Category Archives: Random Stuff

Random thoughts, topics, and factoids you’ll be happy you read.

The death penalty in Minnesota

Posted on March 23, 2011 | Comments Off on The death penalty in Minnesota
Minnesota Gallows

A Minnesota gallows scene, circa 1900 - Source: MN House of Representatives

Ann Bilansky (born Mary Ann Evards Wright) became the first and only woman hanged by the state of Minnesota on this date in 1860. She was found guilty of poisoning her husband with arsenic. One hundred people watched in close proximity while over fifteen hundred caught a glimpse through knot holes and rooftops.

Minnesota also has the dubious honor of being the state of the largest mass hanging in United States history. As a result of the Dakota Conflict, thirty-eight Native Americans were hung in Mankato, Minnesota.

Dakota Conflict

Dakota Conflict mass hanging

 
In 1906 William Williams was the last person to be executed in the State of Minnesota. He was convicted of the shooting death of a St Paul teenager. At 12:31 a.m. on February 13, Williams was dropped from the make-shift gallows constructed by the sheriff. His feet hit the floor. The sheriff had not taken into account the fact that the rope would stretch eight inches and William’s neck about four and a half inches. It took three deputies hauling the rope upward to keep Williams feet off the floor while he slowly choked to death. Williams died a slow and agonizing death that took fourteen and half minutes.
(source)

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The Rules of Calling Shotgun

Posted on March 22, 2011 | Comments Off on The Rules of Calling Shotgun

Shotgun Rules
I’m not sure how long youth have been “calling shotgun” with their friends before heading off in a car somewhere. I remember it well with my group of friends growing up. “Calling shotgun” usually turned into a gigantic argument that could delay a departure for 10 minutes or more.

I doubt that happens much anymore. Now, there is a website that outlines the rules of calling shotgun. I wish I would have had a resource like this as a teenager.

The term “shotgun” refers to the front passenger seat of an automobile. “Calling shotgun” is the act of claiming the position of shotgun for one’s self. The rules are located here and cover things like:

When shotgun can be called
Can shotgun be called indoors?
The Re-Entry Rule
The Line-Of-Sight Rule
What is “The Balk”
What if my hand is on the door?
How to handle garages
The Shotgun Gaper and how to deal with one

There are a ton more, and this site covers every possible scenario. Enjoy, bookmark, and share with your friends.

http://www.shotgunrules.com

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Posted in Funny Pictures & Videos, Random Stuff

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The only known TIME Magazine cover typo

Posted on March 21, 2011 | 4 comments

Here are some pictures of the only known typo to appear on the cover of TIME Magazine. It was published on this day in 1983. The typo appears in the upper right corner and shows a spelling of the word “control” as “contol.” All magazines were recalled, but some are still out there. These pictures come from an eBay listing I found.

TIME Magazine typo

TIME Magazine typo 1983

TIME Magazine typo

TIME Magazine typo shows the word "Control" spelled as "Contol"

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Posted in Random Stuff, Weird News Crazy Videos and Conspiracy

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Videos of Russian’s doing crazy things

Posted on March 21, 2011 | 1 comment

Russian’s are a unique group of people. When it comes to YouTube, Russian’s are pushing the envelope like no other. Some say they are fearless. Others may call them crazy. Here is a collection of videos that fall into both categories.

Homemade Russian bungee jump. Yes, it’s as scary as it sounds.

Afraid of heights? This one will make your palms sweat a bit.

Russian guy who goes by the name “Black Devil” hits insane speeds on a motorcycle.

Crazy Russian Daytime Talk Show (Springer style)

Crazy Russian Kids Test Homemade Bungee Cord Again.

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Original sounds of Japan earthquake heard underwater

Posted on March 21, 2011 | Comments Off on Original sounds of Japan earthquake heard underwater

The Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics (LAB) recorded the sound of the earthquake that shook Japan on Friday, March 11. It was processed by LIDO (Listening to the Deep Ocean Environment). The signal has been accelerated 16 times so we humans can actually hear it. The spectrogram shows the intensity and frequency of the sound. Turn up your subs, close your eyes, and imagine the destruction. Click here to listen to the original recording.

Listening to the Deep Ocean Environment

LIDO underwater recording of the 9.0 Japan Earthquake

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Frosty Paws a.k.a. “Puppy Crack”

Posted on March 19, 2011 | 1 comment

Frosty Paws (a.k.a., “Puppy Crack”) should be a banned controlled substance in the animal kingdom. If you have a dog, you know what I’m talking about.

Puppy Crack

Puppy Crack

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Quench your thirst with some…MeatWater

Posted on March 19, 2011 | Comments Off on Quench your thirst with some…MeatWater
meatwater

Meatwater

Have you ever had a good run or gotten done working in the yard on a hot summer day and thought,”I’m thirsty! I could really go for some wiener schnitzel in liquid form?”

Me either.

A company called Liquid Innovations is banking on the fact that people want delicious meat dishes as a tasty beverage — so certain, in fact, that they have a variety of flavors to satisfy cravings of your favorite dishes, such as beef stroganof, dirty hot dog, salmon salad, and tandoori chicken.

Their most popular flavor currently is Hungarian goulash.

Visit them here. http://dinnerinabottle.com/

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Wanderfly is the Pandora of travel sites

Posted on March 18, 2011 | 1 comment

Wanderfly: The "Pandora" of Travel Sites

A new travel site is growing in popularity. It’s called Wanderfly, and it acts a lot like Pandora by giving you recommendations on where to travel based on your time, interests, and budget.

It’s a site for people who want to take a trip, but don’t know where to go.  People select a price range, a general time frame (“Early June,” “Mid Sept,” etc.), and their interests (cuisine, historical sites, romance, etc.). From this, Wanderfly picks locations that match and suggests them to you along with sample itineraries. Pretty neat huh?

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How to be cool

Posted on March 15, 2011 | Comments Off on How to be cool

I empathize with teens today. It’s hard to know how to be cool. As a kid, I would have probably approached finding the answer much the same way. Make a list! What doesn’t make you cool? Making that list and accidentally leaving it out for your friends to take and share with the world.

How to be cool

(via)

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First domain ever

Posted on March 15, 2011 | Comments Off on First domain ever

26 yrs ago today, the “dot com boom” began. The first-ever domain name (Symbolics.com) was registered. Symbolics.com, was the first (and, since it is still registered, the oldest) registered .com domain of the Internet. The symbolics.com domain was purchased by XF.com in 2009.

The first 10 registered domains:

  • SYMBOLICS.COM – 3/15/1985
  • BBN.COM – 4/24/85
  • THINK.COM – 5/24/85
  • MCC.COM – 7/11/85
  • DEC.COM – 9/30/85
  • NORTHROP.COM – 11/7/85
  • XEROX.COM – 1/9/86
  • SRI.COM – 1/17/86
  • HP.COM – 3/3/86
  • BELLCORE.COM – 3/5/86

Full 100 here.

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