The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:

You have absolutely nothing to worry about right now -- so what's with the furrowed brow? 

Set all of your concerns aside today, because this cloud of good fortune you're floating on isn't about to disappear anytime soon! 

Just kick back, relax and know that your current plans will bring positive results. 

It's almost as if your life is on autopilot right now, so you can enjoy a few more social nights in the near future. 

This is a great time for parties.

 Some of our readers today have been in:

Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
London, England, United Kingdom
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Berne, Bern, Switzerland
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Manila, Manila, Philippines
Beirut, Beyrouth, Lebanon
Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia
Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands
Odense, Fyn, Denmark
Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia
Newbury, England, United Kingdom
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina
Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Seoul, Kyonggi-Do, Korea

as well as Slovakia, Malta, Bulgaria, Israel, Finland, Austria, Norway, Georgia, Mexico, Peru, Kuwait, Serbia, Bangladesh, Latvia, Greece, Scotland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Wales, Iran, Singapore, Poland, Taiwan, Sweden, Afghanistan, Belgium, Tibet, Croatia, Pakistan, Romania, Paraguay, Sudan, Vietnam, Argentina, Cambodia, Egypt, France, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Maldives, Qatar, Brazil, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Slovenia, China, Iraq, Ecuador, Nigeria, Colombia, Chile, Honduras, Paupa New Guinea, Moldova, Venezuela, Germany, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Czech Republic, Vietnam, Norway, Finland

and in cities across the United States such as North Hollywood, New York, Atlanta, Kalamazoo and more.

Today is:

Today is Wednesday, October 12, the 285th day of 2011.

There are 80 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

There isn't one.

  

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Non Sequitur

Wondrous Wednesday

The Second Bill Of Rights

The Battle Hymn of the repugicans

Who and Why

Who was Iran trying to assassinate?

The target of an alleged terror plot left the U.S. recently after delivering a secret letter to Obama.  

 Arab Spring tension 

Also: 

• Key dates in the plot
• Iran denies 'comedy show'
• Clinton: More isolation

Surprising way Iran's plot was foiled

The murder-for-hire tale of the plan to kill the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. reads like a Hollywood thriller. » Mexico's role 

Also: 

• U.S. aims to punish Iran
• Suspect 'no mastermind'
• Iran rejects 'vulgar' claims

Crack threatens to split ship

Tilting ship breaking apart in rough seas

After striking a reef, the Rena spills tons of oil, and now a huge crack threatens to split it in two.

  Captain charged 

Also: 

• Dramatic footage of ship
• NZ's worst sea disaster
• NYC gets huge cruise ship

Family lost in corn maze calls 911

Authorities say a family that got lost in a seven-acre corn maze in Danvers whipped out a cell phone and called police for help, apparently taking advantage of the department's motto that says "We Want To Be Bothered." The maze at Connors Farm depicts a headless horseman with words "Salem village" and "Danvers, Ma." The tourist attraction can take ... (more)

 Full Story

Yeah Right!

Can you spot the error!

Nine Crazier Eyebrows Than Andy Rooney's Face Fur

 

Unique physical features tend to define us. No matter how much good a man does, if he looks weird he'll be known for that. Andy Rooney has become part of that group. A legendary journalist, classic humorist and iconic curmudgeon, Rooney possesses a physical trait that outshines all of those: his eyebrows.

To honor Rooney as he prepares to sign off on his last '60 Minutes' segment, here's a prestigious list of eyebrows that make his look completely regular.

Daily Comic Relief

Teaching Calculus with Chocolate

Tim Chartier, a math professor at Davidson College, found a way to express a principle of calculus using the best of all possible source materials: chocolate. He created a series of enlarging charts featuring a growing number of chocolate chips:

If you count carefully, we use 83 milk chocolate chips of the 121 total. This gives us an estimate of 2.7438 for ?, which correlates to an error of about 0.378. [...]
What do you notice is happening to the error as we reduce the size of the squares? Indeed, our estimates are converging to the exact area. Here lies a fundamental concept of Calculus. If we were able to construct such chocolate chip mosaics with grids of ever increasing size, then we would converge to the exact area. Said another way, as the area of the squares approaches zero, the limit of our estimates will converge to ?. Keep in mind, we would need an infinite number of chocolate chips to estimate ? exactly, which is a very irrational thing to do!

