The pianist is Lise Linde Kronenberg, filmed on her first birthday.  It’s not clear whether the piano music was overdubbed on a pre-existing melody, or whether the orchestral accompaniment was created specifically to harmonize with her extemporaneous creation, but the result is fascinating.  Try playing it for someone who can’t see your monitor, and ask them what they think of this “nouveau” piano style.

And it has an LOL ending.

Vampire Bottle Opener – $5.95

Valentine’s Day is almost here. Are getting ready to hunker down and watch your favorite vampire love story over and over again? Make sure you are well prepared with the Vampire Bottle Opener from the NeatoShop. This great bottle opener is shaped like a vampire’s fangs. Even werewolf fans will appreciate this fantastic kitchen gadget.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fangstatic Barware & Cocktail items.

Link

(YouTube Link)

You might not know the name Wayne White, but you’re bound to have seen the works he has created over the last thirty years or so of his artistic career.

From stop motion animation, puppets and set design for PeeWee’s Playhouse, to music videos (Peter Gabriel’s Big Time and Smashing Pumpkins’ Tonight, Tonight) to his fine art series, which features 3-D text painted into classic lithographs.

Wayne White is an amazing artist, his talent is such that he’s left no artistic medium untouched, and there seems to be no limit to what Wayne can accomplish, so why has it taken so long for someone to make a documentary about him? Probably because all the money has been tied up in making supernatural teen love stories and Romcoms. Oh well, better late than never I suppose…

Link  –via TDW

French photographer Cedric Delsaux sees a different setting for the Star Wars saga when he looks through the lens-a post-apocalyptic wasteland full of ruined buildings and bleak landscapes.

It’s the kind of place that seems perfect for devotees of the Dark Side, a world which leaves most droids feeling a bit lost. Here’s a bit on how this photo series came to be:

In his series ‘The Dark Lens’, Delsaux first set out to highlight the decay of the post-apocalyptic modern world, but found the landscapes too plain.

That was when he incorporated notable scenes and characters from Star Wars, with the help of CGI maestro Pierrick Gueneugue, bringing to life two distant worlds.

We’ve featured the works of Cedric Delsaux here on Neatorama  over the years (Link and Link), and now he’s back because his series The Dark Lens has been put together in a book, which features a forward by George Lucas (link).

What an interesting way to put a spin on a sub-genre and sci-fi series which are in danger of becoming an artistic cliche. And I quite like the idea of Darth Vader lording over the reconstruction of a massive skyscraper (Death Star Towers, maybe?), while Jabba the Hut is holed up in some rat infested slums, conducting his dirty business from the shadows.

Link  –via DesignTAXI

However, that thing standing next to him has to be a cyborg, a real life cybernetic organism, although I’m pretty sure it must be quite underpowered since it’s been constructed out of Mac parts.

In true Macborg fashion it won’t be compatible with 80% of the world, it will be impossible to fix once broken, and don’t even think  about upgrading- if you want more memory you’re just going to have to break down and buy a new one every four or five years.

But it sure is shiny, and clean looking, with lots of white and silver bits and a fruit shaped logo, that counts for something, right?

Link

Ok, maybe not hell per se, but Silent Hill is pretty darn close. Anyway, I sure wouldn’t want to learn anything from Pyramid Head. Who knows what he would do when you get a wrong answer?

Link Via Kotaku

Looking for a sweet gift that won’t add to someone’s waistline? Then why not crochet some adorable truffles in a heart-shaped box using this great pattern.

Link Via CraftZine

(Video Link)

If you’ve played Skyrim, then you’ll not only appreciate the song and video, but you’ll also realize how much work they had to put in to fill all those rooms with mead bottles at the end of the video.

Via Geeks Are Sexy

Sure it seems like a conceptual idea that would never work in real life, but this bathtub is actually completely functional, not to mention totally awesome -or at least, it would be if the creator actually finished the project. BoingBoing is trying to track down leads to find out if it was ever completed or not. If you have any information, share your knowledge in their comments section.

