance party, doctors, speakers, peoe, heart
Posted by on under interesting factoids, highfalutin, bedbugs, toxic chemical, tenement, upper east side, magazine article, parasites, reminder, boom, mopoly, decades, new york city |
A highly icky New York Magazine article explores the bedbug boom in New York City. Once the monopoly of impoverished tenement dwellers, these sociable parasites are now freely enjoyed by highfalutin' types on the Upper East Side. Of the many interesting factoids in the story, a reminder that the highly toxic chemical DDT was really pretty great at keeping bedbugs at bay in decades past....
Tagi: interesting factoids, highfalutin, bedbugs, toxic chemical, tenement, upper east side, magazine article, parasites, reminder, boom, mopoly, decades, new york city
Posted by on under oxford castle, ash cloud, ominous sign, rock climber, human skin, burglary, glue, friday night, cops, darkness, fingers, peoe, surfaces, attempts |
The wall surrounding Oxford Castle has anti-climb paint on it. At least that is what this ominous sign warned me of as I walked past it late one Friday night while I was stranded under the ash cloud. Of course, the rock climber in me was tempted to climb the forbidden wall; a few seconds later, the cops were yelling at me to get down, and I had to apologize so they wouldn't arrest me. "What is anti-climb paint, anyway?" I asked them as I ducked away into the darkness. "Does it work?" After all, I did get up the wall without much of a problem. The cops (who weren't really that mad) told me that anti-climb paint is kind of like pigeon glue; it has a long-lasting viscosity that makes surfaces sticky, slippery, and just plain unpleasant to perch on. It also sticks to human skin, so back in the day you'd be able to identify burglary attempts by checking the suspects' fingers. But, they said, "it might not be working anymore"; it's been a long time since people actually tried to break into Oxford Castle, which is now a tourist destination....
Tagi: oxford castle, ash cloud, ominous sign, rock climber, human skin, burglary, glue, friday night, cops, darkness, fingers, peoe, surfaces, attempts
Posted by on under boing boing, video park, park rangers, head thanks, frigid water, creek water, cold waters, early spring, yosemite, rk, fil, crystals, mixture, patches, trees |
Frazil ice looks like patches of snow, nestled among the trees. But it's actually a Slushee-esque mixture of ice crystals that form in bitterly cold waters—like the kind that run through Yosemite National Park in early spring. Watching this video, you can see how frazil ice can appear to be just your average slushy creek water, and, the next minute, turns into what looks like solid (if snowy) ground. And then the ground moves. If you're thinking that it's potentially dangerous, you'd be right. In the video, park rangers talk about the risk of falling through frazil ice into frigid water deeper than your head. (Thanks, Ferris Jabr)...
Tagi: boing boing, video park, park rangers, head thanks, frigid water, creek water, cold waters, early spring, yosemite, rk, fil, crystals, mixture, patches, trees
