Old: When life gives you lemons, make a lemonade. New: When Venice floods, go wakeboarding.
That's exactly what Duncan Zuur did at St. Mark's Square:
Duncan Zuur's team pulled a compact, 20 horsepower motor winch from its hiding place and placed it under the square's arches. One team member, clad in rubber boots, pulled the winchs cable about 120 metres across the square and pressed one end firmly into the hand of Duncan Zuur, who had taken the opportunity to get into his wakeboarding gear. Four elegant turns later, the event was over prompting by a standing ovation from an astounding crowd of tourists.
And luckily for Duncan, the police didn't even notice.
The Heartbroke Daily is an online diary of a fictional character, Knox Dupree, who suffers from a chronic ailment: love sickness. In it, Knox tell us an engaging story every day about a different woman who broke his heart:
Dahlia was that girl in the airport terminal who you see out of the corner of your eye and think, She seems really intriguing. I hope I sit next to her. It usually doesn’t happen, so you pop an Ambien and fade yourself out for the duration. However, in this particular instance I wound up sitting in next to the girl from the terminal, thinking to myself, maybe my luck has changed.
I struck up a conversation about nightlife in Tokyo, where we were departing from. This led into a rundown of who we were, and what we did. She worked in advertising, liked it ok, preferred Seattle, where she lived, to Southern California, where she was raised. It was all mundane small talk and I found my infatuation fading, until, two hours into the flight, both engines stopped and the plane fell from the sky like a anvil in an old cartoon.
iLounge reader Tuan Nguyen, Ken Thomas, and friends created this sweet iPhone coffee table with built-in Apps coasters from corrugated boards. http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/15827/ - via coated
What could you do with thousands of dixie cups? Here's a teacher-pranking-teacher moment, photographed for your enjoyment:
Every single one of those 10,000 dixie cups was full of water. It took 10 people 3 hours to painstakingly set those things up and fill them. Every single horizontal surface we could get to was covered. There were even dixie cups in the desk drawers.
Got to love those Russian biologists! Dr. M.A. Menzbier (yes, a real person - an ornithologist and zoogeographer, actually) has found the reason why men are superior than fish, as published in the Nov 1931 issue of Modern Mechanix: Link
It's obvious that Jon C. of Overoften's Kumamoto Diary loves Kit Kat. He has what is probably the largest selection of strange Kit Kat flavors on the Web. His Flickr photoset includes pineapple, green tea, melon-flavored snack and many more!
Here are his picks of the strangest Kit Kat ever (soy sauce Kit Kat, no kidding!): Link | Flickr Photoset
Migros, a supermarket chain in Switzerland, got a brilliant idea for its underwear advertising campaign: they are modeled by good lookin' singles who you can contact!
In a wide-spread press release Migros announced to advertise their latest underwear worn by real singles, who are looking to meet and find a partner. The story quickly became a topic for the media, already giving the campaign a first ignition. 700 willing models applied and there from 26 where chosen. Following was a campaign that used real life singles modelling the underwear with possibility of the viewer to contact them over their email address. Hundreds of national and international media covered the story about the singles in Migros underwear.
Paul Nawrocki worked in the toy industry for 36 years as an executive before he was laid off. The economic is bad and after more traditional approaches of looking for work failed, Paul decided to do something drastic:
Paul Nawrocki says he's beyond the point where he cares about humiliation.
That's why he weekly takes a 90-minute train ride to New York, where he walks the streets wearing a sandwich board that advertises his plight: The former toy-industry executive needs a job.
"Almost homeless," reads the sign. "Looking for employment. Very experienced operations and administration manager."
Wearing a suit and tie under the sign, Nawrocki -- who was in the toy industry 36 years before being laid off in February -- stands on Manhattan corners for hours, hoping to pass resumes to interested passers-by.
"When you're out of work and you face having nothing -- I mean, having no income -- pride doesn't mean anything," Nawrocki said. "You need to find work. I have to take care of my family."
Every year, the Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne holds its Annual C-U Edible Book Festival.
Around the world on April 1st bibliophiles, book artists, and food lovers gather to celebrate the book arts and the (literal!) ingestion of culture. Participants create edible books that are exhibited, documented then consumed.
