Viking Ship Of Popsicle Sticks Sets Sail

by Jamie Rhein on

On Monday night I heard a story on CNN about the Viking ship made of popsicle sticks that recently set sail across IJesslmeer lake in the Netherlands. One of our sister sites, Engadget covered this story when the ship was first completed. The hope for this ship is that it will be seaworthy enough to follow the Viking route to North America. An accounting of the project was also covered in last Saturday’s The Gazette, a Montreal paper. There is a photo of the ship as well. (This photo is a popsicle raft featured in garretsbridges.com. Maybe a post idea for our newest sister site DIYLife?)

The story behind the popscicle Viking ship story is intriguing. Robert McDonald, the man in charge of this project, was badly burned as a child and his family killed in an explosion. Afterwards, because of his injuries, he was told that he wouldn’t be able to do what other kids can do. Ever since he has gone on to prove the naysayers wrong. He writes about his life and projects on his Web site, OB Viking Ship. Come to think of it, it does seem that McDonald, an American, is unable to do what most people do which is to buy a normal ship instead of building a replica of a Viking ship out of 15 million recycled popscicle sticks with the help of 5,000 school kids. His aim is to show that what people think is impossible is possible and intrigue kids to manifest their dreams. Here’s a TV report from the Netherlands on this latest undertaking to cross the Atlantic. There are English subtitles. I love this story.

The Most Mentos Geysers Ever

by Jamie Rhein on

If you’ve been to Cincinnati, Ohio, you’ve probably seen Fountain Square. The fountain in its center is my favorite of all fountains. I always loved going here as a child and whenever I see it, I think of my grandparents and summer visits. Fountain Square is in the heart of the downtown and is generally an elegant place, but here’s a video of downright silliness. Not long ago it was the centerpiece of the mentos geyser world record breaking event. More than 500 people showed up to partipate by dumping mentos in bottles of Diet Coke. Notice the raincoats. This is a real hoot. If you’re at Fountain Square from now until the 20th, stop by to watch the Office Olympics.

Topaz Japanese Internment Camp Joins Others as National Historic Landmark

by Jamie Rhein on

If you’ve ever read the novel Snow Falling on Cedars or seen the movie, perhaps you remember the scenes that took place in a Japanese internment camp. I recall David Guterson’s prose about the dust and wind that whipped through the camp where one of the main characters and his family were taken during WWII. The internment camps that were set up in the United States to house 120,000 Japanese-Americans after the Pearl Harbor attack are still evident in the buildings and barbed wire that remain. Most of the buildings are gone, however.

When I read about the Topaz Internment Camp becoming a National Historic Landmark, I thought about those scenes. Because of its national historic status, what’s left of the camp will remain as a witness to this piece of American history. The dedication ceremony was on June 30 and now the camp is a museum. Here’s a news clip of the dedication day. The footage includes interviews with former detainees and historic film clips. If you click on the photo you’ll go to normaltoilet’s Flickr page where other photos and descriptions are posted. You’ll also be able to read the sign better.

Six of the other ten internment camps are designated as National Historic Landmarks as well.

The Minidoka Relocation Center in Idaho is part of the National Park System.

Video: My Beers Around the World

by Justin Glow on


32-year-old Brazilian YouTube user russa0 uploaded this video of him drinking several hundred (that’s a guess, folks — I didn’t count) beers from around the world. Don’t you just hate it when someone comes up with such a simple idea for a project — one that leaves you slapping your forehead in amazement that you were unable to come up with it first? That’s how I feel about this. It just makes so much sense! I love to travel…I love beer…why not travel around the world drinking as many different types of beer as I possibly can, and photograph myself with a chintzy smile drinking each one of them? That way when people start calling me a lush, I can write it off as research. Brilliant! Job well done, russa0. [via]

The Simpsons Movie: Springfield Challenge

by Justin Glow on

Since the exact location was never explicitly revealed in any episode of The Simpsons, fourteen Springfields across America are currently battling it out to decide which town should be the true home of Homer and family.

Each of the fourteen Springfields in the running — Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, and Vermont — have created a video that showcases why they should be chosen, and each is now available on USAToday.com to watch.

The winning town will be awarded to the right to host the premiere of the movie before the U.S. release date of July 27th.

Log onto USAToday to watch the videos, and cast your vote for which town you think should win. If you have no particular interest in any of cities, cast your vote for Missouri, because…well, I live in Springfield, Missouri, and somebody has got to win, right?