Archive Category: 1 Other Neat Things
World’s Worst Moms
Just in time for Mother’s Day, TIME magazine has the list of the Best and Worst (Fictional) Moms Ever. Of course, the "Best Mom" list is filled with all sort of wonderful (booring!) mothers, so let’s focus on the 10 Worst Moms Ever. For example, take the Mom from Futurama:
She’s the richest person on earth, so really, how nice could she be? At the dawn of the 31st century, Mom is the head of Momcorp — the massive industrial corporation that includes such highly successful subsidiaries as Mom’s Friendly Robot Co., Mom’s Friendly Drug Factories
and Mom’s Friendly Advanced Weapon & Munition Co. She maintains a friendly, nurturing public persona — she even does charity work for (in her words) "knocked-up teenage sluts" — but don’t be fooled. She’s not even really pleasantly plump! Under her fat suit she’s whippet-thin.Mom’s business tactics are ruthless — she holds trademarks on the words "Mom," "Love," and "Screen Door" — and her private life isn’t much better. She constantly abuses her three sons, Walt, Larry and Ignar, verbally and physically, who respond with fanatical adoration. And if you accept the Futurama comic books as part of the official Futurama canon, she even dated The Simpsons’ Mr. Burns. Ugh.
Corporate Logos, Remixed
Waitaminute! Something ain’t right here 
Well, Brazilian graphic artist Mario Amaya created a bunch of mashed-up logos of the world’s largest corporations that look just
as great (and in some cases better) than the original things.
Take a look: Link - via Comunicadores, thanks Haendel Dantas!
Previously on Neatorama: Evolution of Tech and Car Logos
Part 2 -or Not!
The Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss tests your knowledge of movie sequels. There are 12 sequels, but only six of them are real. Can you decide which one are the fakes? I only scored 50% on this one, well below the average. Link
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+SUAncient Theaters
ProTraveller looks at 17 theaters and auditoriums that survive from ancient times.
It’s hard to believe that some of these theatres are close to 3,000 years old, and it’s amazing that they’re even still standing. The amount of engineering knowledge that our ancient ancestors had developed is just as mesmerising especially when some of these auditoria rival present-day outdoor theatres in terms of acoustic properties.
On the one hand, it’s difficult to imagine drawing such large crowds in times when there weren’t as many people as now. On the other hand, there were few other forms of entertainment, so most likely everyone went to every performance. Pictured is the Aspendos Theatre in Turkey. Link -Thanks, Andy!
Planet Earth
(YouTube link)
Take a three minute break and enjoy some scenes from planet Earth. Music by composer Jo Blankenburg. -via Viral Video Chart
Can I Park Here?
This sign confuses me. Does it confuse you? Submitted to ilovebacon.com. Link -via Geek Like Me
The 75 Skills Every Man Should Master
Esquire’s list of things every man should master contains some good advice, and some surprises.
11. Swim three different strokes. Doggie paddle doesn’t count.
14. Chop down a tree. Know your escape path. When the tree starts to fall, use it.
27. Play gin with an old guy. Old men will try to crush you. They’ll drown you in meaningless chatter, tell stories about when they were kids this or in Korea that. Or they’ll retreat into a taciturn posture designed to get you to do the talking. They’ll note your strategies without mentioning them, keep the stakes at a level they can control, and change up their pace of play just to get you stumbling. You have to do this — play their game, be it dominoes or cribbage or chess. They may have been playing for decades. You take a beating as a means of absorbing the lessons they’ve learned without taking a lesson. But don’t be afraid to take them down. They can handle it.
29. Understand quantum physics well enough that he can accept that a quarter might, at some point, pass straight through the table when dropped.
Sometimes the laws of physics aren’t laws at all. Read The Quantum World: Quantum Physics for Everyone, by Kenneth W. Ford.
30. Feign interest. Good place to start: quantum physics.
Link -via Gorilla Mask
(illustration: Leif Parsons)
Mallow Fries
French fries? No, this is candy! The fries are made of marshmallow, and the “ketchup” is strawberry sauce. I don’t think I could handle the cognitive dissonance of trying them out. Link -via Unique Daily
Secret to Getting the Job: a Firm Handshake
If you’re looking for a new job, here’s a tip: have a firm handshake.
In a new study, scientists put 98 students through mock job interviews with businesspeople. The students also met with trained handshake raters who, unbeknownst to the students, rated their grips. Separately, the businesspeople graded each student’s overall performance and hireability. The two group’s scores were then compared.
Students who got high handshake marks were also rated most hireable.
