Whoa! How awesome is this: a Hello Kitty Zombie birthday cake, made by Debbie Goard of Debbie Does Cakes. See more of the cake at Kristin and Sean's website: Link - via Hello Kitty Hell (More Cake Geekery at this Food Geekery post)

Previously on Neatorama, another creation by the ever-talented Ms. Goard: Yoda Cake 2.0

This week's collaboration with the What is it? Blog brings us this wonderfully strange contraption. It has a very specific (and awesome) function - can you tell us what it is for?

Place your guess in the comment section. No prize this week, so you're playing for fame and glory only. For more clues, check out the What is it? Blog. Good luck!

A Marquardt Space Sled, designed for individual space maneuvering in the vicinity of a spacecraft, this design was never used and instead they went with the shuttle manned maneuvering unit.

We all (okay, most of us) have hair - but how much do you know about the stuff that grows on our head? AskMen has a neat article on the 5 things you didn't know about ... the human hair:

4- Redheads may be aliens
There’s a conspiracy theory that redheads are alien-human hybrids. Think about it: Why did several kings and queens of Europe have red hair even though, percentage-wise, redheads are fairly rare? Why do so many Southies have red hair and speak a different language than other Boston locals?

It sounds crazy, but carrottops do have biological differences other than appearance. Redheaded women bleed longer, which is why doctors make special preparations for them in childbirth. They also have the smallest hair count on their heads, about 90,000 as opposed to 140,000 on people with blond and brown hair. That’s why Kick a Ginger Day began, just to keep these possible aliens on their toes.

Link

Have to take a breathalyzer test? Whatever you do, don't eat ice cream beforehand. Here's what one Australian man found out the hard way: Bubble O' Bill ice cream treat will cause the test to come up positive for alcohol!

Prosecutors inquired why the machine had registered a "fail," which prevents the car from starting, despite the man's claims that he had not been drinking.

The man claimed the alcohol reading was the result of eating a Bubble O' Bill ice cream treat and Magistrate Rod Crisp ordered a test to be performed to back up the claim. Police recorded the man's blood alcohol content as 0.00 and performed the test a second time after he took a few bites of Bubble O' Bill, yielding a 0.018 reading.

Link - Thanks Denita!

Artist and Graphic designer Kasey McMahon used 16th century illustrations to create a silly fashion guide on pants and how to wear or NOT wear them. I'm particularly drawn to this prophetic guide: Don't Wear Acid Washed Jeans.

http://www.yourpsychogirlfriend.com/pants/ - Thanks Kasey!

If the name Kasey McMahon seems vaguely familiar, that's because she created the world famous CompuBeaver (previously on Neatorama here).

Other shenanigans by Kasey: Meat Shorts | Text-O-Possum

The economic crisis got you down? Well, here's the silver lining to the current economic mess we're in: it makes America stronger.

Walter Russell Mead of The New Republic explains:

Setting aside the flaws in both these overarching theories of capitalism, this analysis of economic crises is fundamentally sound--and especially relevant to the current meltdown. Cataloguing the early losses from the financial crisis, it's hard not to conclude that the central capitalist nations will weather the storm far better than those not so central. Emerging markets have been hit harder by the financial crisis than developed ones as investors around the world seek the safe haven provided by U.S. Treasury bills, and commodity-producing economies have suffered extraordinary shocks as commodity prices crashed from their record, boom-time highs. Countries like Russia, Venezuela, and Iran, which hoped to use oil revenue to mount a serious political challenge to American power and the existing world order, face serious new constraints. Vladimir Putin, Hugo Chavez, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad must now spend less time planning big international moves and think a little bit harder about domestic stability. Far from being the last nail in America's coffin, the financial crisis may actually resuscitate U.S. power relative to its rivals.

Link - Thanks Daniel Belkin!

The following is a guest post by Collin Palkovitz and Jason Latshaw of Elany Arts, creators of an iPhone app called LETHAL that tells you what dangerous things are lurking just around the corner, or in any given location in the United States.

We scoured government databases and academic publications to find crime rates, disease rates, disaster occurrences, and deadly wildlife ranges. We then compiled our findings into one centralized database that pulls those stats, combines the score into four categories, and gives you an overall “LETHAL Index” for hundreds of locations.

