Shoe maker Asics Corp. has developed some special super-light shoes for Japanese astronaut Takao Doi, who will join a US space shuttle mission in 2007.

"In an environment of no gravity, human muscles become atrophied and astronauts need to train themselves on machines," said Takehiro Tagawa, who developed the far-out footwear.

The first samples, with a soft heel and flexible sole, weigh only 130 grams (4.6 ounces) each and incline slightly upward toward the toes.

"By having the slant, the shoes would stretch a wearer's calf muscles even in the no-gravity environment," Tagawa said.

They also include a gap dividing the big toe from the others, similar to traditional Japanese socks known as tabi which are often worn with sandals.

"The divider makes it easier to stand firm," he said.

Link

This photo circulated around the 'Net last year, I think.

Dennis Hurley, an albino actor, made The Albino Code, a parody of Dan Brown's best-seller Da Vinci Code.

Admittedly, I did try my best to audition for the role of Silas, not to further the stereotype, but to bring my own sense of realism to the role (not to mention, landing a part in a Ron Howard film would have been a pretty big break for a struggling actor). Of course, that plum of a role went to Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind, Wimbledon) a non-albino from Brooklyn.

So, instead of complaining endlessly, I wrote a short film parody, entitled The Albino Code, with the following premise: "What if the story of The Da Vinci Code could be told from Silas's point of view? And what if Silas were an actual person with albinism thrust into a world of secret codes, mystery, and assassination?"

It even made Mona Lisa grin! http://www.albinocode.com/index.html

It's hard to pick just one of Rarindra's cool photos - they all have amazing depth, clarity, composition, and color.

This one is titled "Aceh, A Year After the Tsunami" and is captioned: "River in Banda Aceh where thousands bodies washed away by Tsunami".

http://www.fotocommunity.com/pc/pc/mypics/574065/display/4531820 | Gallery

Jason has a weird choice of media for his artwork: chewing gum on plywood. From the website:

Each Gum Blonde is 100% chewed bubblegum on a plywood backing. No paint or dye is used. The colour is inherent to the gum - the mixing of colour takes place inside the mouth during chewing using an endless variety of flavours made by an endless variety of companies. Kronenwald has a dedicated team of chewers and prefers the texture of Trident. However, he does not chew gum himself unless he must.

http://gumblondes.com/gb.html (Thanks Yayo!)

TechEBlog has compiled its Top 10 Strangest Watches. This one above is Louis Vuitton Twilight Watch, which features:

46 flourescent blue sapphires on a mother of pearl dial to create a beautiful diamond studded silhouette of the Eiffel Tower that glows in the dark. It’s limited to just 20 pieces and available exclusively at the Champs-Elysees Paris store.

Link (Thanks Steve!)

Dutch Store Hema celebrates its 10,000th shoplifter. YouTube user FatAlbert420 translates:

'kan je het zien' [can you see it?]
'die daar' [that one]
'kijk, kijk, gaat ze' [look, look, there she goes]

'ok, peter klaar' [ok peter's ready]
'peter, pakt r' [peter, grabs her]
'HEEL GOED' [Very good!!]

'lopen, kom op' [run, come on!]
'Yuu!'
'bord! pak het bord!' [sign! get the sign]
'hou r vast he, peter' [restrain her well, peter!]
'remco! meekomen' [remco! come!]
'els! mee' [els! follow!]
'peter hou r vast' [peter, hold her]
'ja, ja, kom op snel' [yes, quickly now]
'goed zo, heel goed, ok' [good, very good, ok]

'nee, je hebt helemaal niks gedaan, tuurlijk niet. je hebt helemaal niks gedaan. oké. Ge-fe-li-ci-teerd, jij bent de...'
[no, you haven't done anything, of course not. You haven't done anything. Allright: Congratulations! You are ...]

*gets flowers*

'10.000e winkeldief van dit pand!'
[this store's shoplifter number 10.000!]

'jaweeel! woooo!' [ya rly! woooo!]
'kijkijkijk' [looklooklook]
'what hebben we allemaal?' [what have we got?]
'eeen TAART!' [a CAKE!]
'lach: hehehehe!' [smile: hehehehe >D]

'tienduizend! we hebben champagne!' [miss tenthousand! we have champagne!]
'voor jou, peter, goed gedaan!' [here you go peter, well done]
'nouu, een echte hema taart, yamyamaym!' [real HEMA cake, yamyamyam >D]
'in de glo-riii-aaa' [long live / banzaiii!]

*alarm goes off while the girl makes her escape*

sign at the end:

In geval van diefstal doen wij (bijna) altijd aangifte bij de politie.
[ In case of theft, we (almost) always inform the police]

Hit play or go to YouTube Link (via YesButNoButYes)

Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain plays Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Hit play or visit Google video http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4559510005057780538 (via grow-a-brain)

From the website:

Before their April 2006 performance at Naval Air Station Atlanta, AJC staffer Steve Beatty joined Lt. Kevin Davis for a fun-filled afternoon of barrel rolls and other tricks high above Athens in a $24 million F/A-18. Beatty only passed out three times.

http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/extra/blueangels/ (via Waxy)

Made in 2004, still very relevant today! Found at Sacred Cow Burgers (via Spocko)

Flickr user bpx has a nice photoset of Soviet Union propaganda and advertisement posters from 1917 to 1991. Link (via Huge Entity)

Eugenio Recuenco is a very talented Spanish fashion photographer for Vogue magazine. Take a look at his other fairy tales-inspired photos: Link

Robert Boyd of University of Rochester, New York, and colleagues had accomplished something very strange: they managed to send light backwards!

In the past few years, scientists have found ways to make light go both faster and slower than its usual speed limit, but now researchers at the University of Rochester have published a paper today in Science on how they've gone one step further: pushing light into reverse. As if to defy common sense, the backward-moving pulse of light travels faster than light.

"It's weird stuff," says Boyd. "We sent a pulse through an optical fiber, and before its peak even entered the fiber, it was exiting the other end. Through experiments we were able to see that the pulse inside the fiber was actually moving backward, linking the input and output pulses."

Link (via digg)

Neatorama reader Loopy Loo (hi Loopy!) suggested that we take a look at Judson's dance routine:

Inspirational Comedian Judson Laipply is the creator/dancer of the “Evolution of Dance”, the video that is taking the Internet by storm! The Dance is the finale to his most popular show titled “Inspirational Comedy” and is loved wherever he performs.

Link to Judson's website | YouTube Link

Dave Jurgenson, a disabled student has accussed Reading Borough Council for failing his cultural needs because they don't allow him more time to care for his Afro.

Mr Jurgenson’s concerns have been echoed by a race relations expert, who claims the council is being too slow to respond.

The 26-year-old, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy, said more time should be allocated to care for his distinctive Afro-style hair.

He said: “They don’t give me the hours to braid my hair and wash and plait it. If I am invited to go somewhere special I can’t go with a big Afro.

“It’s a matter of grooming. And every time you go to church you want to be able to look your best. If I was in a care home they would do something about it.

Corrected Link (via Nothing to do with Arbroath)