Archive for November 10th, 2009
Suspect Provides a Better Mugshot
Matthew Maynard of Swansea, UK thought he could make himself look a bit better in the newspaper. At least better than the police mugshot that was printed, along with seven other people who police were looking for regarding a burglary. So the 23-year-old suspect took a picture with his cell phone and sent it to the newspaper office, requesting they use it instead of the police mug shot!
Police declined to comment on the provocative picture, taken on Mr Maynard’s mobile phone and texted to the newspaper offices, but said that their recent drive to catch criminals was working.
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10 Amazing Abandoned Bank Vaults
When you think of a bank vault you probably tend to think about thick steel doors, massive locks, armed guards, deposit boxes and lots of cash, which is why it is so strange to see what they look like when they’ve been abandoned! These vaults were built to withstand robbery attempts, so they survive even when the building is destroyed around them. Many have found a new life with a different purpose. The vault pictured is in Bodie, California.
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Grand Theft Auto vs. Frogger
From the same mind that brought us Mortal Kombat vs. Donkey Kong. Daneboe has another brilliant mashup:
I wonder what George Costanza would think?
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Shark Caesarean Section
The New Zealand Herald is reporting on a strange occurence at Kelly Tarlton’s Underwater World. Eloise Gibson writes that a shark was bit open at the stomach by another shark, which freed her young that were due to be born that night. Since the staff was unaware of the pregnancy, they were shocked and speculated that the sharks feared predator attacks if she birthed during the night; the likes of stingrays could be lethal.
The young sharks have been taken to a “nursery” tank with some baby eagle rays, where visitors can see them before they are released into the wild.
Link (Photo: Richard Robinson)
Update (11/11/2009): The mother and her eight babies are all doing fine. Link to Daily Mail story with video.
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The WHY Super-Yacht
When Hermés yacht brand executive Pierre-Alexis Dumas met Wally builder Luca Bassani Antivari they hatched a dream- to combine the terrestrial luxury of your own island with the aquatic bliss of yachting. The fruit of their efforts is WHY (Wally Hermés Yachts), a 36,000 square foot, energy-saving, sustainable yacht unlike any seen before.
Antivari: This revolutionary concept of the moving island is developed with latest and most advanced technologies, recycling thermal energy, as well as any organic and inorganic waste. The architecture of the project fits perfectly in the environment- there are no excesses, nothing is superfluous, the impact on the sea is minimal.
Dumas: We hope to open a new path, to offer a new lifestyle that is different, serene, contemplative and respectful of the environment, moving slowly on the water, combining the pleasure of sailing and absolute comfort.
The whole fascinating story, lots of pictures, stats and more video at Twisted Sifter. WHY’s website. (Photos by WHY HWSam)
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Stack the Bones
Stack the Bones – $19.95
Stack the Bones is a classic stacking game, just like Jenga … but more gruesome! The game, designed by Chris Collicott, includes 54 wooden "bone" pieces and 1 wooden skull piece. It’s grisly fun for the whole family. From the Neatorama Shop: Link
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Would This 16th Century Helmet Terrify a Jousting Opponent?
This embossed, etched, and gilded steel close helmet is attributed to German armourer Kolman Helmschmid. It currently resides in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where there is a relevant essay on fashion in 16th century European armor.
Helmets fitted with masklike visors were a popular German and Austrian fashion about 1510 to 1540. With their visors forged and embossed as humorous or grotesque human masks, such helmets were often worn in tournaments held during the exuberant pre-Lenten (Shrovetide) festivals, celebrations somewhat akin to the modern Mardi Gras. Substitute visors of more conventional type were often provided for everyday use.
Interestingly, the postulated 1515 date for this helmet would make it contemporary with the “horned helmet” previously posted at Neatorama.
Link, via Titam et le Sirop d’Erable. Photo credit Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Neatorama Update - November 2009
Lots of stuff happening in Neatoland last week. Here’s a quick update:
Mystery Sale
Last week, Neatorama had its last Mystery Sale. Thank you for everyone who participated! Why was it our last one? We’re working on a new system for the Neatorama Shop and I have an inkling that it may be incompatible with the way Mystery Sales work. Perhaps we’ll bring it back in the future, but for now, the last Mystery Sale was our very last one 
The warehouse is officially in overdrive mode. We’ll be sending out shipments for the next week or two. Unfortunately, I don’t know where a particular order is in the queue – so please be patient, your package is on its way!