Link Via BoingBoing

(Video Link)

Getting ready for a big move is tough, especially when you have a cat. Fortunately, this video shows you just how to box up your kitty so you the move to your new house is quick and smooth as possible.

Via I Can Has Cheezburger

If you didn’t have any instructions, how would you duplicate this cupcake? Suggest a method and then click on the link to see Kurryleaves’s clever approach. Did you guess correctly?

Link -via Tasteologie

Unless it’s properly prepared, I find that Hutt is tough with a gamey taste. Generally it’s not the most appetizing option on the menu. But deviantART member KatesKakes’s version promises to be sweet and moist.

Link

Photo: Image: Daniela Ceccarelli

It may be a dog-eat-dog up here, but down in the oceans, it's a shark-eat-shark world. Daniela Ceccarelli of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies snapped this photo of a tasselled wobbegong shark eating another shark:

Wobbegongs usually lie in wait on the sea floor for a passing fish or a tasty invertebrate to swim by and then ambush their prey. This one got lucky with a brown-banded bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium punctatum), and was in the process of swallowing it whole and head first. The wobbegong's appetite for large meals is helped by its dislocating jaw, large gape and rearward-pointing teeth.

While wobbegongs eating sharks has been recorded before from stomach contents, this is the first time it has been photographed in action.

Lots of children love Disney princesses, but most of them kind of grow out of it. But not Annfaye Kao, 27, of Taichung, Taiwan.

Annfaye loves Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs so much that she got the entire cast tattooed on her back.

'As a child I used to imagine I was Snow White in a fairytale so it seemed like a good thing to have tattooed on my back.

'Snow White is a part of my childhood and therefore me, so I’m happy I will have it on me forever - it reminds me of my princess dream.'

The Daily Mail has more photos (some NSFW): Link

What Disney movie would you have tattooed on your back? Sadly, I think only Dumbo would have enough heft to fill my backside.

Owl Microwaveable Snuggle Hottie – $27.95

Are you sad because you don’t have anyone to snuggle with this Valentine’s Day? You need the Owl Microwaveable Snuggle Hottie from the NeatoShop. This adorable microwaveable pillow, with wheat insert, will always be there when you need a warm and soothing cuddle because your tummy or muscles are sore. Some might say he’s even better than a boyfriend.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more Microwaveable Pillows and fun Health & Wellness items.

Link

A lot of guys love their cars, but one man has found true love in his cherry red 1998 Monte Carlo. And by "love," I mean the kissing, romantic kind.

From TLC's TV Series My Strange Addiction:

Nathaniel admits he can't go longer than 24 hours without seeing Chase, and that it sometimes brings him to tears to be away from the car. He even has a picture of Chase as his screensaver at work to get him through the day.

But this isn't just a car owner really loving his car -- Nathaniel goes on dates with his car, goes outside to kiss it first thing in the morning and is even intimate with it. He strokes Chase lovingly, gives Chase long bubble baths and even buys Chase birthday gifts.

It looks like an insignificant spec of dust, but if scientists are right, it could be the ancestor of us all.

Meet Otavia antiqua, a microscopic, sponge-like African fossil that could be the earliest known animal:

The creature, Otavia antiqua, was found in 760-million-year-old rock in Namibia and was as tiny as it may be important.

"The fossils are small, about the size of a grain of sand, and we have found many hundreds of them," said study leader Anthony Prave, a geologist at the University of St. Andrews in the U.K.

"In fact, when we look at thin sections of the rocks, certain samples would likely yield thousands of specimens. Thus, it is possible that the organisms were very abundant."

From these tiny "sponges" sprang very big things, the authors suggest. As possibly the first muticellular animals, Otavia could well be the forerunner of dinosaurs, humans-basically everything we think of as "animal."

Read more at National Geographic: Link (Photo: Anthony Prave/University of St. Andrews)

Zombie-themed wedding photos not for you? How about this Archie Comic-inspired one instead? That's what Bryan and Anne did for their engagement photo shoot.

Mike Lavarez of Visionary Photography Hub explains over at My Modern Met:

"Bryan and Anne wanted something unusual and beyond real. Summing up their core connection – being spontaneous, fun and outgoing – they fell into the perfect notion of comics. Infusing acting, photography and comic illustration, we bring them into the bright world of Riverdale with Archie and the gang."

