Advertisement

Watercooler Stories

Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter

Video shows bacteria creating Google logo

NORFOLK, Va., Feb. 4 (UPI) -- A Virginia biologist said his online video of bacteria multiplying to create the Google logo received 10,000 hits in just 2 hours.

Advertisement

Edward Johnson, 65, a professor of microbiology at Eastern Virginia Medical School, said he teamed with son, Nat, 30, who recently graduated from New York University film school, to create a video featuring fast-multiplying bacteria spreading to create the Google logo, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot reported.

The "Grow Google" video, which the team created for the Google Demo Slam competition, hit the Internet Monday.

"They put it up at 5 p.m. in the afternoon, and by 7 p.m., it had 10,000 hits," Johnson said. The video had reached 35,000 views by Wednesday.

Johnson said he hopes the video will inspire budding scientists.

"It shows we're creative here," he said, "and that we like to have fun."

Advertisement


'Steelerettes' unlikely to return

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- A woman who served on the Pittsburgh Steelers' defunct cheerleading squad in the 1960s said she doesn't expect cheerleaders to return to the team anytime soon.

Dianne Feazell Rossini, who was a cheerleader with the Steelerettes squad in 1963, said she understands why then-owner Art Rooney, known as "The Chief," did away with the squad in 1969, The Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram reported.

"The older I get, the more I agree with the Chief," Rossini said. "For a long time, I wished the Steelerettes had continued on to the glory days of the '70s. How exciting that would have been. My thoughts now are that most people pay to see a football game -- not ogle a bunch of girls. I don't think they really add anything to the game, except maybe provide something to watch when your team is losing badly."

She said cheerleaders are unlikely to return as long as the Rooney family remains at the helm of the team.

The Steelers will play Sunday in a cheerleader-less Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers, one of the other six NFL teams without cheerleaders.


Man arrested after shoveling argument

Advertisement

BOSTON, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Police in Boston said they arrested a man who allegedly threatened a neighbor with kitchen knives while they were both shoveling snow.

Investigators said William Plaza, 38, was shoveling a parking spot alongside a neighbor Tuesday evening and began dumping his snow into the spot being shoveled by the other man, the Boston Herald reported.

"The victim asked the suspect to stop," the police report said. "The suspect responded 'What are you gonna do about it?'"

Police said the pair argued and Plaza retrieved a pair of kitchen knives from his home.

"Someone's going to get stabbed," the report quoted Plaza as saying.

Plaza was arrested and later freed on $300 bail.


Sex toy ad removed from post office site

OTTAWA, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Ads for see-through lingerie and sex toys were removed from the Web site of Canada's national postal service after complaints were made in Parliament.

Liberal Member of Parliament Bonnie Crombie raised the issue in Ottawa Wednesday and questioned why a Crown corporation would allow the lingerie ad that linked to another site selling sex toys, the Toronto Star reported.

One of the ads featured a model wearing only a red and black garter dress.

Advertisement

Canada Post officials raced to remove the ad, spokeswoman Anick Losier told the Star.

"We had (an ad) filtering process that obviously is not working properly," said Losier. "We are definitely reviewing that and we are definitely apologizing for any offense that this may have caused anyone."

Latest Headlines