Diversions Archive
Was heart disease the real Mummy's Curse?
SmartBrief on Leadership | Nov 20, 2009
The ancient Egyptians may not have had fast food or boardroom burnout to contend with, but they were far from healthy, scientists say. Computer imaging of mummified remains show that many high-ranking Egyptians had calcified arteries -- a telltale sign of heart disease and atherosclerosis. Far from being a uniquely modern affliction, researchers say, heart disease may simply part of being human.
Hotel lets guests embrace their inner hamster
SmartBrief on Leadership | Nov 19, 2009
The next time business takes you to Nantes, France, consider checking into the world's first hamster-themed hotel room. The 99-euro-a-night novelty suite, known as the Hamster Villa, allows visitors to don a hamster costume before working up a sweat on a giant hamster wheel, feasting on hamster grain, then falling sleep on hay bales.
Electronic bears take up residence at St. Louis Zoo
SmartBrief on Leadership | Nov 18, 2009
St. Louis Zoo hasn't had much luck with its polar bears: One got cancer, another choked on a bit of plastic and another still succumbed to infection. So when their last polar bear passed away, zookeepers decided to replace the temperamental beasts with electronic versions. Now a family of not-especially-lifelike polar bears has been installed in the enclosure formerly occupied by the ill-fated flesh-and-blood animals.
A historian's view of holidays past
SmartBrief on Leadership | Nov 17, 2009
The National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., has created "Holidays on Display," a look at the art and business behind events such as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Washington's late Woodward & Lothrop department store, which once had 50,000 visitors a day to its holiday window display, inspired the collection.
How salty slang shaped modern English
SmartBrief on Leadership | Nov 16, 2009
Groggy and under the weather? Try chewing the fat -- or even getting three sheets to the wind -- with this guide to the nautical roots of nine common words and phrases.
Deep-sea crab eats timber from wrecked ships
SmartBrief on Leadership | Nov 13, 2009
Scientists have found a species of crab that lives deep in the ocean -- but survives by eating trees. The deep-sea crab nibbles on sunken driftwood and timber from shipwrecks, biting off splinters that are then broken down by its intestinal bacteria and fungi.
Frankenfruit stays fresh for longer
SmartBrief on Leadership | Nov 12, 2009
Scientists have bred a hybrid apple that stays crisp and fresh for up to four months in the fridge. The fruit, known as RS103-130, is naturally resistant to many common apple diseases -- and its creators say it tastes great, too.
Barcodes with pizzazz
SmartBrief on Leadership | Nov 11, 2009
Japanese graphic designers are jazzing up the humble barcode, using the familiar black and white lines to create machine-scannable pictures of stockings, wind-farms, forests and flowerbeds. "Barcodes grace almost every product for sale," notes Cliff Kuang. "Given how much package real estate they command, why shouldn't they look cool?"
World's largest historical thesaurus goes to press
SmartBrief on Leadership | Nov 10, 2009
After 44 years, the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary is finally ready for prime time. With 4,000 pages and about 800,000 entries subdivided into 236,400 categories, the massive tome rearranges the OED to show language's evolution from Old English to modern technobabble.
Babies howl with an accent, scientists say
SmartBrief on Leadership | Nov 09, 2009
By the time they're two days old, newborn infants cry with the same "prosody," or melody, used in their native language, researchers say. French babies have a lilting cry; German infants have a more intense, staccato rhythm to their sobbing. Scientists say the accented howls may signify that babies absorb speech patterns even while in utero.
Man turns up alive at his own funeral
SmartBrief on Leadership | Nov 06, 2009
A Brazilian bricklayer stunned friends and family by wandering into his own funeral. The man had been on an all-night drinking spree when relatives mistakenly identified the body of a disfigured car-crash victim as belonging to him. "An aunt and four of his friends identified the body, so what were we to do? We went ahead with the funeral," said the man's niece.
