John Farrier's Blog Posts

25 Things You Might Not Know about RoboCop

(Image: Orion Pictures)

RoboCop is a great American epic tale of a cyborg police officer who brings justice to the streets of Detroit. It was a huge hit in 1987 and is being remade into a new film that will be released in 2014.

Maurice and Nigel Mitchell, the internet's Geek Twins, rounded up of 25 bits of trivia that you might not know about this 80s classic.

For example, although the movie takes place in Detroit, most of it was shot in Dallas. The only view of Detroit in the movie is aerial stock footage. Nonetheless, Detroit will get a statue of their great hero.

Gang leader Clarence Boddicker (played by Kurtwood Smith) wore rimless glasses. Directors selected them so that he might resemble Nazi leader Heinrich Himmler.

You can read the rest of the list here.


Regardless of the Weather, The Sentinel Remains

(US Third Infantry Regiment)

When Hurricane Sandy struck the eastern coast of the United States, the sentinel remained on guard. Now Winter Storm Janus is battering the Washington, D.C. area with wind and several inches of snow.

Yet the sentinel remains. The guardians of the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery have stood a continuous watch over their charges since 1937. They will continue.

-via Ace of Spades HQ


Monowi, Nebraska. Population: 1.

(Photo: Roadtrippers)

Monowi, Nebraska has only one resident. By population, it's the smallest incorporated municipality in the United States.

(Photo: Roadtrippers)

This is its only resident: Elsie Eiler. She's the mayor, librarian and bartender. Austin Coop of Roadtrippers has a fascinating write-up about Ms. Eiler and her little town. You can read it here.

In the 1930s, Monowi had a population of 150. It slowly faded away. The 2000 US Census listed a population of 2 residents: Ms. Eiler and her late husband Rudy. Now it's just her.

That can come in handy sometimes. When Ms. Eiler wanted to open a bar, she gave herself a liquor license in her capacity as mayor.

There's also a little library, which Ms. Eiler maintains herself. I'd love to see it. Small town libraries are fun places to visit on road trips.

(Photo: Andrew Filer)


Let's Have a Good, Clean Fight

(Bizarro Comics/Dan Piraro)

We follow the Marquess of Queensberry rules here. Don't do anything that you'd be ashamed of your grandmother seeing. Save your twerking for the underground fights.

P.S. Why does the spellchecker not recognize the word "twerking"? Come on, it's the Twenty-First Century here.


Miguel Cardona's Fantastic Coffee Cup Art

Miguel Cardona Jr. is an artist in San Francisco. He draws images from pop culture on paper coffee cups. Cardona's Iron Man cups are particularly good. And, yes, the one at the top of this post really does glow in the dark.

In an interview with Cool Hunting, Cardona reveals that he is refreshingly unpretentious about his work:

Mostly I like robots and skulls. I'm a total 15-year-old boy when it comes to my art sometimes. I once read a story about a woman who had baby squid growing in her gums and I could envision it so well, I had a mini-series of portraits of folks who were suffering and fighting off tentacles from within their own mouths. It kind of sounds morbid, but to me it felt like a very fitting way to express a lot of what I was going through at that time.

Cardona sells his coffee cups online and donates the profits to Project Night Night, a charity devoted to homeless children.

-via Foodiggity


Old Pianos Turned into a Staircase and a Bed

Tim Vincent-Smith received two old upright pianos as a gift. These inspired a unique architectural vision: he would build a staircase and mezzanine bed in a room using only the pianos as source material.

He describes the process as akin to butchering a cow and using every part of the animal. This project was "nose to tail carpentry." Disassembling the pianos gave him an appreciation for the detailed craftsmanship that goes into building an ordinary piano.

His client was a cellist. How many cellos would he need to duplicate this project using only that instrument?

-via Recyclart


Car Wheel Icicles

(Photo: bixentro)

Icicles form as the wheels spin. Neat! TYWKIWDBI (Things That You Wouldn't Know if We Didn't Blog Intermittently) has more photos of this phenomenon. Stan, the resident blogger, lives in Minnesota, so he knows what he's talking about.

A patient artist could do a lot with this feature of winter life.


Capybaras Relaxing in a Bowl of Stew

(Photo: Yuko Ishihara)

A family of capybaras live in Izu Shaboten Park in Shizuoka, Japan. There's a hot spring in the park and the capybaras like to bathe in it. We've previously seen a soothing video of one of them sittingly calmly under a shower of hot water from the spring.

These adorable critters from Twitter user Yuko Ishihara look just like them! They're made of grated daikon radishes shaded with soy sauce. The eyes are made of bits of seaweed. 

At Rocket News 24, you can see more photos of these capybaras and other animals swimming in soup, including a rabbit and a polar bear.


20 Facts You Might Not Know about Mr. Potato Head

(Spock and Uhura Potato Heads now on sale at the NeatoShop)

Mr. Potato Head first hit the market in 1952. He's been a joy to young children ever since. Karsten Piper of 22 Words compiled a long list of facts that you might not know about our favorite spud. For example, he was the first toy to be advertised on television.


(Video Link)

You can read the rest here.


Non-Americans, What Is a Dead Giveaway That Someone Is an American?

(White House Salt & Pepper Shakers now on sale at the NeatoShop)

One of my co-workers is a Ukrainian-American. She grew up in the United States, but speaks Ukrainian fluently. She tells me that when she visits Ukraine, even when she's wearing clothing typical of that country, people instantly identify her as an American.

That's because, Ukrainians tell her, she walks like an American. That is, she moves like she "owns the ground" she's walking on. This is a mannerism apparently so distinctive that Ukrainians can spot Americans just by watching them walk.