The research for this project was both captivating and terrifying. It was fascinating to learn about the different dangers that various locations pose. Below are the most dangerous locations in each of our four categories.

Wildlife

Photo: King Power Cinema [Flickr] (Yes, in Mobile, AL)

We were all surprised to discover the location in the United States with the greatest number of deadly animals.

One might think that somewhere in Alaska with polar bears, grizzly bears, AND great white sharks would take the prize, but no. (Even though the possibility of meeting up with all three of those fearsome beasts does make Alaska pretty exciting. But you’ll read later what keeps Alaska from being all around completely awesome.)

Or maybe the Everglades, the only place in the world where crocodiles and alligators are both native (in addition to bears, panthers, and poisonous snakes! Seriously, think about that, they’re one tiger away from being able to say “Oh my!”)? But again, no. The Everglades aren’t it either.

Instead, welcome to Mobile, Alabama, the home of 19 – yes, nineteen - deadly animal species. It’s like the Baskin Robbins of blood-thirsty predators. Whether you are on the land or the sea, something here can kill you. The sheer number of creatures you have to watch out for is impressive. A day at the beach near Mobile may sound pleasant, but you should be prepared to wind up fleeing the shark infested waters only to find yourself in a land crawling with more kinds of poisonous snakes and spiders than anywhere else in the country.

But I’m sure you’re wondering what the most BORING place is when it comes to Wildlife? I know we were. Well, if you don’t like the idea of being offed by something that you thought was lower on the food chain, make immediate plans to move to North or South Dakota or Nebraska. There, the only thing you’d have to watch out for would be a couple of lame standbys that are just about everywhere else, too – Dogs, Hornets, Black Widow Spiders, and Mosquitoes. Yawn!

Crime

The St. Louis Arch is there to distract tourists from the city's dangers.
Photo: Storm Crypt [Flickr]

When it comes to crime in the U.S. you may think that New York or Los Angeles sound like scary places, but compared to Detroit and St. Louis, those cities are delightful locations for Sunday-school picnics.

St. Louis and Detroit battle it out for the title of “Which City is More Likely to Annihilate You With Its Crime,” and quite honestly this contest is going into extra innings with no end in sight.

St. Louis comes out of the gate and scores some quick points because of its insanely high violent crime rate – 2,480 violent crimes per 100,000 citizens. But the Motor City comes right back – nearly tying the match with its own hefty rate of 2419 per 100,000.

Maybe the Lions went 0-16 because they couldn't focus on the game – they were too busy looking over their shoulders to make sure they weren't going to get mugged or killed!

Speaking of getting killed, if you do decide to ignore the fear of being mugged, stabbed, or beaten and decide to brave these Midtown Detroit streets, you run the risk of being one of many yearly murder victims there – people are killed at the gaudy rate of 61 per every 100,000 citizens. When you realize that the national rate is a mere 7, you see how dangerous this area is.

But before you fall out of your chair and start hyperventilating know this: Downtown St. Louis has that rate beat – by a mile – because 93 out of every 100,00 are murdered there. All of a sudden, Midtown Detroit might be looking safe. But it isn’t.

Because St. Louis has one thing going for it in the crime department ­– at least when it comes to Forcible Rape, it’s not Midtown Detroit.

Detroit is not safe enough even for the Department of Public Safety.
The building has been abandoned ...
Photo: Derek Farr (Detroit Derek) [Flickr]

We’ll let you know just how bad Midtown Detroit is in the rape department, but first a discussion about the stats we found for rape in the US: When we were doing our research, we were horrified by Juneau, Alaska. I don’t know what they’re drinking there, but 102.3 out of every 100,000 people are getting raped in the land of “Whatever It Is People Do In Juneau,” Since the US average is a mere 33.1, clearly they have a serious problem. (And actually, it’s kind of widespread to the whole state of Alaska! That place has an unbelievably high rate of 76 – that’s for the state on average. Sarah Palin, what in the world is going on up there?).

