One Chinese family in Xinxiang City, Henan Province has gotten the Year of the Dragon off to a stellar start, producing the heaviest newborn ever recorded in China, weighing in at a whopping 15,52lb, or just over 7kg!
This thing. Is the coolest thing. Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner is going to overcome his dorky name by leaping from a balloon at a height of 36km, and 35 seconds later become the first person to break the sound barrier during free fall. Then he’ll probably deploy his parachute and land safely in New Mexico.
Scientists believe they have discovered the oldest works of art known to mankind. Although the six pieces are supposedly of seals, they’ve been described as somewhat of “an academic bombshell”. That’s because they’re 42 000 years old, and are the only known pieces created by Neanderthal man, who preceded homo sapiens, more commonly known as humans.
Sure, Marvel dropped their ‘Avengers’ trailer during the super bowl too, but if there’s one thing Marvel likes it’s making money, and nothing makes money like overstimulated comic book movie fans. And this trailer for Marc Webb’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man,’ starring Andrew Garfield & Emma Stone, is very, very stimulating.
On Monday, the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs in South Africa, Edna Molewa, met with the Minister of Tourism in Mozambique, Fernando Sumbana Junior. They met in Pretoria to discuss solutions to the rhino poaching epidemic occurring in the Kruger National Park. This is what they’ve concluded so far.
TRENDnet, a networking solutions company whose slogan reads “Networks People Trust”, recently came under fire when it was revealed that 100s of their supposedly secure internet cameras could be easily accessed thanks to a flaw in the system.
So! Die Antwoord’s new album, TEN$ION, is coming out tomorrow – the first release on their new, Interscope-free, indie label, ZEF Records. Which is cool. Even cooler is the fact that it’s available for free streaming on Dutch broadcasting channel 3VOOR12, in case you’re somebody who likes free stuff. Listen here.
Peta, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has launched a lawsuit against SeaWorld in which five killer whales have been named as the plaintiffs. The court case argues that they deserve the same constitutional protection from slavery as humans.
Yesterday, OK Go released their new music video for Needing/Getting, which doubled as a Super Bowl ad for the Chevy Sonic. The band drives a Chevy fitted with retractable arms down a 3km stretch of desert lined with 1 000 instruments to perform a version of “Needing/Getting” that took four months to prep and four days to shoot.
Overnight temperatures in Finland have been plummeting to minus 40 degrees Celsius, all forms of travel have begun to become severely effected, and the cold is expected to continue for days to come.
Hot off the press in Iran this morning comes a report that the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults in Tehran has added any and all toys derived from The Simpsons to a nationwide ban list, which includes Barbie dolls and assorted products.
Ever since its launch at the end of last year, Apple’s Siri has been at the top of everyone’s “to get” list. A virtual assistant that is so much more than that, it has thrilled users the world round. That is of course unless you’re from Scotland in which case you might as well be talking into a Nokia 3310.
An 83-year-old woman has successfully had her lower jaw replaced with a 3D-printed model by scientists at Belgium’s University of Hasselt. This is the first such implant in the world, and was a much faster process than traditional artificial implants – we’re taking hours instead of days.
In the December business quarter, Apple’s iPhone business generated $24,4 billion of revenue. Microsoft’s whole company, from Windows to Office to servers to Xbox, generated just $20,9 billion.
Yesterday’s 46th Superbowl in the States, which saw the New York Giants eke out a last minute 21-17 win over the New England Patriots, also saw an unprecedented surge in activity on social messaging phenomenon, Twitter. To the tune of 10 000 tweets per minute, that is.
It is very, very dangerous being ambassadorial these days. Probably moreso if you were ever one of Muammar Gaddafi’s diplomats. Libya’s former ambassador to France, Omar Brebesh, died during detention by armed militia in Tripoli – and judging from the autopsy, it was not a merciful killing.
Beer companies around the world: we expect to see you using this technology soon, please. West Coast Chill Pure Energy Drink is based on natural ingredients and contains no sugar, caffeine, artificial colours or flavours. But, why it’s really unique, is because the can will have a tab the consumer will push to automatically cool it down.
OK Go did a song about the primary colours on Sesame Street. No other band would make me care about this, but OK Go are sort of the kings of viral videos. So click through for some stop-motion, a new track, and primary-coloured theme outfits. No spandex this time, though.
Last year we reported about a tribe in western Brazil that had, until then, not been contacted by modern man. But they were a bit shy and even fired arrows at tourists in passing boats, resulting in the death of one man. Check out these rare images of them, taken from 120m away using a telescope mounted on a camera.
The US, the most powerful nation in the world both in terms of their economy and military seem to be lacking in one crucial area; education. A recent short study done by a high school student portrays the average American student as not knowing all too much about their own country.
Oh Newt. What are you thinking? Is this another attempt to lure a fourth wife, after the dumping the one that had cancer? Not cool dude. Our main man Newt, hot on the heels of Mitt Romney as lead Republican presidential candidate in the upcoming US election campaign, feels Brad Pitt will be perfect to play him in the movie about his life.
New research funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and published in the British medical journal the Lancet, suggests 1,24 million people died from the mosquito-borne disease in 2010: nearly twice the number previously estimated for that period. Oh, and six cases of infection were diagnosed in Pretoria recently too.
Spaceflight start-up, SpaceX – those guys who want to put a person on Mars in the next decade or two – has been demonstrating the potency of its SuperDraco rockets at their test facility in Texas. Take a look at the fancily-named rockets in action after the jump.
Think our South African Protection of Information Bill is scary? It’s nothing on Zimbabwe’s media commission, which has announced that it will actively ban foreign newspapers and magazines henceforth.
145 water skiers have just set a new world record for exactly that: the most people to water ski behind one vessel. Nine fell off along the way, and won’t be counted as part of the record.
People who like Pink Floyd references, rejoice, because NASA’s Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission has beamed back its first video of the dark side of the moon. Click through to see what that astronaut that everybody forgets about saw while Armstrong and Aldrin were hogging all the glory.
Wallaby legend Clyde Rathbone has broken his silence about his years long battle with the depression that cost him his marriage, and almost his life. We’ve got his full awe-inspiring statement, detailing how he fought back, after the jump.
Hey dictators. Got a national reputation problem on your hands? You could invest in some good public relations, couldn’t you? Specifically, give Racepoint PR a call – they’re the agency that did such a good job of brushing up Colonel Gadhafi’s image and, more recently, shifting attention away from Rwanda’s genocide problem.
Dozens are dead and countless more are seeking medical attention as an icy winter rages on in Eastern Europe. At last count 58 people were reported dead in the last week, most of them succumbing to hypothermia and severe frostbite.
Facebook is expected to file for an IPO later today – Wednesday morning stateside – raising $5 billion. This is a fair deal less than the $10 billion previously rumored. Folks figure Zuckerberg wants to start with a conservative base at first. Because he can’t be sure this “Face-book” thing is going to take off.