High Definite/Links

7 Commonly Corrected Grammar Errors (That Aren’t Mistakes) – [Cracked]

The 2012 Forbes Fictional 15 – [Forbes]

10 Fictional Characters You Probably Didn’t Know Were Based on Real People - [Flavorwire]

What Really Happens When You Swallow Your Gum? – [Gizmodo]

You’ve heard the warnings: If you swallow gum, it will stay in your digestive system for nearly a decade. Which would mean there’s a decent chance you’ve got some hanging out in your gut right now. If you look at its ingredients—a delicious mix of indigestible compounds—it certainly seems possible. And if you look at the medical books, swallowed gum has caused some serious problems. Is it possible that your mom’s crazy warnings were right?

Lessons in the Art of Pillow Fort Construction - [NY Times]

Given that my two children are mere toddlers, I’m not worried yet about the last-fort problem. I’m still working on figuring out how to build a half-decent one, what with my severe deficit in engineering skills. I’m expert in the field of collapse. So I reached out to Ms. Foster and other architectural experts for help with constructing the perfect pillow-and-blanket structure.

But my search for practical counsel unearthed something else, too. I discovered some tears, an enthusiasm I didn’t quite anticipate and, in the end, something unexpected. I won’t look at a pillow fort in quite the same way again.

The Grandmaster Experiment – [Psychology Today]

How did one family produce three of the most successful female chess champions ever?

Alison Brie: Prude Awakening – [NY Mag]

Unlike the uptight characters she plays on two of TV’s most critically beloved shows—she’s Pete Campbell’s traditionalist wife, Trudy, on Mad Men, and prudish former Adderall addict Annie Edison on Community—Brie is bawdy, fun, and a little shameless. When I casually mention see-through tops, Brie rips open her jacket: She’s wearing one, with a neon-pink bra underneath. “Oh my gosh,” she says. “I’m all about seeing your bra through your clothes.”

Pic via

The Billfold takes a shot at answering the age-old question.

Calculating his velocity (roughly 5 m/s2) suggests that this mountain (of which we cannot see the summit) has a slope of 35 degrees, putting a rough estimate of the entire hill at 73.5 billion. Is it possible that McDuck pushed together his wealth to make this monstrosity? In theory, yes, but the eye line of McDuck (fixed at 8 degrees above the horizon relative to the slope) suggests that there are at least two other such mounds, putting his total wealth at over 210 billion, and well beyond the meager 70 billion of richest man in the world Carlos Slim Helu. It’s also heartening to see cash in this picture, as a diverse portfolio is always a successful one.

The Billfold

6 Stupid Gun Myths Everyone Believes (Thanks to Movies) – [Cracked]

I Am Zeddie Little, “Ridiculously Photogenic Guy”. Ask Me Anything. – [Reddit]

11 Secret Service Agents Get Security Clearances Revoked – [CBS News]

The Secret Service has revoked the top secret security clearances for all 11 agents and officers accused of misconduct during a presidential mission to Colombia over the weekend.

The Secret Service personnel were sent back to the U.S. through Miami and interviewed in Washington regarding the alleged hiring of prostitutes and other misconduct. They have been placed on administrative leave and barred from entering Secret Service facilities worldwide.

Pippa Middleton Caught Up In Paris Gun-Wielding Incident - [LA Times]

First it was Pippa Middleton’s buns, but now it’s a gun that’s got the eyes of the world trained on the sister of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

Pippa was photographed in Paris on Sunday in a car with with three male friends, the driver brandishing what appeared to be a semiautomatic pistol at a photographer allegedly shadowing their Audi on a moped, London’s the Sun reported. One of the images the pap’s camera caught? A look straight down the barrel, with Pippa riding — appropriately enough — shotgun.

Those pictures were allegedly turned over to Paris judicial police as part of a formal complaint that has been made, the Daily Mail reported, though a decision has not yet been made on whether to involve an examining magistrate.

The Richest, Fattest Nation on Earth (It’s Not the United States) – [The Atlantic]

Qatar is a tiny country with a big problem. This Connecticut-sized nation, sticking out like a loose tooth in the Persian Gulf, is one of the most obese nations in the world, with residents fatter, on average, than even those of the United States, which often takes the cake in such competitions.

According to recent studies, roughly half of adults and a third of children in Qatar are obese, and almost 17 percent of the native population suffers from diabetes. By comparison, about a third of Americans are obese, and eight percent are diabetic. Qatar also has very high rates of birth defects and genetic disorders — problems that, along with the prevalence of obesity (PDF) and diabetes, have worsened in recent decades, according to local and international health experts.