Here are the winners of the 2008 competition: Link - via Boing Boing
So, you think you know Walt Disney. But did you know that "Disney" wasn't his family's ancestral surname? That he drove an ambulance? That his first studio went bankrupt in just one year? Or that he was a train nut and had a miniature railroad put in his backyard? To celebrate the 107th anniversary of his birthday, here are Neatorama's 10 Fun Facts About Walt Disney:
Origin of the "Disney" Name: d'Isigny Walt's ancestors were named d'Isigny, and came from Isigny-sur-Mer in Normandy, France. They moved to a village in Lincolnshire, England now named Norton Disney.
Disney Tried to Join the Army, but was Rejected In 1917, Walt tried to join the Army to fight in World War I and was rejected ... because he was too young! He was 16 at the time, so he joined The Red Cross instead. His first job there? Driving an ambulance.
Walt Disney as an ambulance driver in France - photo via Croce Rossa Italiana
Laugh-O-Gram: Disney's First Venture Went Bank-O-Rupt In 1922, Disney founded an animation company called Laugh-O-Gram. The company immediately ran into financial troubles (Disney had to live in the office and take baths once a week at a neighboring train station). In just about one year, the studio declared bankruptcy. Disney sold his movie camera for a one-way ticket to Hollywood, California.
The studio produced only a few animations, including one called Tommy Tucker's Tooth, which was commissioned by a local dentist about the merits of brushing your teeth. (More on Laugh-O-Grams at The Animation Empire)
Before Mickey Mouse, There was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Walt and Ub Iwerks created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (who looked suspiciously similar to Mickey) for Charles Mintz of Universal Studios. In 1928, with the popular cartoon series going strong, Disney asked Mintz for an increase in budget. Instead, Mintz took over his current employees and demanded that Walt take a budget cut!
Mintz thought that he had Disney cornered - instead, Walt went on to start anew with Iwerks and a loyal apprentice named Les Clark. They tried sketches of various animals, including dog, cat, cow, frog and horse before settling on a mouse (based on Disney's pet mouse Mortimer).
They were going to call the character Mortimer Mouse, but Walt's wife Lilian convinced him to change the name to Mickey Mouse (she thought "Mortimer" sounded pompous) (Source).
Disney's Folly: Snow White In 1934, Disney embarked on his most ambitious project yet: a full-length animated feature called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Both his brother Roy and wife Lilian tried to talk him out of it, saying that it would be too difficult and too expensive (Lilian said: "No one's ever going to pay a dime to see a dwarf picture.") The Hollywood movie industry mocked it as "Disney's Folly."
Two years later, while still in mid-production, Walt ran out of money. The initial production cost of $250,000 (already 10 times the average budget of his other animations) ballooned to over $1.5 million. (today's value: $21 million) He had to mortgage his house and get a loan to finish the movie.
Walt in the trailer of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - via Wikipedia
In 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarf was released and became an instant success. The movie won an honorary Oscar (see this post on Neatorama: Oscars Fun Facts) and grossed over $66 million domestically. Over its lifetime, the movie grossed over $184 million. Not bad for a "folly."
Disney Goes to War In 1942, a naval officer wrote a letter to Walt asking for a design for an emblem of the Navy's new fleet of torpedo boats nicknamed "mosquito boats." Disney obliged with a drawing of a mosquito riding a torpedo (the insignia was such a hit that every torpedo boat in the fleet soon had it).
Words spread, and Disney was bombarded with requests for insignias for tanks, minesweepers, bombers, and figher planes. Skylighters.org has a neat article about Disney's artistic contribution to the Great War: Link (text from LIFE Magazine)
Walt Disney was a Train Lover Disney loved trains. He even built a miniature railroad in his backyard called the Carolwood Pacific Railroad. It was named after the street on which his home was located.
Walt's railroad had 2,615 feet of track, including trestles, loops, overpasses, and even a tunnel (after his wife vetoed the train going through her flower beds).
Disney's backyard railroad became an inspiration for the Disneyland theme park.
