[WILT] Space pee
“After the astronauts on the International Space Station finished up their communications with Space Shuttle Atlantis yesterday, the crew on the Space Station did something that no other astronaut has ever done before — drank recycled urine and sweat. The previous shuttle crew that recently returned to Earth brought back samples of the recycled water to make sure it was safe to drink, and all tests came back fine. So on Wednesday, the crew took their recycled urine and said ‘cheers’ together and toasted the researches and scientists that made the Urine Recycler possible. After drinking the water, they said the taste was great! They also said the water came with labels on it that said ‘drink this when real water is over 200 miles away.’”
(via someone Twittering a link to Slashdot)
[WILT] Thoreau’s dirty pants
From a Salon interview about a new anthology called “Dirt: The Quirks, Habits and Passions of Keeping House”:
What was your favorite story to read or edit?
I really don’t have a favorite, but there is one piece that absolutely doesn’t fit but was just too good not to include. It’s an imaginary conversation by Richard Goodman between Thoreau and someone who’s interviewing him for a job as a housecleaner — apparently he needs a day job. Did you know that Thoreau used to bring a bag of dirty laundry for his mother to wash when he’d go to visit her?
Well, no, I did not.
Neither did I.
[WILT] Conrad Schumann
Reading this piece in the New York Times by Christoph Niemann:
“In the first days after it went up, the wall was a barbed wire barrier. Conrad Schumann, a 19-year-old soldier in the East German army, was standing guard on the corner of Ruppiner Strasse and Bernauer Strasse. He was taunted and insulted by passers-by from the West and, on a whim, started running and hurdled the barbed wire into the West, thus becoming the subject of one of the most dramatic photographs of the time. Only recently have I realized that I often go jogging up that very sidewalk.”
“On 15 August 1961 he found himself, aged 19, guarding the Berlin Wall, then in its third day of construction, at the corner of Ruppinerstraße and Bernauerstraße. At that stage of construction, the Berlin Wall was only a low barbed wire fence. As the people on the Western side shouted Komm rüber! (“come over”), Schumann jumped the barbed wire and was driven away at high speeds by a waiting West Berlin police car. Photographer Peter Leibing captured a photograph of his escape on film and it became a well-known image of the Cold War.” (via)
[WILT] How to learn a little every day
Some good tips, and reminders on pursuing knowledge and learning deliberately.
- Make it part of your routine and give it 20 minutes
- Think About What Interests You and Surprise Yourself
- Use free resources
- Take notes, spend some time reviewing
Also: “Astronomers searching for the building blocks of life in a giant dust cloud at the heart of the Milky Way have concluded that it tastes vaguely of raspberries. . . . Curiously, ethyl formate has another distinguishing characteristic: it also smells of rum.” (via)
[WILT] How to regain control of a spooked camel
Photo by Travis Hightower
Today, Wikihow taught me how to regain control of a spooked camel.
“In some parts of North Africa and the Middle East, the camel remains the primary means of long-distance transportation. These remarkable animals are intelligent and strong, and they possess incredible endurance. They can also be quite fast: some camels can briefly attain speeds up to 40 miles per hour (64 km/h). While their speed makes them ideal for racing—camel races are very popular in many parts of the world—it can provide a camel rider with a harrowing, potentially deadly experience if a camel is spooked or otherwise begins to run out of control.”
P.S. “Don’t get angry with the camel or strike it after you have it under control. While your adrenaline may be pumping, it’s important that you keep your cool. Camels tend to hold grudges, so if you frighten or mistreat them, they are liable to be unpleasant in the future.”
Life skills, people.