Waxy.org Turns 10 (Congrats) – [Waxy]

The decision to start writing here regularly changed my entire life. It’s given me exposure, a place to share my projects and crazy experimentation with technology. It’s created new opportunities for me, directly or indirectly responsible for every major project I’ve gotten involved in. It’s a place to play and experiment with ideas, some of which led to big breakthroughs and passions. And it connected me to people who cared about the things I did, many of whom became lifelong friends.

Pic: My Dog Didn’t Know What To Think…

The 5 Creepiest Disappearances That Nobody Can Explain – [Cracked]

10 Big Companies That Pay No Taxes (and Their Favorite Politicians) – [Mother Jones]

11 Reasons Springfield (from The Simpsons) Isn’t In Oregon – [11 Points] (context)

Is Facebook Making Us Lonely? – [The Atlantic]

Social media—from Facebook to Twitter—have made us more densely networked than ever. Yet for all this connectivity, new research suggests that we have never been lonelier (or more narcissistic)—and that this loneliness is making us mentally and physically ill. A report on what the epidemic of loneliness is doing to our souls and our society.

Jon Stewart and the Burden of History – [Esquire]

Sorry. It’s just that when you’re talking about Jon Stewart, you’re never just talking about Jon Stewart. You’re invoking the Jon Stewart narrative — the collective fantasy about Jon Stewart — and it leads to all sorts of inappropriate historical comparisons. You can even play the Jon Stewart Game, in which you start telling his story and see how long it takes you to compare him to someone he should feel really uncomfortable being compared to. See, he really is just a man, and a man from New Jersey at that. The township he’s from, Lawrence, is right between Princeton and Trenton — right at the intersection of smart and tough. He’s always been a ballsy little guy, with a feeling for the little guy.

Friday the 13th: Jason Voorhees’ Body Count (Graphic) – [National Post]

Pic via

7 Random Things You Won’t Believe Are Shortening Your Life - [Cracked]

What You Should Know About CISPA, The Bill That’s Not Exactly Like SOPA, But Just As Bad – [Geekosystem]

It wasn’t long ago that the potentially Internet-destroying twins SOPA and PIPA were effectively defeated, but ever since they snuck up on the Internet-at-large, there’s been the worry that something similar might happen again. Well, it’s happening. The new bill HR 3523, or the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA), while different from SOPA in many ways, is pushing its way through Congress as we speak, and could pose a serious threat to the Internet that is both very similar and very different from SOPA.

DOJ Sues Apple, Publishers Over E-Book Price Fixing – [WSJ]

The U.S. hit Apple Inc. and five of the nation’s largest publishers with an antitrust lawsuit over the fast-growing e-book market, alleging they conspired to raise prices and block Amazon.com Inc. from selling e-books at $9.99.

Three of the publishers settled the U.S. suit and agreed to let Amazon and other retailers set the consumer price of e-books, upending the model that had led the price of many best-selling e-books to rise to $12.99 or $14.99. A separate settlement with states could lead to tens of millions of dollars in restitution to consumers who bought e-books.

George Zimmerman To Be Charged In Trayvon Martin Shooting – [Washington Post]

Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey plans to announce as early as Wednesday afternoon that she is charging neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, according to a law enforcement official close to the investigation.

It was not immediately clear what charge Zimmerman will face.

Martin, 17 and unarmed, was shot and killed Feb. 26 by Zimmerman, who said he was acting in self-defense. Police in Sanford, Fla., where the shooting took place, did not charge Zimmerman, citing the state’s “stand your ground” law.

Oak Ridge: The U.S. Government’s Top-Secret Town – [A Continuous Lean] (via)

In 1942, as part of the Manhattan Project, the U.S. government acquired 70,000 acres of land in Eastern Tennessee and established a secret town called Oak Ridge. The name chosen to keep outside speculation to a minimum, because Oak Ridge served a vital role for the development of the atomic bomb. The massive complex of massive factories, administrative buildings and every other place a normal town needs to function, was developed for the sole purpose of separating uranium for the Manhattan Project. The completely planned community was designed by the architecture firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, and had a population of more than 70,000 people. Due to the sensitive nature of the work at Oak Ridge, the entire town was fenced in with armed guards and the entire place — much like the Manhattan Project in general — was a secret of the highest concern.

What To Expect From Anchorman 2 – [Slate]

I don’t want to give away too much, but I’ll just give a couple pieces of ideas that we’ve kicked around. Keep in mind we’re still writing the story, but I’ll say one phrase for you: custody battle. I’ll give you that. I’ll give you one other one: bowling for dollars.

Pic via

Click through to see the rest. | Related: Coachella 2012 Set Times

Matt Groening reveals where the town of Springfield got its name from in an interview with Smithsonian Mag.

