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Sure, all you gamers out there probably already knew there were a lot of Mega Man titles out there, but when you actually put them all together for one picture, that’s when you realize just how massive the catalog truly is. I’d love to see the same thing done for all the Mario games.
It’s so true and just so sad that they still haven’t gotten the point.
Link Via BoingBoing
As you can tell by the soundtrack music in this parody trailer for A Muppet Wicker Man, it isn’t referencing the excruciatingly bad version with Nic Cage from about five years back, but rather the much more enjoyable 1973 version that still gives me the creeps.
I’m still on the fence about this trailer, and why a room full of Muppet faced children creeps me out when I love the Muppets so much I’d name my son Gonzo just to have them perform at his first birthday party.
However the comic book that tells the whole story, and for which this trailer is a bit of creative advertising, is amazingly well done and available to read for free online.
It’s full of Muppet style humor, creepy moments and puppet heads photoshopped on to human bodies that enhance the eerie nature of this tale of witchcraft and human puppet sacrifice. And yes, I’m aware that it’s been around since 2009, but does that really make it any less neat, or any more o-rama?
–via Topless Robot –comic book LINK
Looking for something really different to give your loved one this Valentine’s Day? How about a roach?
How better to express your appreciation for that special someone than to name one of the Bronx Zoo’s 58,000 Madagascar hissing cockroach after them? Best of all, when you purchase this everlasting gift, you’ll help support the Wildlife Conservation Society and its five parks in New York City.
Ok, so technically, it might not be the most romantic gift, but it’s certainly something that won’t soon be forgotten, which is more than you can say about a dozed roses.
Link Via The Mary Sue
Watch out for these guys when you’re out on the race track in your Kart, because they might puncture your tires with their sharp spikes and bad attitudes. Created by DeviantARTist Dragonfly929, they’re the most punk rock father and son duo I’ve seen since the trailer for The Other F Word and they’re out for a bite of Italian.
Bowser is such a bad boy that he must get lots of love from the ladies, so why is he always after the Princess? And isn’t little Bowser Jr. adorable? I guess male pattern baldness starts at an early age for these guys, no wonder they’re so angry!
Link –via Obvious Winner
Antdude, if you’ve been waiting for an article to be specifically dedicated to only you, here you go. Of course, even those of you who aren’t insect/human hybrids will be sure to enjoy io9′s fascinating article featuring 10 frightening facts about ants. For example, did you know:
Ants have already survived a mass extinction event
The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event is thought to have occurred approximately 65 million years ago following an absolutely massive impact event. Widely regarded as the downfall of the dinosaurs (and, incidentally, the rise of mammals), the years following the KT-extinction event are actually believed to have been a time of incredibly rapid speciation and worldwide expansion for ants, marking what researchers Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson call “a rise to ecological dominance.”
Really, there’s a good chance ants will outlive humans as well.
The future of waste receptacle technology is here, and it has an LCD screen that can tell you how your stocks are doing today, how long it will take you to get home on public transit, and what the weather looks like for tomorrow.
It’s bombproof, offers a free Wi-Fi connection, and it appears that the only thing that hasn’t improved is how it handles waste.
One hundred of these computerized trash bins are going to be placed in London’s financial district before the 2012 Olympic Games begin in July, so if you’re heading to London this summer you can stop by and say hi, then you’ll have a great story to tell your grandchildren!
Confucius has never looked so creepy! Sculpted by Zhang Huan in waaaay more than life sized scale (32 feet tall!), this is one version of the Chinese philosopher that you’ll want to steer clear of when it’s feeding time.
It’s so startlingly realistic that I have to wonder if Zhang hired a giant figure model for reference while sculpting. I kinda want to climb on top of giant Confucius’ head and pretend I’m Remy from the Pixar movie Ratatouille.
Link –via Geekosystem
Have you ever wondered what hero (or villain) you have the most in common with, based on the moral choices you make in your life? Then this alignment chart should clear some things up, or show you that your fate lies in the realm of supervillainy.
Based on the nine basic alignments found in Dungeons and Dragons, this chart is pretty much spot on in my opinion, at least in terms of where the comic book characters chosen for this chart fit in to the spectrum.
I range between Rorschach and Deadpool myself, which character do you take after in terms of alignment?