Truly it can’t get worse than Juneau, right? Wrong. Sleepy little beach communities Ocean City, Maryland and Key West, Florida made a baffling and troublesome attempt to hang with the major cities by weighing in with rates of 123.3 and 127.3, respectively. Think about that for a second. If you had a NFL Football game in Ocean City, Maryland, about 127 people in that crowd would be raped that year, on average. What’s going on, Ocean City? Considering that New York City’s Rape rate is a mere 13 per 100,000, one has to wonder if NBC should move the Special Victim’s Unit to Ocean City, Maryland! Benson and Stabler, head to the Shore!

Actually, no. If we’re going to be calling Benson and Stabler anywhere, it should be to Midtown Detroit. While we were scandalized and terrified by Key West, Ocean City, and Jeneau – we were absolutely left in a state of disbelief by Midtown Detroits numbers. 181 rapes per 100,000 people. Yes, 181. Just about six times the national average.

So it looks like Midtown Detroit is more likely to rape you while Downtown St. Louis will more likely just kill you. We can’t pick a winner. But we know two areas we’ll be avoiding for the near future. (This would be the time to point out that both Detroit and St. Louis have areas that are very safe and lovely. But really, don’t go to Midtown or Downtown without body armor and some pepper spray.)

Disasters

We were shocked to learn which location ranked the highest for disasters. Memphis, TN!

The Mississippi River has a nasty habit of flooding in Memphis.
Photo: jeb simpson [Flickr]

As it turns out, this unsuspecting town sits in the path of tornadoes and is located in an area geologically prone to earthquakes, floods, and landslides. There is also significant potential for wildfires in this area. In addition to natural disasters, motor vehicle deaths, accidental firearm deaths, and suicides are all above average.

But if you’re headed to the nation's capital, you might want to follow Obama’s lead and drive in a bullet proof SUV, because Washington DC has the most gun related deaths per year – by far. A full 21% more deaths than the runner up in this inglorious category, New Orleans.

And if you’re feeling a little down, you may want to steer clear of Montana. There’s something about all that ranching and wheat farming that must make you want to just up and end it all, because Montana has the worst suicide rate in the nation. 22 out of every 100,000 Montanians (I have no idea if they’re called that or not, but what’s the alternative really… Montanites?) kill themselves every year.

Disease

US Naval Hospital Ship Mercy docked in San Diego in 2006.
Coincidence? I don't think so ... Photo: Jim Frazier [Flickr]

San Diego takes the cake (ew, what kind of cake would that be? Pro tip: don’t eat it) for the most disease-ridden location in the United States. It is a good thing that cancer, heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s are non-communicable; otherwise the entire city would have to be quarantined.

But it’s a city on the other side of the continent that takes the unfortunate status of being the “AIDS capital of America.” That would be Baltimore, with 37.7 AIDS related deaths per 100,000 citizens. Its sister city Washington DC isn’t much better off in that department at 37.1. Compare that to a mere 3.7 AIDS deaths per 100,000 in Oakland, California or the very impressive virtual ZERO in Salt Lake City, Utah and you’ll see that Baltimore and DC have to change something up.

Win a Free Download!

If you’d like to score yourself a free copy of LETHAL for your iPhone or iPod touch , be the first to answer ONE of the following questions in the comments. We’re giving out 5 freebies here.

1. Can you guess what location has the highest overall LETHAL Index?
   Hint: it is none of the locations listed above. It is a city where a moderately high score in all four categories reveals that it has the most cumulative danger.
   
2. Can you guess what location has the least overall LETHAL Index?
   Hint: It also wasn’t mentioned.
   
3. Can you tell us which city comes in 3rd behind Detroit and St. Louis with the Crime Index?
   
4. Which state should probably have its collective Drivers License taken away because it has the highest automobile death rate?
   
5. What state has the highest rate of Occupational Fatality?
   Yep, a whole lot of people seem to die on the job here… over 40% more than the second most dangerous area in this category!

Please login and use your Neatorama username (if you don't have one, please register). Place your guess in the comment. One answer per comment, though you may enter as many guesses as you'd like. One free download per person.

Be sure to check out LETHAL App for more information (or get one at iTunes now!)

I hate snakes - it's the one animal that really gives me the ooies. But I have to admit, they're endlessly fascinating.

Here's a YouTube clip of Brady Barr of National Geographic's Dangerous Encounter coming back to a snake cave where he got bit a year ago. (Posted on Neatorama here):

... Brady's back in Indonesia, dodging deadly vipers, trudging through waist deep guano and heading into the cave where he was bitten a year ago in search of a monster python. He's going deeper, braving the dangers of the cave and using new techniques to try to capture one of the biggest snakes he has ever captured in his career.

