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Google introduced an experimental (but functional!) “Voice Local Search” today in Google Labs. “Voice Local Search” is Google-speak for “free 411 business listing service that works using speech recognition.” The key word here is free. My cellular carrier charges $1.49 per 411 call and I think my landline service charges $0.49. Google’s “Goog-411” service charges $0.00! It does not do residential listings, so we’ll still have to pay for these, at least for now. If you’re calling from a cell phone you can tell the service to send you the search results via an SMS text message. You can even simply tell it your town and “pizza” and get what you need!
Go ahead and turn over a little bit more of your soul to the great corporate juggernaut that is Google and try Goog-411 today! Hooray! [link via TechCrunch]
Artist Melissa Lynn Johnson does charming, colorful fantasy-inspired paintings. You can check them out at her webpage.
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Benjamin Lester of Cosmos Online reports:
Much of the amazing variation in size of different breeds of domestic
dogs stems from tiny differences in a single gene, say researchers.When the team compared the dog DNA samples, they found that all the
small breeds shared the same mutations in a small part of the DNA of
one gene which regulates the production of insulin-like growth factor
(IGF1) – a protein key to promoting growth. . . ."In the big dogs, the [level] of insulin like growth factor is
larger than in the small dogs," said Alan Wilton, an expert in dog
genetics at Sydney’s University of New South Wales, who was not
involved in the study.The result, said the researchers, is that dogs with this mutation
stay small. "All dogs under nine kilograms have this – all of them," said Lark. "That’s extraordinary."
Image: Deanne Fitzmaurice
Outside the Spam Museum. (Image Credit: jimmywayne22 [Flickr])
The Great Wall of Spam (Image Credit: the queen of subtle [Flickr])
If the on-site "wall of SPAM" is any indication, a tour through the SPAM Museum in Austin, Minn., is guaranteed fun for the whole canned-pork-loving family. SPAM’s parent company, Hormel Foods, opened the establishment in 2001 to the tune of almost 5,000 cans of SPAM.
One of the main attractions is a scale model of a SPAM plant, where visitors can don white coats and hairnets while pretending to produce America’s favorite tinned meat. But vacationers be warned: In addition to major holidays, the museum will be closed on June 16 to prepare for the much hoopla-ed SPAM Museum Jam 2006.
It’s pretty hard to argue with the motto "Any Day Above Ground is a Good One." So goes the backhanded optimism of the National Museum of Funeral History, a Houston facility that opened in 1992.
Visitors are treated to exhibit that include a Civil War embalming display and a replica of a turn-of-the-century casket factory. In addition, the museum boasts an exhibit of "fantasy coffins" designed by Ghanaian artist Kane Quaye. These moribund masterpieces include a casket shaped like a chicken, a Mercedes-Benz, a shallot, and an outboard motor. According to Quaye, his creations are based on the dreams and last wishes of his clients, which – let’s be honest -really makes you wonder about the guy buried in the shallot.
If you’re bumming around but looking for a good time, be sure to take a load off in Britt, Iowa, at The Hobo Museum, which details the history and culture of tramps. Bear in mind, though, that the museum kind of, well, slacks on hours and is only open to the public during the annual Hobo Convention.
Luckily, tours can be arranged by appointment any time of year. Of course, if you’re interested in the Hobo Convention, lodging is available all over the area, but it’s a safe bet that most of your compatriots will be resting their floppy hats at the "hobo jungle," located by the railroad tracks. Both the event and the museum are operated by the Hobo Foundation, which – incidentally – also oversees the nearby Hobo Cemetery, where those who have "caught the westbound" are laid to rest.
Originally, the College of Physicians of Philadelphia erected the Mütter Museum as a creative way to inform medical students and practicing physicians about some of the more unusual medical phenomena. (You know, babies with two heads, that sort of thing.) But today, it primarily serves as a popular spot for anyone interested in the grotesque.
There, you’ll find the world’s largest colon, removed from a man who died – not surprisingly – of constipation. Also on display: an OB-GYN instrument collection, thousands of fluid-preserved anatomical and pathological specimens, and a large wall dedicated entirely to swallowed objects.
What better way to honor "Greatest Show on Eart" founder PT Barnum than with a mediocre museum in Bridgeport, Connecticut? Some visitors will appreciate the museum’s ridiculously detailed miniature model of a five-ring circus. But only circus freaks (and by that we mean "enthusiasts") will get a kick out of seeing a stale piece of cake from the wedding of Barnum’s 40-inch tall sidekick, General Tom Thumb.
There’s more than one theory about the assassination of John F. Kennedy, so why not have more than one museum devoted to it as well? Most JFK buffs are familiar with the Sixth Floor Museum housed in the former Texas School Book Depository, which recounts all those boring "mainstream" details of the late president’s life leading up to his death at the hands of Lee Harvey Oswald.
But just down the street, the Conspiracy Museum [wiki | image] offers fodder for those less apt to buy into the Man’s propaganda. For the most part, the museum specializes in showing of the Zapruder film and explanations of contrary assassination theories, including the other gunmen on the grassy knoll and possible mafia involvement.
