Cambridge University plans to hire ‘lego professor’
Britain’s prestigious Cambridge University announced a proposed plan to hire a “lego professor” to study the role of play in education with a grant from the lego Foundation. The school’s General Board revealed the lego Foundation, which aims to promote learning through play, has offered Cambridge University a $3.9 million grant to fund a “lego Professorship of Play in Education, Development and learning” at the school. The foundation also offered the school a $2.3 million grant for a Research Centre on Play in Education, Development and learning “to which the lego professor will be appointed director,” the General Board said in a report on the proposal. The General Board recommended the school follow through on creating the position, which would be officially established on October 1 of this year. (UPI)
Kid compiles 50-page ‘Jurassic Park’ dossier
A Jurassic Park fan of old relived the days of his youth when he uploaded hard proof of what he did with them on Imgur. In 1994, he compiled a 50-page hypothetical dossier from the perspective of his imagined role as an InGen computer programmer. Known on the Internet as Michael M, the boy is now a man, and shared his collection of made-up documents — including (but not limited to) dinosaur dental records, promotional air balloon models and fake correspondence with other employees of the genetic engineering firm behind Jurassic Park — with the world.
Since its discovery by a wider Internet audience, the document as a whole is being described as being more detailed than anything even Steven Spielberg created for the film. Michael, on the other hand, sees humor in it all. “Broadly, the dossier consists of impossibly dull minutiae of park admin leading up to the events of the movie,” Michael wrote on the original post dated two months ago. “I essentially gave myself a boring office job in my spare time outside of school.”(UPI)
Raccoon rides alligator in Ocala National Forest
A Florida man exploring Ocala National Forest has captured an usual photo of what appears to be a raccoon riding an alligator.
Richard Jones, of Palatka, told several local media outlets last week that he and his family were searching the Oaklawaha River for alligators when his son accidentally startled a raccoon out of its hiding place.
“It must have been asleep because it stumbled toward the water and hoped on top of the gator we were watching,” Jones wrote in an email to First Coast News. “I snapped a lucky picture right when the gator slipped into the water and before the raccoon jumped off and scurried away.”
Jones said he wanted to share the photo because he “just thought other people might enjoy it”.
In a similar incident last March, a london photographer shared a snap of what appeared to be a weasel riding a woodpecker, though he told reporters that the weasel was actually attacking the bird. (UPI)
Fans catch buses at ‘goal’ stops in Copa America city
Catching a bus has taken on a whole new meaning in the Chilean Copa America venue city of Rancagua where bus stops have been made into soccer goals with benches and artificial turf. Excited fans enjoyed waiting for buses to the stadium for last Sunday’s Group C match between Colombia and Venezuela at the new-look stops in the city of 200,000, some 90 km north of the capital Santiago. “It’s an interesting idea, it makes waiting (for the bus) less boring,” said Chilean Carlos Espinoza as he stood at a stop close to Parque El Teniente stadium while foreign fans took photos of each other sitting in the goal.
“It’s an ingenious way of giving a city a soccer atmosphere,” said Mariangel Murillo, a Colombia fan wearing a national team shirt with Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez’s name on the back.
Rancagua, which was also a venue for the 1962 World Cup staged in Chile, hosted the Group A match between Mexico and Ecuador last Friday. (Reuters)
Man dismissed from jury duty for wearing prisoner costume
A Vermont man has escaped jury duty — by getting dismissed for wearing a prisoner costume. James lowe of Barnet says he was released from jury duty when he showed up to court wearing a black-and-white-striped jumpsuit with a matching beanie.
The Caledonian Record reports that lowe showed up on time and joined other prospective jurors before the start of the selection process. Deputies directed him to an empty courtroom to meet with the judge, who told him to leave. lowe says the judge told him he could’ve been found in contempt of court. That could’ve meant a fine or jail time.
lowe says the juror instructions don’t restrict clothing, but that he was happy to be released because of his work schedule and family obligations.(AP)