Diversions Archive
Want to get into Harvard? Take a lesson from "Linsanity"
SmartBrief on Leadership | Feb 16, 2012
Before causing "Linsanity" on the court for the New York Knicks, Jeremy Lin showed his media savvy as a Harvard University student. A video from college shows Lin teaching prospective students how to get into Harvard. Some tips include, wearing glasses (3D glasses are a bonus), playing obscure musical instruments like the triangle and using video games to enhance test-taking skills.
Proof that CEOs love their dogs
SmartBrief on Leadership | Feb 15, 2012
Many CEOs are crazy about dogs, and over the years, Fortune's photographers have grabbed unguarded snapshots of some of the business world's biggest names relaxing with their canine companions. Among the highlights: Richard Branson sharing a sun-drenched pool with a pampered pooch, Sam Walton out hunting with his faithful hound and former Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy pulling faces with his two dogs.
Are you a below-average Valentine?
SmartBrief on Leadership | Feb 14, 2012
It's Valentine's Day, and if you're planning on spending less than $126.03 on your romantic partner, then you're officially a below-average lover. That's according to data from the National Retail Foundation, which also notes that the average consumer will spend $25.25 on Valentine's gifts for their family members and $4.52 on gifts for their pets.
Swedish bunny racers leave Brits hopping mad
SmartBrief on Leadership | Feb 13, 2012
British bunny breeders are no match for Swedish racing rabbits, even at the U.K. national rabbit-racing championship. Bunny racing, in which specially bred and trained rabbits race around an obstacle course, is a pastime in Sweden but remains a hobby in Britain. "It's like the English Premier League versus L.A. Galaxy," says event organizer Jason Madeley.
Is your cat harboring an evil puppet master?
SmartBrief on Leadership | Feb 10, 2012
A tiny parasite that lives and breeds inside cats might cause reckless behavior, trigger mental disorders and even distort the fashion sense of some pet owners. The bug has evolved to infect small mammals that come in contact with cat excrement, inducing risk-taking behaviors that make the animals more likely to be eaten by other cats. Some scientists believe the parasite could also tweak human behavior, making its victims more attracted to cats and less concerned about a range of environmental threats.
Myanmar rebels dodge bullets, then shoot birdies
SmartBrief on Leadership | Feb 09, 2012
After a hard day battling government troops, Myanmar's rebel fighters like to decompress by playing a round or two of golf. A sliver of rebel-held territory a few miles from the front line has been converted into a six-hole golf course, complete with sand traps and a rudimentary clubhouse. "Golf clears the mind for officers to make decisions," says Col. Maran Zaw Tawng, the club's secretary.
In Britain, even the cats love soccer
SmartBrief on Leadership | Feb 08, 2012
A cat attempted to join in a U.K. Premier League soccer match over the weekend. The cat sprinted onto the pitch during a match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, forcing the referee to suspend the game while waiting for the animal to move to the sidelines.
Hidden pig leaves Vermont police blushing
SmartBrief on Leadership | Feb 07, 2012
Four years ago, the Vermont State Police had a print shop run by prison inmates to create shields for its patrol cars. Now, after deploying the logo on at least 30 vehicles, embarrassed officers discovered a small but clearly visible image of a pig hidden on the logos, apparently planted there by a mischievous convict.
Thief made off with chunk of a glacier, police say
SmartBrief on Leadership | Feb 06, 2012
Police in Chile arrested a man on suspicion of stealing from a glacier. The man is accused of using a refrigerated truck to abscond with five metric tons of ice, which he apparently planned to sell to local bars and nightclubs for use as designer ice cubes.
What if everyone but you won the lottery? This man knows.
SmartBrief on Leadership | Feb 03, 2012
Villagers in Sodeto, Spain, banded together to buy tickets for an annual lottery called El Gordo, but forgot to tell Costis Mitsotakis. When they won, they split the $950 million prize more than 1,800 ways. Mitsotakis says he would have liked to win, but he might benefit after all. Some property he had been trying to sell is attracting interest from suddenly wealthy neighbors.