Surprisingly, everything was drawn by the company's graphic artist, except for the diner setting which was shot at Johnny Rockets. "Photoshop was used and as well as a pen tablet for the illustrations," Lavarez explained to us. The greatest challenge in creating these scenes belonged not to the graphic artist, however, but to Jervy Santiago, the photographer. "He had to consider the rules of perspective in every layout," he said. "The point of views had to be consistent since we wanted everything to look dimensional with a cinematic flair (a storyboard was involved for each angle). It had to look like they were actually with Archie and his gang."

Link

You don’t often think of a garbage can as an art medium, but some artists do. And how nice is it to disguise an ugly-but-necessary object as something delightful? My favorite of the collection at WebUrbanist is this graffiti-embellish can by Job Willemsen and Tom v.d. Hurk in the Netherlands. Link

(Image source: Wooster Collective)

Get the replicators programmed to serve fish fingers and custard because the Doctor is going to visit the Enterprise-D. Bleeding Cool reports that comic book publisher IDW will release a Doctor Who/Star Trek: The Next Generation crossover series in May. Pictured above is the cover of the first issue.

Link -via blastr

What’s the connection between electricity and the American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson? It’s a play entitled Call Me Waldo in which an electrician is consumed by the spirit or at least the ideas of Emerson. The promoters of a new off-Broadway production commissioned Noah Scalin, the artist behind the Skull-a-Day project, to make this image.

Link -via Boing Boing | Scalin’s Website

You don’t really need to “teach” a baby goat to jump, but the interaction looks like a lot of fun for both teacher and student! -via reddit

Pascal Prokop, who lives in Switzerland, caused a minor internet stir when photos of his stove-car near Mettmenstetten, a town 25 kilometres south of Zurich, began to circulate on Friday. [...]

Mr. Prokop obtained an operating permit for his stove-car from the Swiss Technical Inspection Authority, making it perfectly legal to operate.

You can view larger photos at the link.

Link -via DVICE | Photo: Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters

Even the sweetest pooch can get serious when it comes to competitive ball. Pet photographer Seth Casteel captured funny underwater images of friendly dogs looking ferocious while diving for balls.

Link | Photographer’s Website

Can you imagine anything more romantic, personal, and memorable than a proposal at a pizza chain? Pizza Hut is offering a deluxe Valentine’s Day proposal package that includes an engagement ring (no diamonds though -it’s ruby), photographer, videographer, limousine, fireworks, and a ten dollar pizza! The cost? Just $10,010. Better hurry and reserve your package, because they are only selling ten of them. But hey, if you miss out on the deal, you can a) make your proposal a surprise, 2) do it in a more personal place, and c) save enough money to pay for a nice wedding and/or honeymoon. Link -via Jezebel

Totoro Pillow – $33.95

Valentine’s Day is Tuesday! Are you still looking for the perfect gift for your favorite Totoro fan? You need the Totoro Pillow from the NeatoShop. The Totoro Pillow is made with adorable details. A plush Soot Spirit and leaf are attached to his head. Turn Totoro around and see his puffy little tail. This pillow is toto-rific.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Totoro items and Valentine’s Day fun!

Link  

If Thomas Edison were alive today, he would be celebrating his 165th birthday. Jeremiah Warren made this quick overview of his life and work, so you’ll know more than just “Edison invented the light bulb.” -Thanks, Jeremiah!

It happens every time some new technology threatens to put people out of work: a public campaign to save jobs. One example was in the 1920s and ’30s, when synchronized sound was added to movies, which meant that theaters no longer had to pay live musicians to accompany the films. The Music Defense League sprang into action, with a $500,000 advertising budget to rally the public against soundtracks recorded by just “300 musicians in Hollywood.” Read about the battle against canned music in theaters at Paleofuture. Link

Jordan Correa, a developer on the Microsoft Robotics Team, built a robot to interact with his dog, Darwin, while he was away at work. It’s got a lot of neat features. Geeks that don’t even have dogs would enjoy having one of these around! -via The Daily What Geek

Jill Harness wrote It’s Never Too Late to Thank Your Mail Carrier in honor of Thank A Mailman Day last weekend.