Why Google still feels lucky
SmartBrief on Leadership | Nov 05, 2009
Since Google's "I'm Feeling Lucky" button bypasses the search engine's results page, where users are shown ads, it costs the company $110 million in lost ad revenues every year. The feature persists just because the company's founders worried the site would start to feel to corporate. What else would you expect from a company that built its first computer storage from LEGO, has a "first dog" and uses a tricycle for official business?
It's opera -- but not as you know it
SmartBrief on Leadership | Nov 04, 2009
A new generation of opera directors is using technical wizardry to transform their productions. From Valkyries wielding light sabers to a robotic chorus and musical chandeliers, there's no end to the high-tech hijinks going down at the world's top opera houses.
Kissing gives you cooties -- and that's a good thing
SmartBrief on Leadership | Nov 03, 2009
Scientists say that kissing may have evolved to help women build resistance to a virus found in male saliva. The Cytomegalovirus germ is normally harmless but can kill unborn babies if it's contracted during pregnancy. Research shows that kissing before pregnancy gives women a chance to inoculate themselves against the virus, helping to ensure the health of their baby.
Bad driving could be hardwired
SmartBrief on Leadership | Nov 02, 2009
Researchers believe that a single gene found in a third of Americans could cause sloppy driving. Undergraduates who possessed the gene, which affects the brain's ability to rewire itself and thus its ability to learn new skills, made 20% more mistakes during a driving simulation than their more genetically fortunate peers. "The people who had this genetic variation performed more poorly from the get-go," says neurologist Steven Cramer. "It's up to society to say, how do we deal with that fact?"
PepsiCo to pay $1.26 billion for missing court date
SmartBrief on Leadership | Oct 30, 2009
Lawyers for PepsiCo failed to put in an appearance at a Wisconsin state court last month to defend the company against claims that it stole the idea for Aquafina bottled water -- so the judge entered a whopping $1.26 billion default judgment against the soft-drink giant. Now Pepsi is scrambling to have the damages dropped, claiming that due to a breakdown in internal communications, their legal department wasn't notified of the court date in time.
The making of the modern mall
SmartBrief on Leadership | Oct 29, 2009
Ever wondered how the biggest department stores got started? From Rowland Hussey Macy's time on a Nantucket whaling ship to the story of Richard W. Sears' days as a freelance watch salesman, these seven stories offer a new perspective on our shopping heritage.
Researchers claim to have solved Earhart mystery
SmartBrief on Leadership | Oct 28, 2009
Researchers say they've solved the mystery of aviator Amelia Earhart's disappearance, concluding that she lived out the remainder of her days on the uninhabited island of Nikumaroro, in the southwestern Pacific republic of Kiribat. Members of The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery made the determination based on records from a British Colonial Service officer, who found remains and gear on the island.
Vamp up your vacation
SmartBrief on Leadership | Oct 27, 2009
Bored with beach holidays? Try a vampire vacation. Pilgrimages to Transylvania or Forks, Washington, (home to the Twilight series) are the obvious place to start, but holiday operators are also running fangs-and-cape tours of less likely destinations, including San Francisco and New Orleans.
Whale battle royale caught on film
SmartBrief on Leadership | Oct 26, 2009
Humpback whales battle for dominance while chasing a potential mate, according to new footage that records the ritual for the first time. The 40-ton animals leap out of the water, delivering blows that could potentially kill other suitors. "It's the closest we're ever going to get to dinosaurs fighting," says one scientist.
10 famous folks who started out working for Mickey Mouse
SmartBrief on Leadership | Oct 23, 2009
Ronald Reagan, Steve Martin and Pixar's John Lasseter are just some of the celebrities who toiled at The Walt Disney Co. before they caught their big breaks.
Artists trade paintbrushes for scissors
SmartBrief on Leadership | Oct 22, 2009
New York's Museum of Art and Design is hosting an exhibition of art made simply by snipping away at bits of paper. But forget paper snowflakes: these artworks range from dizzying abstract shapes to conceptual pieces like a book with every single word cut out.
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