"We’ve always heard that interviewers make up their mind about a person in the first two or three minutes of an interview, no matter how long the interview lasts," said study leader Greg Stewart, associate professor of management and organizations at the University of Iowa. "We found that the first impression begins with a handshake that sets the tone for the rest of the interview."
Link - Thanks Geekazoid!
Tokyoflash Treasure Hunt #1, Question 3 (Final)
Here’s the third and final Tokyoflash Treasure Hunt question you’ve been waiting for:
How many LEDs are featured in the Pimp Star Performer watch design?
Got all three answers? Then string ‘em together (all lower case, numbers are all in numerals) for the answer URL. Be sure to follow the instruction there to put your name down for a chance to win a Free Tokyoflash watch!
If you don’t know what this post is all about, I suggest you read this post (then hunt around for the second post). Good luck!
Update 5/11/08: Congratulations to knox52 who won a free Tokyoflash watch! Check out the answer page here: Link.
Quick Fix for Calvin and Hobbes Fans
I spend a lot of time lurking at Craftster because there’s always tons of cool projects to check out and get inspiration from. But every now and then I see something that just absolutely blows my mind. Like this embroidered blanket:
Here’s a couple of detail shots:
For more photos, visit Craftster. Prepare to be impressed.
All Photos by AMAZING Craftster user McBeth
Postal Workers on the Titanic
I
learned something new about the Titanic today, thanks to Stamps of Distinction
blog. The ship was a Royal Mail Ship (RMS) and commissioned to carry over
3,000 mailbags across the Atlantic. And when it sank, five postal workers
tried in vain to save sacks of registered mails rather than saving their
own lives:
The postal workers rushed to the mail room to begin rescuing the mail. It has been estimated that the workers retrieved up to 200 sacks of registered mail and had carried them to the upper decks on the slim chance that it might get rescued. Even as water began to fill the post office, the men admirably answered the postal workers call of duty to save the mail from destruction. Their admirable efforts might have cost the men their lives; as they tried to get the mail above deck, their chances of getting aboard one of the precious few lifeboats, while slim at best, vanished completely as the chivalrous call for women and children first seized the day.
Link - Thanks Tony Servies!
Maker Faire Bay Area 2008 Photo Gallery
Maker Faire is this weekend in San Francisco. Scott Beale of Laughing Squid has already posted a gallery full of fascinating photos.
Postal Worker Suspended for … Wearing the Wrong Shorts!
UK postman Adam Williamson got suspended from his job at the Royal Mail and was even escorted home by the police because he showed up at work wearing non-regulation shorts:
When postman Adam Williamson found he could no longer squeeze into his standard issue Royal Mail trousers, he turned up at work in shorts.
But the solution didn’t go down well with bosses, who suspended him and had him escorted from the sorting depot by police.
Mr Williamson says he has fallen foul of rules because the navy blue shorts have a Nike logo. But he claims they are virtually identical to ill-fitting ones supplied by his employers and he has used them on rounds during the summer for several years.
Depot chiefs are refusing to back down until he finds a non-branded pair of shorts that fit, however.
The dispute got heated and other postal workers threatened to walk off the job in protest of management’s treatment: Link
History’s Mysteries
15 Historical Events That Fascinate Us brings us the short version of the most puzzling pieces of our history. The wonders of the ancient world, rumored treasures no one has found, lost civilizations, technology that shouldn’t have been possible at the time, these mysteries capture our imagination and our curiosity. Link -via the Presurfer
Instructables Cake Contest
Instructables has 44 entries in their cake contest. Contestants were invited to focus on either tasty recipes or elaborate decoration. Voting is open until tomorrow, but you must register in order to vote. Even if you can’t decide between them, you’ll find links to recipes, photographs, and instructions for all the entries, ranging from a completely vegan chocolate cake to a tank birthday cake with a rotating turret. Link
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this +digg +del.icio.us +reddit +SUCaminito del Rey
This limestone gorge in the south of Spain, through which passes the Guadalhorce river, sits the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes pass that is 700m (2296 feet) high. Famous its very dangerous path, the Caminito del Rey is not what I would call a tourrist attraction. In 2000, the paths was remove because a tourrist died trying to cross it. Just watching that video gave me vertigo. You wouldn’t catch me going there…ever! Some people are fearless such as this camera man.
Links/Sources: Brightcove - Wikipedia
Escaped Flying Pig Recovered
A signature Pink Floyd giant inflatable pig escaped its tether and flew away during the Coachella music festival last weekend.
Former Pink Floyd star Waters said “that’s my pig” as it drifted away during Sunday’s gig.
Coachella spokeswoman Marcee Rondan said: “It wasn’t really supposed to happen that way.”
The pig was tethered to the ground with ropes and floated away as Waters was playing one of the versions of Pink Floyd song Pigs.
