Crows: Suspiciously Smart

Crows have been getting a bad wrap lately. They're always depicted as evil scavengers often found pecking fresh eyeballs in crime drama shows. The person that named a group of crows a "murder" doesn't help the stereotype either. However, crows are actually considered one of the world's most intelligent animals in the world. I'm not talking about the cute "walk through a maze" smart either, I'm talking about "make tools to take over mankind" smart.

Just eating a shark. Nothing to see here.

Crows have been shown to be one of the few animals in the world that can use and construct tools. Both domestic and wild crows have shown certain abilities that make them creepily smart. For example, wild hooded crows in Israel have learned to use breadcrumbs for baiting fish in pools. One crow took/found a piece of bread, held it beneath it's feet, tore the bread to little pieces, threw the pieces into a pool and expertly extract nibbling fish under the water. Wait a few more years, and they'll be dangling keys in front of little boys and girls in the playground.

Why You're Unlikely To Become A Doctor

Don't all parents want their children to become doctors? It's every parent's dream for their child to be join such highly respected professionals and  bring home a six figure paycheck every month. But the thing is, in all honestly, you're unlikely to become a doctor unless you're really dedicated and smart. However, I'm not talking about "summer school" dedicated or "getting tutored on weekends" dedicated, but wholly hardcore dedication since the start of life. If you ever want to become a actual physician, you need to start at the elementary school-middle school stage, suddenly deciding to take school seriously after 8 years of fooling around isn't as simple flipping a pancake.

All you really need is a stethoscope.

In order to become a doctor, you don't simply sign a few applications, take a few tests, and simply stride into your shiny doctor's office. In order to become a doctor, you can expect to spend almost a decade and a half in school before becoming a full-fledged doctor. What that means is that, you must be willing to throw away your early adult life and let go of the little pleasures of life such as eating out or taking a extra nap on the weekends in order to become a doctor in the future. If you're not willing to spend and commit your entire 20s and half of your 30s in school, don't walk half the journey before deciding to go a different route.

Horrifying Tuesday : Sundew

Just because it's Horrifying Tuesday doesn't mean we can't look at one of the most out-worldly plants in the world. Allow me to introduce you to the Sundew, a spectacular plant with wondrous pink spines covered with the crisp morning dew. The name alone sparks memories of warm summer mornings with red-orange skies covering the earth as the morning dew settles down on the grass and leaves below the celestial bodies. But hold on a moment, did I mention that the Sundew is classified as one of the few carnivorous plants in the world?

This disturbing clown picture is somehow related to this post.

The Sundew, or the Drosera is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants in the world along with 194 of its own species. These plants greatly vary in size and form and can be found growing natively in almost every continent in the world, except Antarctica. If it was found in Antarctica, we could probably expect their entire ecosystem to be destroyed in a matter of weeks. Those polar bears can't hide forever.

Soon.

Why Smart Cars Aren't A Good Idea

We've all seen those commercials that advertise stylish new cars with super advanced technology built-in. Now, you can get a car that watches your eyes to make sure you're not drifting away to sleep; it's like a built-in parent, to watch intently watch you drive and slap you on the wrist every time your eyes close for a second too long. The car will even be able to help you stay in your lane and even park your car! Sweet! What's the problem with that?

What? Our sentient overlords have nothing to do with this article! 

3 Common Cooking Mistakes

Contrary to popular belief, you can't live off of take-out food and microwaveable dinners forever. Sometimes, you just need that freshly fried egg in the morning to get your day started. But before you crack out your knives and get ready to dice perfectly squared tomato pieces, lets admit it, you're not a world class chef. Below, you'll find the most common cooking mistakes that change your perfectly seasoned steak into a rough piece of burnt charcoal.

What a feast!

3 Reasons To Stop Running

We'll have to admit, running can provide numerous health benefits that can help cardiovascular and respiratory health along with increasing bone density, reducing blood cholesterol, healthier immune system, improve self esteem, and even reduce aging. It's like a ten-in-one package! What could possibly go wrong? The thing is, running is generally a high-impact exercise, constantly throwing your entire body weight left and right onto your feet is bound to cause some type of damage, right?

3. Foot Blisters

Ever walk home from school during a rainy day, take off your soaked socks, and behold the horror that is your feet? Not only are your feet wrinkled like a dried prune, but big white spots have appeared around the soles of your feet. A day later, you discover horrific blisters the size of small grapes growing on your feet. The only solution now is to dismember your own foot.