Neatorama on Yahoo!
Our post about Elena Desserich, the 6-year-old girl with brain cancer who hid love notes for her parents to find after her death, was featured on Yahoo! front page, which delivered about 2 million visitors (and over 2,700 comments – most of them are nice, but some are … wow, just wow!) in a span of just a few hours (Thanks Yahoo!) Needless to say, the servers got clobbered (though the post itself had no problem as we had put it on a CDN) So if you experienced a server hiccup last week, that was the cause.
Upcoming Queue
We changed the way the Upcoming Queue worked a little bit. Now you can browse Archived Posts (5,000+ submissions!) and keep up with comments on your submissions through RSS Feed.
The Archived Posts link is at the very bottom of the page, whereas the My RSS Feed is on the top right-hand navigation panel.
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Luxury Capsule Hotel
Photo: Design Boom
In 1979, Japan built its first capsule hotel — an inn with rooms consisting of little more than a bed, and certainly not enough room to stand up. Now developers in Kyoto are contrasting that minimalist approach with luxury furnishings at the 9h Hotel, which will open in December. It’s called 9h because users are expected to shower, sleep for seven hours, and then rest in a nine-hour period — although you can rent your room for up to seventeen hours at a time. Each pod comes with customizable lighting to help lull you to sleep and then gently wake you.
Link via Fast Company (where there are pictures of a similar endeavor in Manhattan)
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Man Impaled By Tree And Lives To Tell The Story
Jack Weir was clearing trees in his family farm with a Bobcat when a large cottonwood hit back and impaled him with a piece of wood 20 feet long and 6 inches thick.
What happened next was nothing short of a miracle:
A broken limb came flying in under the roll bar, spearing Jack through the belly with a piece of wood 20 feet long and six inches thick.
“I’ve always had a pretty high tolerance for pain. I had no pain, I had none,” Wier said.
Still, he knew the situation was desperate. That’s when Jack remembered the military mantra he relied on during his 38 years in the army.
“You define the problem…you identify alternatives… you accumulate relevant information… and then you make a decision. My problem was I got this tree in me,” explained the tree accident victim.
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Why settle for a boring computer mouse when you can surft in style with Road Mice, a wireless cool computer mouse that looks just like the car of your dreams? Road Mice is available in various Chevy, Chrysler, Dodge, and Ford models including the popular Corvette shown to the left. It's the perfect gift for the auto-enthusiast in your life! |
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Custom Barcodes
Image: d-barcode
The Japanese graphic arts firm d-barcode creates customized barcodes for clients who want to use them to grab customers’ attention. In Fast Company, Cliff Kuang writes:
They’ve even begun selling their wares to anyone who wants to license them, starting at $1,500 for the design, and $200 a year for licensing. A custom or exclusive use code will run upwards of $4,000–but given that companies spend millions on designing a single package, why don’t we see more detailed thinking like this? Middle managers spend weeks arguing about kerning–it’d be better if they spent more time rethinking every inch of such highly prized real estate.
Link via Fast Company
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Top 10 Reasons Why the World Won't End in 2012
This list from the Discovery Channel might come in handy to give to someone you know who might get too nervous about the 2012 doomsday predictions and the movie about them. Each scenario is debunked with what scientists really know. For example,
1. Changes in the Sun’s magnetic field will lead to powerful flares.
So what else is new under the sun? The sun goes though a well-documented 11-year sunspot cycle that is driven by its magnetic field entangling, reforming and flipping polarity. Yes, the peak of the next cycle is in 2012 (or 2013), and some predictions suggest it might be 30 to 50 percent stronger than the last peak.
But experts say it will certainly not be the biggest peak ever recorded.
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10 Geeky Laws That Should Exist
Matt Blum of Wired’s GeekDad blog came up with a list of 10 geeky laws that should exist, but for some inexplicable reason, do not (at least, they didn’t until now). For example:
1. Munroe’s Law: A person in a geeky argument who can quote xkcd to support his position automatically wins the argument. This law supersedes Godwin, so that even if the quote is about Hitler, the quoter still wins.
2. Lucas’s Law: There is no movie so beloved that a “special edition,” prequel or sequel cannot trample and forever stain its memory. [...]
8. Wilbur’s Law: Bacon makes everything better.
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Firefox: Web's Most Insecure Browser?