The tattered pig came to ground in the driveways of two families in La Quinta, California. The families will split a $10,000 reward offered by Coachella organizers. They will also share four life tickets to the annual music festival. Link -via Digg
Rad 80s Fads
Today lunchtime quiz at mental_floss is on the fads of the 80s. Do you remember these? I scored a horrible 50%. Although I was around in the 80s, the questions seem to be aimed toward people who were very young in the 80s. Link
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this +digg +del.icio.us +reddit +SUOrangutang Goes Spear-Fishing
Those of us who have watched The Planet of the Apes are probably concerned about where this is going: a male orangutang was photographed on Borneo using a pole to try to spear fish in a river.
Image by Gerd Schuster et al and found at The Daily Mail.
How Racist Are You?
So. How racist are you? That’s the question asked by an online psychology test by the University of Chicago. The test involves showing you a series of photographs of 100 black or white men, either holding guns or cellphones. You have to decide - in a split second - whether to shoot them or to holster your gun.
Nicholas D. Kristof, a (white) columnist of The New York Times took the test. And discovered this:
I shot armed blacks in an average of 0.679 seconds, while I waited slightly longer — .694 seconds — to shoot armed whites. Conversely, I holstered my gun more quickly when encountering unarmed whites than unarmed blacks.
Take the test yourself and you’ll probably find that you show bias as well. Most whites and many blacks are more quick to shoot blacks, no matter how egalitarian they profess to be.
Eric L. Hinton of Diversity Inc, who is black, also took the test, and found out the same thing:
But what concerns me is that, armed or not, I "shot" Black targets faster than I shot white targets. I shot Black armed targets at an average of 0.631 seconds versus white armed targets at 0.662. Even more disturbing - I shot Black unarmed targets at an average of 0.783 seconds versus white unarmed targets at 0.792.
Fractions of seconds? Yes, but still unsettling when you consider the real life implications of armed police officers who make these life and death decisions in real life situations as they encounter Black men on the street.
So, how would you do? Just how racist are you? Take the test and find out! Link
(I did horribly on the test - I shot practically everyone, black or white! Then I got nervous, and got shot by everyone else!)
Stick Figures in Peril
Stick Figures in Peril is a Flickr pool about photos of real warning signs showing stick figures in dangerous - often life-threatening - and sometimes … odd situations. Like this "no strutting" sign, by Flickr user J&DP, for instance.
Link - Thanks collin douma!
Six Rulers Who Didn’t Spend Much Time in Office
Ever since I read The Other Boleyn Girl a couple years ago, I’ve been strangely obsessed with the Tudors. I read all of the Philippa Gregory books in that series and just finished up The Last Wife of Henry VIII by Carolly Erickson. It’s a fictionalized account about wife #6, Catherine Parr, and her trials and tribulations as Henry’s object of affection.
Of course, reading books like this always sends me running to the Internet to learn more. I like to know how much of the book is fiction and what probably has some truth to it. But researching one person in the whole Tudor dynasty is like eating a Lays potato chip – you can’t eat just one. I quickly found myself spiraling into Bloody Mary and Elizabeth I and Lady Jane Grey, who only ruled for nine days (although some accounts say 13 days). I figured nine days was probably one of the shortest reigns in the history of the monarchy, and while that’s true, it’s by far not the shortest reign of any ruler. I thought we’d look at a few of the people who held the highest rank in their country… if only for 20 minutes (seriously).
Louis XIX
This one’s disputed, but since the time frame is so ridiculously small I had to include it. Louis was married to the only surviving child of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. Louis XIX was actually Louis XVI’s nephew, making Louis XIX and his wife, Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte, cousins. His father, Louis XVI’s brother, was Charles X. Got all of that? In the July Revolution of 1830, the people of France demanded that Charles give up the throne because they hated his policies and felt they were too repressive. He reluctantly granted the wish of the people and abdicated, making Louis XIX the new king. However, the people didn’t want Charles’ descendants in power either, and, perhaps remembering how her parents’ reign ended, Marie-Thérèse-Charlotte pleaded with her husband to abdicate as well. And he did, 20 minutes after becoming King of France. It’s disputed because some historians think it’s too short of a time frame to recognize.
Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia
Michael had a long way to go to the throne at the time of his birth – he was fourth-in-line after his father and two older brothers. When his grandpa was assassinated in 1881, his father took over as Emperor. When he died in 1894, eldest brother Nicholas became Nicholas II. The next-eldest brother, George, died in 1899 of tuberculosis, leaving just Emperor Nicholas II and Michael left. Nicholas II had no sons to pass the crown to, so it was starting to look like Michael would someday be Emperor. Then, on August 12, 1904, Nicholas II and Alexandra had a son, placing Michael second-in-line again.
