Cool stuff that’s too small for a big article
Just like it says, Popcorn Shorts is about the kind of things we think are really interesting, but don’t really need a large article to explain them. From the sublime to the ridiculous, check in here for crunchy bits of info you’ll love to munch. By the way, much (but not necessarily all) of our delicious Popcorn comes from articles we’ve posted on our Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook, please stop by and “Like” us and we’ll keep a fairly-constant-but-not-frequent-enough-to-be-annoying stream of these coming to your virtual door!
How can a Formula One pit stop only take 2 seconds?
from Washington Post– “During every Formula One race broadcast, you will hear the “box, box” radio call that summons a driver to a pit stop. You will see a swarm of 22 (or so) people engulf the car, hear a dzzzzt dzzzzt if it’s a really good stop — extra dzzzzts if it’s not — and then you will see taillights. About a second separates the fastest and slowest pit crews when times are averaged across an entire season, but every team is capable of changing four tires in 2.6 seconds or less on any given day. Their procedures vary a little; their equipment may vary a lot. What doesn’t vary is the precise teamwork required to pull it off…”
Frogs could get their own underpass on Portland highway, replacing ‘frog taxi’
from The Oregonian– Under cover of darkness, hordes of red-legged frogs hop downhill from Forest Park, bound for wetlands along the Willamette River. There, they will lay eggs to produce the next generation of frogs. But the journey does not come without hardship. To reach their destination, the frogs must descend a steep slope where Harborton Drive meets U.S. 30, then traverse four lanes of high-speed traffic and two railroad tracks. Some perish along the way, a few by natural predators like birds and snakes but many under passing cars. In an effort to save the dwindling frog population, local wildlife officials have proposed to build a highway underpass to grant the amphibians safe passage…”
How YOU can build the Pyramids in YOUR backyard… ALL BY YOURSELF!
They Pyramids have many explanations… Space Aliens, lost high-tech societies, even Egyptians. Many of the building techniques have been lost to us with improvements in technologies, because we just don’t have to remember how to move 12 ton blocks if cranes can do it for us. One guy, Wally Wallington, has dedicated his life to uncovering methods for one person to move massive loads, all by themselves. The main link will take you to Wally’s Wiki page, but the best way to see what he’s doing is to watch any of these videos… Wally on Reddit, Wally on X, Ancient Stonehenge Reveal Part 2, Ancient Pyramid Building Technique, Building Stonehenge, or any of the many Wally vids on YouTube. Fascinating!
Well, we’re all safe now… security robots have invaded Big Pink.
If you’ve been looking for 450-pound camera-laden Roombas to keep you safe, then we’ve got great news for you! Portland’s Big Pink (US Bancorp Tower) just became the latest Portland company (after Legacy Health and Aloft Hotel) to put this more boring version of a Dalek to work as a security guard. These aren’t R2D2’s with attitudes; they can’t stop people, shoot at them (thankfully!), or interdict crime in any way, but they can take pictures of it and offer remote conversation with a human security guard while the crime happens. Utopia is here! Check the reporting on these gigantic ambulatory salt shakers of Justice from Willamette Week, the Oregonian, or KGW.