The only solution.

Horrifying Tuesday : Bombardier Beetle

It's that time of the week again, Horrifying Tuesday. Today, we're going to talk about the Bombardier Beetle, which definitely has one of the cleverest weapons of all times. Sure, there's insects with razor sharp claws and teeth, but what about creatures that can literally spit pain and agony at almost boiling point? Well lets welcome the Bombardier Beetle, one of the few creatures in the world that can shoot a mixture of death at 212 degrees Fahrenheit at only a fraction of a second.

Pictured: Recreated Simulation Of Bombardier Beetle

But how does this witchery work? Does the beetle carry around a squirt gun full of ominous fluids that mix together to form pure death in liquid form? How it works is actually somewhat simple. The beetle is able to produce hydroquinones and hydrogen peroxide which is stored in two different reservoir. When the beetle feels threaten, it can force the separate fluids into a "reaction" chamber along with some catalysts which will allow oxidation to occur.

Yeah, you know. Basic science.

Scaling: Poor Man's Shuriken

Scaling? Are we talking about the lame geometric transformation with shapes? Unless transforming shapes to larger or smaller similar shapes is related to throwing playing cards up to 148 km/h , then no, we aren't. Scaling or better known as card throwing, is the art of throwing standard playing cards. You don't need to dish out a million bucks to buy solid steel ninja stars to throw at your nemesis, all you need is a pack of cards.

The exact origin of card throwing is relatively unknown. However, western card throwing can be traced back to the late 19th century by magicians on stage. It was first made famous by Alexander Herrman and Howard Thurston in their stage performances during their time. Considering that they used heavier cards back in the day compared to modern playing cards and that their techniques are still be used and changed to this day, they can probably be considered the fathers of card throwing. 

You know he's awesome when his little demons whisper unkind things into his ears.

Lazy Activism: The Next Problem

With each year, new generations of children are being born, new ideals are being created, and society itself is shaping to the constraints of changing world. Back in the day, when people found a problem with something, they went went outside and protested their hearts out. Today, when people find a problem with something, they either push it aside as something they have no control over or try to support the cause with in the easiest manner possible.

Hitler invaded Poland? Better update my Facebook.

Survivalist: Mauro Prosperi

Mauro Prosperi is one of those people that survived ordeals that would have probably made grown men curl up into balls and try to cry their problems away. This is possibly one of the few men known to trek the Sahara Desert for 9 days, un-intentionally. Before all of this however, he was a casual everyday Italian policeman that occasionally participated in a "Modern Pentathlon". But it wasn't awesome enough for Mauro Prosperi.

You can tell he's Italian by his dangerously good looks.

3 Weak Spots Of The Human Body

Today, we're going to discuss four/soft spots of the human body. We don't mean emotions or feelings, we're talking about hardcore weak points that you can use to your advantage in a "self-defense" scenario. What that means is you shouldn't run around punching people in the neck for the laugh and giggles.

3. The "Stomach"

Your stomach is probably one of the most vulnerable parts of your body. There aren't any bones or muscles built to withstand extreme pressure and can result in direct hits to organs. However, we don't actually mean your literal stomach, it's more like your "gut". This weak point is located about two finger widths below your breastbone. If you don't know what a breastbone is, touch the center of your chest. After locating your breastbone, simply feel where the bone and muscle stops and where the fat begins. Just kidding about that fat though, I'm sure your stomach is full of rock-hard muscle.

Then again, maybe you should stop eating pure butter for breakfast. Just a thought.

Why Eradicating Mosquitoes Isn't A Bad Idea

Let's face it, summer's been here for a while now and those mosquitoes aren't going anywhere soon. Don't we ever have fantastic days at the park with friends, you hang out, you play games, you talk about ethics, and on your way home, you find seven swollen red mosquito bites on your legs. As pus and plasma slowly flows out of the bite, we find ourselves resenting the day we were born!

"My life is ruined forever!"

Even though you may not feel the same way, we have to admit, it wouldn't be that bad if mosquitoes suddenly disappeared. Why? I'll tell you.

If you think about it, you're not alone on this earth. While you may be annoyed that a puny mosquito bit you during recess, people in other poorer countries may live in homes infested with mosquitoes, some may even sit around the streets homeless, swatting mosquitoes buzzing around their heads.