However, under pressure from generals and others, Nicholas II abdicated the throne and also named his brother as the new Emperor. He bypassed his son because Alexei had hemophilia, which was not curable at the time.
Michael was proclaimed Emperor Michael II… for about 16 hours. He signed a document the next day stating that he would only reign if the Russian people wished to uphold the monarchy. The monarchy was overthrown and so was Michael’s stint as Emperor. In July 1918, he was murdered less than a week before his brother. Nicholas II was also murdered along with his wife and children (including the famous Anastasia, who was rumored to have made it out alive). Photo from RomanovRussia.com
Pope Urban VII or Pope-elect Stephen
Depending on how you number the Popes, one of these guys had the shortest reign in the history of Popes. Pope Stephen hasn’t been recognized as a Pope since 1961, though, so I thought I’d give you both stories.
Stephen was elected to succeed Pope Zachary in 752. However, before he could be ordained, he died of apoplexy. So, his “reign” was only three days, if you can consider it a reign.
Urban VII (that’s him in the picture) was Pope for just shy of two weeks in September 1590. He died of malaria just 13 days into his term, but while he was in office he managed to enact the first known public smoking ban: he threatened to excommunicate anyone who smoked, chewed or sniffed tobacco in the porchway or inside of a chuch.
Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev
Dipendra was kind of King of Nepal by default for three days in 2001. On June 1, he murdered his family at a royal dinner, including his father who was the King of Nepal at the time. The story is that Dipendra was angry that his mother would not let him marry the bride of his choice due to ages-long feuding between the two families. After killing his parents, brother and sister, he turned the gun on himself. He lingered in a coma for three days and was officially proclaimed King of Nepal in his hospital bed. He died three days later and his uncle, Prince Gyanendra, became King. Some people believe that Gyanendra actually slaughtered the whole family so he could become King. His wife and son were in the same room as the royal family during the massacre, but managed to escape without mortal wounds. Photo from BBC News
John I (aka John the Posthumous)
John I was King of France for the five days that he was alive. His father, Louis X, died in June 1316. The reason is disputed – could have been dehydration, could have been poisoning. When he died, his wife Clémence was pregnant. John I was born November 15, 1316, and died on the 20th, succeeded by his Uncle Philip. As with the royal family of Nepal, many people suspect that King Louis X’s brother first poisoned Louis and then had his infant son killed so he could become King. In the 1350s, a man popped up in Provence claiming to be John I, but he was quickly put in prison and died there. Hmmmm.
Lê Trung Tông
Lê Trung Tông became King of Vietnam after his dad, Lêi Dai Hành, died in 1005. He was one of 10 brothers, so there was some heated “discussion” over who should become King. In fact, for eight months, the princes fought amongst themselves. The war was mainly between two of the brothers, but one of them was finally defeated and killed, leaving Lê Trung Tông as the victor. At least, for three days. His half brother, Lê Long Dinh, sent an assassin to climb over the wall of the palace and kill the King. He did, and Lê Long Dinh reigned from 1005-1009.
Lady Jane Grey
Finally, we’d better address the Lady who started my research. When Edward VI, Henry VIII’s only son, died on July 6, 1553, at the age of 15, things were thrown into an uproar. On his deathbed, Edward had named the descendants of his aunt as the heirs to the throne. Essentially, this meant that Henry VIII’s sister’s grandchildren would be the next to rule so - try to keep this straight – Lady Jane Grey was King Henry VIII’s grand-niece and King Edward VI’s second cousin. I think. Someone correct me if I have figured that out wrong. Anyway, Edward, who was Protestant, did this because letting his half-sister Mary take the throne would have meant a Catholic England. However, by bypassing his half-sister, Edward was going against the Third Act of Succession passed by Parliament. That Act restored his half-sisters to the line of Succession, which would have made his oldest half-sister Mary the new Queen upon Edward’s death.
Initially, Jane Grey was proclaimed Queen of England to respect Edward’s wishes. Mary was enraged by this and gathered enough backing to ride into London with a large group of supporters. Parliament had no choice but to declare Mary the rightful Queen. As Queen, Mary had Jane Grey, her cousin, beheaded. Jane Grey was only 16 (or 17, according to some reports).
Of course, there are plenty of other examples of short-reigning Kings, Queens, Popes, Emperors and Presidents. Which ones do you know of?
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this +digg +del.icio.us +reddit +SUI Love the World
(YouTube link)
This promo song from The Discovery Channel is perfect for Earth Day (which is Tuesday). From ad agency 72andSunny. -via Viral Video Chart
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this +digg +del.icio.us +reddit +SUImaginary Animals: Are They Kosher?
