John Farrier's Blog Posts

Actor Jamie Foxx Rescues a Man from a Burning Car

(Photo: Georges Baird)

He plays a hero on the screen and, now, in real life. Action star Jamie Foxx was on the scene when a man in Newbury Park, California crashed, rolling his truck several times before it came to a stop. It then caught on fire. The driver, who is named Brett Kyle, was unable to escape.

Foxx and another bystander called 911, then pulled Kyle from the burning vehicle and dragged him to safety.

After rescue workers arrived, Foxx left and went about the rest of his day. He didn't mention it on social media or to the press. The entire incident might have escaped widespread public attention if the Facebook group Safety for Citizens hadn't reported on it. NBC News quotes the police report:

"It struck a drainage pipe and concrete casing causing the vehicle to roll over multiple times," the report read. "The vehicle came to rest on its passenger side, and became engulfed in flames with Mr. Kyle trapped inside his vehicle."

That's when two men "ran to the burning, overturned truck in an attempt to free the driver," according to the report.

"One of the witnesses retrieved a rescue tool from his vehicle allowing the two citizens to break the window, cut the seat belt, and extricate the driver," the report stated.

-via Huffington Post


18 Funniest Wikipedia Edits of All Time

Well, there go my plans for the weekend.

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How People in the 1960s Thought We'd Dance in the Future


(Video Link)

1966 saw the premier and demise of Raumpatrouille--Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffes Orion. In English, that's Space Patrol--The Fantastic Adventures of the Spaceship Orion.

This short-lived science fiction TV show has been called the "German Star Trek." For that era, Space Patrol was a remarkably high production value series with richly developed characters.

One scene shows a group of people dancing. As you can see, the choreographers predicted how we would be dancing now in 2016 with amazingly precise prescience. It's like looking into any modern nightclub.

-via VA Viper


I Made This Macross II Lamp

For the past few years, I've been teaching myself carpentry and related crafts in order to prepare myself for the practical skills of home ownership, as well as be creative. Among less colorful pieces of usable furniture, I've made a My Little Pony cabinet, a Ninja High School lamp, and a One Week Friends light. My latest DIY project is a lamp inspired by Macross II: Lovers Again, one of my favorite animes.


(Video Link)

The lamp consists of 3 lights inside a box cabinet with a figure of Ishtar, one of the main characters of the series, rotating on a disco ball motor.

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This Hotel's Awesome Pet Policy

According to a redditor with an unrepeatable username, this photo shows a hotel's policy for letting dogs stay in guest rooms.

Dogs can cause problems, but human problems in hotels are always much, much worse. Like barking all night. I hate it when people in hotels do that.

-via Messy Nessy Chic


For Sale: $99 Rusty Trash Can

(Image: Anthropologie)

It's not just any trash can. It's an authentic, imported trash can designed for the elite West Village of New York City. See the rust? That's completely real--not imitation coloring.

Anthropologie is a website that sells only the trendiest, most luxurious goods for people of refined tastes. It's now offering a classic metal trash can--like the kind used by Oscar the Grouch of Sesame Street for a home--on sale for $99.95. That's marked down from the original price of $145. So get this hot item before it ends up on someone else's porch. Be a part of the decorating trend that Megan Garber of The Atlantic calls "shabby chic."

You want dents? Those cost extra.

-via Weird Universe


Finally! A Toilet for Those of Us on the Go


(Photo: 4x4 forum)

Let there be much wailing and gnashing of teeth, for I have discovered this brilliant invention only after Christmas is long over. Otherwise, I would have given these toilets to everyone in my family.

I am, alas, unable to find out any information about this brilliant invention. It's like the previously mentioned Bumper Dumper, which attaches to a trailer hitch. Unlike the Bumper Dumper, though, you do have to stop traveling to use this potty.

This is the ideal solution for people who are camping or are having trouble finding a public restroom. Just carry this portable toilet seat with you. When you need to to go, find a car and get to work. 

-via Pleated Jeans


Way Too Realistic Ear Cellphone Case

"Can you hear me now?"

Artist Sarah Sitkin of Los Angeles specializes in realistic and unsettling sculptures of human body parts. She recently made this cell phone case for Josh, an embroidery artist in Melbourne, Australia. It looks and feels just like a human ear, which is probably handy if you're trying to make a phone call without anyone seeing you.

-via Booooooom


Actor Shaves Right Side of His Body

Will Forte is an actor on the TV show The Last Man on Earth. He recently showed up at celebrity parties in Los Angeles in a dashing new look. It looks like the right side of his body is shaved (we see only his head, but I'm extrapolating from extant data. That's called science).

