Archive for January, 2007
Cartoon Ads Cause Bomb Scare in Boston.
What’s up with Boston? LED boards featuring Mooninite character for Adult Swim cartoon "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" had been placed for weeks in 10 other US cities, but caused a bomb scare only in Beantown.
The devices displayed one of the "Mooninites," outer-space delinquents who make frequent appearances on the cartoon, greeting passersby with a raised middle finger. Nine were reported around Boston on Wednesday, sending police bomb squads scrambling and snarling traffic and mass transit in one of the largest U.S. cities.
Boston police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll called Wednesday’s incidents "a colossal waste of money." She had no immediate comment on whether any laws were broken but said police would investigate further.
ALF Sings Bob Seger
ALF [wiki] does his best Tom-Cruise-in-Risky-Business-singing-Bob-Seger !
For all the Tom Cruise fans, you can see the original here [YouTube]
Strange New Candy Bars Creations.
Stephen of Cotton & Sand blog was unsatisfied with the limited selection of candy bars we have today, and decided to make new ones. Strange new ones, like Nestle Crunch with Ketchup, Vegetable Skittles, Snickers Bacon Bar, Reese’s with Seafood Gumbo and KitKat Malt Liquor.
Rubik’s Cube Cast From White Bronze.
Marshall Astor created this Rubik’s Cube out of white bronze! The goodthing about it is no matter how you turn it - the cube’s solved already! Link - via Make, Thanks Henry @ Brohans!
Got Bilk?
Ever heard of such thing called “Beer and Milk”?
The idea for the drink was conceived after dairy firms threw out a huge amount of surplus milk in March last year. The son of the manager of a liquor store in Nakashibetsu, whose main industry is dairy farming, suggested the idea of producing the milk beer to local brewery Abashiri Beer.
LINK - via Japan Probe
Head of World Bank Wears Socks with Giant Holes!
Paul Wolfowitz [wiki], the head of World Bank, visited a mosque during an official visit to Turkey. Obeying local customs, he removed his shoes and revealed two large holes in his socks! Link
Happy Birthday, Daniel Tammet!
Today, Daniel Tammet [wiki], the savant that holds the European record for remembering pi to 22,514th digit, is 10,220 days or 245,280 hours (that’s 28 years for us non-savants).
mental_floss got the story:
A lot of savants can do things that no normal person can do, like tell you what day of the week August 18, 1876 was without consulting an almanac, in about five seconds (it was a Friday), multiply 27 to the power of four in his head (531,441) or memorize and recite long strings of numbers with ease. But there are a few things he can do that even most savants cannot. For instance, he once learned functional Icelandic in a week, and recited pi to several thousand places from memory (without errors — it took more than five hours).
Ten Worst Rock Star Plane Crashes.
Blender has this article on the 10 Worst Rock Star Plane Crashes.
On number 10 is Buddy Holly:
Holly, Valens and Richardson were barnstorming through the Midwest in 1959 on a package tour and looking to avoid a frigid February ride from Iowa to Minnesota aboard a bus whose heater was on the blink. Holly chartered a plane for himself and two bandmates, but guitarist Tommy Allsup lost a coin flip to Valens for one seat on the plane, and Holly’s bass player, future country star Waylon Jennings, graciously gave up his seat to Richardson, who was running a fever. Holly reportedly needled Jennings about his decision, telling him, “I hope your old bus freezes up.” Jennings responded: “Well, I hope your plane crashes.” Crash it did, into a snowy Iowa field, shortly after takeoff, killing everyone aboard, and forever memorializing February 3, 1959 as “The Day the Music Died.”
Link - via Gorilla Mask
Human “Hobbit” is a New Species.
A new study by Dean Falk of the Florida State University and her colleagues sugggested that the human "Hobbits" found on an Indonesian island in 2004 are a completely new species:
The researchers believe the 1m-tall (3ft) people evolved from an unknown small-bodied, small-brained ancestor, which they think became small in stature to cope with the limited supply of food on the island.
The little humans are thought to have survived until about 12,000 years ago, when a volcanic eruption devastated the region.
Link - via eBaum’s World
Snake Steals Toxin from Poisonous Toads.
From the website:
It sounds like something straight out of a video game: A snake collects toxin by biting a poisonous toad and uses that venom as a defense against hawks and other predators. But that is exactly what researchers say the Asian snake Rhabdophis tigrinus does, based on studies of glandular fluid from hatchlings and adult snakes on two Japanese islands.