Sunday is Lincoln’s birthday, which got Eddie Deezen thinking about history, so he wrote The Man Who Shot John Wilkes Booth. Shooting Booth was the least interesting part of his story.

For no particular occasion at all, we reprinted Witness Protection: 5 Not-so Wiseguys from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader.

The Annals of Improbable Research gave us Hard Looks at Doctors’ Handwriting.

And History’s Wildest Ballet Riot came from mental_floss magazine.

In the What Is It? game this week, the exact purpose for the item in question was never actually verified, but Rob at the What Is It? blog thinks it might be “a form for a medicine ball.” Since we don’t know for sure, we are awarding t-shirts for the TWO funniest answers this week. One came from meiao, who said it’s the ball for Mortal Tetherball. Another good one was from Steve Pauk, who said it was a Rubik’s globe! Those are both worth a t-shirt from the NeatoShop. See the results for all the mystery items of the week at the What Is It? blog.

As of now, there’s a three-way tie for the most-commented-on post of the past week, between Psst, Environmentalists! Earth-Friendly Lifestyle Actually Doesn’t Matter, PETA Sues to End Killer Whale Slavery, and Why French Parents Are Superior. None of those are surprising, as parenting, PETA, and the environment are all hot-button issues.

Over at our Facebook page, you can catch extra content you won’t find at Neatorama, and follow us on Twitter, too! And now we’re also on Google+ as well! Happy Valentine’s Day!

After seeing this great Star Wars version of Marcel Duchamp’s mechanically abstracted Nude Descending a Staircase, Irene Gallo wanted to see what other geek interpretations of classic artworks have been put out there. The resulting round up is quite enjoyable.

Link Via Geeks Are Sexy

Nothing says “waiting for the bus” like the smell of baked potatoes. Okay, clearly that sentence didn’t make sense, and people usually don’t want to think about food while they’re waiting for the bus. And the sad truth is this bus stop is probably going to smell like the worst scents a human beings can muster in a few weeks anyway, so why bother with a gimmicky ad?

Well, the folks at McCain Foods are betting that these bus stop ads, with the scent of a baked potato available at the push of a button, will help them sell their Ready Made Jacket Potatoes.And there are coupons available, in case you decide to grab a box on the way home.

Maybe they’re on to something, but I’ve personally never wanted to think about food while waiting for the bus, and bus stops in my town tend to be akin to outhouses, without that crucial front door. But what do you think-are scented advertisements a good idea, or are they a real stinker?

Link

We’ve featured a number of great art shows that took place at Gallery 1988 before, but that’s because they have so much awesomely geeky stuff go through there. Their most recent show, Multiplayer x2, focuses exclusively on classic games of the past including Castlevania, Mario and Pac Man. If you happen to be in LA before March 3, be sure check it out.

Link Via Laughing Squid

(YouTube Link)

Back in the 1980s, the martial art Karate was all the rage among young and old, second only to the unattainable desire to be a Ninja. I took Karate classes, and so did almost every kid I knew, and even if there’d been actual Ninja training classes available I’m sure Karate would have remained every bit as popular, even though Ninja gear does look way cooler.

Everyone wanted to hit each other, break boards with their hands, and be like Ralph Macchio in The Karate Kid. So is it any wonder that this charmingly hilarious video, featuring a rap about Karate and lots of flashy moves, made a big splash back in the day? Enjoy this bit of retro kitsch, featuring some true Karate masters getting down.

–via Obvious Winner

I don’t know about you guys, but I would love to try some Romulan Ale, although the maple bacon porter also sounds pretty tasty.

Link

Sure we all have things we resent our parents for, but it takes a lot to truly be a bad parent, especially to be named as one of the top ten terrible parents. While many of the cases are heart-breaking stories of abuse, some are just sickening displays of poor parental values -like the mother who bought her seven year-old a boob job. It makes you wish for a change in child abuse laws.