[Note: the museum seems to have been closed as of Dec 2006]
Take two trips to the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices and call us when you’ve lost all faith in the medical profession. Thanks to curator Bob McCoy (who recently donated the colection to the Science Museum of Minnesota), those in search of history’s quack science can find what they’re looking for in the St. Paul tourist attraction, whether it’s a collection of 19th-century phrenology machines or some 1970s breast enlargers. If you make the trip, be sure to check out the 1930s McGregor Rejuvenator. This clever device required patrons to enclose their bodies, sans head, in a large tube where they were pounded with magnetic and radio waves in attempts to reverse the aging process.
What began as a training facility for Cook’s Pest Control exterminators blossomed into one of the few museums in the country willing to tell the tale of the pest. At Cook’s Natural Science Museum in Decatur, Ala., visitors can learn everything they ever wanted to know about rats, cockroaches, mice, spiders, and termites … all for free. And while most people would rather step on the live specimens than learn about them, museum exhibits such as the crowd-pleasing Pest of the Month keep reeling in patrons.
So, what do you get when you combine the loneliness of a pet cemetery with the creepy flair of vaudeville? The Vent Haven Ventriloquist Museum, of course – where dummies go to die.
The Fort Mitchell, Ky., museum was the brainchild of the late William Shakespeare Berger, who founded the site as a home for retired wooden puppets. In fact, he collected figures from some of the country’s most famous ventriloquist acts. And with more than 700 dummies stacked from floor to ceiling, you’re bound to feel like you’re stuck inside a 1970s horror flick – albeit a really good one. But sadly, when Berger gave the tour, you could totally tell his mouth was moving.
The Trash-o-saurus at the CRRA Trash Museum
Mom wasn’t kidding when she said one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. At the Trash Museum in Hartford, Conn., the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority (CRRA) turns garbage into 6,500 square feet of pure recycling entertainment!
Tour the Temple of Trash or visit the old-fashioned town dump. And for your recycler-in-training, head down the street to the Children’s Garbage Museum, where you can take an educational stroll through the giant compost pile, get a glimpse of the 1-ton Trash-o-saurus, or enjoy the company of resident compost worms.
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The article above was written by Laurel Mills and published in the Jan – Feb 2006 issue of mental_floss magazine. The article is reprinted on Neatorama with permission.
Be sure to check out mental_floss’ excellent website and blog!
For if you didn’t knew Saul Bass [wiki] is a well-known designer of various motion picture title sequences such as Spartacus, Casino, Vertigo and Anatomy of a Murder (the video on top).
A complete list and Youtube videos can be found at Blogdecine
WIKISKY is a map of constellations with detailed information on objects in the sky – you can click on the various stars or search the database. You can even see the constellations in the sky from your location.
Click on the left-most button for the awesome Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) view.
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I thought that the Wyoming Easter Egg masterpiece, as pointed out by commenter Smurf Kicker in Miss Cellania’s previous post on the 2007 State Easter Eggs, deserves its own post. Here’s the story from Chicago Tribune:
The saga started early last year, when the Egg Board, based in Park Ridge, cast its net for artists from each state to decorate eggs consistent with their home state’s character. Wyoming presented a challenge.
The Egg Board begins by contacting state egg associations. But Wyoming doesn’t have a state egg association, so the board contacted the International Egg Art Guild, which was unable to recommend an egg artist in Wyoming, Ivy said.
Undaunted, the board kept trying. After a few weeks, a Wyoming artist agreed to take a crack at the project but begged off about a week before the eggs had to be shipped to Washington, D.C. Ivy had to scramble.
To the rescue came Jacinta LeDonne, an administrative assistant at the Egg Board. She volunteered her son, Phillip, 21, an art student.
"Very honestly, we thought we were trying to do something nice instead of having a blank spot for the state of Wyoming," Ivy said. "It backfired on us."
Joe Selle, 42, was running unopposed for a City Council seat in Missouri City, Missouri – and got no votes, not even from himself!
Selle, 42, said he simply forgot that Tuesday was election day, and apparently so did Ward 3′s other 34 registered voters. …
He said he saw other residents at the school where the voting was held, "but it never occurred to me that’s what they were there for."
"It’s pretty small-town stuff down here, man," Selle said of the Missouri River town of about 300 people, 16 miles northeast of Kansas City.
Turnout was better in Ward 2, where two people voted.
Comments Off Now I’ve seen everything: here’s Hulk Hogan singing a baby’s lullaby for an ad in Japan. Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] – via TV In Japan and Gorilla Mask
Fishermen caught a giant 90-year-old shortraker rockfish off the coast of Alaska:
Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle measured, photographed and documented the fish. They removed an ear bone, the otolith, which contains growth rings similar to rings in the trunks of trees.
They estimate the rockfish was 90 to 115 years old.
Link (with larger pic)
Wired has a nice photo collection of TV through the ages, from the early days (1928 G.E. Scanning Disk Television set) to
Link: Wired | TV History.tv – via Boing Boing
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Carolyn Pointing is a fanatic of the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and now, thanks to her husband Nick, she has her own replica of the magical flying car. Nick tried to explain his rational for building Carolyn the car by saying “I had already taken Carolyn to the London stage show, bought the DVD and a toy model so in a way this was the logical next step.”