The sharp contrast between Forte's character's shaggy look on the post-apocalyptic show set in the future and the carefully managed and bounded world of the pre-apocalyptic present is a thoughtful commentary on the fragility of what we refer to as civilization, as well as cool-looking.

-via Blame It on the Voices


Baby Elephant Literally Falls Asleep

VTM News in Belgium caught this funny scene. The baby elephant decided to take a nap while he was still standing upright. He promptly went for a tumble.


(Video Link)

A heartwarming note comes immediately after the baby's fall: all of the grown-ups rush over to make sure that he's okay.

-via Tastefully Offensive


6-Year Old Asks Dad for Allowance Advance, Gets Official Loan Rejection Letter

The 6-year old son of redditor Otto303 asked his father for a $20 advance on his allowance. Essentially, he asked for a loan using expected future revenues as collateral.

The father drafted a professional bank letter in response, rejecting the request and explaining why the Dad Savings & Loan (tagline: "Because Apparently I Look Like I'm Made of Money") regarded the child as a poor loan risk. The child has the option of appealing to the loan dispute manager, who is also known as Mom.

You can see a larger photo of the letter here.

-via Lost at E Minor


Alan Rickman's Final Role Was Narrating a Tortoise Eating a Strawberry


(Video Link)

Actor Alan Rickman's recent death caused an outpouring of grief as fans fondly remembered his performances in Galaxy Quest, Harry Potter, and Die Hard. His final role, though, may soon rival those.

Before he died, Rickman recorded a voice-over describing a tortoise eating a strawberry. This was a promotional ad for the charities Save the Children and the Refugee Council. For every view of the video on YouTube, those charities receive a small payment.

It's a fundraising system called OneClickGiving. ABC News describes how the college students who created it were able to recruit Rickman:

Through a connection, they were able to get Rickman onboard and steal an hour of his time for the viral project.

Oliver Phillips, OneClickGiving founder, told the BBC Rickman was kind and generous.

"He could not have been more kind and generous, letting us in, welcoming us, asking us how university was going, he was really great throughout," Mr Phillips said.

-via Twisted Sifter


Archaeologists Find Prosthetic Foot Shaped Like a Horse's Hoof


(Images: Chinese Archaeology)

Archaeologists excavating a 2,200-year old tomb in Turpan, China, have found a unique prosthetic leg design. It was used by man who appeared to have a deformed leg. He was unable to straighten the knee joint, which rested in the socket of the prosthesis. The base isn't shaped like a human foot, but a horse's hoof. Live Science quotes the journal Chinese Archaeology:

The prosthetic leg was "made of poplar wood; it has seven holes along the two sides with leather tapes for attaching it to the deformed leg," the archaeologists wrote. "The lower part of the prosthetic leg is rendered into a cylindrical shape, wrapped with a scrapped ox horn and tipped with a horsehoof, which is meant to augment its adhesion and abrasion."

"The severe wear of the top implies that it has been in use for a long time," they added.

-via Nag on the Lake


This Is the First Flower Grown in Space


(Photo: Scott Kelly)

There's a flower garden on the International Space Station. Oh, it's meant for scientific research. But the newborn results are pretty!

The project examines how different plants grow in microgravity. This orange zinnia that just bloomed is a challenge to grow in space. The experience of cultivating it will help scientists learn how to grow more challenging--and edible--plants in microgravity. UPI reports:

"The zinnia plant is very different from lettuce," Veggie project manager Trent Smith said. "It is more sensitive to environmental parameters and light characteristics. It has a longer growth duration between 60 and 80 days. Thus, it is a more difficult plant to grow, and allowing it to flower, along with the longer growth duration, makes it a good precursor to a tomato plant."

-via Scott Kelly


Officers Ask Driver for ID; Suspect Gives Them a Copy of His Homemade Rap CD

(Photo: Scott Davidson)

There's no such thing as bad publicity, right? When you're trying to break into the music business, never miss a chance to get someone to listen to your rhymes. Perhaps that's why a man in Delray Beach, Florida handed police officers his homemade rap CD when they pulled him over for speeding through a school zone. Kate Jacobson writes for the Sun Sentinel:

Officers in a golf cart followed the cars, pulled into the center of the road and forced the three cars to stop. When they walked up to [redacted--ed.]'s car, they asked him for his driver's license.

He pulled out his new CD. One of the other people in another car yelled out to the officer that they were just at the school to pick up a friend.

-via Dave Barry


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