How Restoration Made the Mona Lisa’s Eyebrows Disappear

For centuries, Leonardo Da Vinci’s "Mona Lisa" has beguiled art buffs unable to resist speculating on its origins and meaning. Parisian engineer Pascal Cotte says he spent hours as a child, staring at the Mona Lisa the first time he saw it at the Louvre. He later used his scientific training in light and optics to develop a camera that would allow him to examine the object of his obsession. Cotte estimates that he spent 3,000 hours analyzing the data from the scans he made of the painting in the Louvre’s laboratory. Using sensors to detect light from both the visible spectrum and the infrared and ultraviolet ranges invisible to the human eye, his camera revealed several changes. First, Mona Lisa’s face was originally wider and the smile more expressive when Da Vinci painted them. In addition, she holds a blanket that has all but faded from view today. What surprised Cotte more than anything was that Mona Lisa had eyebrows and eyelashes (see photo above, before left and after right) in the original painting. Age, varnish and restorations performed later have resulted in a painting that all but obliterated both the eyebrows and eyelashes of the famous model. Since scanning the Mona Lisa, Cotte has made super-high-resolution photographs of more than 500 paintings, including works by Van Gogh, Brueghel, Courbet and other European masters. "To communicate our cultural heritage to our kids, we need to provide the maximum of information," Cotte said.

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Bored Hotel Receptionist Decides to Turn the Tables on a Scammer

A hotel receptionist in Norway — deep in the throes of a brutally slow night shift — decided to cure his boredom by engaging an obvious scammer. After receiving an email from a person named “Scooter,” who wanted to book a long stay and prepay with a credit card, the receptionist decided to play along. The receptionist ran the credit card and received a “declined” response, but told Scooter the card went through. Predictably, Scooter then sent a cancellation request, asking for a refund, but to a different credit card. He explained that he had lost his wallet containing the credit card he had booked the room with. Meanwhile, the receptionist discovered Scooter’s Facebook account and found that his profile indicated that he worked for a hotel. The receptionist immediately called the manager of Scooter’s hotel, who exploded in anger and confirmed that the credit cards belonged to recent guests. The manager promptly reported Scooter to the police. The receptionist wasn’t done. He then called Visa and Mastercard International and gave them all of Scooter’s information, including the Polish bank account he was using for the refunds. Long story short, Scooter no longer works for the hotel, and his accommodations are now provided by the “big house.” This story is a great reminder of the basics of fraud protection. Never share your full credit card details over an unsecured channel like email. Scooter was able to get his hands on these numbers because the guests at his hotel likely weren’t following this simple but crucial security step, turning their vacation into evidence in a police report.

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The World’s Longest Outdoor Escalator Rejuvenates Old District

Opened in 1993, the Central Mid-Level Escalator in Hong Kong is the world’s longest outdoor covered escalator. Running for over 2,600 feet and rising over 440 feet in elevation, the escalator was built to ease traffic congestion in the residential district. The escalators exist because Hong Kong is dominated by steep, hilly terrain, which makes it the home of several unusual methods of transportation up and down the slopes. The escalator runs downhill from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. to cater to commuters, and uphill from 10:30 a.m. to midnight. The system is equipped with 75 CCTV cameras, LED variable-message signage, and a public address system with about 200 speakers. Apart from serving as a mode of transportation, the system is also a tourist attraction and is lined with restaurants, bars, and shops. The system, which cost $31 million to build, consists of 18-20 escalators and 3 covered moving walkways, serving over 85,000 people daily.

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One Man's Answer to Loneliness in Japan

As in many cities around the globe, most people in Tokyo prefer anonymity when it comes to their wants, needs and vulnerabilities. People who are desperate to get advice don’t want it from a guy they’ve worked with for years or the uncle who remembers the tears shed over a broken toy truck. Their reasoning is that someone familiar might judge them. That’s why Takanobu Nishimoto (pictured) launched a business called Ossan Rental. An ossan is a middle-aged man, and if you need advice, a professional ossan will sit down and give you some for just 1,000 Japanese Yen, the equivalent of $6.84 per hour. An ossan will listen to a client's complaints, perform chores, give advice on life, or escort a client to an event. Nishimoto ensures the security of his customers by having a strict “no-touching” policy. The ossan gets to keep whatever money he makes, but is required to sign a 1-year contract. To screen out anyone with shady motives, Nishimoto charges ossans $90 a month for membership. He currently has more than 80 ossans to choose from and business is booming.

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