HOME |
RSS | 
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
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.
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.
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
To promote its floral products, the Walmart-owned supermarket chain Asda commissioned this amazing dress made from flower petals. Joe Massie, an award-winning florist, and his team assembled it using roses, chrysanthemums and gerberas:
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?
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!
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!
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
What do you get a cat who has everything? The world's cutest airline, of course! Hello Kitty (which scored over $1 billion in sales every year outside of Japan, to which the NeatoShop duly contributed) has added another way for you to spend your money: the Hello Kitty Jet.
Hiufu Wong of CNN Go has the story:
The carrier has recently launched three Hello Kitty-themed aircraft [Chinese language], on which everything from the fuselage to the flight attendants to the food is kitted out in the kawaii cat brand's images.
Passengers have been purring with delight, according to Anna Wong, an EVA Air public relations officer in Hong Kong. [...]
The new Taipei-based Hello Kitty jets -- called Apple Jet, Global Jet and Magic Jet -- will operate for at least a year on different routes originating from Taipei. [...]
Passengers can also purchase limited edition duty-free products, such as Hello Kitty-shaped pasta, from flight attendants wearing Hello Kitty aprons.
View more pics and details at CNN Go: Link - Thanks Tiffany!
Digital artist Petros Vrellis created an interactive version of Vincent Van Gogh’s painting Starry Night. The brushstrokes movie and activate music. Vrellis tells more about the project at Creative Applications. Link -via The Daily What
See also: Starry Night is Everywhere!
For those of you looking for ideas for a romantic Valentine’s Day date, the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Brooklyn is offering a morning tour of its sludge-processing facility.
Put on some comfortable boots, snuggle up with your companion, and hold your breath when the plant’s ruggedly handsome superintendent, Jimmy Pynn, explains how the city cleans 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater each day.
You’ll get to see every aspect of the plant’s waste treating process, and even take a trip through its suggestively shaped digester tanks, where plucky microorganisms break down what you and your date ate for lunch yesterday, producing methane and carbon dioxide gas.
And at the end of the tour, Pynn will give each attendee a Hershey’s Kiss — because there’s nothing sweeter than protecting the environment.
One thing’s for sure -it will be a Valentine’s Day neither of you will ever forget. Link -via Breakfast Links
(Image credit: New York City government)
Mario fans, make your own 1UP Mushroom Burger with tips from momo! at Instructables. This particular burger has a veggie mushroom patty, but you can get the same effect with meat. The spots on the bun are mozzarella cheese! Link -via Laughing Squid
The art of the thank you note is not practiced as much as it once was, even though they always make the recipient happy. Mental_floss has collected some of the best thank you notes ever from the archives of Letters of Note. For example, here’s a note Neil Armstrong sent to the Extravehicular Mobility Unit engineering team.
To the EMU gang:
I remember noting a quarter century or so ago that an emu was a 6 foot Australian flightless bird. I thought that got most of it right.
It turned out to be one of the most widely photographed spacecraft in history. That was no doubt due to the fact that it was so photogenic. Equally responsible for its success was its characteristic of hiding from view its ugly occupant.
Its true beauty, however, was that it worked. It was tough, reliable and almost cuddly.
To all of you who made it all that it was, I send a quarter century’s worth of thanks and congratulations.
Sincerely,
(Signed) Neil A. Armstrong
You’ll enjoy the others just as much, if not more. Link
This video introduced me to Jaimie Mantzel. He not only builds toys, he builds everything else! The top comment at reddit tells more about him.
This guy is a complete and total bad-ass. Seriously. (He’s also nearly constantly manic too, but I digress.)
He has this giant tree-house he built in the middle of the woods by hand which he actually lives/lived in. When he realized he needed a lumber mill to build a giant workshop to go along with his tree house in the woods, he made one himself, with two tires, a motor, and some aluminum poles (no joke).
Why did he need a giant workshop in the middle of the woods, you ask? To build a working life size version of this robot of course! And he did it using 99% junk yard scrap MacGyvered together (like everything else he does). He also wore chain-mail while doing all this to ‘stay fit’.
He has a video blog with tons of videos on YouTube. This guy is so interesting he has caused countless people to spend 10+ hours watching his videos in a single sitting (myself included!). Just look at the other comments here and you’ll see how common an occurrence this is.
P.S. Almost forgot! His “tree house” has a giant trampoline in one of the rooms integrated into the floor (one of those giant backyard ones).
P.P.S. He also somehow convinced his lady-friend to move out into the middle the woods and into his tree-house with him while he did all of this.
Anyway, this toy does not yet have a name, but he is working with a toy company to eventually produce it. -via reddit
Tran, Ken, and Rodney (who writes for GAS) got together to build a 50-inch long Super Star Destroyer from the deluxe LEGO kit. All 3152 pieces of it. And they documented the process in photos, which you can see at Geeks Are Sexy. Link
The person operating this Bobcat E50 excavator no longer has to fill out employment applications; he just sends the YouTube link! -via Bits and Pieces
Stravinsky and Nijinsky
The most infamous riot in the history of the performing arts began with the violins in Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring.” But more remarkable than the fistfight was the way the piece revolutionized classical music and ballet.
On the night of May 29, 1913, an elegant Parisian crowd assembled for the first performance of Igor Stravinsky’s eagerly anticipated new ballet, “The Rite of Spring.” The opening seemed promising, but then the violins kicked in with a pulsing chord so dissonant that it made spectators wince. As the orchestra continued, the audience hissed and booed. They rose to their feet and shouted—some defending the music, but most denouncing it. People began whacking each other with canes, umbrellas, and, before long, bare fists. Stravinsky’s musical revolution had arrived.
Prelude to “The Rite”
By one account, the idea for “The Rite of Spring” came to Stravinsky in a dream. He envisioned a pagan rebirth ritual, with people throwing themselves before vengeful gods. Rather than a cheerful celebration of springtime, it was a dark and superstitious rite. To compose music appropriate for such a vision, Stravinsky tossed aside convention and broke new ground in rhythm and harmony. He constructed atonal chords never heard before and developed a meter so complex that he struggled to accurately record it on paper. At times in the piece, parts of the orchestra actually seem to be playing against each other.
Stravinsky first performed “The Rite of Spring” for ballet director Sergei Diaghilev and orchestra conductor Pierre Monteux. Both men were shocked and overwhelmed. Later, Monteux wrote that he didn’t understand one note of it and wanted to flee the room. Nevertheless, plans for the ballet got under way. Diaghilev entrusted the choreography to dance phenom Vaslav Nijinsky, whose steps proved just as inspired as the music.
Concept, costumes, and set designs by Nicholas Roerich.
The first signs of trouble came during rehearsals. The ballerinas complained that Nijinsky’s flat-footed, straight-knee jumps jarred them to their bones, and the musicians struggled to keep up with Stravinsky’s galloping pace. At one point, after practicing a particularly dissonant section, the orchestra couldn’t help but burst into nervous laughter.
more …
This is why the Internet exists. The long march of human progress has finally ended; we have reached our destination. Rest and rejoice in our accomplishments. Then:
1) Take a piece of bread
2) Cut a hole approximately 1 inch larger than your cat’s head. This trips some people up. Remember: the bread has to fit around not just the cat’s head, but it’s ears, too.
3) Gently place the bread around your cat’s head.
4) Take a picture & post it! We love Cat Breading!
Ice floes on the Black Sea are scraping past each other, creating weird noises. If you couldn’t see the video, what would you guess is making the sound?
-via The Presurfer
This might just be a better movie than both the Phantom Menace or The Adventures of Tin Tin. Would you go see it?
