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Month: November 2019

Kevin Smith
By The Generalist Posted on November 30, 2019April 17, 2021

Fastest clip show

Clip shows are an easy way to make a new episode cheaply from existing footage. One series made a clip show out of their second ever episode.

Categories: Arts, Film & television
Election
By The Generalist Posted on November 29, 2019April 28, 2021

Totalitarian elections

Every four or five years there is an election in North Korea. They are not especially competitive. Or at all competitive.

Categories: East Asia, Places, Politics & law
Bottle
By The Generalist Posted on November 28, 2019April 17, 2021

Plastic-eating bacteria

In 2016, Japanese scientists discovered a new and unique type of bacteria outside a recycling factory in Sakai. It can eat plastic.

Categories: Sciences, Technology
St. Raphael
By The Generalist Posted on November 27, 2019April 28, 2021

The disappearances of a prince and princess

Princess Anne and Prince Ludwig of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Freudenberg liked flying and spying, respectively. Both disappeared under mysterious and separate circumstances.

Categories: 19th century history, 20th century history, Europe, History, Military, Places, Southeast Asia, The oceans
Emperor Norton
By The Generalist Posted on November 26, 2019April 28, 2021

Emperor of the United States

On September 17, 1859, Joshua Abraham Norton proclaimed himself Emperor of the United States. He would reign for 21 years.

Categories: 19th century history, History, North & Central America, Places, Politics & law
Tractor beam
By The Generalist Posted on November 25, 2019November 24, 2019

Tractor beaming

The idea of the tractor beam first appeared in fiction in 1931. Since then, scientists have worked to make it a reality… and they’ve actually had some success.

Categories: Arts, Literature, Physics & chemistry, Sciences, Technology
Utsuro bune
By The Generalist Posted on November 24, 2019April 28, 2021

Mysterious castaway

According to several accounts, in 1803 a tiny boat with transparent windows washed up on the shores of Japan.  Inside, one woman and one big mystery.

Categories: Early modern history, East Asia, History, Places
Pool hall
By The Generalist Posted on November 23, 2019April 21, 2021

Life pool

The 19th century had many different cue sports, like everlasting pool and scratch pool. Life pool, one of the ancestors of snooker, gave each player three ‘lives’ which other players could eliminate until only one was left standing.

Categories: Games & sport
Firehose
By The Generalist Posted on November 22, 2019November 22, 2019

Post-truth propaganda

Propaganda is ages old, but the 20th and 21st centuries have given it a set of new tricks.

Categories: Language, Politics & law
By The Generalist Posted on November 21, 2019November 20, 2019

Launched and sunk in one day

King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden really wanted a big ship so he could dominate the Baltic. The Vasa was one of the most heavily armed ships in the world when it launched in 1628. But the same day it launched, it sank.

Categories: Early modern history, Europe, History, Military, Places
Don Juan Pond
By The Generalist Posted on November 20, 2019April 17, 2021

Saltiest ponds

We’ve all heard of the Dead Sea, so salty that people naturally float in it. But the Gaet’ale Pond in Ethiopia is saltier, and the Don Juan Pond in Antarctica is so salty that it doesn’t freeze, even at -50°C.

Categories: Africa, Earth science, Physics & chemistry, Places, Sciences, The poles
Shoe
By The Generalist Posted on November 19, 2019August 12, 2021

Oldest winery and shoe

The Areni-1 cave in southern Armenia is the site of the oldest shoe, and also the oldest winery, in the world.

Categories: Architecture, Arts, Fashion & design, Food & agriculture, History, North & Central Asia, Places, Prehistory, Sciences, Technology
By The Generalist Posted on November 18, 2019April 17, 2021

Two-year Mediterranean

Around five million years ago, the Strait of Gibraltar closed and the Mediterranean dried up. When it reopened, the sea refilled in less than two years.

Categories: Africa, Earth science, Europe, History, Middle East, Places, Prehistory, Sciences
Jagannath Temple
By The Generalist Posted on November 17, 2019April 28, 2021

Largest kitchen

Jagannath, the deity from whom we get the word juggernaut, receives offerings of food from the world’s largest kitchen.

Categories: Architecture, Food & agriculture, Places, Religion & belief, Sciences, South Asia
Lutenist
By The Generalist Posted on November 16, 2019October 23, 2021

Two players one lute

The 1597 piece My Lord Chamberlain, His Galliard is a lute duet. The piece is played by two people, but they must only use one lute.

Categories: Arts, Music
Eucalyptus
By The Generalist Posted on November 15, 2019April 17, 2021

Prospecting plants

You can search for gold the easy way, with a pan or a pickaxe. Or you could examine the local Eucalyptus trees. This is geobotanical and biogeochemical prospecting.

Categories: Earth science, Plants, Sciences

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