Health

Shoes That Make Everyone The Same Height

Berlin-based artist Hans Hemmert threw a party where guests wore shoe-extenders to make them all the same height of 2 meters (6 feet 7 inches).

Aside from bringing the partygoers all to a common eye level, the gathering is lent an infographic nature by the shoes: all made from blue foam, the person’s real height is read in the visual uniformity of the sole instead of at the head – like a walking bar graph.

Via Presurfer

Brushing Your Teeth With Urine (WFOTD)

Can you imagine that toothbrushes have been around since 3000 BC? Well they have, although they were very different to the ones we use today. They were actually just small branches with one end frayed used to remove small particles from the teeth. They used to call them “chew sticks”.

You may be wondering what they used for toothpaste. The Egyptions used a toothpaste in 2000 BC, made of powdered pumice stone and wine vinegar brushed with a chew stick. That may sound sickly, but it’s nothing compared to what the Romans used. They brushed their teeth with human urine.

First-century Roman doctors believed that urine whitened teeth and also kept them firmly in place. The urine from the Portuguese was considered the strongest and therefore the most expensive. It must have worked though, because it was an active ingredient in toothpaste and mouthwash up until the 18th century. Yuk!

Blood Vessels Around the World (WFOTD)

If you could take all of your blood vessels and lay them end-to-end, they would stretch approximately 60,000 miles (96,500 kilometers) – that’s two times around the world! It would take four average human’s blood vessels to stretch all the way to the moon though.

There’s a challenge for you!

How Long Can You Hold Your Breath? (WFOTD)

How long can you hold your breath? Well, the average person can hold their breath for around 1 minute, however there is one man who defies human lung capacity, and that is David Merlini.

David Merlini, 31, is an escape artist from Budapest who has broken several World Records for holding his breath while underwater. For his latest World Record, Merlini held his breath for 21 minutes and 29 seconds underwater at the starting line of the Sakhir Circuit at the 2009 Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix.

So how can you hold your breath for longer? Well it all comes down to health and practice. A slower heart rate consumes less oxygen, a healthy body uses oxygen more efficiently and practice can increase your lung capacity. All of these combined can help increase how long you can hold your breath for, just in case you ever needed to do such a thing. I’m feeling breathless just writing about this.

The Human Body Subway Map

Sam Loman created this human body using a typical subway map to illustrate how our bodies are structured and how they work. Click here for larger image.

Link

Burger Dominance In The USA

Take a look at this ironically beautiful map which illustrates the territory controlled by seven of the largest burger chains in the USA compared to McDonald’s.

Link Via Consumerist

Overweight Mexican Police Force Put On Diet

Mexico City’s police department have put their officers on a diet after finding out that almost three-quarters of them are overweight.

On Sunday, a new three-meal-a-day menu was introduced which consists of healthy portions of vegetables, as well as being 500 calories less than the previous near 3,000 calorie daily serving.

However, authorities may find it hard to enforce the diet plan, with Mexican City cops famous for their bribes from motorists which often involve food or soda. Ay-ay-ay.

Via Telegraph

America’s Worst French Fries

Men’s Health magazine have been searching the US to find the worst french fries in the country – in particular, the ones with the most calories, fat and salt content. The winner is Chili’s Texas Cheese Fries with Jalapeno Ranch, which contains a whipping 1,920 calories, 147 grams of fat (63 g saturated) and 3,580 mg of sodium. That’s a heart-attack on a plate.

The only thing that comes close to redeeming this cheesy mound of lard and grease is the fact that it’s ostensibly meant to be shared with a few friends. Even so, you’ll collectively be taking in an entire day’s worth of calories, three days’ allotment of saturated fat, and a day and a half’s allotment of sodium. What’s even scarier, if you can imagine, is that even if you try to order more sensibly and ask for the “half” order of Texas Cheese Fries, you’ll still receive a disastrous dish that packs in 1,400 calories. There’s one French fries side dish at Chili’s that’s acceptable, although even in its much-reduced form, you’d be better off splitting it.

Click the link if you want to find out the whole list of bad fries, and ‘what you should eat instead’.

Link

Cleankeys Touch Keyboard Leaves Bacteria With No Place To Hide

Everyday we go about our business on our computers without giving a thought to the thousands of bacteria lurking on the keyboard. In fact, a standard keyboard is one of the most bacteria-dense places in the modern household. If this has grossed you out, don’t worry, Cleankeys can save us.

Cleankeys is a touch sensitive keyboard which eliminates germs without a fuss. Wiping a standard keyboard with a disinfecting cloth kills about 5% of bacteria. Cleankeys claims the same test kills 99% of bacteria on their keyboard, simply because they have nowhere to hide.

At $400 for the standard plastic model and $450 for a glass Cleankeys, it’s not cheap, but at least you’ll have a germ-free keyboard. Alternatively you could just use your immune system. It’s up to you.

Link Via Gizmodo

Top 5 Most Extreme Bodybuilders

#1 Greg Valentino – Biggest Arms in the World

Gregg Valentino is one of the most controversial bodybuilders of all time. He started bodybuilding at the age of 13 and by the time he was in his late teens he had already developed huge 18 inch arms. It was only after 23 years of natural training that Greg started to experiment with steroids. During this time his arms grew to an in-human 28″. You may be familiar with Greg from the documentary, ‘The man whose arms exploded’.

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Casttoo X-Ray Cast Lets You See The Damage Inside

Unfortunately I don’t have any broken bones at the moment, otherwise I would definitely be getting a Casttoo.