Elias Disney, Walt's father, was a carpenter who earned about $1 a day. In 1895, Elias began a modest home construction business that ultimately failed. He continued to work odd jobs afterwards, including farming, running a newspaper delivery business, and working in a jelly factory.
Cigarettes Killed Disney Walt Disney was a chain smoker. In 1966, he was scheduled to undergo a neck surgery for an old polo injury, but a pre-surgery X-ray showed a large tumor in his left lung. Doctors ultimately removed the lung, but Disney died later that year.
It turns out the symbol is made of the letters S, T, and R, which stands for "Smoke Tree Ranch," Disney's ranch in Palm Springs, California. Nearby Walt's ranch lives a good friend of his, who became the inspiration of the character "Jacques" the Mouse in Cinderella! (Source: Hidden Mickeys, with a lot more fun facts of Disney)
Remember our post about Jar Jar Bink carved out of a jicama? Well, the guy who did that made another one. This time, it's Side Show Bob of the TV series The Simpsons , carved out of a Mexican Turnip! Link - Thanks Ken!
Elvis Cow, because you already know what Elvis looked like. Photo: Zach_ManchesterUK [Flickr]
Are you lonesome tonight? If Elvis is your hunk of burning love and he's got you all shook up, here are some neat tender lovin' facts about The King. But if you don't like this article, then don't be cruel because you're so square and baby, I don't care.
Tiny Elvis
When Elvis left the building permanently in 1977, he was considerably overweight. (Some estimates had him tipping the scales at 250 lbs.) But at birth, the 20-inch Tiny E was significantly underweight, at 5 lbs. Today, research has linked low birth weight to an increased risk of cardiosvascular disease and obesity - both problems for Elvis later in life. In fact, his official cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia, which could have been brought on by heart disease. Of course, it was more likely brought on by the 14 prescription drugs Elvis had in his system at the time.
A Word on the Name
Contrary to popular belief, the name Elvis is not unique to Elvis Presley. Well before the King ever shook things up, many men in the South shared the name. In fact, it dates to at least the 6th century C.E., to an Irish-born bishop named St. Elvis.
The Liberace Connection
You wouldn't think it, but Elvis and Liberace were great friends with plenty in common. Both came from poverty; both had a twin who died at birth; and both blossomed into ostentatiously dressed, sideburn-sporting Las Vegas performers. And although Elvis got a little jealous when Liberace scored a "celebrity-customized" Cadillac in 1962, the two always remained close. Elvis sent the flamboyant piano player guitar-shaped flower arrangements before every Vegas opening, and Liberace returned the favor by sending a similar arrangement to Graceland upon Elvis' death.
Under One Country
Looking to expand his fan base, a young Elvis Presley landed a month-long gig at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry. Unfortunately, the booking didn't last. After just one performance (on October 2, 1954), the management threw Elvis out onto the street because he wasn't singing country "correctly."
Born in the NRA
The King had a thing for the Second Amendment. One day in 1970, after a concert where fans had gotten a bit too close, Elvis went out and bought several thousand dollars worth of guns from a Beverly Hills sporting goods store - troubling, because he also had a temper.
