listosaur.com

Horror themes are a big part of modern pop culture. We enjoy classic horror movies such as The Thing and Silence of the Lambs, and newer offerings, like 28 Days Later. Stephen King and other modern horror authors follow in the proud tradition of masters such as Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft. But songs with a horror theme aren’t nearly so prominent. There are plenty of songs dealing with occult and horror themes in heavy metal, but not so much in classic rock, pop and country. And many popular tunes featuring spooky titles, such as Warren Zevon’s Werewolves of London, Boris Pickett’s Monster Mash and Ray Parker Jr.’s Ghostbusters, are more tongue-in-cheek humor than horror. That said, here are five pop songs with dark themes that are worth another listen.

In the 1920s, American astronomer Edwin Hubble changed our entire view of the universe. It’s hard to believe now, but up until that time, our Milky Way galaxy was thought to be the extent of existence. But Hubble discovered a key cosmic yardstick known as a Cepheid variable, and used it to measure the stupendous distance to what was then known as the “Andromeda nebula.” Thus we came to the realization that the Andromeda and other spiral nebula like it are galaxies, or “island universes” similar to our own, and that our own Milky Way galaxy is but one of billions. The following is a quick pick of some of the most fascinating and significant galaxies as seen from Earth.

Many companies think nothing of spending millions of dollars for celebrity endorsements. But a great advertising campaign can turn an ordinary citizen into a celebrity. In a few rare cases, these commercial stars go on to become cultural icons, with TV and movie appearances, book deals and other endorsements. Here’s a look back at some classic commercials that earned their stars a measure of fame.

More and more people are crossing “marathon” off their bucket list; in 2010, more than 500,000 American runners went the 26.2 distance, up from 299,000 in 2000. But where do you go when you’ve done all the classic races, such as New York, Chicago and London? If you don’t opt to either shave your times or try the “ultra” distances — generally considered to be any distance greater than 30.99 miles — you may be tempted to seek out more unusual races in exotic locales to test your personal limits. Be forewarned: Some of these so-called adventure races will turn your 9-minute-mile standard into an 18-minute mile pace — and you’ll be elated just to finish.

For every space mission that leaves the launch pad, dozens of proposals die on the cutting room floor. Most fall victim to budgetary constraints, as NASA and planetary science as a whole face dwindling funds for planetary exploration. Exciting missions are currently underway; Messenger is in orbit around Mercury, the Dawn spacecraft is en route to the asteroid Ceres, and New Horizons is scheduled to make a flyby of Pluto in July 2015. However, it’s rather telling that no nation has a planetary mission scheduled to leave Earth in 2012. Still, scientists have a lengthy “wish list” of future missions they’d like to see launched, and some of these involve rather strange concepts.

Cult films are the rejects. These are the movies nobody went to see when they came out, presumably because they weren't any good. They've become cult films not just because those nobodies were wrong, but also because at least some of the early audience members have since changed their minds. All of the motion pictures on this list were either released within the past 40 years or achieved their following in that period, as cult status is a distinctly modern cultural phenomenon.

When we hear the term “witch hunt” today, we typically consider it a metaphor for things like steroid investigations and congressional inquiries. It’s not as if people still hunt down “real” witches the way they did in fiascos like America’s notorious Salem Witch Trials. Or do they? Real witch hunts do, in fact, still happen around the world, and they are shockingly on the rise. Here are some hot spots for these human rights violations.

It’s been 30 years since Time Magazine named the personal computer its Man of the Year (actually, Machine of the Year is how the magazine phrased it). At the time, even the greatest visionaries could not have foreseen how the technology would transform our lives. So whom can we thank for inventing the first personal computer? A man named Ed Roberts is generally regarded as the “Father of the Personal Computer” for leading the development of a computer known as the Altair 8800 in the mid-1970s. Yet that computer, with no monitor or keyboard, looks nothing like the PCs we use today. Here are 10 key developments in the early evolution of the personal computer, both from a technological and commercial standpoint.

Sun Tzu’s The Art of War recounts Chinese philosophy that, “An army without secret agents is exactly like a man without eyes or ears.” As low-intensity conflicts picked up in the mid-20th century during the Cold War, the use of military special forces also gained prominence. These “Quiet Professionals” can travel fast and light, hitting a target worldwide within 24 hours. But along with the well-known units such as the Navy SEALs, Green Berets, Rangers and Delta Force are a number of other elite and fascinating outfits that fall under the purview of the modern United States Special Operations Command. Established in 1980 shortly after the aborted attempt to rescue U.S. hostages in Iran, USSOCOM is an inter-service, command and control organization. Based at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, USSOCOM oversees all joint service component operations. Here, in no particular order, is a look at some of the more unique units under its command.

President Theodore Roosevelt is remembered as a larger-than-life figure, a war hero and big-game hunter who turned the presidency into a “bully pulpit” and warned other nations that he would “Speak softly but carry a big stick” in foreign affairs. But one of Roosevelt’s most enduring legacies passed unnoticed at the time. In 1903, Roosevelt established what would become the first National Wildlife Refuge in the United States. That area, Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida, is today one of 556 designated areas around the United States — covering more than 150 million acres — in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Roosevelt, a noted bird lover and conservationist, would undoubtedly be pleased to see how the system he set in motion has helped conserve, manage and restore wildlife, fish and plant habitats in every U.S. state, protecting diverse ecosystems and helping save species from extinction. Here’s a look at some notable facts about the National Wildlife Refuge System, along with some of the wondrous sights to be found in these unique habitats.