While the car and construction logic may seem ridiculous, their plans are rather noble. They intend to take a year off work to drive the car 12,000 miles to Australia from the U.K. to raise money for Mountbatten Hospice, Multiple Sclerosis Society and the World Wildlife Fund. Link [Daily Mail]
The 2007 Easter Egg Collection continues the tradition that began in 1994 where each state sends a decorated egg to the White House for display. Artists from across the United States created the decorated eggs, which represent each state and the District of Columbia. Each year the artists vote amongst themselves to select the artist to create the following year’s commemorative egg which is presented to the President and First Lady.
You can see the egg from each state at the White House website. The egg shown is, of course, from the state of New York. Link -via Metafilter
Update: Commenter Smurf Kicker pointed out Wyoming’s egg as a “true masterpieceâ€. There is some controversy over that one, since the artist was not from Wyoming.
Thanks to Dan Piraro, we have another Bizarro caption contest. Funniest caption wins a Free Neatorama T-Shirt. Contest rule: one caption per comment, make it funny but please keep it civil. You can submit multiple comments.
Update 4/13/07: Wow! A lot of great stuff here, guys – Congrats to Sean Wagoner #11 who came up with the winning caption:
“On the weather forecast for the afternoon, clear, red skies with a chance of hellfire and brimstone.â€
Today’s Friday, so it’s VideoSift time! Let’s check out a collective called "Did That Just Happen?" This selection of clips promises
"Videos that cause your jaw to hit the floor, clips you have to watch over and over due to disbelief, people displaying skill or talent you previously thought unattainable, footage that surely shouldn’t exist."
Excellent….
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This Japanese dance group u-min can really do the robot. They’re so good that it’s more likely that they’re actually robots masquerading as humans… |
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The escalators in the Angel Station, London – the longest escalators in Europe – proved to be too great a temptation for this urban skier. See him ski down the "slopes" |
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This is the sort of guy that will speed up to beat the train crossing. He probably thought he could make it across before this road block pops back up. He thought wrong – see what happened next: Link |
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This has got to be one of the most remarkable saves in hockey history! |
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Here’s a compilation of neat car driving tricks, including changing a tire while the car is in motion … with a Hyundai no less! The video is long … fast forward to mark 6:27. |
For more the web’s most interesting videos, check out: VideoSift.
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Özi pointed us to a this excellent song about candiru, the most feared fish in South America (even over the piranha!). The song was done by Ray Troll, Ashley Byler, Patrick Troll, and Stephan Jackson.
Why? The candiru has a knack of swimming up the male genitals, lodging itself with its spines, and feed on blood!
Professor Solomon, author of Japan in a Nutshell featured before on Neatorama, has released another free eBook Coney Island, a neat history of the seaside resort in New York that was once America’s most celebrated amusement center.
Coney Island [wiki] is now largely forgotten and the seaside amusement park may even be leveled to make luxury condos.
Here’s an excerpt describing the early days of Coney Island (in the late 1800s)
Those years had seen the rise of many amusements along the shore. (No amusement park, however, was to be found there; the idea of such a place had yet to enter the mind of man.) Visitors could have subjected themselves, for example, to the Switchback Railway – a gravity-powered ride that was the first roller coaster.* The more daring could have ascended with Professor King in his balloon. The curious could have slipped into a tent advertising "The Original Turkish Harem."….
* Its inventor, LaMarchus Thompson, had gotten the idea while watching cars being joyridden into an abandoned mine.
Check out Professor Solomon’s book here: Link – Thanks Prof. Solomon!
In similar veins to the famous T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. project, here’s a Peep destruction party:
A couple friends and I had a Peep Destruction party which I photographed. We had various destruction methods including a homebuilt vacuum chamber and a 9000 Volt neon transformer to electrocute with. After several attempts, we managed to get some awesome peep devastation. The vacuum chamber prevented the peeps from starting on fire while being electrocuted, allowing us shock them for minutes at a time.
Link [Flickr] – Thanks divide!
Neatorama reader Michael Sherrod saw the post about plans of fictional houses by Mark Bennet and offered his own: a plan based on the Metropolitan Police Call boxes. You know … TARDIS.
To provide morale and entertainment to military personnel during World War II, FDR created the USO [wiki] (United Service Organizations).
In the past, the USO had put together performances featuring famous entertainers of the day (like Bob Hope).
Today, however, the military had trouble sending big name entertainers to Iraq, so they turned to smaller bands. Here’s a video from ABC News interviewing one such band called Edison.
Link – Thanks Natalie!
The notorious feud between the Hatfield clan in West Virginia and the McCoy family in Kentucky lasted for over 100 years. Over the past few decades, doctors have tracked a disease in the McCoys that may explain at least some of the violence. Von Hippel-Lindau disease has been diagnosed in many members of the McCoy family over several generations. It causes tumors, especially in the adrenal gland, which can lead to high blood pressure, pounding headaches, and too much adrenaline. Researchers have known about the disease in the McCoys for decades, but did not reveal the patient’s names due to confidentiality and insurance concerns. Link -via Metafilter
