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Interesting Thing of the Day

An ongoing series of entertaining and educational articles about unusual or intriguing topics of all kinds. Subjects include foods, places, language, ideas, history, science, and many more.

Ball Lightning / Unsatisfactorily identified flying objects During a thunderstorm, a bright fireball floats through the air for several seconds or longer, perhaps even indoors. This rare phenomenon resists scientific explanations, but don't go blaming UFOs. Murano Glass / The mirror of Venice A suburb of Venice has been famous for nearly a millennium for producing some of the world's finest and most distinctive glassware. Fire Breathing / Don't try this at home Just another in the long list of dangerous activities I decline to do and urge you never to try at home is the visually impressive art of spitting fuel onto a flame. Raku / Zen and the art of tea bowls For a traditional Japanese tea ritual, not just any sort of tea cup will do. You want one made by hand using a method from the 16th century that infuses your tea bowl with Zen sensibilities. Microbial Fuel Cells / Electricity from bugs Fuel cells generally rely on hydrogen to create electricity, but hydrogen may be hard to obtain. Putting bacteria to work can eliminate a step or two in the process.