Redditor ILoveTallWomen asks how Americans abroad can be identified as Americans in non-obvious ways. Here are some of the responses.

bushcat69 answers:

On campus in South Africa the female US exchange students uniform: tiny shorts (regardless of body shape) hidden socks and trainers, hoody (usually branded America college variety), back pack, hair tied up and a water bottle. Can be found frequenting coffee shops with free wifi.

hbombs68 responds:

We (Americans) describe distances in driving time, as apposed to miles or kilometers.

My European relatives always make fun of me for having no clue how far away the next town is, but knowing exactly how long it takes to get there.

Jonas_soe writes:

They will start a conversation about anything with anyone. This can be a good thing because it's easy to socialise with an American, but out in public (on the bus, in the mall etc.) I, as the archetypical Dane that I am, usually just want to keep to myself.

EDIT: I should add that I don't think this a bad thing at all. While the stranger you just met might not always be in a talkative mood, it really is kind of neat to be able to strike up a conversation with just about anyone :)

ars3nal comments on fashion choices:

When I was visiting Germany in college, a girl said to me, "Do you know how I know you're an American? You wear white socks." Needless to say, I haven't worn white socks since.

RegionFree adds another fashion note:

I asked my wife (Japanese) she said "In Japan I can spot Americans by the way they dress. Compared to Europeans, Americans tend to lack fashion sense."

I'm American, so I can't answer.

I can answer: meggings with crocs are the height of fashion. The rest of the world just hasn't caught up yet.

Non-Americans, how would you answer this question?


An Undertaker's Business Card, 1745

If you want to attract business, you've got to show that you have a sense of humor. William Grinly, an undertaker in London, knew just what to do. He passed around cards like this one to drum up business. The text reads:

At ye lower Corner of Fleet Lane at ye Signe of ye Naked Boy & Coffin you may be Accommodated wth all things for a Funeral as well ye meanest as those of greater Ability upon Reasonable Terms more particularly Coffins Shrouds Palls Cloaks Sconces Stans Hangings for Rooms Heraldry Hearse & Coaches Gloves wth all other things not here mentioned by Wm.Grinly Coffin Maker.

-via Nerdcore


Star Trek's Nichelle Nichols Remembers Martin Luther King


(Video Link)

Nichelle Nichols played Nyota Uhura on Star Trek. She didn't like television work and wanted to get back to the theater. So she told the producer, Gene Roddenberry, that she planned to leave the show after the first season. He begged her to take the weekend to reconsider.

She agreed. Later, Nichols attended a fundraiser. Martin Luther King, Jr. was there. He approached her and expressed that he was a huge fan of her work. When she informed him that he planned to leave the show, King implored Nichols to stay. Lt. Uhura, King argued, wasn't a servant or some other black stereotype, but a professional and a leader.

Watch the above video as Nichols tells the story of how Martin Luther King, Jr. persuaded Uhura to remain on the Enterprise.

-via The Geek Twins


There's a Tiny Hare inside the Statue of Nelson Mandela

(Photo: Deean Vivier/Beedd)

South African artists Andre Prinsloo and Ruhan Janse van Vuuren erected a 9-meter tall monumental sculpture of Nelson Mandela in front of the Union Buildings--the buildings that house South Africa's national government in Pretoria.

Observers noticed that there appeared to be an object in Mandela's right ear. Upon closer examination, they found a bronze hare!

The artists confessed to putting it there. They explained that they were forbidden to add their signatures to the statue, so they placed the hare to serve that function.

They were working under a tough deadline and had to complete their work quickly, so they chose a hare. It's a pun: haas, the Afrikaans word for hare, also means "haste."

-via Nerdcore

CORRECTION 1/21/13: I got the translation wrong. "Haas" means hare, not rabbit. Thanks, Barking Bud, for the correction.


The Weirdest Odd-Cylinder Engines


(Video Link)

Jalopnik has a great discussion post up about engines, particularly car engines, with an odd number of cylinders. There are some real gems in the comments, such as this Lanz Bulldog tractor. It's a 1-cylinder engine, which is not that uncommon. Many old motorcycle designs, such as those of Royal Enfield, have only one cylinder.

But the Lanz Bulldog's two-stroke thumper engine has a displacement of 10.3 liters! Look at it shake in the above video. Also note that the steering wheel is used as a starter crank. This simple, rugged tractor design dominated the German market before World War II. John Deere bought the company in 1953.

Bonus Item: A five-cylinder rotary car engine that spins on a vertical axis.


(Video Link)

This is the only 1906 Adams-Farwell in existence. It has an air-cooled 4-stroke rotary engine, so the crankshaft remains stable while the entire crankcase spins.


Year-End Company Bonus in China: A Coffin

According to third-hand news reports, a company in China offered a special bonus to employees who performed exceptionally well: brand-new coffins!

It may be a pun in Chinese. The word for coffin in that language is a homonym for "wealthy official," so the coffins may be trophies rather than a practical gifts. The president of the company allegedly suggested that employees donate their coffins to the poor if they elect not to use them. 

*Hrumph* Alex has never offered me a coffin.

-via Rocket News 24


Email This Post to a Friend
""

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window

Page 554 of 1,280     first | prev | next | last

Profile for John Farrier

  • Member Since 2012/08/04


Statistics

Blog Posts

  • Posts Written 19,187
  • Comments Received 51,820
  • Post Views 30,906,397
  • Unique Visitors 25,239,924
  • Likes Received 29,128

Comments

  • Threads Started 3,739
  • Replies Posted 2,175
  • Likes Received 1,598
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More