Sometimes you go to the 'fridge looking for one thing and end up in a completely different place. M.C. Escher's refrigerator, as imagined by Carolyn Hiler of A Zillion Dollars Comics, is ideal for that. It keeps food as cold as a Dutch winter and you can flip the entire unit upside down without shifting anything inside.
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Daan Botlek, a street artist in Rotterdam, made these murals in Leipzig. He exhibited them as part of the “If Paradise is Half as Nice, Part 2” show, a display of the works of five Dutch artists living in that city. They used an abandoned building in Leipzig as their site. Mr. Botlek took the opportunity to create seemingly three-dimensional figures leaping out of the walls.
You can see more examples of his surreal murals here.
-via Lustik
How would it feel to go down in history as Alfonso the Slobberer, Ivar the Boneless, or Justinian the Slitnosed? Back when surnames weren't universal, nicknames were the way to distinguish this Henry from the other Henry you knew, and those nicknames were even more important when kings and warlords inherited both realms and given names from their predecessors. Medievalists.net compiled a list of the worst names for medieval rulers they've found, with the stories behind each. For example, take Henry the Impotent:
Henry IV of Castile ruled the Spanish kingdom from 1454 to 1474, but he got to the throne he he was known for a royal scandal. When he was fifteen, Henry was married to Blanche II of Navarre. Thirteen years later, Henry sought a divorce, stating that they had never consummated the marriage. The Catholic church held a trial, where they confirmed Blanche’s virginity and received testimony from several prostitutes who explained that Henry’s sexual prowess was just fine, except when it came to his wife. The divorce was granted, and Henry married his cousin Joan of Portugal – she bore him one daughter (although later on his subjects had their doubts on whether he was the father) and then Joan spent most of her time having affairs with various lovers.
Read about ten such awfully nicknamed rulers in the list at Medievalists.net. -via Everlasting Blort
Pope Francis addressed families in St. Peter Square at the Vatican last Saturday. There's a video of the event, but it is four hours long. One of the highlights was a little boy who became attached to the pope, and came to stand beside him on stage. When some cardinals tried to remove him, the pontiff allowed the child to stay. The charming sequence is captured in a series of gifs and photographs at Buzzfeed.
(Image credit: Osservatore Romano/Reuters)
Dublin-based graphic artist Richie Nolan visited his parents' farm and found himself bored. So he created this image of himself riding one of their chickens! That was a lot of fun, so he posted it on reddit, where it became quite popular. How popular?
Gloucestershire, England, street artist Beastie saw it. Beastie was so impressed with the picture that he made a stencil of it and had it up on a wall within 48 hours. He even opened a reddit account to show it. But there are other projects in the works for Nolan's chickens. Read the entire story at The Daily Dot.
Today I was so excited to find all kinds of adorable Halloween animal images in my inbox (jill@neatorama.com) and I can't wait to see what comes in over the next few days as Halloween edges closer and closer. First off, we have little Banjo the sheriff sent in by reader Jan, who cuddled the sherrif, but did not cuddle the dupty.
Then we have a video of little Tommy dressed as an ewok with his pumpkin and his trick or treat bucket loaded with delicious biscuits. I really love the epic music put along with the almost shaking little chihuahua, as it really ups his shy cuteness level.
Be prepared before you watch this, because you might melt from the sheer cuteness! Mei Lun and Mei Huan are twin male pandas born on July 15 at the Atlanta Zoo. In this video from the zoo, we see them grow from tiny pink newborns into adorable round balls of fluff. Watch as they gradually develop their iconic panda markings and snuggle up with each other. Read more about Mei Lun and Mei Huan (until recently, they were just Panda A and Panda B) and watch them anytime on the Panda Cam at Zoo Atlanta's website. -via Laughing Squid
Oh, sure, you can’t afford a trip around the world. But maybe your teddy bear can! That’s what Unagi Travel, a Japanese company, is betting on. For the past three years, this travel agency has taken the stuffed animals of its clients on tours of Europe, Japan and the United States.
Provided that your stuffed friend is under half a pound, it can go around Tokyo for $45 or tour the best hot springs of Japan for $55. Each travel package includes shipping back to the client as well as a souvenir photograph.
Perhaps you think that it’s ridiculous. But for some disabled people, it’s the only way to travel. CNN reports:
According to the Japan News, one woman became reclusive after it became difficult for her to walk due to illness.