Elvis was known to shoot out his TV set anytime Robert Goulet or Mel Torme came on the screen. (At least one such-damaged set was later sold as a collectible.) That isn't all he pointed his gun at, though. He also shot his car when it refused to start. (Photo: Elvis Presley News)
Presley by the Numbers
#2 - ranking on Forbes' Rich Deceased Celebrity list in 2006 (He was #1 from 2000 to 2005, then knocked down by Kurt Cobain) [ed note: he's back at #1 in 2007 and 2008]
9 months, exactly - the time between Elvis' marriage to Priscilla and the birth of daughter Lisa Marie
31 - number of starring roles in a feature film
$1,000,000 - insured value of Elvis' hair before it was cut by the Army in 1958
91% - Elvis' peak tax bracket
100 lbs. - amount of cotton picked daily by Elvis' mother, Gladys, in 1937 (she was paid $1.50 per day)
140 - average number of concerts performed per year in the last eight years of Elvis' life
157 carats - size of black sapphire in a ring Elvis gave to Sammy Davis, Jr. during a Vegas concert in 1970
200 lbs. - amount of cotton picked daily by father Vernon in 1938 while on the chain gang at the Parchman Penitentiary plantation (He was there for forging checks)
837 - number of consecutive sold-out shows at the Las Vegas Hilton (formerly the International Hotel)
5,684 - number of amphetamine and narcotic pills reportedly prescribed to him over a seven-month period in 1977, the year of Elvis' death
$1,055,173.69 - balance in Elvis' non-interest-bearing checking account at death
1,430,000 - number of preorders in 1960 for whatever record Elvis might release after completing Army duty
8,000,000 - number of Elvis records RCA sold in a 6-day period following his death
More than 1,000,000,000 - estimate number of Elvis recordings sold to date
The Legend of Undercover Elvis
White House photograph by Ollie Atkins, December 21, 1970
The Photo: While most people recognize the iconic photo of Elvis meeting Nixon in 1970, many don't know the exact reason for the visit. Elvis desperately wanted to become an undercover agent. Concerned about the increased drug use in America, he petitioned Nixon in a handwritten letter proposing he be named "Federal Agent at Large." Elvis wrote, "I have done an in-depth study of drug abuse and Communist brainwashing techniques and I am right in the middle of the whole thing, where I can and will do the most good."
The Visit: Elvis then showed up at the White House unannounced, packing two handguns - one for protection, the other as a gift for the president. After some thinking, officials let him inside with both guns in tote. At the extensively photographed meeting, Elvis showed Nixon his family photos and a collection of law enforcement badges. Later, Nixon awarded him a Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge, which listed Elvis' position as "Special Assistant."
The Conspiracy?: Soon after Elvis' White House visit, the FBI gave him permits to carry firearms in every state so that he could take care of business whenever the mood struck. Pretty remarkable, considering that earlier in Elvis' career, J. Edgar Hoover had the FBI track the singer extensively. In fact, his FBI file ran more than 600 pages. A popular conspiracy theory suggest that Elvis finally got his Federal Agent wish in 1977, faking his own death in order to go undercover.
In 1992, the U.S. Postal Service announced its plans for a 29-cent Elvis stamp and invited the nation to vote on which portrait to use. The choice was between a 1950s Elvis wearing a tie and gripping an old-fashioned mic, or a 1970s Elvis in a sequined jumpsuit. on June 4, 1992, the results were announced, and Young Elvis won in a landslide. Of course, after the stamp was released, thousands of fans put them on envelopes marked with fictitious addresses, hoping to get their mail back stamped "Return to Sender."
The article above appeared in the Scatterbrained section of the May - June 2007 issue of mental_floss magazine. It is reprinted here with permission.
Everyone knows about Charles Darwin and his theory of natural selection, but did you know that he once ate an owl, just for kicks? Or that he almost didn't make it aboard HMS Beagle because of the shape of his nose? Behold Neatorama's 10 Fun Facts About Charles Darwin:
1. Darwin Once Ate an Owl
Darwin was an inquisitive man. Sure he was curious about nature and all that science stuff, but he's also a guy. So when he saw strange animals, he often wondered what they would taste like. The difference between Darwin and the rest of us is that he actually ate 'em!
While he was at Cambridge University, Darwin joined the "Gourmet Club," which met once a week to eat animals not often found in menus, like hawk and bittern (a type of wading bird in the heron family). His zeal for weird food, however, broke down when he tried an old brown owl, which he found "indescribable."
But that one episode didn't end Darwin's weird gastronomic proclivities. During the voyage of the Beagle, he ate armadillos and agoutis (the rodents were "best meat I ever tasted," he said).
In Patagonia, South America, Darwin ate a puma (it tasted like veal) and an ostrich-like bird called a Rhea. Actually, Darwin had been looking for this particular species of Rhea, only to find that he had been eating one all along. He sent back the uneaten parts to the Zoological Society in London, which named the bird Rhea darwinii after him!
In the Galapagos, Darwin ate iguanas and giant tortoises. He liked it so much he loaded up 48 of them aboard the Beagle, to be eaten on the journey back!
