In 1768, Catherine the Great ordered her subjects to move a 3-million-pound granite boulder intact into Saint Petersburg, a task that seemed flatly impossible with the technology of the time. In this episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll learn how some inspired engineering moved the Thunder Stone 13 miles from its forest home to Senate Square, making it the largest stone ever moved by man.
We'll also learn whether mutant squid are attacking Indiana and puzzle over why a stamp collector would be angry at finding a good bargain.
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Here are seven new lateral thinking puzzles to test your wits and stump your friends — play along with us as we try to untangle some perplexing situations using yes-or-no questions. Show notes Please support us on Patreon!
In the 19th century, an enormous hedge ran for more than a thousand miles across India, installed by the British to enforce a tax on salt. Though it took a Herculean effort to build, today it’s been almost completely forgotten. In this week’s episode of the Futility Closet podcast we’ll describe this strange project and […]
In 1868, Scottish sailor Jack Renton found himself the captive of a native people in the Solomon Islands, but through luck and skill he rose to become a respected warrior among them. In this week’s episode of the Futility Closet podcast we’ll tell the story of Renton’s life among the saltwater people and his return […]
There’s hardly a business out there that doesn’t use cloud storage, and a growing number of private individuals are taking advantage of it as well. Suffice to say that word gets out pretty quickly about shoddy cloud services. And conversely, you can be sure that when sites like Techradar give the New Zealand-based MEGA high […]
There’s a great deal of opportunity out there in the tech world and an increasing amount of competition. So you know your way around Python? Great. So do a lot of other coders, and they’ve probably got Java, C++, and SQL on their resumes to boot. A career in programming requires up to date knowledge […]
Cue the “Psycho” violins. If you’re a true Halloween completist who’s wondering how to deck out your bathroom for the holiday, we have your accessory: The Bloody Bath Mat™. When it’s dormant, this devious prank is a nondescript, almost paper-thin (.03 inch thick) mat, white with a matte finish. Placed beside your shower, it’s the […]