Casttoos can be customized as well. You just send them a picture of the damage (an x-ray works well), and they’ll send you back your break in print, ready to be applied directly to your cast.

These are so cool that I’m almost cautious that there may be a suspicious rise in ‘breaks’ in the near future. Oh well, it’ll be worth it!

Link Via Gizmodo

Five-year-old’s 911 Call Saves Dad’s Life

Hancock County – It took a five-year-old girl to save her father’s life. She talked to 911 dispatchers when she thought her father was having a heart attack. Not only is this an incredible little girl, but it’s probably the cutest 911 call you will ever hear.

Weird Fact of the Day (02/24/10)

Walt Disney was once told by his doctor that he was too stressed. He suggested that Disney should find some way of relaxing, so he took up golf. Whilst this was good in the beginning, Walt became so obsessed with perfecting the game that he ended up getting up at 4.30am to play, making him more stressed than ever.

What Your Face Reveals About Your Health

According to Chinese medicine, your face is a window to your health. Your forehead, nose, chin, right cheek, left cheek: Each of these five face zones gives you clues to what is going on inside your body, if you know what to look for!

Your forehead gives clues about the health of your heart and small intestine organ, your nose corresponds to your stomach, spleen and pancreas, whilst your chin and cheeks give an insight into the health-status of other important organs in the body.

For more details and to give yourself an online checkup, according to Chinese medicine, click the link.

Link

Man Gives Company To Employees On His Birthday

I think I may have just found the best boss in the world – Bob Moore. Bob Moore, gave his company to his employees on his 81st birthday. Yes, he gave them the WHOLE company!

Moore, whose mutual love of healthful eating and old-world technologies spawned an internationally distributed line of products, responded with a gift of his own — the whole company. The Employee Stock Ownership Plan that Moore unveiled means that his 209 employees now own the place and its 400 offerings of stone-ground flours, cereals and bread mixes.

“This is Bob taking care of us,” said Lori Sobelson, who helps run the business’ retail operation. “He expects a lot out of us, but really gives us the world in return.”

Link

Estonian Drug Store Offers Cure For Broken Hearts

An ancient pharmacy in Estonia promises a cure for broken hearts and love pain. It consists of an almond-based concoction that’s been around since medieval times.

“Since the Middle Ages a special marzipan prescription has been prepared and sold here for the heart to relieve the pain of love,” said Ulle Noodapera, a pharmacist at the Raeapteek drug store which first opened for business in Tallinn’s old town square in 1422.

It is believed to be Europe’s oldest pharmacy, and has been in operation for 588 years.

“We keep making the special marzipan because the need for such a medicine has continued over the centuries, and patients with symptoms of love pain keep turning up seeking the cure,” she added.

The ancient recipe is a jealously guarded secret.

Link

Spectacles Automatically Translate Spoken Words and Phrases

Japanese manufacturer NEC, has unveiled a pair of glasses that can automatically translate spoken words and phrases and beam a translation on to the lens.

The Tele Scouter glasses feature a compact microphone and camera, which picks up the foreign-language conversation. This audio recording is then relayed to a small computer worn on the user’s waist, which transmits the information to a remote server. The server translates the words from speech to text, and transmits it back to the glasses, where the translated phrase is then appears on a tiny retinal display, providing the wearer with a transcript of the conversation in their own language.

The invention is still a a prototype, although NEC plans to start selling the system to businesses next year, although it comes with a heafty price tag – $8.2 million for a single system that could serve up to 30 people. Ouch!

Link

West Virginia Is The Most Sleepless Place In The United States

If your looking to get a good night’s sleep, it’s best you don’t stay over in West Virginia. 20% of the West Virginian population suffer from insomnia, which is more than any other state in the US.

West Virginians’ lack of sleep was about double the national rate, perhaps a side effect of health problems such as obesity, experts said.

Nearly 1 in 5 West Virginians said they did not get a single good night’s sleep in the previous month. The national average was about 1 in 10, according to a federal health survey conducted last year and released Thursday.

Tennessee, Kentucky and Oklahoma also were notably above average in their reported lack of sleep. In contrast, North Dakota had fewer problems sleeping, with only 1 in 13 reporting that degree of sleeplessness.

Health officials do not know the exact reasons for the differences.

Link

McDonald’s Adds Extra Drive-Through Lane In UK

The UK recession has led to a boom in McDonald’s sales as people opt for cheap fast food, rather than splashing out on more expensive meal. As a result, McDonald’s is to open two lane drive-through restaurants to help cope with the increasing demand.

Despite numerous government campaigns for health eating, McDonald’s had its best summer ever in the UK this year, serving 100 million customers a month.

Steve Easterbrook, McDonald’s UK chief executive. told The Sun: “We simply don’t have the capacity to serve the number of customers as quickly as we want to”.

The fast food chain has responded by opening dual entrances so that two drivers can order their meals simultaneously. Menus are also being printed on kerbside signs

The new system is being tested at outlets in Telford, Shropshire, Kent and Edinburgh. If successful, the scheme will be extended to up to 50 McDonald’s restaurants across the country.

Shocking: Cheerleader Gets A Flu Shot And Now She Can Only Walk Backwards!

Experts claim serious side effects of flu shots amount to about one in a million – well this is what that one in a million looks like. A 25 year old woman in Ashburn, Virginia has come down with a severe debilitating neurological disorder days after receiving a seasonal flu vaccination, which means that she can only walk backwards and run without her body being taken over by uncontrollable muscle contractions.