Full Story

Keyboardless keyboards

Sleek keyboardless keyboards hit shelves

New laser technology could make the bulky, crumb-filled desk hazard a thing of the past. 

  'This could be big' 

Also: 

• Mind-controlled copter
• Military drone virus
• Healthier office posture

Ziggy

Ten towns to see in the fall

Best small towns to see this autumn

These locations lure you in with their stunning fall foliage, quaint downtowns, and regional treats.  

 The top 10 

Also: 

• Fall foliage 2011 gallery
• Classic American drives
• Odd roadside attractions

Home completely American-made

A home completely made in America

A house is being built in Montana with materials manufactured exclusively in the U.S.  

 Answer to creating jobs? 

Also: 

• Rates at historic lows
• The next boom towns
• New real estate rules

America's First Motorcycle

Indian

 

Indian motorcycles were manufactured from 1901 to 1953 by a company in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, initially known as the Hendee Manufacturing Company but which was renamed the Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company in 1928. The Indian factory team took the first three places in the 1911 Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.

During the 1910s Indian became the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world. Indian's most popular models were the Scout, made from 1920 to 1946, and the Chief, made from 1922 to 1953. The Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company went bankrupt in 1953. A number of successor organizations have perpetuated the name in subsequent years, including the current company which has been manufacturing Indian motorcycles since 2006.

The Incident in the Parking Lot

An elderly Florida lady did her shopping and, upon returning to her car, found four males in the act of leaving with her vehicle. She dropped her shopping bags and drew her handgun, proceeding to scream at the top of her voice, "I have a gun, and I know how to use it! Get out of the car!"

The four men didn't wait for a second invitation. They got out and ran like mad.
The lady, somewhat shaken, then proceeded to load her shopping bags into the back of the car and got into the driver's seat.

She was so shaken that she could not get her key into the ignition. She tried and tried, and then it dawned on her why...For the same reason she did not understand why there was a football, a Frisbee and two 12 packs in the front seat...

A few minutes later, she found her own car parked four or five spaces farther down.

She loaded her bags into the car and drove to the police station to report her mistake. The sergeant to whom she told the story couldn't stop laughing.
He pointed to the other end of the counter, where four pale men were reporting a car jacking by a mad, elderly woman described as white, less than five feet tall, glasses, curly white hair and carrying a large handgun.

No charges were filed.

MORAL OF THE STORY? If you're going to have a Senior Moment, make it memorable!

Illegible note foils robbery

Terrible handwriting foils robbery

When a bank teller asks Thomas Love to rewrite his demand note, he grabs it back and flees.  

What was deciphered 

Also: 

• Robber stops for pizza
• Huge pelican statue stolen
• Thieves cut horse's hair

Man asks police officer to give his dropped marijuana back

From the "Can you say 'idiot'!?" Department:

A man accidentally dropped his marijuana outside a Pittsburgh convenience store on Monday. A police officer found the drugs and the man asked the officer if he could have his drugs back. "Nah, nah, nah that's not even cool you can say what you want but, I'm going to tell you. I thought you were going to be cool though," said Miles Bennett.

"Be cool about it? Sir, when I walk up here I find marijuana on the ground and you say 'excuse me sir like that's my marijuana,'" said Pittsburgh Police Officer Dwayne Ausbrooks. Bennett told how he accidentally dropped the pot when he stopped at the 7-11 on Western Avenue. The moment he saw it on the ground, so did Officer Ausbrooks, who confiscated it.

Bennett then approached the officer, asking if he could have his marijuana back. "I thought you can't get in trouble for that little bit," said Bennett. "You thought I wouldn't get in trouble if I gave you back some marijuana," asked Officer Ausbrooks. "Well not you, when no one was here till you called everybody," said Bennett.

