Can't wait for the new X-Men movie? Neither could Ryan Higa - but instead of fretting about waiting, he did something about it: he "sweded" his own X-Men Origins: Wolverine trailer. The result? Hilarious! (BTW, Ryan is the creator of the YouTube channel Nigahiga, the second most subscribed channel of all time on the site)

Hit play or go to Link [YouTube]

If you've been watching all of the media hype, you'd be forgiven if you think that the swine flu pandemic will kill us all. But according to some scientists, it's actually much milder than your average run-of-the-mill flu that hit every winter:

The swine virus does appear able to spread easily among humans, which persuaded the WHO to boost its influenza pandemic alert level to phase 5, indicating that a worldwide outbreak of infection is very likely. And the CDC reported on its website that "a pattern of more severe illness associated with the virus may be emerging in the United States." [...]

But certainly nothing that would dwarf a typical flu season. In the U.S., between 5% and 20% of the population becomes ill and 36,000 people die -- a mortality rate of between 0.24% and 0.96%.

Dirk Brockmann, a professor of engineering and applied mathematics at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., used a computer model of human travel patterns to predict how this swine flu virus would spread in the worst-case scenario, in which nothing is done to contain the disease.

After four weeks, almost 1,700 people in the U.S. would have symptoms, including 198 in Los Angeles, according to his model. That's just a fraction of the county's thousands of yearly flu victims.

Karen Kaplan and Alan Zarembo of The Los Angeles Times has more: Link

Fatigued and irritable, with a touch of fever? No, it's not swine flu. Chances are, you've caught swine flu overload.

And who'd blame ya ...with "breaking news" every few minutes over possible cases of the flu, followed with even more breaking news of press conferences of denying that those cases were even flu to begin with. Not that Neatorama isn't guilty of hyping up the swine flu, mind you.

So. Pigs have gotten a lot of bad press, lately, and the only cure for swine flu overload is ... more news about pigs (positive spin, of course). That's just what Nicholas Nadel of Asylum has done - here's a look at the 10 Pigs We Will Always Love:

3. Babe

Smart, adorable, and with the voice of Bobby Hill, Babe is the only pig with an Oscar nomination under his belt. In fact, he's such a well-rendered pig, he beat "Apollo 13" for best special effects. (The bad blood between Babe and Tom Hanks is legendary.) He even scored a sequel, the darkly surreal "Babe: Pig in the City." Fun fact: "Babe" was banned in Malaysia for not being "halal." That won't do pig, that won't do.

Link - Thanks Kurt Patat!

Money Art by Sarala Kron

Jeffrey Errick of Stuff by Wackystuff blog has an extensive collection of fantastic retro art, but it was his Money Mail-Art Call that got our attention. Jeffrey asks artists to mail him "money" art (not real currency, money is just the theme) that he then posts on his blog. If you send him your money art, he'll send you something back!

This one above is by Sarala Kron, USA:

Since she is a doctor, Sarala sent us a Health Care Dollar,
complete with annuity chart and cigarette warning label.
It arrived in a Monopoly money envelope.

Link

Images : Kyohei Sakaguchi

The Japanese are just better than the rest of us. There. I've said it. From consumer electronics to cars, it seems that the Japanese just do things better.

I'm sure we've all heard that the Japanese may be academically better (their school children consistently score at the top of the charts) but they're not creative. But that is dead wrong as anyone who has seen a Japanese game show, watched an anime, or play Super Mario can attest.

Even the Japanese homeless are better. In 2000, architect Kyohei Sakaguchi ran across this homeless camp along a riverside in Tokyo. The homeless man who was living in it worked for a camera company and knew his electronics - so he outfitted his "Zero Yen House" with a solar panel that let him watch TV and listen to the radio.

The Interior is made from wood. The roof is made from the cardboard. He covered it with a big blue vinyl sheet. He stocks under the floor. This house isn't connected with the road. He just put it on the road. He said to me that this could float on the water once. This house is also a ship!!!

Link - via anArchitecture

Swine Flu: Bacon's Revenge - $9.95

Swine flu is on everybody's mind, so why not on their T-shirts as well? Neatorama illustrator Chris Murphy cooked up this hammy design that will surely get your friends and co-workers chuckling (though whether they're chuckling because the shirt is funny or they're nervous about swine flu is another matter).

And for those who're sick and tired of hearing of the swine flu pandemic, how about a little pundemic? The cleverest pun in the comment (yes, I'm looking at you, Kalel) will win this T-shirt. Moral outrage is welcome (as long as it's funny).

http://shop.neatorama.com/product-info.php?swine-flu-bacon-revenge-pid411.html | Lots more fun Science T-Shirts

Photo: Grizzly Creek Films

Brutus, the best man of naturalist Casey Anderson and actress Missi Pyle's wedding is a bit hairy. He also didn't wear any clothes, but that's okay because he is a 800-pound Grizzly bear that Casey raised since birth!

