Archive for September, 2007

DNA Tattoo

Since Carl Zimmer at The Loom asked about people with science tattoos (reported previously on Neatorama), he has received over 70 submissions for his Flickr set. Especially worth noting is this tattoo of an intricately-detailed strand of DNA on Matthew MacDougall, a 4th year med student. Link

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Stop! and read the sign.

Authorities in Oak Lawn, Illinois are adding gag signs beneath regular stop signs to catch drivers’ attentions. The new signs say such things as:

STOP . . .
• *In the Naame of Love
• *And Smell the Roses
• *Really. You Gotta Stop.
• *Right There Pilgrim
• *Or We’ll Hunt You Down
• *Hold it Right There Buster
• *Then You Can Go
• *Whoa Whoa Wait a Minute
• *Stop Stop Stop Stop Stop Pleeeease
• *Or the Police Will Yell at You
• *Not an Optional Sign
• *It’s Really Self-Explanatory
• *Means That You Aren’t Moving
• *Even When No One’s Looking
• *Whoa
• *Billion Dollar Fine

But strangely, no mention of Hammertime. Link -via Bits and Pieces

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Saguaro Moon

Photo: Stefan Seip

This amazing photo, titled Saguaro Moon, is that of a Harvest Moon, named such because farmers could work well into the night by moonlight at the end of the growing season to harvest crops.

There’s a larger photo at APOD: Link

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Trivia: the National Anthem of Spain is Hummed, Not Sung

The national anthem of Spain, La Marcha Real ("The Royal March") has no official lyrics.

In 2007, the Spanish Olympic committee asked the public to submit lyrics proposal so people can sing instead of just hum when the anthem is played.

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Andrea Acosta's B-Side Street Sign Art

There are many graffiti masquerading as "urban art" in defacing street signs, but this true artwork by Colombian artist Andrea Acosta is something else: her artwork is on "the b-side" of the signs!

Part of the "Life Goes Public / 10 Public Art Interventions to Update Paula Modersohn-Becker in Worpswede," to commemorate the 100th year anniversary of the death of painter Paula Modersohn-Becker.

Link – via Wooster Collective

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New World Speed Record for Mountain Bike

Markus "Hercules" Stoeckl, a 33 year old Austrian man, broke the World Speed Record for mountain bikes. He hit a top speed of 130.7 mph (210.3 kmph) on his bike – oh, and did I mention it was on snow?

Here’s the video, by the way:

Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] – via Gizmodo and Wired

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Quote: William Gibson on the Internet

"The ‘Net is a waste of time, and that’s exactly what’s right about it."

– William Gibson, sci-fi author and coiner of the word "cyberspace" (1948-)

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5 Hotspots for Dying Languages

An article at Anthropology.net summarizes an alarming trend of the extinction of languages, particularly in Northern Australia, Central South America, North America’s upper Pacific coastal zone, Eastern Siberia, and Oklahoma and the southwestern US:

“Every 14 days a language dies. By 2100, more than half of the more than 7,000 languages spoken on Earth—many of them never yet recorded—will likely disappear, taking with them a wealth of knowledge about history, culture, the natural environment, and how the human brain works.”

Link

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ZIPskinny

Enter your zip code in the application ZIPskinny and find information from the 2000 census report. I found some odd facts about the people in my zip code. Only 3.5% are unemployed, yet 22.5% are below the poverty level. 13.3% percent have a college degree, and 60% are married, which puts me in the minority on both counts. Link -via Big Shot Bob in Texas

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Wine Jug Furniture

Wine company Carlo Rossi is challenging its customers to make something out of its wine jugs. The Jug Simple Furniture Collection was used as examples. See a wine jug chandelier, speaker system, lamp, bookshelves, and this sofa at The World’s Best Ever. Link -via Dump Trumpet

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Japanese Jumping Frog Robot

Robotics engineers at the University of Tokyo have designed a robot that jumps like a frog. And looks like one! The robot, named Mowgli, can also kick a soccer ball. The point is a study of musculature and kinetics, but the end result is quite cool. Gizmodo has the video. Link

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Trivia: Monkey and Baldness

Monkeys also suffer from male pattern baldness like humans do.

Scientists noticed that stumped tailed macaque suffer from male pattern baldness. In fact, minoxidil (Rogaine) was successfully used to reverse hair loss in monkeys.

