Tuesday, December 30, 2014

The Ultimate History Of The Humble Hashtag

By Dave LeClair
Hashtags can be annoying. When someone sends a post over social media with one actual word followed by a spewing of words that #justcantbereadbecauseitstoolongwithoutspaces, it makes you want to unfollow them immediately.
However, hashtags actually have their place on social media, and when used correctly, they can make for a rewarding experience for everyone. They also have quite the history on the Internet. It extends well beyond Twitter, where many of us first experienced them. Check out this infographic, and you’ll leave with a new respect for the #hashtag.
Click To Enlarge

The Oldest Animals in the World.

No matter how many years you have lived or how old you feel, 
each and every one of us is a baby compared to these guys. 
There are many examples in the animal kingdom that will make 
even the oldest person in the world feel like a youngster. In the 
following list you will find the "age record holders of the wild", 
the last one even changed everything we thought we knew about 
natural life and ageing!

Cookie the Cockatoo

old Animals
This male Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, residing at Brookfield Zoo 
near Chicago, is believed to be the oldest member of his species 
alive at the age of 81. He has significantly exceeded the average 
lifespan for his kind and is one of the longest living birds in known 
history. Just to give you a comparison to compare his amazing 
age, the next oldest Major Mitchell's Cockatoo is "only" 31 years old.
Greater the Flamingo

old Animals
Named after his breed of "Grater Flamingos", Greater was a true 
fighter with an incredible story. While others of his kind have an 
average life expectancy of 20 – 25 years, Greater lived to be 83 
years old. This senior citizen of the Adelaide Zoo in Australia even 
survived a shocking case of abuse in 2008. He was put to sleep 
in 2014 to spare him from pains caused by medical conditions.
Bowhead Whales

old Animals
These giant mammals live in the freezing waters of the Arctic Circle 
and are known to live up to 200 years. This makes them the longest 
living mammals on Earth. In addition, to get all the food they need to 
live that long, Bowhead Whales are also the record holders for the largest mouth of any animal.
Granny the Orca

old Animals
This Killer Whale is 103 years old, making her the oldest known orca 
alive. Granny was captured and released with the rest of her pod in 
1967. Despite her age, she was just as active and able as other 
members of the pod.
Henry the Tuatara

old Animals
The Tuatara are lizards found only in New Zealand and Herny is the oldest known one at the age of 115. Not only is he the undisputed star of the Southland Museum in Invercargill, but he also became a proud father a few years ago, possibly for the first time, at the age of 111.
George the Lobster

old Animals
Lobsters don’t stop growing for as long as they live so when 20 pounds (9.1 kg) George was captured in 2008, it was clear he is no young boy. Researchers estimate he is about 140 years old and even though he was bought by a sea food restaurant in New York, this old-timer was released to live out the rest of his days in freedom.
Orange Roughy Fish

old Animals
The orange roughy is notable for its extraordinary lifespan, about 
150 years. These fish have "growth rings" on their body much like 
a tree has. By counting by the rings of orange roughys it was found 
that they can live to a maximum age of 125 to 156 years. The fish 
is actually a bright, brick-red color however, the orange roughy fades 
to a yellowish orange after death.
Russian Sturgeon Fish

old Animals

old Animals
These large, edible, saltwater clams are mostly found along the west 
(5.9 in) to over 20 centimeters (7.9 in) in length, but the extremely long 
siphons make the clam itself much longer than this. The "neck", or siphons, alone can be up to 1 meter (3.3 ft) in length. The geoduck is both one of the largest clams in the world, and one of the longest-lived animals of any type. The oldest recorded specimen was 168 years old.
Red Sea Urchins

old Animals
Most of this spiky little creatures live to about 30 years of age, which is about average in the animal kingdom and not really impressive. However, marine biologists have found some Red Sea Urchins in the freezing north waters near Alaska that were almost 200 years old!
Adwaita the Giant Tortoise

old Animals
His name means "the only one" in Sanskrit. He was believed to be 
amongst the longest-living animals in the world when he died in 2006, 
at the age of 255 years. Adwaita was reportedly given to Robert Clive 
of the East India Company by British seafarers who captured it from 
Aldabra, an atoll in the Seychelles Islands. Weighing 250 kg (590 lb), 
he lived on a DIET of wheat bran, carrots, lettuce, soaked gram, bread, grass and salt.
Ming the Clam

old Animals
Ming was a nickname given to a specimen of the ocean quahog clam 
that was dredged off the coast of Iceland in 2006.  Its age was 
calculated by counting the annual growth lines in the shell. Originally 
thought to be 405 years old, the clam was later determined to be 507 
years old! Ming was the oldest individual (non-colonial) animal ever 
The immortal jellyfish

old Animals
This is a species of small jellyfish which is found in the Mediterranean Sea and in the waters of Japan. It is unique in that it exhibits a certain form of "immortality". It is the only known case of an animal capable of reverting completely to a sexually immature, colonial stage after having reached sexual maturity as a solitary stage. Simply speaking, this means that it has the ability to change its age from mature to baby.
Source: Enjoy The Mast Group

Turn Your Smartphone Into a Projector!

Smartphones can do amazing things, and one of the best things about them is that they can play videos, whether from youtube or from files you've transferred to them. The only problem with that is the small screen size, that makes it uncomfortable to watch anything for more than a few minutes.
And what happens when you want to show a special clip or video you took to a group of other people? It's not fun to huddle and squint. For that reason, we bring you this simple DIY project anyone can make, and it'll turn your ordinary smartphone to a real life projector!

What You'll Need:

  • Shoe box
  • Magnifying glass
  • paper clip
  • Cutting knife
  • sticky tape
  • ruler
  • pencil
  • smartphone
  • black paint (optional) 

smartphone projector

Find the exact center of the box (important for focus). Now place the center of the magnifying glass at the exact center of the box and mark the spot.
smartphone projector

Use the knife to cut around the mark.  

smartphone projector

Optional - color the box black.

Enter the magnifying glass in the hole created and set it in place with the sticky tape. 

smartphone projector

smartphone projector

Make a hole at the edge of the box and pass the charger cable through it.
smartphone projector

Use the paper clip to make a little stand for the smartphone. Then, using the sticky tape, connect the stand you made to the box. 

smartphone projector

smartphone projector 

To prevent the picture to be mirrored, you'll need to turn the screen around. It doesn't really ruin the experience but it will change the direction of everything, and if you have subtitles, they won't display right.

iPhones have this function in the settings (Settings - General - Interface - touch). If you have an android phone, you can download an app called 'picture flip' that will do the same thing. 

smartphone projector

Close the box, point it at the wall and check if the focus is right. If not, move the stand until you find it. 

smartphone projector

That's it! Now you can watch and show others youtube videos, clips, tv or movies from your smartphone projected on your wall!
smartphone projector