The fact is, mosquitoes can easily transmit diseases with a simple bite. They can carry various disease causing viruses or parasites that will be injected into your bloodstream every time they take a drink. Guess how many people become infected by mosquito related infections and diseases such as Malaria and West Nile Virus? Over seven hundred million people around the world. These transmitted diseases sometimes result in death due to inability to pay for basic medication and protection; and by sometimes, I meant over 2 million people worldwide.

Is two million lives worth having mosquitoes around?

Horrifying Tuesday: Masked Hunter (Reduvius personatus)

It's about time for Horrifying Tuesday right? Today, we're going to talk about one of the most devious insects we've ever come across. So it's pretty much just another day at Skyakes. Today's creature is the Masked Hunter, which actually closely resemble it's name, unlike other lamer creatures. This creature is probably one of the most "resourceful" insects we've had on Horrifying Tuesday and while it doesn't run around shooting pure acid at people, it's pretty creepy to think that these guys could be anywhere.

The Masked Hunter is an insect belonging to the assassin bug family, so you can probably guess that it's highly trained in tactical insurgence and being awesome with sunglasses. The bug itself is generally dark brown (to black), and can reach up to 22 mm. The insect is a short stubby three-segmented bug that somewhat resembles giant cockroaches. So far, it doesn't sound too impressive.

"I am disappoint."

5 Of The Most Horrifying Torture Devices Ever

Despite historians telling us that torture devices during the medieval age wasn't as common as we thought, it's a eye-opening topic to remind us all how fragile our bodies really are. These torture devices take advantage of our fragile body parts, effectively destroy or maiming the limb or flesh. Regardless of the device being designed for extraction of information or execution, they're pretty darn scary. You probably wouldn't give these contraptions to toddlers.

No.

Warning: Large probable amounts of NSFW material below. There might be pictures and words depicting gruesome scenes of torture and violence. Pictures of nudity, blood, and gore may be included below. Please view at your own risk. After this paragraph however, you are considered warned.

3 More Misconceptions About Guns

So I heard you guys liked guns. Excluding how glorified guns are in both movies and games, reality is reality. There's no respawning or second chances, if you screw up the first time, you can't give it another go. Therefore, we should definitely educate ourselves in the many things designed to kill us. As the good men and women we are, we've decided to write another article about the common misconceptions people have about guns. Regardless of the misconception being due to that awesome action flick you saw during the summer, or that insane FPS game you've been playing, we're here to jam truth into your brain.

3. Shotgun Spread

What am I talking about? Am I talking about a awesome new spreadable jam for warm toast? No, I'm talking about the amount of 'spread' in a shotgun's bullets. Many games portray shotguns as extremely powerful close-ranged cannons of death and as weak little pea shooters from long ranged. But what's the truth behind it? If you see a man twenty meters in front of you with a shotgun pointed at your face, should you laugh him off and expect a few scratches or cry in the corner begging for life?

In this scenario apparently, you can easily estimate exact distances.

Why We Can't Simply Print More Money

So you're walking around a volcano minding your own business, when you trip over a bag labeled "Infinite Money". (I know, I'm not very good with examples.) You open it up, and find thousands of dollars in different currencies, after taking out a stack of the money, you find out that the sack replenishes itself. Do you take the bag and store it away for a rainy Friday, or do you toss it down the volcano? This article isn't a trick question with cliche answers such as possibly lose all your friends, or have people kill you. (Even though those are perfectly good reasons.) We're here to talk about actual things that are extremely likely to happen.

Here's a reminder of your mortality. Bam. Feel free to take a moment to reflect on life.

Eco-Friendly Water Bottles - The Marketing Scheme

So, what's the big deal with the Eco-Friendly Water Bottles? Why all the 'hate' for such a great, sturdy bottle that uses less plastic? Is it because Skyakes hates baby seals and kangaroos? No, of course not! The actual reason, is the master-ruse the marketing department used to fool us all.

Water Bottles? Right.

When the first batch of eco-friendly bottles came out, we were all disappointed on how thin and weak the plastic was compared to previous bottles. However, as long as it's good for the environment, it's good enough for us right? Actually, no.

If you think about, what's going on really? They take a bottle with plastic, and re-design it with less plastic. Plastic costs money. Do you see where I'm getting at? They've found a way to market the same product, at somewhat lower quality and make it sound good. Even if you're not drinking the plastic itself, they're giving you less for what you paid for a few years ago.

