These shoes are made of pineapple leaves

The inedible green leaves left behind during pineapple harvesting contain fibers that can be transformed into goods traditionally made from leather, including shoes, bags, and other leather accessories. Pinatex has details. (more…)

View post:
These shoes are made of pineapple leaves

The Conjuring Arts Research Center: Manhattan’s hidden library of magic

Atlas Obscura discloses a secret library, The Conjuring Arts Research Center , established to preserve the secrets of magic! The not-for-profit organization was established in 2003, “dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of magic and its allied arts.” It was started by William Kalush, who developed a love of magic from the card tricks shown to him by his father, a Marine wounded in World War II. This love of card magic turned to a love of collecting magic books, which now form a wondrous collection of over 15,000 books—some dating to over 600 years old—housed in this hidden location. “I like early books that no one else has ever seen”, Kalush says, sitting in a high-backed, ornately carved wooden chair that wouldn’t look out of place with a wizard sitting on it. “Books of performances pieces, card secrets, many that are unique.” Browsing through the shelves stacked with all things conjuring, you will find obscure books on sleight-of-hand techniques, mentalism, deceptive gambling, the history of magic, and the mysterious secrets of card tricks. One book is the seminal The Expert At the Card Table, which appeared in 1902, written by an S. W. Erdnase. It’s one of the most detailed collections of sleight-of-hand techniques and card sharping, a book so iconic and well-studied within magic circles it is known as “the Bible.” Appropriately enough, S. W. Erdnase was a pseudonym. The real identity of the writer has remained a century-old mystery.

Read More:
The Conjuring Arts Research Center: Manhattan’s hidden library of magic

Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved ‘Totoro’ will be focus of Studio Ghibli theme park set to open in 2020

Japan’s iconic animation Studio Ghibli, co-founded by anime director Hayao Miyazaki, is developing a ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ theme park. (more…)

Originally posted here:
Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved ‘Totoro’ will be focus of Studio Ghibli theme park set to open in 2020

Controversy over DNA sequencing of 90 Egyptian mummies

One of the most hotly-contested fields of genetics revolves around the genetic lineage of ancient Egyptians. A new study of 90 Pre-Ptolemaic, Ptolemaic, and Roman mummies raises as many questions as it answers. (more…)

View the original here:
Controversy over DNA sequencing of 90 Egyptian mummies

How it’s made: hard crystal candies with cherry-flavored roses inside

From Tallahassee, Florida’s Lofty Pursuits who offer these “handmade artisinal candies” at $6 for a 2.75oz bag: A new technique for a new effect in our image candies. These Crystal Roses are formed from nothing but hot sugar, and flavors. This is the first in a series of candies using this kind of design.

Visit site:
How it’s made: hard crystal candies with cherry-flavored roses inside

Oops, man panics and snitches on himself about $500 million opium poppy field

Cody Xiong from North Carolina should have kept his mouth shut, but when police came to his door to ask about something unrelated, the paranoid poppy grower said, “I guess you’re here for the opium.” This led police to discover over an acre of poppy plants, worth about $500 million, in Xiong’s backyard. According to Time : Investigators believe the plants were being harvested in Xiong’s isolated rural lot, before being shipped elsewhere. Opium poppies are used to make opium, morphine, codeine and heroin, and police estimated that the haul consisted of over 2,000 pounds of the plant. Xiong was arrested at the site and charged with manufacturing a Schedule II drug and trafficking in opium, both felonies. He was later released from jail after posting $45,000 bail. Image: Magnus Manske

Read More:
Oops, man panics and snitches on himself about $500 million opium poppy field

Translate between Charles Babbage’s computing jargon and modern terminology

If you’re intending to build an analytical engine with a six-sided prism to run Charles Babbage’s weird cardboard vaporware program , you will need some help with Babbage’s notes, as old Charles was inventing a whole technical vocab from scratch. (more…)

More:
Translate between Charles Babbage’s computing jargon and modern terminology

Unaired pilot for Beverly Hillbillies (1962)

https://youtu.be/RW7W-OKZBsw The original name for The Beverly Hillbillies was The Hillbillies of Beverly Hillbillies. The core cast in this unaired pilot from 1962 didn’t change with the new name, and it also features the amazing customized 1921 Oldsmobile Model 43-A touring car built by car customizer George Barris (who created Black Beauty from Green Hornet , the Batmobile from the 1966 Batman TV series, and the Munster’s Koach).

Excerpt from:
Unaired pilot for Beverly Hillbillies (1962)