Link (much bigger version with legible text)
M2A: Fantastic Voyage is a project that tries to demonstrate the differences between processed foods and whole foods inside the human body. Stefani Bardin, a professor of design, and Braden Kuo, a gastroenterologist, sent a M2A* pill camera through two human subjects. One (left) ate ramen noodles, blue Gatorade, and gummi bears. The other (right) ate whole foods, including fresh made noodles. I choose to interpret Bardin’s assessment as praise for industrially-manufactured ramen:
Notice how the shape of the ramen noodles is still apparent on the left and the handmade ramen noodles on the right are no longer recognizable as noodles? Even after two and a half hours? That’s because top ramen is made to survive Armageddon. Our homemade ramen noodles are made to be eaten.
Link -via Geekosystem
*’M’ refers to the camera’s point of entry into the human body and ‘A’ to the point of exit. The designers clearly didn’t want there to be any confusion about how to use it.
A good guitarist can set you on fire. So can a good spice. But when a guitar becomes unserviceable for music, it’s time to find another use. That’s what Asaf Tz’rtkof did, turning his into a spice rack.
Link (Google Translate) -via Make
Beth Jackson Klosterboer made little cheesecakes shaped and decorated like the classic Sweetheart candies. Each one is about two inches across. Klosterboer has demanding standards for cheesecake filling and used what she considers to be finest recipe. You can find it at the link.
Most people get stuck in only one elevator a day. The ambitious aim higher than that:
A firefighter went up in another elevator in an adjoining shaft, exited through the ceiling hatch to get to the other elevator’s hatch to transfer the trapped man and bring him down.
But after the transfer was made, the second elevator stalled and wouldn’t come down, McGregor said.
Firefighters considered breaking through a brick wall to get into the elevator through the shaft and using ropes to bring the trapped men out, but didn’t have to after an Otis Elevator Co. engineer was able to reset the elevator switch from the roof, put it in “inspection mode” and operate it manually, McGregor said.
This is why we need slides, people. Slides.
Link -via Gizmodo | Photo (unrelated) via Flickr user ricardodiaz11
Find illumination in a good book. The craft studio Typewriter Boneyard turns old books into desk lamps, often using old fashioned light bulb designs.
Link -via My Modern Met | Previously: The Book Lamp
You’ve been warned. Indie filmmakers Andrew McMurry and Nathan McMurry put together this short clip, “Psycho Siri,” as an example of what could happen if you piss off an iPhone.
Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] – Thanks Tiffany!
Obviously,
there's a lot of money to be made from hit pop songs. But can you predict
or even make which songs will make it ot the top of the charts?
Bring in the scientists! Artificial Intelligence researcher Tijl De Bie and colleagues analyzed 50 years' worth of hit songs on Britain's top 40 charts and came up with a formula.
From an interview over at The Los Angeles Times:
You used artificial intelligence to devise an equation that could predict which songs made it to the top of the charts. How does it work?
To predict the hit potential of a given song, we used a computer to quantify how similar it is to previous "hits" and "flops." Time frame is important: If you're scoring a song from today, then we will consider the songs in 2011 more important than the songs in the '60s.
We represent each song using a set of 23 different features that characterize the audio. Some are very simple features — such as how fast it is, how long the song is — and some are more complex features, such as how energetic the song is, how loud it is, how danceable and how stable the beat is throughout the song. We also took into account the highest rank that songs ever achieved on the chart.
The computer can combine a song's features in an equation that can be used to score any given song.
We can then evaluate how accurately the computer scored it by seeing how well the song actually did.
Every single week now we're updating our equation based on how recent releases have done on the chart. So the equation will continue to evolve, because music tastes will evolve as well.
Any good examples of the computer guessing correctly?
Wiley's "Wearing My Rolex" did well, strongly based on loudness. So that was an expected hit. It went to No. 2 in 2008.
Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," which went to No. 1 in 2006, scored well thanks to its danceability, among other things.
Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds," which went to No. 2 in 1970, had a fairly simple harmonic movement, which at that time was a good thing if you wanted to score a hit.
Previously on Neatorama: Is There a Scientific Explanation for Justin Bieber?