Link - via Boing Boing
Homemade Knight Rider K.I.T.T. Car
On the auction block on eBay: a 1984 Trans Am pimped out to be a Knight Rider K.I.T.T. car! Link
via Make
Star Wars Gansta Rap.
(Warning: bad language, hey it’s gangsta rap, what do you expect?) Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - via VideoSift
RIP, Barbaro.
Barbaro [wiki], the thoroughbred that won the 2006 Kentucky Derby and perhaps the best thoroughbred horse since Secretariat, was euthanized on January 29, 2007.
Barbaro shattered three bones in his hind leg in last May’s Preakness and although he had made significant improvements after surgery, ultimately the horse had significant health setbacks and pain that forced vets to euthanize him. Barbaro was cremated, and plans are being put together in regards to his final resting place.
Link: MSNBC | YouTube fan-made tributes to Barbaro
Complete Collection of NES Games on eBay
This eBay seller is auctioning off every game ever made for the Nintendo Entertainment System! There are 670 game cartridges in all, including a complete Nintendo Entertainment System with 4 controllers and all of the accessories. As I’m writing this, the bid is up to US $20,600.00.
Link
Space Invaders Urban Invasion.
Urban artists are pixelating the world using art mosaics with 8-bit video game themes. The most of them used characters from Space Invaders (Wikipedia) or similar games such as Axiens, Galaxiens, Galaga, Moon Cresta, etc.
The image above is Q*Bert (Wikipedia). I’ve been browsing the photos until I found him. I played that game a lot!
Link to the Space Invaders Flickr Photoset
Link Space Invaders
Wordy.
Wordy is SO addicting once you get the hang of it! This game is a cross between Boggle and Tetris, or maybe a wordfind puzzle. As the letters drop, click on adjacent letters to spell a word. You can go in any and all directions, and even change direction, as long as the letters are next to each other. Then click again on the last letter. If that word (of at least three letters) is in their dictionary, the tiles will disappear. But you have to hurry! Link -via Transbuddha
The iBar
Jeremy Mehrle uploaded to Flickr photos of his old Mac collection, recycled to be part of the furnitures of his home in St. Louis, Missouri.
Aardvark landmine clearance.
The Aardvark landmine clearance system is one bad machine! More than one, actually, as there are different models. The rotating chain technology reminds me of a bush hog, but on a much grander scale. Push play or go to YouTube. Link to product information.
Laptop Proposal.
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Saturday night, Bjorn handed Jenny his laptop as they were sitting in the car after an evening out. He instructed her to hit F12, and this screen came up. She said yes! Link -via Look at This
Hello Kitty Tarot.
The Hello Kitty Tarot is a standard deck of 78 tarot cards, featuring drawings of the cute Hello Kitty. Link -via Everlasting Blort
When Celebrity Endorsements Go Bad.
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Some product endorsements and celebrities go well together - but these didn’t: let’s take a look at some where the pairings went horribly, horribly bad. Pope Leo XIII and Vin Mariani
In the 1880s, Pope Leo XIII [wiki], Queen Victoria [wiki] and Pope Saint Pius X [wiki] (yes, he was canonized), praised Vin Mariani [wiki], a popular drink made from Bordeaux wine laced with cocaine from coca leaves! Pope Leo XIII even awarded a gold medal to the drink and appeared in a poster endorsing it. If you are not familiar with Vin Mariani, just know this: the drink was the inspiration for a carbonated version called Coca-Cola (named so, because of the coca leaves and kola nut, its two original ingredients). The Flintstones and Winston Cigarette
Before vitamins, Fred Flintstones and Barney Rubble once sold Winston cigarettes in 1961. Joe Namath and Pantyhose
American football Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath [wiki] once plugged (and wore!) a line of Beautymist pantyhose in 1974. Cybill Shepherd and BeefIn 1987, the Beef Industry Council hired Cybill Shepherd to promote eating beef (the campaign was called "real food for real people"), but the whole thing backfired when Cybill admitted she is a vegetarian! |
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Eric Clapton and MichelobIn 1988, Anheuser-Busch used Eric Clapton’s "After Midnight" song for its Michelob ad campaigns. That is, before Clapton [wiki] told Rolling Stone magazine that he was battling relapsed alcoholism. |
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Jose Canseco and the California Egg Commission.In 1989, Jose Canseco [wiki] was arrested for possession of a handgun and got canned from his job as spokesman for the California Egg Commission. Turns out, the Commission probably avoided a larger egg on its face when Canseco later admitted to steroids use (and outed teammates as steroid users) in a tell-all-book Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big. |