The Daily Mail has more pics: Link | By the way, Casey & Brutus are going to be on National Geographic Channel spcieal this May called "Expedition Grizzly"

I can't grow facial hair even if my life depended on it. Thanks to weak genetics, the most I've ever grown were mere stubbles, even after a week or two of not shaving.

And I think most horses share my predicament (or luck, depending your point of view) except for this one: Alfie, a 10-year-old Shire cross, not only has a 'stache ... he's also very proud of it!

The moustache may look somewhat incongruous given its fair colour compared to his black and white colouring and well-meaning staff thought he would rather be without it.

However Alfie clearly enjoys the look and groom Justine Greenslade said all efforts to clip it had been in vain. "He's obviously rather proud of his facial hair," she said. "He runs a mile if he thinks we're going to trim it."

Link (Photo: Eyecatch Pictures)

She and a pal printed and stuck up hundreds of posters at train stations and office blocks around the city where her fiance and their friends work.

A picture - taken from Antonio's Facebook profile - shows him nestling his head between a girl's naked boobs.

"Thank goodness there's Facebook! At least I've disovered you're a traitor pig before the wedding! Signed, your former betrothed bride and the 548 guests of our wedding," wrote Valeria, 28.

Link (Photo: EuroPics)

Ben Hoffman of Current TV's infoMania (satirical) news show got a sneak peak of the highly anticipated (not for any good reasons, mind you) Michael Jackson auction.

Just when you think that Michael Jackson couldn't be any weirder, he proved us wrong: Hit play or go to Link [Current] - Thanks Caitlin Settlemoir!

Previously on Neatorama: Jackson's Junk to be Sold at Auction

W00t! It's time for our collaboration with the always mind-boggling What is it? blog. Can you guess what this strange device is used for?

Place your guess in the comment section. Please post no URL or web links - let others play. No prize this week, so you're playing for bragging rights only.

For more clues and other guessing fun, please visit the What is it? Blog. Good luck!

Patrick Smith of Vectorpark, the creator of the fun Flash game Feed the Head (previously featured on Neatorama here), told us of his latest creation a "what-the-hell-do-I-do-next" Flash game called Windosill.

Like Patrick's previous game, Windosill features superb animation, fun, and addictive game play. The game starts out easy, but you'll soon be scratching your head to solve the puzzle.

If you like Feed the Head, Samorost or other Flash puzzlers, this is the game for you (it's a quick download to your PC or Mac - the free version lets you play the first half of the game. The full version is only $3).

Link

I have 3 10 activation codes, courtesy of Patrick, which I will email to those you who come up with the best answers to this question: "How can we improve Neatorama (blog and/or online shop)?" Leave your answers in the comment section, please.

When 2- and 3-year old toddlers John and Matthew Farrar disappeared from their home, neighbors and the police launched a frantic search.

Little did they know that the two were having the time of their young lives playing Goldilocks gone bad, ransacking a sleeping neighbor's home:

And while [Angie Lovorn] slept, the toddlers ransacked her cupboards, munching on Teddy Grahams, marshmallows and chips. [...]

“They even got on the top bunk," Lovorn said. "These items -- stuffed animals -- were on the top bunk."

From the looks of the house, the boys enjoyed their visit.

Link - Thanks Tiffany!

Fifteen-year-old Jesse Jakan passed the written exam and taken a driving course, so he was excited to get his driving permit ... except for one teeny tiny glitch: he caused a car accident when he was 6, and the DMV never forgets.

Jesse said the DMV asked him if he had ever driven before. He said "No." He said a DMV supervisor then told him he had a driving record and needed to have his license/permit reinstated.

"At the time, I was furious," said Chris Jakan, Jesse's dad. "I thought it was the most absurd thing I had ever heard."

When Jesse was 6 years old he was playing around in his mom's car and popped it out of gear. The car rolled down the driveway and crashed into another car.

"This is ridiculous. A 6-year-old should not be held accountable for his actions at that age," said Chris Jakan. "I am just wondering why a 6-year-old would have been ticketed for driving a car when he wasn't driving. He popped it out of gear by accident."

Link - Thanks Tiffany!

Nom ... nom ... nom ... We've just gotten our delivery of these wonderful Pac-Man Hotheads pot holder / oven mitt. After years of chomping down on ghosts, Pac-Man is back for a new mission: protecting your hands from hot handles and piping hot cookie pans.

Link: Pac-Man HotHead - $14.95 | We've also gotten the Calf & Half Creamer back in stock