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9 Battlefield Geniuses and What They Can Teach You About Warfare

Sun Tzu (544 BCE-496 BCE) The Experience: A Chinese general who probably lived in the 4th century BCE, very little is known about Sun Tzu&’s wartime exploits – but he wrote The Art of War, the best war strategy book ever. The Lessons: The Art of War&’s advice on maneuvering large armies and varying tactics has been used by everyone from Mao Zedong to Napoleon. Quote to Carry with You into Battle: "If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in 100 battles." Simón Bolivar (1783-1830) The Experience: The George Washington of South America, el libertador fought for the independence of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and the not-coincidentally-named Bolivia. But Bolivar proved to be a better general than a politician: Internal strife forced him out of all leadership roles in his newly independent nations shortly before his death in 1830. The Lessons: It&’s easier to conquer land than it is to rule it. Quote to Carry with You into Battle: "The art of victory is learned in defeat." Alexander the Great (356 BCE-323 BCE) The Experience: Probably the greatest general ever, Alexander&’s empire stretched from his native Greece to the Nile to the Punjab. That&’s a particularly remarkable accomplishment when you consider that he died at 32. The Lessons: Be nice to your own army, and be really, really mean to everyone else. (When Alexander&’s second-in-command and possible lover Hephaestion died, for instance, Alexander reportedly had Hephaestion&’s attending physician crucified for malpractice.) Quote to Carry into Battle: "I would not fear a pack of lions led by a sheep, but I would always fear a flock of sheep led by a lion." Genghis Khan (1162-1227) The Experience: Genghis Khan founded the Mongol Empire, which at its height included China, most of the former Soviet Union, and a fair bit of central Europe. An adherent of the "raping and pillaging" school of warfare, Genghis Khan really enjoyed killing. The Lessons: Superior tactics can beat superior firepower. Genghis was famous for his faked retreats and for finding ways to force his enemies to fight on two fronts. Quote to Carry into Battle, Which We Swear Is Not Made Up: "The greatest happiness is to vanquish your enemies, to chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth, to see those dear to them bathed in tears, to clasp to your bosom their wives and daughters." (Yikes.) Julius Caesar (100 BCE-44 BCE) The Experience: A god to the Romans (literally), just one of Caesar&’s wars resulted in, according to a Roman historian, 800 conquered cities, 3 million enemy dead, and 1 million new slaves. He came and saw and conquered, indeed. Unfortunately for Caesar, he was later assassinated by a guy named Brutus, as in "Et tu, Brute." The Lessons: Beware the Ides of March. Also, beware disloyal and power-hungry underlings. Quote to Carry into Battle: Upon crossing the river Rubicon to begin the Roman Civil War of 49 BCE, Caesar coined the phrase, "The die is cast." Not a bad line to use in any ominous situation. Nelson Mandela (1918- ) The Experience: Although he won the Nobel Peace Prize and is generally seen as an example of pacifist civil disobedience, Mandela was the head of the African National Congress&’s Spear of the Nation, a group that planned guerilla warfare attacks and sabotage against the Apartheid government. The Lessons: This is one case where the pen was actually mightier than the sword. Mandela&’s writings from prison did much more to end apartheid than Spear of the Nation ever accomplished. Quote to Carry into Battle: During his trial in 1963, Mandela said, "I planned [sabotage] as a result of a calm and sober assessment of the political situation. Without violence there would be no way open to the African people to succeed in their struggle." Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) The Experience: Upon taking control of the better equipped but poorly led Union army in 1864, Grant outmaneuvered Robert E. Lee and finally brought an and to the Civil War. He then went on to become one of America&’s worst, and drunkest, presidents. The Lessons: With a lot more troops, a lot more natural resources, better weapons, and more money, you will generally win. Quote to Carry into Battle: "The art of war is simple enough. Find out where you enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving." Geronimo (1829-1909) The Experience: Despite the fact his name means, "One who yawns," Geronimo&’s life was a heckuva ride: He led the last Apache army to surrender to the United States, battling for three decades, until he and his last 38 followers were finally captured in 1886. The Lessons: With fewer troops, fewer natural resources, lesser weapons, and less money, you will generally lose. Quote to Carry into Battle: "[God] created all tribes of men and certainly had a righteous purpose in creating each." Napoleon (1769-1821) The Experience: Known as the little corporal, Bonaparte became famous by mowing down protestors on the streets of Paris with high-powered artillery. He went on to become emperor of France and generally a huge fan of himself. The Lesson: Never Invade Russia in the wintertime. This is one of those lessons that despots have learned over and over again (see also Hitler). Quote to Carry into Battle: "&’Impossible&’ is not a word in French." (This is technically untrue. The French word for impossible is impossible.)

