The latest preview of upcoming new album Post Human: Nex Gen has arrived

Jonathan Davis discusses Korn's recent collaboration with sports brand Adidas and the hidden sound effect within their own song A.D.I.D.A.S.

‘Bystander Society’ by Mary Fulbrook review j.hoare Fri‚ 01/05/2024 - 09:39

Our Complete List Of TOTO Band Members looks at a band that was first formed in 1979. I will never forget hearing their first single release‚ “Hold the Line‚” driving in my car during the fall of 1979. That piano riff was so original sounding‚ and everybody who played piano at the time wanted to learn it. It was easy to hear that this was a special band. What many people did not realize at first was that it was a group of legendary session players whom we had all heard many times before throughout the seventies on so many The post Complete List Of TOTO Band Members appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

The term "ivory tower" refers to a metaphorical state in which people live without awareness of the facts and practicalities of the real world. For instance‚ people of high social status – from academics and artists to politicians and celebrities – are often accused of “living in an ivory tower” when they lose touch with the realities faced by the public and futilely focus inwards on their own concerns.Origin of the term "ivory tower"Like many colloquial phrases‚ it has a fascinating‚ weaving backstory. The earliest-known use of the term “ivory tower” can be found in Biblical sources. The Song of Songs‚ also known as the Song of Solomon‚ features the phrase “Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon”. In this Biblical context‚ the term had little to do with how it is typically used in modern times. However‚ it appears that the concept of ivory was still associated with delusions and a world beyond everyday reality.“Ivory seems classically to have been associated with the notion of fantasy‚ illusion‚ if not delusion – anyway‚ something closely linked to the idea of the imaginatively unreal – where classicists say that the Greek word for ivory (elephas) played upon the word meaning to cheat or deceive (elephairo). The artist deceives you‚ takes you away from the real‚ but that was not necessarily considered a bad thing‚” Steven Shapin‚ a historian of science at Havard University‚ explains in a paper on the phrase’s origins. Shapin believes the Biblical usage of the word came to inspire the modern phrase “ivory tower”‚ which truly took off in the early 19th century when it started to be used by several French Romantic thinkers. In 1837‚ for example‚ Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve wrote a poem that mocked another French poet‚ Alfred de Vigny‚ for becoming too aloof and retiring to his grand estate in Angoulême where he wrote self-reflective poems‚ totally divorced from the outside world. The poem reads: “And Vigny‚ more discreet‚ As if in his ivory tower‚ retired before noon.”The "ivory tower" of academiaAs the 19th century churned onwards‚ the phrase became increasingly more common in the French and English-speaking world‚ where it was most commonly used to describe self-obsessed poets and artists who had become impractical dreamers.By the second half of the 20th century‚ the term “ivory tower” became increasingly associated with the worlds of academia‚ universities‚ and scientists. The phrase was essentially an insult thrown at academics to describe how they had become disengaged from the public‚ too concerned about lofty theories that have little relation to the everyday lives of people.It is an accusation still thrown at scientists and academics today‚ but one that many are working hard to fight back against.All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text‚ images‚ and links may be edited‚ removed‚ or added to at a later date to keep information current.  

Arachnophobes‚ look away now. Rarely do we believe at IFLScience that some small part of spider ecology or behavior can’t overcome the horror felt by even the most fearful of spider-phobes‚ but this one might be a step too far. Behold Hercules. The largest ever male specimen of a Sydney funnel-web spider (Atrax robustus)‚ not only does he measure almost 8 centimeters (3 inches) foot to foot‚ he is also one of the world’s most deadly.Hercules was found around 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Sydney and was taken to a local hospital. The team at Australian Reptile Park collected him and soon realized the specimen was the largest spider ever received from a member of the public in Australia. Hercules’ enormous 7.9-centimeter foot-to-foot length knocks the previous 2018 record holder “Colossus” off the park’s top spot. “We’re used to having pretty big funnel-web spiders donated to the park‚ however receiving a male funnel-web this big is like hitting the jackpot‚” said Emma Teni‚ a spider keeper at Australian Reptile Park‚ in a statement sent to IFLScience.  Australian Museum describes Sydney funnel-web spiders as typically between 1 and 5 centimeters (0.4-2 inches)‚ with the females typically smaller than the males and much less toxic. They are notoriously aggressive with large fangs‚ and will rear up when threatened. These spiders live in burrows and will rush out to catch small lizards‚ beetles‚ and other invertebrates that they then consume inside their burrows. They are among Australia's most venomous species‚ with a bite able to kill a person in as little as 15 minutes. According to the University of Melbourne there have been 13 recorded deaths from these spiders; however‚ since the development of an antivenom in the early 1980s‚ no deaths have been recorded. Australian Reptile Park said they will add Herculus to their antivenom programme‚ which will see the spider “milked” as the venom is extracted and used to create the antidote. "People can bring any collected funnel-web spiders to the Reptile Park itself‚" Teni explained. "However‚ if they can’t get to us‚ we have drop off zones around Sydney‚ the Central Coast and Newcastle and all facilities are provided with a spider safety kit to house the spiders until the Australian Reptile Park staff can come and pick them up each week.” Australian Reptile Park is the only park in Australia to "milk" funnel-web spiders to make the antivenom. They suggest this practice could save up to 300 lives every year. “With having a male funnel-web this size in our collection‚ his venom output could be enormous‚ proving incredibly valuable for the park’s venom program‚” continued Teni. In other spider news‚ a species lost for 92 years was rediscovered "tap dancing" in Portugal and – just to scare you even further – human blood is an aphrodisiac for one spider species...