Friday links

Who really owns Antarctica?

100 Skills Every Man Should Know

The Queen that worked at Macy’s.

The mysterious dancing epidemic of 1518.

This French Power Plant Runs on Cheese.

Did Native Americans Bend These Trees to Mark Trails?

ICYMI, Thursday's links are here, and include a "collection" of "unnecessary" quotation marks, Star Wars vehicle cross-sections,  a lost Michelangelo painting found hanging behind a couch in Queens, and what happened when slaves and free men were shipwrecked together.

Who really owns Antarctica?

Who owns Antarctica (wiki)?

Business Insider: During the first half of the 20th century, seven countries — including Britain, Norway, and New Zealand — laid claim to certain regions of Antarctica. However, their claims are only recognized by the respective countries themselves. A larger version of the infographic is here, and a brief video explanation is below.

click here to embiggen

From CGP Grey, a video explanation:

h/t Geeks Are Sexy

Thursday links

A "collection" of "unnecessary" quotation marks.

Incredible Star Wars Vehicle Cross-Sections.

What happened when slaves and free men were shipwrecked together.

Pregnant? Here's an intravaginal speaker so you can play music for your baby.

Fascinatingly Filthy: How Bad Science Saved Lives in Victorian London.

A Lost Michaelangelo Painting Has Been Hanging In A Living Room In Queens.

ICYMI, Monday's links are here, and include a supercut of people falling and landing on vehicles (set to the cannon-punctuated finale of the 1812 Overture), the history of farting for money, training dogs to sniff bombs, and a Medieval guide to predicting the new year.

A "collection" of "unnecessary" quotation marks

There are approximately a billion of these out there, and a book. Links to more at the bottom of the post.

More here, here and, for the (unfortunately no longer updated much) mother lode, here.

Monday links

This will get your first Monday morning of the year off to a rousing start: a supercut of people falling and landing on vehicles, set to the cannon-punctuated finale of the 1812 Overture.

What Do the Buttons on Darth Vader's Suit Actually Do and What Really Caused the Emperor's Deformed Appearance?

The History of Farting for Money.

Yesterday was National Fruitcake Toss Day.

How Do You Train a Dog to Sniff Bombs?

A Medieval Guide to Predicting the Year - here's the appropriate bit for 2016: 

If the first of January comes on a Friday, the winter will be temperate, and the summer and autumn, dry. Grain will be cheap. There will be eye diseases, and many infants will die, and there will be movement of knights, and there will be much oil in some places.

ICYMI, Thursday's links are here, including lots of hangover cures, the top 50 photos of 2015, and Dave Barry's Year in Review.

Would You Put a Little Speaker in Your Vagina (for Your Baby)?

I wish I'd known about these before Christmas - I have a pregnant daughter and a pregnant daughter-in-law, and this would have been a perfect gift. An opportunity of a lifetime wasted. There are lots of mini-speakers available, of course, but not insertable versions. I suppose that you could just wear it in the proper neighborhood, so to speak.

NY Mag:

The little speaker tampon is called "Babypod" and it's shown in action, sort of, in a new video from the gynecology clinic Institut Marquès in Barcelona. In the video, singer Soraya performs a set of Christmas carols for expecting mothers (equipped with Babypods) and their unborn babies. "This is the first concert for fetuses ever held in the world" the video boasts multiple times, even though I highly doubt they did much research before making this claim.

Related, sort of: 

Now there's a video game controller you can control with your vaginal muscles.

Want your vagina steam-cleaned but don't have a spa nearby? Here are the do-it-yourself instructions.