Peculiar Things On Internet

[Charliegrover]

Weather forecasts start using space laser data


Europe's novel wind-measuring satellite, Aeolus, has reached a key milestone in its mission. The space laser's data is now being used in operational weather forecasts. Aeolus monitors the wind by firing an ultraviolet beam down into the atmosphere and catching the light's reflection as it scatters off molecules and particles carried along in the air. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts says the information is now robust enough for routine use. The Reading, UK-based organisation is ingesting the data into its numerical models that look from one to several days ahead. Forecast improvements are most apparent for the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere. Meteorologists are constantly trying to increase their skill level; they want to see a certain performance being achieved further and further into the future. And on one important measure - the eight-day look-ahead - the ECMWF says the Aeolus data enables conditions in the Southern Hemisphere to be forecast with the same level of accuracy an additional 3.7 hours into the future. "This is just one experimental instrument but it suggests that if you had many more of them in space you would have an even greater impact," the centre's Dr Michael Rennie commented.

[Amelie Barrett]

Eel Slap
cool weird websites - eel slap

Hopefully, you know the famous Monty Python fish-slapping dance. Now you can participate in the fun. The dance is up to you, but a swipe of your mouse will let you slap this innocent man in the face with an eel. Yay!

[Amelie Barrett]

Tight Pants/Body Rolls

This is easily the most obnoxious, most catchy video I have ever seen. I first saw it in an art club meeting when we were just hanging out watching strange videos. Leave it to art kids to find stuff like this.

[Amelie Barrett]

Ducks Are The Best

If you like 1980s quality computer graphics as well as an unhealthy obsession with ducks, then this is the site for you.
With every quiver of the mouse, more and more ducks will appear on the screen until you can see nothing but these loveable bundles of feathers.

[owenmarsden]

Gifyt


First up we have GifYouTube.com. As the name implies, this site makes it incredibly simple to create an animated GIF from any YouTube video of your choosing. Simply paste in a YouTube URL and you’re presented with the following customization options; you can select where in the video clip you’d like the GIF to begin and how long it should be in duration. What’s more, the site lets you title the GIF and even add captions to the finished product as well. With the web more GIF heavy than ever before, GifYouTube provides a superbly simple way to create your own in just a few seconds.