Kuriositas
A blog about science and art - and all the wonderful things in between.
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Latest posts
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Atomic Chicken: A Hilarious Animated Short About Mutant Chickens and Nuclear Fallout
Chickens are homely animals and they don’t really need much out of life – but when their cosy coop is in danger, they will fight for their territory tooth and nail. So, these chickens do just that when the nearby nuclear reactor goes badly, badly wrong and contaminates the local…
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The Amazing Mineral That Would Not Burn: The Story of Asbestos
According to legend, Charlemagne would amaze his dinner guests with a stunt where he would toss a tablecloth that had stains on it into the fire, then pull it back out spotless. The cloth was woven from asbestos, and the trick worked every time. Image - courtesy of Pexels. The…
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Sir Patrick Stewart Remembered: A Star Trek Legend Whose Legacy Will Live Forever
You can tell when someone is much-loved by the public by the number of people who mention their passing in conversation. Since Sir Patrick Stewart beamed up a few days ago, I have had five people mention it without any prompting. I think it just goes to show how greatly admired…
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The People of 1926 - A Year Through the Lives of Those We Never Knew
Introduction A hundred years ago, the world was just as much of a mess as it is today. Yet, people still (like today) found the time to sing, dance – and live the fullest of lives. That included, of course, posing for photographs. In this snapshot of time (a follow-up to last…
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Inside the V&A’s Spooky Collection of Skulls, Skeletons and Death Jewellery
Skeletons and skulls have always appeared, throughout the history of art, as emblems of something that awaits us all, when we slip off our mortal coil and leave behind the remnants of our time on the planet. I suppose that’s a long-winded way of saying that we have celebrated…
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Tafoni – Nature's Rock Art
Tafoni – you may not have heard the term but the chance are, if you have visited an ocean shore, (or less likely a desert!) that you have seen them with your own eyes. Essentially they are caves (mostly in miniature) and their formation can often result in beautiful patterns.…
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Growing an Instagram Following: A Helping Hand for Creators
One of the most annoying things about building an Instagram audience is how long it can take. You’re producing brilliant posts but only have a few hundred followers – annoying! Of course, building an Instagram audience takes time – as well as creativity and consistency. If you…
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Matcha Mountain: A Surreal, Whimsical Animated Short Full of Matcha and Balloon Animals
Matcha Mountain is ever so slightly bonkers. My suggestion is don’t try and use logic (Boolean or otherwise) in an attempt to explain this, just sit back and enjoy the experience. Anything else may well result in the (hopefully) temporary loss of your liberty as nice men in…
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Boolean Logic Explained: From Pub Conversations to George Boole and Modern AI
I was sitting in a pub last week (like you do) and Boolean logic came up. So, the Boolean expression for this scenario evaluates to True because I was sitting in a pub at that precise moment in time talking about it! If we wanted to model the general probability of this niche…
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Top 10 Male Ballet Dancers to Watch Today: The World’s Rising Stars
One of the things I like about this video essay from Deep Dive Dance is that the list you will see below is not definitive and there is even acknowledgement that perhaps there are some dancers who have been overlooked. So, don’t worry too much if your favourite male ballet…
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10 Amazing Places to Visit in India that Aren’t the Taj Mahal
If you are planning on doing some India travel as a tourist then the likelihood is that at some point during your stay you will find yourself at the Taj Mahal. This glorious white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh remains one of the country’s sites that simply…
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Courseval’s Bardcore Version of ABBA’s “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” – A Medieval Pop Hit
There are a few bardcore groups around, but I think the most successful is Courseval . Their cheeky medieval twists on modern(ish) pop songs have continued to grow in popularity over the last few years. Here, they give Abba’s Gimme, Gimme, Gimme their own signature treatment,…
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Pulse – An Animated Short About Whaling, Tradition and Change
Traditions change. This is transparently obvious as otherwise we’d still all be sitting around campfires telling stories. Wait, bad example. We do, though, often take for granted that while our traditions may change, others are simply not questions by those who adhere to them.…
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Renoir: The Impressionist Who Painted Happiness, Love and Paris
Renoir was once accused by his art teacher of only painting for his own enjoyment. Renoir replied that is he didn’t enjoy it, then he wouldn’t do it. I think that is fair enough. This video by the National Gallery in London was created to coincide with their exhibition of many…
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Holder's Farm: Where You Can Pay to Scream Your Head Off - Argh!
Do you sometimes want to rush out of a room and find somewhere to just scream your head off until it isn’t a metaphor anymore? The problem is, of course, that wherever you turn (if you live in a town or city), there are too many people around – and they all have a certain look…
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What is the Oldest Pub in England? This One!
Pubs (from Public Houses ) evolved over centuries in England and, if you really need to know, can be separated into three categories – these are inns, taverns and ale houses. Each had a slightly different purpose, which the video below by Historic England explains really well.…
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The Amazing Hummingbird Hawk Moth
It hovers, it hums – but it is not a hummingbird. Take a look at one of, if not the most amazing, certainly the coolest insects on the planet - The Hummingbird Hawk Moth . The Ark in Space has a great feature on this very unusual species, an example of what is known as…
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Why Are the Giant Trees of the Tropics Dying? And Why Is One Species Thriving?
When the Panama Canal was created, so was an island. The island of Barro Colorado sprang into being when the surrounding mountainous terrain was turned into a lake thanks to the canal. Since then, the island has become on of the most studied on the planet, because its isolation…
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Pixar’s Fruit & Nut: A Wild Ride Through the Dark Underbelly of the Snack World
When it comes to bonkers animated shorts, Pixar’s Fruit & Nut must come somewhere near the top of the list. It tells the story of a peanut, down on his luck and desperate for the love of a good strawberry. Things don’t seem to be going his way until one day, he picks up a…
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The Bicheno Blowhole: Geology at its Most Playful
Nature may often be cruel but from time to time it can also be almost sublimely daft. Close to the small town of Bicheno on the east coast of the Australian island of Tasmania, a rare geological feature known as a blowhole provides endless hours of fun for visitors. Each time…