Weirdest cat ever

Tetrapod Zoology:

Apparently this animal was photographed in south-eastern Yemen where it was frequenting a building site. The photos were taken by Jim Larsen. He reported that the cat wasn't just hanging around the site, it was also chewing on cables; so much so that they had to take measures to stop the cables getting damaged further....

What is this animal? Of the cat species that occur at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, it lacks the striping characteristic of the African wild cat Felis lybica, and of course looks nothing at all like a Sand cat F. margarita. Apparently there's been some suggestion that it might be a Caracal Caracal caracal, but it doesn't look much like one at all. In fact, if its fat, rounded face and bob-tail are natural features it doesn't match any known species.

I am convinced that there are a large number of strange creatures out there that we haven't encountered yet. It's a big planet.

The Backyard Visitor

slightlywarped.com:

This picture was taken by an elderly lady in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee who told her relatives that there were "ghosts" in her back yard and that they would simply come out of the woods, walk around, and eventually disappear.

Seeing that no on(e) really believed her, she decided to take pictures the next time they appeared.

Reportedly, the lady lives alone, she's over 80 years old, and she gets around using a walker therefore she had no desire - or means - to fake the picture.

via Brand Upon the Brain!

Byrd's Flight to the South Pole (1929)

Men hauling sledge in the frigid Antarctic night, 1929.
Richard E. Byrd Papers, #7809_38.

Conquering the Ice: Byrd's Flight to the South Pole:

The selection of the crew for the expedition was undertaken with careful consideration. In order to meet the goals of the expedition, a variety of men with a variety of skills would be essential. Ultimately, there were 4 pilots, 3 aircraft mechanics, three radiomen, five dog drivers, a doctor, three surveyors, 4 scientists, a tailor, a carpenter, news media experts, a cook and general hands, that totaled 42 men who wintered in Antarctica. In addition, a boy scout was selected prior to the expedition in a national search. Paul Siple was the winning scout, and accompanied not only this expedition, but all of the Byrd’s subsequent Antarctic expeditions. Siple eventually achieved prominence as a scientist in his own right.

The Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program

Richard E. Byrd (1888-1957) led eleven expeditions to the North Pole and Antarctica. His 1947 flight over the Arctic became associated with a "secret diary" that describes a trip into the Hollow Earth. I've read what there is of this diary and felt it to be a fabrication. One can compare this with the online version of his notebook from 1925-27.

I'd love for there to be a world at the center of the Earth; I've read all the stories. I can't buy into the Hollow Earth theory but I think there could be a deep subterranean world inhabited by strange creatures that we would have no conception of. I suspect that they would be far weirder than dinosaurs or cavemen.

related news: Expedition set for 'ghost peaks'

It is perhaps the last great Antarctic expedition - to find an explanation for why there is a great mountain range buried under the White Continent....

"This region is a complete enigma. It's in the middle of the continent. Most mountain ranges are on the edges of continents, and we really can't understand what these mountains are doing in the centre."

Makes me think of this.

stray bullets

America's Dreamtowns the small towns that offer the best quality of life without metropolitan hassles. 140 towns rated (via)

Snooping into a co-worker's e-mail? You could be arrested News anchor charged with e-mail break-ins shines light on line between a prank and a crime.

also:
Today is Stockhausen Day at the BBC Proms (via)
A Field Guide to Surreal Botany an anthology of fictional plant species that exist beyond the realm of the real... (via)
The (Next) 50 Most Inspiring Travel Quotes Of All Time good one: “One main factor in the upward trend of animal life has been the power of wandering.” – Alfred North Whitehead
Miskatonic University (apply now) (via)

viddy:
Buckminster Fuller World Game Interview (It gets better after the first few annoying minutes.)
"Don't Talk to the Police" by Professor James Duane (via)
The Real News (for real, no sponsors, not for profit)
3 Minute Wonders are commissioned as a series of four shorts from budding new directors who haven't yet had the opportunity to make a film for broadcast TV.