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OJ Simpson and HertzPerhaps the worst ever celebrity endorsement was car rental company Hertz’s choice for a spokesman: OJ Simpson. After the infamous OJ Simpson murder case [wiki] in 1994 (and countless "it hertz" bad jokes), Hertz was stuck with the unsavory link to Simpson. |
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Ray Lewis, Disney and WheatiesRay Lewis [wiki] led the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl XXXV victory and was named "Super Bowl MVP". But unlike past victors, he wasn’t "going to Disneyland" or got his picture on a Wheaties box. Why? Lewis was shunned because he was implicated in a double murder that occurred during the week before the Super Bowl. Although the charges were dropped, he did plead guilty to obstruction of justice and was fined by the courts and the NFL. |
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Kobe Bryant and McDonald’sIn 2003, basketball star Kobe Bryant [wiki] of the Los Angeles Lakers, was accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old employee at the hotel he was staying. Although the case against him [wiki] was dismissed (and a subsequent civil case against him was settled), Bryant’s reputation was tarnished and he lost endorsement contracts with McDonald’s, Ferrero (maker of Nutella chocolate) and other companies. |
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The Olsen Twin and Got Milk?In 2004, the "Got Milk?" campaign pulled its ads featuring the Olsen twin [wiki], when Mary-Kate Olsen checked herself into a treatment facility because of an eating disorder. Apparently, milk didn’t do her body good! |
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Kate Moss and H&M, Chanel, and BurberrySupermodel Kate Moss‘ [wiki] party lifestyle caught up with her when she was photographed snorting several lines of cocaine in 2005. Within weeks of the revelation, Moss lost modelling contracts and advertising campaings with clothing retailer H&M, Chanel, and Burberry. Incredibly, after checking herself into a clinic and kicking the cocaine habit, Moss had a tremendous comeback and got even bigger product endorsement deals! So, maybe in Kate’s case, it didn’t go badly at all! |
Futuristic Japanese Church
The Harajuku Protestant Church, located in Tokyo, was first unveiled by the design firm of Ciel Rouge Creation in 2005. The ceiling is specially made to reverberate natural sound for 2 seconds to provide a unique listening experience for worshipers and tourists. Get more info and learn how to get there at gridskipper. Pic via flickr.
I’d love to find out if there’s any significance to the bright seats scattered amongst the stark white pews. Anyone know?
Cup of Tea Ring.
Etsy seller AnniePants made a cool ring shaped like a cup of tea (from sterling silver) with a golden spoon!
Link - Thanks Elizabeth!
Steve White’s Kids Go to Saturn.
Neatorama reader Steve White sent us a link to his short video starring his 5-year-old twins. Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - Thanks Steve! That was pretty neat.
Huge Palm Frond Fan Blades.
Tired of those puny fan blades not moving any air on a hot day? Retrofit your old fan with these huge palm frond fan blades! Link - via Logistical Nightmare
What Happens When You Mail a Letter in 1951.
This 1951 Popular Science article explains the journey of a letter from when it is dropped into a mailbox to its destination.
When this article was written, there was a big pneumatic tube network connecting all of the post offices in Manhattan!
I wonder how much of the system had changed: Link - Thanks Henry @ Brohans!
The Original Batmobile is for Sale.
The original batmobile is now for sale, through the auction house Coys. Bidding starts at £75,000. Link - via Shiny Shiny
Robert McCall, The Artist Behind 2001: A Space Odyssey
Check out the galleries of Robert McCall, one of the artists who invented the future as depicted in movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Disney’s The Black Hole.
Link - via The World of Kane
Man-sized Gundam Toy.
It’s 150cm X 90cm × 45cm in size. I don’t know how tall japanese people are on average but she seems a bit small. Anyway, this is the biggest Gundam action figure available for sale and, perhaps the biggest action figure in the stores right now. Naturally, these are made in Japan.
Link - via Tokyo Times
Twiggy, the Waterskiing Squirrel
Click on the play button to see the cutest squirrel ever been on a water ski. Link to Official Site - via Nothing to do With Arbroath
