Boxing Kangaroos

Saturday, July 19, 2008

When Kangaroos Attack

Mudgree, New South Wales:

An Australian woman has been saved by a pet dog which leapt to her aid after she was attacked by a large kangaroo, her son has said.[...]

"The kangaroo just jumped up and launched straight at her," he said.

"My dog heard her screaming and bolted down and chased him off. If it wasn't for the dog, she'd probably be dead.

Now most people would probably scoff at the thought of a kangaroo attacking a human. But large kangaroos can be very large - up to 180 lbs, and more than 7 feet tall when up in fighting position. But the most dangerous things about them are the second from outer claws on their very strong hind legs. They're huge, way larger than the three others on each foot. When fighting they can put their weight on their tails, lift both legs, and use those monster thighs to deliver powerful kicks - and with that claw take your guts out. Take a look at the size of that claw:

Photo from Ozanimals

Here's a look at how they stand back on their tails and kick, from the video I made in Canberra in 2006 that inspired this blog.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Proven: We're Extraterrestrial

That's what they're saying:

Martins and her colleagues said they discovered uracil and xanthine, which are precursors to the molecules that make up DNA and RNA and are known as nucleobases in rock fragments of the Murchison meteorite, which crashed in Australia in 1969. She explained that “early life may have adopted nucleobases from meteoritic fragments for use in genetic coding which enabled them to pass on their successful features to subsequent generations."

Image of xanthine molecule structure from Wikimedia Commons

The Scuba Channel

It's a YouTube section, but for scuba divers and snorklers.

This is a nice 7 minute selection.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Honk Kong: Worst Floods in 124 Years

Nasty. Great photos, though.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

"Baby Carriers: a Cultural History"

Cool article about baby carriers around the world and through time, and how they may have affected human development:

The invention of simple baby carrying devices may have played a decisive role in the development of the human species. Blaffer-Hrdy (2000) suggests that 50,000 years ago, this “technological revolution” (p.197) allowed mothers to carry food as well as their babies, leading to a new division of labour between men and women. She indicates that this led to better fed mothers, who gave birth after shorter intervals, and an expanding human population moving out of Africa.

Image of Nez Perce papoose from here.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Telly Savalas on Birmingham, England

I have never heard of "Quota Quickies."

And I did not know that Kojak used to be on BBC telly:

In the late 1970s, several of the UK's major cities were the stars of B-movies the so-called 'Quota Quickies'.

Laurie Taylor tells the bizarre story of how the cities tried to make themselves appear exciting to a captive cinema audience through the medium of a travelogue.

One such classic is called Telly Savalas Looks At Birmingham. It has the American actor extolling the virtues and history of Birmingham. His narration is unintentionally funny and wonderfully kitsch.

The director of these quota quickies, the late Harold Baim, seemed to have an obsession with multi-storey car parks, concrete shopping centres and motorways in his attempt to catapult the city into the 21st century. Others in the Harold Baim series include Telly Savalas Looks At Aberdeen and Telly Savalas Looks At Portsmouth.

BBC audio of the show.

Stills from the film.

"Men's Long Hair Hyperboard"

I find this odd and intriguing.