Link

(Video Link)

I don’t know about you guys, but I have never had a dog that actually enjoyed baths, especially one that pretty much laid back and soaked like this one does. I can tell you it would be a welcome change though.

Via Cute Overload

The gown, designed for the upcoming Valentine’s Day, involves more than 170 hours of labor and reportedly weighs just under two stone.

The gown features petals from 1,000 Naomi red roses all over the dress, fifteen Carmen roses and 200 chrysanthemums, decorated with gold-leaf, around the hip and skirt of the dress, and petals from 150 Purple Power roses, 75 gerberas and 300 carnations, all picked from Walmart’s Valentine’s bouquet collection, to flush this creation.

You can view more and larger pictures at the link.

Link | Video | Photo: Press Association/Yahoo

Brian Joseph Davis uses a law enforcement composite sketch program to create pictures of literary characters. This is how the program saw Humbert Humbert from the physical description of him in Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. I’d love to see a rendering Bel-ka-Trazet from Shardik using this method. Which literary figures would you like to see as a composite sketch?

Link -via Kottke

Donuts — is there anything they can’t do? Say goodbye to worry lines, wrinkles and stretchmarks. Artist Josh Atlas has the right idea. Pile the donuts on. And, of course, you can always eat them afterward.

Link -via That’s Nerdalicious! | Photo: Jeff Barnett-Winsby

Will Tazer Ball ever win the recognition that it deserves and become an Olympic sport? We don’t know. But even in the absence of that respect, members of the Toronto Terror and other teams will continue to bravely shock each other with underpowered tasers. So far, there are only four teams in the Ultimate Tazer Ball league. But the potential appeal of this sport is obvious.

Link -via The Agitator | Image: Ultimate Tazer Ball

The exposed thermal exhaust port wasn’t the only design problem that the Death Star had. It was plagued by low flow toilets that didn’t work, stereo circuits that melted because they weren’t insulated from engine heat and, as Joshua Tyree explains, a worthless trash compactor. Here are just two of the reasons why the compactor was an utter failure:

2. Why do both walls of the trash compactor move towards each other, rather than employing a one-movable-wall system that would thus rely on the anchored stability, to say nothing of the strength, of the other, non-moving wall, to crush trash more effectively?

3. Why does the trash compactor compact trash so slowly, and with such difficulty, once the resistance of a thin metal rod is introduced? Surely metal Death Star pieces are one of the main items of trash in need of compacting. It thus stands to reason that the trash compactor should have been better designed to handle the problem of a skinny piece of metal. (And while I hate to be the sort of person who says I told you so, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that a one-movable-wall system would have improved performance.)

Link -via Jonah Goldberg | Image: Lucasfilm

Sometimes it’s hard to see what’s going on when you look at an ultrasound image of a baby in utero, but in this case the truth is plain to see-this woman’s baby is clearly the supervillain Venom, and he’s coming back for vengeance against Spider Man!

Giving birth to a supervillain might seem like a scary scenario, but really there are a lot of perks-your kid won’t get picked on at school, they will generally be able to take care of themselves, and every time they knock over a bank you’re in the money.

And at least her baby doesn’t look like Green Goblin, now that would have been terrifying!

Link

(YouTube Link)

Is someone you know hooked on the video game Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim? Are they exhibiting symptoms usually reserved for tweekers and crackheads? Are you about to call Dr. Drew and sign them up for a new rehab reality TV show?

You should watch this video first, and familiarize yourself with the dangers of Skyrim addiction, and how quickly it can spread to those around you. Intervention cancelled, I just hit level 60!

–via Rampaged Reality

I’m a certified cake-o-holic, so when I feel like a cake is too pretty to eat it either means I’m running a fever, or the cake is truly a work of art. Enter the newest batter and fondant sculptural masterpiece, an Amazing Spider Man cake that definitely lives up to the hype.

It’s shaped like my Web Headed hero, and look at the linework, oh the LINES! If this was an illustration people would be wowed, but when the lines are drawn with delicious, sugary frosting my stomach starts doing flips, begging for a slice.