Springfield was named after Springfield, Oregon. The only reason is that when I was a kid, the TV show “Father Knows Best” took place in the town of Springfield, and I was thrilled because I imagined that it was the town next to Portland, my hometown. When I grew up, I realized it was just a fictitious name. I also figured out that Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, “This will be cool; everyone will think it’s their Springfield.” And they do.

Full interview at Smithsonian Mag. | Related: What The Simpsons’ Springfield Looks Like In Real Life

The Story Behind Don Draper’s New Digs

5 Species You Won’t Believe Are Related – [Cracked]

Facebook Buys Instagram for $1 Billion – [NY Times]

Facebook is not waiting for its initial public offering to make its first big purchase.

In its largest acquisition to date, the social network has purchased Instagram, the popular photo-sharing application, for about $1 billion in cash and stock, the company said Monday.

With Instagram, Facebook will get a formidable mobile player – an area that is seen as a weakness for the sprawling social network. Founded two years ago, the service — which lets users share photos and apply stylized filters – has become one of the most downloaded applications on the iPhone, with some 30 million users. Instagram released a version of its application for Google’s Android operating system last week.

Related: Instagram Users React

AOL Sells 800 Patents For $1.1 Billion To Microsoft – [Tech Crunch]

This just in: one chapter of AOL’s patent journey is coming to an end. The company is selling 800 patents to Microsoft for just north of $1 billion: $1.056 billion in cash to be exact.

Tim Armstrong, the CEO of AOL (which owns TechCrunch), says that the company will continue to hold on to about 300 patents and patent applications after the sale. These span “core and strategic technologies” around advertising, search and content generation, he noted in a memo to employees.

To Be a Woman in Pakistan: Six Stories of Abuse, Shame, and Survival – [The Atlantic]

A difficult irony for women in Pakistan is that, should a victim speak up about physical or sexual abuse, she is seen as having lost her and her family’s dignity. Many rapes go unreported as the victim fears she will become worthless in Pakistani society. Often, women will turn to their employers; families they can trust. It’s a typically unnoticed form of charity but one that can be crucial to their survival.

These are the stories of six poor, working women of different ages, backgrounds, and life experiences in the Pakistani city of Karachi, where I grew up and where I met them. In interviews, which I have translated, edited, and condensed below, they told me about their lives and struggles within a cycle of poverty and, often times, violence.

RIP: “Painter of Light” Thomas Kinkade (54), 60 Minutes interviewer Mike Wallace (93), Jack Tramiel: Founder of Commodore International (83)

Pic via | context

The 5 Most Badass Tales of Wartime Survival – [Cracked]

11 Horrifying (and Sometimes Sexy) Ingredients Hidden In Popular Foods – [11 Points]

Yahoo Cuts 14 Percent Of Workforce; 2,000 Given Pink Slips – [TechCrunch]

Yahoo has made its massive round of layoffs official. The company just released a statement saying that 2,000 jobs have been cut, or 14 percent of it total workforce (which was previously around 14,000).

Yahoo says that it will save $375 million upon completion of the layoffs. The company currently expects $125 to $145 million in a pretax cash charge relating to employee severance packages.

80-Year-Old Woman Lands Plane After Husband Dies Mid-Flight – [NewsFeed]

Helen and John Collins, a Wisconsin couple married for more than half a century, were flying home from their winter home in Florida on April 2. John, an 81-year-old who flew hundreds of hours each year with his private pilot’s license, was at the helm of a Cessna twin-engine plane when he suddenly fell unconscious a few miles from their hometown. The couple’s son, James Collins, told the Associated Press on Tuesday that his 80-year-old mother, the only passenger, immediately knew his father was dead.

The Quietest Room in the World - [TCB Mag] (via)

In 2005, the Guinness Book of World Records proclaimed the anechoic chamber at Orfield Laboratories in South Minneapolis the “Quietest Place on Earth.” The nation’s only certified anechoic chamber in an independent lab, it is a room within a room within a room; the innermost chamber is lined with 3.3-foot-thick fiberglass acoustic wedges and floats on I-beams and springs. Both inner rooms have double walls of insulated steel; the outside walls are foot-thick concrete. The background noise level is minus 9.4 decibels. In this room, even a dog is deaf to the world outside.

The total absence of sound outside your body makes you keenly aware of what’s going on inside your body. Your heart pumps. Your lungs inflate and deflate. Your ears buzz. Your blood pulses. In an anechoic chamber, you are one noisy organism. With no reverberation in the room, you have no spatial orientation cues. After about half an hour in the dark, you can become disoriented. Eventually, you might experience visual and aural hallucinations.

Earth Hour 2012 (Photos) – [The Big Picture]

Pic: THD’s Facebook | Story