Futility Closet: Plying the Blue - Phantom ships, as they have been called, have repeatedly been seen by various observers. Mr. Scoresby, in his voyage to Greenland, in 1822, saw an inverted image of a ship in the air, so well defined that he could distinguish by a telescope every sail, the peculiar rig of the ship, and its whole general character, insomuch that he confidently pronounced it to be his father's ship, the Fame, which it afterwards proved to be. – Charles Kingsley, The Boys' and Girls' Book of Science, 1881

Phantom ships, ghost ships, even derelict vessels sailing the oceans rudderless and without a soul aboard have always intrigued and creeped me out to the highest degree.

Ghost Ships
Ghost Ships on Wikipedia

stray bullets

Texters hurt as they walk, ride — even cook ER docs warn of serious injuries, deaths from text-message mishaps. I've seen people walk into phone poles and out in front of moving vehicles while texting. (via)

More Performance and cognitive enhancement “Within the next few years, we’ll see the second generation of these drugs,” says Mark Gordon, an endocrinologist in Los Angeles. “Like all second-generation drugs, they will be stronger, longer-lasting, and have fewer side effects.” (via)

Floatation tank horror A 30-year-old became the first person ever to drown in a floatation tank, an inquest heard yesterday. James Richardson, of Woodley, died in Floatnation in Oxford Road after taking the drug ketamine – used to tranquillise horses. Well, I can scratch that off my list of things to do before I die. (via)

also:
How to build a free computer from spare parts
76-year-old experimental music legend Pauline Oliveros on WFMU
Are figs really full of baby wasps?
19 Portrait Photography Tutorials (via)
The 7 Biggest Asshole Computers in Science Fiction (via)
Montana Meth Project does not pull any punches. (via)

viddy:
Intriguing Bigfoot video (real or hoax, it's pretty good)
Social engineering: How to Get Into Any Club (this method probably won't work forever, but it is worth a look) (via)
419 - the Nigerian Scam trailer (via)
Iran Missile Test (yeah, that one)
Darth Vader Meets Wolfman Jack!

Sunday Excursions: Sunday Morning Blend

Have a peek at Cai Guo-Qiang's show at the Guggenheim,
I Want to Believe.

A lot of people like to slag this guy's work, but I like it.

(btw, the above image is Head On, an installation he did in Germany in 2006.)

via Marginal Revolution
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Check out Stylish Blight, a photo slideshow of a slick modern office fashioned out of the rusted carcass of an old auto repair shop.

I'm a tad burnt out on the trendy architecture concept scene, but this one caught my eye.

via kottke.org
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WebUrbanist strikes again with 20 (More) Incredibly Unconventional Hotel Rooms.

I'm a tad burnt out on the trendy unconventional hotel room scene, but I enjoyed these.
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Coolio's about to teach yo ass how to cook! (soapmouth alert)

I'm a tad burnt out on hip-hop cooking shows, but Coolio's is the shiznit! (Okay, I'll stop)

via Neatorama
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Making a movie? Stuck for soundtrack music? Why not get Moby to do it? (for free!)

via MediaFuturist
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Jane McGonigal, the creator of I Love Bees and World Without Oil, has just launched a new global alternate reality game (ARG) for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The plot of The Lost Ring, revolves around a fictional Olympic sport that vanished 2,000 years ago and five of its athletes who have reappeared in the present.

via Technoccult
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The Charles Fort Institute's CFI Blogs posted their reader-poll generated list of the Seven Fortean Wonders of the World.

Here is a list of the nominees.

Kenneth Hite provides his always cogent and sobering analysis, and an alternate list. Interesting discussion follows.

My list is pretty vanilla: UFOs, Atlantis, Stonehenge, Tunguska, Bigfoot, Giza Complex, Crop Circles.
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And, finally, a couple of interesting posts from the past week:

we make money not art asks Why Won't Second Life Just Go Away, Already?

In From the Cold posted Saddam's Last Laugh (Or, How to Control the World with Playstation 3s
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Enjoy your Sunday. Peace, out.