From mental_floss’ book Genius Instruction Manual, published in Neatorama with permission. Want to dazzle crowds with your wondrous knowledge from Shakespeare to surgery to string theory? Well, start reading already! The Genius Instruction Manual is a foolproof finishing school for polishing your brain. Don’t forget to visit mental_floss‘ extremely entertaining website and blog!

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VideoSift: Cute Kids and Animals

Whoa! It’s the weekend and I’m late for our weekly collab with VideoSift (sorry, Sifters!), but let me make it up to you, with an offering of cute kids and animals! Now, how can you resist that?

	Marimba Ponies Play the Sabre Dance Marimba Ponies is an ensemble of 10 kid percussionists between the ages of 4 and 12 years old. Here’s a clip of them playing the Sabre Dance by Aram Khachaturian. Link (Astute Neatorama readers will probably remember that we’ve featured Marimba ponies a while ago here, but their website had gone AWOL.)
	Baby Otter What’s cuter than otters? Baby otters! Beware, this clip is so sugary cute it’ll rot your teeth. Link
	Baby Human Laughing His Ass Off Okay, so what’s cuter than a baby otter? Actually, a laughing human baby. Here’s a clip of Ethan laughing so hard he keeps on falling over. Link
	Sleeping Cat Bwahahaha! Here’s a clip of a cat that sleeps in an … uh, interesting position (with tail a-waggin’ and all) Link
	Sleepy Baby And to round up the picks, here’s a sleepy baby fighting to stay awake. Now I have to take a nap myself! Link

For more the web’s most interesting videos, check out: VideoSift.

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MYASS

Billboard in Yass, Australia. These people have no excuse – they speak English.

Via Parakaashtha

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Natural Field Turf Soda

Jones Soda is at it again. The new NFL-themed flavors are Dirt, Sports Cream, Perspiration, Natural Field Turf, and Sweet Victory. Natural Field Turf Soda is described as “like playing tackle football, and you get tackled really hard, you’re down on the ground and you get a little bit of the grass in your teeth.” Follow the link for a description of the other flavors.

(I found the photo here. There’s a desktop wallpaper sized version.)

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New Cuyama

This is real sign for a real town in California. A town with a sense of humor! Link -via J-Walk Blog

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Baby Walrus

A baby boy walrus was born at the New York Aquarium in June and was first shown to the public just yesterday. He weighed 115 pounds at birth, and is expected to weigh a ton when full grown. Link -via Fark

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Photo: Old School Cylon Begging For Work

Larger size at the top left on this (no longer linkjacked) page. (Hmm, what percentage of top Reddit posts are not linkjacked?) And here’s a previous related Neatorama post.

Finally, here’s one awesome, albeit expensive old school Battlestar Galactica Cylon Action Figure, and here’s one from the new series.

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US Navy calls MySpace teens "Alien Life Force"

This is a strange one.

It’s no secret that the US military is having more trouble than ever finding new recruits. You might think that recruiting from the MySpace generation would make perfect sense – a pool of millions of technology savvy young people. According to a study commissioned by the US Navy, however, you’d be wrong. MySpace kids, it is said, are like an “Alien Life Force”:

The MySpace generation is a “somewhat alien life force,” a Navy recruiting presentation contends — with a language and lifestyle that’s almost unrecognizable to adults. And because the kids are such “coddled,” “narcissistic praise junkies,” they’ll be beyond tough to bring into the military. Propensity to join the armed forces among these so-called “millennials” has dropped to as little as 3%; that’s down from 26% in 2001.

Read the whole great post by Noah Shachtman at Wired’s Danger Room. Military silliness at its best! [via IM from Noah himself]

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Sand Circles

Andres Amador makes large, crop circle-like “paintings” in the sand on the beach at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, and at Burning Man.

Here is a gallery which plays a slide show that has controls for speed and image size.

And here is a (sadly all too small) QuickTime movie time-lapse of a sand circle being made.

Some spectacular imagery – and no crops were trampled on in the making…

Via Kevin Kelly

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Of Mice and Mines

Rats! No, I’m not cursing out loud rather I am showing my gratitude to these (now) noble creatures. Well, not all rats…just a certain type of rat! The Gambian Pouch Rat has proven itself to be quite a useful mine detecting animal! It is easily trainable, gentle (less excitable), small and light which comes in handy when it’s locating mines which is very much still a dangerous job.

APOPO trains sniffer rats to detect explosives and diagnose disease. This unusual idea has been developed into a competitive technology by a group of Belgian and Tanzanian researchers and animal trainers.

Who knew rats could be so useful? Not only are the Gambian Pouch Rats able to sniff out mines but they can also be trained to sniff out diseases such as Tuberculosis, which is still a threat in the developing world. So, the next time you squeal/flinch/run away when you see a rat just remember that out there in the World they are helping us clean up our mess, well, at least the Gambian Pouch Rat is.

