42
POPSThe story behind Hitler's moustache The prosaic explanation comes in a new biography of the writer Alexander Moritz Frey, who came to know him when both were lowly privates in a Bavarian infantry division. In a hitherto unpublished essay, Frey, who died in 1957, wrote of his first meeting with Hitler in 1915: "A pale, tall man tumbled down into the cellar after the first shells of the daily evening attacks had begun to fall, fear and rage glowing in his eyes. "At that time he looked tall because he was so thin. A full moustache, which had to be trimmed later because of the new gas masks, covered the ugly slit of his mouth."
34
POPSReality Lord of the Flies Drop a bunch of kids in an abandoned town and see if they get crazy enough to make some must-see TV. Yes, it's exploitative and a frightening snapshot of our voyeuristic society, but how can you not watch this?
29
POPSWhy Are We So Bad at Spotting Lies? By nature, we are a rather trustful species and (unless you lie or detect lies for a living) chances are good that you harbor false assumptions of what deceitful behavior looks like. So says famous psychologist Richard Wiseman in this summary of his research into the universal, cross-cultural trait of human deception. Among other things, Wiseman shows that by the time they are five, even our own kids can fool us with ease and abandon! The simple fact is that the real clues to deceit are in the words that people use, not the body language.
22
POPSAmazing Stereo Pictures These pictures are constantly shaking and can appear as sort-of-3D if you just look at them for some seconds (without the need for special glasses or any other viewer, that is).
14
POPSDowntown business district bans outdoor photography Silver Spring, Md., where I spent a lot of time as a kid, now has a "revitalized" downtown area, where, as it turns out, you are not allowed to take photographs. Why? The main business street, though it was built and paid for with taxpayer money, was "vacated" by the county and leased to a private developer, who now manages the space. This says a lot about the demise of the commons and of public space in the U.S., I think. The photographer in question comments: "I wonder if people know they traded their rights for a Potbelly’s and a Starbucks" (source: http://snipr.com/1nmvg). Also see the discussion at http://flickr.com/groups/dcphotorights/
9
POPSSeparation of church and state narrows, thanks to the church If you say you are a "conservative" Christian what are you "conserving?" It is not Scripture which tells us to respect the authorities who are there to protect us, and it is not heritage, for traditions such as baptist trace back to a separation of church and state (see Anabaptist). We are "conserving" our desire for "manifest destiny" at the COST OF our faith, not in the name of it.
9
POPSForget about corn-based ethanol, it won't help us The economics of using corn as a fuel are completely screwy. First, corn is cheap because it's subsidized, and also because its production is heavily petroleum-dependent (because of natural gas-based fertilizers, and fossil-fuel-dependent mechanization and irrigation). Then, because corn is so cheap, we decide to subsidize ethanol. That drives up the price of corn. Remember: ultimately, when the oil goes, the corn will go too. The author suggests converting all America's corn to bourbon; at least we could then all plan on dying happy. Via http://snipr.com/1n8ks
Most Pops
see Most Pops
2
Clips
Latest Pops
Latest Comments
Tags
Print
Save
Turn on live update