Rattlesnakes are considered some of the most sophisticated creatures in the world, and they have the tails to prove it. Scientists believe these defense mechanisms to be highly sophisticated warning signals, which makes rattlesnakes uniquely terrifying. It’s a one-of-a-kind trait that not many people understand, so let’s take a closer look at what’s really going on when these serpents defend themselves. The noises that they generate ward off predators. Their tails rattle about 50 times per second, and they can keep that up for hours on end if necessary. Imgur / Daedalus031 The rattles are made of keratin, and every time snakes molt, their tails get a bit longer. When rattlesnakes travel, they keep their tails up to avoid damaging them, since they rely on those noisemakers for survival. Reddit / GoldenWizard The guys in this video wanted to learn more, so they went ahead and cut a rattlesnake’s tail open. And there you have it, folks. It’s never a bad idea to learn about creatures that pose a threat to humans. You never know when you’ll hear that telltale rattle. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/rattlesnake/
The insect world can be a pretty amazing place, between all the bees stinging, the spiders webbing, and the ants… doing whatever ants do. But what this guy caught on video is pretty unbelievable. He was filming a bee trapped in a spider’s web when all of a sudden… Whoa. Share this video (and that guy’s epic narration voice) with others below. Read more: http://viralnova.com/bee-saves-video/
On May 26, 1990, someone dressed up as a clown with an orange wig and white face paint showed up to 40-year-old Marlene Warren’s home in Wellington, Florida. When Marlene answered the door, the clown handed her carnations and foil balloons, then raised a gun and shot her in the face. She died two days later. After the shooting, investigators learned that Warren had wanted to leave her husband, Michael, and was afraid that he’d kill her. She even told her mother that, “If anything happens to me, Mike done it.” She also believed he was having an affair, and she was right. Michael had been secretly seeing Sheila Keen (now Sheila Keen Warren), though they both denied it at the time. The two got married in Las Vegas 12 years after Marlene’s murder. YouTube / CBS News Though Sheila had been identified by a local costume shop as having bought a clown costume days before the shooting, investigators still didn’t have enough evidence to arrest her back then. The salesperson who sold the specific types of balloons the clown had even described the person who bought them as a woman with long, brown hair — just like Sheila’s back then. YouTube / CBS News Years passed and the case went cold until it was reopened back in 2014. After that, investigators found out that Sheila married Marlene’s widow in 2002. They arrested the now 54-year-old on Tuesday at her home in Abingdon, Virginia. Twitter / MikeTrimWPTV <div class="llcust" data-lltype="video" id="ll_59d2f0abe8b5b" data-source=" Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/killer-clown-woman/
In an increasingly divisive U.S. political climate, there’s at least one cause that has found support on both sides of the aisle — computer science education. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor both stressed the importance of learning to to code, or write computer programs, in videos uploaded Sunday to YouTube by Code.org, a non-profit advocacy group. The joint call to action comes at the start of Computer Science Education Week, which began Monday. “If we want America to stay on the cutting edge, we need young Americans like you to master the tools and technology that will change how we do just about everything,” Obama says in a short video. “Don’t just buy a new video game, make one. Don’t just download the latest app, help design it. Don’t just play on your phone, program it.” Cantor, who often plays the role of political adversary to Obama, backed the President’s sentiment. “America is the land of opportunity. We have so much before us — so many challenges to overcome and problems to solve,” Cantor says. “Coding is the necessary tool of this century to best do that.” Cantor goes on to say that learning to code is as important as learning language and math: “It is the only way for you to prepare for the future.” Additionally, 2012 Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich appears in a Code.org video promoting the Hour of Code campaign as “a great, free, voluntary opportunity” to “make sure that every American understands a lot more about computing.” In October, Code.org announced its “Hour of Code” campaign, which aimed to “demystify computer science” for 10 million grade school students by exposing them to introductory concepts for at least an hour during Computer Science Education Week. Hadi Partovi, co-founder and CEO of Code.org, told Mashable in an email that some 35,000 teachers and 5 million students from around the world signed up to participate. “Today is when 5 million students begin learning to code, with support from athletes, celebrities, politicians, world leaders and all the top websites of the world,” Partovi wrote. In addition to the political attention, Code.org has garnered support from celebrities and tech industry leaders. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Miami Heat player Chris Bosh, actor Ashton Kutcher and pop singers Shakira and Will.I.Am are among the prominent figures who have appeared in Code.org videos endorsing computer science education. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan explains the significance of Computer Science Education Week in another video uploaded to Code.org’s YouTube page on Sunday. The initiative is timed to correspond with the birthdate of computing pioneer Grace Murray Hopper (subject of Monday’s Google Doodle), who was born on Dec. 9, 1906, and died in 1992. Image: U.S. Navy Hopper earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Yale University and served in the U.S. Navy, helping to develop the earliest computers and design programming languages. After joining the Naval Reserves in […]