2. Darwin Wanted to Be a Doctor, But He Couldn't Stand the Sight of Blood
Darwin attended Edinburgh University in hopes of becoming a physician like his father, but soon abandoned the idea because he couldn't stand the sight of blood. So he decided to study divinity instead and become a rural cleric, which would fit his hobby of being a naturalist just fine (Source).
3. Darwin's Nose Almost Cost Him The Voyage on the Beagle
The Captain of HMS Beagle, Robert FitzRoy, was about to embark on a survey expedition to South America, but he was afraid of the stress and loneliness of such a voyage (indeed, they have driven the previous captain of the ship to commit suicide). So FitzRoy asked his superiors for a well-educated and scientific gentleman companion to come along as an unpaid naturalist whom he could treat as an equal. The professors at Cambridge recommended then 22-years old Charles Darwin for the trip.
At first, Charles' father Robert objected to the appointment - after all, such a voyage would take years and would get in the way of him being a clergyman. But Darwin's uncle was able to persuade him not only to let his son go, but also support him financially.
Darwin and FitzRoy got together well, but later Darwin found out that he almost didn't get picked for the voyage ... on account of the shape of his nose!
"Afterwards on becoming very intimate with Fitz-Roy, I heard that I had run a very narrow risk of being rejected [as the Beagle's naturalist], on account of the shape of my nose! He was an ardent desciple of Lavater, and was convinced that he could judge a man's character by the outline of his features; and he doubted wheather anyone with my nose could possess sufficient energy and determination for the voyage. But I think he was afterwards well-satisfied that my nose had spoken falsely." (Source: Charles Darwin: His Life Told in an Autobiographical Chapter, and in a Selected Series of His Published Letters, by Charles Darwin - 1902)
4. Best Birthday Gift Ever: a Mountain!
For Darwin's 25th birthday on February 12, 1834, Captain FitzRoy named a mountain after him. Yup, Mount Darwin. It is the highest peak in Tierra del Fuego.
A year earlier, Darwin and his shipmates were on a small island in the Tierra del Fuego archipelago when a huge mass of ice fell from the face of a glacier and plunged into the ocean, causing a huge wave. Darwin ran to the shore and saved the ship's boats from being swept away. For saving everyone from being marooned, FitzRoy named the area Darwin Sound.
And as if one mountain isn't enough, Darwin got three more named after him: There are other Darwin Mountains located in California, Tasmania, and Antarctica.
You probably know that Darwin's most famous work, outlining his theory of evolution, is On the Origin of Species.
But what most people don't know is the full title: On the Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. It was published in 1859, twenty years after his epic voyage (yes, he took his sweet time in publishing his work, which he only did because Alfred Russell Wallace came to the same conclusion of evolution and Darwin didn't want to be left behind). A total of 1250 copies were printed and it went on sale for 15 shillings. It's now valued at around $23,000.
In the 6th edition, the title was changed to The Origin of Species.
6. Darwin Didn't Invent the Phrase "Survival of the Fittest"
That was Herbert Spencer, a philosopher and contemporary of Charles Darwin. After reading Darwin's On the Origin of Species, Spencer wrote Principles of Biology in 1864. He coined the phrase "survival of the fittest" and extended Darwin's theory of natural selection into the realm of sociology, ethics, and economics.
Darwin himself used the phrase in his 5th edition of The Origin and gave full credit to Spencer.
7. Darwin Married His First Cousin
Darwin was a logical man, and he approached the important issue of marriage like he would any problem. In The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Darwin made careful pro and con list of marriage to his first cousin, Emma Wedgwood:
Children — (if it Please God) — Constant companion, (& friend in old age) who will feel interested in one, — object to be beloved & played with. — —better than a dog anyhow. — Home, & someone to take care of house — Charms of music & female chit-chat. — These things good for one's health. — Forced to visit & receive relations but terrible loss of time. —
W My God, it is intolerable to think of spending ones whole life, like a neuter bee, working, working, & nothing after all. — No, no won't do. — Imagine living all one's day solitarily in smoky dirty London House. — Only picture to yourself a nice soft wife on a sofa with good fire, & books & music perhaps — Compare this vision with the dingy reality of Grt. Marlbro' St.
