The Bodleian Library at Oxford houses a 1436 manuscript of Cosmographia Scoti. It is of either Italian or French origin. Among its many illustrations is this bizarre image.

What is it?

My best guess is that this drawing shows an amphibious assault craft used by cattle during a general bovine uprising. It's like a medieval Higgins boat. It was notably unsuccessful because the submerged ram in the bow tended to cause the boat to run aground too far out from the beach, thus exposing the cattle to longbow fire while they swam to the beach. In short, this design failed because it tried to do too much.

Cows are yummy, but they're terrible at naval architecture.

-via Via Angus

(Photo: Reilly Flaherty)

Reilly Flaherty went to a Wilco concert in Brooklyn, then took an Uber car home. At some point in that adventure, he lost his wallet. An anonymous person mailed back to him his driver's license and credit cards, but kept everything else. The thief included a sorry-not-sorry letter. It reads as follows:

Dear Reilly Flaherty

I found your wallet and your drivers license had your address so here's your credit cards and other important stuff. I kept the cash because I needed weed, the metrocard because the fare's $2.75 now, and the wallet cause it's kinda cool. enjoy the rest of your day

Toodles
Anonymous

Flaherty sees a bit of humor in the situation, but is also upset. He tells the New York Post:

He said in another lifetime, the two might have been pals.

“I would say, ‘Man, we would’ve gotten along — we’re both into Wilco — but you turned out to be super selfish,’ ” he said. “It speaks to the New York mentality: I’m going to be nice but there’s going to be an asterisk.” […]

Flaherty declined to say how much cash was taken, insisting, “It’s not really about the money.”

“Whether it was a dollar or a thousand, [this person] is a pot-smoking, modern-day version of Robin Hood,” he quipped.

-via Letters of Note

Today, the web is laughing at a set of extra credit questions attributed to an unknown statistics professor.* This one at the top is my favorite. Almost certainly some anxious student is going to jump on his desk and yell "Oh Captain! My Captain!" -- a reference to the Robin Williams film Dead Poets Society.

Most people love Girl Scout Cookies, and those who do generally have their favorites. In this comic, Gemma Correll serves up a few of her least favorite types of Girl Scout treats. Who knew the range of depth and complexity of these flavors? And this is just part of the menu. See Gemma Correll's illustrations of more bad Girl Scout Cookies here. 

Follow Gemma on her Tumblr, at her website, on Instagram and on Facebook. Look into options for purchasing Correll prints and other merchandise here.  

Returning home

Those of us who own pets know that along with the joy and laughter they bring to our daily lives, we occasionally have to suffer inconveniences or make sacrifices in order to have them with us.

John is an Asian comic artist who lovingly documents his life before and after acquiring pets. His drawings show his life with two dogs and a cat, but the runaway star of the show is Maimai, his male golden retriever. Maimai, almost always depicted with a big smile on his face, is the animal whose mischief is primarily showcased in John's work. And regardless of the mischievous deeds, John's love for Maimai (and his other "furry kids" as he calls them) is clearly communicated, which is why they are so charming.

If you appreciate his drawings, I recommend you visit John's blog, which contains more of these before and after comics as well as adorable photographs of Maimai and other parts of John's life. You can also keep up with John and Maimai on social media via Facebook and Twitter.

Via Earthables | Images via maimaijohn.wordpress

Decor on shelves

iPhone photos

Attempting to eat his "tv dinner" 

(Photo: HLN.BE)

Nico Van Lee of Beligum loved his Ferrari Mondial. But when maintenance became too onerous, he found a new use of it off the road. Now it's his household mailbox. His license plate is now the mailslot. You can watch a video of it here.

-via Jalopnik

Wouldn’t you love to go see Dr. Lamar, who heals boo-boos with nom-noms? This billboard in Milwaukee grabbed a lot of attention. The website on the billboard is actually for the company that rents out billboards. They just proved how effective nonsense advertising can be! -via reddit

I know: when you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. But when the snow melts, someone will have to clean up your mess.

Twitter user @MagTecht_fuka spotted this snow sculpture in Saga Prefecture in southern Japan.

-via Brian Ashcraft

(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

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

John Brauner sent in this picture of a street lamp his brother took in Metairie, Louisiana. Take a closer look.

Did someone have to get a bucket truck and rolls of tape for this repair job?

Hey, who knows? This repair job might last for years. Then again, electrical tape probability doesn’t have a hurricane rating. Only time will tell! -Thanks, John!

(Photo: Southwest Coast National Scenic Area)

Okay, we can dispense with the marketing meeting because I already have the solution to our problem. Women dig shoes, right? Especially shopping for high heeled shoes. So here's what we're going to do: we're going to make the new church look like a shoe!

It's a fool-proof plan that has become a reality in Taiwan. The new church building is 17 meters tall and has 320 enormous blue glass panels that form the body of a shoe. ITV News reports:

Southwest Coast National Scenic Area spokesman Zheng Rongfeng told local media the church would also include 100 "female-oriented" features including chairs for "lovers", biscuits and cake.

What would a church building for guys look like?

Nope, never mind. I don't want to know.

-via The Presurfer

It’s hard enough to keep the kids in the backseat from fighting each other on a road trip, and then your vehicle starts acting up, too. The gas gauge has picked a fight with the oil pressure gauge! They’re going at it like they are wielding swords, or maybe even lightsabers. You can tell that the gas gauge is the instigator, and the oil pressure is just defending itself. -via reddit

Follow only if ye be men of valor, for the entrance to this cave is guarded by a creature so foul, so cruel that no man yet has fought with it and lived! Bones of four fifty men lie strewn about its lair. So, brave knights, if you do doubt your courage or your strength, come no further, for death awaits you all with nasty big pointy teeth!

Wait--it's nothing to be concerned about. This isn't the monster of the cave of Caerbannog. A friend of redditor brokebackhill just gave her rabbit a cherry. That's all.

-via Robb Allen

Diego Cusano, an artist in Modena, Italy, combines real objects with doodles to create surreal forms. In this one, he shows the birth of a morning. It cannot begin without coffee. And, for some of us, it has to continue that way through the day.

-via Lustik