Forget 007. The baddest secret agent/super spy is the 2'6" tall Weng Weng [wiki] or Agent 00 as he's known in the Philippines (in the movie For Y'ur Height Only)
Here's a clip of Weng Weng in action, by John R by the R Room, with songs by THE CHUDS: Link [embedded YouTube] | See also these post by Boing Boing
Here's something really cool: someone's modded a Terminator skull into a DVD player! No words if the eyes glow whenever you fast-forward a boring scene. (If you know the back story to this mod, I'd love to hear it!): Link - via GeekAlerts
Sometimes, fan-made art are so impressive that they rival those slick posters produced by the studios. Here's a perfect example:
/Film readers Max B and David B have sent over this fan made poster for a possible sequel to The Dark Knight. Seems like the artist, like most everyone I have talked to, wants The Riddler to attack Gotham City in the next film. But yes, it is just a fan creation (If the question mark didn’t give it away). But the rest of the poster is well done.
Link - via Always Watching (who noticed the subtle addition like the Zodiac cypher and the newspaper article written by Vicki Vale (a reporter played by Kim Basinger in Tim Burton's Batman)
If you've ever wondered why Georgia (the US state) and Georgia (the country) are both named Georgia, Noreen Malone of Slate has the answer:
Why does a country that was formerly part of the USSR have the
same name as a state in the American Deep South?Both got their present-day monikers from the British. The name of the country comes from the Russian word Gruzia, which was in turn derived from the Persian and Turkish versions of the name George, Gorj and Gurju. It's not clear when the Brits started using the word Georgia in place of Gruzia, but scholars believe the switch happened sometime in the late Middle Ages. [...]
The American Georgia, on the other hand, was named after King George II of England, who granted the state its charter in 1732. The –ia suffix, meaning "state of," comes from the Greek and was tacked onto the end of many place names via the vast imperial and lingual legacy of the Romans. The name George became popular in Western Europe only after the Crusades, when knights traveling to the Holy Land came in contact with the widespread veneration of the saint among the Eastern Christians—in places like Georgia. (George became the patron saint of England in the 1340s.) Meanwhile, the saint's name derives from Greek and refers to a tiller of land. In that respect, both Georgia and Georgia live up to their names.
Link - via Super Punch
After decades of coddling young children, Johnson & Johnson decided to go the other way and toughen 'em up with this new shampoo: Nothing But Tears!
A radical departure for the health goods manufacturer, the new shampoo features an all-alcohol-based formula, has never once been approved by leading dermatologists, and is as gentle on a baby's skin as "having to grow up and fend for your goddamn self."
"We at Johnson & Johnson have been making bath time a safe and soothing experience for far too long," company CEO William C. Weldon said. "Years of pampering have left our newborns helpless, feeble, and ill-equipped for the arduous road ahead."
"It's time our children got the wake-up call that's been coming to them," Weldon continued. "It's time they cried their precious little eyes out."
Just kidding - that's from the satirical (read: fake) news website The Onion. Boy, when they're funny, they can be really funny: Link - via Locust & Honey
Here's a twisted tale of four ghosts trapped in a maze, while being stalked by a giant yellow monster.
Watch Pac-Man: The Movie, directed by Stanley Wong and Tyler Russell: Link [embedded YouTube clip]
Brazilian artist Nele Azevedo's artwork is cool ... literally! In this art installation, Nele created hundreds of sitting figures out of ice - the installation lasted till the last one melted in the heat of the day:
Photos: Nele Azevedo
Photo: Lemoox [Flickr]
Link - via Stuff
That Is Relevant
Do you think you're the only one that skipped great works of English classic literature? Well, here's a little secret: even respectable authors didn't read 'em!
At the literary festival Ways With Words 2008, The Daily Telegraph asks established authors which books they are most embarrassed to admit they've never read:
During this year's Ways With Words festival at Dartington Hall, Devon, we would collar our guests and ask: what's the book you're most ashamed of never having read?
Would the eminent Cambridge classicist admit to The Iliad? Would V S Naipaul's old editor cop to A Bend In The River?
Or would the former schoolmate of a fellow guest confess - with apparent relish - to never having read a word his old friend has written?
Link - via Chasing the Southern Cross
So - 'fess up: what works of literature are you ashamed of never having read?
Why send your kids to school with a boring lunch pail when you can make awesomely cute bento boxes like this one? (it's a PB and J, by the way, and it took just 4 minutes to make)
The Cooking for Monkeys blog by Pam is all about making meal times for her toddler healthier and more interesting by creating some really cute bento meals: Link
That, my friend, is an air-conditioned bus stop (presumably near Burj Al Arab hotel, where one night stay costs about US$ 1,000). Must be nice to be rich! (though why would they take the bus, then?)
Found at Tell Me Something I Don't Know
Periodic Table of Videos is neat beyond belief. Martyn Poliakoff, a professor at the University of Nottingham, and video journalist Brady Haran, put together a periodic table where each elements is a link to a video about that element!
It's heartening to see chemistry in action and that people can actually have fun doing science! If only this were the way science is taught at school ...
Anyways, here's an intro that explains what the Periodic Table of Videos is all about:
If you only click on one link today, make it this one: Link - via Squeezing My Mind Grapes
Soopa Coin-Up Bros is a vinyl toy by Erick Scarecrow that you can customize yourself into, welll, just about anything! Vinyl Toy Freaks has a really neat gallery of some of the amazing custom designs that people (with way more time and talent than your truly) have made: Link - via Copperpott's Cabinet of Curiosities
Previously on Neatorama: Steampunk Pac Man Arcade and Other Toys by Doktor A
That's the Nike (Burger) Air Max 90 by Olle Hemmendorff, a Swedish illustrator/designer who was commissioned by Nike (along with 7 other artists) to "interpret" their sneakers. Olle decided to make one out of ... hamburger!
Paintings: Linda Merchant
This is fantastic: Linda Merchant of It's All in the Details blog re-created "Market Woman with Vegetable Stall" (c. 1567) by Dutch painter Pieter Aertsen (1508-1575) using the 7-layer Flemish painting technique.
And she's blogging each and every step: Link
Unilever, the maker of the Klondike ice cream sandwich has a little video contest where fans submit their home-made "What would you do for a Klondike Bar?" videos for a chance to win money. They've whittled down 500 video entries into four finalists (with surprisingly good videos!)
I like this one by Pete Holmes of Frontpage Films, though the one by JaysonW is pretty good, too!
The voting is on till Aug 30: http://www.klondikecontest.com/finalist.aspx?ftaf=824 - via Gynomite! | Many more home-made Klondike bar clips on YouTube
