Watch: President Obama Redefines Black Excellence In Congressional Black Caucus Event Speech 

This awesome plane-train hybrid could revolutionize transportation, but not for another 50 years    

Imagine a future where a plane lands at an airfield that doubles as a rail yard. The cabin — one of three that cling to the underbelly of the aircraft like a baby possum to its mother — detaches, is seamlessly transferred to a nearby train, and then continues its journey toward the city center. Your multi-seat trip (taxi-to-subway-to-airtrain) from home to hotel suddenly becomes a one-seat, hassle-free ride. That’s the aim of a consortium of Swiss researchers with the conceptual Clip-Air, a bold-looking plane-train hybrid that despite its high-minded possibilities, will probably never get made.

The only one who needs ivory is an elephant

'We are failing the elephants'

CNN's David McKenzie investigates the horrors of elephant poaching in Africa. He fears our only memories of elephants may be those of their mutilated corposes.

Now, with current rates of poaching, they will be wiped out from some of their range states.They could even go locally extinct.

Photo: Aftermath of a lightning strike on a golf practice green.

USADance (and I’m assuming the national organizations for other countries) still do this! The local chapters have to hold dances, and at least one of those a year has to be a formal: http://usadance.org/chapters/find-a-local-chapter/

You know what I wish we still had? Balls.

Like formal balls from fairytails. Instead of going to a club or a bar, you would go to a ballroom. There’d be music and dancing, and everyone could wear fancy clothes. There could be masquerades, where you could meet new people and reveal your real identity at the end of the night. There could be gay/lesbian balls and gothic balls and space fantasy balls. Just, formal balls. 

Postcards that were anti-women-voting, circa 1900s through 1920

I learned something… disturbing… today:

In 1860-something this guy named Charles Lutwidge Dodgson wrote a book about determinants. According to my professor, for years it was the book on determinants. Now here’s my problem: Dodgson was his real name. But the name you probably know him by? Lewis Carroll.

The dude that wrote Alice in Wonderland also wrote a book about determinants. 

Maybe that’s why they’re so freaking weird.  

Huh, it’s almost as if diversity in backgrounds/abilities results in greater diversity of thought

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Charlie Rose interviews…a robot?

What happens when Charlie Rose attempts to interview a robot named "Sophia" for his 60 Minutes report on artificial intelligence

“Sophia means wisdom,” Hanson explains, “and she is intended to evolve eventually to human-level wisdom and beyond.”

She still has a long way to go.

“Sometimes she can figure things out in a way that’s sort of spooky and human-like,” Hanson says. “And other ways, she just doesn’t get it.”

During Sophia’s interview, Rose asks her if she’s been programmed, but she responds only with silence. At times, her replies were nonsensical. But at other moments 60 Minutes producers were surprised by her ability to converse with one of the great conversationalists in journalism.

I feel like this belongs in a more futuristic animated movie

Bolles + Wilson. Suzuki House. Tokyo. Japan. photos/ drawing: Ryuji Miyamoto/ Bolles + Wilson. - architecture classic