"Of course I called, I have a duty and responsibility to uphold the law," said Officer Ausbrooks. "I understand that I'm not mad at you I'm just saying," said Bennett. "Well yeah I hope you're not mad at me," said Officer Ausbrooks. Bennett was not arrested because the police officer did not see him holding the bag before he dropped it.

Video.
***
They don't call it dope for nothing you know.

Crabby Road

Optical illusion of full moon

The optical illusion of a full moon

It may look huge to you as it rises above the horizon, but taking a photo tells a different story.  

 Possible explanations 

Also: 

• Saturn moon like Earth
• Why Uranus is tilted
• Telescope starts probe

Forty Marvelous Shots Of Sunrise Photography

 

image credit

Sunrise is the instant at which the upper edge of the Sun appears above the horizon in the east. Photographers are looking for interesting places where you might not only be able to see the sun track all the way down but where there will be opportunities for shots that include foreground elements and silhouettes.

A sunrise constantly changes over time and can produce great colors well after the sun appears. Here's a collection of beautiful photographs captured in the light of the breaking dawn.

Ancient Lakes Miles Below Antarctica May Hold Climate Clues, New Life Forms

All Antarctica photos: Subglacial Lake Ellsworth Consortium, Neil Ross/University of Edinburgh

Cocktail party fact incoming: There are hundreds of liquid lakes that lie miles beneath Antarctica. Unfrozen, but still-cold-as-hell, lakes. The largest, Lake Vostok, boasts three times the volume of the Great Lake Ontario, itself one of the biggest freshwater bodies in the world. Now, scientists are planning the first-ever research expedition to learn more about the underground water stores. They're hauling 80 tons of equipment down to Antarctica to attempt to drill two miles below the surface to Lake Ellsworth -- where they believe they'll find clues about the impact of climate change and, potentially, new forms of life.

Article continues: Ancient Lakes Miles Below Antarctica May Hold Climate Clues, New Life Forms

Old Shoes Found

Construction workers digging a foundation for a supermarket in Camelon, Scotland, ran into what is now an archaeological site. Around 60 pairs of discarded footwear that once belonged to Roman soldiers was found.

The 2,000-year-old leather footwear was discovered along with Roman jewelry, coins, pottery, and animal bones at the site, which is located at the northern frontier of the Roman Empire.
The cache of Roman shoes and sandals—one of the largest ever found in Scotland—was uncovered recently in a ditch at the gateway to a second century A.D. fort built along the Antonine Wall. The wall is a massive defensive barrier that the Romans built across central Scotland during their brief occupation of the region.

In what will most likely prove to be a garbage dump, archaeologists are finding clues to life in one of the “most important Scottish excavations in the last decade.”

Full Story

The old prospector and the gunslinger

An old prospector shuffled into town leading an old tired mule.  The old man headed straight for the only saloon to clear his parched throat. He walked up and tied his old mule to the hitch rail.  As he stood there, brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other.
The young gunslinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, “Hey old man, have you ever danced?”
The old man looked up at the gunslinger and said, “No, I never did dance… never really wanted to.”
A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said, “Well, you old fool, you’re gonna dance now,” and started shooting at the old man’s feet.
The old prospector – not wanting to get a toe blown off – started hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet. Everybody was laughing, fit to be tied. When his last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon.
The old man turned to his pack mule, pulled out a double-barreled shotgun, and cocked both hammers. The loud clicks carried clearly through the desert air.  The crowd stopped laughing immediately. The young gunslinger heard the sounds too, and he turned around very slowly.  The silence was almost deafening.. The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old timer and the large gaping holes of those twin barrels.
The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man’s hands, as he quietly said, “Son, have you ever kissed a mule’s ass?”
The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, “No sir, but I’ve always wanted to.”
There are a few lessons for us all here:

• Never be arrogant.
• Don’t waste ammunition.
• Whiskey makes you think you’re smarter than you are.
• Always, always make sure you know who has the power
• Don’t mess with old men, they didn’t get old by being stupid.