Coming back? After the whole "I got a really baaaaad bite" thing? You're so crazy, Brady!

Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - Thanks Minjae Ormes!

(Links open in a new browser window/tab)

For more the web's most interesting videos, check out: VideoSift.

WomansDay has a really nifty post about extraordinary uses of 16 ordinary household items. It's just what you need to release your inner MacGyver!

Here are some of the surprising things you can do with ... toothpaste:

1. Remove crayon marks
Squirt a small dab on non-gel toothpaste on the wall where the mark is. Rub gently with a soft cloth, then rinse with warm water. Voilà!

2. Deodorize hands
Can't get garlic or onion odor off your hands? Wash them with a blob of toothpaste.

3. Whiten sneakers
Clean rubber soles by rubbing scuff marks with an old toothbrush and non-gel toothpaste.

4. Buff a DVD
Get rid of light scratches by squeezing a little non-gel toothpaste onto a cotton ball. Wipe over the DVD from the center out to the edge. Rinse with water and dry with a non-abrasive, lint-free cloth - all gone.

5. Defog goggles
Coat the inside of swimming goggles with toothpaste, then wipe off - they'll be crystal clear.

Find out more about what nail polish, dryer sheets, coffee filters, and chalk can do: Link - Thanks Annie Hammel!

Photo: sashamd [Flickr]

CultCase blog has a really nifty post about 20 of the most creative re-use of egg cartons. So next time you're done eatin' the eggs, don't throw away the carton: they make for awesome arts and crafts projects.

This one above is a homemade egg-carton-and-water-bottle camera by sashamd of Shoup House blog.

Link

Here's something for those of you who believe in the you-gotta-start-em-young philosophy of sustainable living: the Eco House by WonderWorld Toys.

The house comes equipped with solar roof panels, a wind turbine, recycling bins, a bicycle (there is no car), a rain barrel (aka rainwater tank or water butt) and garden greenery. [...]

Unlike many barren dollhouses, this one comes fully accessorized with a shower, vanity, waste basket, small and large beds, oven, table, three chairs, two parents and a child, a recycle bin, a waste bin and two planters.

Link

There's somethin' funny goin' on in the skies of Latvia. Designer Aigar Truhins took these photographs that have since gone viral on the Net.

'My son exclaimed, 'The aliens are coming!'' Truhins was quoted as saying. 'It certainly looked that way,' he added.

But experts are agreed there may be a more prosaic explanation - ice crystals in the air. The air above the town was notably cold and filled with suspended ice crystals. It is believed that the columns were formed by those reflecting light from the bright streetlamps and other lights on the ground - beaming it back downwards again.

Skies all over Europe have been filled with such natural phenomena during the cold snap of recent weeks.

Link (Photo: Aigar Truhins) - via Truemors

Ice crystals? That's the lamest scientific explanation I've heard all year (boo, science!). I vote for aliens, how about you?

Sea angel (Clione limacina) is a cute sea slugs that swims by flapping its adorable tiny angel wings ... but don't let the cuteness fool you: it turns into a monster when it feeds!

Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - via Pink Tentacle

While the jury's still out on whether playing video games lead to violence, one thing is clear: some people deserve to have their video games taken away from them. Here's the story of one 19-year-old teen who attacked his mom with a taco when she unplugged his Xbox:

Dena Moir, 54, told deputy sheriffs she called her 19-year-old son Zachary several times to come downstairs for dinner Tuesday. When he didn't respond, she went upstairs and unplugged his Xbox. She told deputies her son pushed her, called her names and ordered her out of his room.

The woman said she was cleaning the kitchen when her son came down to eat and that she pushed him to the side because he was in her way. At that point, deputies said, the man smacked his mother on the left arm, called her more offensive names and threw his taco in her face.

"I don't think he believed I'll call," the woman told a 911 dispatcher when she called the Sheriff's Office. "He's done this plenty of times before and I've never called."

The unruly teen is now in jail: Link - via Arbroath | Side discussion: Do video games cause violent behavior?

(Photo: Volusia County Sheriff's Office)