But hold your horses for a moment, it's eco-friendly, you wouldn't want a hundred of "old" heavy bottles in the sea floor right? At least a hundred "new" light bottles in the sea floor isn't that bad right? Think about it though. If they wanted to, they could use the same amount of plastic, but produce two to three times the amount of bottles. What that means is lower production costs per bottle, and possibly two-three times more bottles produced. It's like buying a three bricks of gold at the price of one!

If this was any other product, such as chicken from KFC, would you be happy if they decided to use cheaper, thinner cardboard containers to hold your chicken? Of course not! Your chicken would be flopping on the ground everywhere before you reach your house!

But we have to admit, the real scheme is making us pay for a relatively free resources, at almost the same price of oil.

However, if you mix the two together, you get environmental disaster.

Horrifying Tuesday: Wheel Bug

Horrifying Tuesday has arrived yet again! It's time to discuss the strangest, scariest, most dangerous critters on earth. If you're used to reading about cute dogs dancing around hats, you might want to turn away before you end up bleaching your eyes. I mean, bleach ain't cheap nowadays. Today's Horrifying Tuesday Topic is the Wheel Bug, which is possibly one of the creepiest bug that crawled out of nature to date, on Skyakes.

Not Related.

The Wheel Bug is one of the largest earth-born 'true bugs' in North America. But even though it only grows up to 1.5 inches, it packs a mean bite. These bugs are very common in eastern North America, but even though these bugs are as common as stray dogs and sewer rats, people in the local area have never seen them before. The reason for this, is that they are well camouflaged and very shy of humans. Their weak wings allow them to make very loud clumsy flights that can be mistaken for a simple grasshopper. Sounds more likely for them to be the prey than the predator in any scenario right?

"Espanol?"

What is Labor Day?

As some people may know, today's Labor Day. Even though many people don't celebrate it, people tend to enjoy the day off work and kids tend to go into deep depression as their summer ends.  But why is Labor Day "celebrated", and what exactly is it? Don't worry now, no need to sprain your fingers typing it into Google, we've done that for you.

Labor Day is a United States holiday celebrated on the first Monday, every September. The holiday is to celebrate the hard work and contributions of the working class. It's like a pat in the back from Uncle Sam for all the good work you've done. What do you mean you would rather have money?

"Instead of a pay raise, will you accept a handful of high-quality, highly polished pennies?"

3 Of The Most Common Drug Test Cheating Methods And Why They All Suck

Talk about long title right? Today, we're going to talk about the most common cheating methods for drug testings, and why they don't work. With the thousands of teens and adults resorting to drugs as a type of recreational activity, we would have to be clinically insane if we didn't cover this topic! (And if we were clinically insane, we wouldn't tell you.)

Wondrous drugs everywhere! In all shapes, colors and forms!

3. Replacing Your Urine With Other People's Urine

Let's pretend your rebellious cousin Tim came over during the weekend, and convinced you to try out some of his new "products". A day later, a routine random drug test was put into effect at the office, somebody's getting in trouble. So you tell your buddy Tom to pee in a cup for you, and as a good of a friend as he is, he does it for you. Way to go Tom!

After handing the cup to the man across the counter, he takes one look at the cup and one look at you. Suddenly, a security guard/police officer pulls you into the police van for questioning. What happened? Did Tom rat you out? Darn you Tom! Wait until he gets home to his burning apartment!

Soon!

3 of The Coolest Science Fiction Doomsday Devices

Don't we all love a good ol' doomsday? Throw a few aliens and explosions at the White House, and you've got a blockbuster movie. Doesn't everybody want to watch Will Smith take down the alien mothership with his white friend using a simple PC virus? However, there's no need to save up a few dimes and nickles to watch that insane movie in the theaters! Below, we're going to list the top three coolest science fiction doomsday devices that we've ever seen/read about.

Nothing like a good ol' apocalypse. 

4 Reasons Your Pictures Are Horrible

So you just bought that new camera and you're so excited to test it out. So you tell your friends to go hang out with you at the mall, and you proceed to take a few pictures as you run around without a care in the world. By the end of the day, your memory card is full and you're hyped up to see your pictures. You plug the USB cord in the computer, and look at your pictures. A small tear flows out of your eyes as you see consistently under-exposed and mysteriously colored pictures. Obviously, you bought the wrong camera right?

For the most part, the end result of a picture is more determined by the photographer, not the camera. You can blame that camera for being bad all you want, but at the end of the day, it's your fault.

Then again, it might be time for a replacement.