Landing of the Curiosity Rover on Mars

After a journey of just over 8 months, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory Mission is about to reach Mars and in a few hours will attempt to land the rover Curiosity on the surface of the planet. At 900kg (the size of a small car) it is the largest Mars Rover yet. It is equipped with a plethora of scientific instruments. Its objectives are to (source Wikipedia):

1. Determine whether Mars could ever have supported life
2. Study the climate of Mars
3. Study the geology of Mars
   
4. Plan for a human mission to Mars

I particularly like #4.
Fingers crossed. Let's hope everything goes according to plan (see video).


A few thoughts. The cost of the Mars Science Laboratory Mission is at about US$2.5 billion.
The defence budget of the US for 2012 was US$711 billion.
For the same year NASA's budget was US$17.8 billion.

Imagine how much more amazing work could be done if just US$50 billion was cut from the defence budget and allocated to NASA.

What A Rude Elephant!

Barging in like that and drinking water from the swimming pool... while people are swimming.
Joke aside though, perhaps they should invest in a fence because lions and hyenas might not show the same indifference towards them.




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The Korbut Flip

The amazing performance by Olga Korbut in the gymnastics competition of the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. According to the video poster, this is the first backwards release move ever attempted on the uneven bars. Her characteristic move can no longer be performed because standing on the high bar is no longer allowed.



I admit that before yesterday I had no idea of her performance or even existence.
Who knows how many videos like these are scattered around the internet waiting to be discovered.

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Battlestar Galactica RPG

All 4 seasons of Battlestar Galactica re-imagined as a role playing game.
Contains so much truth.

CollegeHumor’s Favorite Funny Videos

Ken Block Drives his Ford Fiesta in San Francisco

Yeah, I could do this too... if they evacuated San Francisco for me... ;ppp

Worth watching in HD.



Isn't he a bit repetitive though?

Iceberg-derived Tsunami in Greenland

Part of an iceberg (or a glacier, or a glacier on an iceberg, take your pick), collapses displacing a frighteningly large volume of water.




It would have been even better if he had an HD camera...

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Super Golden Friends

Watch this:

Now watch this:

Brilliant!


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Shhhhhhhhh. Listen. Something's Stirring in the Forest.

Don't worry. Nothing paranormal.
Just a pretty big mudslide.

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It's Hot, Let's Jump Into The Lake

But let's not do it this way.



(stolen from a Youtube commenter):

"His friend seriously overreacted!"

Extreme Ironing... Is Now A Thing...

Apparently, it's been a thing for more than a decade.






Me thinks... this is... (very) stupid...

Bots Getting To Know Each Other

We've seen this before.
Connect two cleverbots together (how is this done by the way?), stand back and enjoy.


The awkward silence at 01:40.
The courtesy contest at 02:05-02:28.
The answer to "how old are you?" at 02:33.

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Army Domino

The army of Belarus, one of the few remaining European dictatorships (along with Azerbaijan and probably Russia), puts on a very impressive show.



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A Conversation With My 12 Year Old Self

This video has been very popular recently, as indeed it should.
It's a wonderful idea where Youtube user/filmmaker Jeremiah McDonald, now at age 32, has a conversation with his 12-year old self. I feel this will catch on and we'll be seeing a lot of people trying to replicate it in the future.  




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Underdog Comes Out Of Nowhere

Or should I say underhorse...? (dies)

The amazing victory of Mine That Bird at the 2009 Kentucky Derby. Although not the worst-seeded horse in the race (its odds were at 50-1, while two other horses' were at 55-1 and 51-1) it was not expected to achieve anything. In fact, at the beginning of the race, it was so far back that the commentator simply ignored it until he realized it was the one leading seconds before it crossed the finishing line.

"You Just Don't Get It, Do You?" (supercut)