The BBC's in-house linguists have an interesting piece about pronouncing words in Xhosa — a major language spoken in the region of South Africa where Nelson Mandela grew up. (Helpfully included in the story: How to pronounce "Xhosa".)
How To: Pronounce Nelson Mandela's middle name
Men "vigilant" about not being "gay-sounding", expecting discrimination
A study into the stigmatization of "gay-sounding" voices found that British and American men expect to be discriminated against if they sound gay and make efforts not to be gay-sounding. More broadly, the study concerns essentialist beliefs about sexuality and voice. The research highlighted that essentialist beliefs about homosexuality can result in "auditory gaydar," or… READ THE REST
New scientific paper explains how to retrieve energy from a black hole, using magnets
A new paper from Luca Comisso and Felipe A. Asenjo in the Physical Review titled "Magnetic reconnection as a mechanism for energy extraction from rotating black holes" explains, well, how to use magnets to retrieve something from the gravitational collapse of a black hole. So the good news is: it might be possible! The bad… READ THE REST
Why beets and kale can catch fire in the microwave
Most people know not to put metal in the microwave. (Watch the above video, but don't try it yourself.) Even the filigree in an old bowl can spark and ignite a kitchen fire. That's because the metal reflects the microwaves. But what's the deal with the occasional vegetable fire in the microwave? After a beet… READ THE REST
The Deeper Connect Nano is like the VPN of the future, without the monthly fee
There's a ton of reasons why you should use a virtual private network (VPN), but while they secure your internet connection, they come with a few trade-offs. For instance, you have to pay a recurring subscription fee. Some VPN providers even catalog your web activity and sell it to third parties. Others offer inadequate protection… READ THE REST
Farting Frenchies might just be the fun family game you've been waiting for
The game is called Farting Frenchies… so we've already got your attention. You might assume that's some kind of playful euphemism, but you'd be dead wrong. Farting Frenchies is about cute little French bulldogs passing gas. So… now we definitely have your attention. Whether you're a dog lover, a fan of fart humor, or just… READ THE REST
This ultra-powerful and portable digital microscope is now 20% off
Maybe you're a tinkerer who needs to inspect tiny computer components. Or perhaps you sharpen knife blades and want to inspect your work. You might even just have an insatiable curiosity for the often unseen intricacies of our world. There are countless reasons why you might need a quality microscope handy. Unlike the ancient versions… READ THE REST