DISCOVER CEO and Publisher Henry Donahue is sporting some fresh ink! You may recall that he made a pact with Bad Astronomy blogger Phil Plait that Henry would get a tattoo if traffic for DISCOVERmagazine.com topped 5 million page views per month. The catch was that Phil had to get 2 million views on his blog alone.
Being a good sport, Phil stepped up to the challenge and offered to get a reader-suggested tat himself if he achieved his traffic goals.
Well, thanks to you, dear readers, both goals were met back in March of 2009, and Henry has followed through on his end of the deal. The tattoo, seen at left, was inspired by the Book of Kells, a famous illustrated Celtic manuscript from 800 A.D.
Stay tuned to Bad Astronomy for details on Phil’s tattoo.
(Note: According to Phil, no alcohol was involved in their bet. Rather the idea was inspired by Carl Zimmer’s fantastical Science Tattoo Emporium.)
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The Loom: Science Tattoo Emporium Archives
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The Loom: A Promise Is A Promise…
We here at Discover rarely look out the window, so enthralled are we with the daily goings on of the science-related interwebs. But a tipster (the tech guy, who actually does go outside) informed us that a strange, unexplained phenomenon was occurring outside our office: Foam is falling from the sky.
It looks like snow, only it’s not anything that nature could drum up. Where it’s coming from and why remain a mystery. Exploded dry cleaners? Cargo plane dropping mattresses?
Our crack research team (aka Brett the Intern) is out collecting samples for analysis. Pictorial evidence here:
and:
If you have any insider info on the strange foam assault, email us at mlafsky@discovermagazine.com.
UPDATE: We will have video shortly.
UPDATE 2: The Forbes.com people are also concerned about the foam tempest. (Yes, Forbes, we r in ur buildingz, watching u make galereez.)
UPDATE 3: The foam appears to be soap that’s being shot from the building ventilation system or water pipes. The soap was created by men who felt the need to wash the roof of 90 Fifth Avenue. In the pouring rain.
Thanks to all the tipsters who have written in, offering theories from rampant laundry room emergencies to September 11th pranks.
