Amazing slow motion video at 2500fps

[Miss Anthrope]

http://www.vimeo.com/3830864

Stunning, no? Almost hypnotic. I'm not sure, but it might be done with the same, or similar, camera that was used in a video that showed scientists that certain ants jumped through the air faster than the eye could see (the ant underneath the jumping one was actually running, but looked like he was standing still).

Also, here is a link to the page where I found the link above, Cliff Pickover's "Reality Carnival"; it's updated daily with a link to something wondrous and weird.
Here are a few of my recent "picks":

Origami seed - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQWS3q2Fhxk
The ants video (yep, i found it!) - http://fora.tv/2009/07/23/Ants_The_Invi ... ian_Fisher
Long-exposure photos (Gorgeous!) http://abduzeedo.com/29-amazing-long-exposure-pictures
Horror food!! http://www.damninteresting.com/mechanic ... er-horrors
Mysterious psycho painting http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover ... -card.html

[AlP]

Wow. Just finished watching the videos. Thanks Miss Anthrope.

[Heretical Rants]

My favorite:

[Miss Anthrope]

Wow. Just finished watching the videos. Thanks Miss Anthrope.

You're welcome!  

@ Heretical Rants: Yeah, that was one of my favorite pics, too. It look so unreal. Almost like the waterfall is sculpted and static.

[Whitney]

I know this thread isn't about the horror food link...but I had a comment:

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG):
MSG is a highly effective flavor enhancer that is considered by many to be, well, kind of a jerk. It is created by fermenting starch, sugar beets, sugar cane, or molasses. Its presence in food makes other flavors stand out more, but eating food that contains MSG causes many people to experience headaches, flushing, sweating, and a sensation of pressure in the mouth or face. Rare reports have indicated swelling of the throat, chest pain, heart palpitations, and shortness of breath.

Repeated studies have shown that pure MSG does not cause any of these symptoms, and the current suspicion is that the symptoms are caused by trace amounts of a mold that grows in the vats which produce MSG. Time will tell whether MSG is a misunderstood friend, or a sneaky, flavor-enhancing foe.

Food Detectives on the Food Network did a small study on this (I'd say it involved about 100 people split into two groups of 50).  One side of the room was given a meal cooked with MSG, the other side was given the same meal sans MSG.  After they were all done eating, they were all told MSG was in their food and asked if they had any symptoms.  The only people who claimed symptoms were from the non MSG side and had a history of thinking MSG made them sick or there were other explanations for why they might not feel normal (like first date jitters).  In other words, for most it is probably all in their mind.

[Miss Anthrope]

I know this thread isn't about the horror food link...but I had a comment:

That's cool, I intended for this to be a "loose" thread.

Food Detectives on the Food Network did a small study on this (I'd say it involved about 100 people split into two groups of 50).  One side of the room was given a meal cooked with MSG, the other side was given the same meal sans MSG.  After they were all done eating, they were all told MSG was in their food and asked if they had any symptoms.  The only people who claimed symptoms were from the non MSG side and had a history of thinking MSG made them sick or there were other explanations for why they might not feel normal (like first date jitters).  In other words, for most it is probably all in their mind.

That's really interesting, and I'm not really surprised. I think a lot of things like this are just psychological. This just anecdotal, but: A couple of months ago I was eating this pie that my aunt brought over, and it had been sitting their for quite a few days. So, I'm eating it and watching TV for a while, and suddenly I notice a small greenish discoloration on the edge of the bottom of the crust. I flip it over, and the bottom is COVERED in mold. Now, I was diagnosed as asthmatic as a kid, and for some reason mold was one of the things I was told I had an allergy to. Never actually had an experience with mold before, and my asthma symptoms and allergies haven't bothered me in, like, 15 years. But as soon as I saw that mold, I thought "Oh crap, am I going to have an asthma attack?" (and I don't have an inhaler; again, haven't used one since my early teens); my breathing started to become shallow/rapid and my heart beat raced for a few seconds as I panicked...and then it hit me: it's all in my head, i just need to calm down. I was fine, it was just psychological, yet becasue of my panicking I had actually started to "simulate" an asthma attack.

I think a lot of people do something similar when it comes to foods that have been demonized.

Quote from Wikipedia: "In the 2004 version of his book, On Food and Cooking, food scientist Harold McGee states that "[after many studies], toxicologists have concluded that MSG is a harmless ingredient for most people, even in large amounts."

Probably the worst thing about MSG is that too much too often contirbutes to high sodium levels, which is bad, and can contribute to being overweight.