How to battle a wolf when you aren't Liam Neeson
SmartBrief on Leadership | Feb 02, 2012
North American wolves rarely attack people, contrary to what the Liam Neeson film "The Grey" might have you believe. Still, were you to be confronted by wolves, loud noises and attempts to look large and intimidating are your best bet -- especially if you're unarmed, writes L. V. Anderson. "Climbing a tree could also compel a wolf to leave you alone, but never run away; doing so could trigger a wolf’s predatory instinct to chase you," Anderson writes.
How The Oatmeal became the Web's favorite treat
SmartBrief on Leadership | Feb 01, 2012
Matthew Inman is not a household name, but his Web comic The Oatmeal is a social-sharing staple, complete with a book and online swag. Inman and QuestionableContent creator Jeph Jacques are natural-born shills who get more exposure and money through merchandise than by advertising or publishing deals. "[T]hey're not selling comics or eyeballs; they're running online stores," writes Shane Snow.
Jumbo contact lens helps elephant see more clearly
SmartBrief on Leadership | Jan 31, 2012
A Dutch veterinarian fitted a 45-year-old Asian elephant with a contact lens to help fix a scratched cornea. Anne-Marie Verbruggen had fitted horses with contact lenses, but this was her first attempt with an elephant. "The main difficulty was her height. ... I used a ladder to get close enough," she says.
Teens send Lego man into space
SmartBrief on Leadership | Jan 30, 2012
Two Canadian teenagers sent a Lego man into space at a cost of only $400. They strapped the Lego man and an automatic camera into a Styrofoam box, bought helium from a party-supply store to inflate a giant balloon, and set it loose. The contraption soared to about 15 miles above sea level before descending gently to Earth under a homemade parachute.
Japanese entrepreneur opens hotel for corpses
SmartBrief on Leadership | Jan 27, 2012
Japanese crematoriums are overbooked, so an enterprising Yokohama businessman opened a "hotel" to store bodies until their funerals. For $157 a night, the hotel stores occupied coffins in a refrigerated storage area. The coffins are transported through a hatch into a visiting area, where people can pay their respects.
Escaped cat grounds Canadian airliner
SmartBrief on Leadership | Jan 26, 2012
Never mind snakes on planes -- it took just one little house cat to ground an Air Canada flight this week. The cat, named Ripples, escaped from its carrier just before a Toronto-bound plane took off from Halifax airport. Ripples hid behind paneling in the cockpit. The plane was grounded for more than four hours while workers removed panels, extricated Ripples and made sure that no damage had been done.
Swiss entrepreneur plans '50s-style village for elderly patients
SmartBrief on Leadership | Jan 25, 2012
Swiss businessman Markus Vögtlin wants to build a village for dementia sufferers that will create the illusion that patients are still living in the 1950s. Housing and furnishings will be designed to simulate the era, and residents will be watched over by caregivers disguised as gardeners and hairdressers. "Such an environment makes them feel comfortable. I call it traveling back in time," Vögtlin says.
Firefighters rescue stuffed tiger from hotel rooftop
SmartBrief on Leadership | Jan 24, 2012
Houston firefighters staged a daring rescue to help an 8-foot tiger that was stuck on a hotel rooftop -- only to learn that the beast was really an oversize stuffed toy. The firefighters went ahead with the rescue because the tiger was distracting passing motorists.
"Star Wars" remake takes YouTube by storm
SmartBrief on Leadership | Jan 23, 2012
You can now watch the first "Star Wars" movie in its entirety on YouTube -- but not the version directed by George Lucas. Hundreds of fans banded together to remake the movie, shot by shot. Each contributed a 15-second clip and their homemade re-enactments were spliced together into a full-length re-creation.
Afghan artist creates 1,100-pound Quran
SmartBrief on Leadership | Jan 20, 2012
An artist in Afghanistan made the world's largest Quran to highlight the country's artistic heritage and cultural scene. The huge holy book, which is 7-foot-6 and weighs more than 1,100 pounds, is bound in the hides of 21 goats.
Cheeseburgers are impossible, food experts say
SmartBrief on Leadership | Jan 19, 2012
The humble cheeseburger would be impossible to make without an industrialized and globalized food economy, experts say. Tomatoes and lettuce don't ripen in the same seasons, and a small-scale farmer would struggle to put beef, cheese and buns on the plate. "The process of making such a burger would ... be wildly expensive -- requiring a trio of cows -- and demand many acres of land," blogger Waldo Jaquith writes. "There’s just no sense in it.”
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