10 stories and links I think are educative, informative, entertaining, or weird

Beautiful 1912 newspaper comic panel by Johnny Gruelle via Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder
Thomas Haller Buchanan posted this scan from a 1912 comic strip panel by Raggedy Ann and Andy artist Johnny Gruelle. He says, “Time to isolate another panel from the comics to celebrate its stand-alone beauty. This panel from the newspaper comics of 1912 looks more like an elegant kid’s book illustration.”
See it on the "mydelineatedlife" blog here

Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Socrates and Plato bickering in Athens, Irving Howe and Irving Kristol sparring in New York: cities always give rise to new ideas... more

Do big cats purr? via Boing Boing by Maggie Koerth-Baker
U xpect adorabulness.
U gets it.
But kittehs also gives u edukashun n' sientific nuance.
That’s all the LOLcat speak I can muster in one go.
Seriously, watch this video from Big Cat Rescue. It's fascinating. And, you should know, at the end, they link you to a slightly less educational feature about ocelots and lynx chasing laser pointers. Just sayin'.
Via Icanhascheezburger
Thanks, Andrew Balfour!

Swarm Control via How-To Geek by Asian Angel
In this game you take control of aerial armies as the war between bees and bears elevates to the next (and final) level. Can you lead the bee armies to victory over their enemies and ensure that bee civilization, not bears, will dominate the land?
You can follow Asian Angel’s walk-through here or take a chance and go straight to game here.

Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
Making sense of the Middle Ages. The 11th century was a time of stifling, intolerant religiosity, but also loose morals, confused gender roles, avarice, and hypocrisy... more

Hip knee ankle interactions during stair walk for development of prosthetic knee joint
an article by Neelesh Kumar, Amod Kumar and B.S. Sohi published in International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics Volume 3 Number 4 (2011)
Stair walking (up and down) is complex and requires more coordination among major muscle joint (hip, knee and ankle) of lower limb. To develop a control strategy for an above knee prosthetic device accurate and precise sensor mechanisms and gait control ranges are required. Authors attempt to generate a required knowledge-base of interactions between hip, knee and ankle joint angles during stair walking at self-selected slow and fast speed. The analysis was carried out to all (seven) gait sub-phases using electro-goniometry.

This Rat Can Drink You Under the Table (And Won’t Get a Hangover) via Big Think by Daniel Honan

Imagine a drug that allows you to drink as much alcohol as you like, wake up without a hangover and never have to worry about developing a dependency. A new anti-alcohol intoxication medication has been identified by researchers who published their findings in the current issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.
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Arts & Letters Daily – ideas, criticism, debate
“I feel as if the whole culture is stoned, listening to an LP that’s been skipping for decades,” says Kurt Andersen. Is this how history ends?... more

The Autographic Kodak Camera, 1914-1932 via Retronaut by Amanda

The autographic system for roll film was launched by Kodak in 1914, and allowed the photographer to add written information on the film at the time of exposure.
Wikipedia

You can see several examples here
Thank you to Duke University Libraries

How the Brain Functions Like a Social Network via Big Think by Big Think Editors
Researchers have discovered a new essential function for half of the brain’s cells. Called glia cells, scientists have known them to hold the brain’s neurons together, protecting the cells that determine our thoughts and behavior. But now they believe glia cells do much more, actually regulating the synapses and sorting information for learning purposes.
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