Between the years 1989 and 1997, Andrew Bush took photographs of people driving next to him while traveling 50 to 70 miles per hour throughout the southwestern portion of the United States.  Link [via]

For the first time, ovulation was caught on camera.  These images taken by Jacques Donnez were captured by accident when a woman was undergoing a partial hysterectomy. 

Link to article and set of images

Phillip Toledano is coming out with a new book in July about phone-sex operators. 

So much of commerce now is blind: online shopping, tech-support in Bangalore. We hope there is a person at the other end of the transaction, but it could be a machine; often the machine doesn’t seem very well programmed. The phone-sex industry, though, thrives on being faceless and intensely personal at the same time. Phillip Toledano’s new book Phone Sex (July 2008, Twin Palms) takes us into the boudoirs of nearly 30 phone-sex operators so we see their faces and also hear their stories—each operator gives his or her take on the business.

The Morning News posted a few portraits from the book as well as an interview with Toledano on their website.  Be sure to read the captions underneath each portrait.  My favorite caption?

“Gary was watching a ‘World’s Strongest Women’ show and saw a woman pick up a motorcycle.
‘Oh I could do that,’ I offered.
‘Could you?’ he responded, breathless.
‘Yes. How much do you weigh?’
‘160.’
‘Oh. I could bench-press two of you.’
‘Oh my god… I’d like to see you lift up my girlfriend’s car.’
‘What kind of car does she have?’
‘A Mazda Miata.’
‘Oh yes, I could pick up a Miata. In fact, I would love to.’
‘Really?!?!??! Oh my god! What if my girlfriend was inside?’
‘I would just pick it up, lift it to my shoulder level, and then hoist it up over my head, with your girlfriend inside. I’d slowly turn around in a circle with it held up in the air, with your girlfriend screaming in the front seat.’”

A part of me may miss getting paid for this when I move on.

Link [via]

If you are old enough to remember the days before CDs then you probably have a few mixed tapes tucked away in a box some where.  Cassette From My Ex is a site where you can share your stories behind those mixed tapes and even share the soundtracks.  Link [via]

Do you have a mixed tape story?

Jason wrote up a post over at Hackszine.com about an interesting study that was conducted over at Harvard Medical School about a second circadian clock in mammals.

There was an interview with Clifford Saper, a professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at Harvard Medical School, in last week's Science Friday. The discussion was about a study which was just published in the journal Science about a second circadian clock in mammals that is driven by food availability. The research suggests that this second clock evolved as a sleep-cycle "reset" mechanism which allows mammals to very quickly adapt to optimize their wake period and maximize the chances of finding food during times when food is scarce.

This starvation override can take effect after only 16 hours of fasting. When the fast is cancelled by a sufficient caloric intake (read: real food), the body will shift its natural wake time to coincide with the event. So if you want to ditch your jet lag, or if you want to get up earlier in the morning, it might be as simple as fasting for the 16 hours prior to the time you would like to wake up, then eat a big meal. Your body will then override its normal light-based rhythm and wake at that same time going forward.

Link [via Hackszine.com]

Here is a map which shows the first moonwalk done on July 21, 1969.  Link to full image.

Here is an animated mockumentary that omaggs2000 put together explaining the history of evil in western civilization from Ancient Greece to present day.  If you don't enjoy the story, you will enjoy the animation.  Link.

Here is a sad look at the suicides that occurred on the Golden Gate Bridge since its opening in 1937.  One square accounts for one suicide and the squares are placed in the location the suicide occurred.  Link to full image.

Research is showing that artificial sweeteners may not be fooling our bodies into losing weight. 

In a series of experiments, scientists at Purdue University compared weight gain and eating habits in rats whose diets were supplemented with sweetened food containing either zero-calorie saccharin or sugar. The report, published in Behavioral Neuroscience, presents some counterintuitive findings: Animals fed with artificially sweetened yogurt over a two-week period consumed more calories and gained more weight — mostly in the form of fat — than animals eating yogurt flavored with glucose, a natural, high-calorie sweetener. It's a continuation of work the Purdue group began in 2004, when they reported that animals consuming saccharin-sweetened liquids and snacks tended to eat more than animals fed high-calorie, sweetened foods. The new study, say the scientists, offers stronger evidence that how we eat may depend on automatic, conditioned responses to food that are beyond our control.

Link to full article.

Here is an interesting map that depicts the languages of Europe.  Click on the link to view the original map and language key.