But who has the nerve to cut into Spidey’s head and take out a chunk? Better call Venom if you really want a slice of this super cake!

Link

(YouTube Link)

In the newest NSFW trailer for the upcoming cheerleader zombie slayer video game Lollipop Chainsaw, we are introduced to the apple of the main character Juliet’s eye-the severed head of her boyfriend, Nick, which she carries around on her hip, and uses to overcome obstacles in some very interesting ways.

As if chopping off Nick’s head so he doesn’t become a zombie isn’t romantic enough, the couple remain very affectionate, discussing the possibility of having children someday, in-between bouts of dicing up the walking dead.

Awwwww, finally there’s a love story for those of us who think Twilight is total drek. Way to keep that chainsaw engine revving Juliet!

(NSFW due to language)

–via Topless Robot

A beautiful blonde? Yes, a model, actually. But not in the traditional sense you're probably thinking. Meet Andrej Pejic, the world's most famous androgynous fashion model:

As Fashion Week gets under way in New York City, Pejic is one of the most recognizable — and controversial — faces in the industry. He’s the only top-tier fashion model who can walk down the runway as either a man or a woman. And his androgynous beauty has turned him into a trendsetter in an industry that’s always seeking to push the envelope.

“He’s just this beautiful thing that everyone wants a piece of,” says stylist Kyle Anderson, who dressed Pejic for a German magazine cover.

He has the kind of face that makes even the vainest woman jealous: high cheekbones, flawless skin and plump, shapely lips. When he speaks, his ever-so-slight Adam’s apple is the first sign of his masculinity.

Though Pejic isn’t trying to be a woman, many in the transgender community have already claimed him as their own. He is seen as a bit of a maverick, someone who has embraced his sexuality without any need for explanation or justification.

Bonny Ghosh of AP has more: Link (Photo: Richard Drew)

This Valentine's Day, tell your sweetheart that your love will never die - in fact, it will survive a nuclear holocaust, just like a cockroach.

This Valentine’s Day, the Bronx Zoo wants to start a new lover’s tradition: giving the gift of a cockroach.

You won’t actually get a pet cockroach; rather the gift will be in name only. For $10, you can name a Bronx Zoo roach after your beloved. For $15 more, you can commemorate the occasion with a dark chocolate roach. Though the chocolate roaches are lifelike, they don’t actually contain real roach. Proceeds benefit the Wildlife Conservation Society and its five parks in New York.

Unless there is a huge demand for the name-game gift, don’t worry about the zoo running short on supplies. There are more than 58,000 Madagascar hissing cockroaches in the Bronx Zoo.

Link | Bronx Zoo's Name a Roach web page

What says "I love you" more than Madagascar hissing cockroaches? Perhaps only the Love Rats from the NeatoShop.

Photo: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera captured a boulder on the Moon that decided to go on a little journey. Looking at the track, you'd think that this happened recently. Well, in geologic times perhaps:

The lonely journey of this large boulder is apparent from its track in a sloping regolith surface. A casual glance might suggest that it happened last week, or even that its rolling might resume at any moment. However, closer inspection will detect a few craters that clearly superpose and therefore post-date the track, showing that this 9-meter diameter boulder stopped rolling some time ago. Impacts are used in this way to provide a relative sense for the timing of events on planetary surfaces across the solar system. The procedure assumes a steady flux of impacting bodies in each size range, with smaller impacts being much more frequent than large impacts.

Though long ago to humans, however, this boulder's journey was made in geologically recent times. Studies suggest that regolith development from micrometeorite impacts will erase tracks like these over time intervals of tens of millions of years. If rate estimates are accurate, this boulder track might not be older than 50-100 million years. Eventually its track will be erased completely.

That's how a lunar rock roll, dudes: Link

Being green? I now that feel, bro.

It's not easy being green. Certainly a sentiment that The Hulk shares with Kermit the Frog, as illustrated by Chris Gerringer.

Princess problems? I know that feel, bro.

Itty bitty living space? I know that feel, bro.

Genetic experiments? I know that feel, bro.

Check out the entire list of "I know that feel, bro" over at Chris' tumblr site: Link - via Laughing Squid