The solutions to the biggest and most complicated problems of this world are born in the minds of a select group of geniuses. However, sometimes you don’t need to be considered a genius to offer a solution. In fact, sometimes it’s necessary to be the exact opposite of a genius.
<
Owning a supercomputer is a huge advantage in this day and age, but it’s also extremely expensive. So, to save on costs, the U.S. Air Force research laboratory decided to manufacture one using no more than 1,760 PlayStation 3s.
As you just read it. According to the researchers, adapting the video game technology present on the market made it possible for them to manufacture a very accessible supercomputer. The total cost of this system reached $2 million, 10 to 20 times less than an equivalent supercomputer built from scratch.
Ants of the genus Dorylus were used for several centuries as an essential medical tool. Before the technique of stitch suturing and tissue adhesives were introduced, civilizations relied on the powerful jaws of these insects to hold wounds together.
This process is believed to have been used as early as 1,000 B.C. and was popular until the 17th century.
Bao Xishun, once considered the world’s tallest man, helped save two dolphins in China by using his long arms to remove plastic bags from the animals’ stomachs. This shepherd from northern China was summoned by veterinarians who could not reach the plastic bags using their instruments.
The dolphins had accidentally swallowed the material, went into depression, and refused to feed. At 1.06 meters long, Bao’s arm managed to reach the deepest region of the stomach. After their assistance, the animals got well. Until 2009 he was considered the tallest man in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Viganella is a small village in a mountainous area of Italy that is completely without sunlight 84 days a year. This is because the mountains of the Italian Alps cast a huge shadow over the village.
The solution was to install a series of giant mirrors to reflect the sun’s rays into the valley. Viganella got its first panels controlled by a computer that orients them toward the sun in 2006.
This strange machine with a turbine on top is used to clear snow from streets and railroad tracks by applying a strong gust of hot wind. The Klimov VK-1 turbine of MiG-15 jets is also used to melt ice in the turbines of other aircraft as they await takeoff on frigid Russian runways.
The city of Los Angeles, California, United States, dumped tens of thousands of plastic spheres to cover a reservoir. The problem was that sunlight, when combined with chlorine and bromide, could make water carcinogenic. That’s why it became necessary to cover the Ivanhoe Reservoir.
Other reservoirs had already been covered in this way, either to economize the liquid by reducing evaporation or to prevent the formation of algae.
Bulawayo is Zimbabwe’s second most populous city and went through a crisis in its drainage system caused by a drought that led them to ration water. There was simply a lack of water to get the waste to where it needed to go.
The dry pipes caused a terrible stench, as well as exposing the inhabitants to a number of feces-related conditions. The solution proposed by the city authorities was to instruct everyone to flush the toilet at the same time, for three days.
Although a thin, solitary torrent of water from a single individual did not have enough force to push the wall of poop that cluttered the pipes, thousands of simultaneous discharges were able to create a considerable tsunami in the drainage.
The same force that causes destruction in the eruption of a volcano is used to generate heat and energy in much of Iceland. This country, famous for its geysers and terrible cold, knew how to take advantage of the underground heat: it is a self-sufficient country in terms of renewable energy, much of the electricity comes from clean sources.
Georgia was a nation mired in corruption. “There was a certain pride in being corrupt around here,” says Mark Mullen, the NGO Transparency International’s representative in the country. In 2003, things began to change. Enraged by fraudulent parliamentary elections, the population managed to remove then-President Eduard Shevardnadzel from power, all through peaceful demonstrations.
Mikheil Saakashvili was left in charge and promised citizens something they had never known: transparency. They created a new police force, completely replacing the old one that was notorious for its degree of corruption. They laid off about 16,000 officers and recruited new staff with better salaries and closely monitored so they wouldn’t get bitten.
In recent years, the capital Tblisi has taken on a sophisticated style, with fully transparent tempered glass buildings. From a distance, it looks like a car show. Up close, they are delegations where everyone can see what the police are doing.
Just like the dungeons of Mexico, right?
A teacher in the state of Nevada risked her skin by arresting a 14-year-old student who was allegedly shooting at his classmates. When three detonations were heard at Pine Middle School after 9 a.m., instead of fleeing or hiding, Fagan walked in the direction of the alleged shooter, James Newman, and coaxed him to drop the gun.
The teacher gave the teen a big hug, promising she wouldn’t leave him. The shooting was contained, and although some students were injured, none were killed. Cops said Fagan was a “hero.”
Credit: Cracked
Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.
To use social login you have to agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website.
AcceptHere you'll find all collections you've created before.
Comments