A new FBI-style crime-fighting agency called the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) has been launched in the UK, complete with a logo designed to scare the living daylights out of criminals:

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) has chosen a fierce big cat bearing its fangs and leaping over a stylised silver globe, with a crown capping it all.

It's bold but bears a striking resemblance to the logo of the 1980s children's cartoon series Thundercats. So was the comparison to the show - which featured humanoid cats battling evil mutants in the Earth's distant future - intentional? Soca declined to comment.

Link (via digg)

Fantastic trick shots by Eric Yow. See more on his website: Link

If you like flash puzzler like Samorost, you'd want to check out P A R K.

Previously posted on Neatorama: Samorost, Samorost 2, Polyphonic Spree: Quest for the Rest

Former Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson, D-Los Angeles, left, kicks Zhang Xiao Ju betweent the legs during a demonstration performed by Buddist monks at the Capitol in Sacramento. In their first visit to the United States, a group of Shaolin martial artists from SongShan, China, on Monday demonstrated acrobatic flips and shows of strength. With the monks urging him on, Wesson made several kicks to the monk, who showed no emotion.

This one is from 2004, found at Cellar Image of the Day. Definitely worth a re-post!

Hit play to see Jake Shimabukuro performs a fantastic Ukulele version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps by George Harrison. (via Norwood Matt's always awesome Stuff on Fire, a blog with super reliable server!)

From a while ago: Flickr user w00kie has a neat photostream of transparent screens (surely you can figure out how these are made ...) If you haven't seen them, it's worth a look: Link (via Boing Boing)

Take a look at Ben's build log of his awesome Matrix APU Halloween costume: Link (don't miss his Mech Suit)

University of Guelph-Humber in Toronto has a unique air-purification system: a 4-story tall wall of plants with about 1,000 plants that act as a biofilter.

... while the lush array that includes orchids, ferns, ivy and hibiscus is impressive, the truly innovative part of the biofilter - which has been operating for less than a year - is its capacity to break down hundreds of different kinds of contaminants found in indoor air.

Thanks to the action of microbes that live on the plant roots, common pollutants such as formaldehyde, toluene and benzene are transformed into harmless water and carbon dioxide. While the plants themselves have little impact on contaminants, they provide the environment for the microbes to work efficiently.

Link: Business Edge News | Guelph

See more of Nozzman's funny drawings: http://www.nozzman.nl/portfolio/ (via Sam-Diablo)

This image of the Crater Galle, the "happy face" on Mars, was taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft.

Link (via digg)

The awesome Make: Blog has this crazy Rube Goldbergian contraption to make ramen, made by (who else?) the Japanese.

Link

This is just so sad: 6-year-old boy Robert Turner called 911 for help when he found his mother Sherel Turner lying unconscious on the kitchen floor.

Instead of sending help, the 911 operator chided Robert for prank calling and the mother, unfortunately, died.

"Then I had felt her tummy. She wasn't breathing. Then I had called 911," said Robert. "I told them to send an emergency truck right now."

911 Operator: "911. What's the problem?"

Robert: "My mom has passed out."

The 911 operator, however, did not take him seriously and told him to stop playing on the phone, the station reported.

911 Operator: "Where's the grownups at?"

Robert: (Inaudible)

911 Operator: "Let me speak to her before I send the police over there."

"I tried to tell them she wouldn't talk," said Robert.

Robert: (Inaudible)

911 Operator: "I don't care. You shouldn't be playing on the phone. Now put her on the phone before I send the police out there to knock on the door and you gonna be in trouble."

Robert: "Ugh!" (Hangs up.)

...

Officials said the 911 operator will be disciplined, but because of her years of service she will not be fired.

Just a tragedy. Link

If you need an authentic vintage vampire slaying kit, there's one for sale on eBay right now! From the website:

The items enclosed in the box are as followed: one wooden hammer (6.5 inches long), four stakes 6 inches-each) --- the wooden hammer has applied a small holy cross, same as the stakes; the lower side containing: prayer book, crucifix, knife and eight bottles with Pamant (holy soil), Agheazma (holy water), Mir (anointing oil), Tamaie (holy incense), Usturoi (garlic), red serum, blue serum and secret potion. We believe a romanian monk from Transylvania has created this box during the period of 1870-1890 .

The old Prayer Book is old romanian language (chirilica), 19th century-hard covers. There is a mith saying whoever is able to read from this Book, he will be able to win the fight with the dark forces, demons, vampires and other demonic creatures.

Some vampire experts claim that kits such as the present lot were very common in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries among travelers to Eastern Europe, particularly the Carpathians, and could be requested from the concierge desk of their hotels. Others claim that the kits originated in twentieth century America and are nothing more than romantic curiosities.

Link (via Boing Boing)

Checkout Lockwasher's Flickr photostream of cute robots made from junks. Link (via Metafilter)

Take a look at Nathan's funny "art": Link