... and in the "Not Marry" column:
No children, (no second life), no one to care for one in old age.— What is the use of working 'in' without sympathy from near & dear friends—who are near & dear friends to the old, except relatives
Freedom to go where one liked — choice of Society & little of it. — Conversation of clever men at clubs — Not forced to visit relatives, & to bend in every trifle. — to have the expense & anxiety of children — perhaps quarelling — Loss of time. — cannot read in the Evenings — fatness & idleness — Anxiety & responsibility — less money for books &c — if many children forced to gain one's bread. — (But then it is very bad for ones health to work too much)
Perhaps my wife wont like London; then the sentence is banishment & degradation into indolent, idle fool —
He concluded that he should marry, and wrote:
Marry - Marry - Marry Q.E.D.
It is ironic that the man who gave rise to the importance of genetics in natural selection chose to marry his first cousin (Darwin wasn't alone in this - Einstein also married his cousin), but one thing is for sure: Darwin cleverly avoided adding more relatives to visit!
8. How Darwin Lost His Faith in Christianity
Darwin was actually quite a religious fellow when he began his voyage on the Beagle (he was fresh out of divinity school). Aboard the ship, Darwin was known to quote passages from the bible to rowdy sailors on board.
But something happened during the trip that made him less religious. Darwin saw slavery firsthand as well as the wretched living conditions of the natives of Tierra del Fuego and wondered why God allowed such inhumanities to happen (Source). Darwin became skeptical of the history in the Old Testament, yet still believed in the existence of God.
Darwin lost his faith when his daughter Annie caught scarlet fever and died at the age of 10. He wrote "We have lost the joy of the household, and the solace of our old age ... Oh that she could now know how deeply, how tenderly we do still & and shall ever love her dear joyous face." The heartsick Emma filled a small box with Annie's small treasures and kept it until her own death. (Source)
From then on, Darwin continued to help the local church with parish work, but would go on walks while his family attended church on Sundays. When asked about his religious views, Darwin denied that he was an atheist, but called himself agnostic.
In 1915, Lady Hope claimed to have visited Darwin and witnessed his deathbed conversion back to Christianity. This was refuted by his children, who noted that his last words were to Emma: "I am not the least afraid of death - Remember what a good wife you have been - Tell all my children to remember how good they have been to me." (Source)
9. Darwin was a Backgammon Fiend
After his return from South America, Darwin developed a life-long illness that left him severely debilitated or bed-ridden for long periods of time. Darwin consulted with more than 20 doctors, but the cause of his disease was never discovered (Wikipedia has an interesting list of possible illnesses).
Over the years, with the help of Emma, Darwin developed a strict routine that seemed to help in alleviating the symptoms. AboutDarwin.com has an interesting glimpse into what everyday life was like for Darwin.
Of note is Darwin's strict schedule for playing backgammon. Every night between 8 and 8:30 PM, Darwin would play 2 games of backgammon with Emma. He even kept score of every game he played for years!
10. Church of England Finally Apologized to Darwin
When Darwin's work on the theory of evolution came out, the church attacked him vociferously. Now, 126 years after his death, The Church of England has apologized to Darwin:
Charles Darwin: 200 years from your birth, the Church of England owes you an apology for misunderstanding you and, by getting our first reaction wrong, encouraging others to misunderstand you still. We try to practice the old virtues of 'faith seeking understanding' and hope that makes some amends. But the struggle for your reputation is not over yet, and the problem is not just your religious opponents but those who falsely claim you in support of their own interests. Good religion needs to work constructively with good science – and I dare to suggest that the opposite may be true as well. (Source)
If you like this article, you'll probably love these 10 Fun Facts articles on Neatorama:
Ad agency: Lowe Jakarta, Indonesia - via directdaily
Hah! This is pretty neat. Motorcycle riders in Jakarta, Indonesia, often suffer from eye irritation (red eye) caused by pollution on the road, so when Visine wants to advertise its product, a clever ad agency "modded" a red light that has a 60 seconds countdown timer, to show how fast the eye drop works!
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