Ars Technica, has an excellent article detailing just how “neat” this new method of mine and TB detection is.

Link – via Ars Technica

Related Links: APOPO

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Spirit Photography

The Ghost Finders Camera is a disposable camera that adds eerie images of ghosts to your photos when they are developed. 35mm, 27 exposures and less than ten bucks, this will add afterlife to any party your at.

Get it Here via Nerd Approved

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The Top 50 Dystopian Movies of All Times

Snarkerati blog has a fantastic new article: the Top 50 Dystopian Movies of All Time, ranked by Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB ratings.

A dystopia is a fictional society that is the antithesis or complete opposite of a utopia, an ideal world with a perfect social, political and technological infrastructure. A world without chaos, strife or hunger. A world where the individual potential and freedom is celebrated and brought to the forefront.

In contrast, the dystopian world is undesirable with poverty and unequal domination by specific individuals over others. Dystopian films often construct a fictional universe and set it in a background which features scenarios such as dehumanizing technological advancements, man-made disasters or class-based revolutions.

The image above is from Brazil (1985), an excellent example of the genre. (Everytime I see a reference to this movie, I can’t stop humming the theme music. Braziiiil … where hearts were entertaining June / We stood beneath an amber moon / …)

Link – Thanks Slater!

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World's Most Expensive Single Malt Whisky

This Russian guy must really, really like whisky! The anonymous bidder paid £29,400 (about $60,000) for a bottle of a Bowmore single malt whisky, bottled in 1850:

The Bowmore single malt whisky is the oldest bottle of Bowmore known to be in existence and is believed to have been bottled on Islay around 1850 by W & J Mutter. It was being sold on behalf of a private owner during the fine and rare whisky wine and port auction held at McTears auctioneers in Glasgow. [...]

The bottle was presented to William Mutter in 1851 at the time of him giving up his share of the distillery and has remained in the family for generations. It had been inherited by a family descendent and was accompanied with hand written provenance.

Link – Thanks Ewan Morgan!

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Mystery Flavor Soda by Fanta

While we’re on the subject of drinks, here’s something cheaper yet perhaps more intriguing: a new drink by Fanta, with Mystery Flavor!

I was delighted to find a bottle at the convenience store a few nights ago. I could immediately tell that it was some unknown flavor by the GIANT QUESTION MARKS and WALKING FRUIT featured on the label.

The soda apparently contains two kinds of fruit and you have to guess which ones. According to Fanta’s website, the drink will be connected to an elaborate new cell phone mystery game.

Link – Thanks Jeff Jones!

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MicroDrone Spies From Above

Meet the MicroDrone, a toy-sized spy helicopter that has been used by the police in Britain to film and photograph the street below. A Times Online article stated:

And now there’s a new spy in the sky. It’s called the Microdrone and it’s a toy-sized remote-control craft that hovers above streets or crowds to film what’s going on beneath.

It has emerged that the Microdrone was used by Staffordshire police to film rock fans at the V Festival last month. What wasn’t revealed was that MW Power, the supplier, has also been in discussions to supply the Microdrone to – according to Alistair Fox, an MW Power spokesman – MI5, the Metropolitan police, and Soca, the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

This means the Microdrone could soon become a common sight. Or maybe not. At only 2ft wide between the tips of its rotors the drones are small enough to be unnoticed by people on the ground when they are flying at 350ft.

MicroDrone has a wide range of features: some can be maneuvered with a remote control that is basically a wiimote, while the newest version can take your command via phone call!

Links: Video at BotJunkie | Times Online article – via Gizmo Watch, thanks Naveen!

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Renault Ballet

Watching cars do an intricate group dance is nice, but it’s even better when something goes wrong! Push play or go to YouTube. -via the Presurfer

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7 unusual propeller-driven vehicles.

Our modern age has seen several designs for propeller-driven trains. And cars. And a bicycle. And even a sled! See them all at deputy dog. Link

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Trivia: Hot Water Freezes Faster Than Cold Water

Hot water freezes faster than cold water. It was (re)discovered by a Tanzanian high school student named Erasto Mpemba, so the phenomenon is called the Mpemba effect.

Counter-intuitive, isn’t it? Read more about why hot water freezes faster than cold water here. [Update 9/28/07: technically, hot water freezes first (it actually forms ice at a higher temperature than cold water), but cold water freezes faster (it takes less time to reach the supercooled state, from which it forms ice) - to say the least, it's complicated... ]

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