That changed after she saw the photos of her stuffed animal on one of Azuma’s tours. She worked to rehabilitate her legs and visited a neighboring prefecture for the first time in several years.
“Seeing my stuffed animal traveling encouraged me," said the woman. "I began to think that I should do what I can do, instead of lamenting over things that I can't.”
-via Marginal Revolution
Philosopher Bertrand Russell once said that "Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty - a beauty cold and austere, without the gorgeous trappings of paintings or music."
But for us mere mortals, a little bit of visual help is sometimes necessary. That's where Yann Pineill and Nicolas Lefaucheux of Parachutes.tv stepped in. The duo created this Vimeo clip showing the math behind our everyday things and actions.
Vimeo Clip - via The Verge
You should watch it in full screen to have the full effect.
Over a month ago, we asked you to send us a picture of a memorable Halloween costume from your past to share with everyone on the Halloween blog. Quite a few Neatoramanauts did just that, and we got some great pictures, and some great stories about them!
We also awarded t-shirts from the NeatoShop to five of these folks. In case you missed the costume parade on the Halloween blog, here they are all together! They are presented here in no particular order, except that the five winners are first. Clicking on the name will take you to the original post with the story behind the costume.
Jen Cornwell led her class back in elementary school dressed as an order of McDonalds french fries! Her mother always made great costumes. Now she can dress in a t-shirt from the NeatoShop. See her California Raisin costume, too!
Mindy sent in pictures of costumes she made for her children -and they are awesome! When her daughter wanted to be a house, they made her Alice in Wonderland, in the scene where she grows as big as a house! The Link and robot costumes are great, too.
Another year, Mindy's son asked to be a squid. That had to have been a lot of work! For being such a creative Mom, Mindy gets a new t-shirt.
Jamie C and her husband Lucas made this couple's costume on a tiny budget, but it turned out to be a real hoot -they are contestants on the TV game show The Price is Right! Note that she outbid him by a dollar. This costume won Jamie a shirt; be sure to check out their Lego costumes as well.
Whether you like silly, topical or just amazingly intricate dog Halloween costumes, you'll love the great costumes from the Thompkins Square Dog Parade. Participants dressed as everything from Andy Warhol to hot dog stands to geishas. The lovely lady above is Sharknado Barknado and below, it's Anthony Weiner in all his glory.
There was an odd prevalence of lobsters this year. In fact, this little pooch was cooking up a pot of lobster soup made from his brother.
If you like elaborate costumes though, it's hard to beat this amazing chihuahua Mayan though. I doubt he was able to walk around in this get up, but at least mother was there to carry him the whole day.
Don't miss the Huffington Post coverage of the event, which has dozens of great pictures. And don't forget, it's not too late to send in your pet Halloween costume photos to jill@neatorama.com.
A man in Finland made friends with a wild otter, using the one thing the otter really wants -food! The otter will even come into the house long enough to grab a fish, although he prefers to eat it outside, alone. The guy's lovely deep voice summons the otter from the water even when it's covered with ice. By the end of the video, Iiveri is even talking back to him! -via Tastefully Offensive
Photo: Carlos Eguiguren - via Platforma Arquitectura
This minimalist, handrail-less spiral staircase by renowned Chilen architect Cazú Zegers is one of 10 amazing staircases that really take it to the next level.
The post opens our new blog, Homes & Hues, which focuses on featuring the best in architecture, home design and interior design. Take a look - we hope you like our new venture! (Mobile version coming soon!)
More from Homes & Hues:
(Photo: Neil Griffiths)
Innit a shame? The Harris Academy, a school in south London, UK, has forbidden its students from using certain words and phrases while at school. The purpose of the new rule is to teach children to use proper English so that they may be ready to work and interact in professional environments.
David Lammy, a member of Parliament for a nearby constituency, defended the rule. He expressed regret only that “sup blood” wasn’t included on the list.
What does “bare” mean? Apparently not that something lacks covering. Rather, it means, according to the Daily Mail, “very, a lot of.” Extra means “pointless, stupid, weird or just plain dumb.”
-via Dave Barry
Redditor Bob223 writes, “My friend's dad is a dentist. This is his pumpkin for Halloween.” It works for me. Going to the dentist can be a scary experience! But it looks like braces were effective for this pumpkin.
-via Obvious Winner
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