RELEVANTMagazine.com Slices

The Photo of the Year Is ...

RELEVANT — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:06:18 +0000

Spanish photographer Samuel Aranda has won the World Photo of the Year for his photograph of a Yemeni woman in full Islamic veil caring for an injured protester during the Arab Spring. The photo originally appeared in the New York Times and was praised for how it showed the simple humanity and complex religious/cultural implications of the Arab Spring movement ...

Cancer Drug Reverses Alzheimer's in Mice

RELEVANT — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:00:55 +0000

A new study suggests a drug intended to treat skin cancer may also reverse the effects of Alzheimer's. When tested on mice, the drug cleared away beta-amyloid plaque, which is believed to be what causes cognitive decreases in Alzheimer's. Researchers were quick to point out that a successful drug in mice may not translate to human use ...

Playing with Your Food the Right Way

RELEVANT — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:54:50 +0000

It's mid-February, which means you're probably experiencing the winter doldrums at least a little bit. If you need some ideas to help you get out of it, here are a bunch of superhero logos made out of food. Obviously, you need to host a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed party (complete with logo pizza) next weekend ...

Woolly Mammoth in Siberia?

RELEVANT — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:48:23 +0000

This video (embedded below) is supposedly of a woolly mammoth walking across a river in Siberia. While we're certain it's a fake, it does present the exciting possibility that a real-life Jurassic Park is only a few years off. As long as Newman doesn't mess that up for the rest of us ...

Cash for Your Info?

RELEVANT — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:44:42 +0000

You probably know that Google has access to a lot of your data, particularly if you use Chrome and Gmail. As of now, there's no indication they're recording that data anywhere, but that could change—and you could get paid for it. If you think your private browsing and online data are worth Amazon gift cards, there's a new program for you ...

The Funniest Copyright Infringement of the Day

RELEVANT — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:28:08 +0000

Cat Fancy? This fake Twitter account is more like Cat Fan-TASTIC ...

North Korean Hotel Finally Set to Open

RELEVANT — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:13:31 +0000

In 1987, construction began on a 105-story hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea. The building quickly overtook the rest of the skyline—with a base the size of a block, it's easy to see why. But the hotel is only finally getting ready to open its doors in 2012, a full 23 years behind schedule ...

10 States Get No Child Left Behind Waivers

RELEVANT — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:15:52 +0000

In a move with major ramifications for national education policy, 10 states have gotten waivers that lets them out of certain No Child Left Behind provisions. No Child Left Behind was passed more than a decade ago and has come under fire from politicians all over the spectrum for rewarding schools who teach only the limited knowledge required by a standardized test ...

A Valentine's Gift from Pizza Hut

RELEVANT — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:09:13 +0000

If you are looking for a creative way to pop the question to your significant other, Pizza Hut wants to help you out. Ten lucky winners could get the food chain's Valentine's Day Proposal in a Box. That's right, you can order a delivery pizza and also get a ruby engagement ring, limo service, flowers and a fireworks show. Thankfully, there will also be a photographer and videographer present to capture your date's horrified expression when you propose over pizza ...

The Invention that America Needs

RELEVANT — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:52:09 +0000

Fact: one of the most annoying parts of getting in a car is trying to find the seat belt, particularly when you're stuck in the backseat with two other people. Mercedes has finally figured out how to solve this problem of the ages. They put LED lights in the release button and made a device that lifts the seat belt lock up by two inches. It's what the world needs ...

This Just In

RELEVANT — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:50:13 +0000

Val Kilmer has a Tumblr. That is all ...

World's Largest Dodgeball Game Is Crazy and Awesome

RELEVANT — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:48:17 +0000

Dodgeball is likely the best game in the world, making every child's PE class slightly more bearable. Apparently the staff, faculty and students at the University of Alberta agree because they just set the world record for the largest dodgeball game ever. The video is below, and it's as chaotic as you'd imagine 4,979 people playing dodgeball would be ...

Dodgeball from Ryan Heise on Vimeo.

Apple Faces Protests This Morning

RELEVANT — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:45:12 +0000

Protesters are set to stage demonstrations at several Apple stores around the world to show their concern about the unethical treatment of factory workers at some of the company's suppliers in China and other areas. The protests are the joint effort of an online petition started two weeks ago at Change.org and SumOfUs.org ...

Purple Squirrel Released into the Wild

RELEVANT — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:31:07 +0000

A purple squirrel captured in Pennsylvania was released back into the wild this week after it was trapped by a couple trying to stop the animal from eating birdseed. Scientists are baffled as to why the squirrel is purple, but this likely means Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is now non-fiction ...

So That's Why We Have a Leap Year ...

RELEVANT — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:48:45 +0000

If you've ever wondered what the purpose of a leap year like 2012 is, this handy, detailed infographic could help you out. It will also teach you everything you didn't know about "leaplings" (people born on leap day) and just how weird our calendar would be without its leaps ...

The Most Sickening Race Ever

RELEVANT — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:24:43 +0000

While runners getting sick isn't a strange sight at most races, it's almost an assured consequence of North Carolina's Krispy Kreme Challenge. Runners run 2.5 miles to a Krispy Kreme location, eat a dozen donuts and then race the 2.5 miles back to the starting line. Whereupon they are presumably filled with regret ...

Maybe Battleship Will Be a One-Time Thing

RELEVANT — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:23:24 +0000

Apparently Hollywood's love affair with board games might finally be drawing to a close ...

Syrian Government Continues Shelling

RELEVANT — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:58:07 +0000

The Syrian government has continued its shelling of the city of Homs, killing 47 people, according to activists. The attacks come the day after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad assured the Russian foreign minister that the Syrian government was committed to peaceful talks. Human rights groups say more than 7,000 people have been killed by government forces since the uprising began last March ...

Lord of the Rings Nerd Hits New Level of Nerd-dom

RELEVANT — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:54:53 +0000

If you've ever wondered why someone hasn't made a family tree for the characters in Lord of the Rings, apparently you're not alone ...

China's Biggest Baby Ever Born

RELEVANT — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:49:25 +0000

China's heaviest baby ever was just born. Named Chun Chun (which can't be kind, no matter what language you speak), the baby boy weighed 15.5 pounds. The mother of the child told reporters she could tell the baby would be big because her "body felt clumsy" ...