Best of Wikipedia

Anscombe's Quartet

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:00:00 -0500

Anscombe’s quartet comprises four datasets that have identical simple statistical properties, yet appear very different when graphed. Each dataset consists of eleven (x,y) points. They were constructed in 1973 by the statistician F.J. Anscombe to demonstrate both the importance of graphing data before analyzing it and the effect of outliers on statistical properties. (via @joshmellott)

Floater

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500

Floater:

Floaters are deposits of various size, shape, consistency, refractive index, and motility within the eye’s vitreous humour, which is normally transparent. They may appear as spots, threads, or fragments of cobwebs, which float slowly before the sufferer’s eyes. Since these objects exist within the eye itself, they are not optical illusions but are entoptic phenomena. (via @revgeorge)

William Moulton Marston

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:00:00 -0500

William Moulton Marston:

Dr. William Moulton Marston (May 9, 1893 – May 2, 1947), also known by the pen name, Charles Moulton, was an American psychologist, feminist theorist, inventor, and comic book writer who created the character Wonder Woman. Two women, his wife Elizabeth Holloway Marston and Olive Byrne, (who lived with the couple in a polyamorous relationship), served as exemplars for the character and greatly influenced her creation. Marston is also credited as the creator of the systolic blood-pressure test used in an attempt to detect deception, which became one component of the modern polygraph. (via DB)

Sentinelese

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500

Sentinelese:

The Sentinelese are one of the Andamanese indigenous peoples of the Andaman Islands, located in the Bay of Bengal. They inhabit North Sentinel Island which lies westward off the southern tip of the Great Andaman archipelago. They are noted for vigorously resisting attempts of contact by outsiders. As a result, they are likely the most socially isolated people on Earth. (via Sean Farley)

Kokura

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:00:00 -0500

Kokura:

Kokura had been the primary target of the nuclear weapon “Fat Man” on August 9, 1945, but on the morning of the raid, the city was obscured by clouds and smoke from an earlier fire-bombing of the neighboring city of Yahata. Since the mission commander Major Charles Sweeney had orders to only drop the bomb if the target was sighted, he was ordered to proceed to the secondary target of Nagasaki, where the weapon was dropped. Hence the Japanese talk of the “luck of Kokura”. Kokura had been the secondary target of the “Little Boy” bomb, which had been dropped three days earlier by the Enola Gay on Hiroshima. (via jj)

Action Park

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500

Action Park:

Action Park was a waterpark/motor themed park open from 1978 to 1996 in Vernon Township, New Jersey, on the property of the former Vernon Valley / Great Gorge ski area, today Mountain Creek. Its popularity went hand in hand with a reputation for poorly-designed, unsafe rides; inattentive, under-aged, underpaid and sometimes under-the-influence employees; equally intoxicated and under-prepared visitors—and the poor safety record that followed from this perfect storm of circumstances. (via Ed)

Pica

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:00:00 -0500

Pica:

Pica is a medical disorder characterized by an appetite for substances largely non-nutritive (e.g., clay, coal, soil, feces, chalk, paper, soap, mucus, ash, gum etc.) or an abnormal appetite for some things that may be considered foods, such as food ingredients (e.g., flour, raw potato, raw rice, starch, ice cubes, salt). (via Mario)

Tijuana Bibles

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500

Tijuana Bibles:

Tijuana bibles (also known as bluesies, eight-pagers, gray-backs, Jiggs-and-Maggie books, jo-jo books, Tillie-and-Mac books or two-by-fours) were pornographic comic books produced in the United States from the 1920s to the early 1960s. Their popularity peaked during the Great Depression era. (via Bruno Santos)

Not Even Wrong

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:00:00 -0500

Not Even Wrong:

An apparently scientific argument is said to be not even wrong if it is based on assumptions that are known to be incorrect, or alternatively, theories which cannot possibly be falsified or used to predict anything. The phrase was coined by the early quantum physicist Wolfgang Pauli, who was known for his colorful objections to incorrect or sloppy thinking. (via Sarah M Bruce)

Bock's Car

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500

Bock's Car:

Bockscar, sometimes called Bock’s Car or Bocks Car, is the name of the United States Army Air Forces B-29 bomber that dropped the “Fat Man” nuclear weapon over Nagasaki on 9 August 1945, the second atomic weapon used against Japan. The name painted on the aircraft after the mission is a pun on “boxcar” after the name of its aircraft commander, Captain Frederick C. Bock. (via jj)

Kayfabe

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:00:00 -0500

Kayfabe:

In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as “real.” That is, the portrayal of professional wrestling as being genuine or not worked. Referring to events or interviews as being a “work” means that the event/interview has been “kayfabed” or staged, and/or is part of a wrestling angle while being passed off as legitimate.

Shm-reduplication

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500

Shm-reduplication:

Shm-reduplication is a form of reduplication in which the original word or its first syllable (the base) is repeated with the copy (the reduplicant) beginning with shm- (sometimes schm-). The construction is generally used to indicate irony, derision or scepticism with respect to comments about the discussed object: “He’s just a baby!” “Baby-shmaby. He’s already 5 years old!” (via @yjon)

Silbo Gomero Language

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:00:00 -0500

Silbo Gomero Language:

Silbo Gomero (Spanish for ‘Gomeran Whistle’), also known as “El Silbo”, is a whistled language spoken by inhabitants of La Gomera in the Canary Islands to communicate across the deep ravines and narrow valleys (gullies) that radiate through the island. (via Eva)

Garum

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500

Garum:

Garum was a type of fermented fish sauce condiment that was an essential flavour in Ancient Roman cooking, the supreme condiment. For the Romans it was both a staple to the common diet and a luxury for the wealthy. After the liquid garum was ladled off of the top of the mixture, the remains of the fish, called allec, was used by the poorest classes to flavour their staple porridge. (via Carrie)

Skitch

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:00:00 -0500

Skitch:

Skitching is the act of hitching a ride on the rear bumper of a car when there is ice or slick snow on the roads. It is also sometimes referred to as bumper hitching, bumpershining or hooky bobbing. This can also be done with a skateboard or roller skates in urban areas where there is no ice or snow. In addition, skitching can be performed on a bicycle. (via fext)

Culture-bound Syndrome

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500

Culture-bound Syndrome:

In medicine and medical anthropology, a culture-specific syndrome or culture-bound syndrome is a combination of psychiatric and somatic symptoms that are considered to be a recognizable disease only within a specific society or culture. There are no objective biochemical or structural alterations of body organs or functions, and the disease is not recognized in other cultures.

Language of Flowers

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:00:00 -0500

Language of Flowers:

The language of flowers, sometimes called floriography, was a Victorian-era means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send coded messages, allowing individuals to express feelings which otherwise could not be spoken. The nuances of the language are now mostly forgotten, but red roses still imply passionate, romantic love and pink roses a lesser affection; white roses suggest virtue and chastity and yellow roses still stand for friendship or devotion. (via Eva)

Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500

Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome:

Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome is the term used to describe the aging of a television character (usually an infant or child, but also sometimes a teenager) that is faster than they should be aging, given the timeline of the show. The process is usually done to allow for more rapid character development, and to allow the writers to develop new storylines for the character. (via mo)

Mike Rowe

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:00:00 -0400

Mike Rowe:

Mike Rowe vs. Microsoft was a legal dispute between Microsoft and a Canadian high school student named Mike Rowe over the domain name “MikeRoweSoft.com”. The case received international press attention following Microsoft’s perceived heavy-handed approach to a 12th grade student’s part time web design business and the subsequent support that Rowe received from the online community. A settlement was eventually reached, with Rowe granting ownership of the domain to Microsoft in exchange for training and gifts. (via @cyberu)

Dwile Flonking

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:00:00 -0400

Dwile Flonking:

The pastime of Dwile Flonking involves two teams, each taking a turn to dance around the other while attempting to avoid a beer-soaked dwile (cloth) thrown by the non-dancing team. ‘Flonk’ is probably a corruption of flong, an old past tense of fling; and “dwile” is a knitted floor cloth, from the Dutch dweil, meaning mop. Appropriate and seasonal dress is important. (via Tod Weitzel)