Photo: Combo-pictures/Flickr
Hadouken not withstanding, I agree with urban artist COMBO that Muhammad Ali would totally best Street Fighter's Ryu. But I'm not so sure about E. Honda. It's not so easy to defeat a fat man in undies. Via Twisted Sifter
Want fries with your job? The good news: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics's latest job growth prediction, the US economy will add millions of jobs for Americans with only a high school diploma.
According to the BLS, there will be 20.4 million more jobs in 2020 than there were in 2010. About 12.8 million of those jobs will require a high school degree or less. Many of those will be clustered in services. The country will need more healthcare aides to look after a rapidly aging population. There will be more work in food preparation, retail, and office administration. The graph below depicts the occupations requiring a high school degree or less that are expected to add the most jobs (from left to right).
The bad news? They don't pay well.
There are a few solidly middle-class jobs tucked in here -- a good salesperson for a wholesaler averages $62,000 a year. An administrative support supervisor takes home more than $50,000 a year. A carpenter makes $43,000. But most of these jobs offer between $18,000 and $30,000 a year. The pay for the jobs at the far left, which will generate the most employment growth, is particularly abysmal.
Jordan Weissmann of The Atlantic has more: Link
Certain subsidies and tax breaks for married couples and families were enacted to encourage marriage and keep children from falling into poverty. But is this fair to people who aren’t married? Fewer U.S. households are headed by married couples every year. And all those single people aren’t happy about paying more and getting less.
Activists say that unmarried people are systematically discriminated against. They pay more for health and car insurance than married people do. They don’t get the same kind of tax breaks. Co-op boards, mortgage brokers, and landlords often pass them over. So do the employers with the power to promote them. “Single-ism—stereotyping, stigmatizing, and discrimination against people who are single—is largely unrecognized and unchallenged,” says activist Bella DePaulo, the author of Singled Out.
There are justifications for every one of these, but that doesn’t mean much to individuals who don’t like being lumped into a group. But the differences swing both ways, depending on a person’s circumstances. I personally know people who choose to cohabit instead of marrying because of economic reasons. Low income people can lose Medicaid and other benefits if they marry, and elderly widows can lose pensions by remarrying. And we’ve all heard stories of married women being passed over for promotions because they might get pregnant. So is there really any way to achieve equity between those who are married and those who aren’t? Link
(Image credit: Flickr user Alan Cleaver)
A team of Russian scientists drilling 2 miles into the ice in the middle of the Antarctic to tap the underground Vostok lake that has been untouched for 15 million years has not been heard from for more than five days.
The start of a new science fiction novel? Well, almost.
The first part is real: there is an underground lake miles beneath the Antarctic ice that has been isolated for millions of years. And the Russians are drilling into it, despite oppositions from environmental groups who feared contaminations.
The second part - the one about the team being "lost" - is not. But, you know, of course that's what they'd say to cover up the conspiracy ;)
And the more she lies about the fake boyfriend, the more it beeps. This Twaggie was illustrated from a Tweet by @SEAempire. See more Twaggies at GoComics. Link
Just got friend-zoned? Here's the culprit: the Platonic Fairy, as visualized by cartoonist Mark Anderson.
View lots more really neat cartoons over at Mark's website | Valentine's Day gifts from the NeatoShop to free you from the dreaded Friend Zone.
Our pal Frank Warren of PostSecret has just posted his 2012 PostSecret Live speaking tour and book signing schedule (The one near me is sold out, boo hoo!). If you're nearby, it's definitely worth going:
PostSecret "Live” is a multi-media presentation by Frank Warren, founder of PostSecret. See the postcards that were banned from the books. Hear the inspiring and funny stories behind the secrets. See the App secret that got the biggest response. Share your secret at the microphone.
See the full list here: Link - Thanks Frank!
What A Hoot Owl Apron – $35.95
Valentine’s Day is coming! Have you found the perfect gift for your wise, owl loving, sweetheart? You need the What A Hoot Owl Apron from the NeatoShop. This flattering apron features an adorable owl with embroidered eyes and applique nose.
Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fun Aprons and great Valentine’s Day gift ideas!
off
So.
Eight years ago, there was the infamous Janet Jackson's Wardrobe Malfunction.
Now, we have rapper M.I.A.'s "Middle Finger Malfunction":
The NFL and a major television network are apologizing for another Super Bowl halftime show.
