› added 7 years ago

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TIL Baby elephants suck their trunks just like how babies suck their thumbs

wLOAP When 50,000 of Mark Rober's 3 million YouTube subscribers participated in a basic coding challenge, the data all pointed to what Rober has dubbed the Super Mario Effect. The YouTube star and former NASA engineer describes how this data-backed mindset for life gamification has stuck with him along his journey, and how it impacts the ways he helps (or tricks) his viewers into learning science, engineering, and design. Mark Rober has made a career out of engineering, entertainment, and education. After completing degrees in mechanical engineering from Brigham Young University and the University of Southern California, Rober joined NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2004. In his nine years as a NASA engineer, seven of which were on the Mars rover Curiosity team, Rober worked on both the Descent Stage (the jetpack that lowered the Rover to the surface) and some hardware on the Rover top deck for collecting samples. In 2011, Rober’s iPad-based Halloween costume helped launch both his creative costume company, Digital Dudz, and his YouTube channel, which now boasts 3 million subscribers and 400 million views. His videos focus on creative ideas and science- and engineering-based pranks and activities. Rober is a regular guest on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!". Today, he does research and development work for a large technology company in Northern California, where he lives with his wife and son.
WrDA TIL The World’s oldest known creature, a mollusc, was 507 years old until scientists killed it by mistake.
epgQD TIL the Catholic Church does not believe in "doggie heaven".
GYvpQ TIL: Bill Gates' idea of a splurge was a used Porsche 911 after Microsoft went public that made him worth over $350Million before the age of 30
ADxWa TIL of the Mingun Bell, the heaviest functioning bell in the world until 2000.