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24 Jul 2010 11:48

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Offbeat: Swigging carbohydrates = The new Gatorade? Scientists say so

  • Apparently, carbohydrates totally fool the brain. See, most athletes, when they need energy, drink sugary drinks to give themselves just a little bit more of a push. But swigging carbs (but not swallowing) apparently has the same effect for a short period. Not enough for normal people, but in the midst of competition, every little bit counts. “Your brain tells your body, ‘Carbohydrates are on the way,’” said University of Birmingham, England’s Matt Bridge, who discovered the effect. “And with that message, muscles and nerves are prompted to work harder and longer.” Freaking cool. source

24 Jul 2010 02:10

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Offbeat: Jury decides “Girls Gone Wild” doesn’t need hot coed consent

  • Through her actions, she gave implied consent. She was really playing to the camera. She knew what she was doing.
  • Jury foreman Patrick O’Brien • Describing the circumstances that made his jury side against an anonymous St. Louis woman who did not consent to being shown in a Girls Gone Wild video originally shot in 2004. The woman danced for a camera, but was unwilling to remove her top for the cameraman, only to have someone else pull it off instead. Even though she didn’t sign anything, they put her in the video anyway. “I was having fun until my top was pulled off. And now this thing is out there for the world to see forever,” said the plaintiff, when told of the jury’s reasoning. Despite all this, she was nominated for “Ass Clown of the Week” by the city’s alt-weekly, The River Front Times. Because she was asking for that, too. (They later apologized.) source

23 Jul 2010 11:23

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20 Jul 2010 03:01

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Offbeat: Mexican monkey smuggler no match for airline security

  • 18 monkeys around this dude’s freaking waist source

17 Jul 2010 12:36

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Offbeat: “You and Your Johnson”: A video about a guy and his boat

  • Wonder if anyone creating this video would’ve imagined how unintentionally funny it would be 40 years down the line. At one point, in fact, it says “You, your kids and your Johnson.” Which nowadays would get you arrested.

16 Jul 2010 19:19

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Offbeat: Indonesian Muslims: You’re praying in the wrong direction

  • It has been decided that actually the mosques are facing Somalia or Kenya, so we are now suggesting people shift the direction slightly to the north-west. There’s no need to knock down mosques, just shift your direction slightly during prayer.
  • Indonesian Ulema Council head Cholil Ridwan • Informing Muslims in the country that they’ve been praying in the wrong direction. Because that’s not alarming or anything. The group, also known as the MUI, says that people’s prayers have not been wasted, and that Allah still heard them. It’s not often that iPhone users have something in common with Muslims, but both have apparently been doing it the wrong way. source

16 Jul 2010 10:33

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Offbeat: Awkward Stock Photos: Sometimes an idea just sucks, guys

The problem with stock photos sometimes is that they really suck. Some are just so bad that nobody would ever use them. Hence, this site. (Hat tip Charles Apple) source
 

07 Jul 2010 11:13

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Offbeat: Austin Sendek: Hella close to making “hella” an official math term

Let’s face it. Nobody was using 10 to the 27th power anyway, so why not give it to an annoying Northern California slang term? We’re with Austin. source

06 Jul 2010 22:24

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Offbeat: George Lucas wants to corner the lightsaber market for himself

  • Is this a lightsaber? Good question. Gizmodo called it a “real life lightsaber.”  Daily Tech notes it’s a weapon that can set people on fire – which sounds pretty lightsabery to us. And now, George Lucas’ folks have sent a cease-and-desist to Wicked Lasers, saying the Spyder Pro Arctic Laser looks too much like a lightsaber. And now, our friends at Wicked Lasers are denying it. We just want to be able to set people on fire without having to worry about lawsuits. source

04 Jul 2010 17:51

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Offbeat: Hot Dog Eating Contest: Meet the jerks who wouldn’t let Kobayashi eat

These dudes run Major League Eating, which popularized the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest and is now forcing exclusive contracts on its eaters. Lame. source