Say it ain’t true, Firefox. The popular browser’s reputation has taken yet another hit when a new study by application security vendor Cenzic revealed that Firefox leads the field of browsers in terms of total vulnerability (yes, even besting Internet Explorer):
According to Cenzic, Firefox accounted for 44 percent of all browser vulnerabilities reported in the first half of 2009. In contrast, Apple’s Safari had 35 percent of all reported browser vulnerability, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was third at 15 percent and Opera had just six percent share. [...]
As to why Firefox’s numbers were so high, Cenzic has a few ideas.
"It’s a combination of different things," Lars Ewe, CTO of Cenzic, told InternetNews.com. "They’ve gotten more traction as a browser, which is good for them and the more you get used the more exposure you have. As well a fair amount of the vulnerabilities have come by way of plug-ins."
One key area that Ewe said was responsible for a number of reported Firefox vulnerabilities is with how the browser handles plug-ins.
"The plug-in architecture that they have is a selling fact for the browser and one of the reasons why I love using it," Ewe said. "They can’t control security aspects of all the plug-ins and the vulnerabilities are a side effect of that."
Sean Michael Kerner of the InternetNews explains: Link
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Rent The Runway: Netflix For Fashion
A new website called Rent the Runway is betting that it can do for haute couture what Netflix did for movies:
“It was so easy. You just wear it and drop it back in the mail to them,” Ms. Harris said. “I don’t spend $2,000 on a dress regularly, so it’s nice to be able to wear some of the more expensive brands I wouldn’t be able to buy otherwise. And instead of just buying one or two dresses for this season, I can still have a lot of things to wear.”
Rent the Runway was founded by two recent Harvard Business School graduates, Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Carter Fleiss. Ms. Hyman said she got the idea for the service last year after watching her younger sister agonize over whether to buy an expensive new outfit to wear to a wedding.
“Here was this young girl who loves fashion and was willing to spend a good portion of her salary on a dress that she’s only going to wear once or twice, and I thought, there has to be a solution for this,” said Ms. Hyman.
Jenna Wortham of The New York Times has the scoop: Link (Photo: Todd Heisler/NY Times)
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Is Sammy Sosa Pulling A Michael Jackson?
Is Sammy Sosa pulling a Michael Jackson? The baseball star has noticeably lighter skin color, which he attributed to a "rejuvenation process":
Sosa was photographed recently during an appearance at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
"He is going through a rejuvenation process for his skin," Polihronis said. "Women have it all of the time. He was surprised he came out looking so white. I thought it was a body double. Part of (the photo appearance) is just the lighting.
"He is in the middle of doing a cleansing process to his skin. The picture is deceiving. He said, ‘If you saw me in person, you would be surprised. When you see me in person, it is not going to seem like the picture.’
Link (Photo: AP/Tribune/Getty)
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Scientists Construct The Frankenweenie
Scientists from Wake Forest University in North Carolina aroused the world’s interest by successfully performing the world’s first replacement of erectile tissue of the penis. And yes, it’s somewhat fitting that they chose the rabbit to perform the Frankenweenie experiment:
In a previous study, the researchers engineered short segments of rabbit erectile tissue with 50% of full function.
In the latest work, they harvested smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells from the animals’ erectile tissue.
These cells were multiplied in the laboratory and used to seed a three dimensional scaffold, which was implanted into the animals’ penis.
Organised erectile tissue with blood vessel structures began to form as early as a month later.
The researchers believe the key was the fact that the cells were injected into the scaffolds on two separate days, enabling them to hold almost six times as many smooth muscle cells as in previous studies.
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Happy Birthday Sesame Street!
Sesame Street premiered on November 10th, 1969, which makes it 40 years old today! The above clip is from a promotional show aired to introduce the series two days before the premiere. Sesame Street was originally intended for inner-city children, but became a hit with the preschool set all over the globe. Many people don’t realize how much the show has changed in 40 years. The early seasons are available on DVD with a disclaimer that says:
“These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.”
In those early days, Cookie Monster smoked a pipe. He also ate things that weren’t edible, much less nutritious. Oscar the Grouch was much grouchier. And children rode bicycles without helmets! You won’t see those things on this season’s Sesame Street. Link
More Sesame Street Links
Today’s anniversary episode features guest star Michelle Obama.
Caroll Spinney, who plays Big Bird, is still going strong at almost 76 years old.
8 Memorable Sesame Street Celebrity Cameos.
Sesame Street videos on YouTube.
The 101 Muppets of Sesame Street.
Big Bird Sings at Jim Henson’s Funeral.
