Remember SARS? Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome exploded out of China in early 2003 and frightened the entire world. Over 8,000 people were infected, and nearly 800 died. The epidemic was over by the summer, thanks to coordinated efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO), doctors who risked their lives to treat patients, and a military doctor who defied his government to break the Chinese policy of secrecy about the disease. Pictured is Dr. Carlo Urbani, an Italian epidemiologist who ultimately died of SARS.
After two weeks attempting to master the mysterious disease, Dr Urbani was exhausted. Eventually his wife and superiors persuaded him to take a break, and he decided to travel to Thailand, where he was scheduled to present a lecture at a medical conference. On 11 March, as his plane flew high above the dense jungle of Indochina, Dr Urbani developed a headache. Soon he spiked a fever and began coughing. Upon landing, he was met by a CDC colleague. Dr Urbani was quite aware of his symptoms' likely cause, so warned his friend not to approach, and called for an ambulance. For some time the two men sat in silence, facing each other across a hopefully-safe distance while the paramedics assembled their protective gear. One thing was certain: the Bangkok medical conference would be missing a speaker that year.
Read the entire story at Damn Interesting.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
The Heroes of SARS
Flying Penis
Gary Kasparov held a press conference about his new political opposition party. When it was interrupted by a flying penis, he quipped:
"I think we have to be thankful for the opposition's demonstration of the level of discourse we need to anticipate. Also, apparently most of their arguments are located beneath the belt." Someone in the audience shouts, "Finally the political power shows its face!" Kasparov quickly replies, "Well, if that's its face..." to laughter from the audience.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Someone Behind the Door
From Google video:
A nefarious doctor (Anthony Perkins) strategically manipulates an amnesiac (Charles Bronson) in this slow paced thriller. Also stars Jill Ireland. AKA "Quelqu'un derrière la porte."
7 Strange and Different Restaurants
Opening a new restaurant is risky. 60% of new restaurants close or change ownership within three years. One way to make a restaurant stand out from the crowd is to have a theme, and the wackier the better. It may be as simple as putting costumes on the waiters and decorating the walls, or it may be an entirely new concept...
read more | digg story
He Took a Polaroid Every Day, Until the Day He Died
Yesterday I came across a slightly mysterious website — a collection of Polaroids, one per day, from March 31, 1979 through October 25, 1997. There’s no author listed, no contact info, and no other indication as to where these came from. So, naturally, I started looking through the photos. I was stunned by what I found...
Artist and musician Jamie Livingston began taking a Polaroid picture every day, from March 31st, 1979 through October 5th, 1997 -his 41st birthday, and the day he died. The resulting 6,697 pictures are an art collection, exhibited by his friends Hugh Crawford and Betsy Reid. Chris Higgins at mental_floss has posted select photos that follow the story of Livingston’s life and decline as he battled cancer, plus the story of what happened to the photo collection afterward.
read more | digg story
Fun and Funny Links
A look at Modern Underwear. Danged if I can make heads or tails out of it.
8 Child Prodigies So Amazing They'll Ruin Your Day.
These guys took a boulder of Lego bricks and sent it rolling down a hill in San Francisco chasing a guy dressed as Indiana Jones! The boulder met its match in a car parked along the way.
10 Strangest Names EVAR! Some people had a legal change, and some were cursed by their loving parents.
A Hollywood orangutan is looking for work. Times are tough for everyone.
There’s a how-to book for every human activity imaginable. Some are quite unnecessary, others are written in fun. And some people even buy them! (via the Presurfer)
Parrot for Obama!
The Secret History of Star Wars. An ebook about how the story came to be. (via Geek Like Me)
What would you do with the last seconds of your life? Would you be able to enjoy the ride, when the last stop is in sight? Watch the animated video Fallen.
In the first point and click game, you try to save your world from a space collision. In the second game, you must find a lost dog. And if you’re familiar with Samorost, you know it’s really much more than that.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Informative Links
Brandon Pinto spills the beans on what it’s like to portray Captain Jack Sparrow at Disneyland. They told him no flirting, no mentioning alcohol, and no facial hair. Huh?
If wind can turn a turbine and produce electricty, how about harnessing the power of tides? Ireland is already doing it!
Sex as a consumer good and the problem with Hookup Culture. “Sex is like ice cream. The more flavors you sample, the harder it becomes to settle on one flavor for the rest of you life.”
A sense of powerlessness not only makes you feel frustrated and depressed, it also may negatively affect your mental skills. Remember that when dealing with your employees, students, or children.
Self-Repairing Aircraft Could Improve Air Safety. It probably won’t do much about delays and long lines.
Hold the mass graves and cremations: Dead bodies don't cause disease epidemics. After natural disasters, the real danger comes from the survivors.
A head of his time: Phineas Gage’s horrific accident. If you’re not already familiar with the case, it might make your head hurt.
Five Gadgets That Will Make You a Superhero. Of course, you have to be super rich to afford them.
What makes married men want to have affairs? This article goes far beyond “because they can.”
Buying a used car is greener than buying a hybrid. More likely to fit into your budget, too.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
God's Gun
A young Leif Garrett stars in this western drama about boy raised in a brothel and is befriended by a Priest who is killed by a gang of outlaws. The boy finds the Priest's twin brother who takes it upon himself to avenge his brother's death. 1976.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opens tomorrow, which means a lot of theaters will have showings that start just after midnight tonight (and they'll be crowded, even on a school night). I don't care what the reviews from Cannes say, and I don't care that Harrison Ford is 64 years old. I'll be there sometime this weekend, watching and enjoying Indy again.
10 Awesome Indiana Jones Facts. Stories about how the four movies were made.
Why Indiana Jones is our Greatest American Hero.
Even though he’s old.
Jokes, links and videos about Indiana Jones.
Spoiler-free Movie Review.
Links for Fun
Pictures of a Really Cool Grandma. (via Bits and Pieces)
Wedding Cake as Art. Shinmin Li spends her time obsessing over cake consistency, design details, and whether her clients will eat the finished product. See her website. (via Grow-A-Brain)
5 Vacation Planning Tips (According To Horror Movies).
Rods and Balls. This is the kind of thing your kids are seeing in science class these days. If they don’t remember the science behind it, they’ll at least remember how much this guy enjoys polishing his rod.
Responsibility. A sci-fi short story to make you think.
The farm where they grow eyeshadow. Really, it's a water treatment plant in Peru.
This is a bit of fun for a minute or two! Control the spider with your mouse. That curious six-legged thing with a dog’s tail and a beak isn’t so easy to control. (via Le Web ...et le reste.)
You know those occasional pictures you see of sports figures with their pants pulled off during a game or some such? Sports Dignity is a site where all those pictures are available. Contains nudity. Duh.
Wine-and-Junk-Food Pairing Challenge.
The 10 best beer names ever. (via Metafilter)
