Fluorine: It tastes like burning

This is the first I've seen of Dr. Martyn Poliakoff's Periodic Table of Videos but it's a good one. Each video is about an element, and this one focuses on Fluorine, one of those non-heavy elements that you still don't see very much of because of its extreme reactivity. That reactivity is on display in this as they use it to burn through steel wool and charcoal -- just by squirting it at them, even in cold, liquid form.

Unlike most chemistry, this video comes with a moral: don't mess with fluorine.

[via BB]

Odds and Ends

• As Seen on TV: A Tribute to Doing it Wrong

• Super Mario Brothers with real time accompaniment. Includes sound effects! I think hiring a guy to play for you like this is how to play Nintendo if you are extremely rich. (Mario 3 is also featured here)

• Lastly, there is so little reason to bother with the World Cup -- the most complicated part of the sport seems to be the ranking system whereby they determine exactly how many draws are needed to move on to the next round, which teams that actually win their games deserve to be eliminated, and how many you have to lose before advancing.
  
  Nonetheless, everything involving North Korea is a candidate for humor, and they're seized the chance by hiring Chinese people to pose as fans for their games. It sort of makes sense that they're not going to allow actual North Koreans to leave their impoverished Stalineque nation just to attend a soccer game. On the other hand, it would look bad to have no one cheering for them, hence the idea of sitting, like, 100 identically-dressed Chinese guys in the crowd and paying them to cheer.
  
  

A Gift of Joy

Here are some funny videos, as my Christmas gift to you people who ever read this or stumble across it. There is absolutely no connecting theme to these, they don't even have anything to do with X-Mas.


This penguin will probably be your boss in 5 years.


OK Go. I saw them in concert opening for TMBG before they were famous. My friend said she could tell they were going to be moderately sucessful. If they had done this tredmill thing at the time, there would have been no doubt,


Not really in the same catagory as these other clips, but still a nice sentiment. The whole interview is here.


Hilariously bad robber.


What part of "lockbox" don't you understand?


Improv Everywhere, the group that once set up a time loop in a starbucks sending about 80 "fake" employees into a Best Buy store.


An honest couple.


Space invaders with humans. Truly an impressive accomplishment.

You have probably seen this already. I don't care, it is holiday-themed.