What the Donner Party Ate in Final Days

The desperate pioneers resorted to eating pets, bones, twigs, glue, strings and finally each other.

Read more

'Juice jail' recipe trick

Fish dish packs flavor with fewer calories

A "juice jail" and fresh herbs make this simple halibut recipe shine.  

 How to tell when any fish is cooked 

Also: 

• List of ingredients
• Eat healthy on a budget
• Fabio's perfect eggs

Very unhealthy funnel cake

Racetrack's extremely unhealthy treat

Charlotte Motor Speedway's unique take on a funnel cake has an odd mix of flavors. 

  Shocking amount of fat, calories 

Also: 

• NASCAR power rankings
• Kahne hitting his stride
• Sprint Cup breakdown

Aw Nuts!

 Peanuts are Pricey

Pricier nuts is a consequence of loving cotton.

Read more 

Surprising cold fighters

Foods that help boost immunity

Next time you're feeling sick, these surprising foods can help your body rebound faster.

Oysters? 

Also: 

• Restart a fitness routine
• Mystery maladies revealed
• Breast cancer myths

Maggots Prove Worth in Therapy

For a small group of patients with diabetes, a round of maggots is just what the doctor ordered.  

Read more 

How To Dodge The Flu

 

Sealing a business deal with a handshake could be a thing of the past after a leading scientist claims we should keep our hands to ourselves to prevent the the spread of infectious diseases like flu. Nathan Wolfe, a virus expert at Stanford University in California, suggests we should use a 'safe shake' like touching elbows or follow the example of the Japanese and take a bow to avoid the spread of infections.

Dr Wolfe says diseases such as stomach bugs, flu and colds spread readily via skin contact. In his new book The Viral Storm, Dr Wolfe says: We should advocate a safe shake by touching elbows rather than hands.

Time Capsule Housed 114-Year-Old Human Bacteria

The intestinal bacteria are relatively well tolerated today -- but not when it was placed in the capsule.  

Read more 

Megavirus

A Virus So Large You Can See It with a Light Microscope

Meet Megavirus chilensis, a virus so big that it's actually larger than some bacteria:

The particle measures about 0.7 micrometers (thousandths of a millimeter) in diameter.
"It is bigger than some bacteria," explained Prof Jean-Michel Claverie, from Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France.
"You don't need an electron microscope to see it; you can see it with an ordinary light microscope," he told BBC News.
In the lab experiments conducted by Professor Claverie and colleagues, in which they infected fresh-water amoebas, Megavirus was seen to construct large trojan organelles - the "cells within cells" that would produce new viruses to infect other amoebas.

Full Story

B.C.

Kamikaze Ant

Scientists have discovered a species of kamikaze ant in the jungle of Borneo that blows itself up in a suicide attack in order to save the colony:

Several south-east Asian species of ant in the Camponotus cylindricus group (i.e. carpenter ants) have enlarged mandibular glands that extend into their gaster (the bulbous posterior portion found in bees, wasps and ants). When disturbed, the ants rupture the membrane of the gaster, causing a burst of secretions containing chemicals – the largest gland reservoirs yet known in ants – that immobilize small insect attackers and kills the ant.
Or, as the folks at Newscientist.com put it, “The ants of Borneo go out with a bang, thanks to a body built to blow up during a suicidal death grip.”
In other words, the six-legged blast-ended ant grabs onto the invading enemy and squeezes itself to death, literally blowing itself up and shpritzing a deadly sticky yellow goo everywhere, killing both intruder and ant.
And these little suicide bombers operate on a hair-trigger; their abdomen walls ruptured even when researchers lightly touched them!

Full Story

Stunning way to lose horse race

Stunning way to lose a horse race

Here Comes Frazier appears to be headed for a big win at Keeneland when an unusual mishap occurs. 

  Watch 

Also: 

• California Flag wins
• Tiumen gets hat trick
• Horse racing photos

Spooked Spiders Weave Weird Webs

Creepy looking spiders strike fear in the hearts of many, but the real power may belong to a parasitic wasp that can manipulate spiders.

Read more 

Animal Pictures