If there is one place where I imagine people are dying for an ice cream every hour of every day, it’s in the middle of the desert. Which is why Cold Stone Creamery in Dubai has found a super entertaining way to keep customers coming back to them over the competition. Someone contact the Cold Stone CEO immediately. This needs to be implemented in America. Now. Source: thasneen Share these skillful ice cream parlor workers with your friends below. Read more: http://viralnova.com/dubai-ice-cream/
Nokia expanded its apology over faked video and photos used to publicize the company’s newest flagship phone. Unveiled on Wednesday, the Lumia 920 features the “PureView” camera, which has a “floating lens” optical image stabilization (OIS) technology that Nokia claims lets users take sharp photos and video. Earlier this week, Nokia admitted a video that purportedly demonstrates the benefits of the 920’s OIS capabilities was “a simulation” and not shot using its PureView camera. It later revealed on Saturday that promotional photos were also faked. “The video was produced while the Nokia Lumia 920 was in early prototype and still not ready to show the full benefits of the amazing innovation it contains,” spokesman Brett Young told Mashable in an emailed statement. “While there was no intention to mislead, the failure to add a disclaimer to the video was obviously a mistake.” Nokia also apologized for misleading photos that were taken from the video. Set in Helsinki, Finland, they show the same actress in three different scenarios: riding a bike, sitting on a carousel and standing in the street at night. A photo posted to Hacker News on Thursday reveals sophisticated camera and lighting equipment at a photo shoot for the Lumia 920. In both cases, independent bloggers denounced Nokia for false advertising. The Finnish telecom giant issued an apology on its “Conversations” blog Thursday. “We should have posted a disclaimer stating this was a representation of OIS only,” wrote spokeswoman Heidi Lemmetyinen. The video is now marked with a “Simulation of OIS technology” disclaimer, which you can see above. Nokia said it posted genuine images of the Lumia 920 being used in low light conditions, alongside similar photos taken by a competitor’s smartphone, on Wednesday. They use a Lumia 920 prototype and “no artificial lighting or stands,” the company told Mashable on Thursday. Check out what Nokia claims to be the 920’s photo, followed by its competitor’s photo, below. An industry report suggests Nokia will start selling the Lumia 920, which features a 4.5-inch 720p curved-glass display, this November. Are you less likely to buy the Lumia 920 in light of this controversy? Does it change your perception of Nokia? Discuss in the comments below. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/08/nokia-lumia-920-misleading/
Navy Officer Roberto Tapiador decided to hang up his uniform for just one day in order to try his hand at waiting tables for some very special young boys. Officer Tapiador had been stationed overseas in Djibouti for the last nine months, but once he discovered that he would be on leave in time to celebrate Christmas with his wife and two boys, he knew he wanted to give them a surprise they’d never forget. As his family sat at a local restaurant awaiting their food, Officer Tapiador’s boys were caught off guard when their lunch arrived in the hands of their father. With Dad home for the holidays, it was guaranteed to be a very merry Christmas indeed. They were taken so off guard at first! Watching them go through a roller coaster of emotions made my heart grow three sizes, that’s for sure! Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/restaurant-reunion/
They say there will always be people who are better and worse than you at whatever you do, and working out is no exception. You may be able to run faster or lift more than one person, but no matter how hard you push your body to its limits, there’s someone out there making what you do at the gym look like child’s play — case in point, these absolute beasts. While they make what they’re doing look like a piece of cake to pull off, you probably don’t want to try their extreme exercise routines at home. 1. Why jog on one treadmill when you can run across seven? 2. There’s flexible, and then there’s flexible. 3. Anywhere is a gym for these parkour-loving guys. <div class="llcust" data-lltype="social" id="ll_59e95bdbd40f5" data-source=" <div class="llcust" data-lltype="social" id="ll_59e95bdbd41c4" data-source=" Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/insane-workouts/
Disney Research in Zurich, Switzerland, has developed a new process called “Physical Face Cloning” that allows it to create realistic animatronic characters. The technology scans the head of a human before putting the coordinates and expressions into a 3D program. Measurements such as skin and thickness are then used to produce a 3D printed mold of the face before a silicon layer of syntheic skin is attached. The result is a realistic-looking robotic head with accurate expressions and features such as wrinkles. Disney will use the technology and process to produce life-like animatronic figures in its theme parks to add to the realism of the interactive characters. Watch the video below to see the entire process. Image courtesy of Flickr, Express Monorail This article originally published at PSFK here Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/08/17/disney-clones-faces/
