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NYTimes.com: Nadal’s Knee

An interesting video analysis of the stresses in Rafael Nadal’s knee during a single backhand shot. Makes my knees hurt just watching it.

Local media in the Central American country of 334,000 people report the temple at the Noh Mul site in northern Belize was largely torn down by backhoes and bulldozers last week.

“This is one of the worst that I have seen in my entire 25 years of archaeology in Belize,” John Morris, an archaeologist with the country’s Institute of Archaeology, told local channel 7NewsBelize. “We can’t salvage what has happened out here — it is an incredible display of ignorance.”

Really sad. This is all about greed- the limestone in the temple is considered high quality material for roads and cheaper to get for the contractors.

From io9.com: Wine tasting is bullshit. Here’s why.

In 2001, researcher Frédéric Brochet invited 54 wine experts to give their opinions on what were ostensibly two glasses of different wine: one red, and one white. In actuality, the two wines were identical, with one exception: the “red” wine had been dyed with food coloring.

The experts described the “red” wine in language typically reserved for characterizing reds. They called it “jammy,” for example, and noted the flavors imparted by its “crushed red fruit.” Not one of the 54 experts surveyed noticed that it was, in fact a white wine.

Interesting article. It seems that one’s perception of a wine is highly dependent on external factors.

SeriousEats.com: The Burger Lab: Revisiting the Myth of The 12-Year Old McDonald’s Burger That Just Won’t Rot (Testing Results!)

There are many reasons why not to eat McDonald’s Burgers and fast food in general, but the fact that they don’t seem to rot shouldn’t be one of the according to this experiment by Serious Eats.

It seems that most burgers when left out, dry out too quickly for mold or bacteria to grow.

CNNMoney: Teeny cars worth big bucks

The cars in Georgia Microcar museum went up for auction in February 2013. CNNMoney has pictures of 20 of these awesome little vehicles.

Funny video for fans of the old Star Trek. Shatner battles the Gorn again!

DailyMail Online: More evidence emerges to show Voyager 1 has exited our solar system to become the first man-made object to reach deep space

This is a tremendous milestone. It’s amazing that Voyager 1 and 2 are still both functioning and able to communicate after 35+ years, especially with the technology they had in the 70’s.

Each only has 68 kilobytes of computer memory. To put that in perspective, the smallest iPod – an 8-gigabyte iPod Nano – has 100,000 more storage space. Each also has an eight-track tape recorder. Today’s spacecraft use digital memory.

NewMax.com: U.S. Wars Leave 225,000 Dead, Cost $4.4 Trillion: Study

U.S. wars launched since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, have left 225,000 dead and cost up to $4.4 trillion, according to a new study by university researchers.

The study published by Brown University this week focused on the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and counter-terrorism campaigns in Pakistan and Yemen, which came in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the United States.

The authors argued that governments almost always go to war underestimating the potential duration and costs of a conflict while overestimating “the political objectives that can be accomplished by the use of brute force.”

These are staggering numbers and with the results that we have gotten, it really does bring into question whether or not war is the answer to any question.

Blogotr.com: REMARK HOSPITALITY, CORE REDEVELOPMENT PROPOSE MIXED-USE PLAN FOR OLD SCPA

Highlights of RHD’s plan include:

PROJECT SPECIFICS

100-unit Hilton Garden Inn TM, Doubletree by Hilton, or a Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, yet to be determined
36 residential apartments, including 2 luxury 3,000 sq. ft. penthouses, each with their own pool
4,000 sq. ft. upscale fine dining restaurant, with adjacent banquet space, accomodating up to 200 for events
4,500 sq. ft. day spa & salon
Starbuck’s Café lobby kiosk
6,000 sq. ft. fitness center with running track, basketball courts, steam room, sauna, and whirlpools (to serve apartment residents and hotel guests, local Pendleton homeowners, with availability for public use through membership
Entertainment venue featuring stage shows/dinner theatre offering both traditional theatre-style and tabletop/booth back seating
An HGI American Grill TM coffee shop with a daily all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, or other specified restaurants
A beautiful public-use recreational park on the existing green space, to be architecturally designed to compliment the Pendleton community.

If this happens, this is a gamechanger for Pendleton and OTR. It’s a big money project that could anchor the redevelopment of the entire area.

BuzzFeed.com: 11 Cincinnati Foods That Are Better Than Yours

I’ve lived in Cincinnati pretty much all my life and I don’t think any of the foods listed are particularly special or even good. I can understand how someone might miss one of these if they move away, but to say that an Izzy’s Reuben is better than a Reuben you can get in a great deli in NYC is pretty ridiculous. LaRosa’s pizza, really? Locally, I’d take Dewey’s pizza or a wood fired pizza from A Tavola locally before eating LaRosa’s.