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Maggie, the Well-traveled Dog
Maggie the dog had a passport that would make most jet setters jealous, and over the course of her life she has crossed borders, braved wars, and experienced the world. Maggie managed to make friends on both sides of the conflict, with all walks of life, proving the old adage that dogs are man’s best friend. Enjoy this tribute to a dog’s life well lived.
She was born on Cape Cod and came of age in Boston. But she lived in Jerusalem and walked the ancient, cobbled streets of the Old City where she begged on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She swam in the Sea of Galilee and climbed the Mount of Olives and crossed the Allenby Bridge at the Jordan River. She lived for a while on the rugged coast of Brittany in France and eventually crossed over by ferry, past the White Cliffs of Dover to arrive in London where she spent many long afternoons in a great, old pub.
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Sociological Deconstruction of the Disney Princesses
Image: Jeff Brunner
Jeff Brunner offers this scathing critique of the values that the Disney Princesses teach girls. At the link, you can view a response about what Disney teaches boys.
Link via Popped Culture
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Which Music Will My Cats Like?
What kind of music do cats like? This charming science fair display follows the scientific method of hypothesis, experimentation, resulting data, and conclusion. The student theorized that the cats would fall asleep to classical music. In this case, the conclusion is what I would call a punch line: “My hypothesis was wrong, because they did not care either way.” Flickr user Daniel N loved this display and took a picture for posterity. You can see a larger version at the photo page. Link -via Buzzfeed
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Chair Made From 374 Wooden Dowels
Photo: Kibardin Design
Prague-based Russian designer Vadim Kibardin created the Deep Forest Lounge Chair out of 374 wooden dowels, carefully molded to seat a person comfortably. Each is custom-made and priced at $6,584. More pictures at the link.
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Seven Strange Golf Courses Around the world
Photo: flickr user Prince Roy
Deck Chair has compiled pictures and videos of seven unique golf courses, including one that floats, one that sits astride a motor speedway, and another that is 1,365 km long. Pictured above is a scene from the golf course at Coober Pedy, a small mining town in Australia. The land is so desolate that golfers must carry around a piece of turf from which to tee off.
Link via The Presurfer | More about the Coober Pedy golf course
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New Anti-Whaling Vessel Looks Like Something From Batman
Photo: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, best known for its aggressive tactics against whaling vessels, had added a stealthy, high-speed boat to its fleet. At The National Post, Jeremy Barker writes:
The Ady Gil, a bio-diesel powered trimaran, can hit 40 knots and Captain Paul Watson plans to sail it quickly into harms way….The Andy Gil, which has circled the globe in a little over 60 days, has been coated with radar blocking black paint, which will be used as an ‘intercept and blocking’ weapon against the Japanese fleet.
More pictures and video at the link.
Link | Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
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Caption Monkey 65: Scopin' Bulldog
Photo: Art Verduzco
Psst! Wanna win your very own Monkey drawing by Adam "Ape Lad" Koford? Here’s your chance – but first, the ’splanation by Art Verduzco, whose photo was featured in National Geographic Magazine’s Your Shot editor Susan Welchman’s Daily Dozen:
Her name is Minicooper and she is a one years old English bulldog. We where relaxing on the beach when I caught her looking thru the scope.
Your task is simple: caption the photo above to win! Place your caption in the comment section. One caption per comment, please. You may enter as many funny ones as you’d like.
Good luck and be sure to visit Adam’s blog for your daily Laugh-Out-Loud Cats.
Update 11/11/09 – Adam has picked the winner! Congratulations to sybann who won with this caption: I really wish you wouldn’t use a rocket launcher for "fetch."
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The Dubai Fountain
Reminiscent of the amazing musically coordinated fountains of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas the Burj Dubai fountains named “Dubai Fountains” certainly are impressive. This $217 million project was built by the same California based company WET Design (whose website I highly suggest checking out as it is beautiful!) that created the Bellagio Hotel’s fountains. This record setting fountain uses 6,600 lights with 50 coloured projectors and is able to fire the water into the air at as astonishing 150m or 490ft! The music played in this video is Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman’s “Time to Say Goodbye”.
The first video I found through Dark Roasted Blend (check out the rest of the site!)
This second video is by far my favourite and allows you to see a much closer view of the fountains at work. The song used in the performance is called “Baba Yetu”, created by Christopher Tin which I’m sure some of you Civ 4 fans will most certainly recognize as the opening track to the game! 
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