There was no wardrobe malfunction, nothing like that glimpse of Janet Jackson's nipple eight years ago that caused an uproar and a government scrutiny. Instead, it was an extended middle finger from British singer M.I.A. during Sunday night's performance of Madonna's new single, "Give Me All Your Luvin.'"
In front of some 110 million viewers on NBC and uncounted others online, she flipped the bird and appeared to sing, "I don't give a (expletive)" at one point, though it was hard to hear her clearly.
Did you watch the Super Bowl halftime show? Whatcha think?
Link (Photo: NBC)
Aw, how cute, a dog with a kitten in its arms. Uh-oh, better watch what you dangle in front of a kitten! And now we know where the phrase, “Cat got your tongue?” came from! But Murkin the dog still loves kittens. -via The Daily What
Captchas are there so you can prove you are a person instead of a ‘bot. But what if you fail the test? They can be pretty hard! Frank Lesser, who writes for The Colbert Report, expresses his frustration with captchas in a column in the New York Times that you might relate to. Link -via the Presurfer
Science has progressed to the point that we know how cats purr. In house cats, purrs are produced by vibrations of folds in the larynx. This was difficult to determine, as cats tend to stop purring when examined by a scientist, and cats that are restrained or unconscious do not purr. Such research is much more difficult for those studying lions and tigers.
But the details of who can purr and who can’t is not so simple. In a review of purring in cats, G. Peters tabulated that 20 of 36 species of cat have been said to purr, including lions, leopards, and other big cats. (As for the other 16, Peters wrote, there is not yet enough information to know whether they purr or not.) The question is whether the noises made by the big cats within the genus Panthera are true purrs — a sound created by moving air modulated by vocal folds as in smaller cats — or are actually different noises that only vaguely sound like purrs. The “rolling, gurgling growl” female big cats emit while in heat may be a kind of purr, or it may be something else entirely. And, Peters says, big cats might have the ability to purr but simply don’t. Somebody is going to have to make careful, close-up acoustic recordings of these purr-like sounds to better understand how they correspond to purrs of smaller cats, although I imagine finding volunteers for taping tigers in heat is a difficult task.
How much more frightening would it be to try looking down the throat of an actively purring big cat? Still, there is some research on the subject.
In 1989 anatomist M.H. Hast published a study on the larynges of big cats and found that lions, tigers, jaguars, and leopards had “a large pad of fibro-elastic tissue” near the forward portion of their paired vocal folds. (The exception was the snow leopard, a big cat that has never been heard to roar.) These expansions, in addition to the ability of these cats to lower the larynx thanks to the flexibility of the hyoid bone and its attachments, allowed lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars to better transfer the energy required to make loud, low-frequency roars.
So it is possible that the biological differences that allows some big cats to roar has left them unable to purr. Read more about purr research at Laelaps. Link
(Image credit: Brian Switek)
You might think video game designers are constantly trying to design characters that are hard to duplicate in real life. And every time, creative cosplayers find a way to do it. Take a look at the Shiva Sisters, Styria and Nix, from the game Final Fantasy XIII. See more pictures and some details of how they did it at Unreality magazine. Link
The internet is a giant playground full of potholes you can fall in without realizing it. Lifehacker has advice that you’ve probably heard, but can never be reinforced enough. Read these tips on protecting your privacy, your money, your data, your reputation, and your blood pressure. My favorite: Do not feed the trolls.
First, it’s important to remember that trolls are not attacking you—they’re attacking boredom. They have nothing better to do than say something mean so that’s how they’ve unfortunately chosen to spend their time. If what they’re saying isn’t going to have much of an impact on anyone, just remember that they’re bored, loathsome people and let it go. On the other hand, if they’re promoting hate speech and potentially causing harm to others, it’s best to avoid engaging them and instead report them to the site’s administrator. Many sites offer a means of flagging harmful posts, and commenting systems offer ways for an administrator to ban problematic users. A simple email is often sufficient to take care of a bad person. Engaging with a troll-ish thread is just going to make you angry and potentially get you in trouble, too. If you do fall into the trap of feeding a troll, however, using the principles of cognitive therapy can be a worthy solution. This means responding positively and calmly, while accepting their different opinion. The trolls will likely find it frustrating and even condescending, but it’s hard to argue with someone who is accepting your point of view (or even agreeing with you).
Link -via Geeks Are Sexy