Would a jackalope be kosher? How about a dragon?
In honor of upcoming holidays like Passover, I thought I would ask Jeff’s better half, Ann VanderMeer, editor of Weird Tales and a practicing Jew, to give us an idea of which fantastical animals and beings would be kosher and which would not be kosher, in terms of gnawin’ off a bit o’ that. Answers below… - Evil Monkey
The list includes sea monkeys, mermaids, Sasquatch, Chupacabra, and Hobbits, among others. Link -via Dark Roasted Blend
Every “He’s Dead, Jim” Line from Classic Star Trek
[Video Link] Dr. McCoy’s classic line, plus a few contributions from Spock and Uhura. 41 seconds long.
Stalin’s Juggling Body Double Finally Tells His Story
The story of how Felix Dadaev came to be Stalin’s body double is somewhat similar to the plotline of the movie “Dave,” except set in Soviet Russia and with a larger dose of paranoia. According to the Daily Mail:
Felix Dadaev, a dancer and juggler who, amid the desperate defence against Hitler’s invading armies, was ordered to the Kremlin to work as Stalin’s body double. For more than half a century, Dadaev remained silent, fearing a death sentence should he dare to open his mouth.
But at the age of 88, and with the apparent approval of the Putin regime, he has finally come forward to tell a quite remarkable story. It takes him from the ruined streets of Grozny all the way to Yalta on the Black Sea coast for the historic three-powers showdown, where Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt fought to determine the shape of post-war Europe. Dadaev’s new autobiography explains that he was one of four men employed to impersonate the supreme leader, taking his place in motorcades, at rallies, on newsreel footage and wherever – as at Yalta – Stalin feared he was in particular danger.
Hit the Link to read up on the details.
Mole Man fined £300,000
A pensioner who created a labyrinth of tunnels under his house over 40 years has been forced to pay £300,000 for repairs carried out by a council.
Excavations by William Lyttle, 77, who is also known as the “mole man”, almost caused the property in Mortimer Road, Hackney, east London, to collapse.
…
In 2001, his digging led to a 15ft-wide hole in the public footpath.
An earlier news report gives an idea of the scale of his obsessive tunnelling:
AN eccentric known as The Mole Man has been banned from his £1million home after digging a 60ft network of tunnels beneath it.
William Lyttle, 75, spent 40 years burrowing under his 20-room house, removing 100 cubic metres of earth with a spade and pulleys.
It is now feared the street could give way. Philip Wilman, a surveyor for Hackney Council, told Thames magistrates: “There has been movement in the ground. He’s fortunate a London bus is not in his front garden. It’s liable to lead to catastrophe.”
…
The house is also filled with so much junk surveyors are worried about the pressure on the floors.
Survivalism is Making a Come Back
Old & busted: depending on the gub’ment for law & order.
The new hotness: survivalism.
Faced with a multitude of threats - from global warming to housing crisis to a declining economy, and spurred on by what they saw happened during Hurricane Katrina (and even the movie "I Am Legend" with Will Smith), some people are turning on to good ol’ survivalism:
They stockpile or grow food in case of a supply breakdown, or buy precious metals in case of economic collapse. Some try to take their houses off the electricity grid, or plan safe houses far away. The point is not to drop out of society, but to be prepared in case the future turns out like something out of “An Inconvenient Truth,” if not “Mad Max.”
“I’m not a gun-nut, camo-wearing skinhead. I don’t even hunt or fish,” said Bill Marcom, 53, a construction executive in Dallas.
Still, motivated by a belief that the credit crunch and a bursting housing bubble might spark widespread economic chaos — “the Greater Depression,” as he put it — Mr. Marcom began to take measures to prepare for the unknown over the last few years: buying old silver coins to use as currency; buying G.P.S. units, a satellite telephone and a hydroponic kit; and building a simple cabin in a remote West Texas desert.
“If all these planets line up and things do get really bad,” Mr. Marcom said, “those who have not prepared will be trapped in the city with thousands of other people needing food and propane and everything else.”
Here’s an interesting NY Times article by Alex Williams: Link
Now excuse me while I stock my bomb shelter with ammo. You never know how soon those zombies will come …
Trapped in an Elevator for 41 Hours …
In 1999, Nicholas White took a cigarette break, and then went back up elevator car #30 in New York City’s McGraw-Hill building.
Little did he know that he would be trapped in the elevator for the next 41 hours. Here’s a condensed look at White’s ordeal, as captured by the building’s security camera: Link - Thanks Elan!
